Sunday, June 24, 2007
Family Resemblance
My mom sent me this picutre of my dad when he was a boy - I guess there's no denying that Joseph is ours.
Isn't this cool?
The other day, the kids and I were driving home and we saw the coolest clouds! I stopped in the middle of the road - don't forget, we live in the country now, so it's ok if we do stuff like that. It really is just a long, straight, safe, "Doll" of a road, so it was ok. (And sorry, all I had with me was my cell phone, and I zoomed, so they're tiny pictures.)
Friday, June 22, 2007
Surprise Visitors
We had some surprise visitors Sunday afternoon. Melanie was looking out the slider and saw a couple of deer helping themselves to our "lawn" (which is really just dirt with a few weeds). Malorie, Megan and Melanie stood and watched them for the longest time...something that never happened in town! We sure love it out here in the woods!
Father's Day Part 2
And while we're being grateful for GREAT DAD'S - we need to express how amazing our fathers are - "The Grandpa's".
I wonder sometimes, if saying "We miss him so much" as often as I do, makes it seem less sincere. I sure hope not, because we really do MISS HIM SO MUCH! There isn't a day that passes that Brandon's father, Barry, doesn't cross our minds. He is an amazing man - and I say "is" because even though he's not here, he still has such an impact in our daily lives...almost like he's still here (almost). He's a great man, who raised a great son - and we love him! Happy Father's Day Dad!
I don't think I know a man who is more quiet than my own daddy. He's never been the center of attention, he's never been one to jump into a conversation, he's always just been there, behind the scenes. As a parent myself now, I recognize his tendency to be a part of what's going on without really being a part of it - making sure that his family is ok, making sure they're happy, making sure they're enjoying themselves. It's only when one of us is in trouble that I've ever seen him step out of his comfort zone and turn in to a mother bear. I love having a dad who I know is always there for me and for my family, even if I can't see or hear him all the time. Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
I wonder sometimes, if saying "We miss him so much" as often as I do, makes it seem less sincere. I sure hope not, because we really do MISS HIM SO MUCH! There isn't a day that passes that Brandon's father, Barry, doesn't cross our minds. He is an amazing man - and I say "is" because even though he's not here, he still has such an impact in our daily lives...almost like he's still here (almost). He's a great man, who raised a great son - and we love him! Happy Father's Day Dad!
I don't think I know a man who is more quiet than my own daddy. He's never been the center of attention, he's never been one to jump into a conversation, he's always just been there, behind the scenes. As a parent myself now, I recognize his tendency to be a part of what's going on without really being a part of it - making sure that his family is ok, making sure they're happy, making sure they're enjoying themselves. It's only when one of us is in trouble that I've ever seen him step out of his comfort zone and turn in to a mother bear. I love having a dad who I know is always there for me and for my family, even if I can't see or hear him all the time. Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
Happy Father's Day 2007
How lucky are our children to have such a great father! And how lucky am I to a husband who is so amazing with our kiddo's. It's no wonder they adore him. It's no wonder I adore him. Yes, this is going to be another blog entry that Brandon will hate to read - guess he'll have to start submitting entries! We sure love you, dad!
A trip to grandma's June 16, 2007
The kids and I went to my parent's house today - it's the Pro-something-or-another Rodeo weekend, so we got to catch a parade while we were there! Nevermind the disgusting paint job (or lack thereof) behind us - We sat outside Goodwill...hopefully someone will donate some paint soon!
Mom and Joseph with the firetrucks at the start of the parade!
Jared and Jacob more interested in Pokemon than the parade (as soon as they realized that there was flying candy, they put the cards away).
Running for candy.
Uncle Dick campaigning for Mayor - I guess he's running uncontested this term...so apparently it was an excuse to walk through the parade throwing Air-Heads to the kids! Which was fine with us!!
Uncle Mike walking with the "pioneers".
Mom and Joseph with the firetrucks at the start of the parade!
Jared and Jacob more interested in Pokemon than the parade (as soon as they realized that there was flying candy, they put the cards away).
Running for candy.
Uncle Dick campaigning for Mayor - I guess he's running uncontested this term...so apparently it was an excuse to walk through the parade throwing Air-Heads to the kids! Which was fine with us!!
Uncle Mike walking with the "pioneers".
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wahoo - we're back!
Since Saturday I haven't been able to log in to blogspot! So now we have some catching up to do - it still takes me forever to upload pictures, so the updates may be spread out over the next couple of days!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Eeeek! What have I done?
I've been dreading this day for weeks now! Brandon mentioned that Joseph's hair was getting "girly" - long and curly...and honestly, he did look a LOT like Malorie at that age! LOL But I couldn't bring myself to cut it! Once you cut it, there's no going back. It's all over. He's a big kid and the baby soft curls NEVER come back! For the past couple of weeks I've listened to Brandon say things like "Come here Joseph, how's my little girl doing?" So today I did it - it was painful and nausiating, but I did it! I knew it had to be done - I just hated doing it.
The first thing out of Malorie's mouth was, "Hey, he's Jared." I had to admit, he looks EXACTLY like Jared did at that age...
The kids came home from school and Maddie did that laughing, almost crying, surprised voice thing - "Oh my goodness, you look just like Jared." It really is freaky!
My kids are cookie cuttered...there's no doubt about it!
Jason Age 1:
Jacob Age 2:
Jared Age 2:
Joseph Age 1:
If I could FIND pictures of Jacob and Jared at Age 1 I'd share them. I'll keep looking, but don't hold your breath. Jason and Joseph are the obvious "twins" to me - but if I could find pictures of the other two at the same age, I think I'd have "quads" on my hands!
(Amy, YES, I'm having flashbacks to when you cut Spencer's hair!!!)
The first thing out of Malorie's mouth was, "Hey, he's Jared." I had to admit, he looks EXACTLY like Jared did at that age...
The kids came home from school and Maddie did that laughing, almost crying, surprised voice thing - "Oh my goodness, you look just like Jared." It really is freaky!
My kids are cookie cuttered...there's no doubt about it!
Jason Age 1:
Jacob Age 2:
Jared Age 2:
Joseph Age 1:
If I could FIND pictures of Jacob and Jared at Age 1 I'd share them. I'll keep looking, but don't hold your breath. Jason and Joseph are the obvious "twins" to me - but if I could find pictures of the other two at the same age, I think I'd have "quads" on my hands!
(Amy, YES, I'm having flashbacks to when you cut Spencer's hair!!!)
Monday, June 11, 2007
End of the school year things...
Today, the little girls, Joseph and I went to the Elementary school to the Field Day picnic. It was fun having lunch with Jared and Megan. Malorie loved seeng the school that she will get to go to a year from this fall.
Jared and Melanie enjoyed the ice cream dessert
Megan obviously enjoyed it also
Malorie practicing getting her own school lunch
The slide seemed like a lot more fun before they got to the top of the ladder
Joseph was tuckered out by all of the excitement...with a hammer in each hand
Jacob and Maddie had an award assembly at their school.
Maddie received a Perfect Attendance award (I think mom should have gotten one also!)
Jacob received his Math Team pin.
It's hard to believe the school year is over...it's been a LONG year - but at the same time, it seems to have flown by!
Jared and Melanie enjoyed the ice cream dessert
Megan obviously enjoyed it also
Malorie practicing getting her own school lunch
The slide seemed like a lot more fun before they got to the top of the ladder
Joseph was tuckered out by all of the excitement...with a hammer in each hand
Jacob and Maddie had an award assembly at their school.
Maddie received a Perfect Attendance award (I think mom should have gotten one also!)
Jacob received his Math Team pin.
It's hard to believe the school year is over...it's been a LONG year - but at the same time, it seems to have flown by!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Happy Birthday Jacob...May 28th!
Ok, I've been informed by my children that Jacob got shafted in the family blog! Apparently an afterthought catch-up mention of his birthday isn't going to cut it. I have to admit, it really didn't cut it. Sadly, however, back in '97 I wasn't quite the shutterbug that I am now - AND - what few newborn pictures I have of my older kids are all taped up in boxes...soooooo - here's what I was able to come up with for Jacob's tribute!
Jacob '97 - Taken in the hospital before we came home. Jacob was our first of four c-sections. What a wild ride that was! He was our "upside down and backward" baby and he has yet to live that down.
Jacob '07 - 10 whole years later
Jacob's Birthday
Can you EVEN believe I uploaded a video!! Ok, so it took the better part of an hour, lol - but here's Jacob's birthday at the family breakfast!
Jacob '97 - Taken in the hospital before we came home. Jacob was our first of four c-sections. What a wild ride that was! He was our "upside down and backward" baby and he has yet to live that down.
Jacob '07 - 10 whole years later
Jacob's Birthday
Can you EVEN believe I uploaded a video!! Ok, so it took the better part of an hour, lol - but here's Jacob's birthday at the family breakfast!
Happy Birthday Dear Jaynie, Happy Birthday to YOU!
Our little Princess Melanie turned three yesterday! It's so hard to believe that she's been a part of our family for three whole years...and at the same time hard to believe that she's ONLY been a part of this family for three years. We sure do love and enjoy this little girl!
Welcome Melanie - 2004! Our second go at a 33wk preemie!
Melanie 2007
Birthday Breakfast
Birthday Dinner at Granny's Buffet
Birthday Cake and Presents at home w/ Uncle Carson, Aunt Kandi & Madison
Daddy and Uncle Carson playing with Jaynie's present
Welcome Melanie - 2004! Our second go at a 33wk preemie!
Melanie 2007
Birthday Breakfast
Birthday Dinner at Granny's Buffet
Birthday Cake and Presents at home w/ Uncle Carson, Aunt Kandi & Madison
Daddy and Uncle Carson playing with Jaynie's present
Friday, June 08, 2007
Hey Look! We're online again!
Sadly, it's dial-up, and for some reason, I can't get connected any faster than 28.8K this morning! Can you EVEN believe that! LOL Needless to say, we're looking in to alternative connection options! ;)
The move went amazingly smooth! Brandon's local brothers, a few cousins, and an aunt and uncle all came and moved our little house into a U-Haul and then followed us to the new house and unpacked it all. We started loading the truck up around noon and by 5pm, all of our stuff was here and everyone had gone home. I was shocked that it went so quickly! Oh sure, I'm still looking for things - hair clippers, shower curtains, my frying pan...but for the most part, it's all good!
The first couple of nights in the house were strange. I'm sure it was just the unfamiliarness (is that a word) of it all. We even had a security system test run, courtesy of Jacob! LOL I think it was the 2nd morning here, I hadn't shut the system down before Jacob opened the back door. We had a LOUD wake-up call that morning. Luckily, I got everything cancelled before the monitoring company called (again) - Our plumber had come the week before, late in the evening, to finish up some lose ends, and he set the alarm off (before we moved in) - we were impressed to learn that the Sheriff Dept's response time was less than 10 minutes! Ugh...that was a bad night!
Anyway, we're getting settled in! It's everything we'd hoped it'd be and more! There aren't words to describe how beautiful it is out here! So GREEN! It's so quiet and peaceful out here. It's just amazing!
Other happenings that we've missed in the last 2 weeks...
Jacob had a birthday and turned 10! We moved in to our little house just weeks before he was born - and then we moved in to this house the day he turned 10. Wonder what we'll be doing when he turns 20!
Jacob's birthday was on Memorial Day this year. Our tradition has been to meet Brandon's family at the cemetery and then go to a buffet breakfast. This year was no exception. It was strange not having Grandma Lee there (serving a mission in NJ). We were able to call her for family prayer - but still not the same as having her with us.
June 1 was the 2nd anniversary of Brandon's father's passing. We miss him terribly. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't cross my mind - especially now being out here in "grandpa's woods".
Jason and Jacob attended their first "new" scout meetings this week. It's so amazing to have them in a troop/pack that has more than 2 other boys! I was looking forward to saying goodbye to my Cub Scout duties for a while now that we've moved - but on Sunday I was asked to be the new Scout Committee Chairman - Oye! It seems that my job is really just making sure that everyone else who has a job does it - so I can handle that! ;)
Maddie and Maggie got to meet with their young girls group this week too! It's so fun to see them finally have a functioning program to participate in!
I'm sure there is a ton more that I am leaving out - but over time I'll get all caught up again! It's just good to be back online - even though I feel like I should type slower or that maybe you should just read slower. This step backward in the land of connection is going to take some getting used to!
The move went amazingly smooth! Brandon's local brothers, a few cousins, and an aunt and uncle all came and moved our little house into a U-Haul and then followed us to the new house and unpacked it all. We started loading the truck up around noon and by 5pm, all of our stuff was here and everyone had gone home. I was shocked that it went so quickly! Oh sure, I'm still looking for things - hair clippers, shower curtains, my frying pan...but for the most part, it's all good!
The first couple of nights in the house were strange. I'm sure it was just the unfamiliarness (is that a word) of it all. We even had a security system test run, courtesy of Jacob! LOL I think it was the 2nd morning here, I hadn't shut the system down before Jacob opened the back door. We had a LOUD wake-up call that morning. Luckily, I got everything cancelled before the monitoring company called (again) - Our plumber had come the week before, late in the evening, to finish up some lose ends, and he set the alarm off (before we moved in) - we were impressed to learn that the Sheriff Dept's response time was less than 10 minutes! Ugh...that was a bad night!
Anyway, we're getting settled in! It's everything we'd hoped it'd be and more! There aren't words to describe how beautiful it is out here! So GREEN! It's so quiet and peaceful out here. It's just amazing!
Other happenings that we've missed in the last 2 weeks...
Jacob had a birthday and turned 10! We moved in to our little house just weeks before he was born - and then we moved in to this house the day he turned 10. Wonder what we'll be doing when he turns 20!
Jacob's birthday was on Memorial Day this year. Our tradition has been to meet Brandon's family at the cemetery and then go to a buffet breakfast. This year was no exception. It was strange not having Grandma Lee there (serving a mission in NJ). We were able to call her for family prayer - but still not the same as having her with us.
June 1 was the 2nd anniversary of Brandon's father's passing. We miss him terribly. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't cross my mind - especially now being out here in "grandpa's woods".
Jason and Jacob attended their first "new" scout meetings this week. It's so amazing to have them in a troop/pack that has more than 2 other boys! I was looking forward to saying goodbye to my Cub Scout duties for a while now that we've moved - but on Sunday I was asked to be the new Scout Committee Chairman - Oye! It seems that my job is really just making sure that everyone else who has a job does it - so I can handle that! ;)
Maddie and Maggie got to meet with their young girls group this week too! It's so fun to see them finally have a functioning program to participate in!
I'm sure there is a ton more that I am leaving out - but over time I'll get all caught up again! It's just good to be back online - even though I feel like I should type slower or that maybe you should just read slower. This step backward in the land of connection is going to take some getting used to!
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