Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice!

Christmas Party

2012-02-03T13:57:00.002-06:00

This was the year of the Christmas party for us. I think in all there was 8 parties for our family to attend. Fun, but crazy. This picture was taken at one of Eric's work Christmas parties.

Attitude of Gratitude

2011-11-24T12:16:00.003-06:00

Last week in our sacrament meeting at church someone gave a talk about having the "attitude of gratitude". I really enjoyed listening and it made me think about my life and attitude during this week of Thanksgiving. Do I always have the right outlook on everything I have been blessed with? He mentioned what we would feel like if we woke up the next day and only had with us the things we had remembered to thank Heavenly Father for the day before. In my case that day, I wouldn't have had much. I have really tried to communicate in my prayers this week, and with those around me, what and who I am thankful for. I truly believe, no matter how bad a day we have had, there is always a huge list of things to still be grateful for. I am so blessed to have the gospel in my life. I am so thankful for all my family wherever they are. I love that everywhere we have moved we have found the most amazing friends that act like family. With those things alone, life is good. I could go on and on, but I won't do that here. I will just say I am so blessed and thankful because of it.

Grandpa Time

2011-11-24T09:22:00.001-06:00

I had the opportunity to fly home with Eden a few weeks ago to stay with my parents and visit my grandma who was in the hospital. She had fallen and broke her hip. I wanted to make sure that both grandma's had a chance to see Eden, so we headed to Colorado. It was a really nice trip and we were able to spend some much needed time with a lot of the family. I am grateful for my grandparents and so glad I could see them and introduce them to our new little angel. My grandma is doing much better now and we are thankful for that. Here is Eden having a little grandpa time.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-24T08:45:00.002-06:00

We have a tradition every Halloween of doing a group theme with our friends. Previous years have brought the Flintstones and Scooby Doo clane. This year we went with Alice in Wonderland. We were the hit of the trunk or treat at church. I love Halloween and think it's so fun to go all out for it. We need to start brainstorming for next year already.

Goop

2011-11-24T08:39:00.001-06:00

The girls stayed an evening over with my friend Stacey. Her son, Cohen, loves to do science experiments, so they decided to do one that night. Here is their goop they concocted. Looks like they had a blast.

Family Game Night

2011-11-24T08:37:00.001-06:00

We love to play sorry on the iPad. It is always fun while playing, but generally ends with one of the girls getting mad at the one who won. Addi usually wins. Eden is starting early though.

My first look

2011-11-24T08:34:00.001-06:00

Another older pic from my phone. This is what Eden looked like the first time I was able to see and hold her. I loved those big chunky cheeks. It doesn't get any better!

First Day

2011-11-24T08:32:00.001-06:00

I just came across these pictures taken on my phone. This was at the school outside their classrooms on the first day of school. Such big girls!

Fall Fun

2011-11-23T21:19:00.001-06:00

To celebrate the beginning of fall we went to a hay maze. It doesn't really feel like fall when it's 85 degrees though.

Watch Me Grow

2011-11-23T21:15:00.002-06:00

Eden is growing like a weed! At her 2 month check up she was 13lb 13oz which puts her off the gowth charts. We like em big, and chunky!

Welcome Home Derek

2011-11-23T21:10:00.002-06:00

After serving an honorable mission in Salt Lake City for the last two years, Derek is finally home. We really did miss him and are so glad he is back. He had many great experiences serving in Utah. He even came home speaking a little Swahili. He was able to serve his last area in a Swahili branch. He loved it and who knew Salt Lake would give him an opportunity like that? Now, we have to get him ready to start at BYU in January.

Soccer Smurfs

2011-11-23T21:01:00.003-06:00

This season Eric decided to coach Cambree's soccer team again and it was the best season yet! They received blue uniforms, so naturally named themselves the soccer smurfs. We had a really good team and finished the season 10-0. I love watching Cambree play soccer. She really understands the game. She isn't the best player on the team, but her skills are really solid and she does very well. She usually does best playing defense, which warms my heart. That was my favorite position as well. Generally Cambree plays conservatively, but occasionally she will let a girl have it. She has even been known to flip a girl here and there. I am really proud of how far she has come and how good she is getting. I also love watching Eric coach. He is the best coach and the kids and parents alike love him. He is the best coach out there in my book. Good job soccer smurfs!!

I leave them for 2 seconds.....

2011-11-23T20:43:00.002-06:00

Eden's Blessing

2011-11-23T20:30:00.002-06:00

We were able to bless Eden while grandma and grandpa were still in town. It was so nice to still have them there and have grandpa stand in the circle with Eric, Marc Church, Bishop Sheets, Brother Wilson, and Jared Cordell. It was a very sweet blessing and I know the Lord has much in store for our precious little girl. She is such a sweet spirit and I am so happy she came to us.

Football Saturdays

2011-11-23T20:24:00.004-06:00

What Daddy likes to do on football Saturdays....

What Mommy likes to do on football Saturdays....

This is what the girls love to do on football Saturdays.
Cambree and Addi love to build tents. There favorite thing to do is build a tent on the floor next to our bed to sleep. We let them do this on a rare occasion, usually when there is a holiday and they won't have school. But this time dad suggested building one behind the couch and they were all for it!

Sister Bonding

2011-11-23T20:18:00.002-06:00

As predicted, Addi always wants to be holding Eden.

First Bath

2011-11-23T20:12:00.001-06:00

Like most newborns, Eden hated her first bath. She screamed through the whole thing. I loved her little face in her turtle towel after. Priceless.

Can't Forget the Baby Shower

2011-11-23T16:51:00.003-06:00

Before the baby came the shower...oops! Some of my very good friends gave us an amazing baby shower. The theme was "mocktini's" which was fancy mommy drinks with no alcohol. I walked into the kitchen where the girls would mix a drink of your choice. My favorite was the baby bilini. Yummy! The food was fantastic and the company even better. I have some awesome friends down here in Florida and they made me feel so special.

Eden's First Day

2011-11-23T16:37:00.003-06:00

The girls were able to come up to the hospital after school to meet their new baby sister. They were so excited and so gentle with her. I loved seeing how excited they were. Addi has always been a baby lover, so I figured she would want to hold her sister all the time. I was surprised to see how much Cambree loved her as well and could tell she was going to be a good helper. My co-workers saved the day again. They took Eden both nights to allow me to sleep which was wonderful. They said that she had quite an attitude and wanted to be held the entire night. I was gonna be in for it!

It's Time!

2011-11-23T13:55:00.006-06:00

So, I have had the feeling this entire pregnancy that Eden was a big baby. Obviously I felt huge, so had to blame it on someone. ;) I went to see Dr. Hennessey for my 39 week check up. I told him very confidently I was ready to be induced that day. He wasn't so sure it was a good idea since I was only dilated to 2cm and wanted to do an ultrasound to see how much she had grown. Around 35 weeks her weight was already 7 1/2 pounds, and so they were predicting then at least a 9 pound baby. The first set of measurements the sono tech came up with said 9lb 6oz. The next said 9lb 9oz, and the last said 9lb 8oz. That's when my anxiety started to raise drastically. I had already had a 9 pound baby, and let me tell you, it is not fun. Dr. Hennessey agreed to induce me that day and hoped for the best. I called Eric to tell him the news and to finish up work so we could head to the hospital. Luckily, mom and dad had just flown in the day before to stay with the girls. Yeah!

We got to the hospital at 4pm on August 24th so they could put in cervadil to help me dilate. I was to stay in the bed, but could eat and pretty much have a normal night. At 7am Dr. Hennessey came in to break my water and give the order to start pitocin. Easy enough. Then around 8am the nurse told me I could have the epidural anytime I wanted since I was already dilated to 6cm. I said I was doing fine so far, but Eric looked me in the eye and said "I think you might want to go ahead and get it. Why feel pain if you don't have to?" Very true, so he told our nurse, Wendy, to go ahead and bring it on. Fifteen minutes later I was in labor bliss. Best epidural ever!! Did I mention I got a lot of extra special treatment since I was delivering at the hospital where I work? I have the best co-workers. So, about 10am I feel pressure and Wendy checks me and I am complete. They start setting everything up, Dr. Hennessey arrives a few minutes later, and everything is just going perfectly. Until...Eden gets stuck! Really stuck! Her shoulders were keeping her trapped inside my pelvis. At that moment I was grateful for the best doctor and nurses around. I knew what was happening and that we could be in trouble. They worked fast and perfectly to finally get her out. She had a rough start, but after a few minutes she was doing great. I will say one of the worst feelings in the world is being a NICU nurse laying there helpless while your baby is needing help. I am so glad that Shelly and Kristina, two of my favorite NICU girls were there to help Eden. So at 10:51 am, Eden arrived and the world was that much brighter for us!! She was a whopping 9lb 6oz and 21 3/4 in long!

Piano Recital

2011-11-21T16:59:00.002-06:00

Cambree has been taking piano lessons from our good friend Stacey. She has really done well and sounds beautiful. Cambree is definitely a perfectionist. She gets really frustrated the first day of practicing a new song, but after she gets it down, she swears she loves piano again. It is pretty funny and frustrating for me to watch. Eric had the good idea of doing a recital for her at our house and inviting over a few friends for her to perform for. She was so excited and did a great job. Addi was excited to be the announcer as well. I hope all my girls will stick with the piano and do well. I regret that I quit when I was young. I remember as a little girl I loved to sit and listen to my sister, Crystal play. She was so talented and I wish I would have followed in her footsteps. So, now I can live vicariously through my children!

First Day of School 2011

2011-11-21T16:53:00.002-06:00

This was the morning of the first day of school. Cambree started 2nd grade with Ms. Sanchez and Addi started kindergarten with Mrs. Hanson. We are sooo blessed this year with teachers. Cambree's teacher is in our ward and we have known her for years. She is a great teacher and Cambree loves her. Addi has the same teacher that Cambree did in kindergarten. She is the best kindergarten teacher ever! Well, except for Aunt LaLa. We are so excited for the girls and know they will do great this year.

Ouch

2011-11-21T16:50:00.002-06:00

Cambree was complaining one night that her eye was really itchy. We told her to close it and go to sleep and that would probably help. About an hour later we did our check on the girls before going to bed outselves. I guess that eye bugged her enough she thought a ball of wet toilet paper would do the trick.

Family Voting

2011-11-19T12:07:00.003-06:00

Since finding out that we were having another girl, there were many name suggestions floating around. Eric's favorite was Jaycee, mine was Eden, and the girls liked Aria. We were all being pretty stubborn and not wanting to choose any of the others. We finally decided to sit down one night for family home evening and do a family vote. If we would have been having a boy, he would have been named Eric Joseph Bernkopf IV. Since Eric wasn't going to be able to carry on his name with a son, I thought we could at least give this baby a part of his name. I remember when Eric and I were dating and he would always write EJB on everything. So, I suggested if we named her Eden Jaycee Bernkopf, she would have Eric's initials. Everyone liked that idea, and so we decided on Eden Jaycee.
We are so excited for this new little baby to come to our family. We knew we wanted another baby, but with rumors of deployments, and then finally the 6 month deployment Eric had, it really put us back on getting pregnant. I had the feeling about 2 weeks after it happened that I was pregnant. I felt so happy and excited. I thought for sure that we would have a boy, but secretly hoped it would be another girl. I love my girls and being a mom to them. I always love seeing Eric be a daddy to our little girls. He has so much fun, and is perfect for them.
We have been able to get a few 3d ultrasounds toward the end of my pregnancy. Seeing her little face, I think she is going to look a lot like Cambree. She looks like she has her nose. We will see.
Eden will be the perfect addition to our family and we are so excited. This pregnancy has gone by really easy. Of course there are times of being tired, feeling a bit nauseous, feeling huge, and worrying about this little one getting here safe, but it is all worth it!!

Cambree is 7!!

2011-11-19T11:54:00.004-06:00

We had so much fun doing Addi's birthday in the backyard, Cambree wanted to do the same thing. We had all of our goods friends over and it was a blast. It rained a little that day, but that didn't stop the kids from having fun.
The look on Cambree's face here is priceless. She was trying so hard to smile. She had just found a spider that had crawled on her cake from the table and it had freaked her out.

Cambree is growing up so fast. She is such a good girl. I can't really call her little anymore. She has really blossomed in school and is so smart. She loves to read and has learned so much from it. As I said Addi is my clone, Cambree is Eric's. I always tell people if you put Eric in a cloning machine and set the knob to a little girl, Cambree would come walking out. I love that she is so much like her dad and it is hilarious at times. Cambree is so sweet and loving. She is an amazing friend and very loyal. Any little girl would be lucky to have Cambree as a friend. She loves to dance and do art as well. Eric has coached Cambree for a few seasons now in soccer, and I love watching her. She is very good and has very good skills. She usually plays pretty well and nice, but every once in a while she will let a girl have it. I think she has had more fouls than goals, which sorry to say, makes me proud. Does that make me a bad mom? :) I use to play soccer and loved taking girls out if they tried to score. Cambree is really excited about having a new sister and I know she will be the best big sister ever, like she is to Addi. Cambree, you are amazing and we love you!!!

Scout Camp

2011-11-19T11:43:00.002-06:00

Since our entire Young Men's presidency was deployed this year, Eric had the chance to organize and attend the scout's high adventure camp. They had a blast kayaking, zip-lining, and camping. Eric has really enjoyed working with the young men in the ward and thinks they are a great group of kids.

The D.C. Zoo

2011-11-11T15:33:00.002-06:00

On our trip we also had the chance to go to the zoo. It was very nice and I thought the pandas were pretty cool. Eric is convinced that we should just let them go extinct already though. It is pretty crazy how much effort it has taken to keep them on the planet.

Washington D.C.

2011-11-11T15:25:00.003-06:00

Eric found out that he received an award from the Air Force. He was the Intelligence Officer of the Year for the Reserves. We were so excited for the award and the chance to go to D.C. We left the kids behind with Stacey and had a great weekend. We were able to get tours of the Pentagon and the Capital. It was really interesting to see everything out there. Life there is much different than in Florida. I was grateful for the chance to go see D.C. and also for all the hard work Eric did to receive the award.

Boating

2011-11-11T15:19:00.002-06:00

Our good friends bought a boat last year, and we have been so glad. It has been so much fun to go out on the water. We have all learned to wakeboard, and it is sooo fun. I was tempted to do it here, but since I was pregnant I took an easy ride on the tube with Addi. Eric was rockin' it out though. ;) Cambree was sad that day though, because each time she went out on the water she would loose a flip flop. She is a little dare devil on the tube though, so it was destined to happen.

Happy 5th Birthday Addi!!

2011-11-09T19:51:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe my baby is 5 already. Addi has grown up so fast. This year she wanted to have a slip 'n slide party in the back yard. It was so much fun watching the kids, and dads, slide, throw balloons, limbo, and catch cheese balls in their mouths. Addi was really into Rapunzel this year, so most of her gifts and cake were that theme.

It has been amazing to be the mom and dad of Addi. She is such a sweet little girl and we love her so much. She loves to do anything that has to do with coloring or playing school. I will frequently walk into the room to find her playing teacher. She loves to pretend and has a great imagination. We always say she is my little clone. I can see so much of me in her little, or shall I say big, personality. Eric often laughs when I get frustrated with her, and then reminds me that I do the exact same thing. I tell people that Addi is the perfect child 95% of the time, but the other 5% you better watch out! Addi has a very sensitive heart. She doesn't like any kind of confrontation and will cry very easily. I love that she is so sensitive to others because of this. She gets a lot of attention for her beautiful red hair, but wants to cut it to look like her big sister. She loves to be with Cambree and has always wanted to be just like her. She loves to sneak into our room in the wee hours of the morning so we wake up with a snoring Addi next to us. She has also had some pretty crazy dreams since she was about 2. Any given night Addi will wake up and do and say the craziest things. Night time is very interesting with her around. She has been such a joy in our home and I have loved these last 5 years.

Preschool Graduation

2011-11-09T18:59:00.003-06:00

Addi had the chance to attend preschool at the Navarre Methodist church. This is the popular preschool in town, so we were very lucky to get a spot for her. She was in the Jumping Jaguars class with Ms. Jen. It was a great year for her and she learned so much. I really loved her teacher and was so grateful for her. Addi was sad to be leaving her class, but sooo excited for kindergarten.

Gardening 101

2011-11-09T18:53:00.003-06:00

Our first attempt at a garden went well this year. We got a lot of green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes. It was nice to have a fun way for the entire family to spend some time together outside. It did get hot really quick this year, so next time we will start a bit earlier in the spring. The girls were always really excited to see what had grown since last time we were out.

Turtle Time

2011-11-09T18:48:00.002-06:00

You never know what you'll find in your garage in Florida! This guy kept coming back til Eric put him over the back fence. Too bad my mom wasn't around, she could have given him a good home.

Major Bernkopf

2011-11-09T18:35:00.003-06:00

In May Eric was promoted from Captain to Major. Eric has always worked so hard to serve the country and to provide for our family. We were so happy for this day and couldn't be more proud of him. The girls were so excited to help him change out his shoulder bars. It was a very nice ceremony and there were many people there to support Eric. Next on the list, Lieutenant Colonel here we come!!

I Love Mother's Day

2011-11-09T16:51:00.002-06:00

Eric and the girls were so great to me this last Mother's Day. I got breakfast in bed and then received some new gardening tools. We decided to do a garden this year and are so excited to see what it brings. I am so blessed to be the mother of the best girls in the world. They make being a mom the best job I've ever had.

Easter 2011

2011-11-09T16:34:00.003-06:00

We were able to dye easter eggs and wait for a certain bunny to come and hide them. The girls also got a little gift from that bunny and Addi opened a package of Snow White squinkies. She was so excited about Snow White and the 7 dorks. She had no idea why we were laughing, to her they are the dorks.
We were also able to take the chance this year to really teach the girls what Easter means. As they get older and understand more, we really want to teach them all about Christ and his gospel. I love having these discussions with the girls and hearing their sweet testimonies.

Birmingham Zoo

2011-11-09T16:04:00.003-06:00

We were able to go up to Birmingham, Alabama for a great weekend of attending the temple, going to the zoo, and eating at the cheesecake factory. It was a really fun weekend with our neighbors, the Church's. The kids loved seeing the animals, especially when our friend Maria got pooped on in the bird exhibit. The kids thought that was hilarious.

Conference Time Again

2011-11-09T16:00:00.001-06:00

Again this year we made our yummy conference crepes. The girls love to do this, and so do mommy and daddy. The girls also enjoyed sitting at their table and playing conference bingo. It is always so nice to hear the words of the prophet and get spiritually fed over conference weekend.

It's A Girl!!

2011-11-09T15:57:00.003-06:00

We found out that we would be having another baby in our family in August. I told Eric by putting the positive pregnancy test in his stocking. (Don't worry, I closed it in a plastic bag first.) It was a great surprise Christmas morning. A few months later we decided to tell Grandma and Grandpa over desert!

Dr. Seuss Week

2011-07-29T14:04:00.002-05:00

Dr. Seuss Week means reading books in fun places and eating green eggs and ham. The girls love Dr. Seuss week every year.

Don't We All Wish We Could Be Retired?!?

2011-07-29T13:51:00.002-05:00

The girls have really enjoyed all the time they get now with Grandma and Grandpa since they have retired. Fun times!

One Terrific Kid

2011-07-29T13:47:00.002-05:00

Every year at school the teachers are able to nominate a student to get a "Terrific Kid" award. Cambree was able to get another one this year from her teacher. We were very proud of her and that she always works hard in class.

Addi and Grandpa

2011-07-29T13:37:00.002-05:00

Addison has always loved her Grandpa and I'm pretty sure he has a little soft spot for her as well. I thought these pictures were so funny. She wanted to give Grandpa a chocolate kiss, and since he wouldn't dare say no to her, that's exactly what he got.

Ready for Santa

2011-06-28T14:36:00.003-05:00

Christmas was great this year. Even though they weren't caught in any photos, we had Grandma and Grandpa with us for the holidays. It was a really nice, quiet Christmas at home and we loved having family all together. The girls got just what they asked for from Santa. Thanks to Santa's ebaying ways, there was almost a doll bathtub that didn't make it, but Addi was lucky enough he gave her the tub and the back up gift.

Gingerbread Time

2011-06-28T14:30:00.002-05:00

We have tried to continue a tradition that was started by some great friends in Vegas each Christmas season. We have over some friends and let the kids make gingerbread houses. Ours are pretty simple, graham cracker houses. The kids love it and it's fun to send all our friends kids home hyped up on sugar after a fun night of eating more than decorating.

Disney World 2010

2011-06-28T13:49:00.005-05:00

This last November we went to Disney for our annual trip. We did make the mistake of going during Jersey week, no offense Crystal. :) It was actually pretty funny to hear all the families yelling at each other in Italian/Jersey accents, but we'll avoid that week next time. We had a great time though and the girls were thrilled they got to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. The girls were tall enough to ride everything this year, thank you Skechers pretty talls, and so it was a great family time.

We also had the chance to go to Universal Studios for the first time. They had some great rides and the girls loved meeting the Dr. Seuss characters. Harry Potter world was the highlight though. It was amazing and so fun. I will say the main ride there is pretty scary, and I feel bad we made Cambree go on it twice. She is a bit of a ride junky though, so she was fine.

Can you say BEHIND???

2011-06-28T12:41:00.002-05:00

I have seriously neglected the blog, and now even Eric is telling me I need to get on the ball. So, I will do my best to catch up on some highlights of the winter til now.
Halloween is always fun around here, and is always my favorite holiday. Our new tradition with our friends down here is to all dress up together in the same theme. Last year was the Flintstones, this year was Scooby Doo. The girls argued about who would be Daphne, so they both were. Easy enough. We had a fun time carving pumpkins, trick or treating, and doing the ward trunk or treat. We have already started planning for next year!

Our Poor Chihuahua

2010-11-30T15:17:00.001-06:00

Poor Chanel was having her "time of the month" and had to be put in diapers. She hated them, and I can't blame her. Seeing these pictures reminds me we need to get that poor dog fixed.

First Day of School

2010-11-30T15:06:00.002-06:00

I cannot believe that Cambree is in 1st grade, and that Addi, our baby, started preschool!!! The girls were so excited and have done so well this year. I thought I would just love having so much time to myself, but it was pretty lonely at first. I have adjusted now, :), and am so proud of our girls.

Movie Night

2010-11-30T14:59:00.002-06:00

We usually eat pizza and watch a movie on Friday nights if the girls have been good that week. After a fun day playing in the water, we went over to Stacey's for movie night. The kids looked so cute in these pictures, and I can't say enough how grateful I am for good friends, and even more, good friends that also had their husbands deployed. There were several of us moms that became like family to each other this summer. The kids love to play together, and it was nice to have company a lot of nights for dinner. It was sad to have Eric gone for so long, but it was so nice to have so many friends going through the same thing. We all helped each other out as best we could and grew so much closer together.

Big Kahunas!!

2010-11-30T14:53:00.003-06:00

One of the perks of having a spouse deployed is that the base gives you free tickets to local events. Lucky for us this summer, the base offered us tickets to the water park in Destin called Big Kahunas. The kids loved it there and we would go 1-2 times every week. I was very greatful for these tickets and it made for a very fun summer with our friends. The kids would go down this yellow slide again and again and eventually figured out how fun it was to make a train and go down together. Big Kahunas will probably become part of every summer now.

Fun at the Circus

2010-11-30T14:46:00.002-06:00

So, our poor blog has been very neglected. I know that it is getting close to the holidays, but still felt I should post pictures from our summer of fun. Eric was deployed over the entire summer, so we spent our time having fun with friends. One night we went to the circus with my friend Stacey and her son Cohen. The kids really enjoyed it, and to say the least it was an interesting experience.

Gotta Love This

2010-08-24T22:25:00.001-05:00

Addi has been a great little cleaner this summer. She loves to empty the dishwasher onto the counter, put clothes in the washer and then transfer them to the dryer, sweep, and has now been asking to do the vaccuming. What's a mother to do, right? I'm sure this won't last, but I'm thankful for it today!!

A missed photo!

2010-08-24T22:22:00.001-05:00

We cant forget Addi's hill-billy teeth!

Happy 4th Birthday Addi!!

2010-08-24T22:12:00.002-05:00

Addi turned 4 in June and we had a fun little birthday for her. She wanted to have friends over to eat pizza and watch The Princess Bride. It was a lot of fun and she received some really great gifts. Her favorite though, was a pink Polly Pocket motorhome from Grandpa and Grandma. The picture of her smiling and laying on top of a present shows her excitement about this gift. I think she is more exicted about her grandparents coming down to visit in their motorhome, but this helps her think of them. It was a great day and I still can't believe that our baby is 4. We love you Addi and I am grateful everyday that you are my little sunshine.

Artsy Cambree

2010-08-24T22:09:00.002-05:00

Cambree made a really cute butterfly in her art class in kindergarten and was chosen to have it displayed in a local art show. She was so excited and it was a lot of fun to go see her project. She has always loved art, and I hope that continues.

Sumter, South Carolina

2010-08-24T21:56:00.003-05:00

The girls and I decided to go on a road trip to South Carolina with my neighbor right before school let out. Our best friends, the Vermillions live there, and we thought it would be fun to see them. While we were there we were able to go to an air show at the base. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a good time.
That weekend was also Mother's Day and so Christina & I were surprised with a bouqet from Edible Arrangements. It was so yummy and a very fun surprise. Thanks again Rick.

No Better Time to Blog

2010-08-24T21:45:00.003-05:00

So, I am a little behind on blogging. But, no better time then now to get caught up, right? :)
So, we have all heard plenty about the oil spill in the gulf over the last few months. We were really worried after hearing it was projected to come our way. I talked to the girls about it and we headed down to the beach several times to make sure we enjoyed them before the oil could destroy their beauty. We love the beaches here, and realized that I take them for granted, a lot. They are the prettiest beaches I have ever seen and it broke my heart to think of them covered in oil. But, after all the weeks and months of worrying, the oil never made it heavily to our beaches. There were tar balls and such that were cleaned up promptly, and everything is still as beautiful as can be.
I took these pictures of the girls at the beginning of the summer to make sure we captured the beauty and fun of Navarre Beach.

Eric's list

2010-06-20T09:26:00.001-05:00

So, Eric is very organized and, I like to tease, a type A personality. He likes things neat and tidy, and loves lists. I tease that he makes lists for lists. So, in true Eric style, here is a list of reasons why we think Eric is the best dad in the world.

I am so grateful we have been married for 8 fun years and even more grateful you are an amazing father to our girls. So here is your list of all the things the girls, and I, love about you.

-You love to play. It doesn't matter the game, you are always willing to get down on the floor and play with the girls. Whether it be a monster in the house, or a soccer obstacle course outside, you love to play with the girls and they will always remember that.
-You are a good example. You are a good person and the girls can see that. Even when you make mistakes, as we all do, you talk to the girls about it and try and teach them.
-You ensure there is the spirit in the home. Even with you being all these miles apart, you try to make sure we read our scriptures and say prayers together. The girls have learned so much about the gospel from you and I know that will continue.
-You work hard to support us. Even though you haven't always loved the hours or nature of what you had to do, you have always worked hard to support our family. I love that I don't have to work and can afford to stay home with our girls. In the long run, that will really matter to us all.
-You love family time. I know that if there is an event you are invited to, you want to bring us. You enjoy being with us and make an effort daily to have fun family time.
-You are so creative. I know that when the girls or I need help with a project, talk, or lesson, you can help us think of fun ways to get things done.
You are smart, and luckily that has worn off on our girls. As I see Cambree learn in school, I know that she gets her brains from her dad. You always ensure that Cambree has a chance to grow. You were very diligent about helping Cambree with her sight words whenever you could, and now she can read!!
-You are very loving. We all know that talking to you about whatever is going on will make us feel better. You are a very good listener and can help work out any problems.
-You are a good missionary. You are always willing to share the gospel and you serve in the bishopric faithfully. You will try to let people know about the gospel, and will always defend our beliefs.
-You remind me of my dad. And that's a good thing. I was raised by the best dad a girl could ask for, and you remind me of him so much. I love that and hope we can continue to grow as a family and establish the kind of childhood for our children that I had.
-You are very encouraging. Any endeavor the girls or I try to do, you are always right there encouraging us and trying to help us acccomplish our goal.
-You are HOT!!! So, that doesn't matter to the girls, but it is sure nice for me!!
-You are also tough. All the years at the Academy, all your training, and all your years of service has made you someone who is tough and does not give up easily.

Okay, so we could continue to go on, but those are a few highlights on our list of reasons why we love you Eric. As a husband, friend, teacher, example, and most importantly today...a father.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Disney On Ice

2010-06-13T20:05:00.004-05:00

Me, my mom, and the girls were able to go see Disney On Ice in Pensacola this year while my mom was visiting. We got the tickets free from the base, and the seats were great. The girls had a great time and it was very entertaining. Thanks to the base for the free tickets and good time.

2010-06-13T19:19:00.004-05:00

We were very lucky to have our best friends, Rick & Christina, come visit after Rick had gotten home from a year deployment in Afghanistan. We were so happy he was home safe and so glad we could spend time together and catch up. We had a fun weekend of watching the kids do the slip 'n slide and doing fun stuff for Easter.

We are so thankful for our friends and that our friendship has only grown with all the miles between us since we've moved apart from each other. I'm looking forward to our next time together and to do all the fun traditions we have. Thanks for making the trip down to see us guys. We love you!!!

I've Got Proof!

2010-05-07T19:23:00.002-05:00

I have a theory Carrie is an amazing mother! I gathered some scientific evidence to prove that theory!

Twenty Evidences of a Terrific Mother:

1) She sneaks her children’s favorite treats into the movie theater

2) Her girls have her incredible looks!

3) She sacrifices her music in the car for “Chipmunks” and “Disney Soundtrack”

4) She has convinced her three-year old that doing the dishes and laundry is fun.

5) Her five-year old says, “Dad, we shouldn’t buy it if we don’t have a coupon.”

6) Her girls love Jesus and know why we pray to Heavenly Father.

7) Her girls don’t get everything they want.

8) Her girls always have everything they need.

9) She seldom, if ever, raises her voice.

10) Her five year old has never missed a homework assignment.

11) The biggest argument each days is, “who gets to sit by mommy” at dinner.

12) The second biggest argument is, “who gets to say the prayer” each night.

13) Her answer is always yes if her girls ask to cuddle.

14) She will wear funky toenail polish, cause “that’s the color the girls painted it”

15) She eats elementary school cafeteria food, “just to be with her five-year old”

16) Her daughters want to be just like her

17) When she is wrong, she is the first to admit it to her girls.

18) She never leaves her girls without a kiss, hug, and “I love you.”

19) She listens to her girls.

20) Her husband wants to be a better father just by watching her.

Thanks Carrie! You are awesome...

Love, Eric

I Scoop The Poop

2010-04-17T12:53:00.002-05:00

This was in Cambree's homework folder yesterday.

It says, "My job is to scoop the poop." She even drew little black poops all over the ground and her smiling with a little baggy of poop. Her teacher thinks it's wonderful! I think it's hilarious! I am still laughing today about it.

Terrific Veterinarian!!

2010-04-12T16:49:00.003-05:00

Cambree had the chance to dress up for career day at her school. She wanted to be a veterinarian and is convinced that is the job for her. Also, on that same day was a terrific kids ceremony. Cambree was selected by her teacher to be the terrific kid in her class for the 3rd nine weeks of school. So, we were able to go and see the ceremony and spend some time with Cambree. It was really nice and Cambree is convinced it was one of the best days ever!!

We are so talented.

2010-04-12T16:41:00.001-05:00

The girls had to show off their new moves they have learned in karate and gymnastics.

Soccer Cambree

2010-04-12T16:14:00.003-05:00

Cambree has been loving soccer and doing really well. She had her first game last Saturday and pictures of that will follow. She loves that her dad will practice with her everyday and they have a blast together. This will be a fun season. We have some interesting soccer "moms", but all very nice.

Hannah Montana

2010-03-24T15:00:00.002-05:00

My girls have been begging me to wear these Hannah Montana wigs and sing into the microphones. They don't actually want to be Hannah, but rather, the Chippettes. They like to dress up and pretend everyday that they are the Chippettes. They usually fight over who is Brittany, so we have agreed there are 2 Brittany's in the group. Theses girls make me laugh. The wigs were a reward for helping me clean the house on a Saturday. If only I had more wigs for next weekend. :)

Cambree's Kindergarten Class

2010-03-24T14:38:00.002-05:00

We have been very blessed this year to have an amazing teacher for Cambree. Her name is Mrs. Hanson and she has been the best!! Cambree loves her and her class and continues to accelerate everyday. We are so proud of her and think her little class is sooo cute.

Pughuahua

2010-02-21T09:12:00.004-06:00

So, we added a new addition to our family. Casey was a pughuahua (pug-chihuahua mix) that was going to be put down in a local shelter. A chihuahua rescue group happened to go in and save her the day she was scheduled to be euthanized. She was put into a foster home last May and nobody had come to see her the entire time she was there. I saw her picture on petfinder.com and even though she was a little funny looking, I really wanted to go see her. Eric was very understanding and went on this dog finding adventure with me. After meeting her we realized she was the right dog for us. Her and Chanel are best friends and are always together. They usually play fight all morning long and then find a spot and curl up together to nap all afternoon. Casey is also very good with the girls and they love her. She has been a great new dog for us and glad we could give her a home.

To Die for Blueberry Muffins

2010-01-21T22:02:00.001-06:00

Since we moved to Florida we have discovered that my neighbor, Maria, is an amazing baker and she loves to share. She is the best at making bread and yummy treats all the time. And the best part...she loves to share. Her kids will always bring treats over that their mom has just made and a lot of the time when I watch her kids, she'll bring me a treat. Not expected, but greatly appreciated of course. Well, Maria has been called to teach sunday school at church. There was one Sunday she came in with a basket of fresh blueberry muffins for anyone who had read the lesson prior to class. Luckily I was one of the lucky few who had and was able to eat a muffin. They were delicious and so I had her email me the recipe. I made them and everyone loved them. The girls would have about 3 or more for breakfast if I would let them. So, since she was nice enough to share with me, I'll be nice and share with you. So here is the recipe.
go to www.allrecipes.com and search for a recipe called To Die For Blueberry Muffins. I promise you will love them. Also, I found that if you double the batter recipe, but leave the crumble topping recipe the way you see it, you will have plenty of topping for all your muffins. Enjoy!

Disney World 1/2 Marathon 2010

2010-01-16T18:26:00.002-06:00

January 9th I ran the Disney World half marathon along with my friends Christina and Stacey. We were really excited until we found out the weather would be about 30 degrees and there was a very good chance of rain and sleet. We woke up at 3am and made it to the park at 3:45am. We didn't start running til about 6:30am, so there was a good amount of time to sit in the rain and freeze. We couldn't wait to start running to warm up. So, we ran and ran and finished the race in about 2 1/2 hours. We were very excited and felt we could have had a faster time, but with 6 thousand people running, it was hard not to run into people all along the way. It was fun running through Magic Kingdom and seeing characters cheering you on. I am so proud of us girls and so glad we did it. I would love to do it again, but not anytime in the near future. :)

Freezing before the race started.

Fireworks went off at the beginning of each wave.

Just a few of the 6 thousand runners total.

After running through Cinderella's castle.

The race finished in Epcot...almost done!!

Me, Stacey, and Christina with our medals.

Yeah!!! We finished!!!

Cambree oh Cambree

2010-01-16T18:14:00.002-06:00

Cambree can be a hoot sometimes. Here are a few of her recent comments that made me laugh.
*Cambree was very excited Christmas morning to find that Santa had brought her a dollhouse and some barbies. She walked up to it and shock it, then looked at us and said, "Wow, those elves did good!!"
*Eric likes to make his dad's version of famous potatoes. They are very good and we like to eat them with soft boiled eggs. Tonight at dinner Cambree gobbled up her eggs fast and then was able to grab the last egg available. Eric said, "Wow, you really liked my potatoes." Which Cambree replied, "No, I just wanted to be able to eat the last egg."

Lipstick Sisters

2010-01-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

They are already starting! We are going to be in trouble.

Happy Birthday Joanna

2010-01-15T08:56:00.001-06:00

Our good friend Joanna turned 32 last week and we coordinated with her husband to have a surprise birthday party for her at our house. She was really surprised and we had a great time. She is an awesome friend and so glad we could make her smile and enjoy her birthday with her.

Rock On Addi!!!

2010-01-15T08:50:00.002-06:00

Thanks again to Uncle Joel, we got some pretty rockin' pictures. The biker head wrap is pretty popular in this house.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T10:51:00.004-06:00

There was a lot to do this Christmas and we stayed very busy. Christmas Eve morning we had a waffle breakfast and had a little over 30 people over to eat. It was great. Then Christmas Eve night we had a ham dinner at our friends house and read the true Christmas story. Christmas morning was so fun this year. The girls had put out reindeer food and had to run outside to make sure it was gone. They had both also asked for a Barbie dollhouse and so Santa brought one for the girls to share. Cambree got some princess barbies to go with it and Addi got some polly pockets she had also asked for. Eric got a new laptop so he would be able to use it on his deployment to call us with Skype, and I got a kitchenaid. Yeah!! Christmas night we made a traditional Austrian dinner to include schnitzle, cucumber salad, and potatoes. We had a great time eating and talking and of course watching Christmas Vacation. Another great Christmas. We just hope next year Grandma and Grandpa will be enjoying a warm Florida Christmas with us. hint hint ps-Thanks Joel for the cool biker wrap for Eric. He thought it was pretty cool and even wore it around the house yesterday doing my honeydo list of things around the house.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2010-01-01T10:44:00.003-06:00

The tradition in our family is that we put up the Christmas tree the Family Home Evening after Halloween. A lot of people have commented that is way too early, but for us we never feel that the tree is up long enough. We were a little late this year, but we finally got it up and the girls loved to help.

Our First Cruise

2010-01-01T10:33:00.002-06:00

Eric and I were able to go on our very first cruise and we were even able to go alone. Eric's mom and sister flew in to take care of the kids while we got to take a little vacation together. We left out of Mobile, AL and went down to Progresso and Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise was a lot of fun and the food was the best part. We were able to see the Mayan ruins and the flamingos in Progresso and then we went snorkeling in Cozumel. I was a little afraid to have to breath out of this tube in my mouth with my nose covered, but it ended up being so much fun. I'm really glad we got to do our trip and glad Eric and I were able to spend some time together. A cruise is a really fun vacation, and we will do it again in the future.

Meow

2010-01-01T10:30:00.003-06:00

Addison likes to pretend that she is a cat, a lot! Eric decided to play with her that day and gave her a bowl of chocolate milk to lap up. Lucky kitty!

Halloween 2009...Yabba Dabba Do

2010-01-01T10:19:00.003-06:00

Our ward did a trunk or treat this year for Halloween. It was fun to go as the

Flintstones and we had the whole clan again. We recorded the Flintstones song from the movie and had it playing on repeat in the van as we handed out candy. A lot of kids weren't too sure about my bright orange wig, but took the candy anyway. A girl in our ward had her dad bring some horses for the kids to ride around the parking lot and also some miniature horses that pulled a wagon for the kids to ride in. They thought it was so fun to ride the horses and it was a great way to spend Halloween.

My First 10K

2010-01-01T10:12:00.002-06:00

A local Scottish restuarant called McGuire's always does an annual race for Halloween. This was my first 10k and I'm happy to report we finished. This was another milestone in helping get ready for the half marathon. Sometimes we like to do races just to get the race shirt, and this one was the best shirt by far.

Girls Camp 2009

2010-01-01T10:05:00.002-06:00

I was able to attend Girls Camp this last August with my friend Stacey who was the Young Women's president. We had a fun time and learned a lot about the girls in our ward. They thought it was pretty funny to do pranks to the other girls from other towns, but little did they know the best prank of all was played by their leaders. It was too easy and the opportunity couldn't be passed up. The girls all decided to take a shower at the same time and all left their clothes right outside the shower. Stacey and I ran in and then proceeded to put all their clothes in a huge pile on the other side of the bathroom. We were nice and left them their towels though. The girls were all pretty mad and were sure the girls from Gulf Breeze did it. We will never tell!!

Who's Got Talent?

2010-01-01T09:59:00.003-06:00

Our primary put on a talent show for the kids one Saturday morning. The girls were so excited. They were able to run through the blue streamers and then they played music while the kids showed of their talent. Cambree and Addi were able to get out there and strut their new gymnastics moves. I was very proud of them and Addi was the youngest participant. They really felt special and I thought it was an awesome activity from our primary.

Pool Pics

2010-01-01T09:52:00.002-06:00

I was able to get a bunch of pictures from my friend Stacey's camera lately, so I will back track a little and then catch up on recent photos. This was at the pirate pool at our condo in Orlando where we stayed for our Disney trip in September. The kids, Derek and Eric included, had a blast here. There was a giant pirate ship in the middle of the pool that had a great waterslide through it. You would hike to the top of the ship and then it would curve around all inside and then spit you out into the water pretty fast. We will definetely stay there again next year.

Blowouts Are Just No Fun!

2009-11-01T21:36:00.003-06:00

Over the last several years, Ohio State always plays crappy teams very close. Eric constantly asks me, "why can't Ohio State just blow a team out." I constantly remind him that would be boring and he really wouldn't enjoy it. Well...this week Ohio State blew out New Mexico State. While he swears up and down he watched the entire game and enjoyed every minute of it, here is evidence that proves his statement false! This was taken in the 3rd Quarter - Ohio State 38 / New Mexico State 0.

I can tell that the excitement was too much to bear... :) I love you honey!

"Pray always, that ye may..."

2009-11-01T20:56:00.003-06:00

...make lights turn green!"

A few days ago Carrie and the girls were coming home from Wal-Mart. While waiting at a red light, Carrie heard Cambree say, "Heavenly Father..." When she turned around to see what was going on, both the girls had their arms folded and Cambree was praying for the light to change green so they could hurry home. Needless to say, the light eventually turned green. Thank goodness for prayer.

Oh no they didn't!!

2009-10-07T21:22:00.004-05:00

The girls have been begging Eric and I to get out the Halloween stuff from the attic to start decorating. They finally convinced Eric tonight before he left for mutual at the church. As I was getting stuff out and decorating I hear the girls in the living room playing house. Cambree was the mommy and Addi was the daughter. This is what I found when I walked into the living room. Let's just say, I'm glad she's not my mommy!! By the way, this was Eric's old costume from last year. Yep, he wore a business casual outfit, stuffed my bra, and wore a necklace to finish it off. Too bad there weren't pictures of that.

92 degrees and boots

2009-10-07T15:24:00.003-05:00

As Addi was getting ready for gymnastics yesterday she insisted she needed to wear her boots. I told her it was very hot out and that flip flops would probably feel better. But, she insisted the blue boots were what she wanted. So, this is what Addi looked like going to gymnastics in what the weather channel said felt like 92 degrees.

Uncrustables Anonymous

2009-10-01T19:49:00.002-05:00

I think I need to go to UA..Uncrustables Anonymous. I am ADDICTED to these yummy pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I never thought I would pay for such a simple item I could make myself, but I feel out of control. I would eat these things all day long. I usually have to limit myself to 3 a day. It's getting bad. My sandwiches don't taste like these. Maybe they put an addictive chemical in the peanut butter. Yeah, that's why I pay $5 a box for these things. I justify my cravings in my mind by reminding myself there is peanut butter in them which is full of protein, so in a way, they are good for me. Oh well. If any of you have tips on how to conquer this, please let me know.

Derek is officially a missionary!!

2009-09-30T20:55:00.003-05:00

So, as a mentioned earlier, since last fall we have had a now 19 year old living with us. Derek joined the church about 14 months months ago and needed a place to stay after some issues came along for him. So, he has been with us since then. It was a little different and frustrating for us at first getting used to having a teenager in the house, but over time we really learned to love him. I've learned a lot from having him around. It really strengthened my testimony to see someone who didn't have any support from his family in choosing to go on a mission, prepare and still go very eagerly. I am very proud of Derek and we pray daily that he will be safe and enjoy serving the people in Salt Lake City.

Disney World 2009

2009-09-30T19:34:00.014-05:00

We did our annual fall Disney trip again this year. We just got back last weekend and we are exhausted. Disney is so much fun, but yes, exhausting. We were able to go up with some good friends and also took the 19 year old who has been living with us for almost a year now. I'll fill you in more on that in the next post. But we really enjoyed ourselves and it was very fun having other people go with us this year. Eric and I actually got to go on some rides together for the first time. Usually one of us has to sit with Addi, who was just barely too short for the big rides this year. We were able to do 4 days at Disney and 1 at Sea World. It was awesome. We also went to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. That was my favorite time. Getting all dressed up was kinda fun. So, without further ado....
Our first day was at Animal Kingdom. The kids really enjoyed seeing the animals and we all voted the Lion King show was awesome. The girls were even asked to participate in the show. They were so proud of themselves. Also the Everest ride and the raft ride in that park were so much fun. I got completely drenched, but it was worth it.

Magic Kingdom came next. This is always a fun park because it has a lot of fun things for the kids and it's all the classic rides I remember when I went as a child. It was a fun day and Cambree couldn't get enough of Splash Mountain. Addi said the pirate ride scared her, but she kept saying she was brave and wanted to go back.

So maybe this won't sound so funny to you, but we were rolling at the comment of Addi here. We went to see Tigger and Pooh and the girls were really excited. After getting our picture taken Cambree had to let Pooh know that she was a "Honey Bear" as her kindergarten class mascot. Addi had to chime in and looked up at Tigger and said, "I'm a platypus". Tigger nodded at her and pretended to laugh. We were laughing so hard the rest of the day.

That night we got all dressed up and headed out to the Halloween party. We had the full Flintstones clan together and people loved our costumes. We actually had people in the park stop us and ask if they could take our picture. Also, many times through out the night many men and women would yell as loud as they could, in their best Fred voice, "Wilma!!" at me. Pretty fun night. The Halloween parade that night is so cool. The head-less horseman runs down the street to start things off. I tried to act concerned that the guy didn't have a head and Addi assured me it was fine, his head was the pumpkin in his hand. No big deal. I think Scooby Doo has taught my kids a few lessons. ha ha

Meeting the characters always seems to be the kids favorite part and fun for us parents to. I love to see the girls faces light up when it's their turn to meet them and how much they talk about their experiences with each character. Kinda fun and a sweet memory to think back on when my children are older.

Even Derek had to get in on the character action. Belle was too pretty to pass up.

Sea World is always great and seeing the shows there always takes my breath away. The whales and dolphins are so beautiful and it's so neat to see. We ate at the Shark restaurant as usual. That place never gets old. It's awesome to sit next to a huge tank of sharks and eat your lunch. Can't say that happens very often at home but probably plenty when we're at the beach. Just lucky for us we don't realize they are there. ;)

So, all and all, we had a another great Disney trip. Eric said we have paid our homage to the mouse for another year. Can't wait to do it again, after I get in a nap.

Yes, we have a Chihuahua

2009-09-13T13:53:00.003-05:00

I have had multiple comments since my last post about our dog. I guess I haven't mentioned her much, but we do have a Chihuahua. She was given to us when a co-worker of Eric's didn't have enough time for her anymore. She is an awesome dog. The girls will not ever leave her alone and she puts up with them so well. Eric always wants to clarify that we didn't give her the name Chanel, she came with it. He's even tried to convince me to change it. She is good company and I'm really greatful we have her in our family also.

So Sweet

2009-09-03T08:25:00.004-05:00

While I was getting ready this morning for my run I thought it was a little quiet. Quiet usually means somebody is up to no good. But, this is what I found when I came out of my room. Addi loves books and brings them everywhere. She has started to "read" them herself also. So I found her sitting on the chair reading books to Chanel. They did that for almost an hour. It was so sweet.

Gymnastics

2009-09-03T08:18:00.002-05:00

The girls have both been very excited to start gymnastics this year. Addi had her first class last week. She LOVED it! She was the only one and got a lot of attention that way. She really enjoyed the gym obstacle course and kept asking when they would get to the flips. Or, as she would say "fwips". It has been so much fun watching her and I'm glad she enjoys it.

Kindergarten!!

2009-09-03T08:11:00.002-05:00

Cambree had her first day of school last Monday. She was very excited to go. She was so brave she wanted to go all by herself, but I told her I had to take her the first two days and then she could be on her own. She has loved it everyday and the teacher has given us great comments on her behavior. We are so proud of her. Eric had the chance to go eat lunch with her on Tuesday. It made her day to see her dad and share a frozen snickers with him. But he wasn't too excited about the boy who likes her that sits by her at lunch. She told us, "He likes me, well, he just thinks I'm beautiful." I thought it was a lot funnier than her dad did. This should be a fun year.

Grandpa would be proud

2009-08-19T21:28:00.003-05:00

So, I have made reference before, and many of you already know my children are very good eaters. They love food and eat pretty much anything. I have always been impressed with my girls ability to eat salsa with certain meals, but this really tops it off. My dad and I love hot food so this should make him proud. The other day we had some nachos and the girls both asked to try a jalapeno. They ate and didn't really say much. Then yesterday the girls asked me for a snack. They both wanted their own bowl of jalapenos and a fork. So, that's what they got. And then today I went to lunch with a friend at a Thai restaurant. The girls said they wanted rice and when their food came, Cambree proceeded to dump Louisiana Purchase Hot Sauce on her rice and eat it. She is going to pay for this kind of eating later, but for now I am pretty proud!

Jeckseein!!

2009-08-19T09:52:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know I spelled jet-skiing wrong, but that is the way the girls say it. They love the jet skis and we have had so much fun going out as a family and with friends. Even more of a reason for all of our friends and family to come visit, right? :) These are a few picks of when we went out for Addi's birthday with the Vermillions and Stacey. Everyone had a blast and it will be a great memory for all of us.

Addi's Birthday...finally

2009-08-09T16:02:00.003-05:00

Even thought the birthday blogging is out of order, I still wanted to post some pictures of when Addi turned 3 this year. We were so excited our best friends, the Vermillions, were able to come in for a few days before Rick left on a very long trip. I asked Addi what she wanted to do and she said she wanted to go out on our jetskis. So, that's what we did. Some of those pictures will be posted later. But after a fun day at the beach, we came back to the house for cake and presents. It was a fun time and so happy to have so many great friends there for Addi.

Some special thoughts I have about Addi right now are:
- She is so beautiful to me. With her little smile and fun hair. She melts my heart with any look she gives me. I can never stay very mad at her.
- Addi has a cute little accent. The way she says certain words with her own little twist is cute and hilarious. She gets tired of repeating all the little cute words I always ask her to.
-She loves to cuddle. If there is ever a chance she gets to nap or sleep with you, she always has to be touching. Even if you are holding her pinky finger. She always wants me there.
- She is very smart and loves to learn. She has so much fun in nursery at church and has been asking when she can start school.
- Addi has her own little personality. She knows what she wants and usually persuades people in an extremely cute way to get WHATEVER she wants.
- She loves to be tickled and I love to do it to hear her sweet laugh.
- She hates being in trouble. With EVERY little thing I might get after her for she will reply, "I'm not in trouble?" She always wants the assurance that everything is okay.
I am so blessed to have the two best little girls Heavenly Father could have sent me. Addi is so special and I couldn't go a day without her. She has been the perfect addition to our family and has made the last 3 years amazing.

Hint, Hint Dad!!

2009-07-27T18:46:00.003-05:00

Cambree and Addi have found something they love and would like me to show their dad as a hint for Chritmas. We'll see. ha ha

Mormon Pioneer Days

2009-07-27T18:37:00.004-05:00

Every July 24th in the small town of Manassa Colorado the local people gather to celebrate Mormon Pioneer Days. I have been going to this celebration with my family since I was a little girl. It is a lot of fun and there is a lot to do. There is the parade, and a famous hamburger stand that every single person waits in line for, dances, and of course a rodeo. It has been fun to take the girls there twice now and give them a little Colorado farm education since my kids didn't know the difference between a cow and a horse. I guess you could call my kids city kids. We got out of the car and started setting up our chairs for the parade when Cambree and Addi both plugged their noses and said, "Pew, it stinks here!" I told them that was the smell of horse poop. Cambree was so confused why there was horse poop in the road and why the entire town smelled of it. So, my kids aren't as farm savy as I was growing up, but oh well. I thought it was a great time and fun to bring the girls to.