Nelson Notes

Uncle Kalan

2011-11-20T22:12:00.001-08:00

Kind of forgot how easy it was to post from my phone. Maybe I'll use some driving home time to update everyone! We are headed back from Seattle from visiting my brother who lives over there. He is headed to Australia with his architecture firm on a project. We are do proud of him!!! It's a great opportunity for him.
The girls were so funny this time in Seattle when we went to his apartment... Saying "we don't have buildings like this (skyscraper) in our town"!
They loved the view from his tiny apartment's balcony. I made them all squish out there to get a pic in front of the space needle.

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Girls first day of school

2011-09-08T22:22:00.001-07:00

Alizah and her Longview teacher mrs. Ledeboer. She loves her!!

I was the embarrassing 5th grade mom who still took hanna's first day pic with mrs. Pinkerton.

Second school's first day at Kimber for all the girls!

The girls' schedules are tough this year for even me!
Hanna and Alizah go to two schools. Piper goes to kindergarten at aim. They started this week with a few of their activities too so we've almost made it to the weekend!

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New bikes

2011-07-13T19:58:00.001-07:00

These darn kids keep growing. Their poor knees were up to their handle bars..... So off to WalMart we go and a family bike ride to test out the new bikes to end the night.

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Princess tea party

2011-06-09T11:48:00.001-07:00

The long awaited tea party!!! "cheerios" cheers with their glasses-Fallon and alizah.

Piper knows how to keep her finger up!

My girls are "girly" girls without a doubt! We tried to go to the boys baseball game but that didn't last very long. They just want tea parties and dress up all day long. The poor boy cousins even played barbies a few days ago!!

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Location:Burley idaho

Salon girls

2011-06-07T22:27:00.001-07:00

I know lots of posts, but I need to document for dad to see what we are up to on vacation (he's not with us this trip-stuck at work... Must not have as good as job as me:) HA,HA:) or maybe just not as awesome of employees that I could leave forever and they would probably run the business better than me!!)
Anyway...bowling today along with amazing pedicures from aunt joycelyn in the new salon she works at. We had the place to ourselves and the girls played beauty shop while the other got the pedi. Wow....amazing real life chairs that lean back to wash hair, booster seats for hair cuts and swivel chairs that go up and down. The barbies and dolls got the royal treatment!!

Then off to pizza at uncle al's and then aunt britni's birthday for cake and ice cream. Kids played hide and seek and freeze tag till 10:30!! Wonder how exhausted we will be when we get home??

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Location:Declo idaho

Free bowling

2011-06-07T12:25:00.001-07:00

Free bowling day in burley!! These guys are pretty smart cuz moms like me don't say no to pizza lunch and arcade games. So the free part is a little deceiving but not the fun part!! Piper was quite the bowler with her running approach and stealing everyone's turns! So cute!

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Location:Burley idaho

Shoshone falls

2011-06-06T17:30:00.001-07:00

Girls at Shoshone falls by twin falls, Idaho. Piper is covering her face in the pic cuz the mist was very heavy!!

I remember coming here with my family for Sunday picnics. Loved it and wished the weather was different today and I could have showed the girls more of the area.

Hanna is holding their cousin Fallon. We are headed to twin for dinner for their aunt and uncle's birthday. Aunt britni's is tomorrow and uncle kalan's was last weekend. We are going to have our fill of cake!!

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Piper's gymnastic moment

2011-06-02T21:07:00.001-07:00

Hard to see, but piper got her first "rip"!! She was swinging so much on the bars she ripped a calouse right off! The stinging almost won into tears until we ran around the gym showing all the big gymnasts her rip! She says "I'm a real gymnast now!".

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Location:AIM gym

School pics

2011-05-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

Another plus of the girls being in the same location is for school pics I grab all three and put them together!

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Location:AIM school

Last day of school

2011-05-27T22:32:00.001-07:00

Last days of school!! We are all excited and gearing up for the big aim graduation next Tuesday. So Wednesday we all can breathe:)

Piper mini-golfing. Hanna's class make 10 holes of golf with obstacles around the gym. Piper loved it!!

Alizah's class got to slip and slide on the mats!! There was alot of water and a big mess after but a ton of smiles....

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Location:Aim school

Piper's new accomplisment

2011-05-16T13:27:00.001-07:00

So piper has struggled all year with her letters. We have tried to motivate her to learning to read. Apparently, she is picking up a few. You can clearly see her name, L, A, G, on the back of the bathroom door in permanent marker. This happened while bring shut in the bathroom and telling her she couldnt come out till she went potty! Can anyone say STUBBORN??

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Alizah's accomplishment

2011-05-14T20:51:00.001-07:00

My iPhone has been broken which is the reason for the lack of posts. But my trip to Seattle for level four state and a hour wait in the apple store fixed it!
The girls are in a choir group where the do 3 concerts a year and their dress rehearsal is done the week before their concert at a retirement home. Alizah has anxiety of old people. It has taken seven years for her to give my grandmother a partial hug. Anyway alizah has a beautiful voice and has been chosen for a solo each of the past two concerts but hasn't been able to perform because the director won't let them perform at the concert if they won't do the retirement home rehearsal. So much bribing happened for this concert (the new fad of feathers for hair included) and she actually agreed to go! She performed wonderfully and I was so proud!! I did notice halfway through she had starting holding her chin and face. Well when the concert was done, I found out why....she was carefully scratching and trying to hide the hives that were breaking out all over her neck and face! So they spread to her arms and and stomach. After a few hours they calmed down, but she wouldnt take the benedyrl so it was miserable for all involved:) I would guess she does cause herself some serious anxiety!!

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Location:Moses lake

Hanna sewing

2011-04-04T11:36:00.001-07:00

So I wanted to post pics of hanna's class at their bird dissection last week but my camera on my phone is scratched and the pics are terrible. Hence the long time between posts lately. Hanna's sewing teacher forwarded me so the pic is good. Hanna loves sewing. I hired her to make AIM curtains for our upstairs to cover all the storage. She did a great job!! This pic is of piper's birthday present that she made...some gymnastic print pajama pants.

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Location:Moses lake

St patrick's day

2011-03-18T15:12:00.001-07:00

"the duendes" at aim school! Piper and her buddies were searching for green all over the gym.

Alizah and her class went one step further and built traps to catch the leprechaun! It was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Alizah was the first in her class to start stabbing her box and when asked what she was doing, she replied, "the leprechaun has to breathe!" she even added a hot tub for him!

And hanna was extremely disappointed that her class didn't participate in any of the festivities. Hate to break it to you, hanna, you are growing up!!

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Location:N Grape Dr,Moses Lake,United States

Hanna's gym meet

2011-02-05T16:10:00.001-08:00

Z .Hanna just had her best meet ever! She got first all around and first on beam, vault, and bars!! We were disappointed with her scores during the meet and during awards realized they were actually high compared to others! The judges just were tough...alizah didn't compete this meet. We didn't take the whole team this time. She's excited for her next meet in a few weeks. Dad's excited to to sit in the
Bleachers again for hours on end:)

Her special first place "sweet award" for bars, beam, and floor.

With coach Natassia and a few of her teammates and their second place team banner.

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Location:Moscow Idaho

Fish dissection

2011-02-04T18:27:00.001-08:00

The kids are learning about fish in school. Jason, a fish & wildlife officer, came and talked about salmon's life cycle, and fish anatomy. The highlight was the fish dissection and finding the bug larvae in the fish stomach!! It's so neat the all three girls get to participate in things like this. It was hanna's class, but I just went and grabbed piper and alizah out of their classes to watch!

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Location:Moses lake

Princess hanna on the radio

2011-01-21T07:56:00.001-08:00

Hanna and McKenna recording the miss Moses lake pageant commercial for the radio. It's on everyday and we get to listen to our famous hanna!

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Location:Moses lake

Hanna's spelling bee

2011-01-19T15:19:00.001-08:00

I know it is a terrible pic, but if you look close you'll see hanna in the middle with jeans and a white shirt. She was the second top speller in her Longview class so she got to go on to the fourth grade one yesterday. She got out pretty quick on an easy word cuz she just went too fast! She was so nervous!! After she said, "I know to spell words wrong now in class, so I won't ever have to do that again!!". She was scared to death and didn't like the pressure! Her friend from her class actually won the whole thing so we went and got treats for the class and balloons for Spencer. Despite the outcome of the school wide bee, we are so proud of her for making it that for!!

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Location:Longview elementary

Snow day!!

2011-01-13T20:13:00.001-08:00

We've had quite a few snow days lately. Alizah has begged every time to build a snowman and the snow just was never right! Today was a hit though! Hanna was sick and didn't get to participate but alizah and piper didn't stop building until a family of snowmen was in our front yard!!

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Location:Moses lake

Voices of a new day concert

2011-01-12T14:53:00.001-08:00

I'm going back in time everyone! Hanna and alizah go to a children's choir on Monday mornings. This is a picture of them at their Christmas concert. They actually have really great voices unlike their mother!! They both had solo parts. They wanted to continue into spring too. Their teacher gives them a cd which we listen to everyday to and from school. Piper and I know the songs by heart too!!
Speaking of my wonderful voice I just got called AGAIN to the primary chorister. I've done it for three years recently and am going back for more I guess. I really enjoy it, but feel bad because I can't carry a tune!! I live being in primary with the girls and learning their songs along with them.

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Location:Moses lake

Alizah's 7th birthday AGAIN

2011-01-07T21:54:00.001-08:00

So the final celebration of Alizah's birthday was today with her school friends. I always feel guilty because alizah is out of town during her birthday so I wanted to make sure to have her friends celebrate with her. We invited her friends to a bounce house place and had a
"choco-lishish" birthday complete with a chocolate fountain! She loved it. She thinks her friends bring awesome presents!!

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Location:Moses lake

Santa gifts

2011-01-02T19:23:00.001-08:00

Piper got her baby center that has a high chair, tub, and changing table. She was so cure when she saw it she ran, put out her arms and said,THIS is what I'm talking about!"

Santa brought alizah a "mini-claw". We still can't believe the elves knew what she was talking about!! She also got a washer and dryer set for her dolls.

Hanna got her orange camera finally! Santa must nit know that cameras require memory cards though and we had to go buy one before she could use it. He made up for that mistake by bringing her an American Girl desk and school set.

Santa was busy this year to make sure everyone got what they wanted!! He even brought mommy a gift card to her favorite decorating store in town to help with her newly painted living room! Brandon didn't get forgotten either. He starts his guitar lessons with his new guitar on Monday!! Is everyone tired of my multiple posts?? U know I go back to work tomorrow:( I'll do my best!
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Location:Moses lake, washington

Alizah's 7th birthday

2010-12-31T19:57:00.001-08:00

Alizah is 7 years old today!! She has enjoyed two celebrations already. One with the Widmier cousins and today with family at the cabin. She's even having a friend party when we get back to Moses lake! Spoiled cute girl I have!! She's in first grade and reading. She even solved hanna's math problem: 52 divided by 4 today. She counted on her fingers and yelled out 13. We still don't know how she figured it out!! She got new toys to play with among her favorites is the pictured tangled barbie and castle. Alizah has lost a few of her teeth but we are waiting for the tooth to come out that has two teeth already growing behind it! She wants to grow her hair out so badly and wants "side bangs" like her sister but her hair is not near as thick so we struggle to keep it done. She starts competing in gymnastics this year and is also taking ballet which she loves. Her other favorite thing to do is sing. She's in a children's choir that she practices every single day!! Happy birthday alizah!!

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Location:Sawtell Peak Rd,Island Park,United States

Miracles never cease

2010-12-30T16:43:00.001-08:00

This pic HAS to be documented!! It has taken alizah 7 years to hug grandma mimi!! She's coming around and not being so shy with everyone. Piper on is the opposite, she'll talk to anyone and give hugs. We had another quick visit in burley with family and are driving to island park for a few days of snow!

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Location:Burley idaho

Girls first nutcracker performance

2010-12-29T17:04:00.001-08:00

Watch out Mimi and Jana, I can post from my phone. I will be able to give u updates all the time now!!!
This is my girls first nutcracker. Piper and alizah were mice and hanna was a Bon bon and an angel. I was re-living my past!

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Alizah Birthday

2010-12-29T16:57:00.001-08:00

Here we are in Idaho celebrating Alizah's Birthday early with her cousins from Burley.

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Location:500 West Rd,Heyburn,United States

Finally....Silverwood!

2010-08-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

It rained a little while we were at BoulderBeach. Too cold for us, so we headed for rides quickly!

We got there so "quick", that we spent a lot of time in lines......

Serves us right for waiting the whole summer to go.

Finally, a ride and we even got the hands up on the roller coaster!

Hanna is almost too tall for some of these rides, but wouldn't go on the big rides, so she would squish down to be able to go with Piper and Alizah.

The five blondies who had a BLAST at Silverwood!

Too Hanna's amazement she does not live in a family who deprives their children! She seemed to think that she was the only child who had never been to Silverwood. She begged and cried and guilted and what happend? It is not too much of a surprise to you is it? We took them on a Saturday at the end of the summer....we did this to just to ensure the adults in the group were about ready to pull their hair out by the end of the evening:) So here's the story...

We packed them sleeping into the car really early in the morning and drove to the closest Costco and sent them in with $20 and told them to pick something out. They thought we were taking me to the doctor and going shopping. We took them over to the Silverwood display and "happened" to run into their friends, Auna and Nikkia. Hanna then figured out what we were doing. We ended up having a great time at Silverwood and have again spoiled the kids!

The girls are actually in Idaho right now with the family. They flew home with Grandma Marsha and then we pick them up in Island Park on Labor Day. I've had a ton of meetings getting ready for the start of school. The girls will start the day we get back. I'm trying to wrap up summer and gut their rooms while they are gone! I miss them!! I got to talk to them today, but they are having too much fun riding horses, having tea parties, riding the motorcycle with Papa, and swimming with cousins.

Moses Lake Round-Up Rodeo

2010-08-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

My cowgirls in their rodeo get-up! I didn't get their cute new boots in the pic. We finally convinced Alizah that her pants had to be "too long" so they would cover up her boots! They love watching the saddle-bronc and hearing about their Great-Papa Doodle and the team roping and dad tells them stories about his family. Their favorite, of course, is the queens and we tell them about Aunt Britni and Aunt Megan. These are the times I hate being so far away from what I grew up with. Horses were such a part of both Brandon and I's life in Idaho. The girls get quick tastes of it, but not enough in our books! Brandon is really wanting to find a horse. I hope that something comes up so that he can share that with his "girly-girls".

SHHH....we are surprising the girls in the morning and taking them to Silverwood-the big theme park in our area. It's a few hours away, so we are getting up early and packing the sleeping girls in the car and telling them mom has a doctor's appointment. Hanna has been bugging us for years to go. I can't wait to see their faces!!

Hanna's new bedroom set is almost put together. We got her a mattress today and started putting everything away. Our house is slowly getting put back together and everyone seems excited about their new rooms. The girls are leaving again on Wednesday to Idaho and we aren't going to pick them up again till Labor Day weekend. It's almost a week and a half that they will be gone and they are so excited to go see cousins again! This summer has been great for them. They actually seem to know their cousins and spent lots of time with them. While they are gone, I plan on.....working/cleaning....and READING in the sun:) I've had a little too much vacation too this summer. How will I ever handle school this fall??

Alizah's Accomplishments

2010-08-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Alizah has had an amazing summer! She has a wonderful swimming teacher who has been patient with her for years....last year she wouldn't even get in the pool. This year she has learned how to swim the backstroke, crawl, and a little butterfly! She will dive (stomach flop) into the pool and swim across to the other side! I am so proud of her. She works really hard and loves to go to her lessons. We have a very giving neighbor who lets us use their pool and a friend teaches her lessons there. Hanna is also in lessons and seems to be progresses quite a bit too! She loves to do her front flips off the diving board and tries really hard to outdo Alizah:) Now Piper's accomplishment is to put her nose in the water, we are working on getting her pig tails wet....

Alizah also has finally learned to ride her bike without training wheels. She showed an interest when her cousin stayed for a few weeks and would take off on his bike and she couldn't go. Within the week she'd conquered her fear. She's got a few cuts and scrapes, but seems to be willing to keep trying. I was in the kitchen and she came walking in and said, "Mom, it happened again, but it's not bleeding this time..-scrape from falling" She'd taken off on her bike to see the deer down the street. I didn't even know she'd left. Don't think I'm a terrible parent, anyone who knows Alizah knows she has not left my side for six years.... She's opened up a whole new life for herself!

The girls have one more week home and then they leave again for a week and a half to Idaho for the rest of the summer before school starts. We are going to hit the pool as much as possible and we are switching up their rooms to allow for a new bedroom set that Aunt Kiki made for Hanna. We'll post pics as soon as the mess is cleaned up!

3 month post

2010-07-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

300 yards from our room!

" Scuba Steve"

Right outside our back door.....

At the Tulum Ruins holding an iguana that peed on me! YUCK!!

We only went off the resort once to go to the ruins and Playa de Carmen for the day. Every other day we spent laying on the beach, eating (it was all-inclusive and the food was unreal), reading, and RELAXING! I have never been on such an amazing vacation and I will plan another trip as soon as I can....

Now, I'm finally able to sit down and recap after our vacation and document some of our past couple months. Here goes...

May: Kids graduation from schools- Alizah from kindergarten, Piper from Aunt Kiki's pre-school and Hanna from her first year at Kimber Academy. Brandon's life changes with getting Apple TV.

June: We go on Cancun vacation while Lindsay takes care of the girls. I finished an entire book and Brandon finished the first chapter of a book:) Our front yard gets landscaped with beautiful rocks and shrubs. Rocks are very easy to take care of!! Lindsay is successful with the "gum bag" and Piper's potty training. (She hasn't mastered it yet, but at least she's trying finally.)

July: Beck family reunion on Oregon Coast. Hanna flys on an airplane to Idaho by herself to see grandma. Alizah starts swimming lesson and finally dunks her head!

We have been away so much this summer, but the gym is still standing each time we come back. My staff at the gym is so wonderful this year that I'm beginning to think they don't need me anymore! Brandon and I both put in a lot of hours in between vacations at work , but the breaks have been worth it from this past busy year. We are headed to out again with Brandon's family this week to Chief Joseph Days in Wallowa, Oregon and then to Idaho after that to pick up our girls from another visit with their grandparents. We are planning to bring back the cousins for a visit in August. Let's hope I get some more down time to show everyone pictures from the past few months.

Hanna turns 9!

2010-04-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

So nobody drop dead....I'm actually posting. I got two comments last week alone that said they only get to see my family from my sister's blog. The guilt trip has worked and here we are. Hopefully it means a new blogging kick for me.

Hanna is 9 years old, got a haircut last week and looks so grown up! This is a picture from her Pinecone Princess pagaent. She was asked to be a little sister for Miss Moses Lake Outstanding Teen, McKenna Ries and because McKenna won Hanna participates in a little pageant of her own and goes to multiple community appearances and parades. She loves the crown!

Hanna's birthday party was a little dramatic this year. She had a Peace themed sleepover at the gym. We tye-dyed pillowcases, tye-dyed eggs, and played games. The drama part was that one little girl got sick at the party and the following week 11 of her guests were sick, including Hanna and Alizah. This followed 10 of my coaches/teachers gone last week, so it is definately hit Moses lake!!

I have so much to blog and really don't even know where to start. I am headed for the next two weekends to State gymnastics competition where my girls will compete. I'm super excited because two of mine did so great they made a special Washington team and get to compete again at a special meet along with state.

We also have ducks to blog about at school. The school is raising two little ducks that aren't so little after the last few weeks. My pregnant teachers are about ready to kill me with the smell. The kids love them though!

Kids need me, so more later....

Naughty or Nice??

2009-12-21T17:51:00.000-08:00

This picture is of Alizah covering up something she did. (Hanna had told on her) She claims there is nothing under her hands. After we finally pulled her away from the table.....this is what we found....

Now, apparently, Piper knows how to spell AND write, because it was blamed on her. The teacher in me even got a little upset. (I know most of you invision me praising this kind of fine motor control and the creativity in use of writing materials...ha, ha) Alizah and I had a discussion about how moms can tell when kids are lying. A lying's child nose turns red just like Rudolph's. We had this same conversation a few days ago and the same reaction came from Alizah...Her hand slowly moved up to her face to cover her nose. I think this is an admission of guilt if I've ever seen one!! I'm not sure if it's her age or not, but we are having problems with her telling the truth over the smallest things.
In the mail today, also came letters from Santa! The timing was not the best because Santa told Alizah she was on the top of the nice list!! Oh no, I guess lesson was not learned today....

Cheerleading Performance

2009-12-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

So since we don't have enough to do, the two girls have taken up cheerleading. Korbi is the coach and she recruited for extra girls and it has turned into an amazing opportunity for Alizah. Of course Hanna likes it too, but Alizah has become a little obsessed. Brandon had bet me $$ that Alizah wouldn't perform at the high school basketball game a few weeks ago and I was skeptical, but she came through and couldn't wait for the next one. She's never been one to perform in front of people, talk or pray in church or even hold a picture during singing time. She's starting to come out of her shell and this cheer program has been wonderful for her. On Friday morning, I walked into her room and she popped out of bed and said "today is cheer day!". Throughout the day, she continued to ask about a hundred times, "is it 7:00 yet?" She begged her dad to come see this performance and was as proud as a peacock when he came. We love that she has seemed to find something that makes her so happy. It sure helps that her "sister-Auna" is in the class too. Korbi does a great job with the girls and they have cheer/dance/stunt and tumbling in their routine. They'll have another performance in january, hope she can hold out till then:)

Gingerbread House

2009-12-12T21:48:00.000-08:00

A grandma at the girls' school put together kits to decorate gingerbread houses, so of course we had to buy one. I was lucky to hold them off till Friday to decorate it. It was an event and a mess! The girls were super good about not eating the candy. I think I ate more than they did. Piper held out till the last picture then begged to eat the snowman's head. It was a fun project and it even had a light that we put in the inside to light it up. The girls are getting pretty excited about the holidays. We decorated the tree and wrapped a few presents. Hopefully we make it through the last week of school and all of our holiday activities!

Card Games

2009-11-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

We're home and after our long ride (not as long as usual-but this didn't seem to lower the amount of screams:), the kids were excited to be out of the car. We quickly unloaded and I threw some laundry in. It's so hard to come home to a clean house and then within a matter of minutes it looks like a bomb of clothes and stuff went off. I can't believe we fit it all into the truck. There are Christmas presents that I'm trying to hide and sense that I'm trying to make out of the mess. So in the midst of all of that, Alizah says, "Play a card game with me mom". So what do I do, leave the mess (didn't really want to do it anyway) and sat down and played "Go Fish" with Alizah and Piper. I have to document this because it's the first time that we all played together-actually played, not pretended to hold the cards! It was amazing to me that the game did not end up with cards being thrown cuz someone didn't know the rules. It was easier for Alizah to win, because Piper would set down all of her cards one at a time to find the match. Alizah was extremely patient as Piper would look through each one every time. Like I've said before, we seem to be moving into a different phase of our lives. The girls are getting older and playing more together. When we got our new kitchen, Piper said she was thirsty, went into the kitchen got a cup and got her own water out of the fridge with the water dispenser in the door. Brandon and I looked at each other in amazement. Things are changing!! Now don't get me wrong, I still do a "little" too much for my children (people who know me are laughing at this point), but they are getting so old and I know time is flying fast with them....

School Pictures

2009-11-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

My friend Jenn, came to our school to take pictures for the pre-school. Piper was not necessarily cooperative, but I think they turned out great! People have been checking my blog lately wondering why I haven't been posting, I've got to get in the routine again! We are preparing for leaving for Idaho next week for Thanksgiving. I'm trying to pack as I'm doing laundry and getting all my school stuff done. The kids are super excited to get out of town and see family and cousins. I'm excited cuz we have a new DVD player in our truck!

Halloween

2009-11-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

Hanna dressed up as an Eskimo. She looked pretty cute when she went to school. You can't see in this pic, but we did her hair in braids and she had the matching boots. For her other ten parties (I'm exaggerating-but not that much:)) she was a rock star. That one was her favorite cuz she got to color her hair and wear make-up. She went to a friend's house, her babysitter took her to her ward's carnival and she dressed up at gymnastics.

Piper was also various things. Every time we went somewhere she would dress up as something different from the dress up closet. This costume was actually Alizah's last year. At school she was a cowgirl and at the carnival she was Princess Jasmine.

If anyone could even guess, Alizah was the same thing every time. She picked this Swiss Miss costume from a magazine and was so excited when it came. It arrived a little too small-at least maybe sister and cousins will get some use out of it in the years to come.

I actually missed the true trick-or-treating on Halloween. So I only got these quick pics at the door. brandon took them around to a few houses. I have been so sick. This weekend I couldn't even talk becuase my throat finally gave out. I've been sick for a few weeks, taking the weekend to rest and then jumping back in. I finally got a blessing yesterday and feel much better today, but still took the day off. I've been sleeping a ton and letting the kids run wild! They've been eating so much candy and loving it!! I had to force some decent food down them.

School Updates

2009-10-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

I figured I'd better do first day of school pictures before we hit November!
Hanna has taken on a new adventure with school. She attends Kimber Academy which is a private school. There are many reasons while we chose to try this route this year, which I won't share here, but she is enjoying her new school and the exciting opportunities it has brought. We do alot more activities at home, which is what we took a picture of above. The girls are exploring an owl pellet. I purposely didn't tell them what it was until after the exploration was over:) Last week Hanna's new class went to the vet and dissected a rooster and looked at all the organs during their physiology lessons. She also takes extra spanish classes (which was the deciding factor for me with the private school) and a drama class during the week. Her school does include religion and intensive history classes which are pretty amazing.

Alizah and her friend Halie and teacher, Maestra Jasmine. Alizah goes to AIM school where she also goes to Spanish classes during her kindergarten day. Alizah THRIVES under her new schedule. She's the type of kid who lives for structure and sets her clothes out a week ahead, completes homework every night without being asked, and asks to go to bed cuz she doesn't want to be tired for school. She loves her friends and has even decieded to be interested in "fashion"- (meaning her clothes actually match this year)

Piper was not so thrilled to start her school experience this year. I tried to put her into a class that accomodated the rest of the families' schedule, but as you can see in this picture, she really wouldn't have anything to do with that class. She wanted to be in her best friend's Collin and Beck's class. So, she wins and mom runs crazy most of the day getting the kids to their right classes. Piper loves her class mostly because her favorite aunt kiki teaches it. She is so lucky. her first month inluded boiling foods to make paint, painting feet, and exploring life size skeletons. She is speaking more spanish than any of the girls did at this age.

The girls and I are settled into our schedules now and poor Brandon just struggles to keep it all straight. He calls everyday and says "what happens tonight?" The girls each have their after school activities which include gymnastics of course. Hanna is also doing her church activity days, dance class, and a pottery class. We have bounded right into the school year and I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving.

Finally.....a kitchen!

2009-10-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

A little recap for everyone....we, started on June 11th with our demo of the kitchen from a tiny leak behind the fridge. A month ago, boxes arrived in our kitchen and they started, but discovered that one of the cabinets were broken from shipping. So we wait again and finally three days short of FOUR months we get to move in....
Then we look like a mess for another week as I wash every item that has been in a garage for that long of a time.....and TODAY we look like this!
YEAH!! We have running water, a DISHWASHER:), and a stove. We are working on the broken oven-repair man should be here any minute..
This is my favorite part. The deep granite composite sink and sprayer faucet. I love it! I was never a fan of the two part sinks and love how DEEP it is!
And this is Alizah's favorite part. We had a lazy susan before, but for some reason she shows everyone this cupboard when they come to our house. "Look", she says, "a spinny cupboard!"

I know that many, many things have happened since I posted last and I will catch up, but all my family has wanted me to post pictures of my kitchen so this is what you get first! I'm excited to be moved in and am working on decorating and organizing still, but I'm not too excited about having to do my laundry myself!! No more time to read, now it's back to dishes and laundry, but that's real life right???!! I'll be posting more about the girls' new school classes and our life for this school year. We've had some major changes and I'll catch everyone up, I promise!

Broadway Jr Week

2009-08-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

Broadway Jr. Camp was another camp that Hanna participated in this summer. She absolutely loved it! The kids did a mini-play of Mary Poppins. Hanna was Jane and her friend Reili was Michael. She had lines that she memorized and songs that she sang. They even had a choreographed dancing number for the chimmney sweep part of the movie. It was really impressive! I wished I had gotten it on video. I was running the music so was unable to get too many pictures. She can't wait until next year.

This week has been a throw-up week at our house. Korbi's family got it first, then it came to our house. We started Wednesday night and it has made it's way through 3 of us up until today. I'm praying I don't get it! We are still out of a laundry room, so I've made multiple trips to the laundermat with disgusting smells coming from the bags of blankets, pillows, etc. I've lysoled the house every five minutes. I hope it makes it's way through before Hanna's school starts next week.
My Grandpa Beck is also in the hospital this week. He's been very sick and we are all praying for him. I hope to be able to talk to him today. He's almost 99 in a few weeks and he is one amazing man! I have a book of stories he has written about his youth and views of the world and really enjoy going through them. I hate being so far away.....

Hanna's Woodward Week

2009-08-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Tye Dye Project during arts & crafts....

Silks with Olympian Kristy Powell during Open Gym......

Learning to play drums during Rec time.....

Showing off her Olympian autographs from Kristy Powell and Alicia Sacromone....

Rock Climbing after dinner....

All of these experiences were new for Hanna this year at her gymnastics camp at Woodward West in California. We went in July with 8 of her teammates. This year another mom came with me and it was alot less hectic week. I actually coached at the camp, so I didn't even get one gymnastic picture of Hanna! She did do over 30 hours of gymnastics that week plus all these extra activities. She made some new friends and learned some new skills. She is growing up and I love having the opportunity to have fun right along side her!

More vacation pictures

2009-08-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

I know it seems like a long time ago (my vacation), but I'm still slow on posting. Or, maybe I'm pretending I still want to be on vacation!! Anyways, here's about the ONLY picture you'll ever see of my girls acting in way, shape, or form....like tomboys. We bought them slingshots that were carved into the shape of Yellowstone animals in West. I loved it! Alizah of course got into it the most and was pretty good at it! This is funny to anyone who really knows my girls, because they are the type that will see a rock on the ground by a stream and ask if they can pick it up to throw it in. Now, their boy cousins see rocks and see what car or person is nearest for them to throw it at! We just spent an amazing week with all their boy cousins and absolutely loved having them around our house. They went on walks and explored their secret hideout and picked unripe grapes at the neighbors. I'll post more later, but I just have to say, we really miss you guys!!

Are We There Yet?

2009-08-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

The only picture of Piper....sorry I know it's terrible, but I had to document her so she knew we didn't leave her home.

Alizah being silly!

Hanna is extremely thrilled to see the moose! Can you tell how enthusiastic she is???

Alizah was the only one who enjoyed the ride....

So here are more pictures from our vacation in Yellowstone. We went on a float trip with the girls and saw two moose as we floated down the river at Mack's Inn. This was the ultimate example of "Are we there yet?" For some unknown reason Hanna hates boating. She has been like this since she was a baby. The river was so low that for most of the trip you could hear the bottom of the boat slide along the bottom of the river. Everytime dad shifted his weight and the boat rocked, screams shot out of Hanna and then Piper would follow just to get a reaction! It was the longest two hours...A funny story happened yesterday. I wore my Yellowstone shirt to work and someone came in to check out our gym and register for classes and my shirt got us talking about Yellowstone. Traci had just moved to Moses Lake from Utah, but her parents own the candy store in West Yellowstone where we go every visit. They make homemade taffy which I had brought back for our coaches. The coaches were telling her how good it was! She was so excited because she has had a hard time moving to a small time not knowing anyone. It was so funny how many connections we had. It's such a small world!

Catch Up...

2009-08-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Chase & Taya and the girls resting on a hike to LookOut Point at the
upper falls in Yellowstone Park.

Our "Jr. Wolves" that wanted to join the pack in West Yellowstone.

Feeding the bears in West. Alizah was so excited because she was old enough this year!!

It's been forever since I've posted. I seem to go through spurts of run, run, run, then play catch up for a few days, then off to a full speed run again. I'm at a slightly resting point meaning I'm home and no major event happens this weekend. We are down to two weeks until summer is over and I'm already getting set into panic mode. I have so much more to do for the summer!! I hope to pack a kitchen remodel, more tanning time, walks with my kids, and book reading into the end of this summer... We have one more major Idaho trip and a flight back to Moses Lake to fit in and a little school shopping. It hit me the other day that I have THREE kids to "school shop" for. AHHH, the backpacks are bought and it's kindof freaking me out a little. So I finally downloaded my pictures and will slowly catch everyone up on our past few vacations and summer camps. We'll start with fun pictures from Island Park where we actually had a real vacation of sightseeing, family time, runs in the mountains, bear feeding, and games. The cabin always creates such wonderful memories and everytime I go, I wonder why it took me so long to get back there. I'm already wanting to go back and wish it wasn't so far away. We did a tour of Yellowstone and had a few days with friends to add to our trip this year. I'll add more great pictures and updates quicker this time!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Brandon playing with the present the girls got him....CandyLand! Can't you tell he is excited??

Happy Father's Day Brandon!! This is the only present the girls didn't tell him beforehand. He knew about the golf shoes and swimsuit. Piper had even said, "Dad you are NOT getting a orange striped swimsuit." She laughed and laughed when he tried on his striped swimsuit today! He has been taking the girls swimming a few times a week, so we
needed to update his style:)

Yesterday we went to Hanna's Horse Vaulting Performance. It was a fundraiser for her team that she had joined only three weeks ago and look at her!! Wow, I had never seen her and I was so surprised at how she switched positions on the moving horse! There is an actual team that she could compete on if she wants. I love it, because this gives her and her dad something to do that is outside of our gym it doesn't have to do with me. (we do kindof butt heads when it comes to me coaching her....) I was so proud of her and her dad! We need to go shopping for boots for the family though if we are going to be attending these events often. The cute, glittery sandals and cute fashionable clothes didn't quite cut it when around horses, dirt, and you know!!

Recognize this food?

2009-06-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Anyone want to guess what this food is that Alizah is eating? I was soooo, super, super excited when Alizah started eating this food, but that was before she made her own addition! Send me a guess and no fair if I already told you!

My latest drama....

2009-06-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

You walk into my house and you see this......

You turn the corner and you see this.......

And this.............

And this little valve is responsible for this minor disaster!!

So if anyone recalls, we had a kitchen fire in November and just had the kitchen floors replaced in mid-April. I noticed a few bumps in the vinyl last week and called the guy who did the floors to come and fix his work. He walked in and said, "you have water damage". Water damage, what water? We hadn't ever seen any water! So after investigating, we found a tiny leak behind the fridge. We called a water damage place to come dry it out Friday morning. By noon, that same day, my kitchen was gone. I even had dirty dishes in the sink that I had to just rinse and throw in box because they were demolishing so quickly. They had to rip out two subfloors, walls, and the cabinets in both the kitchen and the laundry room. I don't even know what this means for us other than a fridge in the living room and paper products for the rest of the summer! They've told us a minimum of six weeks and that's if everything goes smooth with the insurance-who will more than likely drop us because we've had two claims. I don't really understand how that works, you pay into insurance for the purpose of disasters and then they drop you because you use them???? What the heck??? So the kids are enjoying cheetos and cereal which is what they are living on. And we are going to be spending a lot of time at the pool and away from this whole in my house that all I can do is stare at and cry over the brand new vinyl that I watched being ripped up!
Oh, by the way take this as a fair warning to anyone that lives in Moses Lake or the surrounding areas. We will be expecting a hurricane or huge wind storm shortly. The Service Master guys joked with me that disasters come in threes-so we've had the fire and water, so expect the wind anytime soon:)

Noteworthy event!!

2009-06-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

One sentence for today...and I WISH I had a picture to document this historic event:)

ALIZAH and HANNA VACUUMED THEIR OWN BEDROOMS LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

First Annual Geriatric Gymnastics Meet

2009-06-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Coach Craig showing the girls how graceful vault should look!

The girls pointed out how my toe is not pointed.....

The girls also told Amy that her cast was not 90 degrees!

This was one the girls' teachers from school in Royal City whose wife is actually from Burley!!

This event was one of our funnest things we had done all year. The First Annual Geriatric Gymnastics Meet was held right after our May's Fun Meet for the Recreation gymnasts. We were raising money for the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation. (We raised over $500!!) There were 13 competitors varying in skill level and past gym experience. I took second and Amy took first. It helped because we were both over 30 (+.1 for every year over 30 to All-Around score) and had three kids (also +.1 for every kid to our all-around score!). Lots of our coaches competed and entertained the crowd with past gym routines and new routines that I'm not sure could really be called routines! Lots of memories and we were all sore for a few weeks!

Spring Fest Activities

2009-05-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

Our Parade entry that won FIRST PLACE!! Our parade coordinators Chuck and Ginger actually mounted/welded some bars on top of a trailor!! The whole set-up was lit because the parade happens at night. It was by far the best float we've ever had!! We were the "Grand Marshalls" and got to be the first ones....the girls tumbled along the side, with our princess characters walking with them, the coaches helped girls tumble on the trailor and swing on the bars. The crowd loved it, especially our little 3 year olds that would skip along side then show off their donkey kicks! This was a great ending to our "Stick It For the Cause" theme this year. We raised over $500 for the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation through our Fun Meets this year.

A few of our team members and parents who participated in the 5K fun run the morning of Spring Fest. We had a few top finishers! The others we need to teach the how to "pace" themselves. It was RUN full speed, then walk, RUN full speed then walk. I was getting a little dizzy!!

If you can tell, Alizah LOVED the bars on the float. She was a "tiny"( hear the exaggeration) upset at Aunt Kiki who was supposed to bring her her smelly Sketcher shoes, and forgot them. When she wants something she won't let it go. Through the two hour wait and three hour parade, she kept asking for the sketchers (all the other girls had tennis shoes and she had INSISTED she wear her pink diamond sandals). Korbi had parked near the end of the parade and ran and got the shoes that she had left in the car. Alizah had them on her feet just as the last spectator saw our float!!

Coach Amy swinging Alizah on the bars. I didn't get any more of Hanna and Piper except in a few group shots. We were so busy during the parade. It was a fun, but busy weekend, but I think the kids will remember the cheers for them for a long time! Thanks to all the parents who made that possible!

SO this am I'm up bright and early. Brandon informed me last night that if I am going to get up and work out (we've started an adult fitness class at our gym at 6 in the morning) then, I could get up and clean the house and finish my work then. So I'm blogging, does that count???? I did at least throw in a load of laundry and do the dishes....So I'm finished, so off I go to pick up the swimming stuff that hasn't made it past the front door. The kids have already been to the Aquatic Center three times and are going again tonight. We love that place!!

First Canoe Ride of the Season

2009-05-24T23:25:00.000-07:00

Last week there was a huge flock of ducks right at the edge of the creek. Alizah's friend Auna was over so we took a loaf of bread to go feed them. We got in the canoe and tried to get closer, but the dogs wanted to go with us and scared the ducks further down the creek. It's the start of a fun summer season and we all can't wait! We're headed to the aquatic center today if we get all of our work done. ALizah last night was begging to go to bed. I asked why. She said, "Cuz I'm so excited for the Aquatic Center tomorrow." She's got it figured out that the faster she goes to sleep, the faster she gets to go swimming. Funny, but she's not up yet this morning! Brandon has already left to go golfing. It's a beautiful day here in Moses Lake we are going to have a fun day off!

School Pictures

2009-05-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

We always get great pictures from my friend Jenn. She comes to AIM to do our school pictures, so I make her do my kids too. Hanna is always upset because I don't let her get her regular school pictures and I take her out of her school (shh) to come get my school pics. Well, it's all for memories sake! The kids are just growing up too fast. A funny story about these pics is that I was curling everyone's hair and Alizah just stood there and silently took the "torture". After I was done she ran away without saying a word and came back with soaking wet combed STRAIGHT hair. She has her own little way of dealing with things, she'll just take care of it herself!
It is Spring Fest in Moses Lake and we have had a busy weekend. Thursday we took the kids to the carnival, Friday was the lip sync at the amphitheatre, Saturday morning-the gymnastic team in the 5K, and tonight is the moonlight parade. Good thing Monday is a day off! I'll hopefully get pictures of everything and post more this weekend...

Hanna's Baptism Weekend

2009-05-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

So many people attended Hanna's Baptism this weekend. She is well-loved and supported. I guess coming from a big supportive family, I can't imagine anything different. We are very lucky to have a family that wants to share these special days with us. For Hanna's sake (since this our journal and scrapbook all in one) I'll list the people so she'll remember. Grandma & Papa Nelson, Megan & Cade, Dusty, Joycelyn & Fallon, Great Grandma Bowen, Maimi Dawn, Papa Goose, Kalan, & Justin, Britni, Colllin, Bridger, Branson & Broxton, Korbi, Steve, Beck & Paisley, Jakobi, Chad, Jax, & Lizzi, Bishop & Sister Redford (primary teacher), Ginger, Chuck, Taya (friend) & Chase, Amy, Chad, Kylie (friend), Heuser kids , Melanie, Milo, Kathryn (friend), Bushman brothers, Sister Rigby (Primary president), Sister Leavitt (primary presidency) & Callan (friend), Lindsay Ries (babysitter). WOW, I hope I got everybody....We are again very blessed to have this many supportive people in our lives! After Hanna got baptized, she told me, "This is the best day of my life." She thought the water was a little chilly and was freezing afterward. I thought she was the most beautifull one getting baptized this weekend. She had her updo from Melanie, so her hair even looked pretty after she was all wet. Her dress was gorgeous too. It came from her Nelson grandparents. She got "What I always wanted!"-her maroon triple set of scriptures from Beck grandparents and many cards, necklaces, and bracelts, books, and scriptures holders from other friends and family. We had a dinner at the gym afterward and now everyone is gone! Whirlwind weekend, but so nice to see everyone. I hope to have pics to post from our fun meet on Saturday. I have to hunt them down cuz I left my memory card at home!

Hanna State Level Four Weekend

2009-05-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hanna at the Pacific Science Center.

Her favorite visit-The Space Needle!

Toothless Hanna and Coach Mom

Hanna and some teammates from AIM

More teammates

It was a big weekend clear back at the end of April that I'm blogging about today. Hanna made it to State for Level Four. She had had a rough Sectionals meet with a few falls, so barely slide by, but still got to go. State was a huge deal with so many teams. She did her best ever on Bars (8.9) and Vault (9.4) and did fairly good on the other two. She had a fun weekend with her friends at the motel swimming and eating out. The next day I had to coach other sessions so she went with dad to visit the seattle sights. The two younger girls were in Idaho at this point, with Hanna being extremely jealous about this fact, so she got to do the big things in Seattle to make up for it. Her favorite was the space needle. She has wanted to go for so long and talks about it non-stop. She also got to go to lots of fun places to eat and a little shopping. It was a great family weekend, but we really missed the two little ones.

So this morning, I'm enjoying a lttle calm before the storm. I'm blogging when I should be cleaning, cooking, preparing etc. But I'm in for a big weekend and I hope we all survive. Family starts arriving today for Hanna's baptism. We also have to set up for the fun meet that is tomorrow and cook for the baptism dinner. I should have tons more pictures after this weekend! We also have new tile in our house and a new toilet! When the toilet was outside for the tile to be done, the wind knocked it over and it shattered....it's been a week to say the least. So Korbi is pulling in for me to babysit her kids while she goes to a doctor appointment in Spokane, so here goes the weekend. We are off and running. Pray for us:)

Busy Idaho weekend!

2009-05-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Our Idaho trip included a stay at Aunt Jake's house with lots of holding,
bouncing, and rocking baby Lizzi! At Uncle Kalan's thesis presentation, Great Grandpa Beck posed for a few pics with the kids. I can't believe he made the trip! He looks great (hard to believe near 100). I think the wheelchair is a trick. Any minute he might be jumping out and grabbing a kids' ear at the way some of them were behaving:)

We were lucky to see Grandma Mimi and Cousin Sommers too! So much family in such a short time. My two uncles came along with Sommers husband and little boy.

I'm not sure how many of us really understood Uncle Bubba's presentation. The one thing we understood was that he's some sort of architechure genius and smarter than the rest of us combined! Congrats Master's Degree Kalan....You made it!! Proud of you and in some sort of sick way (in your mind) we hope you end up in Seattle.....:) We miss you!

All the cousins had such a great time at a "get your energy out before the two hour thesis presentation" stop! They ran, jumped, climbed, and screamed. A little gym away from home. Thanks aunt Jake for the great idea! The sisters and Maimi got to catch up a little while the kids played. Not too much though, it's seems like forever since we've been together.
School needs to be out soon!

It's raining, it's pouring!

2009-05-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have so many of our past events to post, but today I chose a picture of Alizah during one of her moments of sheer joy to post in hopes of reminding myself that you don't need an event to create memories! It was pouring rain and Alizah wanted to play outside, so she grabbed her raincoat, boots and ran outside. When I saw her standing underneath the edge of the house letting a sheet of rain pour onto her head, I knew this would become one of my favorite memories of her. She would look up and giggle as the rain poured off her nose. We only had one raincoat, so Piper was waiting impatiently at the door for her turn or the moment would have lasted longer. So next time I'm at the store, we're buying everyone raincoats and boots and that will be my goal to stop what we are doing when it starts to rain and go outside to play!

Hanna's Baptism

2009-05-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone reading this is invited to Hanna's Baptism on Saturday May 16th at 6:00 at the Stake Center. So there it is.....the baptism announcement. Poor Hanna...Aunt Kiki and mom had great plans to make cutesy invites, but life has gotten in the way and a blog invite will have to do. We would love the support if you would like to come. We will be doing a dinner after the baptism at the gym with some yummy food, just don't have that part planned yet. We know Hanna will look pretty though cuz we've already tried the dress on, dressed up and did a few pics! She is super excited and has waited for a month already to do this. We look forward to the family who is traveling from Idaho and can't wait for the fun weekend.

If you know me, I'm frantically trying to make everything go my way to prepare, but so far, we're behind in preparations but I'm sure we'll pull it off somehow. We've been visited this week by little furry creatures, so now my entire house has been bleached. We love the spring and living in the country..... We saw our first snake of the season too, at least they are coming out to eat the mice! I have been so bad at the blogging, but just spent the evening organizing pictures, so hopefully I can catch you up on the last two months!

Piper 3rd Birthday

2009-04-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

(I did something wrong copying these pics and they are tiny-Korbi help!)Happy Birthday Piper!! She's three years old today, but we celebrated her birthday last Saturday at the bowling alley with a few of her friends.

Piper does hold her own with these two boys, but she does also play

the girl card and cries to get her way!

Piper's friend Collin....well her "Honey, Honey." She sings this to him from
the movie Momma Mia!

She got a scooter complete with helmet and knee pads (Aunt Kiki tested it out around the bowling alley). Piper also got her carseat (she asked for it-I'm serious...Paisley got one a few weeks ago and we made a big deal about it so we think this is where it came from-whatever works right?). She also got "soupcase" (luggage-she also asked for this:)) and money-again-she asked for it!! She loved her Little Pet Shop toys, cookie set, and flip flops- and so did Alizah!

So my favorite things about Piper are:

her "hanna" cheeks
her head shake as she gives us attitude
the way she holds the 'l' sound, like Collin
the way she antagonizes her sisters
the way she cuddles with her dad
how she can jump on the tramp with a cast on her leg
the way she insists (and wins) to wear pants on Easter Sunday
how she loves her friends and "escuela"
her bob haircut
the way she 'reads' books and counts in English and Spanish
how she loves "chalk milk in a ba-ba"

I don't want my baby to grow up, but I'm also enjoying the new things that she is learning. I thought today about when she was born. I thought for sure she would never be born. I would walk and walk around the town with all the kids in a stroller and contractions would not start. I was laying on the couch on a Sunday morning wondering if I should get ready for church. It was about 9:00 in the morning and I thought I felt something, but didn't want to say for fear it wasn't real. By the time I got in the shower I was doubling over and thought I'd better hurry to the hospital. By the time I got upstairs to labor and delivery, I was at an 8-almost 9 and begging for an epidural. The nurse told me later, she never gives epidurals that late. Piper was born 8 lbs. 4 oz. less than an hour later after only 2 pushes/really only 2 half pushes. The nurse was yelling for the doctor telling me to stop pushing the whole time. Piper was really big compared to her sisters. We had to spend a week in the hospital because something was wrong with her blood that she had to get medicine for and she was really jaundice. Alizah and Hanna thought it was because I drank too much Pepsi. Maybe? I guess I should remember what exactly was wrong and document for posterity. We brought her home to loving sisters and she has been drug around to their activites every since! She's finally starting her own classes and loving that she's a part of everything. She has grown up in the gym and is very comfortable as a climbing, swinging monkey...do we all remember the broken leg and bleeding head this year?
I LOVE YOU LITTLE P.J!!

Recent Family Picture

2009-03-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

I have to post our most recent family pic that my friend took a church last Sunday. They've been trying to get us to bring one and we don't have one, so my friend finally went home in the middle of church, got her camera, and snuck us all out into the foyer to take the pic! Piper was none to happy, us taking her out of her snack time in nursery! Hanna is obsessed these days of who she looks like, mom or dad? Any thoughts on who my kids all look like the most??

Water Potty

2009-03-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

So this little innocent face just lied to me- unless someone out there can prove to me that there is such thing as "water potty". Piper is potty training and we come home from an accident free church day and I forgot to take her right to the bathroom, instead I selfishly go change my own clothes to start preparing for dinner. Well, I had gotten out playdough for the girls and Piper is standing on a chair in the middle of a puddle of pee-playing with the playdough. I walk into the room and ask, "Did you just pee?" She says, "No, no pee, it is water potty." So unless someone else has heard of water potty, I think I was douped!!

I am so grateful today for croc shoes. They are so easily washed off when they are full of pee! I am also grateful that we are getting new carpet in two weeks. She has had accidents in every room and times that by two other kids and I don't want to really think how badly we need new carpet. So everyone pray for me that she is fully trained by the time the carpet is installed. I also am stocking up on Spot Shot just in case. I was in Costco the other day and asked where their Spot Shot was and they replied that it wasn't the spring muddy season yet so they didn't carry it. I would like to tell Costco that kids don't need a season for us mothers to desperately need Spot Shot. And if you have kids/animals/or husbands that don't know yet how to take off muddy shoes, use tables for their drinks, or grind things into the carpet with their feet-you need this product!!

Pneumonia Hits!

2009-03-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

So, my little Alizah, the one who I made wait three days to go get a broken arm fixed and her head x-rayed, again showed us how tough she really is. She has been running a fever for four days-at least that's what we all thought because she was radiating enough heat to keep the house warm! She's laid on the couch and hasn't moved or ate and on Monday I finally broke down and bought a thermometer. She had a 102 with really no other symptoms. So I called the doctor and asked if I should waste my time going in. The nurse, knowing Alizah, said we should probably take her to the walk-in. We all know what kind of reaction Alizah has to doctor's, well technically even their parking lots, did not think a visit to the doc was what she wanted. She made such a fit in the waiting room that she cried herself to sleep. We waited 1 1/2 hours to be seen and a kind couple even let me go in front of them. They even commented that they couldn't believe anyone else wouldn't let us go before them after seeing the anxiety that Alizah had. After x-rays, we went home with a diagnosis of pneumonia and sinus infections. Now comes the hard part of getting the medicine down her! If she's not better by Wednseday we have to go back for a shot. This is my alternative that I give her every time the medicine time comes up. I opted just for the shot to begin with, but the doc said she'd have to take medicine for the sinus stuff anyway. So we are having a lazy day at home, not going anywhere. I guess I'm taking a "sick" day too because I've watched cartoons enough this morning! I've got to get busy doing something with my day off....

Older Pics, Old events

2009-03-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

So anyone have a guess who the above picture is? This happened a few months ago, and I was going through and organizing old pictures and found it. I have to document this deliberate abuse for blackmail later! If you know my girls, you'll guess correct the first time....

It was Hanna! She was brutally attacked by Alizah. Of course this isn't the first time this sort of event happens at our house. Let's just say, if I don't cut nails every week, you'll see the evidence on their faces! Poor Hanna's face is a storyboard of their fights. Well this story happened as we were driving down the road and Hanna decides it will be funny to put one of her boogers on Alizah. I don't think Alizah found it very funny. We were going to a photo shoot with my friend Jenn. We had to ice her face just to get the swelling down and even though Jenn photoshopped Hanna's whole right side of her face, you can see her one-sided smile in the pictures. So before you start thinking Alizah is a monster (we do call her a tiger), I'll just remind you of the damage Alizah's face had to endure a few months ago too. Although, the wood floor did it and not a sister, it still hurt worse I'm sure!

New leotards!

2009-03-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

This is Hanna's mill circle on bars that she worked so hard to get her straight leg!

This is a cast to horizontal which is a skill in the next level. She is so proud of this picture. This is also a picture of Coach Laura who is leaving next year. Hanna loves Laura and she'll do anything for her. We joke that we'll have to put Laura's picture on a mask and let me wear it so she'll work just as hard for me!

Here is Hanna's squat-on. She's been working so hard on this skill in the next level too. Notice all the pictures are on the bars which is her favorite event. I can never get her off the bars.

More Gymnasts..

2009-03-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

THE CHALK BUCKET!! This brings much joy to our kids and much mess for me to clean up...notice the grips on Alizah and the wrist guards on Piper that are worn around her elbows. Pretty cute!!

Alizah loves the climb the mountain drill...

Good strong front support arms...The pink grips used to be Hanna's, until Hanna just graduated into real grips.

Piper loves being upside down..

And she can "hang with the big girls"...

I know everyone probably gets tired of gymnastic posts, but it is our everyday life. The girls are comfortable at the gym and wear leotards every single day. Grandma Marsha knows this and sent the girls a gift certificate for a new leotard for Valentine's Day. I wanted to send a thank-you card with pictures, but this might be as close as I get. So the girls THANK-YOU! Know that it was definately a good choice. They absolutely loved being told yes they could pick something instead of not today...like every other day. Someday, I'll get smart and get rid of our little pro-shop because I'm pretty sure our family spends the most money there! Grandma Marsha had surgery yesterday and I hope that pictures of the grandkids will make her feel better today! We are thinking of you....

Free Dental!!

2009-03-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Have you EVER heard of free dental!! Well I'm about to tell you a story that I didn't believe until I actually had it happen. The above picture is of Hanna sitting in a dentist chair and getting two cavities filled FOR FREE!! Yes, you are reading right. This happened a few weeks ago. Dr. Harder (my new hero) offered free dental for kids for one day. I called, still not believing what I'd heard from friends and on the radio, and there was literally no strings attatched. He even filled two of her cavities as well as x-rays, and cleaning. We did have to go back to get one more filled today, but no complaining here!! I was so impressed with his generosity. The dental assistant in the picture, was actually from another office in town and heard about what Dr. Harder was doing and wanted to take part in it, so donated her time also. THERE ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD!! So as I'm loving my new dentist, I'll continue to pay every month probably for forever, for Piper's bill to another dentist. Oh the joys of no dental insurance.
So my friend just got her book downloaded into a format to send away for an actual bound book to keep for posterity-heaven forbid these computers ever stop working-so now I've got a renewed interest in blogging! I too hope to be able to create a real-live journal. Although, I asked her to help me, and she looked right at me and said, "Ya and YOU will need help." I love that my friends know me so well. I spent a great lunch with friends today and look forward to more as my kids are getting easier to leave places and actually enjoy the time with their friends. OH BIG NEWS!! Piper wears CHONIES now!! Yes, just out of the blue wanted underwear and actually goes in the potty. She still has trouble at the gym and at friends, but at home has no problems. It's funny how different each kid is. I had tried everything from books, dolls, and bribes and she wanted to do it when SHE decieded. Whatever it takes....

Princess Hanna

2009-02-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

McKenna invited Hanna to be her "little sister" for the Miss Outstanding Teen Pageant for Moses Lake a few weeks ago. Hanna got to perform on stage and walk out and be crowned. McKenna and her sister Lindsay babysit the girls and they are the ones who the girls copy when they are playing. I don't mind one bit, because if my girls turn out anything like these two I will be very lucky. You can see they are beautiful and have the hearts of gold and personalities anyone would love. Thank-you girls for sharing your life with my kids!

Piper's Boyfriend

2009-02-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

I don't have much time to post, but my friend Jenn sent me these cute pics of Piper. Piper snuck into Collin's pre-school Valentine Party when we were taking Alizah to school yesterday. She makes a bee-line right to him whenever she sees him. He helps her take her shoes off and they get down to business-ruling the gym! It's fun to see them play and talk to each other. I loved the cupcake picture of her on the top! Thanks Jenn!!

First Place!!

2009-02-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

We finally won a first place trophey!! It was so exciting and it was at our gym! We hosted our meet last weekend and I finally got our pictures uploaded. Hanna didn't have her best meet and I think it was really hard because it was the first meet her dad has been to all year and her aunt Kiki was even there to watch her. She fell on the floor and on the bars, which she never does at meets. We have a month off of competition, then go back to three weekends in March. Overall, the meet went great, I'm just excited it is over. This weekend Hanna was a "little sister" at the Miss Moses Lake Pageant. One of her babysitters was a contestant and she picked her. She got to perform a dance, then walk onstage with a pretty white dress and get a crown. It was fun for her to see all the pretty dresses, make-up, and hair. She asked me if kids can do pagaents. Is this a time where I lie?? Well, it doesn't really matter because she looked it up on the internet when we got home! The internet is such a wonderful thing...read between my words! I just don't think I'm a pageant mom. When all the little girls were getting dressed, she watched their moms put make-up on, earrings, necklaces, etc. and asked why I didn't bring those things. Well, honestly I was glad I remembered to buy her matching shoes!! Alizah is currently wearing Hanna's competition leo and warm-ups. She plays gymnastics every night pretending to be Hanna. It is pretty cute! All the girls have their valentine parties this week, including Piper. We tried to start all of our cards tonight. It will probably take us all week. Alizah did three in the time that Piper scribbled on about 30. I'm going to have to go back to the store and get Alizah some more! So here we go with another week!

We're still Alive!

2009-01-29T20:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted for awhile because I'm still missing so many pictures. I'm not much of a computer person and when something changes (new external hard drive and a new camera), I can't seem to function without getting used to them. So I guess I start posting without pictures until I figure it out! I've missed posting Hanna's first two gymnastics meets of the season. Last meet, she got a medal when she placed third! She did so much better already than last year. She scored her highest. I'm so proud of her and it is really fun being so close to her during these times. Of course I feel like I could strangle her most of the practice times, but when it comes time for competition, it's all fun. Our team got new leotards and they are so neat. I can't wait to show pics! We're gearing up this week for hosting our own meet. The whole gym has been transformed. Most of our equipment has been moved out and stored in a trailer so we can fit a bunch of people in our building to watch the meets. I've been amazed at the help that the booster club parents have already done. They've spent hours moving and repairing equipment to make it possible for their girls to compete at their gym. Even the local paper covered us hosting a meet. Hanna was just mad she wasn't in the paper this time! I told her when she has a split leap on beam like Hailey (the girl who's in the paper), she can make the paper again. This is a funny statement, because Hanna hates beam. Her leaps aren't even an inch off the beam! She's awesome at bars though, she's almost got her skills for the next level. I guess that's why gymnastics is so hard, there are four events that you have to be good at and you have to train so hard at each of them. Well, we'll see how this Saturday turns out. I'm just excited we won't have to host another big even until May. Yeah!
So Piper has a boyfriend, named Collin. I love the way she says his name. They play with each other at the gym, because their sisters have gym at the same time. She holds her "l" sounds like Alizah does and Collin's name has two l's-so she says it extra cute! Alizah also has a boyfriend named Dane. She looks forward to every Friday to go to Ready Readers to go to her special class that Dane goes to. She's so excited cuz tonight was only one more sleep until she gets to see Dane! I don't know if Hanna has a boyfriend yet. I just worry already when their boyfriends are a little bit more real. I imagine I'm getting what I deserve after what I put my parents through, but is it really fair when it comes back at you times three!!!

Alizah, A-OK

2009-01-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

We just spent the morning in the doctor's office getting x-rays done and Alizah is cleared for activity! Her head is no longer broken and she gets to take the brace off her arm too. Problem now is she won't take the brace off and she can't walk. See, after her bravely making it through the x-rays (remember-her EXTREME anxiety with doctors), the nurses ambushed her with five shots. So she won't move off the couch and yells at me, "COME MOVE ME!". But she is content sitting in one spot enjoying her "haul" at Wal-Mart. She proudly sat in the cart with the smirk on her face that says, "my mom will get me anything that I want." Which was true, she now is eating enough of her favorite junk food to last her all month! She does have to share her new Dora doll with her little sister. We are being lazy the rest of the afternoon until we go to gym tonight. I'm trying to catch up on the loads and loads of laundry that I ignored all last week.

More Christmas pics

2009-01-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, you have to turn sideways to see this pic, (I can't figure out how to rotate this one for some reason). It just shows how perfect Grandma Maimi's gift of the tutu is because the girls nighttime ritual includes dancing ballet, jazz, gymnastics in the living room. The are constantly telling me they need more space to move. The bunny ears were an impromtu addition from the play room!
Poor Piper...she gets new bedding for Christmas. That's what she gets for being the third girl. We have plenty dolls, kitchens, dress-up, make-up, etc. so she didn't need anything! She loves her new pink, pink, pink....

This is Hanna's $10 gift-card to Wal-Mart which was on her Christmas list. It cracked me up because it was on her list along with laptop, cell phone, ambercrombie clothes, etc. All this expensive stuff, then a $10 gift card. I'm thinking she doesn't know the value of a dollar!!!!

WE BELIEVE!!

2009-01-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Baby Alive for Piper.....

Pony RollerCoaster for Alizah......

Cell Phone for Hanna......

The kids definately had a great Christmas and believe that Santa is real,
because mom and dad wouldn't buy these kind of presents!!

Christmas is over and we are back into the routine of things, but you can still see signs of it around our house. I still feel like I'm recovering, trying to find places for all the new toys and wanting vacation to come back! The kids love all their presents and got everything and more than what was on their list. Grandma and Grandpa Nelson were with us for Christmas and got to see the kids' faces light up when they opened their gifts. It's so fun to watch them unwrap and look with anticipation of what was inside. The Baby Alive for Piper was a hit for the day and then it's been a pain ever since (thanks, Santa). She wets and poops (yes everyone-i signed myself up to change more diapers!). I think Santa thought it would help Piper potty train, but no go for that one. She is just happy watching "Olivia" (this is what Piper named her after a little friend of hers) do it and insists that she's a baby still! Alizah's Pony Rollercoaster entertains her for HOURS, yes hours. She is perfectly content playing it by herself or with her sisters. She absolutely loves it! Hanna thinks she is way cool with her cell phone. She called Kiki and mom one night at 1:00 in the morning, so we had to go over rules of the phone. No calls after 9, no texting, no internet, no giving it to your friends, etc. I know everyone thinks she's too young for a cell pbone, but I guess Santa doesn't! If anyone knows Hanna, she is not one to break rules. Once you tell her, she won't even think twice about not following "a rule". Unlike her cousin, I hear, who bought $80 worth of games on his mom's phone which had already had a block on it, that he somehow got around! I guess the lady at the cell phone store doesn't even know how he could get around it, so she refunded the money!! So Santa giftswere a hit, and I'm catching up on the blog finally, after brandon finally figuring out how to get the pics of my new camera and onto the computer. SO I'll be posting more with the tons of pics that we took over the break!

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY ALIZAH!!

2009-01-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

Alizah’s birthday was a little bit emotional this year due to the fact that I feel like we are lucky to have her with us. As most know, she took an extremely bad fall down the banister and has a skull fracture and a broken arm. Needless to say, I was a little choked up at her birthday party, just sitting back and watching her with her friends. It’s sad that sometimes it takes a little scare to give more hugs and kisses to our kids. She got plenty of them today. So here I go starting what everyone else does on their kids’ birthdays-naming 5 things that are just Alizah! (great idea to actually pause and think about just that kid)

1. I love the way she says her r and s sounds, and holds her l sound, I know she’ll eventually pronounce these sounds the right way, but I want to remember the cute way!
2. Alizah is also known has our Tiger. She has a way of dealing with things internally until she gets fed up, then unleashes very quietly, but deadly. Hanna’s scarred face is evidence of this. Is it right to love something like this?
3. Jeans and yellow/white stripped shirt, headbands, silver sequin shoes, blue jumpsuit, white ballet, and…..LEE-LOWS!! These are things that Alizah wears on a daily basis. She has her own “style” that she rarely wavers from- even though I beg, plead, and bribe.
4. Animals and ponies. When Alizah gets hooked on something, she totally immerses herself and everyone surrounding her in it. Our living room is often set up with her animals or ponies in a line talking to each other through her. She plays very contently for hours by herself. She’s possessive of what is hers, but is learning to share with her sisters.
5. Brave! Alizah has overcome many obstacles this past year, even more in the last few months. She has been able to answer questions in church, go to her school be herself, make new friends, go to the doctor multiple times-each better than the last, brush her teeth every day, and open up to new people. These may not seem big, but they are to Alizah. She has been “diagnosed” with a few anxiety disorders and a few other things, but has done wonders this past year to the point that I’m not sure about them anymore. I am so proud of her!!

I LOVE YOU ALIZAH AND HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY!!

2008 Polar Express

2008-12-31T08:45:00.000-08:00

As I am running a little backward on my blogs, this was our next stop on our vacation two weeks ago....The North Pole!! We boarded our Polar Express in Heber City, Utah and made the magical journey to the North Pole! It was very exciting for the kids and I'm sure made memories for them. We sang Christmas carols, read the Polar Express book, and ate cookies and hot chocolate. They got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas and Hanna changed hers at the last minute! She didn't want to tell Santa she wanted a cell phone, so she told him a camera, which surprised us! She said afterward that she didn't want to be embarrased asking for something too old for her....but she was sure Santa knew what she wanted "in her heart." I'll never know what goes on in her head half the time. Alizah held true with her My Little Pony Rollercoaster and Piper asked for her baby doll. Santa gave them each a bell and the elves told each of them which reindeer the bell came from. Piper's came from Rudolph (which Alizah wanted REAL BAD), and Alizah's came from Blitzen who the elf said she was lucky cuz he never really shares). I don't remember where Hanna's came from, so I'll have to ask her. All those kids ringing their bells at once for an hour after, is still ringing in our ears! Papa and Grandma Nelson were able to make the trip with us and after we went into Salt Lake to spend the night. We made a quick trip to Temple Square to see the lights. I say quick because it was freezing cold and we basically ran through the outside lights. The next day was my birthday, so we had a nice dinner at The Spaghetti Factory in Trolley Square (my parents took us their alot when we were llittle) , and we went Christmas shopping a little bit. I was able to go to Tai Pan, an interior design warehouse, which my friend Lisa has been talking about and I walked around with my mouth open the whole time wishing I had brought a U-Haul with me to take home! All in all-great trip!!

My Christmas Card Secret

2008-12-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

So I feel like I also need to reveal my Christmas card secret. My uncle Terry seems very impressed with my ability to maneuver graphics and take wonderful pictures to create a beautiful Christmas card. Well, my secret is I have good friends!!! I have a dear friend who is a professional photographer and an AMAZING graphic designer. She does amazing work and all of the grandparents also recieved her magic as they got pictures for their office and houses! So thank-you my friend. THANK-YOU JENN!!

Post Office mix up!

2008-12-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

So manyof you might be wondering why they haven't gotten your Christmas card from our family. The day after Christmas I recieved a stack of my own Christmas cards in my mailbox!!! They didn't have enough postage. So, I'm wondering how some people got their cards and I got some sent back when they all had the same amount of postage???? I'm hoping some of you didn't have to pay the postman the extra 20 cents to get our picture. When I return to real life tomorrow, I will be heading back to the post office and you will get your very BELATED Christmas card!!

Great Grandpa Beck

2008-12-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

Our next stop on our Burley trip was to Great Grandpa Beck's house. He is nearing 100 years old and doing better than ever!! He had just gotten surgery on one of his eyes to remove a cataract and is doing the other eye soon. Hence, he could see the girls and seemed excited to talk with them. Alizah was a little apprehensive as she is with most older people. But she stood in for a picture which I'm happy about. Piper on the other hand was more willing to talk with him and sit next to him. I couldn't believe how good he looked. He said the doctor did a great job and the nurses were "real pretty"! I was able to help him with his lunch a few times and want to give a big thank-you to my family down in Burley for taking care of him more than I will ever be able to. It is hard to leave everytime we come to Burley knowing what type of responsibilities are left behind. I am never able to do as much as I want to. My dad stays with Grandpa Beck most nights and the others are spent with Uncle Leonard. I think of the love that is expressed every day in the acts of service that are happening every day. I wish I was able to do more and want to start sending more letters to him in the mail and make more of an effort to help my relatives that are far away a bigger part of our life. I wish grandpa could use the internet and see our blog!!!

20th Anniversary of the Nutcracker

2008-12-23T22:45:00.000-08:00

I'll start posting pictures of our vacation starting with the 20th Anniversary of the Nutcracker, which was the whole reason we went to Idaho. When I was younger, my ballet studio started a production of the Nutcracker. I was the first Clara and was recognized along with 20 other Clara's! I felt OLD!! It was so fun to show my girls what they've been looking at in scrapbooks for years. Hanna would remember pictures of costumes and would comment on the dances. After 20 years, I remembered the steps that the ballerinas were still doing! I enjoyed going to the ballet and also giving the girls-and Brandon- a little culture. Hanna and I even went and had our hair done along with dressing up the girls in their beautiful Christmas dresses. It was a fun weekend with lots of visiting with old friends and memories....

Thank-you to KIND people

2008-12-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

We are back from our little vacation and I have tons of pictures to post, but for now I just have time for a quick post. We had our mail stopped while we were gone and went to the post office today to pick up our stack. I think they must have messed up because we were expecting things that were not there, so we'll have to go back tomorrow. Anyway, what we did get that we were not expecting was so many things for Alizah! She recieved cards from Terry and Jana in Colorado and a package from Aunt Jake. We also got little gifts from Branson and Beck and her friend Lanie right when she got hurt. I just have to tell everyone what she said today..."Hey mommy, that was sure nice of people." Yes, Alizah we have very good friends and family. Then later while she was playing she said, "It looks like some guys like me. That's cuz they sended me things." I sure appreciate everyone's thoughts and gestures. She was excited to get mail with her A on it and she feels very special. She's been pretty good, knowing she can't run or jump around. I can't really describe what she does, but she'll tell me "look mom, I'm running!" and she'll be moving her arms real fast, but her legs real slow. We are excited for this time to be over, but so blessed that she wasn't hurt any worse! Thanks everyone again, you made her day! (and thank-you also because these "three sleeps" that we are waiting for Christmas to come are killing me..the mail took her mind off the long wait!)

Color changes....

2008-12-09T23:56:00.000-08:00

Alizah can see out of her eye today. It's moving farther down, and changing colors into deep purple, black, blue, and yellow.

She told us we could sign her cast today. One of the first things she'll tell anyone is how brave she was when the doctors put on her cast.

You can't really see too good, but today we can see the original contact spot. The spot at the top of head is bruising yellow.

I was talking to Alizah about how she got hurt and how she shouldn't get on the banister again, and she muttered under her breathe, "It sure was fun though!". And another cute thing that happened was when I was helping her say her prayers at bedtime. I said "we are thankful for the doctors that helped Alizah," and up until this point, she had been repeating everything I had said. She stopped, and then whispered, "I don't want to say that part." I think she definately has had enough of doctors to last her awhile!

Mother of the Year goes to.....Kortni!!!

2008-12-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

The blood from her head is settling beneath her eye....she's got a "take your breath" away shiner. I wish I could get a picture of everyone's reaction when they see her!!

Beck and Piper getting the joys of someone else's pain!
(Alizah was bribed at the doc with toys, ice cream....everything!!

Alizah's choice of color is the pretty blue. She was pretty nervous to get the cast, but overall did awesome considering what she has been through today.

A smile at this point from Alizah, but she didn't know what was in store for her after this!!!
(more x-rays and a CT scan and lots of waiting in the doc office)

So here goes the story.....the incident of sliding down the banister happened Sat night and the pit in my stomach settled deeper and deeper as I watched her eye get worse and worse. I haven't slept for two nights watching her and making sure she was breathing! Monday morning I called the nurse and she said to bring her in. The doctor wanted x-rays and noticed her swollen wrist. Alizah had said her arm hurt, but she didn't even complain anymore than she usually does with a scratch that doesn't even need a band-aid!! So the x-rays came back saying she needed a cast for her wrist and a CT for her head. The CT confirmed a skull fracture-YES-skull fracture. So my poor baby was made to sit at home with a broken arm and a head for two days before I even took her in. The doctors in Wenanchee are still looking over the CT, but don't think she needs antiboiotcs at this time for infection that could leak from her skull to her brain. Yes, this is the part were I started crying and wanting to throw up. We are good for now, and the hard part of her not being able to run, jump, or go upside down for a month starts today! So no gym for Alizah which is going to break her heart. I need to tell everyone that watches her- the news that I heard ,as to scare them senseless too, "A bump to a head in this condition, is life-threatening." So Brandon wants to know where the helmet is!! I'm tending to agree, the stress will probably wear off soon, as the eye fades, but for now she's banned to the couch.
So any new movies-send them our way!!

Pretty in Purple

2008-12-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

Alizah just looked in the mirror after her bath and said, "My eye is a pretty purple!". I hope she feels the same about the green and yellow that will come soon.:)

I'll bet....

2008-12-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Alizah doesn't ever fly down the banister again!! We were at a Christmas Dinner and recieved a call from the babysitter, "Alizah fell down the stairs." I said, "Is there blood? -no, but a bump." We were about done anyway, so we rushed home. She was screaming still when I got there, but I couldn't see a real big bump. I was talking about what she hit her head on and the babysitter said the floor. I had been assuming she rolled down the stairs, when she actually was straddling the banister, sliding and fell from 7 feet onto her head. We watched her all night. I didn't sleep until about 8:00 this morning! About 3 in the morning was when the swollen forhead turned into the color, light purple, then darker, and darker. She can't see out of it, but refuses to take any medicine. She actually whimpered all night long. I can't imagine the headache she's got and there's nothing she'll let me do! She wanted to take the picture next to her christmas list because she says, "I'll be able to see before christmas right?" She's breakin my heart.....

Ahhhh! Open Wide

2008-12-03T19:50:00.000-08:00

So, Piper is following in her sisters Alizah's footsteps. She has terrible teeth and refusing to brush. Well not anymore....she experienced the dentist and now has no problem brushing her teeth due to her not wanting to go back to the dentist. I noticed a few weeks ago some bad spots on her teeth. So off to the dentist we go. She wouldn't open up the first time, second "happy" visit was good so we atempted to drug and drug some more to get four cavities filled. I really didn't want to take her out of town due to our experience with Alizah, so I pushed to do it here in Moses. The cost was half and we can make payments, so wanted to try at least. The first "cocktail" didn't work, so we gave her another dose and she was pretty loopy with the gas too. The first cavity went well with her hardely flinching, but by the last three-she'd had enough. Dr. Jorgenson worked pretty hard for his money and I was so impressed. He kept working with her kicks, bites, and quick turns of her head. I had to hold her arms down and by the time the hour was over, was so tense that my head hurt for a few hours after. Piper was so drugged after cuz the two doses had completely kicked in that she was kneeling at the treasure box and head dived into it before the hygienist and I could catch her!! I felt really bad laughing, but everyone had to smile as she lumbered out of the office. She has recovered and hopefully won't remember the torture that she was put through. Brandon's turn is next. I'm afraid I'm going to have to dose him up with cocktails to get him to go. He's more afraid than the girls!!

Pretzels, cakes, and messes

2008-12-02T23:41:00.000-08:00

The girls LOVE to cook. I had a few pics on my phone of their latest cooking adventures. If you notice these two do not have a parent in them. It's the girls' favorite people, their babysitter, Lindsay and their pretend older sister Ella. Lindsay babysits on Mondays and Fridays. Fridays are "Treat Fridays" where she brings them treats or makes something with them. They look forward to her every week. The second pic is of Ella making her famous pretzels with us. I did help with this, which did us no good, because we burnt them. They were supposed to be for Jerry down the street who always helps us. He did get some, but they weren't our best showing! Ella is so patient with the girls. Her and Hanna play models, photographers, and rock stars. I love that she includes the other two and seems to make everyone happy. We've looked into renting her on a monthly basis, but her mom wouldn't go for it! A funny story about Lindsay and her sister, McKenna (who sometimes babysits too) is that the girls play, "Lindsay and McKenna". One of them will be Lindsay and the other- McKenna and they will talk to each other as the girls and dance around. (They are both dancers and Lindsay is on Drill team-who we went to watch at a football game once.) It's pretty cute and I honestly can't think of two better role models. I love how much I trust them to babysit and it definately says something when the girls want me to leave so Lindsay can come over!!

O Christmas Tree....

2008-12-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...." And keep singing those sames words for the next 1/2 hour!! That's what we listened to the whole night. I tried to get them to sing other carols, but Alizah said it had to be O Christmas Tree. And they didn't know any other lines, so they just repeated it over and over! Jerry brought down my favorite "skinny" tree, or as Korbi calls it my "charlie Brown tree". Now the kids call it that too. This year it is a little sparse on one side, but I think beautiful all the same. The kids had fun this year putting the ornaments up and I fixed them when they weren't looking! One room is now already for Christmas, boxes put away and the rest of the house needs some damage repair this morning. I also burned one batch of carmels already and need to try again tonight. At the gym, we are getting all of our parties and get togethers over this week, so it's busy for me doing cards, apprecation gifts, and getting ready for the dinner we are doing tomorrow. Christmas is coming and the kids are so excited!!

Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

So it's 7:00 in the morning and I can't sleep. The one day to sleep in and I can't do it. So I'm snooping on all the blogs that I've missed in the passed few weeks. As I'm looking at everyone's blogs, I'm realizing I need to sit and take a few minutes and think about what I'm thankful for. After my past year, I've had a few things happen that don't necessarily bring the grateful mood into my life. But I'm going to try to refocus my thoughts with a start this quiet morning on what I am thankful for. Let's just say it's practice before I'm put on the spot at dinner this afternoon!

1. Family
Hanna-she is so tenderhearted and smart with a mind that doesn't stop. I am thankful for her deep thinking and questioning mind.
Alizah-she is a special girl with quirks that I do love. I am thankful for how hard she tries to be brave.
Piper-wants to be big girl and a baby at the same time. I am thankful for her desire to learn new things.
Brandon-I am thankful for the amount of effort he is putting into this family at this time.

2. My House
I love where we live and the land and neigborhood that that surrounds it. Every morning as the ducks fly over the creek, I think of what a lucky family we are to live here.

3. The Church
I am thankful for Heavenly Father for providing a church that is supportive and full of people that are willing to love. I am thankful for the Savior for giving his life for us to provide a way that we can repent of our mistakes and move on with Faith.

4. Friends
I am thankful for the many friends that I have that listen when I need them too with or without giving opinions back! I'm thankful that they they love me for who I am and are willing to help build me up.

5. Jobs
I am thankful for the opportunities I have to provide my family with the things that they need.

Ok, now for a few more thankful things that I'll just list in any given order....

dead mice,good customer service, drugs for dental work, ice cream, Maggie & The Ferocious Beast, DVD players for cars, cell phones, cheetos/oreos, computers/internet/email, i-phone, removable showerheads, Dyson vacuum cleaners, TEVO, contacts, employees that have workethic, dead mice-oh wait did I mention that already, better do it again, dead mice.

I have many, many things to be thankful for and I think that in my busy life that the negative can easily overpower me. My new year resolution (I might as well start early) is going to be to think more positively. I heard a technique yesterday that I'm going to try to start. It's called stop and redirect. When you are thinking something negative, you visualize a stop sign and redirect yourself into a positive thought. So I guess for Christmas presents, my friends might be getting stop signs to help me out with this!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone and I hope you have many things to be thankful for also!! The kids are stirring and I need to start my assignments for the dinner before they get up. We are going to a friend's house this afternoon. The kids are excited and I'm not having to cook that much so I'm excited!

Deep Kindergarten comments

2008-11-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

My kids in kindergarten have been talking about the election. Some of their comments that I heard were definitley one sided to each of the presidential candidates. After reading Korbi's blog, and the article about the terrible disgrace we have shown as a country to our current president, I couldn't help but get my thoughts out on the matter. I have never told a class who I vote for or which candidate I support. Instead I've tried to teach the kids that no matter what we think, there are other people out there that might think differently and if we think we are right, we still need to be considerate to other's opinions. The article on Korbi's blog is interesting in the light of the election that was just held. Even though I did not vote for Obama, I need to take into consideration that he is our President and until he proves otherwise he needs to be supported. I guess I'm so surprised how young these deep feelings of support, respect, etc. are fostered. For example, Hanna came home from school and told me that our new President kills kids. Well, after a few days I figured out that she has just been introduced to the topic of abortion. I now have to have this conversation with her and despite my thoughts on the matter, I was shocked at how second graders are percieving things that are happening in our country. I just hope that parents can be a little bit more aware of their comments and try to teach kids to think for themselves and not be persuaded by other's opinions. Children this young really should have no opinion because there is no way they could have all the information to make an educated decision. And I think this is the biggest problem with elections, conversations about politics (well anything for that matter), etc. is that many people don't have all the facts before they are making their opinions known. I myself need to be more educated in these matters and am trying to make it a point to read more information.

So, on lighter notes, I have another mouse-mice haunting (well not haunting because they are not dead...yet) me. I really feel their eyes on me when I walk down every morning for the past week and see the mouse traps LICKED CLEAN and not set off. I think they are probably making fun of me in their own sick way. So my neighbor, Jerry the hunter, has baited the traps with bacon rines tied to the traps with string. So they'll have to pull and pull and hopefully,....SNAP!!!!!!! Jerry is such a kind man. The kids even know that when we have a problem, we call Jerry. We are so blessed to have Jerry and Tedde down the street and I'm really not just talking about the mice right now. They are always available to help us and we so appreciate them.

Twilight Fever

2008-11-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

I guess I'm not as excited about the new twilight movie coming out as my sisters are, but I do look forward to it. ( My Idaho sisters are going to a before party, a limo ride to the movie, and an after party!) So I had to take the quiz and see which character I was like. Maybe some of us Washington residents need to make plans to go to the show together. hint, hint....

A.I.M. Halloween Carnival

2008-10-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

My Rockin Staff!!
Ok, I know they don't look too professional in this pic...but they are awesome!
We put together a fun afternoon for a hundred+ kids AND we were all smiling in the end :)

Hanna and her good friend Ella. They loved letting Alexie dress them up and do their makeup!

Beck and Piper. Beck was anti-Halloween and wouldn't dress-up. And Piper was at one point seen stripping her costume also...

Alizah was a bunny fairy turned princess fairy. My favorite is her "super-fast" tennis shoes that had to go with her outfit. She also enjoyed Alexie and her make-up. Now, every time Alexie comes over, Alizah asks if she can bring her make-up!

We had a fun afternoon for the first party of many for this Halloween season. We've carved pumpkins twice already and have a Stake Halloween carnival on Thursday and this is all before Halloween! We'll be traveling on Halloween day and arriving in Burley hopefully in time for trick-or-treating. The kids will all miss their school Halloween parties, just like last year. What's with family planning things on such a major holiday...just kidding! There is plenty of candy to go around and my kids DON"T need anymore sugar. Piper's newest thing is to take the entire pantry sugar container and hide in the living room and eat it by the spoonful. Why haven't I found a new place for the container yet? I guess she takes after me. My aunt still teases me becasue my favorite food at one time when I was a kid was butter and sugar sandwiches!!!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2008-10-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

Something must be shocking to Alizah!

Alizah loved the leaves and loved to be chased around the "forest" of trees.

Piper hung in there for a few of the field trips this week and picked a pumpkin every time.

Hanna and Paisley (this outfit and picture is funny to see cuz I took Piper's picture the exact same way a few years ago in the same outfit!)

ALizah loved the GREEN pumpkins-they were actually easier to carve!

Ok, all my fonts/color is messed up and I couldn't figure it out in the above lines....
So we went to every one of my school's pumpkin patch field trips (six times in all). We were the drivers for the hay ride down to my neighbor's patch, so my kids definately got their fill of field trips this week. We also only lost two pair of gloves through the whole week! Hanna got to skip school and come to one of the trips. She's having a hard time with the amount of second grade work so it was kindof nice to give her a little break and let her do another type of learning! The school kids rode the hay ride, did the pumpkin thing, played in the leaves, gathered pinecones, then played in the backyard. My favorite time was when one of the classes, Alizah included, played pirate ship in our backyard swingset/fort. They were "heaving" up the anchor (a wrapped up volleyball net) and yelling at each other pirate style. It was so fun to see their imagination. You just don't see very much of that anymore with all the academic push so young. I won't get on my soap box today, but it's just fun to see their minds at work without a pencil in their hand...We had a busy week. We'll post pictures of the pumpkins we carved and the Halloween carnival that was today-as soon as Korbi emails them to me:)

I also have a story that I wanted to post, but I don't know if it is very appropriate, but I figure this is like our family's history-so I'll just say this much. My seven year old and I just had the "talk" today. I figured she was WAY TOO YOUNG!! But a neigbor girl has been telling her things and she was asking way too many questions, so I figured I better be the one to be giving the answers instead of an 8 year old. So I just wondered where my little baby has gone??? She has grown up and I'm just counting my blessings she came to me and I pray we keep this relationship for at least a few more years!!!!!

Thoughtful gift

2008-10-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

I got a package and a card in the mail today from my Grandmother. It was a thoughtful card with a nice treat in it! And the package had three black wooden letters in it....A.I.M. This stands for my business and will look great in my new office!! I promise pictures will follow soon when I get the room put together. I just had to post quickly and tell her thank-you for the thoughtful gift and it was nice to know she was thinking of me. I rarely get a chance to talk on the phone and do anything in person, usually because people are asleep by the time I slow down for the night! :) It's sure fun to get mail and i appreciate all the nice thoughts for our family lately and the kind gestures of cards, lunches,and packages. It's been a good day!

Olympic Superstar Tour

2008-10-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our Future Superstars!! The girls were so excited to see the gymnasts. Our two little ones, Laney and Alizah even wore their leos and everyone got a kick out of them!

WOW!! Nastia Liuken and Hanna!! We were talking about Alizah's birthday and having a princess come and Hanna pipes up and says I want Nastia and Shawn to come to my b-day. I hate to break the news to her that this is the closest she'll ever get even though it was only for a few seconds. I couldn't believe how fast the security rushed you through. The girls wouldn't even talk to the Olympians and they were just really busy signing things.

Shawn Johnson and Hanna and Victoria-a teammate.

So this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our girls. We had great seats and when the gymnasts ran by to change events or move formations, they would run along the side and give out High Fives...Hanna got to give Nastia a high five! I had two backstage passes for the autograph session so Hanna and Victoria got to be with only about 30 other people that got to go meet the gymnasts, but I had been e-mailing one of the head ticket guys and he actually let me slip in with them, so I got to take pictures and got a shirt signed along with a few posters for the gym. Hanna had her leo signed along with the other Olympians from Woodward Camp this summer. Hanna was actually pretty sick with a high fever and wasn't too energetic the whole night. I felt so bad that she wasn't enjoying it as much as she could have. She was a trooper and I guess she'll remember it in the end. Alizah had so much fun. She kept asking if they were real and all she wanted to do was touch them. I was so grateful to be able to take them. When I was in high school, I took my sister Jake to one of these and still remember meeting my idols and getting their autographs. I'm thankful to be able to give my kids these memories.

Hanna's School's Fundraiser

2008-10-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

Hanna had so much fun at Longview's Jog-A-Thon. I didn't help her get too many sponsors (Mom and Korbi:)), but her grandparents did sponsor the back of the school's shirts-so thanks!! I got to see a few laps, but was not able to stay for the whole thing. Hanna's school is really great. Her principal, teachers, secretaries, counselors are so nice to work with. She likes school and told me one of the boys likes her "like a boyfriend". OK, WHOA....when did this start happening in the second grade? I took a deep breath then asked "what a boyfriend" meant. And she said he just chases her. So I asked her if she liked him chasing her. She said no and she tells the teacher all the time. I guess I better tell her to stop being so cute and nice!! Speaking of funny things, Alizah was smelling something outside of the car today and said to me, "Mom, you didn't shower today and you stink." Let's hope they let me shower tomorrow!

Another comment, there are sure some nice people out there. Unfortunatley, I missed one of them today or even possibly yesterday. One of my friends stopped by to give me lunch, and all i got was the note and I don't even know what day it was written. I sure appreciate people that go out of their way to make me smile! thanks....

Dead Mouse

2008-10-08T21:40:00.001-07:00

One down, I don't know how many more to go.....it was so exciting!??

I had two meetings in my new office today...I actually used the words "step into my office". It was great! I can't wait to decorate more. Hanna had her Jog-A-Thon today. I borrowed a friend's camera so we'll post pics soon. She ran 20 laps for her school and after 3 hours of gymnastics-she's asleep earlier than ever! Alizah's even down before 10 and Piper is on her way. Wow, my show's even recorded and I might get to relax and eat my "Triple Chocolate Nirvana" rice krispie treat that my friend dropped off to me today!! What a name for a treat though...I haven't been able to do my morning workouts lately and I'm definitely missing them, so I better only eat 1/2...anyone want to take bets to see if it's gone before morning? We're looking forward to a quiet weekend and hope that the weather cooperates to play outside. Our grass still looks so green and nicely mowed that it's hard to believe it's getting too cold to play outside. I guess I better start digging out coats and making sure we have the right sizes..We also are going to take a walk down to our neighbor's pumpkin patch and check the progress.. We go with my school and we usually have to "transplant" a few because we have so many kids. It's also a fun trip with a hay ride and games at my house. We look forward to it coming soon!

Murdered mouse?

2008-10-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have not murdered my mouse house guest yet, although the thought consumes me....I tip toe around doing the dishes and know that he/she is not going to run out while I'm watching, he'll/she'll wait until my guard is down and scare me then. Just when I think it might be gone (after a few days of no signs), it will make an appearance. I know the process, but can't seem to get it out of my mind. Besides a wanna be mouse killer, I'm also a liar to my children. According to them, the traps are still set "just in case" because we've caught the mouse. To my defense, the lie was necessary for their health. Poor Hanna ate her cereal on the stairs today for fear of going downstairs. If anyone is close to Hanna, they know her EXTREME fear of rats because of Ratatouie-the movie. We can't even say rats in our hair-we have to say snarls. She has nightmares, etc. So you can only imagine what one living in our house does to her. I hope to see a dead mouse tomorrow-I'd even take two or three (because Korbi says if there's one-you know there's more. She tells me this why????)

Besides setting my own mouse traps last night, I also went out of my comfort zone and attended a Chamber of Commerce social as we are now a part of the "commerce". It sounds so official. I was completely out of my eliment. It's a good thing I took Jasmine-my other teacher because I seemed to be tongue tied the whole time. I'm very comfortable around 5 year olds, but men and women in business attire intimidate me. It will be very good for our business as we are trying to up the level of professionalism. I also am enjoying the peace and quiet of my new office. I'm needed a few more pieces of office furniture, but anyone that is around here, I'm inviting you to "step into" my office and let me just pretend to do real business for a few minutes! Maybe I should make Korbi come take pictures to post for everyone when it's done!

I Just NEED One Break!!

2008-10-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

So cute, huh??!!@@#$#@ This is a picture of something I want to die. He/She currently is living behind my dishwasher. My children and I are moving upstairs and will be eating out until this creature is gone. I will be calling in reinforcements tomorrow. I'm sending a message to any of it's friends/relatives that I mean business this time and I will not play games. All of the appliances are coming out and I'm calling in Kellee. She was your associate's destruction last time-SO BEWARE!!

Great-Grandma Mimi

2008-10-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

We were so blessed to have family here this weekend. Great-Grandma Mimi came to visit with Uncle Tim, Aunt Debbie, Cousins-Kaela, Jordyn, and Justin, and Grandma Maimi Dawn. The kids were very excited to show off their gym, their rooms and their toys. We swam at the motel, painted me a new office at work, and played with the cousins. It was a much needed break and it is hard to have to go back to normal today. Korbi posted me some pics last night to show everyone my fish that love to swim! We watched conference as much as we could with all the kids and recorded it for me with the tevo so I can watch when they go to sleep! My friend Melanie and I actually hooked up the satellite a few days ago. We've had a broken satellite for a few weeks and I've missed all the premiers to my shows and the kids were going into a serious relaspe from missing Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. We're (maybe me the most :) ) are so excited to have it back!! Did anyone notice the smiley face I made? I'm also catching up on my texting skills!!

2008-10-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Whirlwind Saturday

2008-09-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's midnight and my day is over. It was our fourth annual fiesta and it was a success again!! meaning-we all survived. You know after an event like this-feeding 100+ people, I think to all those who give of their time to help our school. There were more volunteers than ever and families that are new to our school that donated money during the raffle and auction to buy new toys. We've had a rough couple of years, but I really think we might make it! Like I said we are heading into our fourth year, which means we are almost to five years, which I hear is a mile marker for businesses....I guess I'm just wanting to put a big thank-you to all those supporters and the people who have faith in what we are trying to do.

So...you are all waiting to hear if guacamole was a part of tonight. I'm sure there will be pics. posted somewhere soon, because there were more cameras available this year and Korbi outdid herself. We'll have to see what type of evidence surfaces.....She always makes me smile at the end of the day. I couldn't function without her.

Brandon spent today roping which is something he hasn't been able to do for awhile. I got him a pass to go to a two day roping clinic here in town. He seemed to enjoy himself and is extremely sore-not sure how he's going to get there in the a.m.! I've been helping a group in town with vaulting on horses which is basically gymnastics on horses. It is very interesting and something Hanna now claims she wants to do also. I'm really excited to get Brandon and her doing activities together. When I think of Brandon roping I remember my Papa Doodle who was actually a real life saddle bronc rider! It's his birthday today and it brings tears to my eyes thinking of him since he passed away recently. My sister, Korbi has some nice pics of him on her blog and I think it's pretty neat to see him during his rodeo events. Happy Birthday Papa. We love you!!

Gotta get to bed-tomorrow is the Olympian's Tour in Spokane and a friend actually is taking Alizah now too. Poor Piper is the only one who has to stay home. Hope she has fun with Beck and Paisley tomorrow!