Linda, Brad and they're driving us mad

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

We had issues this year with our costumes. I normally get them ordered in a timely manner, but I have been so pre-occupied with work and other things, that I failed in getting them ordered. Ryen always wanted to be a nurse, but the costume I originally wanted was all sold out. (By the way, there are some nasty nurse costumes out there, I googled Youth Nurse Costumes and boy there came up some interesting adult costumes.) Carter wanted to be some scary person. I am not ready for him to do the scary thing yet. I hate that Halloween is associated with creepiness. I wanted him to be a doctor but he said "NO" to that. He picked the Army outfit and we luckily found one for Jack that matched.

Jack stayed at home to hand out the treats. Brad and I took turns staying home with him. He tried to sneak out the door every time a trick or treater came. He was wearing me out. I can't believe how nice the weather was this year, especially since we just had snow a few short days ago. I think we had a record amount of trick or treaters. We went through so much candy. I finally had to hand the candy out myself because we were down to the bare minimum.

The pumpkin carving turned out well. The kids were excited with their pumpkins. We grew these pumpkins so I am pretty sure Brad was proud of them.

Well another Halloween is over. We had a lot of fun, but we were all tired. Everyone slept well, maybe it was because they were full of candy. It doesn't matter to me, as long as they sleep, do I hear an amen to that?

1 Year Old Pictures

2009-11-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, I don't even want to hear it. I am finally updating the blog. In July, we had Jack's pictures taken and we think they turned out pretty cute. The railroad track pictures are some of my favorites.

We think our "handsome devil" is the most handsomest. He keeps us running and laughing non-stop. I have no idea where he gets his sense of humor and his quickness. Thanks Jamie for taking the pictures, you are so good at this.

Happy 1st Birthday Jack!!!

2009-07-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Last year at this time, I was recovering from my 3rd C-Section and I was sort of out of it, just ask Mari Ann. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever figure someone so small could make me so happy. I had a good life, a great husband, two good kids (well.... most of the time), a good job, a nice home, etc. Then Jack came along. He has such a sweet spirit. All of us instantly fell in love with him. I am so thankful that he chose us. Our family would not be complete without him. For his birthday, we decided to go to Lagoon. It was fun. Mari Ann, Houston, Hailie, Cortney, Carlie, Mason, and Avery all came. It was Cortney's birthday too, you just need to add a few years to hers. I won't say how many, okay add 24 to Jack's 1. It was the best experience I have had at that place so far. Jack was such a good boy. He was such a trooper. The weather was perfect and there wasn't a huge crowd. The kids had a lot of fun. Thanks everyone for coming with us.

This picture is so typical of Jack. He talks with his mouth closed or he talks out of the side of his mouth. It is so cute, but I do hope that he grows out of it. It may not be so cute when he is an old man.

The infamous 1st birthday cake. I try for each of my kids to make their 1st cake. I went all out for Carter with the turkey cake that I made. Ryen had the ladybug cake that we made in Nauvoo. Jack's wasn't as much work. I really don't have a lot of time anymore. I do think, however, that it turned out cute.

Look at Ryen staring at the cake. She couldn't wait to eat it. Everyone's mouth turned blue from the frosting. It was pretty hysterical.

Jack is the only one out of my 3 kids that dug into his cake. He was very careful though. He enjoyed the frosting a little bit too much. I would pull the cake away from him and he would get all upset. I would push it back to him and he would calm down and start digging again.

One year past and how things have changed. I am so lucky to have three healthy kids. With each new day, I know that I am truly blessed. Happy Birthday Stinker Poo. We love you so much!!

A camping we will go!

2009-07-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

So our family decided to go camping over the 4th of July weekend. Many of you are wondering, is this Linda speaking. Yes it is. I am not much of a camper, although I enjoyed Girls Camp a ton especially since we slept in cabins and the wild animals were left outside, but I agreed to go. I had to work on Friday so Jack and I stayed behind while the rest of the family headed to Sunrise Campground. Friday night came and so did some thunderstorms. I got myself packed and Jack and I headed over the mountain to meet the rest of the family. The rain, thunder, and lightning decided to head over there as well. My last camping experience was about 2 years ago. We went camping with the same neighbors and it was alot of fun until the thunder and lightning storm. It freaked me out, especially since we were in tents in a wide open field and I had two young kids inside the tent. YIKES!!!!! This storm wasn't as bad, but it was freezing and I swear I got frost bite. We decided to go to the Lake on Saturday, even though the weather was still not the best. Jack had never been swimming. We decided we were going to have him go for a dip in the Lake. The weather got better and so we suited him up. Isn't he cute!! Brad dipped him in the water and he screamed to high heaven. (By the way, his leg is better. He didn't break it and he is getting better at putting his weight on it, thank goodness!)

Here is Ryen with her friend, or should I say boyfriend. They were with each other alot this weekend. I thought it was cute. They were swimming in the most disgusting water, but they liked it since it was warm.

Carter and Ryen decided to climb a tree at our campsite. The kids had so much fun. Brad and Carter were able to go shoot some paint balls with the fellow boy campers. I guess they had a blast, but from looking at the weldts on them, I don't think it sounds like too much fun. Ryen went with the ladies and the smaller kids into town and they played at the park. This all happened while I was still slaving away at work, trying to support my family. Do you feel sorry for me yet?

Here is a picture of the family leaving the campsite, notice I am not in the picture. I know you aren't shocked by this but there is a very good reason. Jack was misbehaving at camp. All day on the 4th, he was so mean and nasty. I couldn't get him to fall asleep. He wasn't acting like his normal self. It was frustrating me to no end. I wanted to enjoy the time but he wouldn't sit still and he wouldn't crawl around unless he was in the tent. Finally, I had had it. We ate a really good dinner and then headed into town to see some fireworks. He finally fell asleep in the car but I was terrified to take him out. I talked to Brad and I decided to head home and let him scream in our house where it would only affect me, and not a whole campground. The night that Jack and I arrived, he cried and we couldn't get him to stop. There were campers everywhere, and I know that they could hear us because we could hear them. It stressed me out, so I didn't want to go through that again.

The kids had a great time. I am so glad that we had a chance to go. We have good friends that we are able to go with. I hope they will invite us again. They might if I promise not to bring the rain again.

Twins

2009-06-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Since my last post didn't have any pictures of Carter Boy, I thought I would include this one. He is obsessed with mohawks. So, he decided to give himself one and also his little brother. Pretty cute don't you think?

WHAT'S UP!!!!!!!

2009-06-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

I know, pick yourself off the floor, it has been awhile since I have updated my blog. Well, I have been busy..... okay I am lazy. Lots has happened since the last time I wrote. We have had some heartache and also some blessings in our lives within the last couple of months. All I have to say is "Hold on, you never know what is around the corner, but enjoy the ride!"

The kids are growing up so fast. I can't believe that Ryen Paige will be 5 in just a few short days and Jack will be 1. Ryen will be starting Kindergarten and Carter will be in the 3rd Grade. I can't believe it. I can remember when I was in 3rd Grade and Mrs. Blake was my teacher. I swear it was just yesterday.

This weekend has been very much jammed back. We had Ryen's B-day party at a little park and invited a few of her friends. It was stressful trying to get everything ready, but it was fun. We did have a little accident though. Carter was taking Jack down the slide and Jack's leg got stuck under Carter as they went down. Jack screamed and screamed and wouldn't put any weight on his leg. We were concerned and so we took him to the doctor today. He now is a proud owner of a splint and it has to wear it for a few days. The doctor just called us and told us that the X-rays showed that he didn't fracture his leg, which we are thrilled about, but Jack has to wear the splint until the swelling goes down. If he won't stand after the swelling is down, we have to take him to a specialist. We are praying he will be able to stand without any problems. We will see.

Here is his doing patty cakes while I am trying to get his picture. He was such a good boy when we were at the doctor's office. I was very proud of him. By the way, Kim, Jack only weighs 22 pounds, what is Halster at now?

He feel asleep on the way home. I couldn't resist this picture. Ryen had given him her duck to make him feel better. It was cute of her. Carter just kept apologizing to him. He feels horrible about it but we keep telling him that it was an accident.

Here is Ryen's High School Musical Cake. She picked it out herself. She loved it and all the kids loved it. It was gone within a matter of minutes.

Here are all of Ryen's little friends, except for Hayley. She was over making friends with some other kids.

Ryen the birthday girl. She had a lot of fun at her party. I was happy that the weather was nice and the park wasn't packed with lots of people. I think the kids enjoyed themselves.

I want to wish my "Sweet Pea" a Happy Birthday!!! I love you so much. I can't imagine my life without you. You are such a sweet little girl. I know I tease you about how mean and nasty you are but I love that you are that way. You don't let anyone walk all over you and you aren't afraid of things, yet you are so sweet and tell us all the time that you love us the mostest. Five years ago, I had no idea what a blessing I was going to be receiving. You are my little girl, my only little girl, and I love you so much.

Well..... I have lots to say but I must end. I will try to keep up on my blog, but I am not promising anything.

By the way, "Thanks" Mom and Doyle, Hailie, Joe Ann, and Eddie for coming to Ryen's Birthday party. We loved having you and I know that it made Ryen's day to have you all there. I love my family and how supportitive they are. You all are the best!!!!!

JACK'S PICTURES!!!!!

2009-03-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

After many different attempts, we were able to get pictures of Jack. I am such a bad mom, the last picture taken was when he was 5 weeks old. The other two kids had them done at 5 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. We tried to take him a few times and he would not cooperate, but last Saturday was our lucky day. He was all smiles. He is 8 months old now. I can't believe how fast time flies. He has changed so much. He is so adorable and such a happy baby. We have been so lucky. Since we are getting up there in years, we needed a nice baby. He is starting to move around a little. He hasn't quite figured out that if he moved his legs, he could go much faster. He reaches for things until he finally gets them, he is scooting on his stomach. Oh by the way, he says MA MA. YES!!!! One of my children said it before DA DA. He is very intelligent.

Go ahead a call him Brad Junior. He looks just like him. Brad was freaking out that his hair wasn't combed right. I think he looks handsome. At least he has some hair. Carter at this age was bald, or should I call him Charlie Brown.

Anyway, I just wanted to share our handsome devil's pictures.

Oh, What a Night!!!!

2009-02-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

So... January 27th, 2009, will be a night that Carter will never forget. Uncle Judd gave Carter two tickets to the Jazz Game. I was lucky enough to be the other person who got to go. Carter was counting down the days until the 27th rolled in. He couldn't stand it, he was so excited. Reason being...... the only game that Carter has gone to, he was sitting in the nose bleed section. The tickets that Judd gave us, he was sitting down by the court, right behind the basket. The seats were awesome!!!! Che' and Landon went to the game as well. We met up to go eat some dinner and then headed to the game. We were way early. Landon said we needed to go early so that Carter could get some autographs. Well, he got some and he was so excited. I was sitting with Che', watching Landon and Carter trying to get the players to sign Carter's jersey. I started to get tears in my eyes just because Carter was so excited. I can't believe how silly I was, but seeing him get so excited about something that he truly loves, made me a little loopy. We got some great pictures of D Will, Carter's favorite player. I just wish Carter could have gotten his autograph.

I wish I could have gotten Kyle's autograph, I mean Carter could have gotten it. Man Kyle is cute. Carter almost was able to get Kyle to sign his jersey but the security guard was pushing Kyle through since he was late. Oh well. Kyle is very easy on the eyes though, right?

Here is the D Will jersey all signed. I can't remember all the different players that signed it, except I know that Coach Sloan signed it. Carter was loving every minute of it.

I don't think Carter will ever forget this night, but I do know that I won't. You would do anything for your kids to make them happy, and when something so simple makes them beam from head to toe, there is nothing else you can do but to smile and be grateful that you were there to share it with them.

Thanks Judd. You made Carter's day and mine as well. I think you won Jimmy over. Thanks Che' and Landon. We had a ton of fun with you. We love you guys and we need to do this more often.

Life at our house

2009-02-07T12:56:00.000-08:00

Things have been crazy around our house the last couple of weeks. We have all been pretty drained. Here is a picture of Ryen wiped out in a bunny suit that is way to small but she wanted to wear it since she was cold.
Carter and his friend Austin did a science experiment at school. Austin's Mom, Alean, helped them out with it, which I am very grateful. I didn't do well in Science with Kit McBride as my teacher. It wasn't my favorite subject. Alean came up with a great idea and had the boys dress up as mad scientists. It was really cute and they did a great job.

Jack is rolling all over the place. One day I put him in his crib thinking he was going to go to sleep. Little did I know, we walked past his room and he was up staring at us. It took us by surprise. Pretty cute though. He also has his 1st tooth. I can't believe how big he is.

So, Superbowl Sunday, Jack wasn't feeling well. I just figured he had a cold. I took him to the sitter's the next day and she called me and told me he was wheezing. I freaked out since it is RSV season. Brad had to take him to instacare and we found out he had a respiratory infection which meant he had to have breathing treatments every 4 hours. Oh how fun. He doesn't like the mask even though it looks like a dinosaur. So... all week long we have been home with him giving him these treatments. I took him to the doctor on Wednesday and the doctor said he had a form of RSV, not as severe though. Thank Goodness!!! He is doing much better but it was pretty scary and very sad. The poor little guy couldn't breathe.

Forgot One

2009-01-20T22:51:00.000-08:00

I don't know how this is possible, but I forgot to add Jack's pictures in my last posting. So.. he now has an entire post to himself. I must admit, he is pretty handsome and he loves his food, feet, and anything else you give him. I can't believe he is six months old already. Time does fly when you are having fun.

I will say however, I don't let my child fall horizontally on his chair and leave him there like somebody else I know................................Kim. By the way, Go OBAMA. I hope the country stays in this mood for a long time. Even though I am not a big lover of Obama, I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed. I feel a little bad for George W, wanta reach out and hug him.

Updated Pictures

2009-01-20T22:21:00.000-08:00

Okay........ I suck at this blogging thing.... I just decided. I still had a Christmas background and it is now the 20th of January. Oh well, tis the season to be jolly. I now have a background that will work through February... so I am good for awhile. I need help Che'.

Our holiday season was very hectic but a lot of fun. Christmas was very memorable this year. Ryen and Carter had so much fun and were so excited. Jack pretty much just ate the wrapping paper. The kids finally got a Wii. Carter is in hog heaven. He is pretty good not to play it to much though. Ryen of course received many dress up options as you will see. Mari Ann gave Ryen and Avery some Hula skirts and they both ran upstairs and got out of their clothes and put them on. Good thing they left their undies on.
We have had multiple tea parties and a lot of spilled water. I am thankful it was only water.

Christmas Day we were crazy enough to drive up to Idaho in a horrible snow storm. It stressed me out since I did most of the driving. I just wanted to get to Mom's house and not worry about risking all of our lives. We made it safely and had a lot of fun with the family. Brad's family decided to go the Boise for the holidays so we weren't able to see them on Christmas, but got to spend time with them a few days later. Luckily they were able to get home safely as well.

Carter spent a lot of time out to Gammy's and Pappy's over the holidays. He spent a lot of time with his cousin Chase. They had a really good time together. They dug this huge hole in the snow. I don't think you can really realize how large the hole is but Brad said it was huge.

And finally, over New Year's, we went to Idaho again since Mitch and Roz were finally getting hitched. So, that meant we spent Brad's 39th...... yes that is right..... 39th B-day in Idaho. I can't believe I am married to such an old man. Just kidding, husband, I know you are young in heart. I hope he enjoys the last of his 30s. YIKES!!!!!!!! Isn't he cute though?

Finally just a shout out to my Mom.... who never reads the blogs.... but hopefully she will get my message. I can't image having 9 children and preparing a Christmas for them all. Mom, thank you so much for making our Christmases so amazing. I truly look back through the years and remember those days like it was yesterday. I can't believe all the work you put into it to make sure we had the best of everything. I remember watching the slides in the front room of Charlie, David, Steve, and even some of Lynn when they were younger. I remember cracking nut shells and getting sick after eating too many nuts. I loved Charlie stew and miss it and him. I loved making houses out of the presents, and I mean lots of presents. I loved opening my presents and then retapping them so you wouldn't know. I loved being the youngest so I could walk into the living room before everyone else..... okay I was the youngest until Eric decided to come into our family. When we walked into the living room, it was so magical, as if Santa had just left the room. I loved everything about it, but most of all I loved spending time with my family. Nothing takes the place of that. Thanks for all your hard work. As my kids get older and I have more kids, I now realize what you went through and how expensive it must have been for you. You are an amazing lady..... and I am so thankful you came looking for me. I love you!!

The Not-so-Much Polar Express

2008-12-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

So, I purchased tickets a month or so ago for the Polar Express, aka Heber Creeper. We have gone to the Polar Express for the last few years. The kids love it, especially when Santa gets on the train and gives them a bell. Well..... the weather did not cooperate with us this year. We had a horrible snow storm this morning. I was barely able to get Carter to his basketball game and up to the church for our Christmas party. I can't even imagine what the canyons were like. I didn't dare chance it. So... we had our own Polar Express party at our house.

I decided to give the kids their new pajamas that they would have gotten for the train ride. They loved them. Then, I decided to make hot chocolate and cookies.

Finally, we popped in the DVD of THE POLAR EXPRESS, and we all sat down and watched it together. It was pretty fun and much less stressful than us driving in horrible weather.

So I asked Carter if he was disappointed that we weren't able to go. He looked at me and said " Geez Mom, I got the play to basketball this morning and go the the breakfast Christmas Party. Then I went and played my soccer game. I went outside and played in the snow and you know what....... there is always next year." What a boy, that made me feel much better about the situation, even though I lost some money. Oh well.... we are all safe and sound.

See you next year, Polar Express!!!!!!!

Baptism Day

2008-12-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

So.... the day finally came. After many hours of preparation and stress, the big day came. Carter was so excited about his baptism and that everyone was coming. He was a little disappointed when he found out Jenny's family wasn't coming, but he was excited about everyone else. He was pretty nervous about the whole thing, but acted tough.

Friday night, Brad's family arrived. Mitch had come from SLC and saw the horrible accident that took the lives of a young couple and a young friend of their family's. I knew these people and it saddened me once I found out who it was. Their two small children were in the vehicle with them but survived the accident. I can't even image the pain that their families are going there. I just remember Sheena and Tyler when Kathy was taken away. At least they still had one parent.

Anyway, on to happier things. Saturday we all got up bright and early and headed to Carter's basketball game. Pappy had shown Carter how to dribble with his left hand. He did pretty good. It amazed us all. We arrived back to our house about 9:15 and we had to be at the church at 10:30. I was a mess trying to get all the food ready for everyone, getting the kids dressed, and getting myself ready. We made it on time luckily.

Carter and Brad both got dressed in their white attire. They both looked very handsome. I am so proud of them both. I am so lucky to have a husband that is worthy to baptize my handsome son. I am so proud of Carter for making the decision to be baptized. I think it is a little scary, not quite understanding what you are about to do.

The baptism was very nice. Everything went off without any problems. We had tons of family there: Grandma and Doyle, Pappy and Gammy, Uncle Mitch, Aunt Jessie, Maddie, and Beau, Uncle Lynn, Aunt Lisa and David, Kim and Devin and Hallie (she is so cute by the way), Jennifer and Chris, Aunt Susan and Uncle Judd and Carlie, Che', Cortney and Neil and Mason and Avery, Aunt Mari Ann and Uncle Ron and Houston and Hailie, and John Russell and his two sons, Noah and Jackson. I don't think I missed anyone, if I did, I apologize.

Everyone came to the house and ate the food that I prepared. I think everything turned out okay. Nobody got sick over, at least that I know of. After, dinner I sat in one of our chairs and was totally exhausted. WHAT A DAY!!!!

Che and Kim, this picture is for you, you big nerds. Quit taking pictures of yourself with my camera.

Don't my two guys look very handsome?

Anyway, I don't know why my pictures are all crazy, but oh well. I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for coming and it meant the world to Carter. I asked him if he knew how much he was loved. He just looked at me. I showed him the picture of everyone at his baptism. I told him that he was loved more than he will ever know. Brad and I have the most amazing families. Thanks for all your support.

Birthday Boy

2008-11-23T20:06:00.001-08:00

Carter had his birthday party last week. I can't believe he is 8 years old already. Time does fly by, even when I don't think it has. It seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital, hating life, trying to get this huge thing out of me, and then having to have a C-section since this baby didn't want to come out. I remember seeing him for the first time, and let me tell you, I didn't see him for long because I was out shortly after having him. He was so cute, but he didn't look like he was mine. He had dark skin and a lot of dark hair. I must say he was the handsome devil. I waited a long time to have him and I was so happy he was finally here. What an incredible event! I can say that now since I don't feel anymore pain.

We took Carter and 7 of his little buddies to go bowling and play laser tag. They had a lot of fun. Carter kept saying that this was his best birthday ever. I was glad to hear that since the day started off very stressful for me. I was planning on leaving work early so I would feel prepared for the event. Things came up and I wasn't able to leave until around 3:00 and his party was at 5:00. I had lots to still do and I became very overwhelmed AGAIN!! I am sick of feeling that way. Anyway, I surprisingly got everything done that I needed to.

Carter wanted a skateboarder birthday, so here is his cake. It was actually pretty good. He loved it.

Here are all the boys posing for a picture. Carter has a good bunch of friends. I was glad that they were all able to go. By the way, thanks again Mari Ann and Hailie for saving me. I was so happy to see you that night. Brad and I needed the extra help. You guys are amazing. We love you mucho grande.

So... Carter, I just want you to know that you are one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I am so lucky to be your Mom. You make me laugh at all your excitement that you have. I love watching you play sports, I love watching you play outside, I love watching and hearing you struggle at reading, I love listening to you wiz through your math timings, I love when you kiss your brother Jack, I love how you protect your sister, I love how you love the UTAH JAZZ, and I love that I am able to spend my life with you. Thanks for coming to our family. It probably is a struggle sometimes since I get a little stressed and take a lot out on you. I can always count on the " I love you Mom" when I drop you off at school even though the morning was a little rough. Nothing makes my day better. Do you know how much I love you? Multiply that by 100!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of myself.... 3 posts in one night.

Paula, my daycare provider, takes all the little kids around town to trick or treat the stores. I tagged along this year. It was a lot of fun. Carter wouldn't dress up but by the time we were finished, he wished he would have. These aren't all of the kids Paula watches. There are her neices and nephews in there as well. Paula is amazing though, she probably could handle it all.

Ryen was a Patriot Cheerleader, Carter a Patriot Football Player, and Jack was the football.

After many tries, Brad gets a good shot. Ryen kept putting her pom poms in Carter's face, so we had to have her stand up one stair.

Do you think someone likes to get her picture taken?

This costume was pretty amazing considering that Brad and his sister Jenny made it from a fleece blanket. I am totally impressed. I could have never have done it.

Oops.... someone is sick and tired of the whole picture thing.

We went to the Pumpkin Walk and few days earlier and these pumpkins of the lions were on a display for Noah's Ark. Aren't they cool?

Here is Noah's Ark. I love the elephants' rear ends. I can't believe people are creative enough to do this..... not me.

Misc. pictures

2008-11-18T22:56:00.000-08:00

Gotta love the Scenic Service Specialist onesie. Jack is into pulling at his feet. He yanks his socks off quite a bit. This is my favorite picture. They are modeling their Halloween PJs. Look at how funny Jack looks laying next to those two. He is so small.

Is this adorable or what? Jack loves to sleep with his arms wide open.

This is Ryen and her little friend Jordan. We took the Frontrunner to SLC, had dinner at the Gateway, went shopping, and then heading back home, well to Ogden, on the train. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it. The train was very clean I must say.

Not sure what this picture is all about. Sometimes, Carter is a little strange. I think the string tied around his head was a little tight.

First Haircut

2008-11-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

Before: After:

Look how much Brad took off. I know Jack looked a little silly with all the stray hairs, but cut me some slack.... I just couldn't part with them. Now he is all business in the front and party in the back.

Everytime Jack eats, he either tightens his fists as such or else he will grab onto your finger and won't let go. It is adorable but also can be sometimes painful if his fingernails are a little to long.

One Fine October Weekend

2008-10-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Our family has traveled home the past three weekends. We had to attend a funeral for Brad's Grandma earlier this month. The next weekend Brad went and cut down some trees for his lovely girls a.k.a. cows. Then last weekend, we went again. Sue had planned a get together with our family since it was the 1 year anniversary of Charlie passing away. Colby had found this rock down by the river where we spread Charlie's ashes. Sue and Judd had Charlie's name engraved in the rock and they were going to place it down by the river. I couldn't miss out on this so we decided we would go home, now that gas prices have dropped significantly, yeah right.

This is a moment that I couldn't pass up on taking a picture of. Ryen LOVES Doyle. She has him wrapped her little finger. I must say, it is pretty cute. Doyle will do anything that Ryen asks of him. My family was truly blessed when Doyle came into it. We love him so much.

Jack loves to have his sugar kissed. He will keep his neck back so that you are able to have better access to it. He starts to laugh and grabs his little hands. Geez he is cute.

I love this picture. Che' was holding Jack and supposedly Chris kept eyeing her and the baby. Che' decided to ask Chris if he wanted to hold the baby. Chris, with the sweetest way you could possibly say it, said Yeah. Che' gave him Jack and I couldn't believe the smile on Chris' face. He is going to be such a cute dad. What an amazing guy he is. I am so excited for both Jennifer and Chris. I can't wait to see their baby.

Here is the rock with Charlie's name engraved in it. It was so pretty. What a special day to reflect on Charlie's life. I miss him so much. I'm not going to lie, that day was pretty rough on me. I am flooded with a bunch of emotion lately, and it hit me hard when everyone was down at the river. I remember last year at this time. It seems so long ago but yet in some ways not. I just hope that Charlie knows that we are still thinking of him.

I love this picture. I truly have an incredible family. I am so lucky to have been brought into this family. Family..... sometimes you can't live with them, but you definitely can't live without them.

As I finish up this long post, I just have a few things on my mind. I attended a funeral this afternoon of a pretty special young man, Marcus. He has been living with a brain tumor for the past two years. Brad and I became very close to him. He would visit us each Sunday in the library to see if we had candy to give him. He visited me and baby Jack in the hospital the day Jack was born. He was an amazing kid. I will miss him and especially will miss him calling our family "The Strawberries".

Houston- The Eagle Scout

2008-09-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, me and the kids were lucky enough to attend the ceremony where Houston received his Eagle Scout. What an amazing accomplishment!! I am so proud of him. Houston is such a good kid. He is so sweet with my kids and they love him to death. I don't know of one person who doesn't think highly of him. Ron and Mari Ann did a good job with him, and I can only hope that Carter and Jack will turn out to be like him. What a role model for Carter to look up to. I hope Carter will remember this day. I love you Houie!!

Fishing anyone?

2008-09-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

Neil had an idea to go fishing, so he bought himself a fishing pole and headed off. Little did he know that he would have 4 helpers, two of which were super heroes. I don't know if you can zoom in on the Spiderman costume, but I think the costume has seen better days.
They finally caught a fish, but I think it may have grossed out some of the kids. I know Ryen is still talking about it to this day.
Here is a picture of Wonder Woman and Spiderman. Mason and Ryen are about 3 months apart in age. They played together all weekend and had a great time. They both crack me up. I especially love the floods on Mason.

To Bowl or not to Bowl, that is the question....

2008-09-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

So, Carter got an idea to go bowling. I figured that would be fun and we had some time to spare, about 2 hours before we had to be somewhere. Cortney was at Grandma's house with Mason and Avery. I asked if they would like to come. We all loaded up, including Hailie and we heading to the bowling alley. Here is Avery sporting a mini skirt with tights and bowling shoes.
Some interesting things occurred while we were there. First of all, we didn't know that they had the ramps for the little kids so that the kids didn't have to kick the bowling ball down the lane, which by the way took forever to get the ball to the pins. Sometimes they didn't even make it there. Cortney had to use her bowling techniques to hit the ball in. She would bowl like usual, hit the other ball that never made it to the pins, and then somehow put both balls in the gutter. Amazing!!! She even had someone at the bowling alley comment on her skills. I think she said she took bowling in college, not sure though.
As in the above picture, we had kids going every which way. Mason is enjoying the view on top of the machine that returns the balls. Carter looks like he has the bowling stance down.
Ryen and Avery were tired after the long game, and I mean long, like 1 1/2 hours. Avery decided that her hair was wet and needed to blow dry it using the machine that returns the balls. She is so dang cute.
Finally, I think the lady at the bowling alley felt sorry for us or wanted us out of there, and she brought us the ramp. After that, the game went much quicker and smoother. We had fun but it was time to go home, right Cortney?

My first post by myself!!

2008-09-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be wondering why I have posted pictures of some white 4 legged animals...... but some of you may know them by name. These are Brad's pride and joy. They are eating us out of house and home, my poor kids can't have milk anymore since these cows don't deliver milk. What good are they, you ask? I am not sure, you may need to talk to Brad.

This lovely lady's name is Zauna's Pride, name after one of Brad's co-workers that he thinks highly of.
This other one is named Lady Linda. I am so lucky to have a cow named after me. I feel honored. I am pleased to see that she is the smaller out of the two. I love that you can somewhat see her bones, unlike myself. Notice that the face is located in food, which mine usually is as well.
This is Carter's first day of 2nd Grade. Isn't he handsome? I can't believe how big he has gotten and man he is cute if I may say so myself. Look out girls, don't even think about it or you will have to deal with me.
This is Ryen's first day of Preschool. She loves preschool and actually wears her backpack around all day waiting to go to school. I hope she keeps up the enthusiasm for school. She has a long road ahead of her.
Finally, a fine picture of Wonder Woman. She now carries a pink gun and holster. She also sports a tattoo that states " Hulk Out". I don't know about you, but I would be terrified if I ran into her in a dark alley.

So... as Charlie would say " Ta Ta for now" I am heading off to take Jack to his bed and pray that he sleeps all night long, since he decided to get two earaches. UGGH!!!!! I am too old for this.

...Official Blog...

2008-09-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

That's right, y'all. Linda started a blog! We are all thrilled about this... except Linda. Please link up and prepare for much postage.

Love.... Linda