FIELD TRIPS, SWIMMING, AND SUCH

LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENING, I JUST HAVE NOT POSTED ABOUT THEM RECENTLY... HANA AND MADDIE TOOK A FIELD TRIP TO THE LAKEFRONT TOGETHER IN APRIL.

HANA HAD SWIMMING LESSONS WITH HER CLASS. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT...SHE NOW WILL GO UNDER WATER! BIG DEAL FOR HER!

DUCE WAS THERE WITH HIS CLASS AS WELL.

ONE DAY AS I WAS PULLING IN TO SCHOOL TO DROP OFF MADDISON, WE GOT THERE JUST IN TIME TO SEE A HORSE BEING BORN. A MAJOR LEARNING EXPERIANCE FOR MADDIE!

MADDISON AND CHLOE LIKE TO GOOF AROUND WHILE HANA IS AT SCHOOL. THIS IS WHAT I FOUND ONE DAY. THEY WERE PLAYING "PET SHOP".

WE WENT TO THE BEACH IN DESTIN...

THE BOYS WENT GO-CART RACING (BRYAN, HIS BROTHERS AND COUSINS)

AND THE GIRLS AND I HAD OUR TEA PARTY FOR MOTHER'S DAY, SINCE WE MISSED IT AT SCHOOL.

MUCH MORE TO COME!!!

THANKS, PUBLIX! YOUR WET FLOOR HAS MADE MY LIFE SO MUCH EASIER!

broken hand.....wont be blogging anytime soon!!!

Well, Maddison's birthday was not the best, but it was still good. I made cinnamon rolls for her for breakfast. She opened a gift from Hana. We had lunch with Daddy at Pizza Hut...her choice! Came home and opened more gifts. At lunch, she came down with a fever, so the rest of the day was sort of a bummer for her. She just layed around and did nothing. I just made dinner. She told me she wanted mac and cheese...so I made it for her. She didnt feel like eating much, so she didnt even take a bite. I brought out the cake, and she played around and didnt eat any of it. I guess I will save it and give her some tomorrow if she is feeling better. She did say all day how thankful she was for the gifts! Oh, well, just another day, right?

Happy Birthday, Maddison Rose

Ahhh, my baby girl is 5 today. She is our little miracle. With a rough start to her precious life, Heavenly Father taught us a lot about trust and faith. She was born 4 weeks early. She was so tiny. Only 6 lbs! It was 2 weeks later that we found out her plates in her head were overlapping and her soft spot was closing. The doctor told us that sometimes it corrects itself, sometimes not and then surgery is required to seperate the bones. We had been blessed with living by a therapist who corrected these things. After 6 months of therapy, she had a perfectly round head, and CT scans showed a soft spot! (it wasnt until later that I found out, if we had waited, it would have been too late to correct it, which is what most people do, and by then, the babies faces are so deformed, they will never be the same.) Here is our little peanut!At 6 weeks in the hospital with pnemonia. My first witness of a priesthood blessing. I remember after the "Amen" she opened her eyes and smiled for the first time in 5 days.

I have so many pictures of her. Maddison LOVES the camera. She is always ready with a smile, and asking to "take more"

So, happy birthday, my precious girl!!!!

Lost and Found

I called Animal control about Bubba on Wednesday. They said they didnt have him, but took my name and number and would call if he came in. Friday, I got the call that they had him and I needed to come in and ID him. I was happy that he was not dead on the side of the road, but kinda disappointed...wondering what I am going to do now that we are moving....where is he going to go? Anyway, we went Saturday and sure enough, he was in doggy jail, trying not to get too happy to see us since he knew he was in big trouble. Supposedly, Wednesday morning, a man saw him cross traffic on 192 and picked him up down the road on Pine Grove because he didnt want him to get hit by a car, and then took him to Animal Control (for those of you who dont know, it was in front of our house. Nice.) They had to give him shots so I was able to pick him up this afternoon. He is sad. He knows he is in trouble, so he is on his BEST behavior. We will see how long this lasts! On another note.... a couple years ago we had a Bloodhound, Red. We had to get rid of him for many reasons...mainly because our neighbors really didnt like his howl and threatened us way to much. It just was not worth the hassle. We found a local cop and wife who rescued dogs. They took him and promised to keep real good care of him. And, if for ANY reason they had to get rid of him, they would call us. I found out that they got rid of him and I looked for him everywhere last year. No luck. Well, when I was out looking for Bubba the other day, I went to a house down the street from us. I saw a girl out with some dogs, so I stopped to see if she had seen him. All of a sudden, I heard a familiar howl and she said "Red, no". "Red? No, this isnt Red? Are you serious?" she looked at me like I was crazy. I told her my story. Sure enough. It was our beloved Red. (the girls talk about him still at least once a week, how much they miss him). The man asked me if he bit when we had him. NEVER. He was the most gentle dog. Come to find out, when they got him, he was battered and hungry, and the cop admitted to almost shooting him. He bit anyone who came in contact with him. He is better now, but harsh towards strangers. I let the girls come up to see him and he was as calm as could be. They were so happy to see him, and to know that he has been living practically across the street from us all this time!!!

Have you seen me?

(this is obviously puppy pics...sadly, I dont have any of him full grown)

(he managed to chew through a metal rope and climb over the gate in his pen like a ladder this morning. Tex has been barking ever since.)

Where to begin

It has been a long week/weekend. It started with a phone call Tuesday. Bryan's grandpa (Papa) had a series of strokes/heart attacks a while back and passed away Tuesday. It was a blessing, but still sad. So, we started planning our trip up to Crestview, Fl for the services. When I told the girls, they were sad, but then reminded me that we were going to miss out Tea Parties. Both of their classes planned Mother's Day Tea Parties and perfomances for the moms. It was Friday. The girls had talked about it for weeks. So, they were pretty disappointed that we were not going to make it. Instead, they brought home cakes that they decorated for me and bags full of goodies... scrapbook pages, crafts, pictures. Then they took turns singing the songs to me that they had practiced. I cried. Of course. Friday, I woke up at 3am (after going to sleep for 2 hours) while Bryan made his way home from work. We left the house at 4:30 to make the 6 hour drive. Friday afternoon was the funeral. It was harder than I thought it would be. He looked so good, though. The girls all went and said goodbye to him. They were so good. Saturday, we spent the day out in Destin....going to the beach, go-carts, lunch. (I will post pictures later). And, today, we spent the day driving home. Mothers Day came and left without a "Happy Mothers Day" from my girls....oh well. Wait, Hana did tell me because she heard me tell Bryan's mom Happy mothers day...whatever. Just another day, right? So, that was our week in a nutshell...Tomorrow night, the girls and I are having a little tea party and eating the cake that they made for me (it has been in the freezer). Then, only 1 more week till Maddison's birthday!

Apron Swap

Just in case you didnt know, I love aprons! And right now over at A Feathered Nest, she is holding an apron swap. Perfect! All you have to do is make an apron and you will get one! Head on over to check it out and to be a part of her swap. Just click HERE.

A week in the life of Chloe

Just to prove that it is hard to get any clothes on Chloe other than dress up ones, I documented her week this past week. Well, I tried to get most of it. Most of the days, she started with one dress and ended up with another on. I just got one pic each day. But, you get the idea!

Moday started out happy...

Tuesday, of course she had to sleep in the Ariel dress the night before...this is morning...not a good time for ChloeBut it turned out better when she put on a new dressWednesday, she wore a dress that was Maddies (I didnt get the picture of it) so Thursday, after I washed it, she put it back on and picked out ANOTHER dress to put OVER the one she wore Wednesday. So, here are the 2 dresses. She was so proud of this outfit!Friday, I actually got some normal clothes on her in the morning. If Maddison gets dressed for school, Chloe has to. It never lasts long, but I try. She even let me do her hair...that lasted about 10 minutes, too.And then the Ariel dress was back on that night. Just in time to get her ears pierced!Saturday was so busy, I didnt get a picture of her. It consisted of 3 dresses...Ariel, pink fairy, and Belle. Sunday we were back to Ariel and before I could get the picture, she fell, busted her lip and now, the dress is covered....I do mean covered...in blood. This was the result. I think she was more mad about the dress being ruined than her lip. There is a pretty big hole there. Lips heal well, though, right? It is still bleeding...maybe I should check on that....

But it is all made better by putting on a clean dress, which she is asleep in right now as we speak. Now, a new week begins with new decisions...which dress to wear...and me trying to get all the stains out of her beloved Ariel dress.

Challenge

Our Bishop gave us a challenge today. No tv or internet for a week. I am already breaking it by posting here. But am I really? Does updating friends and family count as being on the internet? I also have the tv on in the background, but it is the news and the kids are asleep, Bryan is at work (he is working nights now) and my family wants to know what is going on. Maybe we will just start by cutting the tv and computer off during waking hours.

Little Ree Ree, all grown up

We have always had a rule that the girls can get thier ears pierced when they ask, but we are not forcing them to do it. Hana did 2 years ago. Maddison "never" wants to. Chloe has been asking for a long time now. She always wants "rearings like Nana". I put clip-ons on her, and she likes them for a while, but gets mad that they come off and wants ones that go in your ears. Yesterday, all day, she asked. I kept telling her, it may hurt, you cant take them out, that sort of thing. OK was all she said. We met Bryan at the mall because he needed a few things. I told her to ask Daddy. She did. He looked at me and said lets go! So we went. She sat in my lap, all proud of what was about to happen. She was so good. She sat so still. They did it and she just froze and let out a little cry, asked for her blankie, and that was it. She stopped. I asked if it hurt, she told me no, it scared her. Now, all she does is show us her earings all the time. She woke up all night long just to tell me they were still in her ears and show them to me! I was going to bring my camera, and of course, I forgot it. So, I just took a couple last night and today. Yes, she is wearing the Ariel dress this morning that she wore last night. She slept in it. I will wash it today! She was a little tired last night!

critters

Our pest control came yesterday to determine what exactly is in our attic. It really annoys me. I hear constant scratching in the middle of the night and strange noises. Good news, it is not rats. I dont know if I could go on living here knowing there are rats above me. No raccoon either. The pest? Squirrels. There are hundreds of acorns up there that they are playing with and storing for food. Some sticky rat traps were set and they will be removed with whatever has set foot in them at the end of the week, but we are sure it is squirrels. I heard that moth balls will take care of that...anyone know?

In other news, we have another critter outside our front door. I noticed this guy when Dad left at 5am Sunday morning. This sucker was huge!By 6, it was gone. No web. Nothing.

Next morning...it was back. Gone in another hour. Finally, the next morning, I so carefully caught it in a jar and gave it to my bug man (the pest control guy). He was curious as to what it was so he took it to the office to inspect it with his boss. I am curious now too!

Portrait of Chloe

What does Chloe do all day? Cry. She has cried since the day she was born and has not stopped since. Her juice is gone...cry....her dress is crooked...cry...Hana looked at her...cry...there is not enough ketchup for her banana (no, that is not a typo)...cry. Cry and dress up. That is Chloe. That is why this picture is priceless! Dad had his camera for this perfect occasion. I think the problem was that the paint sample was not her favorite color, green. I had given her a pink one.

She also has this little guitar from the American Girl dolls that she carries with her and sings and puts on "shows" for her sisters. So, when she is not crying, she is singing. I prefer this, so when it happens, I try to capture it and cherish it.

You can tell this dress up thing is no joke. Every day...she dresses up. I have so many cute clothes for her that are never worn. Just her princess dresses. I am currently documenting in pictures all the dresses she wears in one week to prove the obsession.

Our weekend with Dad

We had lots of fun. Here are just a few of the many pictures that were taken. We went to have lunch with Hana at school. This was Chloe hiding...she was upset about something...what else is new.

The girls carrying the dirt for the flower bed from grandpa T's car.

The slip-n-slide.

Even I took a dive!

Swings that dad made.

I think I had just as much fun as the girls did!

The girls got going so high that all they would do is giggle.

Thanks dad for coming! We miss you already!