visitors, conference, more visitors, hunting, and more visitors. :) (did i mention sickness)

Yes, we are still here, but busy!! We have been fighting the back to school bugs, sinus infections, and a touch of some flu (or something that causes flu-like symptoms).

So, on conference weekend we had Chris, Vanessa, and Bobby and Misty, Phil, and Ty. So the weekend was filled with conference, laughing, smiling, crying, fighting babies, videos games, and a little rock band. My sweet dd-A threw up on Sunday while everyone was here, so she was banished to the corner on a foam pad. It was so hard for her because she LOVES her baby cousins, but she did a great job and in a day and a half was tip top again.

The week proceeded normally (other than a surprise trip to Cabellas and then to Chris and Vanessa's house). Then Friday Misty, Phil, and Ty came back up. Mike and Phil took off early Saturday Morning for a bit of hunting. This trip includes new mountain bikes, and seat pads to go with them, and about 17 miles of riding into the deep wooded area or the northwest. They had a touch of success: Phil saw a doe and two butts (EDITED--yes, two deer butts :) LOL!).

While they were visiting dd-S threw up (on the way to church). She had been complaining of her tummy hurting, but I was having "NONE of that nonsense". She often complains and whimpers around in the morning, so I figured that was what was going on this morning. Mike was already at church for his meetings, and I was hustling around getting my four kiddos ready. dd-S even told me that her belly was hurting so she didn't want to eat her Cheerios. I am such a horrible mom, LOL! I told her, "you better go a eat your cereal or your belly is REALLY going to hurt at church when it growling because you are so hungry because you didn't eat your breakfast."(OOPS!!) I was wishing she hadn't eaten those cheerios when her little episode occurred in the van on the way to church! YUCK!! Mike went home with her, so I could stay and teach my lesson.

The boys hunted again on Monday. I wasn't sure they were going to go because both of their bottoms were so sore from riding their bikes. HAHAAAA! but the went and rode another 13 miles or so. They saw about ten deer and 2 were bucks, and one is no longer in the forest. They FINALLY, they had their first deer in WA. Phil shot a little 2 pointer, and was just happy to have finally got a deer. Mike is holding out for something a bigger, but they had a good time and are feeling better because they are figuring out the hunting thing here.

While the boys were off hunting Misty did 18 gajillion loads of laundry. And she even folded it. WOW!! I am thankful, but now I really wish I had a dresser. :) LOL!!

We staged a little photo shoot. We tried to get some cute photos of the two of them together, but with Tyler having just woke up and D needing a nap, we had little success of the two of them together. HOWEVER, I got some super cute ones of D and some pretty good ones of Ty that I will edit and stick up here hopefully tomorrow.

here are the ones of D.





I'm telling ya!! He is so stinkin' cute!! :) I have some video of him walking that I need to put on here, too. He has the funniest little walk.

Also, we are thrilled that we get to see Jens tomorrow. :) that also means that Chris, Vanessa, and Bobby will be here again. And we will fit visiting with them in with cub scouts, and dd-A's last soccer game and pizza party. Life is good!! :)

g'night ! I am pooped!

funny things my kiddos say...

That is a section on my side bar. You should check it out if you haven't. However, I think i should change it to funny things dd-S says. As she is 3 almost 4 she seems to be saying hilarious things regularly. She cracks me up. I am going to delete them all and start afresh with the new month, so here are September's:

**as a Fed Ex truck drives by, dd-S says, "Mom, that is a kid stealer van." Me, confused, "huh? what do you mean?" dd-S, "well, it steals kids, puts them in boxes and takes them away."
(what??? where did she get that idea from?) (30 Sept)

**I drank a sip of dd-S's water from her water bottle, and she pouts, "Mom, now it has your germs on it." I told her we have the same germs so not to worry. then she says, "No we don't, you have spider germs and I have butterfly and lady bug germs." (HMMM--what do you think she is saying about me?) (24 Sept)

**DD-S, "Mom, uh who was it that translated the Book of Mormon, Yoda??" Mom, laughing, "uh honey, Yoda is NOT real, it was Joseph Smith." dd-s, "ah, ah right, that's who it was, Joseph Smith." (20 Sept)

**Mom, "I think I am going to do some yoga." dd-S, "WHAT? You are going to eat some yogurt?" (16 Sept)

**I was teasing dd-S about something. DD-S asks, "Why are you teasing me?" Mom, "Because that's my job." DD-S, "no it's not, that's Daddy's job." Mom, "Then what's my job?" dd-S, without hesitation says, "To make him stop." (15 Sept)

**As a moth is flying above us and lands on our ceiling, dd-S asks, "Do [butterflies] poop?" (14 Sept)

If you recieved my email about updates...

Pretty please send an email back to me. Somehow I stupidly deleted, I think, all of you from my contact list. UGH!! The updated hotmail had me all messed up. So please send me an email so I don't lose your email addies. :) Thanks!

1 year ago!

I forgot to post a scrapbook layout I did this last week. I was feeling a bit nostalgic. This week was Mike and my 9th anniversary! PHEW! :) We were apart (Mike was in CA for work), but at least we remembered to tell each other Happy Anniversary.

Last year, we were in the same city, but we didn't even remember it was our anniversary. SIGH! Five days before our anniversary our littlest baby--D--decided to join us 7 weeks early (I say 6 weeks, but Mike says 7 ;) ). We are so lucky to have been ambulanced out of our tiny town to the children's hospital in the city where they are SO prepared to care for a little one born that early. Mike went back to our home (1 and a half hours away) with his parents and our other three children, while I stayed with our newest joy for 6 more days. Mike came up for one night during those 6 days and it just happened to be our anniversary. Funny thing, neither of us thought of it until the next day. I think we were a little stressed. :)

So, I did a layout of some of the first pictures taken of our little D. There weren't any pics taken right after he was born, they wisked him away to the NICU, but the next day I got a few. Precious little thing!!

Here is this weeks layout:

credits HERE

And then here are a few that i did last year...
this is in Oct '07

credits HERE

These next two are pictures from Nov '07

credits HERE

credits HERE

And then this one is Jan '08:

credits HERE

I am just so thankful we have him with us! He is a joy and blessing in our families life. He is the one who can make us all smile when we are sad with his big "slobber kiss".

Yankee Stadium Part 2

I let Joseph take my old Sony Cyber-shot with him to take his own pictures of the trip. He cracked me up with some of the pictures he took. :)

He started before they even got to the airport.

A nice drive by of the Tacoma Dome.

An Army vehicle that passed them.

And another one.

The airplane wing.

Finally, Yankee Stadium.

The sign to Yankee Monuments Park.

The walk way.

And another VERY important thing he did while he was there...

He LOVED playing the video games with Josh. :)

Now, I thought I would save Josh some embarrassment, but his favorite picture was one of Josh's booty. Every time he looks at it he cracks up! The NUT!

Yankee Stadium Part 1

In case you don't know. This was sadly the last season the Yankees will be playing in the original Yankee Stadium, "you know, the house that Ruth built," as J told me. Mike, with a little urging from me, decided to splurge a bit and he a J made a trip out to NY to watch one of the last games (not the last game-it wasn't THAT big of a splurge ;) ) in the stadium before they tear it down. Sniff sniff! The sad thing is, I don't even care all that much about baseball, but because of the intense Yankee fans in my house, **cough cough** Mike, I even feel a bit sad about that.


The two of them flew out two Thursdays ago and flew home the following Monday. They stayed with Mike's brother and his wife, Josh and Jill. (THANKS!) and had a blast!! The arrived VERy late that night, and spent some time planning the next day with the help of Josh and Jill, plotting trains and subways. J proudly told me that they rode 10 subways in one day!

They woke up EARLY the next morning to go and try to buy tickets to the Yankee Stadium tour. (it was actually like 2:30 WA time, so it was especially early if you take into account the time change.) They got tickets and then filled the day with NY things. I do not know ALL the details, (sadly, I only saw Mike for a day--and a work day at that-- before he left for another 4 days on a business trip which he just returned from last night, so we haven't had tons of time for me to grill him on all the details) but I do know they went to the Bronx Zoo, and the Yankee Moment Park, and had some ice-cream. :) Here are some pictures...

Joseph had his own camera and Mike had one, too. These are some of Mike's pictures:

J posing Moment Park.

My guess is that this is the Yankee dugout where they store their mitts and bats and other equiptment.



Mike and J on (well near) the field. (HMMM, I wonder if the accidently actually walked on the field.)

I believe the boys left the stadium and went off doing some other fun things and then came back to watch the warm ups... ( I think the pictures WIThOUT borders you can click on and see them in all their HUGE glory-you might be able to make out some of the players, if you care.)


All the excitement and waking up so early finally got to J and he fell asleep about 20 minutes before the game started. hahaa! Mike woke him up though so he didn't actually miss the REAL action.

More Game pictures:

Jeter and ARod and someone else during the national anthem.

A look in the dugout prior to the game starting. (this one enlarges)

Jeter getting ready to PLAY BALL!!!!

ARod at bat.

Jeter at bat.

Jeter in action.

and again!

Someone Mike thought was cool enough to get a picture of, but I don't know who. :)

The pitcher and someone else (LOL!)

And Jeter and someone else.

So that was the game. I know the rest of the trip they chilled with Josh and Jill, went to a park, played games, and went to church. They had a VERY fun time.

DD-S's Interview

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Um, clean up the car.
2. What makes mom happy?
ummmmmm, doing what you say.
3. What makes mom sad?
when you feel the Spirit.
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
You tickle me.
5. What was your mom like as a child?
hugging
6. How old is your mom?
I don't remember.
7. How tall is your mom?
(Stretching her hands to the top of my head) THIS tall.
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Clean.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Shop.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Uh, I don't know, I don't know, I said.
11. What is your mom really good at?
Artist.
12. What is your mom not very good at?
jumping.
13. What does your mom do for her job?
Write curvise (meaning cursive) and sometimes you help ds-D scribble on paper.
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
I don't know-peanut butter jelly.
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
cleaning.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
I dunno, a girl, and what would your name...I think Leia.
17. What do you and your mom do together?
shopping.
18. How are you and your mom the same?
I dunno, I wanna go upstairs....
19. How are you and your mom different?
I dunno either.. (me waiting) are you not going to skip those things... I have been thinking and thinking and thinking and I JUST DON"T KNOW.
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Kissing me.
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Kissing him. (ooh lala)
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
to the mall.