I dun got me un edukashun

It is true... a few years and children later than I expected I finally accomplished my goal to graduate with a bachelor's degree. I really have enjoyed working toward this. Somehow amidst all of the craziness of taking 4 or 5 classes and having three children just to name a few things I keep busy with, I really did enjoy it. I have LOVED learning. I feel like I have done something of value for myself and my children. I want them to know that I value education and that I enjoy increasing my knowledge. I have also been lucky enough to take some classes that interest me and pertain to me. I chose many that dealt with the family unit and the relationships surrounding it. I hope I can take something from them and be a better wife and mother because of it. While I won't miss the crazy load, I miss it already. I am sure I will be back for more soon, just a lot less classes at a time!! I did love at the ceremony that they had a sweet bagpipe and drum group, it was awesome to walk into the arena following them. I wish Derek could have been there too. It was definitely a family effort and he was a really great help to give me time to work on projects and read. I couldn't have done it without all the family support.

Bryce at 6 months

Oh, how time flies. I can't believe it has been half a year since this cute little boy came to our family! He is growing much faster than his sisters and is already 17 pounds. (Hailey was a year old at 17 pounds) He is all smiles and is rolling to get everywhere. Crawling is definitely in the near future. He continues to keep us all smiling and laughing. We just love our little boy!

Martha Stewart

With such close proximity to the great NYC we ladies around here try to take advantage of some opportunities while we are only a day trip away. Our latest adventure was to the one and only Martha Stewart. After much to do and planning we were able to get 15 women together that were able to go. We started our morning off at 4:30 for our drive. After the ferry ride into Manhattan we enjoyed some YUMMY Jamba Juice. I am not sure if it has just been a really long time, I was really hungry or it was just amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed my steel cut oatmeal and aloha pineapple smoothie. Aaahhhh! We then headed over a few streets and waited for our 5 minutes of fame. :) Due to our large group size we were able to sit up in the front and had lots of air time so I hear. We got $50 gift cards and I even got some free glad wrap, I know you are so jealous. We then enjoyed an eventful lunch at las chicas locas and headed home. It was a great trip to have fun with just the girls. I am so glad for the opportunity to do fun stuff while we're here! Thanks to all the ladies who were able to make this one!

Thanksgiving 2009

This year we appreciated another Thanksgiving in Philadelphia. It was pretty low key and last minute this year, but was great none the less. I wish I had pictures of the food; everyone did such an awesome job! Not only did we enjoy great food and company but we got to relax!! I am so greateful for all of the many blessings our family has been given. I am grateful to live in this time, despite its craziness because it has allowed for the gospel to be on the earth in its fullness. I am grateful for the gospel in my life. I am grateful for an AMAZING family and for a husband and children that love me - they make my life complete. There is no greater joy.

Five Months

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. My little boy is growing so quickly and he is five months old already!! (The girls are too) He continues to be a complete joy and FINALLY took a bottle today. I am hoping this sticks! He is great at rolling over and spends much of the day rolling across the floor. I even caught a picture of him getting on his hands and knees. Before we know it he will be crawling. He has only gone about 3 feet so far and I wouldn't call what he does currently a crawl, but I can see it coming. He gets on his toes with his cute little bum in the air and does a funny scooting thing on his elbows, its hilarious. We had a little talk with the girls about how we can't have anymore little toys on the ground because of it. I am not sure I'm ready for this stage again. Bryce is also sitting up for short amounts of time all by his little self. It just amazes me how fast they grow! He went to his 4 month apointment a week ago (I know its late but he had to wait to get his shots) and he is by far my biggest baby but still average. He weighed in at 15lbs 4 oz(39%) and 25.5 inches (53%). He still looks like his mommy and his sisters continue to fill his life with laughter as they LOVE to play with him. Life is good.

Trick-or-Treat

This year we actually went out trick-or-treating for Halloween. It was really fun. Hailey had been feeling sick so we weren't sure if we were even going to attempt going out, but thanks to our good friends who called to get us to get our act together we made it. I am glad we did the girls got such a loot! Especially since we only did three small streets. The kids had a blast being with their friends and didn't even mind when it started raining. It was nice weather though, so who could blame them?

Ward Halloween party

This year I convinced my husband and children to be a band of cowboys and Indians. I made all of our costumes which was pretty fun. They were very basic and could have used more details, but I thought my little squaws looked great! Not to mention my cute little cowboy and my good looking big one! It was a lot of fun and the girls enjoyed being Pocahontas. I even made a last minute gruesome eye-ball cake that could have turned out better, but it somehow got voted 3rd for decorating, so it must of been the right kind of gruesome for Halloween. My favorite picture is the one with my sleeping little cowboy - too stinkin' cute!

Yummy Yummy

My little guy is such a good baby - with one important exception. He does not like food!! We have been trying to give him bottles and gave him his first solids and we could not keep the tiniest bit in his mouth! I didn't know he could even spit out that much. Hopefully he will get the hang of it 'cause he's got to learn sometime. I'll take this over long nights any day though, so no complaints.

Bryce is 4 months

I can't believe how quickly it goes by. He has been rolling onto his tummy a few weeks now and just needs to learn how to get his cute little arm out of the way! He has also managed to roll from his tummy to back a few successful times now. Before you know it he will be all over. He has so much personality and has the greatest laugh, even though his sisters are usually the ones who get him to do it best. He is such a good little baby and we are so happy he is in our home.

Bryce is 3 months old!

Bryce continues to be just a wonderful little boy. He is so easy going and smiles all of the time. He is starting to roll on both sides all of the time and won't be long before he gets all the way over!

Dancin' Girl

This year Hailey and I decided she would try out dance. I am teaching the class at the YMCA so I am hoping she will listen to her teacher! She loves to do it at home and looks so stinkin' cute in her little slippers and leotard.

Hailey's 2nd First Day of Preschool

Hailey is going to a new preschool this year. Sadly, our friends have moved so we had to find a new school. While it isn't quite Mrs. Jamie's preschool and she asked for Mrs. Annette for a few weeks she is enjoying it and loves to go. She especially likes show and tell.

Potty Trained

Once we returned from our lovely vacations we decided it was time to potty train Ashlyn. She had been telling us for a while before she needed to go to the bathroom and would take off her diaper CONSTANTLY. So, we sat down for the long haul and three days later have our potty-trained little girl. She is still working on it and seems to have a harder time holding it all in, but less diapers are less diapers.

Outer Banks Part VII

Friday, of course our last full day was full of sunshine. We got up early and headed back toward the lighthouse to do some crabbing. It was really fun. You put a big piece of chicken on a string and just keep pulling them in. We caught quite a fe wcrabs and even got to keep 6 that were big enough. We brought our little blue crabs home and cooked them up. The guys had a good time playing with them until they dropped them in the pot. After that, we spent the rest of the day soaking in the warm sun and living it up!! All of the girls and guys went boogie boarding, we dug holes, took naps, played and enjoyed ourselves.

Outer Banks Part VI

Thursday we ventured to the southern part of the area and visited the local aquarium. It wasn't especially exciting, but we still had a good time looking at the different animals and mixing it up on another overcast day. We saw some fun turtles, fish, weird lobster/shrimp like things, sea horses, sharks and others. We even got to touch sting rays, horseshoe crabs, starfish and little sea creatures that were poky.