Say What You Need To Say

2012-01-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

First Day of School - See the difference in excitement between a kindergartner and fifth grader :) Max's last year of elementary school - yikes! He was so glad though to have his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Paradis, loop her students with her up to fifth grade. She is WONDERFUL and Max adores her!

2012-01-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Breakfast - since Shane started his new job and is able to work from home when he's not traveling, we decided to go out to breakfast once a month. Here's our first one with little Cohen who luckily slept for most of it so thank you to our taxes for babysitting our kids for this date! And thank you Georgia for giving us good down home cookin' southern restaurants...how's that for adjectives!

2012-01-26T07:54:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween...bwah ha ha.

2012-01-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

Ward Campout - we were put in charge of the ward campout a few weeks after having baby #3. A little bit of craziness later, here we were. It turned out well and was a close enough location that Mom and Cohen went home to sleep and drove back in the morning. The campgrounds were next to the lake and the girls treated it like a European mud spa...they were CAKED and loved every second of it. Never got a picture of Max - he was running wild and free with the boys! Luckily nobody came home with poison ivy either. Overall, a success.

2012-01-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

We rewarded ourselves with a weekend at the beach courtesy of Shane's Hilton points from work travel. One payback for all those lonely nights without him. We picked up the kids early from school on a Friday in Sept. They were on top of the world! It was so nice going after peak season....it was so quiet and the water was like glass. There were no waves for boogie boarding, but we could go out and float and the kids could see and catch fish and crab. So fun! Cohen was an angel just sleeping and hanging out under the awning. Max and Ellie played in the sand and water together all day. It was so peaceful. The beach is definitely our favorite vacation spot.

2012-01-26T07:34:00.000-08:00

BUBBLE BATH...she's a fun girl with her Daddy's great humor and love of silly fun

2012-01-26T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hangin' out with my brother and sister

2012-01-26T07:16:00.000-08:00

Kisses with my siblings

2012-01-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

Cohen's blessing

2011-06-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Big brother and a great babysitter. He can get Cohen to calm down really well!

Better entertainment than tv!

2011-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Father's Day Paper by Max and Ellie

My favorite thing to do with my Dad is:
Max - Play Wii with him
Ellie - Cuddle with him

My dad is really good at:
Max - Finance
Ellie - Working

I am glad he is my Dad because:
Max - He helps me with my problems
Ellie - He hugs and kisses me

One funny thing he does with me that I love is:
Max - Fake boxing
Ellie - Tackling

My best memory with him is:
Max - Playing Star Wars Battlefront
Ellie - Buying gum

What he loves about me:
Max - How cute I am
Ellie - When I share

2011-06-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Max's Mother's Day Paper

What is your mom's favorite food?
Swedish Pancakes
How old is your mom?
30
What is your Mom's favorite thing to do when she relaxes?
Watch tv - American Idol
What does your mom cook better than anyone else?
She cooks what I like most to eat
What does your mom do while you are at school?
Takes care of Ellie and teach piano
If you had an afternoon to spend with your mom what would you do?
Watch Wipeout
Where was your mom born?
Virginia
If your mom could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be?
Me
Fill in the blank...I love my mom because:
she cooks well and we have fun with each other

2011-06-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

Ellie's Mother's Day Paper

My mommy is 13 years old
Her favorite color is pink
Her favorite food is mac n cheese (lol - I haven't had it since she was 1)
She likes to lay in her bed and watch tv (k- I need a break here, I'm 8 months pregnant and I'm too exhausted to even read)
I like it when she plays with me
Her favorite thing about me is my hugs
She has taught me to be a good listener
I love her shoes
When I'm not with her, I miss her dress the most.

2011-06-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

A Poem To My Beloved Mom, by Max Stroud, Grade 4

Your blue eyes are like buckets of water that extinguish the fire when you love me the most.
Your soft voice is like silent ninjas hat are ambushing enemies when they are attacking me.
Your warm hugs are like a heated blanket that keeps me warm when it is a cold day.
Your pretty, enormous belly is like a balloon that is being pumped that is just about to pop when the baby's just about ready to be born.
Your gentle smile is an opening to a hot furnace that burns things when you start to love me the most.
Your smoth hair is a forest of tan trees that attract tourists from all over the world when you start to blossom like a flower.
You make me feel warm inside when you tell me that you love me with all your heart.
You have inspired me to write this poem because you have loved me and guided me on the trail to glory.
I do not care how old or young you are because that does not change how much I love you.

2011-06-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Cohen's arrival...checking in...I was going in for induction, but went into labor within a few minutes of being there. Since I've felt like I've been in labor for two weeks, I'm not surprised.

The little guy came out blue as a smurf because the cord was wrapped around his neck so this sight of him crying with color in his skin was a relief. Doc said he was in shock, but would be just fine. He weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. His head and shoulders were so hefty, the nurses and I thought he'd be over 8, but he's got the long and lean limbs of his daddy!

He was cute as can be and very mellow.

We are some proud parents...we're finding its much easier the third time around.

Proud daddy

Max took to him like a duck to water - he's going to be a great big brother! Hopefully him and Cohen will be good buddies. Mas hoping it would be a boy "because a boy probably wouldn't annoy as much as Ellie".

Big sis - she is so excited and loves to be involved in everything that has to do with Cohen.

Our brood..oh how busy life will be :)

2011-06-11T12:48:00.001-07:00

Maternity Pics...so excited for baby #3 to arrive. Here's some fun pics we had taken - our first "Family of Five" pics...I was supposed to have to be on bedrest pretty much the whole 9 months so we thought we were done, but Heavenly Father had a different plan and blessed me with an amazingly wonderful pregnancy. We're so glad we get another little Stroudling to join our team and we didn't find out the gender with this one, so it feels like Christmas excitedly waiting to see if our present will be a boy or girl!

2011-06-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ellie's preschool graduation...she got to have a good friend of mine as her teacher and be with her cousin and friends from church. This girl loves school - yay! Kindergarten in the fall!

2011-06-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Shane's second wife...she even has a name and a special room downstairs :) She subtracts an hour and a half of mowing time off his Saturdays - love it! And the kids love getting tractor rides around the lawn in it.

2011-06-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

It's just in the blood I guess - she loves ballet! We've never seen her so in her own world as she is in dance. So fun to watch!

2011-06-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

Most of my students...2011 Spring Recital at Steinway Piano Galleries. Love what I do and love these kids!

2011-06-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Backyard Fun...Shane has done such a great job turning a wild, wooded area into a fun, explorable wilderness. This first picture is the zipline - platform on the bottom left behind the tree and it zips down the path and into the woods.

Tramp, playhouse and a wicked 50 foot tree swing that swings over a little ravine. One of the reasons we love Georgia! We get deer walking up our paths like they own the place too.

2011-06-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is 5! She is delightful, energetic, shy with others, self-empowered around us, very animated and we love her so much!

2011-06-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Our family night Minute To Win It game show host. See all the water bottles on the floor behind him? Can you tell I'm pregnant - I drink one of those a day on my own. Anything besides spring water makes me throw up. I have such a snobby body. So far no MSG (throw up), tap or even filtered water (throw up), wheat (chronic inflammation and fatigue), sugar (blood pressure drops to 80 over 40) or dairy (you don't want to know). Anywho, cute boy, huh?

2011-06-11T12:09:00.001-07:00

Pinewood Derby - I have yet to attend one lasting under 2 1/2 hours but he seemed to have fun. Next year I think it will be a Father/Son event for us. The car was two pencils on wheels - when Shane asked him what he wanted his car to look like, he was looking at a pencil and decided to go with it. It looked very real!

2010-12-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

Gaylord Opryland - one of Shane's clients is Gaylord Opryland and I got to accompany him on his last trip to their location in Nashville. They had it decked out for the holidays and it was much fun. My goal was to get all my Christmas shopping done in these two days and found out when we arrived that the Opry Mills next door was still closed from the floods. So, I managed to get presents for just about everyone from Bass Pro Shops, Cracker Barrel and the hotel shops :) Yes, that man next to the gigantic poinsettia tree is my handsome husband!

2010-12-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

Max received his third belt this week. This is Mr. Burns, his karate Master who is a 4 time world champion. He is wonderful and Max is learning self-confidence, responsibility, respect, self-control and strength to name a few.

2010-12-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We spent Thanksgiving with Brandi this year (not pictured because she was actually quite sick and was napping during the meal). It was fun to have her here for a week - the kids especially loved it! Why yes, I did cook that turkey, yay! The kids couldn't get enough of the sparkling juice.

2010-12-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Uncle Shucks - time for the fall corn maze where mom has panic attacks. Luckily, we went with a bunch of friends, one of whom was brilliant at getting us through before any kids (or pregnant me) had to go to the bathroom.
Ellie humored us here smiling for the camera, then told us she was actually scared while riding the pony.

2010-12-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

Scouting Ceremony - so proud of Max's hard work...he's becoming more decorated than mom would like to sew :)

2010-12-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2010-12-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ellie's first day of independent preschool (we did a co-op for two years....and that was about enough for momma). Her teacher is my awesome friend Jessica - a former kindergarten teacher. She gets to go with her church friends and cousin Reese, so she's loving it!

2010-09-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

I DID IT!!!! I did my first half-marathon! For those of you who know my struggle with asthma, know how big of a deal this is. Then I developed plantar fasciatis during my training and had to start over. But it all worked out, praise God (yes the south is rubbing off on me), and it was a blast. ...the Women's Half Marathon in Nashville, TN with 14 wonderful women and friends...finish time was 2:05:49.

We started off at the Nashville Temple for a session.

Then on to the check-in to get our PINK PERSONALIZED numbers. Next came the Expo for some shopping....no I didn't get a 13.1 sticker for my car....they're not much of a novelty anymore.

We did a Spaghetti Factory dinner next (and they have GLUTEN-FREE noodles - yay!)

6 am lobby pic. 6 am is only my friend on race days.

See - proof that I really did run it! In fact, I ran water guys down instead of stopping so I could say I didn't walk a lick of it.

The medal has a charm in the middle of it that you can remove and put on a chain necklace.

Some amazing friends that I admire and adore. Showered and heading to Jack's BBQ (which happens to be Oprah's favorite bbq that she has flown in from Nashville) It did not disappoint!

And in VERY CLOSE SECOND to finishing the race was the purchase of my first pair of genuine cowgirl boots from downtown Nashville. I had to a huge happy dance in the store after buying them.

2010-09-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

My boy is old enough for Cub Scout Camp! Say what!!??? This was the CUTEST and COOLEST camp. I was amazed at the skill and organization - worth the $125 price tag I was balking at. What more could a boy want? Sports, soda bottle rockets, human foosball, bb gun shooting, pea shooting, the list goes on. Max definitely loved the shooting the most - he was way good at it too - it was kinda intimidating.

This was the sports director. I think he had some experience. They paid really close attention - a bit intimidated.

Da boys

This is the "pick-up trash dance".

Now that's what a boy's supposed to be doing in the summertime - diggin in the dirt!

2010-09-26T18:23:00.001-07:00

So these pictures aren't gonna knock any socks off, but this trip marked the first where I accompanied Shane on a work trip to Minneapolis. Shane worked. Here's what I did:

Slept in
Walked unshowered and barely dressed to the tamale shop in the skyway just off the hotel and got a tamale for breakfast each morning. Brought it back to the hotel room, stuffed my face as slowly as I wanted to.
Read what and when I wanted to.
Showered as slowly as I wanted to.
Walked wherever I wanted to.
Went to the bathroom whenever I needed to - if you're a mom, you understand this novelty.
Ate lunch when and where I wanted to.
Shopped in whatever stores I wanted to and for however long I wanted to.
Drank organic teas from places I wanted to.
Got waxed for the first time since before I was married.

That was my favorite vacation ever so far. And Minneapolis does not have much to offer, but apparently, you can give me a bed, shower, restaurants, stores and unlimited me-time and I am a rejuvinated girl. Definitely doing it once a year.

They had some pretty neat architecture - for about a block.

It's amazing what life lessons Sponge Bob has taught us. Have you noticed how patient he is amidst conflict, adversity and stupidity of others? Have you noticed how inclusive he is of all around him. He makes us happy.

At the Lego store in Mall of America for kid souvenirs. I hated the Mall of America. The downtown skyway shopping was much better.

2010-09-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

For Max's birthday, we surprised him with a trip to Medieval Times - it was AWESOME. He loved it, he was totally surprised and the night was magical.

Dragon's Blood courtesy of our wench who was quite wenchy.

Ok, if you know Max, you know that face is total enthrallment.

Some friends of ours happened to be there too so what did the kids do afterwards, but of course, a whole battle.

2010-07-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

Pops and I after the Beaufort 5k. My time 25:51, his was 21:something. And that was while he wasn't feeling well! He got second in his age division and I got third in mine - just out of medal range, darn it. He didn't even stay to get his medal - don't think the garage would hold any more. It is always a highlight of my life to run with him. Love you Dad!

2010-05-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Our friend's Rock Band Party

Yeah that's my dentist... he's really quite professional. And he's not wearing his wife's pants, I swear....really, he's not.

I think we were passing midnight about now...Shane wouldn't give the mic up.

Nothing like a little Pink!

2010-05-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

Spring Recital 2010...the product of my work and what pays for our food and medicine. LOVE these kiddos. A twinge of sadness without sweet Hailey - my student who passed away in December, but like her mom was telling me, she is playing a celestial piano now. My boys really rose to the occasion this year - they were all business getting the job done. The group picture is minus 4 kids who had to leave early.

Some moms shopped at the same shoe store :)

A little practice session and pep talk before it starts for this little 6 year old...

A little incentive never hurts...

Look at this smile while playing!

Whew.... done with Fur Elise. That's a happy girl - she worked so hard and made everyone including herself proud!

He played Piano Concerto Theme like a master! I'll be sad when it's time to pass him on. He's awesome!

Can't blame him - it was just shy of two hours.

2010-05-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

The third time is the charm! I've been nursing a garden and finally decided to put them all in containers on my porch. We'd been battling slugs, birds, snakes and rodents. Shane rigged a mobile of shiny old cds that spins around reflecting light that is WORKING against the birds. Growing up we always had a garden in the Midwest and this is bringing back great memories. I do not have a green thumb but I'm working on it...the prophet said to plant a garden :)

Strawberries

Blueberries

Watermelon

Green, Yellow and Jalapeno Peppers

2010-05-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Camping with some family and friends at Lake Hartwell this weekend...oh how we wanted a boat! No luck catching any fish, but they all had fun tryin!

The girl Max may very well marry someday - he's never so sweet and polite as he is with her. He adores her in his own way that he would surely deny if asked.

Ellie's favorite man next to her dad and grandpa....Mikey. She would only listen to him the whole trip.

Ellie's buds

Some of our favorite littles...

Shane's sister and her hubby

I GOT WORMS DADDY!

2010-05-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Horseback Riding in North Carolina over Spring Break....they LOVED it!

2010-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ellie's swim lessons....

We do have a son still....he's just in a "Mom has a camera.....RUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!!" stage.

2010-05-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

Springtime...how could we not take some pics on this beautiful spring day. That's my new car. I'm taking a break from the van for a bit as much as I LOVED my van. It was aging and needed some work and I wanted a little respite before I go back to one again....thinking Shane will prob drive this new car after his dies and then Max will in 5 1/2 years when he gets his permit. It's a V6 Accord with all the bells and whistles - so fun! I love my last Accord and this one even more (but nothing yet beats my '86 Camaro...sniff sniff)

2010-05-06T09:02:00.001-07:00

I'm quite behind obviously - here's the fun we had in our friend's front yard on snow day.

2010-05-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

My baby's 4. Her bday party in no particular order. She's looking so much like her daddy these days (except the whole princess and make-up thing).

2010-05-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

My 30th B-Day Bash (80's Theme) Thanks Everyone - You Rock!

2009-12-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

My beautiful piano student just passed away at 15 due to complications from anesthesia after knee surgery. It was so unexpected and tragic. I have been heartbroken so I can only imagine what her family must be going through. She was a lovely, talented and sincere person that I adored. We had so much fun sharing our passion for piano and she was my children's favorite babysitter.

For our recital last May, she asked me with her big bright eyes if she could play "My Heart Will Go On". I informed her that everyone else was playing classical pieces at my request. She was persistent and her eyes spoke her plea clearly. I couldn't say no to her - she was convinced it was what she wanted to play. I look back on that moment with tenderness and in awe of the irony. Surely it wasn't a coincidence because that is exactly what will happen. Her heart will go on in all the lives she touched. I will take a little piece of it with me all my life and return it to her in the kingdom on high. I look forward to that moment and will miss her so much between now and then. My children will miss their favorite babysitter. You loved them like a mother loves her own. You are amazing. Til we meet again darling...

2009-12-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

I got a flight to Utah as a birthday present to visit my high school friends there and took Max along with me so he could see his cousins. Unfortunately, we're missing a Musketeer - poor Emily had the stomach flu and couldn't make it out from Colorado :-( Here are our highlights...

Costa Vida - I LOVE food and I got to eat at restaurants I haven't been to in 3+ years - Rubios, Costa Vida and Cafe Rio received lots of my money while I was there. Here's my darling friend Melanie and I at Costa Vida. She's the pregnant one who ate a small salad and I'm the non-pregnant one who downed the largest one they sell.

So Melanie without any advance notice told her cute little Kaylee that a ballerina was coming. Within three minutes of entering the doorway I was requested to perform - in a dress mind you...sorry for flashing your children Mel but you asked for it :-) Poor girl here is getting the wedgy of her life I think - they were so fun and made me feel right at home...miss you guys! Our friend Erin got us some great tickets to the Flash and it was a blast - they are great family entertainment! I still haven't gotten the cheese whiz off my coat yet.

Max got to spend some great quality time with Papa Dave who showed us a great time! We hot tubbed, skiied, went inside some killer RVs (Max asked if I could charge more for piano so we can buy one....we had a great economics lesson)

My little man can ski! I was so proud of him - Papa did a great job teaching him the technicalities and was very patiend when Max went careening down the slopes at break-neck pace. We did 6 runs and he never got hurt - just cried as we were leaving because his hands were frozen to the core but he hadn't noticed before. He was constantly stopping to take his gloves off and eat snow - natural consequence sweetie.

Craig and Cynthia drove, no, ice skated a car down from Idaho to see us - thank you thank you thank you! We had a blast snowball fighting, sledding, playing Ticket to Ride, singing carols at the piano (they have great voices) and stuffing ourselves silly. I got to chat with their first unborn child - we are definitely bonded now.

Then we headed to Grandma Jinky's new house and took the train to Temple Square. It was fareeeeezing! We didn't last long, but I got in one picture for the books.

Thanks for the ticket honey!

2009-12-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Michael Kors store at our outlets 30 minutes away.....happy day.

2009-11-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

Savannah Triathlon

Well, we had our official triathlon last weekend in Savannah, Georgia. It ended up being unofficial really, because the swim was replaced with a second run due to toxic levels of migratory bird poop in the lake. I was sooooo mad then grateful that they actually test the water before-hand. Otherwise I guess we might all be vomiting by the finish line. We had so much fun getting away by ourselves. Here are some highlights.

After we had a cajun lunch on the river we went to the fountain at Forsyth Park. Hundreds of years old - made of cast iron. "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" stuff.

I got kinda thirsty.....

This one is only posted to make the next one funnier....

Me wondering when I'm going to live on the beach. I'm definitely "at one" there. One of my dreams is to have a year's time to live beachfront and finish my novel....someday.

Yeah, I'm wearing heels, but I love fashion and we could only be there for a little while. We had dinner here on Tybee Island. The second best meal I've ever had...filet mignon, parmesan mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and onion straws. And dessert - don't even get me started. We took it to go and ate it right after our race the next day. I would drive the 4 1/2 hours just to eat there - the Sundae Cafe right in between a gas station and liquor store oddly enough.

On to a ghost tour the night before the race. Heard some cool freaky stories. We were bummed we couldn't go in the haunted houses though. Lots of downtown Savannah is built on mass slave graves who died of yellow fever and other reasons. It is known as the most haunted city in the U.S.

The morning of the race - very appropriate for Halloween Day. It burnt off by race start and ended up being in the low 80s. We were glad some of the run was shaded - the water station ran out during our first mile.

Pre-Race. Transition Area.

Post-Race. I like this one for some very obvious reasons. He stayed with me the whole race - it was so fun. I finished 8th out of 26 novice contestants. Since the swim was cancelled, we ran a mile, biked 13 (maintained an average of 24 miles per hour - yay!) then ran another 3.1. I think our time was 1:32. I'm sure he could've blown by me, but was sweet enough to be right with me and even hold my hand during one of the photo ops.

2009-10-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Pharoah and the leading lady of his harem :-)

The whole fam at a Halloween party - Pharoah's leopard didn't keep her ears on very long :-)

Surprise! Meet our new little one.....just kidding - Ellie would LOVE one though!

2009-09-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you send an 8 year old boy to help his sister get ready for bed......they called it "Super Diaper Baby".

2009-09-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

We did it!

Ever since my friend, Laura, did a sprint triathlon, I've been itching to do one - they sounded like so much fun, a great challenge, and perfect training for someone with what I call exercise ADD (a side effect of ballet where we change what we do every few minutes, I think)

Shane and I did our first trial run with some guys from our church. It was pouring rain and sooooo much fun! We've had a blast training together. I can't talk when I run because of my asthma so he has to talk the whole time....which isn't usually his style. I love hearing so much from him! He hung back with me since we were on some major roads and we finished in 1 hour 49 minutes - a little longer than we had hoped, but hopefully we'll shave some time off for our race in Savannah Oct 31st. This is such a great excuse for us to travel away for a few days at a time too!

2009-09-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Left out....

Ellie has a hard time once in a while going to bed while there is something fun going on downstairs. So, she'll come down and we'll walk her back up, then she'll sneak down and go to sleep in various inconspicuous spots....usually the bottom stair. This time, she went for a firmer surface because it was a few feet closer to us I imagine.

2009-09-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Coming To My Class!

I love this picture of them - Shane came to her creative movement/gymnastics class and she was so excited. Last semester the teacher banned him because every time he came, she would just show off for him and not listen :-) We have a new teacher this time, so we'll see how long it takes for that to happen again.

2009-08-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well, what else would you do with a new toilet seat before installing it? Put on your wife's wig and chase your kids around the house of course!

2009-08-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

When I look at this picture I can feel nothing but fulfilled.

2009-08-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Laura and Jane's Visit

So my friend Laura came to visit from California - we calculated 17 years that we've been BFFs! So this was totally fun for us because we haven't seen each other in 3 years. We have daughters 10 days apart and the last time we were together they were a few months old. This time, they got to be buddies and it was a blast watching them interact, dining out, lounging, swimming, shopping (especially when Laura set off all the hopping gobbling turkeys down the Jo-Ann store aisle). The girl knows how to have fun anywhere. So she had to leave her one and a half year old home and come 6 months pregnant on a 4 hour plane ride with a very energetic and inquisitive 3 year old. That's a good friend :-) Here's the pictures of our girls....

They arrived late when Ellie was sleeping, but she knew they were coming and came right out when she heard them...she was excited but she is very shy at first, so outgoing little Jane jumped right into the introductions..."Hi Ellie...wanna play?" To which Ellie replied nothing but a shy coy smile while frozen in one spot from nerves.....so what else to get Ellie playing than....

tickling of course! Smart girl. That got an instant smile on Ellie's face and two seconds later....

good buddies.

So they....jumped on beds,

Watched Harold and The Purple Crayon when Ellie needed her down time.....the girl is just like her Mommy,

played ring around the rosie,

swam,

bathed...because Laura said I needed to bathe my child once in a while,

were goofballs, said plenty of silly things and potty word things and giggled to their hearts content....

and Ellie has missed her ever since. She keeps saying, "Mommy where's my sister?"

2009-08-28T21:07:00.001-07:00

First Day of Third Grade

Max has a wonderful teacher again this year - we have so blessed with 4 out of 5 great teachers from K- 3rd (he had two teachers in Kinder because we moved, two in 1st grade because one left for an administrative position and two in 2nd grade because one had to go on medical leave). His teacher this year has just the perfect amount of expectation, dedication and care for her students. He kept saying he wanted to be home-schooled when the beginning of school was nearing, but I haven't heard that since his first day. I love this age - he is so fun and self-functioning. He knows what he needs and what he needs to do. He's my mister math whiz, chess whiz, entreprenuer and list maker. Here he is headed out the first day and with the bus stop gang - wonderful neighbors and friends.

2009-08-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Father's Day

Finally! Do any of you have husbands that are soooooo hard to shop for? I think after ten years of marriage I finally got him something he liked. Two nice golf shirts, Clive Cussler's new book Medusa and a really funny card this year was the ticket (well, since the big screen tv I gave him the first year we were married - what was I thinking spoiling him like that....no wonder nothing has compared!).

2009-08-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

One More Baptism Pic

So Max's baptism was right after my recital, right before his birthday party and right in the middle of summer piano lessons with the kids at home all day making it hard for me to prep. Just an insane time. There had been so much hype leading up to it...us making sure we say all the right things and that he understands what choice he is making and the promises involved, the interviews and the Primary lessons, etc....that he was like, yes yes yes...let's get this thing over with. So I took the easy route that day and instead of making it really peaceful and spiritual, we decided to enjoy God's creations while swimming at the neighborhood pool. I thought maybe if I wore him out fe would be a really good listener and reverant for the event too. Well, we wiped him out all right - here is a pic of the kids on the way to the church..... unfortunately he hardly looked at the speakers, but I like to think he was listening still.

2009-08-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Destin, FL

We were able to go to Destin with Shane's brother Jaymee n fam, sister Brittany n fam, and mom. It was a BLAST...except for all the people on the beach (including Shane's family members) who had to witness me topless after catching a great wave. You know me, I'll do anything for attention. Needless to say, his family and I are much closer now. I've never felt so laughed at and accepted in my life.....they rock.

2009-08-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Scripture Master. This kid LOVES the scriptures. We haven't done anything out of the ordinary - he is just fascinated with the stories and we are so excited to often times find him passed out like this with his picture scriptures next to him. He read the hardcover Book of Mormon picture books and the church published paperback Old Test. New Test. B Of Mormon and D&C ones before he was baptized. Since he was baptized we've started reading the regular ones with him at night but often times he'll read ahead of us after he goes in his room. He has started to ask good questions about them too which is wonderful for us to hear as formulating coherent questions has been a roadblock for him in the past - he has had a lot of difficulty with language processing and expression. The scriptures have really helped him develop in that area. Seems he was really blessed with a love and understanding of them - so awesome. He will make a great missionary someday.....when he's not in airplane bedding anymore.

2009-08-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

So nice. Shane often times lets me crash for a Sunday nap. Makes me such a happier person. Of course he has to take pics of me to prove it too. So here is evidence he rocks and I sleep....after talking to someone I guess since I'm holding my cell.

2009-08-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

Oh so cute. Ellie is really starting to look a lot like Shane. Look at that smile - she loves his attention and he just adores her!

2009-08-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

We love Camryn....

Max's cousin Camryn hung out with us for a week this summer. They had a blast - we tubed down the Chattahoochie, swam, played, she read Harry Potter while he played her Nintendo DS. I wish I had caught a picture of them as they were frequently on the couch doing that with her head resting on his shoulder and vice versa. Once in a while he would get all sheepish when he remembered she was a girl. Talk about melting our hearts. They are only a few months apart and very much alike...I think they really get each other and she was a really good example to him too.

2009-08-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

If you have a boy, you understand.....

We just took pics off Shane's phone - this is Christmas '08 (hence the cheesy tight elf outfit), but I had to post it. We caught him doing this at grandma's house.

2009-08-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Catching Up....

I have been choosing things other than blogging lately so I have some catching up to do! Here's some of the happenings in the last few months....

Shane and I have been hitting the weights, roads and pool lately. He's brought the stylish bandana back and Ellie don's it as well. She is a big time momma's girl, but she LOVES her Daddy...especially his humor. This has got to be one of my all time favorite pictures of them - wish it was a regular camera and not a camera phone pic.

I think for Mother's Day maybe it was Shane sent me one of those darling Pajama Grams with this "Super Mom" outfit in it. He scored big points - so cute. Max has had a new sense of muscle mass since mom and dad are trying to tone and bulk. There is usually a nightly evaluation of his muscle growth also :-)

2009-07-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Max's Baptism....

Both children arrived asleep - we wore them out at the pool that morning (hence Max's red eyes). Ellie's still dead out during our pre-baptism pics.

Max's position when he doesn't want to take pictures.

Ellie and Brandi

The three musketeers...they have so much fun together.

Ellie and Grandpa staying occupied.

My big man and little man

2009-07-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

The pictures are not so good quality, but you get the picture.

She LOVES her coach..."Coach D"

Balance Beam

Bear Crawl on Parallel Bars

One of her favs

Another fav..

2009-05-29T11:06:00.001-07:00

Here's one advantage of having a sibling 5 years older...he's been reading to her lately. So fun. It's even funnier when she loses attention and he talks in this high-pitched squeaky voice trying to lure her back.

2009-05-29T11:01:00.001-07:00

What a way to sleep... She fell asleep like this watching a movie in the theater room. That's her toilet! Glad the lid was closed. The lights were out - takes after me I guess....sounds like my Friday nights.

2009-05-29T07:04:00.001-07:00

2nd Grade Graduation Celebration.... We had a mattress sliding party to celebrate the last of school.

2009-05-23T19:31:00.001-07:00

Recital...

Here are my darling students, minus four! They did so well - much fun and much organization. Glad it was a success, glad it's over :-)

2009-04-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Tale of A Caterpillar Hunt...

Max has found many a caterpillar and sister has been longing to find one for herself since he won't share due to her love of squeezing, moving and loving them to death. Today we had a picnic lunch outside and ....

Off to look

Here maybe?

Over here?

Jackpot!

Look Ma!

He crawls here...

He crawls there...

He crawls everywhere!Storytime, Caterpillar

Love you. Time for bed, night night!

He's now deceased under our refrigerator. She had "not so gently" handled him so much he was just about dead, so we brought him inside to make a habitat. I left her inside with him while I got some leaves and branches. When I came in, she was screaming, "Caterpillar, caterpillar - I can't reach, Mommy!" He had crawled under our fridge to escape his captor. Luckily she took the news well that I couldn't move it and he would have a new home there. :-)

2009-04-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Our poor kids don't do have the fun things others do,...seems like every kid's in every sport, taking every vacation to every neat spot, getting every cool toy everyone has....however, every spring break Max does get to go to his Nana and Grandpa's house in NC by himself (thanks much to the fact that they don't have an aversion to driving.) They are so good to us.

So, here's Max in his own world on the beach of the inlet around the corner from their house....how many prepositions can I fit in one sentence!?! Oh, and one target practice with the nerf gun. Love this boy....and now we love spending time with him too :-) He is doing so much better with the help of many wonderful and caring people. He is healthy, happy and is the person that was hiding on the inside all along.

2009-04-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

3 going on 13..ellie and brandi glam-ing it up with the help of dad. Cutest thing - him drying her hair has occurred on more than one occassion :-) such a good daddy

The secret is to blend....a little dab will do ya.

2009-03-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

Ellie's first dentist appt with Uncle Erik and his wonderful hygienist Amanda. She was so excited and not really nervous at all - I was sooooo shocked! We had her watch Max's first and then she hopped right in the chair and was so annoyed that we were all googoo-ing over her.

2009-02-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

Tiny Dancer...

We were shopping for jammies and I let her pick one - she chose this one. I swear - I didn't even sell it to her.

Playdate with cuz Reese. They played dress up and then took every item of Ellie's clothing and put it in the port-a-crib. Logical place. Then they grabbed books and dove in. Great entertainment.

I really do brush her hair every once in a while, regardless of what you see here :-)

2009-01-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry to my Facebook friends - you see these all in double. But, I put the more risque ones on Facebook so you're extra lucky.

Shane took me out for a well-planned b-day overnight celebration. It was WONDERFUL! He rented a Mustang, drove me down to the Buckhead Westin, took me to dinner at Maggianos, movies - saw Benjamin Button and did a little shopping at the mall across the street the next morning. Fabulous little getaway - we should do it every year! (And the amazing thing was the Mustang rental was free from work and the $360 hotel was $75 on Priceline!!!)

The 'Stang

The Westin - Buckhead skyline

Dinner - sooooooooo much food! Look at us - we're so stuffed we can't even smile all the way.

Movies - what did you guys think of Benjamin Button?

2009-01-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Max and Ellie's first Starbucks hot chocolate. Watch Ellie.....

Ellie and Max: "Mmmmmm... this hot chocolate is wonderful, mom. Thank you."

Ellie: "Wait a minute... he still has some?"

(Max proceeds to walk away leaving his unguarded) Ellie: "I think I'll just take that, thank you."

"Right about there as far away from Max would be juuuuuuust right." Sneaky little devil.

The two little houligans hyped up on sugar....

2009-01-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

We drove to my parents' in North Carolina for Christmas this year. The weather was freakishly warm the day after Christmas so we went straight to the beach. Here's some pics from that, but unfortunately when I cleared my camera of the Christmas day pics, the website I uploaded them to won't allow me to access the raw file from my home computer so crap about that. But, this was probably the highlight anyway. Well, it's between this and the movie theater with a snoring man to our right, two stoned with the munchies and food they couldn't keep quiet to our left and the lady in front of us asking her husband questions in an insanely loud voice. Hmmmm.

Cold water and street clothes didn't stop him - he was wet from waist down by the time we went home.

We had a fan blowing on her for this shot. She's got the far-off pensive look down - we're now working on her "you're a tiger" shot.

This would make you think they were working cooperatively on the sandcastle - not so much.

She loves her daddy!

Grandpa's kite flying skills. Ellie managed to hold it without letting it go for a really long time - I was shocked!

The lovely birds that don't leave you alone if you feed them. The kids practically had them eathing out of their hands just as we ran out of our food. We went home hungry, but Ellie talked about that the whole way home. My rough and tough husband has a secret fear of things flying around his head. Wish I had gotten a picture of him with the birds swarming. He can girly scream wayyyyyy better than me.

2008-12-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

Pantless Wonder wants to play in the rain....

2008-12-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Halloween....a very belated one.

2008-12-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

Why Buy Toys???

She entertains herself with these for hours.

2008-11-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes. There is no fast food. Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money. In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week. Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing. Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.
He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the A & E. He must also make biscuits or cakes for a social function. Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times. The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done. The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewellery, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.
During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties. They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting. They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 8:00 am.
A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight,shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favourite colour, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up. The kids vote them off the island based on performance.
The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice. If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right To be called Mom!

2008-11-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I met up with my BFFs from 8th and 9th grade in Indiana. Meg lives walking distance to Capitol Hill so we shacked with her, saw the sites, laughed at old pics and ate a lot of great food. I took the 2nd and 3rd ever cab ride of my life and saw the real Constitution (There really is something on the back of it). Need I say more? I have the best friends I could ask for. They put up with me so gracefully. I also have the best husband ever. He had no problem letting this be the year of me. Life rocks.

The White House - tourists get a terrible view, Washington and WW II monuments and..."I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill."

Washington Monument - Steph's professional psychological opinion...totally phallic.

Wise old Abe...
DC World War II Memorial

World War I Memorial

Dinner in old town Alexandria, VA on the water at Chart House - soooooo good. Overlooked the Potomac which Meg informed me has the 2nd highest body count per capita. That's why the water tasted so good.

Dinner and dancing at Marvin - restaurant tributing Marvin Gae. Everything was to die for delicious!

Sunday morning Steph ran a 10K while Meg and I trotted around and burned a whopping 10 calories.

Hi-five action shot - what a photographer!

BFFs forever in front of the Potomac and Jefferson Memorial

AND THAT'S HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW!

2008-11-11T11:30:00.000-08:00

70's Party for Shane's sister Brittany's birthday

Detective Shera Broadchest and Harry Baughtum

He's got moves you've never seen!

Birthday Girl and her Bro - I think this finally made up for all the teasing and dumping her out of trucks.

The Girls and Guys

Three Travoltas graced our presence

The Birthday Girl and Hubby Houdini

Now I'm scared of the law - how 'bout you?

This guy was the biggest crack up of the night

2008-10-29T08:42:00.001-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO

K, so we just got back from our San Francisco trip and had a blast! It was the first time I had been back since the day I graduated high school. We were so glad we did it. We packed a ton into three days and were exhausted when we got home. We flew into San Francisco, stayed in a hotel there Thursday night, woke up and went sightseeing in the city - Coit Tower, Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, tried to see Ghiradelli but it moved to San Leandro, Golden Gate, etc. Then we headed to Livermore and had dinner with Cindi and Pat in a nice downtown restaurant in Livermore - they totally redid downtown with nice shops, restaurants, fountains, a movie theater and a performing arts theater. The good old Donut Wheel was still there though so we had to get doughnuts - twice! Saturday I drove him to Wente Vineyard and around town - showed him my old house, school, etc. We had lunch with Marie DiBiase, but she couldn't go to the reunion because she had too much studying to do - we tried to get Katie to come out of her house, but she's barricaded herself there because she's a few months pregnant and thinks she looks fat - crazy girl. Sat night was the reunion and Sunday we hit the old 3rd ward and saw some old familiar faces.

Here are some pics, but I have to apologize that I wasn't very good at getting pics of people at the reunion - sorry Emily and Melanie! I wish you guys could've been there - missed you a ton. It was fun - we saw Paul and Amber, Josh Brecheisen and his wife Carly, Tara-Lee and Joe, Melissa Morris and her husband, JJ and his wife, Corey Turnbeaugh and his wife, Brent Burdios and his gf, Brett Abramson and gf, Jill Harkrader and hubby, Emily New and hubby, Kenon Willis and wife, Liz Stinson and hubby, Melissa Green, Debbie Berkhart and hubby, Kelly Fowler, Laura Furrey, Tara Hundal, Steffi Silva, and Stacy Taylor. Everyone asked about you two - all us Mormons have the same story - happy, healthy, married with two kids. :-)

Alcatrez - no time to go in

Eatin fish n chips and clam chowder on the Wharf - sooooo good! Shane ried and even liked the fish - he wouldn't go near the chowder though (bad seafood experiences on his mission)!

My fav - the sea lions. You just can't help but be happy around them.

Golden Gate Bridge and SF on the left

Awwwww - the old house. Good times.

Taking a break at Hagemann Park - we passed your house Emily. Brought back many a good memory!

At the Reunion

The Morning After - just like old times.

Saying goodbye to Baby Sy - he's two weeks old and we couldn't get enough of him. Such a quiet and sweet baby.

2008-10-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

A day in the life of a 2 year old.... Throw books everywhere and on everyone and on everything. Eat a half a tube of toothpaste for lunch. Find the trail mix and eat out all the M&Ms. Push a chair over to the sink and water the kitchen with the sprayer. Eat a little food out of the garbage (I do offer her meals once in a while). Take a toy she didn't want her cousin to touch out onto the back porch and chuck it off the 2nd story patio. Try to pick the mole off her brother's back. Destroy brother's intricate Lego creation. Sneak in brother's room and turn it into a tornado-affected disaster area. Color with chalk all over Dad's car. Run into the street laughing. Climb up to the top shelf of the pantry. Climb onto the counter and attempt climbing onto the top of the fridge. (I swear I feed her) Insert toys into microwave. Insert toys into toaster oven. Sit on brother's head. Somersault into everything and bruise every part of her body. Run up and down the driveway yelling, "SUPERMAAAAAAAANNN" with one hand behind her back and one up in the "Hile Hitler" Superman flying pose. Did I mention that was naked? She's refusing to wear clothes unless someone comes to the door. Sneak up behind Mas, smile deviously and whack him on the head. Refuse to get out of the car. Refuse to get in the car........but......she stayed dry all week! So I'm still sane - sort of.

2008-10-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Tagged

1. Go to your pictures
2. Upload 4th picture of 4th folder
3. Post
4. Tag 4 of your friends - I tag Cynthia, Emily, Melanie, Heather

This pic is 6 years old and I think I'm back to that hairstyle again already. We're officially dated now ladies - have you been to Charlotte Russe lately? Legging with lace and rhinestones, leg warmers - I remember when the 70's stuff was in during high school and my mom would say, "Oh I had an outfit just like that in high school!" I HATED IT! Now I'm old enough to say it?! And I actually bought leggings the other day - for myself - seriously. I was in a fashion runway diva wannabe mood. I'm such a weirdo.

2008-10-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

I promised this to a couple people a week ago – sorry it’s so late guys. Just some more tips and good reading for home remedies and good health care we’ve found useful. I believe in a mixed approach to health – this is not to replace a medical doctor completely, but in my experience these have helped me more than any doctor has. Med drs have an important but small role in our lives, which is actually a fulfillment of my patriarchal blessing – it’s really neat. No doctor was able to help my chronic fatigue, blood sugar issues, insatiable appetite, sleeping disorder, asthma, carpal tunnel, chronic migraines, dizziness, nausea and female problems. Max seems to have most of my same issues, so the blessings have gone to him too – truly an answer to prayers. Love you Jaymee and Rick and other Dr friends – you’re awesome – no hard feelings! So…

Great books on health

Nutritional Immunology by Dr. Chen
Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat by Dr Rudy Rivera &.Roger Davis Deutsch (It’s just the title – I don’t think anyone is fat!),
The Great Health Heist by Dr. Rosen
Herbal Home Health Care by Dr. John Christopher

Asthma Sufferers

CUT OUT ALL SUGAR AND REFINED GRAINS THAT TURN INTO SUGAR – Max and I did this and are off daily asthma meds now (we are other natural supplements prescribed by a naturopath that increase breathing ability) We need the occasional inhaler during peak pollen and ragweed season only. SERIOUSLY – sugar is the achilles heal for asthma sufferers. Shop at Whole Foods and look for 100% fruit and no sugar added products at grocery stores (beware of zero calorie and sugar-free stuff – it’s all chemicals that kill brain cells)

Sit in a sauna that has eucalyptus oil in it once a day – Lifetime Fitness does this.

Headaches

Cut out dairy, sugar and chemicals from your diet (low cal, sugar free chemicals, msg and anything HYDROLYZED – that is their new term for chemically altered or enhanced since everyone figure out the msg thing)

Apply Dr. Christopher’s Original Formula to temples and behind ears (www.herbshopconnection.com)

See a chiropractor if that doesn’t work

Sore Throats

Mix honey and cayenne powder in a bowl and eat – it will coat your throat and numb it. Works great.

Female Irregularity and Menstrual Cramps, bloating, etc

Raspberry Leaf Tea. I had Aunt Flo visit for a month one time. If I drink raspberry leaf tea (I use the Yogi Brand) once every day or two it regulates her.

For cold’s with congestion (nasal or chest)

Cut out all dairy and sugar (don’t eat sugar at all ever anyway! It weakens most of your systems and depletes minerals in the body)
Throw in some minced garlic in your food after it is cooked ( I like to do tomato soup or spaghetti)

For chest congestion cut an onion in half and microwave it for 30 seconds. Cut a ½” off again to allow the juices to come out and apply to chest – works great for a baby that won’t sleep due to a chest cold. It helps break up mucus and allow better breathing. Also, don’t put them in polyester sleepwear - the fabric doesn’t breathe.

Apply Dr. Christoper’s Original Formula cream to chest, neck and behind ears

Ear Infections

Apply Dr. Christopher’s garlic drops in ears.

Hyperactivity in children

CUT OUT SUGAR – it has neurological side effects that are TERRIBLE and make it sooooo hard for the child to be calm, behave and focus.

Magnesium Lactate

Fish Oil

Difficulty Sleeping

With Max his lack of good sleep manifested itself as extreme irritability, for me, just plain constant fatigue. The solution is Magnesium Lactate – we get a very high quality one from the naturopath so I’m not sure if the health store kind cuts it.

Immunizations

If you're going to do it, have the doc order thimerosol-free (a lot of docs have these in stock now), do them one at a time and spread them out over time.

So, sorry for those who I’ve bored, but hopefully this is helpful to those who wanted it. Again, obviously I am not a dr or specialist, these are just things that have helped us drastically. Ear infections can get dangerous and chest infections can become pneumonia, so if you’re going to do these things, do them early and often so you can monitor if symptoms get worse regardless of these treatments. I use a naturopath when I get sick – he gives us Colostrum and whole food herbs/supplements that are very powerful. I have read studies about antibiotics that have made me wish them only as a last resort (not given to me by my naturopath wanting my business) and I have heard warnings from doctors themselves.

If you’re interested in a good naturopath that does nutrition response testing:
http://www.unsinc.info/ 866-418-4801 ask for Andrea (this is for nutrition response testing that will tell you foods you are sensitive to) We are wheat, dairy and sugar so we live the word of wisdom through and through – non-wheat whole grains (corn/rice/millet/amaranth/spelt/kamut) , fruit, vegetables, beans, rice, nuts, seafood and meat. Our food source in the US is not what it used to be and the production of wheat now does not produce the good quality wheat it did years ago and especially not the kind the pioneers used to grow and use.

2008-09-23T11:48:00.001-07:00

Handy Bit of Info...

Did you know that garlic is a natural antibiotic? Shane had a chest infection and I loaded him up with a dinner of minced garlic with a side of spaghetti noodles and sauce and put garlic drops in his ears and he totally cleared up. No doctor visit or meds! Works for me every time too - as long as we don't eat any form of sugar because that will counteract it. In fact, one of the best ways to keep an immune system up is the absence of sugar and the presence of a great multivitamin and minerals. Also the best way to avoid asthma attacks for asthma sufferers - no sugar. Cool thing to know I thought so I wanted to share.

2008-09-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

No Way! After 9 years of marriage, Shane's college degree, 3 houses, 2 kids, vacations and work, we are finally out of the red. We did our balance sheet yesterday and we actually have a positive net worth! It may only be 863 dollars which I could easily blow celebrating our new financial status, but for now I have to celebrate in the blog world first. Ok, that's good - I'm going to Banana Republic now.

2008-09-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

My Cuz... It's so great to live close to Shane's sister and her fam. This is Reese, Ellie's cousin who lives a stone's throw away - they're getting into the purse and doll stage and I couldn't be more ecstatic . I've been through all the boy stuff over the last 7 years and am ready for a little estrogen based play. See how Reese is somewhat backing away from Ellie in this top picture? That would be because she never knows if Ellie's touch will be a soft or let's wrestle one. Ring around the rosie frequently turns into "we all fall down and oops i fell over on you".

Olympic Hopefuls

2008-08-21T21:17:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

2008-08-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Fall is coming....we've had some hope of fall with a couple cool days and nights here and there. We are so blessed to have some great neighbors to play with in the cul-de-sac. Here's the kiddos on our neighbor's Jeep. That handsome little Mini-Shane figured out how to make the Jeep peel and do pop wheelies. In fact, him and the neighbor girl flipped it before these pics...hence the helmet. Luckily, he drives very carefully with Ellie on it.

2008-08-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

So the other day I put Ellie down for her nap and after I leave she gets out of her crib, sits on the rocking chair with some books and decides to take a nap there instead -seriously, she's totally out for almost two hours like that. When she woke up, she decided to decorate the room with baby powder - is she 2 or what?

2008-08-21T19:57:00.001-07:00

Pigtails and Mommy's Glasses...move aside Britney Spears (the pre-friekshow Britney). All I've got to say is God bless the people who created bendable frames. I can't believe she hasn't broken these yet.

2008-08-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

After two and half years of not wanting a binky, she finds it in the drawer and decides she's now fond of it. Right at the age everyone else is giving them up - crazy girl.