Pilkington Family

hoping today for a miracle

2011-11-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Aaron took our computer in to find out why it just stopped working. Found out it was the hard drive. Not a big deal we had been backing up all our stuff after the last time our computer crashed and we lost all of Emma's baby pictures. Or so we thought. Turns out the backup to an external hard drive (im pretending to know what im talking about... aaron tells me and I just repeat) didn't work because of damage to "something". this is the last picture we have that was saved

That is Noah just days old. Everything else is gone. Aaron is taking in the old hard drive to (cross your fingers) see if anything can be saved.

I feel sick.

emma

2011-11-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish I could see the world through Emma's eyes. She lives in this crazy care-free world. Emma does things her own way and she doesn't care what anyone thinks. She can't go anywhere without a little lipstick (thank you Grandma Vi) and the world is always so much better with a little glitter. Emma is crazy and spontaneous. When she comes home the first thing she does is start making some kind of "art". She goes through more tape than anyone I know. As soon as I empty a box (like a pasta box, or cereal) she HAS to have it for some kind of project.

Last week we had parent-teacher conferences and Emma's teacher said "emma is...emma" while laughing. I knew exactly what she meant. And its a good thing.

One thing I really love about her is she calls Aaron her prince and has since she could first speak. He will always tell her she is his princess to which she will always reply "you are my prince" and then they will dance while he sings "so this is love". The other day she didn't want him to leave to go to work. Its like that everyday, but this particular day she was determined to make him stay. She had me put the chain on the front door to lock it (i guess the deadbolt wasn't enough to keep him in). Then she stood guard at the door with her pink foam baseball bat. If he came close she let him have it. He somehow finally made it to his car. But she was fast and opened the back door and climbed in. After pulling her out about a dozen times and trying to tie her to a chair in the house and Aaron getting karate chopped while he dragged her back in the house she finally let him leave as long as he kissed her good-bye and promised treats on his way home. He was only about an hour late. but worth it.

I love her.

I also hope her lisp never goes away.

Sometimes I wish I could melt into the walls

2011-11-10T05:17:00.000-08:00

Jonas likes to get up really early. Early meaning anywhere between 5-6am. Its fun. Not really. Sometimes Aaron and I are just way too tired and Jonas will entertain himself with TV. Yesterday he decided to treat himself with some apple juice. I guess at one point it became more exciting to just dump that juice all over the floor. Every inch of the kitchen. All the way down the hallway. Ending with a big puddle right in front of the front door. I didn't come across this until it had sat for a little bit because when I went to wipe it up the towel just stuck to floor. It took a few moppings to get it all up and im still finding some sticky spots.

While trying to get the girls ready for school while trying to get sticky off the floor Jonas and Noah found some markers. All I could do was say "really?!?!" and move on with my day.

Next was take Abby and the boys to Abby's doctor appt to get her cast off. While there the "joys of boys" just got better. Jonas just couldn't sit still. Go figure. He would promise to be a good boy then take the doctors chair and get on it laying on his belly and fly it across the room like superman.

Oh wait, did I mention we were not in a private room like at the usual doctors office? This doctor just has a large room in the back called the "broken bone club". Along all the walls are beds and chairs and everyone just hangs out in this same room watching each other get casts taken off and put on. So we were among a few strangers.

I tried threatening, bribing, holding both crazy boys on my lap for make-shift "time-out's". They didn't care. Jonas then stood in the very center of the room, legs apart, arms up in the air, paused, then stuck one hand down the front of his pants, then did this very weird dance. I hurried to grab Noah from crawling under a chair and tried to grab Jonas. He saw me coming after him to put an end to his hand down the pants dance and took off running. I was holding a struggling to get down baby while chasing my very fast little boy apologizing to everyone as we ran down the hall all the way around to the front desk. Where he ran into the area where they keep all the files and hid. Very embarrassing!!

We finally were ready to leave and while at the desk again making an appointment for Abby and talking to a nurse about physical therapy Jonas found his way to the printer. taking everything off as it was printed and handing it to the other nurses in the office. Awesome. I had to take the papers. Apologize again for the billionth time. And ran out of the office as fast as we could.

It was the same craziness at lunch and after stopping a mandarin orange throwing fight between the boys it was time for naps. Even for a boy that doesn't take naps.

Not by best moment.

Roly-Poly invasion

2011-11-07T04:00:00.001-08:00

We moved to our home here in Virginia mid July and finally decided to cut the grass. It was a major jungle out there in our tiny backyard. Since we left our mower at our house in Georgia (with the hopes that our tenants would keep up with the yard) we had to borrow one from a nice neighbor. Problem was it didn't have a bag and so we had to rake and pick up the piles and piles of months of uncut grass. While Aaron mowed the bugs ran for their lives. We did not realize just how many roly-poly's were living in that jungle. They came by the hundreds onto our concrete patio. Our kids went to collecting. They loved it since they really haven't ever seen many of them before. They tried to see how many they could collect. There were so many that you couldn't hardly step without stepping on one and once an area was cleared and all the the rolies put in a bowl more would come.

Jonas thought it was the coolest thing ever that they turned into a ball.

Noah was happy to point to the bugs until someone came to collect. He did NOT want to touch one.

The whole thing was gross.

Aaron then thought it would be funny to put some black sprinkles into Noah's bottle and tell the kids they were some of the roly poly's. It was pretty bad. Emma kept saying "but they have a family!" and turns out they didn't find it funny at all. Don't worry once the kids had their fun all the Roly Poly"s were set free.

fashionista

2011-11-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

Emma loves to dress herself. Do her own hair. Add some makeup (if I let her... she usually sneeks it). And yes, I let her go to school like this. She fights anything that isnt a dress or skirt which just adds to the fun. This particular day was when she finally figured out how to do pig tails all by herself and she was really proud. I have been meaning to take more pictures of her before school just so we can remember all of her creative coordinating... hopefully i can be better at doing that because she can really come up with some great outfits (this one actually matched) I just hope her teachers know that emma is dressing herself and not me. I guess its only Kindergarten and she doesnt care.

halloween

2011-11-03T06:40:00.001-07:00

Lately Jonas has been obsessed with Mario Bros. It was obvious that he had to be Luigi (his favorite) for Halloween. I tried to do a whole Mario Bros theme, but once the girls saw these "princess" dresses at the store they refused to wear anything else. At least the boys are young enough to not have a choice. I ended up sewing the boys' costumes the day before the ward trunk or treat which is why they are without white gloves... I just didn't have enough time. Jonas cried when I wiped off his mustache when it was time to get ready for bed. The morning after the ward trunk or treat he demanded to wear his costume (mustache and all) all day.
Halloween was cold and the kids really lasted all of maybe 20 houses and they were done. Maybe next year I can convince them a theme is cool.

Busy Busy Busy

2011-10-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

This is Jonas.

He has a smile that makes me melt. Especially when he flashes that one dimple.

Last night after a very chaotic day he pulled me close and said that I was "the bestest mommy" and then he proceeded to try to wrestle me to the ground while screaming "mommy sandwich".

Those of you that know... this little boy is a lot of work. But he is always the first to remind me that what i am doing is important to someone. He loves me. He lets me know quite often.

Love this boy

(picture was taken at the zoo here. since living here we have been a few times and we love it. its so big that we can never see it all in one day. jonas said that his favorite thing at the zoo when asked was the unicorn....ummm I dont remember seeing that)

back to blogging... i know you missed me

2011-08-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

We have moved to Virginia. We love it here. So much to do and see. The kids love our neighborhood. I love that I don't have to hover over them while they play like I had to at our home in Georgia. We have gone on more family bike rides than we ever have. Its great.

Since being here I have really only taken pictures with my phone and I haven't yet uploaded them. I could do it. I know its easy. I am really that lazy. Next time I will overload you with pictures of all our recent adventures. I promise.

Remember all the "fun" stories I have told about Jonas? Well Noah is doing his share of "fun" around here so look forward to the "the joys of boys" series. In fact right now he is climbing on the built in bookshelf knocking everything over and while writing this post I have pulled him off more times than I can count. Yay!

Anyway, sorry its not the update you were looking forward to. I am just letting you know that we are alive and doing fabulous. Right now we are looking forward to school to start. It wont happen until Sept 6th. They got out for the summer in Georgia in May. MAY! did you forget I said they do not go back until Sept. That is a long summer. 3 1/2 months. Don't you feel sorry for me? You should.

Well I promised chocolate chip cookies to Jonas like hours ago. I should probably go do that now. Plus chocolate anything sounds really good.

until next time....

p.s. sorry about the randomness.

thoughts for today

2011-03-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Today I realized that I haven't posted in a long time. What's up with that. It could be because I have been crazy busy with 4 kids and an even busier husband. We may have also took on more than we probably should have lately.

We are in the middle of soccer season with both Abby and Aaron. Abby has really improved this year. She has gotten a lot more aggressive which is great since she is still half the size of all the other girls. I have tried and tried to make it out to Aaron's games, but have only managed to make one and half so far. But he was pretty good from what I saw.

Abby is also still doing guitar once a week and she loves it and even showed off her new rock star abilities during a primary play a few weeks ago.

Emma is still dancing away every Wednesday with tap and ballet class and will be having her recital this May. (May 14th to be exact... grandparents... just sayin)

Jonas and Noah are becoming the best of buddies and just like predicted are beginning to plot against me. Jonas will help Noah get into things he knows she shouldn't. It's lots of fun. Noah is also always trying to wrestle Jonas and I am still trying to explain to Jonas why he cant sit on Noah like Noah sits on him. Ahhh Boys!!

Noah Is now 10 months. 10 MONTHS!! Seriously where does the time go. He just barely made it to 15% for weight and a whopping 30% for height (he is 18 lbs and I forget how tall). So he is more of an Abby than a Jonas for sure. I think he knows that and so he is already trying to show Jonas he isn't scared and tries to attack Jonas all the time. Also, big news for Noah he finally decided to on the night of his 10 month birthday to sleep through the night and has continued the trend for a week now (yea!!). This is a big deal for me and so I guess after a lot of prayer he just decided that sleeping sounded like a good idea. We put him to bed the same way and he just.... slept. It was AWESOME!! The best part was no crying involved. Noah doesn't have much interest in walking (the 3 others all were walking by 10 months), but im really okay with it. He has been such a good baby. Especially on Sunday's. I have to teach primary and with Aaron in the bishopric Noah always seems to get passed around the ward a lot. Usually he will NOT go to a stranger, but I think he just knows how it is on Sunday is just goes with it. So thanks to anyone who might have had to hold him for us. We really appreciate it!

We never really announced it, but since we got the actual acceptance letter in the mail not too long ago I think its safe to go ahead and let everyone know. Aaron was awarded a scholarship for Graduate school to to get his Masters degree. yea!! And because its a scholarship thingermajig his work is pretty much paying for him just just go to school for a year. So we will be moving to the Washington DC area mid July. We are so excited for this new adventure and cant wait!!

and since most of my pictures are now taken on my phone and I havent put them on the computer yet this one of some super cute brothers will have to do. I will post more later.... maybe in a few months

im in love

2011-01-30T17:57:00.000-08:00

Jonas loves his tiny iron man action figure and yesterday just before bed time I showed him that he could fit perfectly in the pocket of his cargo pants (iron man not jonas). He was amazed and for an hour kept asking "where's iron man?" and then point to his pocket until someone peeked in and said "there he is!".
He thought it was so funny.
It was a good night.

This month has been a rough month.
I have found myself mean and grouchy.

I have dealt with sickness,
messy house,
laundry that reminds me of the two-headed monster that if you cut off a head two grow back in its place. except in my case it seems that at least 4 take the place of one...
and so on and so on

But tonight as I sit on the couch with everyone asleep. eating my own personal pint of ben & jerry's (yep, my husband loves me).
I cant help but remember that even though things are not going as I had once planned I am truly a lucky girl. I have a husband that loves me no matter how many melt downs in the last few weeks I have had or how many times he has come home to me still in my pajamas. I have four incredibly amazing children who can figure out just how to make me feel frustrated and pure joy all in a matter of moments. Dinner tonight was no exception. It started like every dinner... aaron and I trying desperately just to get them to take a bite... ONE bite. We sing "yo gabba gabba" songs, try to make it a game, threaten, time out, and try not to completely loose it. Then Jonas does something funny and we all cant help but laugh. Abby then somehow starts a starring contest and its HILARIOUS!
I cant help but look around the table and feel totally amazed at how great things really are no matter how hard the journey seems.

I am in love with life. my life. its amazing. and I wouldn't change any of it.

and here is another favorite moment of the month I thought I would share (just so it doesn't seem like it was such a horrible month after all)

we were fortunate at the beginning of the month to have some really nice weather and so we ventured out on a family bike ride. Emma made it maybe 10 minutes and then she just... stopped.

and our bike cart went from this

to this.

she makes me smile. they all make me smile. and these are the very small moments in my life that I cherish. and every time I go back and remember them I cant help but feel good. I have many many of these "little moments" and I need to remember them more instead of the not so awesome ones all the time.

the end.

2011-01-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

This would be Noah.
Yep, still cute.

saying good-bye is super hard to do

2011-01-24T12:15:00.001-08:00

Being a military family we have had to say good-bye to many friends, but this time was the hardest. The Davis family have been our friends (more like family) for a long time. We met when I was pregnant with Emma and she was pregnant with Lilli. Its going to be weird not having Shari just two doors down. I miss them so much already!!

Moses

2011-01-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

On Monday Aaron had told the girls all through dinner that someone special was going to visit for Family Home Evening. They were so excited to have Moses come and teach us about the ten commandments!

paper beard and all!

This is Jonas

2010-11-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

I was trying to get the boys ready to leave for the morning. I had to feed Noah before leaving and was doing that when Jonas decided it would be fun to take everything he could out of the fridge. So after feeding Noah and putting everything back I couldn't find Jonas... never a good thing. Found him in the kids bathroom.

He had taken all his clothes off and gotten into the tub and dumped out all the bubble bath. Which him being in the tub turned out to be very lucky for me since I have had bubble bath dumped out on the floor before and that has got to be the HARDEST thing to clean up. The more you wipe the more you spread and it just becomes a soapy mess. So I just decided that us going out that morning was not going to happen and just made him a nice bubble bath.

I know its not the best punishment, but when it comes to Jonas I have to pick my battles and sometimes its just best to make a good situation out of a bad one...laugh...and take lots of pictures.

2010-11-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is noah.

Isn't he just so cute? Yep, I think so too.

right now we are in the process of taking milk out of my diet to see if it helps with some of his "issues". keep your fingers crossed it works!

2010-11-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

no matter how horrible i am at taking pictures and no matter how much she wiggles... she is still really cute!

see... he DOES sleep... just sometimes though and hopefully that will change real soon.

someone is really in need of a haircut

look mom! NO training wheels!!

happy halloween

2010-10-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

life is good

2010-10-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

things have been a little crazy, but a good kind of crazy!!

here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past week.

need to do an update post soon!! lots going on!

why jonas? WHY???

2010-08-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start documenting more the "joys of jonas". Mostly so that when he is all grown up I can show him proof of all the things he put me through and I will expect compensation. He better figure out how to make lots of money:)

Today while I was showing the Chem Dry guys the van so they could clean the seats and carpet Jonas was doing what Jonas does best: getting into trouble.

This is salt all over.

There is actually more on the floor, but you cant see it very well in any of the pictures I took because it just blends into the floor.

While I was cleaning it up he was here

That's right... he NEVER stops (in fact as i am writing this he is throwing everything off the entertainment center)

Its a good thing he is cute

all while Noah just slept. I am not looking forward to when they are BOTH plotting against me.

Noah Romney

2010-08-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

don't you just want to squish those chubby cheeks?

confession of sorts

2010-08-23T05:17:00.001-07:00

Last night we were in Jonas' room trying desperately to get the kids to bed after a very long day. We had one sick boy, lots of girly melt downs (some being my own), a messy house, I hadn't taken a shower since the day before yesterday (very gross i know). Things were chaotic to say the least. And yet I still had a very strong urge to have another baby. I think just admitting that should tell you that I am very crazy and something might be seriously wrong. I just sat for a moment holding my barely 3 month old who didn't want to nap all day (didn't realize how key the swing was for naps until the batteries died and of course had to die on a sunday so i couldn't run to the store to get more). I sat there watching Aaron play with the other crazy 3 kids and I just felt like someone was missing. I KNOW I AM CRAZY!!

I was for sure 100% we were DONE! and then out of nowhere I want another one and soon! WOW!! maybe that water at church is stronger than we thought (for those of you who don't know what I am talking about there are a LOT of women in our ward that either had a baby or are pregnant this year..a lot like 25 or so.. i really should count cause it would be interesting to get an exact number).

What is wrong with me?!?! isn't 4 kids enough??? i mean really I know they are super cute and have tendencies to melt my heart and make me feel like the luckiest mom in the world, but those who know me lately know that I am a bit on the "I have too many kids crazy" side. With Aaron in the bishopric Sunday's have been hard (thank you to those that have helped so much). And even with Abby and Emma at school the days are still finding themselves to be hectic HAVE YOU MET JONAS???? This boy is beyond crazy. He is into everything (that would have to be a whole other post...i have a lot of stories about the things jonas does on a daily basis). And Noah even with hair to die for he is still only 3 months old!!!

hmmmm maybe I just need to take a nap! SO I guess we will just have to wait and see what our future holds... it MIGHT consist of buying a bigger van:)

six

2010-07-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

Abby is 6 and it makes me feel old now that I have to use two hands to show how old she is. I feel extremely blessed to be her mom. She can have her moments, but she is such a tender hearted sweet girl. She loves soccer, zebra print, and catching frogs and lizards. Abby is very smart (i will admit she gets that from her dad). She will be going into the first grade and she is VERY excited. She loves to read and write. I am always finding her little notes around the house. The most recent one was put on their tent saying "clubhouse for abby and daddy and NOT emma". She can be very stubborn (also from her dad), but is such a good helper when it comes to taking care of her brothers and emma (when emma will let her). I think she just likes to feel like she is in charge. She has some power issues that we are working on.

this picture is for aaron... just look at that face!

my absolute favorite picture of abby. doesn't it just scream "happiest place on earth"?... that's abby for you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY!!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

two

2010-07-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

Jonas is two and he is our crazy little boy. He is always getting into something and he never stops. Its a good thing he is so cute and has the best facial expressions or else he might have been sold by now. There is just something about him that even while he is playing in the toilet and coloring on all the walls he just has to flash me that one dimpled smile and it melts my heart and I cant stay mad for very long. I love that he still wants to cuddle and loves to give hugs and kisses. He loves his daddy and is his shadow from the moment he comes home from work. I just love this little boy to death. Happy Birthday Bubba!!!

Its that time of year....BIRTHDAY WEEK!!

2010-07-21T04:38:00.000-07:00

Abby Emma and Jonas were all born in July IN THE SAME WEEK! So its always our crazy week filled with all kinds of birthday activities. So far they all share a birthday party until they complain about it, but even then I think I will still make them share (can you imagine 3 separate parties in one week? not me) so we week starts with Emma.

Emma is 4 today. I still cant figure out where all the time goes. Emma is our girly girl. She loves anything princess and loves to remind us that she is one on a daily basis and daddy is her prince. She will only wear dresses or skirts (because that is what princesses wear duh!). She loves to dance and sing and wear make-up... the girl cant go anywhere without her "lips". She is so funny and makes us laugh all day. She may also seem sweet, but she can definitely keep up with abby and she will do what she wants when she wants and no one will tell her otherwise. Emma has the best smile and a laugh that we love so much and she sure knows how to work that bottom lip and can get daddy to do whatever she wants with it. We love our Emma! Happy Birthday!

I wish i had a baby picture of emma, but our computer crashed awhile ago and we lost all her baby pictures, but you will just have to take my word that she was such a cute baby:)

one of my favorite emma moments was "lion hair"

atlanta

2010-07-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

on monday since aaron had the day off we decided to have a family day and headed to atlanta. it was soooo much fun and just nice to hang out as a family. first we stopped by the museum of natural history which the kids loved.

they had geckos on display and the girls loved seeing all the different kinds and trying to find them all. jonas....not so much.

but he did LOVE the dinosaurs!!

we will have to explain a few things that we might not believe to be correct. we saw a movie about how the earth was created and lets just say the kids were more scared than anything.

after a really fun time at the museum we took the kids over to olympic park to play in the water

i think its safe to say they liked it...a lot

and what's a trip without a stop at the LDS bookstore, the temple, and IKEA of course?!? sorry no pictures, but it was a fun filled day complete with a stop at steak n shake!

2010-06-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

mystery solved

2010-06-25T07:01:00.001-07:00

pink footprints

pink handprint

could it be made by the boy covered in pink?

I think so

nothing says "you are in soooo much trouble" like a super bubbly bubble bath. side note: a certain sister (im sure most can guess which one) gave him the pink lipstick...isn't she nice

summer dress

2010-06-17T07:26:00.001-07:00

my first attempt at a summer dress for the girls. emma of course loves it (she will only wear dresses...its a constant battle) and I still need to shorten this one, but she wont let me. apparently princesses only wear super long dresses. at least she enjoys it and that makes me happy. and please ignore the crazy hair.

Noah

2010-05-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Meet Noah Romney

Born May 19th 12:04pm
8lbs 11 oz
20 inches

somehow emma knew just when he would come. 2 months ago when I was putting things on the calendar she was putting stickers everywhere and placed this one randomly on the calendar...weird. I realized this after getting home from the appointment when the doctor and I had set up a date to be induced.

more info to come.

slip n slide

2010-05-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days I have been a very bad mom and have been neglecting my kids. This pregnancy this week has been a rough one for me and yesterday even found myself at the doctor being hydrated with fluid through an IV because I couldn't stop throwing up. A lot of people would tell me "its a sign" and he is coming very soon, but the doctor checked me again and I still am dilated the same (just barely a two) and now he is "floating" and not down where he should be like he has been for awhile now (so I feel like instead of progressing I am taking a step back...yea)

So Aaron being he amazing dad that he is has totally been awesome in keeping the kids entertained. Yesterday I came home to them playing in the backyard with a slip n slide he took them to go get while I was at the doctor. They loved it, especially Jonas and it totally brightened my super crappy day to see them playing and having such a fun time with their dad. He also cooked dinner and put them to bed for me for the last few days (Have I said yet how awesome he is??).

Just to update I am going back into the doctor again (for my regular appt) and we will try AGAIN to strip my membranes and hopefully get things going this time. Also, the sickness of yesterday was because of something I ate...yea for food poisoning at the end of this pregnancy just to make things that much better:) and no baby yet. But on the good side my mom will be here on Monday!!!

the very hungry "caterpillars"

2010-05-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

This year we wanted to plant a garden, but if you have seen our yard we are lacking a lot of space. So just to start we planted just a few things. We started out great and things were looking very promising. Then Emma decided to replant our cantaloupe in a completely different place in the yard. And as soon as the broccoli budded she thought she would pick it. We have since talked to her about when you pick or even when you touch something it will DIE...and now so far so good. Until the other day we were invaded by the "very hungry caterpillar" or should I say caterpillarS...actually I am not sure if they were caterpillars or just worms (I do not like bugs of any kind and so I didn't get too close to investigate). They ate one whole broccoli plant and half a a few others. NOT happy about it at all. Our family really LOVES broccoli and we were really looking forward to eating it. We will just have to see what happens with it.

the zoo

2010-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago Abby's kindergarten class went to the zoo. Aaron was able to go with her and they both had a great time.

Aaron

2010-04-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

So this past Saturday turned out to be a very eventful saturday. We had planned on a BBQ with some friends and date night for Aaron and I that night...was supposed to be a good day. I woke up just really REALLY wanting this baby out. I kept thinking I just REALLY want to go to the hospital today, but I had some yummy ribs and a date with aaron to look forward to. Aaron went over to another friends to help with the yard before we were to have our BBQ. Lovingly he took the girls and I got some time to get a few things done while Jonas took a nap. Then I got a phone call saying Aaron hit his head and needed to go to the hospital. Apparently, he was digging a ditch and jumped out to get something ran around the tractor and as he came around didn't see the bucket of the tractor high above him and hit it (while running) with his head. He says he remembers hitting and then looking up from the ground and the gush of blood. So I took him to the ER after our friends had to bring him home and take jonas because our car wouldn't start (what are the chances). 3 hours and 6 staples (yes, STAPLES...GROSS) later Aaron was still determined to take me out for dinner. He is amazing I know...or he was mad that he didn't get to eat the ribs that we had to cancel because of our trip to the ER..either way I love him...staples and all.

So for 10 whole days he gets to wear his new jewelry and hopefully the NEXT time we find ourselves at the hospital will be for me:) and I have learned to be careful what you wish for...sorry aaron.

emma

2010-04-16T06:19:00.001-07:00

emma screaming from another room:
"mom, what do you say?...MOM!!...I SNEEZED...what do you say?...did you hear me i sneezed...MOM I SNEEZED WHAT DO YOU SAY TO ME?....MOM!!"

me:
"what?, OH BLESS YOU!!"

emma: (in her "ive waited too long and are now super irritated" voice)
"thank you"

goodness you would have thought that if she didn't get an immediate "bless you" after a sneeze she could have very well died. and I am always supposed to have supersonic ears.

jonas

2010-04-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE this little boy. I love that he will still wants to snuggle. I love how he says yes, he doesn't nod his head...he just lifts his eyebrows. I love that he asks for hugs and kisses. I love to see how excited he gets when he sees his daddy and how excited he gets when yo gabba gabba is on and will scream the theme song, and does biz's beats:). I love his one little dimple and the look he gives when he knows he is being sneaky. He is becoming less of a baby and more of a little boy and it makes me sad, but I know that he is going to be a great big brother. And I can't wait to have two boys in our home:)

happenings

2010-04-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

A few things we have been up to these days.

Abby finished her spring soccer season. She loved to play goalie and defense and was getting really good. At the beginning she had a hard time because she was the youngest and the smallest on her team and would get pushed around a lot and had a hard time playing with girls twice her size, but by the end of the season she was getting braver and found out that she is a GREAT defense player and wouldn't let anything get past her. She got a trophy (that jonas already destroyed and daddy has to fix...emma would say "ah, little brothers").

We had a simple, but great Easter. The kids woke up to discover their baskets. Once everyone had eaten we colored some eggs. It was so fun to watch Jonas get so excited and say "WHOA" every time an egg was taken out of the coloring. He only had one egg, but just colored it over and over and didn't care. Sorry about Emma being in her underwear she will thank me when she is older for posting it:)

then we had an egg hunt in our back yard.

We also talked about why we really celebrate Easter. then the girls watched conference with us trying to keep track of how many times they said Jesus. Emma didn't last very long, but Abby actually almost made it through the first session. Which was a first for us and it was wonderful to be able to watch it together.

Overall it was a perfect day and so nice to spend together as family without having to worry about anything, but each other.

we are indeed alive

2010-03-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't updated our blog in awhile (i know i know...sorry mom). The reason is we can not find the cord to upload our pictures onto our computer and who really wants a post without pictures?!? Well as soon as we find it I will be sure to bore you with the many things we have been up to:) Right now we are busy busy busy as always. It seems that there isn't a day without SOMETHING going on...soccer games (aaron and abby both play), dance class, doctors appointments, etc. I am hoping that once this baby comes and soccer and dance are over, abby is out of school our lives will slow down a bit and we can enjoy our family and the summer time. Until then I have a cord to find, never ending laundry to do, soccer games to attend, a dance recital coming up (same day as my due date so that should be fun), scout camps, a baby to get ready for (if you can really ever be "ready"), and so on and so on. Wish me luck!!

its that time again

2010-01-22T10:56:00.001-08:00

SOCCER SEASON!!

we signed abby up for soccer yesterday and she is VERY excited (to say the least). She has been practicing during the "off season". We will catch her running like crazy (in full soccer attire) and when we ask her what she is doing she says "just practicing so I can be super fast for soccer". She has also been lifting weights (well she thinks she is). and has been working out with aaron's p90x videos. So needless to say she is READY!! She loves soccer and we are just happy that she has found something that she really looks forward to and is willing to work hard for:).

amazed yet again

2010-01-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

Aaron has started writing articles for a good friends newspaper the Utah People's Post. Aaron is amazing. Whether you agree with him or not I think he is pretty awesome and yet again I am amazed by how much he can do. You should check out his latest addition here and let him know what you think.

grandma lisa came to visit...

2010-01-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

I guess emma wanted grandma here so bad that she had to make her. the funny thing is she really played with "grandma" all day and when jonas finally destroyed her she got really upset (like she couldn't just make it again).

p.s.
this is a total hint hint to grandma lisa:) come see her!!

daddy daughter dates

2010-01-14T08:25:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of the year Aaron and I sat down and listed all the things we wanted to do for our family. Things we needed to work on, things to change, things we wanted to start.

One of those things is having a monthly "daddy daughter date" with each of the girls. Abby and Emma are such daddy's girls and they dont have as many opportunities as they would like just with Aaron.

Emma was first and Aaron came and picked her up after work and they went to eat and then to see Princess and the Frog (emma LOVES LOVES LOVES that movie) she was even treated to popcorn and she was in heaven. Today is Abby's day and she has been asking every day since we told them if it was the 14th yet. So Aaron took her to school and will pick her up and then do something fun just the two of them. Its only the first month, but so far we LOVE it (all of us). So I highly suggest (if you havent already) start something like this. The girls look forward to their daddy time and it also gives me a chance to get Abby alone as well when emma is with Aaron (something we really needed as well). Next month I will have to have Aaron take the camera on their dates!!

catch up time

2010-01-08T14:54:00.001-08:00

I had been meaning to post some pictures of our Christmas festivities, but I guess with all the baby excitement I forgot all about it. So for those bugging me about it (mom) here you go.

This year Grandma and Grandpa Pilkington were able to come and spend Christmas with us.

They kids loved having them here. We watched LOTS of movies, ate LOTS of yummy food, and made LOTS of memories!

We made a gingerbread house

Christmas eve they opened their pajamas from great grandma joan

Christmas morning the kids were nice enough to let Aaron and I sleep in a bit. The girls came and got in bed with us and we waited for Jonas to wake up. They were very excited about what they got that morning. Abby got her parrot she wanted. Emma got the Chipmunk (somehow i didn't get a picture). Jonas got a four wheeler thing that has already been banned from inside the house after putting black marks on the carpet and wood floor from peeling out or getting stuck but still having the tires move. They got new dresses (which always makes Emma VERY happy). The girls got just about every princess doll they make and Jonas got a woody doll. Among many other things.

Now we look forward to the new year and all that it is going to bring... 2010 is going to be a great year!!!

We're having a .....

2010-01-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

Not everyone was as happy to find out what the baby is going to be as the rest. Here is a video of us breaking the news to Abby & Emma. Keep in mind, we took the video because we knew one of them was going to have very strong feelings about it...guess who?

We really should've kept recording. It got even better. I mean, snot bubbles, full on hyperventilation, donkey kicks...the whole shabang. All the while Emma is spinning in circles and giving hugs and kisses.

what do you think?

2010-01-05T11:21:00.001-08:00

its always fun to see what other people think. So do you think this is going to be a boy or a girl? put your answer to the right. Aaron and the girls think its a girl. (aaron also thought jonas was a girl too). I am still up in the air as to what i think. This pregnancy has been different all around and I don't "feel" like its one or the other. I would love Jonas to have a wrestling buddy so that he will stop tackling his sisters...and it would be nice to keep things even. But I still find myself looking at all the extremely adorable things (things so cute I would take the extra girly drama in our home just to dress it in all the cuteness that is out there). I have my ultrasound on Thursday and I know we said that we weren't going to find out what we were having, but I will admit I have caved and am going to find out. It sounded like so much fun to keep it a surprise, but lets face it I am just not cut out for all the wait and anticipation. Its enough for me to find out what they look like....i just have to know if its a girl or a boy ahead of time. Aaron luckily is okay with knowing and so we will be sure to let everyone know (hopefully we have a cooperative baby:) )....and I know you are all DYING to find out as much as me:)

the latest happenings

2009-12-21T11:44:00.001-08:00

so we are slowly but surely getting ready for Christmas. We have gone to a few parties. The first was our ward Christmas party. We attempted a gingerbread house, but it collapsed (twice)...still cant figure out how we didn't win best house. Of course there was Santa and the girls were able to tell him exactly what they want; Abby would like a parrot (its a fur-real pet) and roller skates (she thinks the girl at Sonic is awesome... we probably go there too much) Emma wants a chipmunk (weird i know, but also a fur-real pet) and roller skates (well because she wants whatever abby wants). Jonas didn't care so much for Santa. He wasn't scared at all...he just had better things to do than to sit on some guys lap. But we still squeezed him on for a picture. We also had Aarons work Christmas party. Lots of yummy food and Santa again....the girls made sure he still remembered what they wanted:) Since then we have enjoyed all the yummy Christmas goodies we have made and those that have been given to us. Im scared to be weighed at my next doctors appointment since last month (at 14 weeks) I had already gained half of a normal pregnancy. Not to worry... our treadmill will be here tomorrow....and I will for sure be using it every day (who am i kidding). Now we just try to stop eating so much chocolate and get ready for Aarons parents to come!!!

snow...

2009-12-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

I changed the background of our blog. It's the closest thing to snow we will be seeing this Christmas here in Georgia....unless there is some Christmas miracle and it decides to snow just for Christmas day (and only Christmas day). I really don't love snow, but it just never feels quite like Christmas until there is a blanket of snow on the ground:)

A few updates.... Aaron put in hardwood floor throughout the main floor of our home. I love it and am glad to get the house back to normal (which is why there wont be any pictures this post....because I cant find the cord in all the chaos). Its amazing how much it changes our home. We (and when I say we I mean Aaron did and I supervised) also painted the "lovely" green playroom (you find out real quick your really really good friends when some say they like it...after hesitation and then others who will tell you it looks like "poop"). It's now a very soft blue and we love it much more.

I made my very own first Thanksgiving dinner ALL BY MYSELF this year. I am very proud of myself and the two days it took to make one meal. Aaron loved it so much he is requesting a repeat for Christmas dinner. I don't know how I feel about having turkey for Christmas instead of ham so we will see. Thanks mom for the crazy, but so very yummy turkey recipe and letting me call you every 10 minutes for help:)

The kids are getting bigger and crazier which makes life full of fun.

now I am just getting ready for Christmas and looking forward to the new year that will bring many changes...some being jonas will go to nursery (yea!!) emma will be a sunbeam and will start preschool in the fall. Aaron will be applying for a masters program that if he gets it will have us moving not long after and we will be adding number four to our crazy bunch. hopefully i will be able to post pictures soon!!!

we have been thinking

2009-11-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

aaron and i have been talking and since this is most likely going to be our last baby we thought it would be fun to keep the gender of the baby a surprise. I know... i am crazy! if you know me im not one for surprises. I have to know EVERYTHING (I always find out all my presents from aaron way before because of that very reason). I kept telling myself that I NEED to find out so that I can prepare. Then realized that there isn't really much to prepare for. We already have a few things for either a boy or girl and the first couple of weeks all they need is pajamas and diapers. We have many friends that have done this and love the fun of not knowing till the end so we thought... why not make our last one a little more fun!

We will see how long this idea of being surprised lasts...

halloween

2009-11-02T04:40:00.000-08:00

This was a fun Halloween year, but now I am glad its all over. I had this brilliant idea this year to make all their costumes. I had been thinking about how my mom always made mine as a child and I would do the same. Probably wont happen again:) Or at least I will pick something much easier and less sleeve sewing. Well enjoy the pictures....

Jonas was actually able to trick or treat and once he figured it out... he was a boy on a mission

Emma and her "best friend" Lilli (daphne)

Abby as the Queen of Hearts. If you know our Abby this costume was perfect for her and she really got into "character"

getting ready to go... Freddie and Daphne (mathew & lilli) and Alice and The Queen

The Mad Hatter

our sweet Alice

sneak peek

2009-10-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

I was going to make jonas the white rabbit, but when it came down to time I had to go with something easier. The hat did start out fitting, but as I added the fabric it just didn't end up fitting perfectly....oh well! I had to wing it all and even though its far from perfect I think it turned out better than expected...seeing that I did it all last night and finished this morning. Cant wait to see the 3 of them together....now I just have to finish abby's queen of hearts costume and we will be set. Doesn't he just look super happy to be all dressed up??

guess what....

2009-10-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

... We broke the July cycle. Every one of our kids has a birthday in July and not just in July, but all within the same week. Now we are expecting baby #4 and this one will NOT be born in July, but in May!!! I really look forward to seeing what its like to NOT be pregnant in the summer...yea!

monster mash!

2009-10-22T11:22:00.001-07:00

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Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-10-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

I would absolutely DIE to win this. I have done contests like this before, but SERIOUSLY!! THIS is EXACTLY what the girls were going to be this year and am halfway through sewing emma's "alice", but have really ruined it and with us all being sick I am just about to give up on trying to make costumes this year...until NOW!! I am sure I will still try to sew them, but imagine if I won these super adorable (i literally drool everytime I look at them) costumes. OH I hope I win!!!!

meet the newest addition to our family...

2009-10-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

LITTLE CHICKEN!!

yesterday Abby went with her class on a field trip to a pumpkin patch and brought home this pumpkin. Emma fell in love the moment she saw it! Abby, being the nice big sister let her have the pumpkin and emma carried "him" around EVERYWHERE! She also has named this little pumpkin "little chicken" (obviously). We also went yesterday out to dinner and to watch Abby play soccer and of course our newest addition came along. I had to convince her today that little chicken could not go with her to her dance class because all the other little girls wouldn't have a pumpkin and so she after lots and lots of bribing left him home. As soon as we got back she made sure he had plenty of hugs and kisses! She is such a funny girl!!

thats not my name

2009-10-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

aaron has finally changed the music on our blog! YEA!! I don't know how to do it so he is always the one in charge of the music...just in case you were wondering about the previous music choices. Well now it plays the girls most favorite song (right now) we love to play this song for them because they sing and dance to it and its the best to watch. Emma only knows the "thats not my name" part and so that is always sung the loudest and I LOVE IT!! I have yet to get it on video, but we will see. Sorry no pictures with this post....and that is because we have ALL been so sick and no one wants to see that (trust me..we are scary)! Since Sunday we have all been pretty much on our death beds and Aaron has been the only one to venture out of our prison to go to work or make the nightly run to CVS or Walmart for sickness essentials. Hopefully one day (very soon) we will see the light at the end of the tunnel. As of right now it just never seems to be getting better. So don't come near us for the time being because I would hate anyone to get whatever this is that we have. I would never wish this on anyone. On a more positive note... we have spent a LOT of time with our little family which is always nice, the girls even though have been just as sick have helped me a lot to take care of Jonas (who has now become the sickest of us all). And we are hoping to be better by Monday so that Abby can go on her field trip, play soccer, emma can go back to dance "twass", and I can hopefully (fingers crossed) get their halloween costumes sewn in time. Until then there are still runny noses to wipe, fevers to come down, lots of disinfecting of germs to be had all while we as a family will be jamming out to this song.... so sit back turn up your volume and enjoy it with us.... its probably the closest we will get to be with our friends for awhile:)

soccer

2009-10-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

Abby is playing soccer again and she is LOVING it! I even asked her before the season started if she would rather do dance with Emma and she said she wanted to play soccer. She is still the smallest, but she is not scared to get right in there and get the ball. She already has scored a few goals (some for the other team, but she seems to do whatever is easiest and if she gets the ball and its easier to take it to the other teams goal then so be it). Yesterday she had another game and when I told her she got really excited and said "me and daddy play soccer. Daddy is super awesome with soccer and now im super awesome like daddy!"

Whenever Abby does something good she will show us on the sideline a thumbs up! She loves to play goalie and that is why she is doing it this time. Once though another kid on her team was playing goalie and let the other team score and Abby did a BIG thumbs down for all to see.... we had to teach her about how thats not very nice:)

that would be abby's foot and yes she just scored a goal!!

jonas

2009-09-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE this little boy. He can always make me smile even when I am having a pretty crappy day. Don't get me wrong I love my girls just the same, but there is something in that one dimpled smile that just melts my heart. He is goofy and sweet and loves to cuddle and loves to be all BOY!! He makes me crazy now that he climbs on everything and gets into every cupboard or drawer that he can reach. He has even learned to say "shut it" and yet when I WANT to be mad at all the madness he is causing I just CANT.... he is really that cute!!

This is a video of him I took awhile ago (the same day emma had her super awesome "lion" hair day...this was towards the end of the day and its much more calmed down). He found some goggles and insisted on wearing them the majority of the day. I laughed ALL day that day!! ENJOY!!!

havent seen one of these since i was a kid

2009-09-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Abby was scared of it at first, but then grew to love it. Emma has a frog in that cup. Aaron thought it would be okay to tell her to bring it in the house to show me. Not a good idea. Aaron got in a lot of trouble for that brilliant idea!!

so sew busy

2009-09-20T06:23:00.001-07:00

this is what my kitchen has become these last few weeks

I have been sewing and creating like crazy because I am going to be trying to sell a few of my creations at the Oliver Hardy festival the first weekend in Oct. I think I have officially gone crazy!! Here is a little sneak peak of what I have been up to.

I have a few more ideas up my sleeve, but its all about finding the time and October keeps getting closer and closer. Let me know what you think. Hope to see you all at the festival!!!

"lion" hair!!

2009-09-03T05:01:00.000-07:00

last night abby really wanted to have me put curlers in her hair and so I did. when I asked emma if she wanted them too she said "no, i want tinkerbell all over". Tinkerbell hair means a bun, but ALL OVER I took as this (this is this morning after its been slept in, but there were about 10-11 "tinkerbells")

before I took them out I told her her hair was going to be soooo curly and as I was taking them out she kept saying "is it like sleeping beauty hair?" I guess she was thinking it was going to be long beautiful curls, but her hair just kept getting bigger and BIGGER! When I was done she felt that it was super big and said "NOT LION HAIR!!" This should be an awesome "do" for the day...don't ya think?

i am luckiest mom ever...

2009-09-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

... because I have the cutest, silliest, best, most adorable kids ever!! I know im not always this positive about them, but I absolutely LOVE these three crazies!

Abby is now in Kindergarten and she is loving being more independent and making her own choices and I am learning that its okay if she goes to school and doesn't quite match or she wants to wear Christmas socks with her shorts... we try to compromise, but she usually gets her way:) She is also learning that her teacher wants her letters written a certain way and that she cant always put her swirls on the end of her A's and Y's and dot her I's with her huge circles....we are still working on it!! She just loves to have things done just so and as much as it makes me crazy when trying the help with her homework at times...I love it about her!

Emma just began dance class and she LOVES it!! She loves it when I put her hair in a bun (she calls it her tinkerbell hair). She is still making us laugh all day long and is really enjoying having her daddy home and wont let him out of her sight.

Jonas is all BOY!! He is getting so big and it makes me a little sad knowing that he isnt going to be my baby for much longer. He loves anything noisy or dirty! He loves to tease the girls and its funny that even at this age he knows just how to bug them so much. He watches everything they do and is always trying to follow. Just the other day they were jumping from couch to couch and of course Jonas thinks he can do it too...so far no injuries (knock on wood).

Also, a little side note: Aaron started back to work at a DAY SHIFT!!! We have been doing the midnight shift since we have been here (3 1/2 years now) and its so crazy to have him home before 4pm and to sleep with me at night. We finally feel like normal people!! However it is going to take some getting used to to have someone else in the bed at night. I think we will be upgrading to a king very very soon;) But other than that we really cant complain. EVERYTHING is GREAT and life is GOOD!!!

aqaba

2009-08-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

our last days were spent in aqaba and was a perfect ending to an already super fabulous vacation! We spent two nights in pure bliss. We got to our hotel after our tour through the desert in wadi rum. It was right on the red sea and once again we were upgraded to a suite. This was by far THE nicest hotel I have EVER been in (and aaron has treated me to some very nice hotels in the past) We had our own living room, kitchen, a balcony that had a great view of the red sea and TWO bathrooms...who needs two bathrooms (seriously). After getting settled we walked around for a bit. We went up to the flag there (well because its supposed to be the second tallest flagpole in the world) and came across this old castle so we walked around there for a bit. Once we had enough we went back to just eat and relax. The next morning we headed out to do a little snorkeling. Aaron is really big into ocean stuff and even more so since we got that salt water tank so he was dying to go and being the awesome wife that I am knew just how happy it would make him and agreed to go. I am terrified of ALL things ocean. I think the ocean is beautiful and the things that live in it are great, but I will NOT ever go in it. I just hate the thought of not knowing what you are swimming with and...well I am scared of fish. I wont even put my finger in our fish tank at home its that bad. So we got all our gear and I (after a lot of persuading on aarons part) got in the ocean. I scraped my knee on some coral and felt like I couldn't breath with the mask on. freaked out and got out as fast as I could and was very content to watch Aaron swim around from the dock:) Aaron loved it though and was a happy boy even though I am sure he wished he didn't have such a crazy wife. We walked around some more that night and would see people just walking their camels down the street....it was AWESOME!!! we just continued to relax and it was great.... if we didn't miss our kids so much at that point I could have stayed there for a very long time!!!

We drove back to Amman and got ready to go home. We missed the kids so much and it was hard to be away from them for so long, but the trip was AMAZING and I absolutely LOVED every moment of it. Thanks to all of you that helped us out these last few months while aaron was away and while we were both gone. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! We have been truly blessed with such good people in our lives.

Also a little side note that I am really excited about.... Flying home (aaron and I flew separately) I stopped in paris ( my #1 on places I want to visit of course) and I asked for a window seat so that I could see paris as I flew in and out and I actually saw the eiffel tower. We flew so close and I got so excited I am sure I looked like a complete freak to everyone else on the plane. I was so excited that I actually walked out of the airport just to walk back in so that I had to go through customs again JUST so that I could get a stamp on my passport to prove that I saw the actual eiffel tower.... pathetic I know!!
driving along the red sea. on the other side is egypt..that will be another trip:)

watching aaron from a safe distance:)

the castle ruins. unfortunately this is the only one we have that actually shows the castle...I really am happy to be there... im tired of having to be the only one in ALL our pictures

second tallest flagpole in the world

the view from our room

wadi rum

2009-08-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

After Petra we drove to wadi rum to take a jeep tour through the desert. On the way there we passed this bedouin man trying to get a ride along the rode. We drove passed him then Aaron got a guilty feeling knowing that bedouin's are supposed to be super nice or something like that so we turned around and picked him up. Crazy enough he just happened to be a tour guide and wanted to take us in his jeep and for a little bit cheaper than what it would have cost to go through the visiter center. At first I was a little worried since we didn't know him. He tried really hard to first go to his house to drink tea with his family. He didn't really understand that we really don't drink tea for religious reasons because EVERYONE there drinks tea all day long. I think we offended a lot of people turning down tea the whole trip. Anyway, after finally convincing him we just wanted a hour jeep tour and did NOT want to drink tea or spend the night (who knows how many times he told us his uncle had 2 goats and a lamb because "big occasion tonght" and we should eat with his family and spend the night...we were on our way! We first stopped at a spot where it is supposed to be the place where moses was trying to get water and tapped on the rocks and out flowed a spring. It was really neat to be in a place like that. We saw really cool mountains that just looked like the rocks were melting and A LOT of sand!! But still AWESOME!!! On our way out of course there are always some person that needs a ride and being the extremely nice people we were we sure did give them a ride. One just needed a ride back to the visitors center which was only about a mile in the direction we were heading, but the other who didn't speak any english (who i swear passed gas he entire ride and helped himself to our bottled water) needed us to go a little out of our way to take him to a certain village. On the way all I could think was that part in the movie dumb and dumber and the hitch-hikers and I felt the need to sing the mocking bird song. Then we were on our way to Aqaba to finally jut relax!!!

Petra

2009-08-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

This was probably my most favorite place we visited. We got to our hotel late since we didn't leave Amman when we were wanting to (because we were looking for lost luggage at the airport) But the Hotel was AWESOME. Aaron did very well in getting us the very best this whole trip. I was a VERY spoiled girl the entire trip!!! We were upgraded to a suite (either because they were just really nice or because Aaron had reserved them under the school name and they wanted to impress us "business" people...either way we definitely scored big time with the hotel rooms) We woke up had an amazing breakfast and then walked to the Petra ruins (our hotel was right at the entrance) Petra was AMAZING!!! All I can say is I cant wait to go back. When we first got there there are people selling their goods and one guy talked us into buying a scarf for myself. Which at first I felt completely dorky, but it totally came in handy!! You just walk/hike through the mountains to see these buldings and temples and whatnot carved right out of the mountain. They were incredible!! I loved every moment of it. I should have Aaron write this post because he knows a lot more of the history and details of the place much better than I do. I just wish I would have taken the donkey ride up to the monastery. That hike was like the stair master from "you know where" and this is where that white scarf thingy came in handy. Its so hot, but the more you cover the better oddly enough. My face was so red by the end of the day. I couldnt walk for the next few days, but it was totally worth it!!! That night Aaron took me to dinner. It was called Petra Kitchen and on the way there Aaron tells me that you cook your own food and you dont know what you are going to be making until you get there. I was a bit skeptical at first...since I can be a bit of a picky eater. When we got there we were with 3 other people. We were given recipes of some traditional Jordanian foods and were shown how to make everything. It was SO FUN!! And the food was SO YUMMY!! I would have eaten there every night! We got to take home the recipes for the things that we made so maybe I will be making them again very soon for my family (anyone want to try??) We spent another night in Petra and then the next morning after another super yummy breakfast we headed to Wadi Rum....sorry these pictures are out of order but im too tired and lazy to fix it.
me

This was a little bridge that looks to be held up by this little teeny pole...of course I told Aaron to go stand on it for a picture!

can you believe that this was all carved out of the mountain?!?! and thats just a small portion of all that is there!!

our menu and our hosts that taught us how to cook at the petra kitchen

me pretending i know what im doing

almost to the top to the monastery...had to take a break...and this is where the scarf came in handy even if I look a bit dorky:)

the entrance

Jordan

2009-08-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

We have had a very busy August. not to make a really long post and so I don't completely bore you. I am going to have to break it up a bit and not do everything at once. Aaron had received a state department scholarship to do an advanced arabic study in Jordan. He was gone for about 2 1/2 months. While he was there he learned that the last week there they would give them to tour the country at their leisure. So last minute and after a lot of debating we decided that I would go there to meet him for the last week and we would tour the country together. Thanks again Debbie for convincing me to go because I LOVED IT!!!

Aaron's mom agreed to come out to watch the kids. A BIG THANK YOU TO HER!!! And I left for Jordan!! When arriving in Jordan it was a huge shock to me and once I saw how everyone was dressed and that I didn't know a word that they were speaking I knew I was in for an adventure. I have never ever been outside of the country and moving to Georgia was a big culture shock to me so you can imagine how I felt at this point. At the airport there you have to arrive gain a visa exchange your money into Jordanian Dinars and get your bags and go through another security check before you can go and meet the people waiting for you. So I had to do all this without Aaron and his Arabic speaking abilities. Of course my suitcase didn't come and I had to make a claim and try to explain the color of my bag (next time I get a plain color bag for this very reason) and why I didn't know the address of where I was staying to this person that didn't speak much english...why they put these people in the airport I will never know. So needless to say I left the airport one bag short.

While Aaron was living there he got to know the family that owned the hotel where he had been staying so the brother had been nice enough to give us a ride to and from the airport. The ride home was crazy. They have lines on the road, but I have no idea why they even bother. No one follows the traffic rules and so it was an interesting car ride.

The following day we had planned on going to the Dead Sea, but being no luggage and not wanting to spend my entire vacation with only what I had in my carry on we spent the morning seeing some Roman ruins and going through the markets. then most of the afternoon back at the airport trying to find my bag. And after bugging them long enough they magically produced my suitcase...yea!!! We then drove to Petra. Good times!! The first day was a bit crazy, but the only minor incident so the rest of the trip was AWESOME!!!

a week to go

2009-08-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

Our computer hasnt been working like it should lately. So I have been going for weeks now not being able to look at blogs or much of anything else. The only things that work are my email and facebook...awesome. So now it decided to work and im going to do a little updating

This might get a little long
and aaron left me with a really crappy camera so the pictures...well you will see...they arent great at all!

So these last few months have been an...adventure to say the least. We started our trip in Utah which was a lot of fun and was so good to see my family. We also got to see my parents new house. The down side of the trip was it decided to rain pretty much every day we were there. So no swimming for us (sure glad I packed all the swimming gear) And luckily i packed some jeans because it sure was cold...IT WAS JUNE and i was freezing most of the time! I had so much help with the kids and it was soooo nice. I stayed up late playing games with my family and sam (who is pretty much family) and I didnt realize that a game of monopoly could get so heated (nick). FUN FUN FUN!! While we were there Jonas learned to walk. The week we got there...so aaron missed it by just a week. While I was there I got to see my brother nick graduate from high school and also my other brother peyton got baptized as well. So it was so awesome to get to be there for all of that.

Jonas also found a love for the thinking chair (from blues clues) and you could most likely find him here. Sure wish we had stayed longer because the next few months just get better:)

July is a big month for us. The kids birthdays all come in the same week...i know and no we didnt plan it that way..although i think we could hold some kind of record. First came Emmas on the 21st. She is now 3 although if you ask her she is 7 (its always 7 no matter how many times you ask) We had their big combined birthday party that day. The kids loved it and i will just say this that icecream cone looking cupcakes might seem easy, but was soooo not worth it...or maybe i just made too many (there were 23 kids...and thats not counting the babies or the moms or my own kids)!! My friend Sherrie took pictures (i wasnt about to have a day such as this remembered with the camera i had..plus it can only hold like 10 pictures at a time and who takes just 10 pictures? So thanks so much Sherrie (her better than mine pictures coming soon)

She also took some pics of the kids. you can go here to check them out. She did such a good job and that proved to be yet another adventure. First while we were trying to get the girls into another outfit I discovered that Emma had stepped into poop and had gotten on a few of the clothes now. And of course I forgot the diaper bag!! So i used a blanket to clean them as much as i could. Then Jonas found more and decided to squish it in all his fingers (if you go look at the pics one of them shows it in his hand) and yes no wipes or anything. I had run to the car to search there and still nothing. So i went to the bathroom there to see if they had paper towels...nope. So i did the best i could with toilet paper. and tried really really hard not to throw up in the process...ANYWAY sherrie was such a good friend and ran him to the bathroom and tried to clean his hands (and forehead) off as best as she could with just the water and no soap or towels. Thanks AGAIN sherrie!! Maybe we will try again when Aaron gets back and do an actual family photo...are you up for it again sherrie? hehehe

So Jonas' first birthday was the 22nd. We spent the day at the pool. And it was perfect. I cant believe he is already 1!! I feel like it was just yesterday that we brought him home from the hospital!! He is amazing. I love this little boy so much. I love the girls too, but Jonas just can find a way to melt my heart. He is so cuddly and sweet. Until it comes to food and he will fight you to the death if he knows you have something. But he will also let you know if he doesnt like something and will spit it right back at you. I have found all kids of yummy things in my hair and on my shirt lately:)

Then Abby's came on the 28th. We got all their check ups with the doctor done this day. Abby left with one shot and jonas got 3...happy birthday abby:) it was one of those days, but i felt i HAD to do something. It was of course her birthday and you only turn 5 once. So I asked some friends if they were willing to brave the craziness of my kids in a restraunt and they agreed. We went to red robin (or the balloon store as my kids like to call it) And abby loved that they sang to her (and emma) and brought her her very own ice cream. yea!!! success!! Thanks again davis'!!

Now we are just getting ready for Abby to start school. She will be in kindergarten!! I CANT WAIT!:) That same day Grandma Vi (aarons mom) is coming to stay with us. She will be here watching the kids while I get to go see aaron for a whole week!!! Aaron and I havent been on a vacation just the two of us since our honeymoon...so we are ready for a "just us" vacation. I am so excited!! I was really nervous at first because i havent ever left our kids with anyone but aaron and i, but im sure they will be fine and im ready to go!!! can you tell i have been with them by myself for a little too long (or am i just a horrible mom??) either way I cant wait!

We are ready to have our daddy back!! I think the kids might be just as ready as me. Since today the girls told me they didnt like me because i got mad at them (that was because they would not clean the playroom) and that they didnt want to be here with me and that they wanted to go to marios (a neighbor friend) to stay until daddy came home. did i mention that they are 5 and 3!! I cant say that it has been all bad. We have done a lot of fun things in the last few months. I have spent a lot of time with my kids and that truly (as hard an exhausting as its been) has been a blessing. They are so funny and I love them soooo much! Emma is Hilarious Abby is so smart and Jonas is so sweet and goofy. And we have been blessed with good friends that have helped me soooo much! Thanks everyone!!!

Now just one more week to go!!!

here are a few more pics of the kids. Abby loved her new goggles..or gobbles is what she called them. She wore them everywhere...even to bed!! funny girl. And then jonas i think got tired (literally) of me ignoring him and just crashed on the floor...while at the same time emma found a nice bed on the table in the playroom. silly kids!!

more aaron

2009-07-05T14:10:00.001-07:00

its been a really good day

2009-07-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I took the girls on base to watch the fireworks. I am SO glad that I did...even if I did have to take them by myself!! I was a little nervous at first taking the kids without Aaron there to help. Mostly for fear of losing one in the dark. The girls loved them. Emma at first wouldnt look at them. She said they were too bright so I gave her my sunglasses that were in my purse and that really helped. She was so fun to watch. She loved the ones that looked like gold glitter falling. She would be laying there on the blanket (with sunglasses as big as her whole face) and as soon as one of those would come she would hurry and sit up..start to clap..and yell "TINKERBELL DUST!" and then lay back down to continue watching. Abby chose for us to sit right at the front so occasionally one of us would get pelted with the firework remains, but it was so worth it to watch the girls excitement. Jonas on the other hand fell asleep half way through (I still dont know how he managed that especially during the finale). All in all it was a really good night.

Today the kids (even Jonas) let me sleep in until 9:30am!! We just spent the day cleaning up and playing. The perfect day. Jonas took a nap around 10:30 and did not wake up from that nap until 3:30. I had to go in a few times to make sure he was still breathing...it was such a long nap! To be honest I havent had many good days with the kids lately...i have been too stressed or worn out so I will take today and whatever meltdowns I am sure will come tomorrow and just be happy to be a mom to three of the cutest most precious kids...I figured I should say it now before I change my mind tomorrow :)

a few pictures from aaron

2009-06-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day!

2009-06-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I just have to say that I have been so blessed with great dads in my life. First my own dad who is just absolutely amazing. He has done so much and sacraficed so much for me and I am so grateful for everything he has done. I also have an amazing father in law. I know that Aaron is the person he is because of his dads incredible example (most of what he says is "because my dad taught me"). I am sad that I dont get to see them very much but I truly love them both and want to wish them a happy fathers day.

And I couldnt forget Aaron. I know I have said it before, but my kids really have the BEST dad ever!! He works so hard and does so much for his family. Fathers day without him has been hard for us all, but we cant wait to have our daddy back!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

p.s. Aaron- I was trying to find a video to say just how much we love you, but I just couldn't find the right one...i'll keep looking:)

Mother's Day - Part Deux

2009-06-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been feeling guilty about my last minute, make-shift Mother's Day post for Megan. What can I say? It is so hard to put all the feeling and sentiment into words. Well, fortunately I was able to find a video that says it all exactly how it should be said. I pitty da fool dat don't watch da whole video! This one is for all you mothers out there...

proud mommy moment

2009-05-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight while I was at the church Jonas took his first steps. 3 of them to be exact. I was so excited and proud of my little man! It was a really good ending to a rather crappy mom day! As soon as I get him walking on camera I will be sure to post it...I know you are all dying to see:) Now the fun begins...he also learned how to open cupboards today too..so that makes an already crazy day that much more interesting.

9 months old!

2009-05-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Jonas is 9 months...well actually he is closer to 10 months now, but he just had his 9 month well baby visit today.

the boys stats:

Weight 19.5 lbs he dropped from the 75th percentile to the 25th
Height 30 in (I really dont think he is that tall because the paper underneath was all crinkled when he measured jonas and then the nurse smoothed it out to measure the marks she made. I should have said something, but he was being so wiggly I didn't want to try again.. although he is pretty long) 90th percentile
Head 18 in 70th percentile

So overall the doctor said that he is too skinny...I didn't really listen much at that point because I don't think that doctors really take into account family genetics and after the horrible experiences with worrying about Abby's weight for so long (meaning taking blood and giving her supplements that made her so constipated she screamed every time she went to the bathroom) I just figure if I know they eat plenty and are super active then I am not worried at all. I know that Jonas eats and is healthy...and I am not too concerned about national averages because every baby is different. Jonas is just going to be tall and slender (just like a lot of my family is). I know going from 75% to 25% is a big drop, but I am still not that worried right now.

jonas is a busy little boy. He is crawling like crazy and is sooo fast. He is walking along the furniture and has stood up by himself a few times before quickly grabbing something to hang onto. He is starting to climb and will climb anything and everything. He says dada and bubba (which is what we call him) He can clap. He can also click his tongue and make all kinds of fun "boy" noises. He loves anything that is loud. He is super smiley...unless there is something he wants and then he will let you know until he gets it...he will just get louder and louder! He will give kisses when asked (meaning he will lean in with mouth wide open). He loves his sisters and loves to be right in the middle of whatever they are doing.

we love this little boy so much and I love to see all the new things he is learning and discovering. I do get a little sad knowing that he is getting bigger and isn't my little baby anymore.

kinda awesome

2009-05-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

Megan is kinda awesome...ok, so she's really awesome. I couldn't ask for a better wife and mother to our kids. So to show just how kinda awesome of a mom she is, here are some kinda awesome pictures of our kinda awesome kids that Megan has done kinda awesome of a job with, kinda awesome...Happy kinda awesome Mother's Day, Megan.

disney world

2009-05-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our trip to disney world.

The HAPPIEST place on earth...

We went with my family (mom, dad, lauren, peyton, and nick came for a few days)

The girls loved it and we saw so many shows that by the end of it Jonas was a pro at clapping. (here are a LOT of pictures from our trip)

We also spent a lot of time in the water. We went to the disney water park and we also drove over to cocoa beach...

It was the perfect vacation. Aaron had all the turkey legs he could ever want. Emma was at epcot during the flower and garden festival (if anyone knows about emma and her very big problem with flowers and picking them will understand how much in heaven she was). Abby was finally tall enough to ride some of the bigger rides like splash mountain. Now we are so tired...we just might need a vacation for this vacation!! Thanks again mom and dad for coming with us...the girls cant wait to see you again this summer!!

tag

2009-03-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

Apparently I have been tagged...sorry it took so long to realize it!

The Rules:
1. Go to your documents/pictures.
2. Go to your 6th file.
3. Go to your 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.
6. So here we go...

So my 6th file only has 4 pictures...I hope that is okay..so the 4th (pretending to be the 6th) is Abby and Daddy! Isnt she so cute! this was taken while we were living in Texas just before going to church. So that would make Abby about 1 1/2 years old! Not the most flatering picture of Aaron (obviously he took the picture and so he looks a bit wierd)

and now i tag shari, jana pilkington, jessica, sarah nuila, hannah, & amy baker

2009-03-05T05:13:00.000-08:00

I finally have found time in this crazy busy life to do some blogging...here you go mom! So a lot has been going on lately for us. We recently took a MUCH NEEDED "vacation". Abby had a 4 day weekend at school (which just happened to be Aarons days off work) so we went to Atlanta. We took the long way through commerce to stop at the outlets to do some shopping:) Then we spent the night in Atlanta and the next day went to the Georgia Aquarium. It was awesome and the kids LOVED it..however, I still think the Monterey aquarium was better! Anyway, before we left for home we saw the temple and got something to eat. It was so nice to get away for just a few days and be just us...away from everything else...and now we cant wait to go to disney world next month!!

Then Aaron celebrated his 28th birthday! He is getting soooo OLD!! We didnt do much since he slept most of the day because he had scouts and work that night. We did make a cake and had a birthday party waiting (complete with party hats and balloons) for when he woke up. I just absoltuely LOVE this man!! He is such a great husband and dad and we feel everyday just how lucky we are to have him!!

The weather has been crazy lately. Which is why it seems that one of us is always sick. One day its nice and we are able to go out without even a jacket and the next day its so stinkin cold and we are in the middle of a "winter storm warning" which keeps Abby out of school! What?!? It was crazy...we didnt even have frost out and could not figure out why the bus wasn't coming. When we finally realized that school was closed Abby just cried and cried. She was so excited because it was her turn to have daddy come to school to hang out in the classroom for a hour. She looks forward to her hour every month! Can you tell I am still mad about this "snow day"?

Jonas is getting so big. He is crawling all over the place and now will pull himself to standing. He has only braved a few steps along furniture. I just know that very soon we are going to have a little boy walking all over and THAT is when the REAL FUN will start:) He is still the sweet little cuddly baby and I pray that it stays that way! He is such a momma's boy and I LOVE it. Aaron has always had the girls as daddy's girls and so now its nice to have one that actually wants me!

jonas "in the ocean". This window looking into the aquarium was like a big bubble and the kids would lie into it so it was like they were actually in the ocean. At first it really freaked the girls out, but jonas LOVED it!

sweet boy

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

jonas riding in the new backpack...which he loves..and will come in handy for disney while waiting in lines.

mommy and emma (who couldnt look away from the fish to take a picture)

silly boy! He is becoming a very VERY messy eater!

Doich-land

2009-02-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know that's not how you spell it...
I know its been awhile since I've been back, but I've been working, and doing homework and sick. So if you haven't already seen some of my pics or heard the story of my trip to Germany, here it is...

I was sent TDY to Ramstein Air Base for 9 days with a couple guys that I work with. We had to drive up to Atlanta to catch a direct flight to Frankfurt (about 9 hours). Long flight? yes, but no biggie...Megan and I went to Barnes & Noble the day before and I got a good novel to enjoy, I had my headphones with the double-pronged airplane attachment so as to avoid the hefty "entertainment fee," and I had a bag of Swedish Fish, what could go wrong?

How about sitting next to a lady with a cat on her lap for 9 hours when you are allergic to cats. That'll ruin your day and quite possibly the next 3 days. The flight attendant even kept coming back to her and asking her to put it back into its carrying case and under the seat. The lady just wouldn't comply for very long. She also thought it was hilarious when the cat would reach out and scratch my shoulder. I'll admit, if I had been watching this scenario on a movie screen with the audio of my inner-dialogue, it would have been hilarious. Unfortunately, this was really happening...for 9 hours.

When we got to Germany, we got our rental cars and headed out on our 1.5 hourish drive to Ramstein. Germany is beautiful. The stretch of the Autobahn between Frankfurt and Ramstein (just outside of Kaiserslautern) was sprinkled with quaint little towns which were connected to each other by a neverending stretch of vineyards on either side. While there we got to visit Schloss Heidelberg and Trier , the oldest city in Germany. I was a little disappointed because I had really wanted to attend a European soccer match. FC Kaiserslautern's stadium was a mere 5 miles from base, but my work schedule did not permit me to attend any games while there. However, while wallowing in despair I decided to go up to the stadium gift shop and buy myself something to feel better. It was cold, so I bought a scarf. On my way out, I took a back road and stumbled upon the practice field where the team was practicing. It was no game, but a good consolation prize. The markets were amazing, the food was even better. I even got my piece-o-junk Ford Fusion (the tiny European model, not like the US version) to go 102mph on the Autobahn. All in all, it was a good trip. I was happy to get home to my family where I was welcomed home with open arms, kisses, the flu, a sore throat, and pink-eye. Here are some pics...

what we've been up to...

2009-02-05T06:01:00.000-08:00

Jonas: Jonas is now 6 months old! He had his well baby yesterday and weighs 17lbs 9oz and I cant find the paper with his height so we will just say that he is TALL. He is now crawling and is quick. The girls are learning fast to keep small toys off the floor and if you think you are going to do a puzzle on the floor Jonas WILL destroy it! He continues to be such a mellow baby and is starting to sleep through the night (from 8pm to 5:30am...I will feed him again and then we will sleep till about 8:30am) So that is very nice. Jonas also is eating solids. His favorites are sweet potatoes and peas. He hates bananas! Which isn't a surprise the girls were the exact same way. His favorite thing to do now though is to spit it all over the high chair and then lick it off...fun times!

Emma: Emma is Hilarious! She is constantly making us laugh all day. She however is also becoming a little bit of a back talker. Any time I tell her to do something I get in response "stop talking" or "leave me alone" among other lovely things. She is now pretty much potty trained. I wish I could take credit, but she did it all on her own. I have been super lazy with it and kept putting it off, but I guess she got tired of having a diaper and decided to just be potty trained. Now we just need to get over pink eye and things will be great! Yep, we thought we were over it, but its back with Emma so luckily while we were at Jonas' appointment the doctor saw us all and hopefully we can be eye goober free very soon:)

Abby: Abby is now back at school after missing 3 days because of my favorite thing: pink eye. Which all happened while Aaron was out of town...always the best timing:) She is so smart and can spell all our names. She loves to write and draw pictures. She is such a little mommy. She loves to take care of Jonas and doesn't understand why she cant pick him up and carry him around the house. She will usually be a big help and get things when I need them, like diapers or his binky and I will even get a "yes m'am". We are working on the tantrums which seem to be getting more and more dramatic.

Me: I am still busy as ever being a mom and a wife. I am trying desperately to get over this cold that I have had for what seems like eternity. I am loving having Aaron home after being gone for just over a week. Even if he seems to be even busier at work. The kids are my joy and they seem to make all the madness worth it. I love getting cuddles and laughs from Jonas after a nap. I love it when Emma sings the Tomorrow song from Annie so loud and so beautifully (mostly because Annie was my favorite when I was little). I love it when Abby gives "butterfly kisses" and tells me I am so wonderful.

Aaron: Aaron just got back from Germany. (he will have to do a post all about it) He was there for work and loved it! He has already told me to plan a Europe vacation this summer...I still want a cruise:) He is an amazing daddy and a super awesome husband. He just got a new schedule at work which we aren't very happy about, but what can you do...Aaron is always good at reminding me it could be worse. Aaron also just got an award at work for Volunteer of the year for all the work he puts into the scouts. Which I think was well deserved. He really puts in a lot of work and sacrifices a lot for his calling...like for example last night he had worked the night before and had to go back into work that afternoon (which means he got maybe 2 hours of sleep in between) then after I even told him one night not going would be okay so he could sleep...he went to scouts and then back to work that same night. I think he is amazing and will always put everything and everyone before himself. I still think I am the luckiest girl to have such an amazing man as my husband. Plus it doesn't hurt that he is super hot too!!

2009-01-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

All this time we thought that Emma looked just like me and NOTHING like Aaron. He would always worry that if he ever had to convince someone that she was his he would be in trouble...that is until now! He wants everyone to know that she IS indeed his and this is his proof.

sleep deprived

2009-01-14T05:57:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been feeling so sleep deprived! I have this evil cough that only comes at night when I want to sleep. I otherwise don't feel sick or have a sore throat, just an annoying cough:) And to make it even more fun Jonas decided to go on a sleep strike! He has been getting up so much lately. A lot of the reason is he is moving so much in his sleep and hates it when we wedges himself into a corner or gets stuck on his belly and then I have to come rescue him. Oh well..I guess this shall pass soon and we can move on to the next challenge. I am just blaming my lack of sleep for how crazy I have been lately!! For those that have been around me lately know what I am talking about:)
and just to make me feel better I am posting recent pictures of the rest of my family snoozing!

poor jonas

2009-01-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

the joys of having older sisters.

Disneyland!!!!

2009-01-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

Part of our Christmas consisted of going to Disneyland for 2 days. Even though the first day was rainy we loved it just the same. The girls loved seeing all the characters, especially the princesses. They are still asking to see the princess castle. It was fun to take them on all the rides. They however did not like the Bugs Life 3D show. Emma left saying "the spider pinched my bum." The Pirates of the Caribbean was their favorite, once they knew what to expect. The first time we went through, Emma was scared to death of the darkness and the drop-offs. Her face was hidden the entire time. The second time around, she and Abby were both pointing out the pirates, crabs and treasure. If you were to ask Aaron his favorite I am pretty sure he would tell you the turkey legs. Jonas would probably say his favorite was the carousel. I just loved watching how excited the girls would get for things. We (mostly the girls) can't wait to go back!!

Christmas in California

2009-01-02T19:51:00.001-08:00

This year for Christmas we went to Aaron's sister's house in Camarillo California. His entire family were all there...so you can imagine the craziness!! Just to give you an idea..there were 15 kids (7 toddlers). We still loved it!! Leslie and Ernie's house is so beautiful and we are so grateful for them having us and for the boys giving up their room:) The girls loved getting in the jacuzzi and just being with their cousins. Aaron made sure that he hit every food place that we don't have in Georgia that we miss like In N Out and Jamba Juice!! We also went to Santa Barbara which is still one of my favorite places (side note: Aaron and I spent some time there for our honeymoon. Its such a beautiful place.)

for Grandma Lisa and Papa...

2009-01-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Thank you for the Christmas presents. The girls absolutely LOVE their doll house. We couldn't get them to stop playing it to go to bed. Jonas is still a little small for his, but he loves to look at all the lights and watch the balls roll down...he kicks his legs like crazy wishing (im sure) that he was just a little bit bigger to play with it more...we will give him another month and he will be there I am sure!!!

Thanks again!! We love you!!

grandpa vince look-alike...

2009-01-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

So while we were at Aaron's sisters house this Christmas I was reading her People magazine and there was this picture and Emma said "look its papa". Apparently Emma thinks Ricky Martin looks like my dad:) Sorry dad, but I thought it was funny!!

gingerbread house...

2008-12-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

...bet you wish yours was this awesome!! We had a good group of friends get together to make gingerbread houses and even though ours turned out sooo "beautiful" I am proud to say that the girls did it all by themselves!!

parent/teacher conference

2008-12-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

We had our very first parent teacher conference for Abby yesterday. Abby is right on track for everything. The only thing she talked about that still concerned her was that they are still having a hard time understanding her when she speaks in longer sentences, but said to just wait until they test her again when she starts kindergarten before we worry too much about it. Abby just likes to use a lot of "filler words" and I think is having a hard time getting her mouth to catch up to her brain. She said that Abby is good with playing with the girls or the boys or even by herself. She says however she has a "you can play with me as long as you don't touch my stuff or come in my space" attitude. She loves to dress up and has a thing for the train conductor hat...so now daddy of course is on the lookout for a train conductor hat. The teacher said that she also loves to wear a silver dress and HAS to wear the silver high-healed shoes to match and is NOT in a good mood if she is left with the orange shoes...what can I say the girl is particular and just likes to look good (I think we might be in trouble for the teenage years:)) Naps are another issue for Abby (although we aren't surprised since Abby stopped taking naps since she was 2). She said that Abby never sleeps and just likes to talk to the other kids and has moved Abby's nap spot so many times she just doesn't know where to put her anymore. Overall nothing that surprised us to much. Abby just loves school and her teachers. She writes notes to them at home to take to school. Just yesterday while waiting for the bus she was writing something and gave it to the bus driver. Oh ABBY!!

The picture is of abby as I still think of her...LITTLE!! She was sneaking things into the toilet and would hurry and shut the lid and then look at us like "Im not doing anything" when we would catch her doing it. Oh and by the way the pajamas she is wearing are the same we had jonas in the other day...oh and he is only 4 months old!!

a few family updates

2008-11-29T16:56:00.000-08:00

Jonas: Has mastered rolling over. It's becoming a good and bad thing...Good, because he is learning new things...Bad, because I can't just lay him anywhere now. He HATES to be on his belly so that is fun!! And it makes me realize that he isn't just a teeny baby anymore. He is in fact getting bigger and that makes me a little sad. Jonas also LOVES LOVES LOVES to spit and blow bubbles. That is why he is always soaked with slobber. He now will have to wear a bib at all times!!

Emma: Emma will sing the "tommorow song" from Annie at the top of her lungs and sooo beautifully. We love it!! She is constantly making us laugh and is sooo happy. However we have learned from a recent trip to Utah that any adjustment to her sleep does not make for a happy Emma:)

Abby: Abby is learning to spell and will always have me help her spell things so that she can write notes for her friends at school. She loves to go to school and is doing much better. No more recent notes from the teacher about playing dead on the playground because she doesn't want to go in in awhile now. Abby loves to cook and is always begging to help in the kitchen.

Aaron: Aaron is awesome!! what can I say other than my husband is the BEST!! He just had two really big tests at work and did VERY well on both of them. I'm not surprised he always does well:) He will keep his same bonus pay for the scores on his DLPT and because he passed his other test (his CDC or something like that...I cant keep them all straight) he is now a level 7 (not sure exactly what that means other than he is really really awesome) At home he is just as awesome. He treats me like a queen and I am so lucky to have him! He is so thoughtful and helps so much around the house...THANKS AARON!!!

Me: I have come to the conclusion that I say "awesome" way too much so hopefully I can work on that. I have been staying very busy with my calling at church and well mostly just being a mom to three crazy kids who constantly keep me moving (who needs a gym...seriously) I put up the Christmas tree all by myself (I think that is something to be proud of..okay Aaron might have helped a little...but I put it together and that is the hard part)

THE END

utah

2008-11-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Utah was short, but we still had a lot of fun. The kids and I flew there last Tuesday and Aaron met up with us Friday....ummm don't ever try to fly with 3 kids by yourself, not very fun!!!
My parents sold their house so it was sad not to be there this time, but the lady who bought it made it into a photography studio so we had our family pictures taken at the house while we were all together.
We took the kids to the dinosaur museum and got to see the temples (two new ones for me to see). Abby was sooo excited to see snow and would tell me the whole way to Utah how she was going to make a snow-angel and for the first time NO SNOW!! The only place was at the very top of the mountains. I think she got over it and was just as happy to see the temple!!
I also was able to go see my grandparents since my grandpa hasn't been doing very well and that really meant a lot to me.
We also got to eat at Buona Vita (my parents restaurant) which was FABULOUS!! Best Italian I have ever had and so pretty inside (and I am not just saying that to make you happy mom!!) So for those of you who are able to...I would HIGHLY recommend going!! SOOO YUMMY!! Thanks again for treating us mom and dad!!
Twilight was sooo fun too. I had to take Jonas, but he slept the whole time. I wasn't happy with the movie, but I think it was so fun because of how into the "party" everyone was. My aunts friend rented out the whole theater so they had a bunch of contests like best costume and who read the books the most. We also got some chapstick that makes your lips cold (so its like you just kissed Edward) and I got a little charm bracelet. So it was fun!!
So Overall a fun trip and the girls are already begging to see grandma lisa and papa again!! So start planning your trip to Georgia:)

p.s. Thanks for everything mom and dad and thanks grandma for letting us crowd your house just a little bit more!!!

beautiful abby

2008-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

The girls love to get into my make-up and put it on. Aaron and I were getting ready to go out and just as I was on my way out to pick up the babysitter I went to find Abby to see if she wanted to come with me and this is how I found her. Isn't she just GORGEOUS?! I must say that other than her color choices...she is getting better at her make-up skills:)

random...

2008-11-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

Catching up...

2008-11-06T10:48:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updated "family" posting. We have been busy lately and so haven't had much time for anything really!!! So here is a quick update of some of what has been going on in the last month....

two witches and a.....horse (of course)

2008-11-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

I didn't get very good pictures of the girls in the costumes this year. We are most likely going to be getting dressed up again as soon as we find time (probably next week) and take better pictures. But they were witches (not that you can tell in these pictures) and Jonas was a horse!

soccer season

2008-11-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

Abby had a fun time playing soccer for the first time this year. She ended her season with only one loss!! By the end she was getting really good and getting right in there with all the big boys. oh and I just had to add the picture of Aaron when he went to sit and fell through the chair because we had left it outside all summer!!

2008-11-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

The girls have been really into having their fingernails painted lately. Well Emma decided one day she wasn't going to wait for me to do it and painted them herself. I was actually very surprised that she got it all on herself and not on everything else (like the carpet she was painting over) too.

haircuts

2008-11-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago the girls got their hair cut. Emma just had hers evened out a little, but Abby's was more of a drastic haircut!! I was a little sad to see Abby's hair chopped just because it was sooo long, but soon after I ended up loving it and she does too. She had been begging to have her hair "like mommy's" for awhile.Sorry, but I don't have a good after (or a before really) of Emma. Jonas also got a hair cut, but that was daddy's doing...I didn't like the idea and wanted to let someone who knew what they were doing cut his hair (he really really needed it) but he did it anyway...and well of course jonas moved a few times and it didn't turn out very even.

we love to see the temple...

2008-11-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

Abby had been begging to see a temple for a long time now and so we finally drove the hour and half to Columbia, SC to show her a temple.

Socialism

2008-10-29T03:37:00.000-07:00

I hope that this isn't too little too late. I hope everyone who takes the time to check out our blog can take 15 minutes and listen to this talk given by President Ezra Taft Benson, and read the post by my good friend, Gary Nuila. Thanks for the video, Tyler.

Source: http://nuila.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-03-31T19%3A16%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=20

I like Obama, but not because of his political philosophy. Like many of you, I've been watching him since he gave his famous speech at the democratic national convention in 2004 propelling him on to the national scene. I think what has impressed me most about him is the lack of enmity, of hostility, toward others in our nation and other countries in our world that pervades the hearts of so many of our current national leaders. As far back as a year ago, I was telling people that I thought that Obama was going to win the presidency precisely because he had a message that people were anxious to hear right now. I still think that.

This message is very appealing to a generation of Americans who have only seen political divisiveness and foreign hostility from the time they have become conscious politically. And what I mean by this is not the physical wars, or wars of ideas we've seen, these can actually be carried on without enmity. It's the hearts that have been at war with each other that has been the most distressing.

Obama has been very good at selling the point that he's willing to break out of this. But like I hinted at in the beginning of this post, I wish I could get behind him whole heartedly. I can't.

The reason for this is that behind his powerful messages of "Yes we can," "hope," and "change" it must be remembered that the instrument this hope and change are to be brought about by under Obama's conception is through the force of government, not the individual or collective choices of the people. Yes, we do choose our representatives and our president, but after we do, for most of society the direct choices have ceased.

So as we sing "yes we can" the truth is that Obama's message is not that we can, meaning you and me and the common citizens of this country. Obama's philosophical progenitors gave up on that notion with the New Deal. Rather the message is that the government can do these things for us. The government will take care of us and bring about or make possible our hopes and dreams....but always at a price.

I hope you realize that because the government does not of itself produce, it can only obtain the resources to bring about its promises by taking them from the people. Of course, the people do not willingly give up what they have produced, so the government can only obtain these resources by compulsion (you don't pay your taxes, you go to jail, a deprivation of virtually all of your unalienable rights).

Under this conception I ask you to consider where the power lies. Who is the hero? Who is the king or queen?

Let me end up by saying that I think Obama's message is the perfect one for a different political philosophy altogether: "Yes we can," meaning us, the people, our churches and private organizations, using our agency and our insight, our ability to choose and our reason (what distinguishes humans from animals). This political philosophy says that we will take care of the poor and disadvantaged , we will provide for our elders, we will find ways to ensure everyone that needs it receives health care. And all this without being compelled to do so by external compulsive forces such as government.

I can understand why Obama's philosophy is the predominant one today. It is because we failed to take care of these problems in an earlier era, so it was believed that only government could solve them regardless of the inevitable tradeoff between freedom and security.

I find that few people disagree with this latter conception, they simply don't believe its possible. I think its possible.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

why is aaron so awesome??

2008-10-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

For this little baby right here!! I am finally (after who knows how long of begging and pleading) getting my Dyson!! I am soooo excited (sad isn't it when you realize that a vacuum can get you that excited). It should be here in about a week. We have been in need of a new vacuum for awhile now...ours just hasn't been the same since aaron thought it would be okay to vacuum up vomit and when Aaron found one at a screamin good deal...he knew we just had to have it. So thanks to my hubby..he is so good to me. I LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!