Good Crocadator

David got a hanger stuck over his head...couldn't understand why he couldn't reach it from the back. In the car the other day I heard him making little roaring sounds, when I said it sounded like there was a monster in the car he said, "It a crocadator!" When I pretended like I was scared he told me, "It a GOOD Crocadator!"

Easter Afternoon 2009

This is a little late in getting posted because I've been having technical difficulties uploading pictures on to my computer...
This was the first year I spent Easter Dinner with just my own children. There was still 10 of us for dinner but it was quiet compared to the usual 20+ for my immediate family or Sheldon's 30+ people. We had a wonderful time.
Rachel and David blowing bubbles in the backyard waiting for Jared to hide the eggs in the front yard.

David found the Golden Egg with the silly putty (bad idea) inside. He had way to much "help" from Jared.

Rachel enjoying her Easter candy.

Amanda (22) my oldest daughter and boyfriend Tony.

Brandon (25) my oldest son and his wife Cami.

What's a Quarry?

David loves to watch Jared build legos. The other day Jared had David on his lap as he was building and he showed David this little room he had built that he had put some lego crystals inside. David said, "You build quarry?" Jared was amazed that David even knew what a quarry was so he came downstairs to tell me. I was brushing Julia's hair at the time and when Julia asked what a quarry was Jared had even more fun teasing his sister that her three year old brother had a better vocabulary than she did. We can only guess that David learned the meaning of the word quarry from Bob the Builder. Jared keeps teasing Julia that she should watch more "Sprout, Preschool on TV, she might learn something!"

This is the latest set Jared talked me into getting while we were at Walmart the other day. He said it was easy enough that David could help him. It has a real working catapult, (notice the little blue lego David has catapulted into the air). David is so lucky to have an older brother who loves him so much and plays with him everyday.

Easter Morning 2009

Here's all my babies Easter Morning before church.

David was so excited to show Sister Galloway, his Primary teacher, his new tie.

When Rachel was all dressed and ready to go, she showed her Daddy her new Easter dress, when he told her she looked like a real princess the huge smile and happy girlish little giggle was so adorable.

Julia felt so pretty in her new dress,

Daddy and David

Favorites of Easter-Yosemite 2008

Last year we went to Sheldon's parents for Easter dinner on Saturday so Sunday after church we decided to drive up to Yosemite. Daddy took this picture while Mommy and Julia searched for a bathroom before hiking up to the falls.

It got much colder once we were near the falls. Jared and Rachel were so cute with their walking sticks they found on the trail up.

Sheldon, David and Julia

Pretty Rachel very happy and cozy because her Mommy insisted she take her warm coat!

Some nice lady saw me taking pictures of everyone and insisted I get in the picture for one of all of us.

It was a really long drive up and back but it made a memorable Easter Day.

Favorites of Easter-At Grammy's 2007

Julia and Rachel licking their lollipops from Auntie Laura.

Jared at 11 still wanted to take part in the egg hunt.

Julia, nine years old, rushing around searching for eggs.

David, getting a little help from his sissy Amanda at the egg hunt.

David, 20 months, showing his Grammy all of his eggs

Favorites of Easter- Rachel 2007 Easter Fair

Daddy took Rachel to the Fair Oaks Park Easter Fair in 2007. She wasn't too sure about the big tall Easter Bunny.

It started at 8:30am so none of the other kids wanted to get up early to go. Plus it was cold and drizzling rain.

Rachel ready to start the egg hunt.

At four, she was always so proud of herself when she was brave enough to go on the big kid's slide.

Holding a real bunny!

Boys Will Be Boys

David just loves to wrestle/fight with his brother Jared. Their latest is David wears my oven mitts as boxing gloves and they go for it.

Tooth Update

Rachel was twirling around the family-room yesterday and collided with David. Her mouth hit his head and her right-front tooth, that is trying to fall out, filled a paper towel with blood.

That tooth continues to hold on though.

Favorites of Easter

I haven't posted since Thursday because I had the bright idea on Friday to post some favorite pictures of the past. I have been busy searching all of my unorganized picture disks for favorites of Easter. Here is Julia as a two year old in her Easter dress. One great thing about our house in Pine Grove, that I miss, is it had great places to take pictures.

Tween Attitude

What happened to my sweet, reliably helpful, adorable daughter? In the first picture of Julia helping Rachel and David make playdoh men you can just see the sweetness beaming out of her beautiful face. Julia turned 11 on January 25th...PMS has been a regular occurrence for the last four months and I am having to get used to someone else besides myself who has a predictably grumpy 1 week our of 4! Yikes! It almost makes me feel sorry for my husband. Julia was working on exponents on Study Island, (a site on-line that helps kids get ready for the STAR Test), she was getting a little frustrated not understanding when she said to me, "You're just making me confuseder!" I started laughing and then corrected her grammar. My first thought was that I needed to write her saying that on my blog...she wasn't too happy about the picture in her "lovely" mood. I've always felt a little guilty because I was never a scrapbooker but I think I'm beginning to like this blog stuff:)

Pillow Take Over

I got up at 6:30am today, which if you know me at all is early! David and Rachel took over my spot in my bed. David had gotten into bed with us as usual about 4:30am but then Rachel came in at about 5am and was sleeping at the bottom of our bed, wrapped in her Dora blanket, using my leg as her pillow. When I got up at 6:30am to use the potty I came back to my pillow being completely taken over. My baby boy and girl looked so cozy snuggled up together I didn't have the heart to wake them.

A Little Brotherly Help

The boys and I went to get our hair cut today. While I was finishing up, Jared and David were in the waiting area with a little girl who was about 5 or 6, waiting for her Mom too. Jared told David he should say "Hi" to the little girl and David replied back to Jared, "You come with me." After about a minute of David circling around the little girl, who was too busy playing with a couple of stuffed animals to notice David's advances, David finally went back over to Jared and said, "What her name?" So Jared asked the little girl her name and she replied, "Jennifer". So David walked back over to the little girl and timidly said, 'Hi". She just glanced at David and turned back around and continued to play with her stuffed animals. So David walked back over to Jared and whispered, "Jared, this thing not working!" Jared started laughing so hard that Jennifer finally turned and looked right at them and then David, a little louder with a wave of his hand said, "Hi, my name David. Jennifer said hi back to David and they started a little kid conversation. TOO CUTE!

Spiritual Enlightenment...go here

Our Oakie Finoke Girl

Rachel's top right front tooth has been loose since Christmas. She lost her bottom right tooth on Christmas day when she bit into a candy cane but that top one just hangs on and wiggles this way and that creating a little gap that makes her look like she should be living some where near the
Appalachian Mountains. I really can't believe my baby girl will be seven this August.

Inspirational Quote

M. Russell Ballard
A mother's nurturing love arouses in children, from their earliest days on earth, an awakening of the memories of love and goodness they experienced in their premortal existence. Because our mothers love us, we learn, or more accurately remember, that God also loves us.
Ensign, March 2006

A Day in the Country with Friends

We went up to Daffodil Hill today with our friends Korie and Jaron Ward. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and all the daffodils were incredible. I can't imagine all the work that went into planting 16 acres of flowering bulbs! Sheldon and Jaron and some of the kids hiked up to the top of this hill by our old house in Pine Grove, (15 minutes from Daffodil Hill). Sheldon's cell phone took some pretty decent pictures of the kids and the incredible view.

Driving up to Daffodil Hill, going over and checking out our old house and then driving home made me realize how much I don't miss living in the country. I love living five minutes from a Costco and 15-20 minutes from any shopping I need to do. Only 10 minutes to get to church instead of 20-25 minutes is just so much better.