Growing Wild

This Moment

2012-02-03T09:16:00.000-05:00

Working on their beaver dam.

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

This Moment

2012-01-27T16:55:00.000-05:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

January Round-up

2012-01-24T08:54:00.000-05:00

I've done some clothes shopping for baby and it just makes me so happy. Bought my favorite swandler after putting it off for a month and a half waiting to find out we were having another girl. Found her bring-home-from-the-hospital onesie. Possibly picked out her blessing dress. There's still more on the list, but I've satisfied the urge to nest through shopping, for now.

We celebrated Daniel's birthday and our anniversary. Daniel requested not-homemade cookies fresh from the oven instead of a cake. We all enjoyed the chocolaty goodness. The kids spent the night at our friends house on our anniversary and we had a quiet evening at home and enjoyed sleeping on our own schedule.

I've shied away from pulling out this little tea set for fear of it being shattered on the kitchen floor. Bear found it in the cupboard the other day and happily played with it all through dinner prep and then again all through dinner clean up.

Missy Moo was picked to bring home the class mascot for the weekend. She came running off the bus screaming, "I got to bring home Patrick, the puppy!!!"

I've decided that if I'm really serious about getting a new camera, I need to put away every extra little penny I find towards purchasing it. And so, the camera jar came into existence. Hopefully I can fill that puppy up fast and get back to participating in a hobby that I love.

One More, Makes Four

2012-01-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

We were very excited to open one Christmas present in particular this year.
The envelope that let us know that we would be adding another girl to the family.

She'll be joining us all in May.
We can wait, only because it will take us that long to come up with another girl's name.

Toothless

2012-01-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

Missy Moo stopped mid present distribution on Christmas morning to announce something very important.
Her very first loose tooth had just fallen out.
It spent the entire day lost in the carpet until Missy Moo finally located it before going to bed and placing it under her pillow for the tooth fairy.
We're now all very excited to hear how much looser her next tooth is getting.

This Christmas...

2012-01-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

Eventful

We drove to Minnesota to spend Christmas with friends this year. The Fetters have three girls right around the same age as our three girls. The three of them couldn't be any more different though, so it was fun to watch them interact and play.

We spent Christmas Eve at the Minneapolis Zoo. So fun and so nice to be able to be inside. Apple loved the dolphin show. Missy Moo found the birds fascinating and BB did everything within her power to keep up with her sisters.

We also spent time on the roller coasters at the Mall of America and did every craft Amber and I could think of to entertain girls and ourselves.

Thanks Fetters for letting us stay and taking such great care of us all while we were there!

Temple Lights

2011-12-19T19:43:00.000-05:00

We had to wake up Missy Moo after she fell asleep on the car ride down.
Apple couldn't decide which colored light she liked best.
BB was amazed by everything.
We even nabbed our annual family picture.

Puppy Love

2011-11-30T13:08:00.000-05:00

Once she grabbed a hold of the leash and realized the puppy wasn't going to run off with her, BB was in heaven walking it around the room.

This Moment

2011-11-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Playing with the camera.

Book Club

2011-11-17T08:23:00.000-05:00

Sometimes she'll just stop right in the middle of playing, gather up an armload of books and find herself a quiet place to read.

Fly Time

2011-11-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

Fun

2011-11-09T08:56:00.000-05:00

He may not have much time at home during the week, but he more than makes up for it on the weekends!

Apple Picking

2011-10-26T08:49:00.001-04:00

Not the most cost effecient way to procure apples, but the girls enjoy the trip and Mama and Papa enjoy being out and about on a beautiful sunny day.

Living Dreams Through Kids

2011-10-15T21:57:00.007-04:00

Papa Thomas at the keyboard. We have the privilege of living just a short distance from a very old (built in 1774) yet quaint ski shoppe. Last Sunday, as we drove past it, whispering a prayer to the snow gods, we noticed on their billboard that a special guest would be visiting on Wednesday. My heart lept! Wednesday came, but I was summoned to a meeting at Aberdeen Proving Ground that kept me from meeting my childhood ski hero. I almost wanted to cry, until Dalynn said she would take Maren and Ember to meet him, and even agreed to take a picture with him. She drew the line when I asked if she would get Mika out of school to go along. I think this will be the new family photo over the mantle (even though two of us are missing and Maren looks like Justin Bieber.

A shiny nickle to the person who knows who this guy is...a hint: he usually sports a 2 foot tall mohawk and can be found most frequently at Heavenly.

This is just a teaser for a future post, when we have photos but,...we bought Mika her first pair of pink skis (they even have a unicorn on them), boots (covered in butterflies) and a pink helmet (so she can learn to do backflips). We have to wait two weeks for the shop to mount the bindings but I hope you are as giddy as me to see her all decked out in her ski garb and trying to walk around the house in her ski boots. That might merit a video for the blog.

This Moment

2011-10-07T09:01:00.001-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Video games with Papa.

This Moment

2011-09-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Honesty

2011-09-17T08:08:00.000-04:00

Mama: Hey girls, Mama just fit into a pair of jeans I haven't worn since Missy Moo was born.
How do they look?
Missy Moo: Too small.

This Moment

2011-09-16T08:15:00.000-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Peace.

Missy

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Eating breakfast at IHOP and Missy Moo notices they have a Waffle Slam.
Missy Moo: I'd like the waffle without the slam. The slam doesn't sound very good.

Missy Moo has been working with scissors all week at school.
She came home last night with a stomach ache.
Mama: Did anything happen at school today to upset your stomach?
Missy Moo: I think it's from all the cutting.

Talking about the different animals she's going to have when she grows up.
Missy Moo: I would never let the horses inside the house. They would scare my octopus.

This Moment

2011-09-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

I'm sure we're not going to have any trouble remembering this with the number of times we're going to be mowing this yard, but the first day on the riding lawn mower sure was fun.

The Ocean

2011-09-08T21:45:00.001-04:00

For me.

Water Taxi

2011-09-07T21:40:00.002-04:00

We took a water taxi to an event last week.
Perfect excuse to post pictures of these cuties!

Move

2011-09-02T21:30:00.001-04:00

When we moved last, it was in the middle of two record setting snow storms. So we figured why not move during the middle of a hurricane this time?
We came home a day early from our Florida vacation, packed up the townhouse and moved everything over to our new place.
We're supposed to be unpacking, but with a yard this large it's hard to stay inside.

Even when we're inside we're thinking about being outside.

Kindergarten

2011-09-01T20:00:00.001-04:00

Wow!
After two days delay because of the hurricane and one day delay because of registration issues, Missy Moo finally started her first day of Kindergarten.
She couldn't have been placed with a better teacher.
She's come home excited and exhausted and ready to go back again the next day.

Memoirs of a Family Vacation*

2011-08-29T08:29:00.011-04:00

Day One: We swam.
Day Two: We swam twice.
Day Three: We were joined by cousins!! And we swam some more.

We had a fabulous family vacation in Florida.
We were joined by cousins, we rode the Ferris wheel on the pier and drove go carts, we ate pizza and ice cream and donuts and candy and we made a trip to Sea World.
We saw dolphins! Wild dolphins out in the ocean!
I don't think we could have fit another thing in and it was wonderful.

I have a smorgasbord of pictures that I love. They will all be posted for my viewing pleasure.

We sent this picture in a text to Luke and Jenn to try to convince them to get down to Florida super quickly.

This girl loves her some Ferris wheel time.

Happy little family. Can you see the ice cream all over Apple's little dress? Love it!

Baby and me. Isn't she gorgeous?!

This is her scowl. We get it a lot... followed quickly by a big fat grin.

Apple and I rocked it on the go carts. You can't even see us in this shot we're moving so fast.

Oh the pool! Oh the ocean! We spent every single day in one or the other.
Heaven!

Sea World rocked their world.
I love this shot. All four of them so intent on watching the dolphin show.

She chose to sit in the soak zone for the Shamu show.
She loved it!

*Adapted from Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

This Moment

2011-08-26T08:00:00.003-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Not-so-little Lamb

2011-08-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

By Apple

Little Queen

2011-08-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

On her new throne

Shadow Play

2011-08-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

BB, Mama and Missy Moo

Biking the Nature Trail

2011-08-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Apple made sure to ride her bike right next to Mama for most of the trip.
Missy Moo pointed out every butterfly she noticed and tried to follow them as far as she could.
Somehow, BB knew to immediately start collecting acorns the moment she was released from her stroller.

This Week

2011-08-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

She... walked up to me, shoved our large, blue, stuffed rabbit in my face and made a big kissing sound, "Mmmmmmwwwaaaa"
... saw her sisters dipping their graham crackers in milk and immediately demanded her own glass for dunking
... climbed right up in to her high chair each time she thought it was time for me to feed her (it happened often)
... climbed up the wrong chair and was stuck under the table

{7.25.11} The Final Hoorah

2011-08-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

I had a single goal before heading home after our month long vacation out west - one final trip to Bear Lake.
It was perfect.
I love this place.

{7.23.11} Yellowstone's Madison River

2011-08-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

We passed all these people playing in the river while we were headed to Old Faithful on Friday.
I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do on Saturday. Luckily, everyone else was kind enough to join me and make it even better than expected.

This girl loves her some water... until she does a face plant in it. Then she goes and happily sits with Grandma while wrapped in a towel.

This kid ran around everywhere. I love this shot with his foot kicking up and him taking off down another trail.

Wildflowers everywhere!

{7.22.11} Yellowstone

2011-08-17T08:00:00.003-04:00

Sandy sent me a text a few weeks before we headed out west. She mentioned that she had booked a room in West Yellowstone for all of us. I had wanted to make the trip to Yellowstone since Missy Moo was little.
Every summer growing up, my family took our final summer vacation to Yellowstone.
I really don't think I appreciated it enough as a kid.
What an amazing place!
After packing things up Friday morning, we headed out the door with the intention of going straight to Old Faithful. Luckily, Dan suggested a short detour to Mesa Falls. Totally worth it.

I explained to the girls that Old Faithful might smell a little bit. I explained that what they would smell would be sulphur and that it kind of smells like tooter-foofs. They didn't stop laughing for five minutes.

On the way back to the hotel from Old Faithful I parked the car on the side of the road, pulled Missy Moo out of the car, wrapped her hair up in a little side ponytail and sent her out into the field with Aunt Kristi to catch some last-summer-before-she-starts-kindergarten pictures. You can check out the results at Kristi's blog.

I also made a sudden stop to catch this shot before the sun went down.

{7.21.11} Rigby Lake

2011-08-16T08:00:00.023-04:00

After what was supposed to be a day of rest for the kiddos, we decided to check out something new.
Rigby Lake turned out to be just what we all needed - a body of water that wasn't too large for the kids to go exploring, the perfect time of day when the sun is still up but most people have headed home for the evening, late enough to have the chance to hit up a local pizzeria before taking the kids home to bed.

Most of the pictures were taken by either Kristi or Laura. They have the fancy cameras, so I left most of the shooting up to them. They probably didn't really appreciate that. Sorry ladies.

Kristi rented this kayak for Sitani. I kept looking to her every time I started to get nervous about how far out he was getting. She was as cool as a cucumber.
She explained her ease to us all a little bit later, "He knows he can do."
Lesson learned.

All three of my girls loved this little floaty Aunt Laura brought with her. BB could have swam with me all day sitting in that little turtle.

Aunt Kristi bought glasses for everyone. It was hard to get a good shot of these three with Apple giving everyone a tackle hug.

School Talk

2011-08-15T20:00:00.001-04:00

Talking about taking a tour of the school with her new teacher.
Missy Moo: First thing she'll show me is the playground.
The first thing I'm going to practice is the monkey bars.
First, I'll find a big girlfriend to help me just while I'm learning.

{7.19.11} Splash Pad

2011-08-15T08:00:00.006-04:00

We arrived in IF on Sunday in time to see Uncle Seth and enjoy homemade pizza with the family.
Monday we visited friends from the Northwest and took the kids to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie.
Tuesday we loaded all the kids up and headed to the splash pad in Rexburg.
Unfortunately, the word was definitely out about this place and it was incredibly crowded. Also, most of the kids were freezing for most of the day. We made up for it with a trip to McDonald's afterwards and an extremely long stay at their play place.

I love this shot! Missy Moo had just gone down the water slide all by herself. She was so proud and running on over to give me a great big high five.
Thanks to Kristi for catching this shot and conveniently cropping out most of my bottom.

This one didn't like getting wet all of the sudden.

These girls loved getting to know each other.

{7.15.11} Afternoon with the Fetters

2011-08-13T09:10:00.000-04:00

Missy Moo could have eaten Otter Pops all day.
Apple barely left the sandbox.
BB loved Amber.

I dream about taking mommy/daughter trips with these women I know that also have all girls. You know, simple little beach vacations where we all ride our bikes around and all of our girls can get to know and love each other. I'll make it happen. Until then, we'll meet for afternoons in the backyard to run through the sprinklers and play in the sandbox and eat an entire bag full of peas fresh from the garden.

This Moment

2011-08-12T08:00:00.005-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

She wandered around this field for over half an hour chasing a butterfly. She named the butterfly, Dizzy.

2011-08-11T07:36:00.005-04:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled recap of July to bring you a little bit of August.

We went and watched our Ravens practice on the field on Saturday. Totally spur of the moment idea from Daniel and it was awesome. We can NOT wait for football season to start.

We've also had a chance to hang out at the pool.

And last but not least - BB got her very first pedicure with her sisters. She terrorized us all while I tried to paint Missy Moo's and Apple's toenails, but she sat perfectly still when it came time to have hers painted. The holding still did not last for the picture, but I still love this shot.

{7.14.11} Hogle Zoo

2011-08-10T08:31:00.000-04:00

After our visit with Amie and the girls in Portage, we stopped off to visit Grandma Great. We also made the drive over to Malad to visit another Grandma Great and Grandpa Great. The next day, Uncle Ryan and I met another Grandma Great and Aunt Jen for lunch. It was lovely to see all the grandparents. Grandma and Aunt Jen didn't even mind all the craziness our kids created at the restaurant.
After lunch we just decided to head up to Hogle Zoo.
We always get the funniest shots with Uncle Ryan on the merry-go-round and Joshua never turns his head to the camera. It's a fun little memory and these pictures make me laugh every time.

Transition

2011-08-09T07:00:00.003-04:00

In case you didn't already know how adorable Missy Moo is, check out her recent pictures over at Martha Kristi's blog. Run, don't walk.

I asked Kristi to take some pictures of Missy Moo for us while we were out West for the summer. This is a major transitional time for our girl - the summer before she starts Kindergarten. I wanted her sweetness and innocence and excitement and laughter captured at this particular time in her youth.

So many of the pictures communicate so many different sides of this little girl's personality. How to describe them all?! I can just look and know and that's enough for me.

Thank you Kristi!

{7.13.11} P-town

2011-08-08T08:42:00.022-04:00

Due to some extreme allergies while staying in Wyoming, we had to postpone our trip over to Utah for a few days. I'm so glad we did though because it worked out that we were able to meet up in Portage.

Amie and I have known each other since the womb, so it's fun to get together and let our girls get to know each other. Here's a picture of us at camp. Don't you love the braids?

The girls took some time to walk across the field and feed the horse handfuls of grass. Then we headed up to play at the park where I basically grew up.
I told Missy Moo about breaking my arm on the slide, twice. She quickly informed me that she would not be going down that slide.
This was also the day that Missy Moo was able to ride a horse.
Amie and her father were so kind to take the time to saddle up the horse and then walk Missy Moo around the fields to her heart's content.
This little episode totally has us thinking about getting Missy Moo a horse of her own.

Super Mac - Up Country

2011-08-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

This Moment

2011-08-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{7.07.11} Camping

2011-08-04T15:00:00.001-04:00

Pack up the trailer, load up the girls and get out of town.
This was one of the most peaceful parts of our three week excursion out west.
We arrived at our camping spot just in time to have lunch before a rainstorm moved in.
After the rain stopped we hiked out through the meadows and picked wildflowers.
Heavenly!

Missy Moo actually insisted on having breakfast sitting atop this stump.

I asked them to stay where they were while I grabbed the camera for this picture.
Missy Moo's response?
"You don't want a picture of us freezing."

{7.06.11} Bear Lake Take I

2011-08-03T15:00:00.001-04:00

Apple just stated this evening that she would like to live on a house boat at Bear Lake.

{7.04.11} The Reservoir

2011-08-02T15:00:00.004-04:00

It's amazing what a couple of years can do. They've had so much water this year that the dock we play on was under water.
The kids didn't really seem to mind. BB slept in the car while the girls and Joshua splashed through mud puddles and walked in the water up to their mid sections.
Tracy was kind enough to follow multiple instructions while I moved her about to try to be creative with some baby belly shots.

Family

2011-08-01T15:06:00.000-04:00

Why do we do it?
Why do we travel thousands of miles from the comforts and familiarity of home?
Why choose to be nomads for an entire month?

These people.
All of these people we know and love and would love to know more.

To hear Joshua's little voice say the girls' names and ask where they've gone every time they step into another room.
To watch how Jace and Elijah interact and laugh at how they can be the best of friends one minute and totally done playing with each other the next.
To watch little Anabelle scramble up anything she possibly can and challenge BB to do the same.
To watch Sitani bravely paddle a kayak across the lake.
To learn from Kristi to let your children do what they know they can do.
For Maya to teach them how to play "Bad Guys".
For Kloee to kindly take Missy Moo's and Apple's hands to walk across the fields to feed the horse.
For Mr. Dan to kindly saddle up his horse and let Missy Moo have the best day of her life riding it.
For the girls to love Sarah at their very first meeting and spend one of their most memorable mornings playing together.
For Grandma and Grandpa to make every trip possible to our favorite lake.
To have conversations of depth with people who are trying to move their family in a positive direction and know you're working on it too.

They Missed Him

2011-07-30T13:53:00.004-04:00

This Moment

2011-07-29T13:42:00.007-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

"We are happy"
Arriving home after our month away, Missy Moo promptly posted this note on her door.

This Moment

2011-07-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Talking about the fun time we had at Bear Lake.
Missy Moo: That's so much better than going to the zoo.

This Moment

2011-07-15T11:27:00.002-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

She talks most days about growing up and living on a farm with lots of animals. After riding this horse around one afternoon, she is now positive that's what she'll be doing.

2011-07-09T13:49:00.002-04:00

It's amazing what you can do in a week!

- Family barbecue
- ~~Fireworks~~ Wyoming Fireworks
- Sprinklers on a sunny afternoon
- Wadding at the reservoir
- Swimming at Bear Lake
- Camping up country
- Listening to a concert downtown
- Catching candy at the town parade

We've been out and about so much this week that the girls absolutely refused to go anywhere today and exclaimed that they just wanted to stay home and play.

Surprisingly, I didn't get any photos of Grandpa with the hand torch this year. Such a shame.
Shortly before the city fireworks show, Ryan, Tracy and I climbed up on the roof to get a better view of the panorama of fireworks going on around town. Totally worth the climb and the fear of being knocked off by a stray bottle rocket.

Bear Lake is at it's fullest this year. Missy Moo and Apple buried themselves in the sand and made sand angels and splashed through the water. BB tested out the water for a while before retiring to the blanket and claiming a bag of chips for herself.

Camping up country was just what all of us needed.
We walked through a meadow and quietly watched a deer watch us from the trees.
I couldn't have been more astonished at the amount of wildflowers all over the mountains.

This Moment

2011-07-08T16:21:00.012-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Silly

2011-06-28T07:11:00.003-04:00

Not cleaning up the playroom.
Papa: You girls need to clean up this play room. It's silly that I have to ask you this many times to clean up.
Apple: That's not silly.

Little Farmers

2011-06-27T08:41:00.000-04:00

My little farmers did a fantastic job picking raspberries for us last week.
Mama was able to make one raspberry nectarine crisp before the rest of the raspberries were devoured by the family during a pancake breakfast.
Thanks for the picture Joanie.

This Moment

2011-06-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Observant

2011-06-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Papa is picking beans out of his taco before deciding that he'll just try it.
Missy Moo: Hey, you're being like us!

Looking out the window on a drive.
Apple: We're great spy-ers of far away things.
Mama: We are?
Apple: We are. Your kids.

Perspective

2011-06-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Talking about age.
Mama: BB is one-year old.
Missy Moo: It seems like it was just yesterday that she was born.

Deciding what to have for breakfast.
Apple: French toast has too much French! And I don't like French.

Papa brought home some Starbursts for the girls.
Apple: Can I have some more of those Starwars?

Dancing

2011-06-21T08:46:00.000-04:00

With reckless abandon

Growing

2011-06-20T08:41:00.000-04:00

After such a long time of showing absolutely no interest in the ABC's or learning her letters, she has now decided that she would like to learn how to read just like Missy Moo.
Missy Moo is teaching her.
They do a short lesson each morning while I clean up the kitchen after breakfast.

Pet Requests

2011-06-18T08:00:00.004-04:00

Pet requests are much more frequent after playing with these fun felines for an afternoon.

Cracks me up every time! That poor kitten. Although this is nothing compared to BB's style of rough play.

I love these tender moments with Apple and her favorite little kitten.

This Moment

2011-06-17T08:51:00.004-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

That's right folks. She's using her straw to suck the juice out of her tomato.

This Moment

2011-06-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

At the Carwash

2011-06-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

Taking Over

2011-06-07T11:16:00.000-04:00

In the kitchen

She is our first climber.

I have since cleaned this cupboard out for her and she climbs all the way inside.

This Moment

2011-06-03T07:30:00.001-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Hot cocoa and toast on a rainy spring day

My Husband is a Fantastic Fox

2011-05-31T12:05:00.002-04:00

Why don't we rent a boat for the day?

A random suggestion thrown out by Papa while camping.
Random suggestion accepted by all.

We also visited -
Niagara Falls - we found it to be... odd. It was a really different sort of tourist destination. The falls themselves were beautiful and it was fun to see the water misting everything and the wind trying to blow us over the side.

Palmyra - We really wanted to see all of the historical sights but some little girls just weren't having it. We were able to get in the Hill Cumorah, half a tour of the Smith farm and a lovely cooling stroll through the sacred grove before their way-past-lunchtime-empty stomachs and the sun on every bit of extra sun they had from the day before caused the little girls to call it a day.

We also -
Ate enough s'mores to feed a village.
Played in the creek and in the mud and in the rocks and in the woods.

Found a new pet snail affectionately named Slime Shelly Thomas.

Listened to the rain pound the roof of our cabin and watched lightning flash through the sky lights.
This massive storm also had Papa jumping out of bed to make sure a tree had not come crashing through the back wall.

It was a fabulous weekend away, together as a family. We have some amazingly fun girls and one extremely tolerant baby. We're still trying to figure out exactly what it is we all like to do together on the weekends, but as Daniel stated, "I think we did this one right."

This Moment

2011-05-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Always adding to her collection.

Two Peas

2011-05-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

2011-05-25T08:34:00.000-04:00

She fits right in here.
She shows us every day.

This Moment

2011-05-20T09:00:00.003-04:00

This Moment - A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

One-on-one time with this girl.

Waste

2011-05-19T09:43:00.001-04:00

We recently watched a cartoon about water and how we shouldn't waste water by leaving it running unnecessarily.
The other morning, Daniel had the news on downstairs while we were getting breakfast ready.
Apple: Mama! Papa's wasting TV.

2011-05-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

In the play room
Missy Moo: You can pick whichever snake you would like and take it home with you.
Apple: Well... um... we live here.

Apple is sitting at the table after riding her bike all afternoon.
Apple: I think I'm still riding my bike.

Photo Project

2011-05-13T09:00:00.002-04:00

This Moment: A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

I'm quite sure I won't be doing this without words, maybe a short statement here and there.

The Cake

2011-05-12T09:00:00.001-04:00

I just downloaded these from BB's birthday.
Favorites?
Her lifting the entire cake up to take a bite out of it.
Her completely abandoning the cake when Papa brought out some grapes.

Nothing

2011-05-11T18:00:00.006-04:00

Missy Moo: I have a new friend bee. I'll call him, Nothing. Nothing the Bee.

She's From Another Planet

2011-05-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

Apple refers to people as Humans.

Lambies Take II

2011-05-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

This year we went to see the lambies a little later in the season.
It was perfect timing.
They were big enough to be out of the barn, but still small enough to be caught and petted.

Again, Missy Moo could have sat and watched them all day.

Our Garden

2011-05-09T12:35:00.002-04:00

Papa and the girls built a planter, packed it with a lot of dirt and filled it with green.*

Missy Moo ran down first thing the next morning to see if her seeds had sprouted overnight.
Apple is not so patiently waiting to pluck that first tomato from the vine.
BB (short for Baby Berry) is improving her walking skills so she can go out on the deck without having to resort to crawling and scraping up her knees and toes.

*Uncle Luke also played a significant role in constructing the planter while in town on a layover.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T09:00:00.019-04:00

Missy Moo, you were my first baby. I had no idea what to expect and I think it made for the smooth experience we all had. You taught me just how much capacity the heart has to love. I like best how your father expressed our pride and protection, "I want to show her off to everyone and yet keep her all to myself."

Apple, you poor baby, you had a rough little birth experience. You decided you were doing it your own way and everyone else needed to figure out how to work with you to get it done. That was my first glimpse of how strong and determined and fierce and passionate and aggressive you would be. You also have a huge capacity for calm and reflection and understanding. I'll never forget a Sunday recently when you spent the entire sacrament meeting studying the picture of Jesus on the cross. The questions you posed after studying that picture put me in awe of just how much goes on in that mind (and heart) of yours.

Baby Berry, what a beautiful experience welcoming you into the world and into our little family. The most powerful words from your baby blessing express everything I've felt since even before you were born. Your presence in our home reminds us that your existence did not begin here on Earth, nor does it end here. I can't wait to discover more of that old soul you so obviously possess.

Nature

2011-05-02T09:00:00.003-04:00

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
- Anne Frank

Steeplechase

2011-05-01T21:06:00.001-04:00

We attended our first steeplechase this weekend. I have a feeling it won't be our last.
Memorables
- The girls climbing all over the hillside picking handfuls of buttercups and blowing dandelion fluff to their heart's content.
- Each of us picking our favorite horse to win the race. Daniel won with his pick of #12, Private Attack. Missy Moo came in second with her pick of #14, And The Eagle Flys. Apple's and Mama's picks didn't even finish the race.
- Baby Berry playing contently on a picnic blanket for the entire time we were there.

O-N-E

2011-04-28T13:57:00.001-04:00

- When she has finished eating but we haven't taken her down from her high chair, she'll try to eat the remaining food on her tray using just her lips to scoop things up.

- Another trick when she's done with her food? She very quietly starts moving the food from her tray to the floor.

- If there is a blanket lying on the floor - or even something that looks like it might be as soft and comfortable as a blanket, a sock for instance - she will crawl to it and rub her face in it and lay down on it to snuggle for a while.

- Balls are her favorite. She will gladly roll the ball back and forth for a considerable amount of time if the floor is clear and she has room to chase the ball around.

- Sometimes her love of ball doesn't work out so well when she tries throwing some other toy instead.

- Every once in a while I'll find her sitting quietly by herself on the bottom step tucked away and out of sight.

- Sometimes she'll climb up on her little rocking chair and just watch the incredible shows that are her sisters' imaginations.
- If you do something she really doesn't like, she will growl at you. I'm thinking of changing her nickname to Bear.
- She will wait very patiently for someone to look her right in the eyes and then she turns on all the charm.
- No matter where you start singing in Wheels on the Bus, she will always throw her hands up in the air for the people going up and down.
- When she was first born and people would ask how things were going or if she was a good baby or things like that, I'd always say, "She's perfect."
- She is still perfect.

Four

2011-04-25T18:18:00.000-04:00

She has so much love to give and is willing to give you just as much as you give her.
When given the choice between staying home and going out, she will most often choose to stay at home.
Her puppy is still around and recently had a nose job and some lip work.
She is very willing to try to make Baby Berry laugh.
She asks to hold my hand going up and down the stairs every time, "because I love you", she says.

For her birthday she requested chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. We all wore party hats and blew little paper blowers. We shopped at the mall for Easter dresses and at Home Depot for plants. To cap off the night she had the time of her life riding her new bike around and getting filthy mixing the soil for our garden.

Drip, Drip, Drop

2011-04-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Super Mac - Tulip

2011-04-17T09:00:00.003-04:00

That one is probably the best, but I actually like all of these.

2011-04-16T09:00:00.003-04:00

2011-04-14T20:08:00.000-04:00

My initial reaction to this picture?

Tears

Spring

2011-04-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

The Zoo

2011-04-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

With the temperatures forcasted to be in the 80's on Monday, the girls and I packed a few snacks and headed to the zoo.
I love having a zoo pass. There's no urgency to see everything in that one day. We stay where we are for as long as we want, we visit our favorites (the penguins, the golden frogs, the alligators) as many times as we want and it makes for a very enjoyable trip to see and do as much or as little as we want.
Some favorites from this trip -
- Mama running into an old friend and chatting for quite some time while Missy Moo and Apple entertained themselves by building a stick fence in the dirt
- Mama lifting Missy Moo up to see the alligator and Missy Moo gasping, "She's so beautiful!"
- Apple watching and waiting for the little golden frogs to go swimming
- Naming our favorite penguins (Pengi and Peng)

- Getting the same question every time we passed something in bloom, "Are these planted or are they for picking?"

Papa Time

2011-04-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

She just likes to be with Papa, snuggling on his shoulder or studying his face.
She has this game she plays with him whenever he's holding her. If he looks away, she grabs his chin and turns his face back to her.
She loves his hats. She takes them off, puts them back on, chews on them and hides under them. She does not like them on her own head.

Quiet

2011-04-10T16:23:00.000-04:00

Apple and Mama were able to have some one-on-one time at home on Saturday.
Apple kept expressing one thing.
Apple: (in a whisper) Our house is so quiet.

Conversations Past Bedtime

2011-04-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

Missy Moo: I know what I want to be when I grow up.

A school teacher.

Since I'm going to be a teacher when I grow up and you'll still be grown up, you'll have to be a builder and build me a house and a school.

You'll have to build the house next to the school so I don't have to walk for too long.

I'll also need a thing to pull down to ring the bell.

Little Ones

2011-04-09T09:00:00.002-04:00

The 5-year-old
She does not stop reading! Example: she reads even while climbing the ladder to her bunk bed.
She has named her feet. The left one is Hit. The right one is Stoow. Stoow is always the well behaved one.

The 3-year-old
She has a plethora of pets. Her current pets are 4 spiders (a cat face spider, a duck face spider, a tarantula and a daddy long legs), an upper eel (her definition: an eel that doesn't stay deep, deep, deep, deep in the ocean and it stays in a reef coral and it eats all the fish even it could eat a shark), a komodo dragon and a dragon.

The {almost} 1-year-old
She is now going down the stairs. As Daniel says, it's not pretty, but she gets there.
She loves blueberries. When presented with a tray full of fruit she will always eat all the blueberries first.

Visitors

2011-04-08T10:42:00.012-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa came to stay with us for five whole days! I think I took about 5 whole pictures with them too - sad, huh?

We did do a lot of fun things though.

- Gettysburg auto tour - The weather was perfect; cloudy and rainy with just a hint of fog for atmosphere.

- Cherry Blossom Festival, DC - We mostly saw magnolias and had to dig deep in our pockets to pay for lunch at the Smithsonian Castle. $3 for a small bag of chips! Whose pricing this stuff?!

- Museum of Natural History, DC - We caught the tarantula feeding. We were lucky. The spider hadn't eaten for nine weeks and finally decided to pounce on a cricket while we were watching. We also went in to the butterfly exhibit. Baby Berry was mesmerized by the little fluttery things until the warmth of the room got to her and she fell asleep. Apple just wanted to take a nap. Missy Moo was in heaven and waited and waited and waited for a butterfly to decide to land on her.

- Lunch at the Amish market - Hot roast beef sandwiches and fresh lemonade and homemade chocolate and whoopie pies and donuts. We even picked up some rib eye for Daniel to have later. Obviously we were stuffed.

Birds

2011-03-30T08:46:00.007-04:00

Playing Angry Birds on the Droid

Apple: There are too many pigs!

Missy Moo: Don't worry. I can handle this.

11 Months

2011-03-28T19:50:00.011-04:00

She's clapping now. Don't ask her to clap though. She won't know what you're talking about. You have to say, "Yeah!" Then she'll clap right along. She loves gadgets. First thing in the morning, she goes in search of Mama's and Papa's cell phones. She will settle for a remote. She's positive the lens cap is supposed to stay on the camera. Missy Moo and Mama taught her a new trick this afternoon while playing soccer. GOAL!!!

Climber

2011-03-26T16:17:00.000-04:00