The Virginia Coles

At the Hill Cumorah Pagent

2011-08-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Family trip to Palmyra NY visiting the Sacred Grove where Joesph Smith Jr. saw God the Father and Jesus Christ it was a great day

2011-08-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

FAO Schwartz toy store in NYC

2011-08-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Walkin' thru Central Park NYC

2011-08-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

takin' the subway in NYC

2011-08-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Toys R Us in New York City 2011

2011-08-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Father's day 2011 at the beach

2011-08-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Taryn's swimming lessons she loves to swim but hates showers at home

2011-08-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

Long Beach Island Vacation June 2011

2011-08-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

Taryn is 3 now!

2010-09-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that Taryn is already 3! Time goes so fast. This year, we went camping, swimming and to a local beach. We just kept it to family. It was nice just to kick back and relax a bit. Taryn just wanted to stay in the water for hours. She was unhappy whenever we left.

An Interesting Cole Summer

2010-08-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, our summer started out with my diagnosis of Cancer. It was a bit of a shock to say the least. I had been planning and saving for a big trip for the month of June. We were going to a family reunion in Missouri, to sight see in Nauvoo, to go to Six Flags in St Louis (We had earned free tickets with a reading program) to stay with my Mom for a few weeks, and to go to my Dad's wedding. Instead our plans changed to me needing surgery to remove the tumor and flying my older 3 out to do all of those fun things I just said.

The surgery went fine and I went home the next day.Trent was so awesome! Really going the extra mile with handling everything!
My good friend Bethany was here from Georgia visiting me. I was having a hard time talking to her. My mouth kept going numb. I continued to have problems that got worse through the night. The next morning we called the DR who told us to get to the hospital right away. By the time I got there, I was having a thyroid storm. It was very painful, and scary. Apparently, my parathyroid had been damaged in surgery, and that is what controls our calcium. I was running out! After a team of Dr's and nurses worked on me, I was beginning to come out of it. It took 3 more days in the hospital to get that regulated.

I came home to wonderful messages on my driveway, flowers, flowers, and more flowers! I even had Christmas in July from a friend. The first gift was a scarf, because I had confided in her that I was worried about the ugly scar on my neck!

Here is Aiden trying to entertain me and to cheer me up! What a cutie! Aiden and Taryn were here with us alone for 2 weeks. They had a great time, but really missed their siblings.

Here are some pictures of my neck about a week later. My throat was very sore for about a week, my neck for about a month. But overall, I think the scar will not look that bad.

About 2 weeks later, I was chomping at the bit to leave to go and get the kids. I had to see the Dr the day before to get the approval. When I did I was soooooo happy. After all that had happened, I needed to get out of town. I still was to take it easy, so I did not get to swim or play much, but it was so nice to see my family! We went to Missouri, my Mom met us there with the kids. I was able to see both grandparents, and some Aunts & Uncles, and my Dad drove down to see me too. It was a short visit, but very nice. I even got to see my brother Brenden who is a missionary in West Virginia. He got special permission for us to take him out to Dinner with his comp. I will add pictures as soon as I can figure out the camera that they are on! :+)

We stopped at the Arch on our way home. I have always wanted to take the kids here. I came a lot when I was a kid. It was great!

We went ahead and used our Six Flags tickets. I was good and did not ride anything. I still had a great time watching the kids have fun. The characters were fun to see also!

Christmas, Birthdays, and snow oh my!

2010-02-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, Thanks to being snowed in for the second weekend in a row, I am finally catching up a bit on my pictures. We went to Utah/Idaho for a few days short of a month over Christmas. We have also had 2 January birthdays, and A LOT of SNOW!!!

Pictures from Christmas Day.

This trip was so nice to be able to spend time with family and see friends too.

Madison and Karen really hit it off. So did Spencer & Logan with William and Micheal. I somehow did not get pictures of the boys though.
Aunt April came over and made a candy train with the kids. One of their highlights!!

Taryn greeting her new cousin Rebecca.

Logan turned 7 on Jan 2nd while we were still in Idaho. He wanted to see Alvin and the chipmunks the squeequal. We then had pizza and cake with the family. I know he had a great time!

We wanted to go and play in the snow in Idaho. We only had snow one time last winter, so we were looking forward to a white Christmas. They did not get this nice snow however until New Years. It was the perfect play snow though!

Madison turned 10 Jan 18th. We celebrated with a bowling party. She invited 3 friends that she has from a Home School class that we go to. It was so much fun, and the girls were so sweet to each other. We then went to Golden Corral for dinner. I think Madison was very pleased with her b-day.

These are cool pics from the Science Museum in Richmond. We have a pass, and it makes for a great home school adventure! I love these head shots.

Here is the Blizzard of 2010 results. 26 inches of snow, on top of the 10 we had gotten earlier in the week. We are half an inch away from having more snow than ever recorded for Virginia!! Our poor trampoline really took a beating!!

Our home school update.

2010-02-04T02:39:00.000-08:00

I apologize for no pictures. I will try and add some this weekend if we really do get snowed in. Another 2 feet has been forcasted, and we already got a foot last weekend! Fun for us since we have a steep hill in our backyard!

Life is in fast forward these days, so I am so behind on my journal keeping (which includes blogging.) We went to Idaho/Utah for just a few days short of a month over the holidays. It was really great to be with family over the holidays. I think the kids were very good with the long trip. Mom wore out pretty easily. As grateful as I was to go, I was happy to come home to the routine and surroundings that I am used to. I had no idea I was such a home body! :+) We did love the trip though, and will miss everyone.

My main focus is always kids and home school. We have a full schedule this semester. The snow days that public schools have had off (3 so far this week) do not effect us, much to my kids dismay! I don't feel bad for them, we just had a month off!!!

We are in a music class this semester, prepping them for band and orchestra which they can join this fall. There are a lot of homeschooling kids at this music academy, including some families from our church. It is nice for more ways to socialize. They all love the class, and are learning to read music and play the recorder this month. They will move on to trying a lot of other instruments.

We also have our PE class 2 times a week. All 4 kids have a class to go to. They have made some really great friends this year, as have I. I used to only have the church as an outlet for socializing. Another bonus to homeschooling is building friendships with families out of our church. I have met such great people here. Moms with really strong Christian values, strong family ties, and some of the nicest kids I have ever met. ( unfortunately, even better behaved than most of the kids in our ward.) They were in a volleyball unit, but are now in floor hokey. Logan is very good at this!

We are still loving Nature Days at Motts reservoir. It is sooooo fun doing this Earth Science class with the kids. I am so thankful that I was talked into signing up for it. There are 3 other families in my ward who go. I love nature, and this lady is wonderful at teaching all about the earth, and animals. She has catchy songs for the kids to remember things, and the most interactive activities. We all really look forward to it.

We also are thankful to Grandma for our Science Museum pass. We try and have a field trip once a month, and the kids LOVE this place. We have already been 2 times, and Spencer wants to go again on his birthday. They have the best planetarium show I have ever seen. I also love all of the exhibits. There is so much interaction for the kids that they learn so easily, and talk about it for days!!

OUr curriculum is going very well. I love it all!! Spencer and Logan are now moving onto the next grade in Math. Madison is getting there, and doing very, very well in Math this year. I love our English program, but I had been looking for a supplemental writing program. I was thrilled to be turned on the INstitute for Writing in Excellence. The program is astronomically high, but we were able to get a hold of it through another homeschool family that is done with it. It is off the charts awesome! My kids will have the best writing skills around! He makes it easy to understand and fun to do. There is a DVD that goes with it, and so even Mom can teach this!!

I am actually getting excited about going to my first homeschooling conference in May. The man who developed this writing program will actually be there also! I will have 2 days of learning and I am VERY excited!!

Other than that, the kids are still in piano. We have soccer coming up that even Aiden is going to do this time! We have scouts, and Activity Day girls keeping us active as well. Oh, also the kids have completed a reading program that will get them into Six Flags for free! They had to put a lot of hours of reading in, but they love to read so it wasn't hard.

Thanks for all of your support! We love all of you! Heidi & gang

Aiden's 4th birthday and Halloween

2009-11-21T00:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the picture jumble, I am trying to get these on here at long last. Aiden's b-day was celebrated 3 times. First time was on Oct 22nd, the day before I left too go to Utah. Uncle Shane was visiting us, and we went to the pumpkin patch. We then opened presents, had cake, and carved the pumpkins. On Aiden's actual b-day, Oct 27, I was in Utah (with the camera, so no pics) but Dad spoiled him. He had donuts for breakfast and Taco Bell for dinner. His actual party was on Halloween. The kids all came in costume and we had fun Halloween games. Our friend Luke from NC has come up every year since Aiden's first b-day. He went trick or treating with us. It was raining that night, but the kids still got some good loot!

Elder Harmston

2009-11-05T07:07:00.001-08:00

Mom and I were privileged to take Elder Harmston to the MTC on October 28th. He is going to the West Virginia Charleston Mission!
I love this Murel in Salt Lake.
We went site seeing and we got caught in a snow storm in October! It was so BEAUTIFUL though!!

Brenden was so excited to go. He drove us crazy as the hours drew closer for him to go. He was very sweet to Mom though even though he was ready to leave. It was so rewarding after all of his hard work to get here to see him go. I know he will serve the Lord with all of his heart and might. We look forward to hearing all about it!!

This scared me to death when I saw it, and then I remembered it was only a few days from Halloween! There was even a CTR ring on it! It was in the MTC parking lot.

A great way to measure kids growth!

2009-09-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

We live 30 minutes from Paramount Kings Dominion. The last 2 years we have bought season passes, but we have really gotten the most use this summer. First I will start with apologizing that these are not really photos of my kids. I wanted to show the rides to go with my story. We started going in April and the first thing you do when you get to the park is get the kids measured to see what rides they can go on. Taryn was under 36" and thus limited to about 9 rides. That was fine by her, she loves all of the rides. Well over the summer she grew. We kept "measuring" her at the park and she never quite hit 36". Yesterday, it finally happened!! Right on the line! So that added the Log Ride (one of my fav's) and the kiddie roller coaster. What a look of pure enjoyment on her face!!!
The next one that had a major change yesterday was Logan. He finally hit 48" which lets him go on all of the roller coasters and the water slides. He has been upset all summer being left out of what Madison and Spencer could do. "This is awesome!" (His exact words.) He also is finally tall enough to "drive" the antique cars. He has been waiting all summer, and he was on cloud nine driving Mom around!
The next person who had a growth change this summer was Mom. No I did not add some to my height (I wish) As of yesterday, I have lost 42 pounds since May 1st. I had a wake up call back in April when I came and tried to get on a roller coaster and did not fit. I love roller coasters, but the saddest part was missing out with my kids. I got right to it, and joined a gym and weight watchers, and what a difference!! I had the best day! I have been going all summer, but too chicken to try. I am down 4" on my stomach so I thought I should give it a try, and everything fit just great! I need to loose more to be a little more comfortable when you are thrown around in those tiny seats!! It felt so awesome to be on rides with my kids! I tried 5 new roller coasters! What a rush!!

This ride... oh too scary! I chickened out at the last minute along with Logan and Spencer. Madison, however, hopped right on! You should see this ride, spinning you around and around upside down, dropping you over fire even! This was right up my alley 20 years ago. I need to get brave enough again to try it! I just had to give kudos to Madison for doing it alone!

All in all we got a lot of mileage out of our pass, and we still have until November. We have been about 14 times this summer because I was brave enough to try with the kids alone during the week, and I had a friend with a pass who would come and go with us. We have had a great time! We then have fun here with Dad on the weekends. We hope to branch out to some of King Dominions sister parks as we travel next summer! (Like Kings Island & Worlds of Fun!) Lots of fun ahead!!!

The Beach

2009-08-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

I love going to the beach. Growing up in Nebraska, I never went to the beach more than a few times my whole childhood. It is nice to be 2 hours from the beach where we can go a few times each summer. It is a favorite place of mine to be. There is something so calming about the atmosphere and the beauty.

I wanted to go and stay over night for a few days once the season winds down (the prices are much lower), but we traded up for a much better vacation at Christmas when we will be joining family in the mountains instead! So we went down for the day on Friday. It was the wrong weekend to go because of Hurricane Bill. I didnt think much about it affecting us when it is so far away, but after just a few hours they closed the beach due to the strong rip tides. The waves were the huge! I was nervous with the kids, but the lifegaurds made everyone stay close to shore.

All in all it was still a fun day away as a family. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful blessings that we have had this year.

By the way the pictures are from our last trip to the beach, I forgot my camera this time! Oh Man!!

My Baby is 2!!

2009-07-27T05:43:00.001-07:00

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Taryn's birthday was packed with Fun! First we helped a friend who is moving by watching her daughter that is the same age as Taryn. We actually had a double baby shower together since we were both having a girl after several boys. So it was fun for Taryn to have Sydney over. We then went to a carnival at the YMCA. It was fun with games, rock walls (note Logan is nearly at the top) a fun little train, and an inflatable obstacle course that even Taryn did! We then finished the day at Chuck E Cheese. (We had promised the kids months ago to go there, and we did not realize it would fall on the same day as the carnival.) Mom and Dad were tired, but the kids were ready for more! Taryn hadnt been there since she was a few months old, she really loved it, running from one thing to the next. I love the pic of her on the bike with her brothers peddling to keep her up in the air and her looking around at everything. She really does have her brothers wrapped around her little finger!

At two her personality is in full bloom. She has the words "no" and "mine" down perfectly. She has a real talent at throwing tantrums and getting pitty. She is also a little Houdini. She disappears in the blink of an eye. We love her dearly despite the 2 year old behavior. Time really does go by quickly, so knowing this is our last one, we are trying to "enjoy" the behavior. One thing is for sure, she is also very good at making up to you, she is very lovy, cuddly and loves to kiss. Happy Birthday Taryn! We love you!

Swim Team

2009-07-27T05:30:00.001-07:00

Madison and Spencer joined the Swim Team at the YMCA. They have swam every day since the lat week of May! It has been a great experience, and they have even earned some ribbons. Finals is coming up this Saturday, we will keep you posted as to how they do! The back stroke picture is the meet where Madison took 1st place!

Fireworks, Marshmallows, Karaoke & Yogi Bear

2009-07-07T04:24:00.000-07:00

We had such a great 4th of July. This was our family vacation this summer. We went for 4 days 3 nights to Jelly stone park. It is in the Shannendoah valley with the Blue Ridge mountains. It is only 1 1/2 from our house, it os so beautiful there! I have always wanted to go there. We found it about 4 years ago. They had lots of scheduled activities from scavenger hunts, to wagon rides, to craft time, to karaoke. Madison, Spencer and Aiden sang Karaoke in front of half the camp, I was so proud of their bravery!! We had fun in the pools, on the water slide. There was miniature golf, and laser tag too. One of the things that I love about camping is that it is easy to make friends, and feel right at home. On the fourth they gave the kids flags and balloons and had them march in a patriotic parade led by Yogi Bear himself. (I forgot my camera). We also enjoyed a huge fireworks display. It was a great family vacation, for not all that much expence that I would recomend to anyone!

Taryn's new look

2009-05-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

I was just beginning to have fun doing Taryn's hair in piggy tails & pony tails. It was getting long and had curls on the ends. All of that changed when my wonderful son Spencer "who was just trying to help" cut her hair off. Luckily it was not to the scalp or anything, but he did cut off about 4 inches in the back. It was one hour before church last Sunday. My friend whose name also happens to be Heidi, came to my aid and gave Taryn a very cute style. I had my cry over loosing those curls, but she really does look cute. We have had so many complements that I guess I will agree that it was not the worst thing to happen.

A very Special Memorial

2009-05-25T05:14:00.000-07:00

The Civil War had a lot of battles fought here in Fredericksburg. We have battle fields all around us. There is a National Cemetery here with 15,300 buried in it. In the times of the Civil War there were no do tags issued, so 85% of the men buried here are unknown. Unknown but not forgotten. Every year on Memorial weekend, the Boy Scouts of America go early Sat morning and put 2 luminary and a flag next to every grave. Spencer & I had a chance to participate in this this year. It was special. To do over 30,000 bags you would think takes all day, but no, hundreds of boys and leaders show up for this humbling responsibility. It then is open to the public at night when they are all lit. Taps is played. It was such an awesome site to take in. The whole family went and even the littlest ones were reverent and in awe. It was a perfect way to remember our soldiers this Memorial weekend.

Cards

2009-04-24T09:23:00.001-07:00

Nana always had a way with making us feel better with her cards. I really missed her Easter Card this year. She always makes one for each person in the family.

Today I started my day missing her. Then when I was going through a file I found some old cards from her that I had forgotten about. (The others I have hanging on the wall) These were special. They remind me of how much she cared about what was going on with me & my family. These particular cards came after I had had a very scary experience with Aiden who at the time was about 21 months old. We have a pool in our backyard-an above ground, but it is still 3 1/2 feet deep. There is a ladder that goes up to it. One day when I was out in the yard with my 1 month old baby, I lost sight of Aiden. I felt a voice tell me to find him, about that time Logan (who was then 4) yelled Mommy Aiden is in the pool. I ran over and sure enough he was on the bottom of the pool (being fully clothed with shoes.)I was able to pull him out in time and there was no permanent damage done except to my heart. I cried the rest of the day.

Nana always seemed to call when things were wrong. She caught me while I was upset. She was able to give me some comfort. But then a few days later came 5 cards. 1 for me telling me what a great mother I am , and not to worry. And 1 card to each of my children telling them how special they are to her. Logan's had a special note thanking him for telling Mother about Aiden and the pool.

I love Nana for her kindness, compassion, and love. She is a wonderful example to me of how to care about someone with all of your heart and soul. These cards will forever be a reminder of that, and a treasure to me.

Soccer Season

2009-04-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to see Logan Play. He is our first kid to be into soccer even though the others played. He really loves it. He had a great first game and even scored a goal! There is a a boy from our ward on the team whose little brother happens to be Aiden's best friend. So it is fun for everyone all around!

My Papa

2009-04-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

Papa is my grandfather on my mother's side. His name is Verle J LaBrue. I have countless memories of him and Nana. They were a big part of our lives. Papa grew up on a farm in Oklahoma. He was a member of the Reorganized church, so our family has some interesting beginnings with the church.

He was a very good looking soldier who stole Nana's heart. They had a short engagement, and he was off to war. If I have the story correct, he never actually made it overseas because as he was actually boarding the bus, they announced the war was over!

Papa is a jeweler. He repaired watches, and clocks too. He amazes me with how small of detail he can see and work with. He had a shop in his basement, and I loved to go in there and watch him work. Their home was filled with LOTS of clocks all over the house-all different ones that Papa had fixed. We are fortunate enough to have a family heirloom that he fixed up for me to have in my home.

Papa is a fun loving, easy going man. He loved to play with us, and to take us places. If they were not at our house for a special occasion, we were at theirs. He was an easy grandfather to love.

I don't have many memories of Papa that don't include Nana. They went hand in hand. They did everything together. I came to love and respect him at an early age as I saw how much he cared for his wife. He served her tirelessly, and happily their whole life together. I truely learned from his example what unconditional love is all about. He is such a generous and loving man! They loved to play music together. Papa played the guitar. When I started playing the Bass, he was so excited. He tried to teach me guitar, but it didn't take.

The Camper is a big memory for me. Something that sticks out in my mind is Papa driving it through the winding mountain roads. He always seemed so comfortable behind the wheel. I loved to sit in the seat next to him and have a chance to talk to him. More than likely I did most of the talking, Papa is a great listener. He had 8 track tapes in to listen to- John Denver sticks out in my mind the most.

Last summer when we visited, Papa cleaned out the camper so that my kids could sleep in it one last time before it was sold. It was so cool to share this with them. They loved it. I wish that we could have taken it home with us.

I looked up to Papa so much, so as I young girl I wanted to do something special for him. I drew this picture of Papa and made up a poem too. It is a little corny, but he thought it sounded great.

Papa has always been a good example to me of hard work. He always would come to our house and fix things! Something I love about Papa is the twinkle in his eyes. You can see his loving heart and giving spirit right through his smile.

He has several great grandchildren now who all love him just as much as we do. We all feel his special spirit. I love and admire him so much. I am thankful for his example of loyalty, and love. I love you Papa!

My Grandmother Harmston

2009-03-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have been reflecting this month on how lucky I have been to know my grandparents so well in my life. I made a tribute to Nana, but it was after she had left us. I want my other two grandparents to know how special they are in my life too. I don't have all of my pictures out, but I do have some special memories to share.

My Grandma Harmston is almost 94 years old. She grew up on a farm in Utah, and entertained me growing up with several stories about her childhood. Grandma would type me letters and I looked forward to each of them because she would include a story. My favorite was about Shorty, a work horse that they had who would not cooperate with her. Even though that may have been a difficult thing in her life, I always got a lot out of her stories.

Grandma is amazing to me because she accomplished many things that women did not do in her day. First of all, she served a mission for the Church. She was called to the Eastern states mission. This was in the 1930's. She was there for the beginning of the Palmyra pageant.

After her mission she went to college and earned a degree. That was amazing to me also, because not many women went to college in the 30's let a lone finished their degrees. She met my grandfather there. He told me once that he had heard that she was a wonderful cook, and that she was smart and beautiful so he felt compelled to meet her! It was love after that!

They were married, and Grandpa was called to go to war. Grandma stayed at home to work, and care for their first child Linda. She taught school. When the war was over Grandpa continued his education. Grandma cheerfully followed him with their family wherever he needed to be. They ended up in Missouri with their 4 children. My Grandfather finished his PHD there, and became a professor in Economics. They were married for 64 years!

I have wonderful memories of going to their home, playing in the woods behind their home (which to me felt like the never ending forest) My Grandfather had a Library, with lots of book shelves. We were sure that there were secret passage ways if we could just find the right book to pull out, we knew the book shelf would open. We never did find the right book.

Grandpa was told right about Grandma's cooking, it is wonderful! We always looked forward to her meals. We would awaken to wonderful aromas and race down stairs to see what there was for us! She always was making cookies, and had plenty of ice cream on hand! A kids paradise!

I fondly remember playing Uno around the dining room table, and Ping Pong in the basement. They have 2 fireplaces, and we had so much fun getting cozy in front of them. They had a large area rug in the living room. There was a border that we loved to run around. Grandpa would sing Indian chants and try and grab us. Grandma said that is one of her favorite memories.

We also had single beds in a room with our pictures over our beds. Even though other grand kids slept in those beds, we really felt they were ours. (My sister Holly & I). In this picture of the beds, Spencer & Logan are sleeping in them. Since Grandpa passed away, Madison has had the pleasure of being Grandma's room mate at the beach, and sleeping with her in her bed at her home. What a treat!

Grandma & grandpa traveled a lot and they always had neat souvenirs for us to see and pictures to view. I think my love for picture taking stems from that. I loved seeing where they had been, and could feel as if I had been too! In this picture Grandma came out to the New Jersey shore for Thanksgiving with our family & my Aunt Linda & her family.

I could write forever about my happy memories of my beloved Grandmother. There are too many memories too count. I will say that she is very good at spoiling Grand children. Every time I bring my kids to Columbia, she takes them to the Merry Go Round. I think she enjoys it just as much as the kids do. I enjoy every visit that I get with her. She always makes me feel special and loved, and my kids feel that way too. I love you Grandma! Thank you for the example you have been, and the love that you freely give.

New Job

2009-03-27T05:24:00.001-07:00

I am going to make a post without any pictures this time! I am using this blog as a great way to share family news and our feelings. Trent is finishing his last day as a contractor with the DIA. He has been there for 5 years. It has had its ups and downs, but the last 2 years have been more downs than ups. He is still going to work for the DIA, but now as a government employee. We are so grateful for this job change. Trent has really sacrificed for our family to provide for us, and I love him so much for doing it with very little complaint. He is a very good man. He starts his new job on Monday. We are very excited! There are already so many wonderful benifits to him taking this new position. We are thankful to the Lord for hearing and answering our prayers. We know that this can open up the possibility of us moving closer to home someday. We feel so very blessed. Thank you to all of our family and friends who have been praying for us. We feel your prayers, and we love you for thinking of us! Happy Day!! :+)

Spencer's Baptism

2009-03-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

There is no better feeling in the world than coming together as a family to support someone you love in following our Savior. You look forward to them taking this step for years, and then when you finally witness it, there are no words to describe the ultimate Joy that is felt! Seeing them heading in the right direction is the most rewarding thing there is as a parent! I can hardly imagine how great it is going to feel to see him receive the priesthood, go on a mission and ultimately get married in the temple! I am so excited just thinking about it! I am so thankful for the happiness that the gospel brings to us and the closeness that we have as a family because of it! I am so thankful to My Mom, Trent's Dad and my sister in laws Chrystl and Trisha for sharing this wonderful experience with us.

Spencer's Space Party

2009-03-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

A Tribute to my Nana

2009-03-05T08:50:00.001-08:00

My Nana, Jennie LaBrue, passed away February 19th, 2009, just 3 days shy of her 85th birthday. I was born the day after her birthday and named after her (Jennice is my middle name.

She loved music, and could play multiple instruments. She won music competitions. She was a music teacher, and in later years, her and my Papa were in several bands together. Actually they played together until this past summer. When Nana and Papa moved to a retirement community she donated her organ to the common room so that she could still play.

She Married Verle LaBrue in May 1945. He was a soldier, so she joined the USO to be close to him. She was always so daring, and not afraid to try new things.

They opened a jewelry store together. Nana had a wonderful financial mind. My Papa was a jeweler and a watch repairman. We loved coming to their store and dressing up as princesses! The store was robbed on a few occasions, and one time, Nana chased the burglar into an alley and sat on him until the police came. He had swallowed some of the rings, and she made his stomach get pumped!

The bought an RV to start taking the grandkids (there were 6 of us) on vacations every summer. Not to mention all of the fun we had sleeping in it at their house! We went to Disney World, the Kentucky Derby, Nashville, and many other places. That is still what us kids like to talk about!

They were parents to my mom Verla, and Jerry. They lived in Columbia Mo almost their whole
married life. A great place to raise a family! ( I was born there too)

Family photo in later years.

In 2005 we all gathered together to celebrate their 60th anniversary! It was a very hot summer day and I was pregnant, but it was so worth the trip to be there with them.

Aren't they cute!! This is almost 64 years together.

Nana loved music, and her and papa were rarely apart. Here they are playing at one of their many concerts together.

Here Nana is with Madison. When Trent joined the Army I went and stayed with them several weeks. Almost every night she sang to Madison and rocked her to sleep.

They are so in love! They are always taking care of each other.

Here is 4 generations together.

Nana & Aiden. We were with them for his 1st birthday.

With family at a get together.

Here is me & my Nana. My grandmother, and my friend.

These are stoclings that she made for everyone in the family- her entire family! Logan's got ruined in my shed, so this Christmas she made him a new one eventhough she was beginning to get arthritis in her hands.
Last summer she decided that she wanted to divide up all of her worldy possessions and see people get them. All of the family heirlooms that were passed on, she included a letter telling their story. This is a bowl that her father had given his mother (so my great great grandmother.) That was just one of the treasures I recieved.

Nana & Taryn

This is the last picture we have with her, and with thier house. They lived there 43 years.

This is a clock I made for Nana & Papa with our family pictures on it. It was one of the few things they brought with them to their new apartment.

These are flowers that we made them that the kids were happy to see at their apartment.

Nana's organ, now in the community room.

This was a tribute the other people in her apartment building put up for her.

I was able to make a picture tribute to her to display at ther funeral. She left me all of her pictures. I will now have fun getting them into albums.

Me & my Papa.

Nana wanted to be put in a mosyleum. Here the kids are putting flowers in front of it.

My brother Brenden having a moment. He is 16 years younger than me, and he spent a lot of summers alone with Nana & Papa. They took him around with him to play in their band. He also was spoiled of course!

Nana loved purple and she wanted all of the grand kids to have a balloon to release in the sky.

Good bye Nana. We will love and miss you, but are thankful that you are at peace with Heavenly Father. We are so thankful to be a Forever Family, and we will look forward to being with her again. She did so much for me, for all of us, and really anyone that she met. She was the most charitable person that I have ever known. I will try to follow her example. Thank you for all you have done, I love you.

Spencer Cole

2009-03-03T07:43:00.000-08:00

Today, March 3rd, Spencer is 8. There will be more pictures of him at his party after Saturday, but I have seen people do this with pictures of their kids lives, and now that I know how to work the scanner, I am going to give it a try! We began at Ft Huachuca in Sierra Vista AZ. I just had to include my big tummy, he was my biggest baby! My family came down to help since Trent was living on post going to school. Trent's family came down for the blessing. When Spencer was only 3 months old we moved to Ft Bragg in North Carolina where we lived until he was 3 1/2. Now we are living in Virginia. Spencer has always been such a sweet and loving boy. He is very creative and very sensitive. He is very smart, always figuring everything out. It is fun to watch him learn and grow, he seems to be interested in everything! He is especially interested in art and space. Another thing I love about Spencer is that he is easy to please, and everything empresses him. I am so proud of him. I am so thankful that he is our son! P.S. The picture of Trent at the bottom is giving him his light birthday spankings. :+)

President's Day Bowling

2009-02-18T06:05:00.000-08:00

We have developed a love for Bowling. It is a fun family past time. We had been given some free bowling coupons to try a new bowling alley. It made for a lot of family fun. Taryn and Aiden really loved being able to roll those big balls!

After Bowling we window shopped at a toy store. Taryn ran to these yelling "Horsie, Horsie" She pulled them all off the shelf and then sat on them occasionally hugging them! Too Cute!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T06:51:00.001-08:00

We love all of you and wish you a wonderful Valentines Day! We went to the park with another homeschool family yesterday and exchanged Valentines. It was great fun. This morning we did a Valentine exchange and the kids thought it would be fun to send a large Valentine to all of you, so that is what we are doing! Have a wonderful day, and know that you are loved.

When friends get sick

2009-02-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

I have a dear friend that I met on my mission 15 years ago. Her name is Bobette Lucey. There is a great story behind our friendship. I was a new missionary, and my companion and I had both been transferred into a new area. We were out tracking on our first or second day in the town, when we met Bobette. She opened the door, and said " I know you." We were surprised, and said, no we had just come into town. She said, " I really feel I have met you before." She invited us in, and she was right, things were very familiar. We kept going back and having great conversations, and we continued to feel that we had met before. I found out that she had lived in Omaha- which is where I am from, but had moved from there to be married when I was just moving there at 5 years old. We finally realized through the spirit that we had a connection from the pre existence. We both knew it to be true, and our friendship and love deepened. I was with her in that area for 9 months!! (Highly unusual for a missionary) . She was not ready to join the church, but we had such spiritual meetings. She can even show you the hole that I wore in the arm of her couch picking at it unconsciously!

I was transferred and other missionaries worked with her. I was only gone for 4 months and then- Boom! back to Plano, and my friend Bobette (also highly unusual for missionaries) I was beginning to feel that my only purpose for serving a mission in Texas was for Bobette. By the last month that I was there, I was with Sister Cole (yes same last name as me now, she is my sister in law) and we had a very Spiritual experience with Bobette where she now knew the church was true and that she wanted to be baptized. Also she had met with President Kerr, our mission president on occasion with some questions since she was RLDS- sorry I had forgot to mention that in the beginning. That is why this conversion was so unique! So she requested that President Kerr do the honors and baptize her, and he said yes! It was a special time.

A year later, I was living in Utah and myself and 3 other sister missionaries that had worked with her decided to fly her out to Salt Lake to go through the temple. Even President Kerr and his wife were there. It was so wonderful! She even went to Bridal Veil Falls with me, my family and future husband to be.

Seven Years later Melody (my first companion) and I went back to Dallas to see a family- the Chastains- go through the temple. It was so great to see everyone and to be there for that. I took my 3rd child Logan who was about 6 months old. Bobette came to see us. It was so special to see her again, and to see her holding my son. It really tied things together for me, of how our lives are weaved together.

Over the last few years we unfortunately have lost contact. Lately she has been on my mind, and I even tried to find her a month ago. My mission president also ran into my sister in law and asked about Bobette, saying he wanted to contact her. We now know that even when we temporarily loose track of someone we love, the Lord never does.

My dear friend Bobette is in stage 4 of cancer. I found this out while again trying to search for her. On facebook, nonetheless, I found a "Pray for Bobette Lucey" group. I looked, and there she was. Her two daughters, who I know, started this prayer group, and there are an amazing number of people in it praying for her. She now is back in Omaha where my family still is, under going her cancer treatments. My heart is deeply touched for my dear friend. I love her dearly, and I just had to put some of these feelings into words, as I remember the impact that she has had on my life. She taught me a great deal about persistence and working things out in the Lord's time. She is a mother, grand mother, and my friend. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Finally some snow!!

2009-01-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

Finally, some snow! It took until the end of January
but we will take it! We had a great afternoon playing.
Taryn slept through the whole thing, and by the time
she woke up we were having freezing rain. This was
the perfect snow to sled and play in though. Fun times!

Madison's 9th Birthday

2009-01-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

Logan's 6th Birthday January 2, 2009

2009-01-03T05:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas

2008-12-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas. We were able to share it with my dad this year. It was not a white Christmas or even a cold Christmas, but it is always special to be together. Even though we told the kids Disney world was their Christmas, they still managed to get a ton of presents! Trent even gave the boys some of his vintage GI Joe things from his childhood. The kids also had fun working and saving to get presents for each other.We also had fun making a Christmas train this year. The kids each got to decorate their own car and then they ate it on Christmas Eve. Spencer also asked if he could put together our Christmas pageant. He made up everyone's parts and made them practice. It was perfect and he got all of the facts correct! This was Taryn's first year being interested in things. She loved opening the gifts, but was more interested in trying to grab everyone else's stuff! It was a wonderful Christmas! I am also thankful to be able to share these wonderful times on this BLOG with all of my family and friends. Happy Holidays!

Spencer in Blues Clues

2008-12-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

Spencer has been in a play through Stage Door Productions called Blues Clues Live- The most Spectacular Place! He had to audition back in early Sept, and he got the part of Horrace the Anteater. He loves his role! He has 2 lines, telling Steve there is a clue on the bed and that he was sleeping. He got a bright orange costume which he loves to show off! He is on stage as Horrace all of Act One. In Act Two he is one of Steve's helpers- one of the kids who gives directions to Steve as to where the clues are, where Blue is etc... He alo had to learn the songs and dances to do. It opened last weekend, and it is so cute. The kids worked so hard on it. THey had rehersals 3 days a week for 2 months to prepare for this. They also walked in the Fredericksburg Parade throwing candy out. He loved it, eventhough it was snowing! Spencer is glad that he did this play and will probably audition for a play again next year.

Tree Hunt

2008-12-12T07:03:00.001-08:00

A Holiday Tradition in our family is to go and get a tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We drove about 20 miles out to a tree farm and went on a hunt. The first tree the kids found was too big (see picture). The next tree was too small (see pic) the next one was just right! Dad and kids cut it down, and we were off to decorate it! I love turning on holiday music and gathering around the tree. This year even Taryn could put on some ornaments. We hung our stockings too (courtesy of Nana). It gives a warm family atmosphere. I love this time of year even though it is busy!!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-12T06:52:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was an interesting adventure. The whole week leading up to it we had the stomach flu and then Taryn's turned into influenza. So we did not have the greatest health, but we did have a good day together. Our friends Lynn and her son Luke from where we lived in North Carolina came to share it with us. Luke and Aiden are close in age so it is fun to watch them grow and change together. It was nice to have company. We are usually on our own for Thanksgiving.

Our Disney World Vacation

2008-11-17T12:45:00.000-08:00

Our Disney Tip was great! My sister in law Chrystl flew out and met us there which made it so much easier to take 5 kids under 8 to Disney world! It only took us 13 hours to get there, our kids did not even want to stop for bathroom breaks! We started with the Magic Kingdom and there is no way to describe the excitement that the kids had. Even Taryn was squeeling for joy! It was all decorated for Christmas and even when we were leaving that night, they had smow machines going on main street. It was cool! When I asked what the top things were for that day, Space Mountain was at the top (that was my favorite too) and Pirates of the Caribbean, and the jungle cruise. All oldies that I loved as a child! We had fun with the shows and parades too. It was a nice day weather wise, which fooled us into thinking Florida is nice in November. (HA!)- It was in th high 80's the rest of the week- Hot and Humid!

The next day we went to Disney Hollywood studios. I was unsure how this would go because I heard it wasnt as kid friendly, but we really had fun there. My kids (even Madison on occasion) are really into Power Rangers. We were first in line to meet them. The red ranger liked Logan's Power ranger shoes. I told him Logan's favorite color is red because of him. We also saw High School Musical 3 shows which was fun for Madison. We saw 28 charachters at this park with relatively short waits. Everyone who was tall enough except mom(we ran out of time) went on the Tower of Terror. They thought is was awesome!! We also saw Playhouse Disney LIVE, which was huge for my youngest 2. We decided to try a charachter meal, and had a blast with the Little Einsteins. We ended the night with Fantasmic, which is the best Disney show that I have seen!

The next day we went to the Animal Kingdom. It has so hot and humid we felt like we really were in the rainforest! We loved the safari though, the animals did not dissapoint. We rode the Mt Everest roller coaster 3 times (thank you Fast Pass!) In the early afternoon we got caught in a down poor, luckily the KIDS had their rain ponchos, the adults had forgotten their umbrellas. Oh well, it did cool us down!

On the 4th day we did magic kingdom again since we had only done half the park before, and they were going to have a Spectro Magic Parade and Fireworks show that night only. Those were both great and worth staying for. We made it this time to Splash mountain, Thunder mountain, and Pirates again. My 3 year old was asking for the Haunted Mansion again-go figure! We also were able to see some more shows, and meet Tigger, Pooh and Ariel (all after long lines-uugg!)

On our last day we went to Epcot. We were not sure if the kids would like it, but they had added a lot of rides since I went 20 years ago. They loved the mission space, the test track and the Nemo attractions. Actually in Turtle Talk with Crush Madison was picked out for him to talk to. Then he asked where her dad was and he talked with him too. It is cool to see an animated charachter talking with you. By night time we were making our way to the world showcase. Everything was so beautiful all lit up. We stopped in a few different countires to try their foods. I think the kids liked the pastries from France the most! By the time we made it to Mexico, it began to poor rain again, we were pretty much done and it was 8:30 so we were ready to go.

We had been trying to get here for 5 years, and something always got in the way. It was worth it to plan and go this year, it is a vacation we hope to do again!!

Halloween Night

2008-11-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween! Madison wanted to be Cleopatra,, Spencer was Scooby Doo (really no difference for us, he is usually pretending to be Scooby) Logan was a Ninja Turtle, Aiden was Elmo and Taryn was Piglet. We started the evening bobbing for apples again (because they loved it so much at the party) and then we had our traditional chili. (My mom's tradition that she gave us as kids.) We went to the church for a tri ward trunk or treat. There was so much candy that the kids went around 3 times! Logan got to have a picture with Paige. She is his best girl! He draws pictures for her almost every day. She lives on our street, so we have had fun getting together. We then came home to do a little on our street, but the kids were disappointed to find that no one was really participating this year, even our neighbors-not that they needed the candy!! We were home by 7:30, but only had a couple of kids stop by. I think with the way things are in the world today, people are sadly moving away from the door to door thing, and sticking with parties, or other functions to trick or treat. It is sad, because going door to door in my neighborhood was something, I looked forward to. Anyways, the kids then came in to check out their loot. They had fun trading and organizing their candy. We then finished the night with some pumpkin pie. I hope you all had a happy and safe one as well!! Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party

2008-10-31T03:25:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween Party was such a success!There were 13 families that participated! Thank you so much to all of the moms who helped with the games, the treats, and the cleanup! I couldnt have done this without you! I got some great pictures! I wish I could have had more, I apologize if I didnt get everyone's child in a picture, it was a very busy day! We bobbed for apples, and made caramel apples out of them. This was huge with the kids, I heard a lot of happy kids! We also decorated cookies- talk about a sugar rush! There were several fun games, but the one I think I heard the most about was "Mr Weens body parts" They had to touch a variety of gross things and guess what they were. Also thanks to my mom, who sent me a mold of a real hjman heart! Kids also loved the mummy wrap relay game, it took no time at all to wrap each other up, so fast in fact that I didnt get pictures! :+( I am sure that all had fun! Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday Aiden!

2008-10-28T02:11:00.000-07:00

Aiden is now officially 3! Time goes by so fast. A few months ago he wanted a Blues Clues party. I lucked out and found a bunch of stuff on clearance. By the time his birthday rolled around, he had lost interest in Blues Clues and now loves Disney's Little Einsteins (mom loves it too because it teaches culture to the kids) He still let mom throw him a Blues Clues party, but he got almost all little Einstein toys! He wanted one little friend to come over- Nolan. All of our kids joined in the fun. We had a blues clues game, and a clue finding game, and musical chairs. They also all sat and colored and did playdough. It was cute and fun. Thanks to all of you who called to wish him Happy Birthday. He wanted "gurger king" for dinner, so we were there playing, and he fell asleep on the way home.

Carving out Fun

2008-10-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

We got our pumpkins carved this weekend. The 3 older kids really wanted to "do it themselves". We had watched "It's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown", and in it they drew a picture first of what to carve on their pumpkin (actually they drew their picture on Charlie Brown's head). So anyways, they kids wanted to draw their jack o lantern face first. It was really cute and fun. We helped Taryn and Aiden, but they loved the messiness of it all. We are preparing for our Halloween party this week. We invited all homeschooling families and some preschoolers too. We are looking forward to it.

Falling into Fun

2008-10-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

The thing I love most about home school is that everything can be an opportunity. We are learning about seasons, so we went an an ultimate leaf hunt. After awhile we decided that we needed to make a pile of leaves and jump in them. It was a fun lesson! You don't see Madison is the pictures because she thought the leaves would get her dirty! She is turning into a little lady, and leaving her tom-boy ways behind her. We then took our ultimate leaf collection and put it onto paper. There are hundreds of fun things to do in the fall, that is why this is my favorite season.

Swing time

2008-10-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Taryn is only 15 months, but is already catching up to big brother (soon to be 3). I love watching them enjoy themselves on the swing set. We are having beautiful fall weather. After a hot, muggy summer, we are spending a lot of time in our yard!

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

To the Pumpkin patch again! We love doing this every year! We had a great hayride- even through fields of animals! Then everyone got to pick their own pumpkin. We also got to go through a hay maze and see lots of farm animals! We brought home 3 bushels of apples, and have had fun making apple sauce and pies. I love fall!!

Taryn's new room

2008-10-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Cathleen, we have the cutest room for Taryn. We finally are getting her in there. She really likes it. She is growing up so fast!!

I forgot summer pics!

2008-10-17T03:38:00.000-07:00

We had such a great vacation this summer, but with the business of life, I never posted pics for the relatives we visited back home. Thank you Aunt Belle for the request because we did have a great time and want to share it with all.

It took us 2 days each direction to drive out. The kids were pretty good, it helped that we have a DVD player and a game boy! I also bought new books, coloring books and some car games. We were set! Taryn was the hardest. She hated her car seat, and had no problem letting us know!

We went to Missouri to see the grandparents, and cousins, Aunts and Uncles. My Nana and Papa were preparing to move to a retirement community, so this was the last time we would be in their home. I am glad they were able to make this move, and it puts them closer to family. I wanted to get lots of pics of this place where I spent many happy memories with family as a child. Nana & Papa treated the kids to a day at Minor Mikes (Like Chuck E Cheese) The kids had so much fun, and are still (4 months later) asking if we can go there.

We also saw my other grandmother, who is now 92. I have lots of cousins who live there, and they all came over with their children and we all had a good time. A little loud with 20+ kids in the house, but it was great.

On to Nebraska, where I grew up. My sister Holly met us there from Arizona with her 4 kids, and my mom had a full agenda for us. We went to the planetarium, to a museum with Dinosaur bones. We also went to the Childrens Museum (which is the best one I have ever been to) which had robot dinosaurs! Too Cool!! We spent the 4th of July there, and went paddle boating at Mahoney State park, and then back for fireworks at mom's! Another highlight was Grandpa's pool. The kids loved being in there with cousins and Uncle Brenden! Our last day we spent at the zoo. The Henry Doorly Zoo is huge with a rainforest and a desert dome and countless other cool things. Also the best zoo I have ever been too. (No I am not biased!)
We also celebrated Taryn's first Birthday. Grandma took the kids to Play Daze, and had an official party with pizza and cake. Taryn enjoyed the cake the most! She also had a pinata for the kids to do. look out grandma!!
We had so much fun. We wish we could get out there more often!! (Sorry the pictures are all out of order, I need to learn more about how to move things around on the posts. There are too many pics in this case so I am not going to worry about it. :+)

Uncle Brenden, my baby brother, not a baby anymore! He is 19 and getting ready to go on a mission. We are so glad that we were able to spend time with him this summer. He is so good with the kids, they love him! He was good to go with us everywhere and to help with the kids. We look forward to finding out where he is going on his mission!!

Aunt Tsitsi also made sure that she spent a lot of time with us. She came and went all of the place with us. The kids also adore her. She is such a great part of our family!!

All in all, it was a great vacation.

Blues Clues

2008-10-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Spencer got a part in Blues Clues Live. He will play an ant eater. He has 2 lines. But he has also been put into a part with 5 other children where they sing most of the songs and interact with Steve the main character. He has been enjoying it, but he says that he wants to be a director instead of an actor! We will send pics of his play when it goes on in December.

Homeschool

2008-10-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

We have been homeschooling this year. I had mixed feelings about it. But now I am LOVING IT!! It has been hard, yes but easier to handle than I thought. I love having more time to teach the gospel. It is so great to see my kids learning, and to have them be together. We are really enjoying it. It is a blessing in our lives!

The Beach

2008-09-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

After we went to Williamsburg, we went to the beach. It was a nice end to our little trip. Taryn had no fear. She kept crawling to the water. I love the picture where Aiden is trying to bury Taryn in the sand!

Colonial Williamsburg

2008-09-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

We went to Colonial Williamsburg during Home Educators week. It was so nice to step back in time. The kids loved the costumes, and horses. They asked a lot of questions, and enjoyed the activities.

T Ball

2008-09-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Spencer played T ball all summer- even in 100 degree temps! He did a great job! Dad was his coach. It was a great thing for them to do together.

Madison's Bowling

2008-09-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Madison Bowled all summer. She won 4 trophy's! We had a great time watching her, and fun getting to know others.

Kings Dominion

2008-06-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

We live 30 minutes from Kings Dominion. This year we decided to get a family pass. There is so much to do there, they have a water park too, and the Nick characters that our kids like. They love the Scooby Doo Ghoster Caoster. We love going just for about 5 hours that is perfect for our family. Now that it is HOT, we will stick with the water park! :+) Enjoy the pics, Heidi

Hamsters

2008-06-13T05:03:00.001-07:00

The kids were wanting a dog, we thought we would try out a small pet first. They each got their own hampster. The kids love them...in the day! At night they run on their wheel and scratch. They have gotten out several times. I would not recomend these as pets! :+)
Madison names hers Felicity.
Spencer named his Mr Lucky.
Logan & Aiden named theirs Joe.

Wrestling with Daddy

2008-06-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Daddy is very good at wrestling with the kids. He is starting with Taryn early!! She is very cute and sweet, but also very tough!!! She can bite and scratch!!

BOTH Are All Tired out! Who won anyway?

Veronica and Shane come to visit

2008-06-06T05:24:00.000-07:00

Veronica and Shane came to visit for a week. It was so great to have them here. Veronica was so good with our kids, they adore her. This was her first time to DC. Shane was already here for a conference and Veronica flew out here by herself to join him. They were here for a few of Virginia's finest storms, but they missed out 100 degree heat wave!! The pictures are of DC, and of Fredericksburg Battle grounds, and of us playing and having fun!

Mothers Day 2008

2008-06-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day 2008 was great. The kids game me over a dozen homemade things. I got a bouquet of purple tulips (my favorite) and Dad and kids took care of breakfast and dinner! I am so spoiled!! It was a great day!

Bug Box

2008-05-09T11:14:00.001-07:00

The Bug Box is a place where Spencer went on a field trip in preschool. He really liked it. So one day when the kids were off of school I took them there. The best part of going was the cut outs outside. There were a lot of cool bugs, but you pay to get in and my kids were only interested for about 10 minutes. I had to really force them to stop, look and read. If you live in Fayetteville, I wouldnt waste the money. I thought I would post the cute photos though!

Clean House

2008-05-09T11:10:00.001-07:00

We were finally able to give our house a "face lift" Last year we put a lot of money into the inside, this year we were able to power wash the outside, and to repaint, and to seal the deck. It feels really good to have a clean house!

Taryn's Crawling!

2008-05-09T11:05:00.001-07:00

We knew the time would come. She is now moving around. We are all trying to be careful what we have on the floor. But, as with all babies, she always finds the things she shouldnt have! What a cutie wootie as Madison calls her! We are really enjoynig her. Her personality is really beginning to develop!

Logan's soccer

2008-05-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

Loga n is a great soccer pla yer. He makes several goals every week. He has been playing for about a month now. He is a natural. He even got a power ranger ball to practice with at home!

Madison's Program

2008-05-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Madison's Program at school. She did a great job. They had to memorize a lot of songs. Her class did some dances from Europe. The whole theme was its a small world after all. They sang songs from all around the world. It was so nice to go to. This school does not do much. Spencers class didnt do anything this year. We got there early so we were right in front of Madison!

Hammock Time

2008-05-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mom got a hammock for Christmas. As you can see, there is a long wait for getting on the hammock.

Trent's Birthday

2008-04-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

On Trent's Birthday, he stayed home and we all went out to breakfast. IHOP was doing Horton Hears a Who pancakes. It was a real treat. The only problem was that I did not order for Aiden, thinking he could share with the others, and when the pancakes came, he said "Where's my pancake?" You forget how easily a 2 year old catches on! Trent's requests for his B-day were to watch the Lord of the Ring Trilogy all day, have Enchiladas for dinner and a Banana Cream pie. And money to spend at Amazon. I hope that he felt spoiled!

Spring time work

2008-04-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

Spring time in Virginia. We had our work cut out for us with the weeds, but our family was up for the challenge. We even worked through a rain storm! All of the kids got to help with the planting. We were all sore and tired, but it was worth it!

Caterpillars and Butterflies

2008-04-03T12:18:00.001-07:00

Our Caterpillars. Since Logan stayed home with mom this year, we thought we would do something fun as if he were in preschool. So we got Caterpillars. They were so small when we got them.

Madison and Spencer were so excited for us to get Caterpillars. We thought it would be fun to watch them change into butterflies. Each of the kids took turns keeping the caterpillars in their room.

We watched them get bigger and bigger for about 10 days until one day they formed their chrystalids. They were in there for about 2 weeks.

Now we have 5 beautiful butterflies!!! It is too cold to release them (55 degrees today) but as soon as it gets up to 65 we will let them go. We feed them sugar water, and oranges. They seem to like that. The kids have each named their butterflies. Princess, Spiderman, Dora, Spotty, and Daisy. (I helped Taryn)

I took them outside to get a little sun. But too cold. Aiden was trying to let them go.

Finally coming into the 21st century!

2008-04-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Cathleen, I am going to try having a family blog so that we can share what is happening with our family to all of you who live so far away. We will try to update as often as possible. Our family is keeping busy. We are getting ready for Logan to begin soccer, Spencer T-ball, and Madison is going to join a bowling league. Trent's birthday is coming up. He is taking the day off of work, and all he wants to do is RELAX!

Well, that is it for now, I will try and figure out how to make this more exciting! Heidi