2009 Garden

So this year I learned a lot about gardening. First, it is a lot of work to maintain a garden. Second, don't always read the back of the seed packet, talk to gardeners in your area that have had success. Third, make sure you have a lot of time to weed, prune and care for your garden. I did have a lot of fun learning more about gardening this year. I had carrots galore! We got sick of eating squash. The Jalapenos grew so hot we couldn't eat them. Next year I have new techniques I am going to try.

Monster Truck

A few months ago we where driving home and Jake spotted a monster truck parked at a local gas station. Of course we had to stop and take some pictures. He thinks dad needs to get one of these to advertise when he is a Doctor! Jake said people who drive these will need to come see my Dad!

Mod Podge Board

I was asked to post this so people could see the board I made for one of my friends daughter's baptism. It is a simple piece of 1/2inch press board from home depot. Cut to desired dimensions. Router edges to desired design. Lay up side down on table saw and drop blade to low position. Cut straight lines to desired box size on front of board. Hint mark the back of board with a pencil to indicate where lines should be cut. Boxes that are 3X5 and 4X6 picture sizes are easier to fill when ready to mod podge. After cut mod podge scrapbook paper and pics to front face. Careful not to get mod podge on picture fronts. These make great gifts!

Blue Man

So we have had fun with Jake's hair this year. Mohawk for the summer and now electric blue for crazy hair day at school. He was so disappointed he had to wash it out!

Mohawk Man

I let Jake's hair grow out over the summer and Dad finally made me cut it, so here is the end result. Needless to say it only lasted for the day! Not because it didn't hold, Elmer's glue made sure of that! Dad didn't want Jake showing up for church the next day looking like this!

Rick's Baptism August 1st, 2009

Rick Casagrande was baptised! Thanks for letting us be a part of your journey!

Missionary Work in St. Louis

These are the Elders that were in our ward when our neighbor Rick Casagrande was baptised. Elder Ferrin and Elder Pace were key in teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to Rick. What a blessing in Rick's life to hear and believe in the fullness of the gospel. We are so thankful to have shared with him the joy he felt in his life and to see him grow. What a humbling experience we have had as a family to see that we can share the gospel with those we come in contact with. We are all in the Mission field. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and that only through him can we return to our Heavenly Father. He suffered so that we could be happy and experience joy in our lives. I am so grated for Prophets that lead and guide us through hard times. I know Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. How blessed we are to have the Book of Mormon and Bible to help guide and warn us in these days. I know if we are doing the right things we will be blessed even when things get tough. I love my family and know that this life is only the beginning! I pray that I will continually share my testimony with those I come in contact with. This life is to short to be afraid of sharing what is most precious to us!

Katelynd's 1st Day of Junior High School

Katelynd was so embarrassed to have me taking a picture of her first day going to junior high. She wouldn't even introduce me to her bus buddies! Katelynd loves her new school, lots of big changes though. We sure love her! Katelynd wants to try for track this year and has been getting lots of practice running with Mom.

Lindsay's 1st Day of School 2009

This will be Lindsay's last year in Elementary school. She is already wanting to be in junior high. Lindsay you are growing up to be a beautiful young lady. We love you!
Keep up the good work!

Jakes 1st Day of School

This is so late to blog about but I have to update my blog! Jake was so excited for his first day of school. I think he was more excited to ride the bus with his sister finally. He loves his new teacher! Jake is growing up so fast. We sure love him. He is always keeping us entertained with his new adventures.

Halloween 2009

This year we had a big neighborhood halloween party. Rick our neighbor pulled a trailer with the kids through the neighborhood. We had two big fire pits and a lot of treats and food. We had a really good time!

Kids Cluster Picture 2009

Peace Out!

Lolly was having fun dressing up and doing her infamous peace out.

Triathlon Day August 23rd 2009

I am so glad I had people who motivated me. Thanks Summer and Mary!

LSL Triathlon 2009

It was so fun this year to be able to participate in the LSL Triathlon. These are some of my friends from the Y that I trained with.

Kristins' Birthday Surprise

This year my neighbors Susie and Abbie Surprised me with a yummy birthday treat. Jason also took me to Kitaro's my favorite Japanese restaurant. It was hard for me to blow out all the candles on the cake. Boy I'm getting old!

Katelynd's new Freedom

Katelynd was in lala land at the family reunion this year. I finally caved and let her drive a 800 polaris 4 wheeler. She had lots of fun circling grandma and grampa's cabin in Beaver, Utah. I can only hope she wants one of those instead of a car when she turns 16!

Visit with Mema & Papa

This summer we were able to go to Las Vegas! We got to hang out with Mema and Papa! We had so much fun doing projects and going to the circus.

Jason needs a new ride!

I found this car in Las Vegas when I was there on vacation! Jason wanted it so bad but I eventually talked him out of it! I told him it was just a little extreme for a students budget. Don't you think! I thought the color was a little off for his complexion too. Maybe next time!

Grandma Surprises Katelynd!

This is a late post! Katelynd's Grandma Peggy came out in May for her Biography Day at school. Katelynd was so surprised, she had no idea that Grandma was going to be able to come. Grandma Peggy hid on the deck and when Katelynd and Mom came home this is what they found! Thanks Mom for making Katelynds day!

Lindsay's 10th Birthday

We can't believe Lindsay turned 10 this year. This will be her last year in Elementary school. She is becoming such a beautiful young woman. Lindsay we love you!

Jake's Preschool Graduation May 2009

Jake graduated from pre-school in May. He loved his class and is already missing his teachers Mrs. Begnal and Mrs. Woodson. They were able to do so many fun activities this year. Jake told us the other day that he is ready for Kindergarten. He said that he learned it all in pre-school. I can't believe how time flys by! I was always told that, now I believe it!

Katelynd & Lindsay Volleyball

The Volleyball season just ended for Katelynd and Lindsay. They did great this year. In November they will be joining the Cottleville League and they are so excited to play over wintertime.

Boys Like to Have fun too!

All the boys got to hang out and play in the yard. To bad the lawn didn't get mowed! This was at the Tilman's April 2009.

Lolly Time!

While we were in Illinois Jason was able to get some good pics of the kids.

Long Lost Friends Found in Illinois

My husband always teases me for going on facebook to communicate with my friends. But a few months ago I ran across a close friend from Las Vegas. Jason and I met the Tilmans when we first got married. Jason and Scott ended up working together for a few years at Stewart & Sundell a commercial concrete and curbing company. Tina and I became close friends and always had play days with our kids. Tina and I think it has been about 5 years since we have had any contact. When we went out to visit last month we picked up right where we left off. We are so blessed to have good friends. They only live 4 hours away and are actually in our temple district. Thank you for a wonderful weekend Tilman's we had alot of fun.

Sealing Dress

Our friends from Las Vegas just adopted their second child Maddie. The adoption was just finalized this month. They will be sealing her to the family in July. Maddie just turned 1 year this month. We are so excited for their family. They are such an example of patience and kindness. They have experienced so much with the adoption process. This is the Temple Sealing dress I made for little Maddie Schaumburg. We thought the dress wasn't going to make it in time. It was lost in the mail for a week and I thought I was going to have to make another one to send out. After lots of prayers that it would be found, Stacy called with the good news that they received the package. Congratulations Schaumburg family! We love you!

Birthday Time!

Katelynd had her 11th Birthday in May. We had our neighbors come over and had Katelynd's favorite meal Navajo Taco's. We still can't believe she is going to junior high this year. She is becoming such a young woman.

5th Grade Violin Concert

Katelynd had her 5th grade violin concert in April this year. She had a lot of fun. As you can tell she was concentrating really hard on a perfect performance.

Jake up a Tree with no Ladder!

Katelynd and Lindsay came running in the house screaming "Jake is going to fall." We all ran out side to find Jake at the top of our neighbor's tree. Jake had put gloves on, a hoodie and pulled his socks to his knees to protect himself from the rough pinetree climb. I had to get a picture of it before he got in trouble!

Katy Trail over Spring Break

I know I am way behind on my blogging. I have been busy transplanting burning bushes and hydrangeas in my front yard. This was our first time to the Katy Trail with the kids. We went with the McCains. Chelsea and I pulled the Laurens behind us. For those of you that don't know about the McCains they were the first family we met when we came to Missouri. They also have four children pretty close to the same ages as our kids. Their last child is also named Lauren. They moved to Missouri for the same reason we did so Dad could go to Chiropractic school. We love to hang out with them, we always have a lot of fun.

Spring Break at the Zoo

Over the girls spring break we made it out to the St Louis Zoo. We met up with some friends and the kids had a great time. Most of the animals were out even though it was chilly. We only had to plug our nose once when we walked through the penguins home!

Jake's 5th Birthday!

We can't believe Jake is 5 now! He will be going to Kindergarten this year. Jake has been such a busy boy. He swears when he gets older Dad is going to buy him a monster truck! Yellow of course! Jake has mastered climbing our back tree. I have caught him many times climbing to the top to tie kite strings to see them blow in the wind. I wish he had a little more fear for my sake. I bought a jogging stroller for one of my neighbors the other day at costco. I went in the house for a few minutes to put some things away. When I came back out Jake had pulled the box out of the back of the car. Remember we have a large bike rack that has to be moved every time you open the rear hatch. I caught him in our neighbors' driveway across the street with the box propped up on his skate board. I asked him what he was doing! Jakes reply was "Delivering the package Mom, duh!" Those were his exact words! I have to give it to him that it was very inventive to use the skate board! I never have to worry about him with 3 girls around and no brothers. He is all boy!!

Katelynd's Play

Katelynd had her 5th grade play this past month. She was the "Yellow rose of Texas."
They practiced long and hard for this play. Katelynd did a great job with her lines! All of the songs they performed were great. They even had motions to go with the music, it was quite entertaining!

1st Time for everything!

I decided since we have moved out to more fertile ground I would start a garden. This is my first experience with gardening! Before this I only picked the veggies and fruit that had grown to enjoy. I didn't realize how much work it was to prep and till the ground! It didn't help much that the garden is on a downhill grade. Since this was my project Jason made me do everything myself. Oh, I have to give him credit for cutting the 2X4's to hold the fencing. I can't count how many blisters I got from shoveling clay! My friend and I planted the seeds a few days ago. Two days later we got 2 inches of snow. I hope my brown thumb doesn't ware off on this garden. Brown meaning I usually make things go brown not green!

Jake got up close with S.W.A.T.!

Over Christmas break we were able to go home as a family. My brother is a S.W.A.T. officer there. All of the family was over at my parents when my brother decided to stop by on his break. Jake was so "scary" as he says. Bro had all the get-up on, a gun strapped to each leg and a gun in a holster on his belt. Extra ammo all over the place! Jake was in awe, his mouth didn't shut. Jake wanted to know why his uncle could carry a gun and if he could touch it. It was a good lesson for him on gun safety! Now Jake wants to be a police officer. I hope that idea will fade for moms sake.

Katelynd's Science Project

Katelynd was busy last week getting her science project done. She decided to test soda pop and juice on teeth. Yes, real teeth. Her project was titled Soda pop and Tooth decay. She got 2nd place and is going to the regionals. Katelynd was so excited! Good job Katelynd Keep working hard!

Flushed Away!! No, not literally!

OK I had to ask special permission from Lindsay to put this on the blog. Lindsay got her lower braces on the other day. The orthodontist was very busy that day and left Lindsay waiting for sometime in the chair looking like this. It cracked me up, I had to take a picture. As soon as they put that contraption in her mouth I got an image in my head of the girl from flushed away, they were twins. It was even funnier watching her when she was talking. She was so mad at me for taking pictures of her like that. They will only be used for torture later on in life.

Lindsay the Helper!

The whole time we were sledding Lindsay was helping with Jake and his wipe outs! She's the one in the grey bundled up, she was so cold! We all had alot of fun playing in the snow!

Jake Bombed down the hill!

Jake had a great time playing in the snow after the big snow storm this week. We went with some friends sledding. Jake climbed that hill so many times. He slept really good that night!

Fun in the Snow!

We can't find many places out here to snowboard. So Katelynd found a good spot out behind Old Navy. She had fun boarding on the hill.

The Big Talk!

I can't believe our baby girl is growing up so fast! Katelynd is becoming such a young woman. Well we all know what happens when they get older, their minds start to wonder even more than when they were 3. The Why's become just a little deeper in topic! So last Sunday, Katelynd approached me with a perplexing question. I toyed with answering. Katelynd will turn 11 this May. I began to ask her questions just to find out how much she really knew! The last time we had the big conversation it was left at mom and dad's germs react together to make a baby! Of course Heavenly father helps she said. Well the question I got was pretty deep for blog rating concerns so I won't repeat the question, but I'm sure your mind can create one! I was prompted to answer the question directly. Now mom and dad are just gross! And she questioned me again, "Well when does this happen, I didn't see it happen to get Lauren." Talk about deep! Then began the spiritual side of things, I assured her that this was very sacred between Husband and Wife, a Godly act! HA I turned the deep thinking around and threw the ball straight at her. She was ever so quiet. Then out of no where she asked me if she would have to teach her husband how to do this! For her sake I hope so! Now looking back at the situation I think Katelynd could of waited to know the details. She really didn't know as much as I was assuming. I even asked her if she has heard anything at school from her boy and girl friends. "No I never hear people talking about that, all the girls talk about is bras! She was naive which is OK! Since the big conversation I've notice she listens to her Dad more, she is more loving towards him. I've come to the conclusion that she realizes now that marriage is a partnership. Mom has the important role of carring the child but Dad also has a very important role. I hope this posting doesn't affend anyone. I blogged this to remember the details of the conversation. Just remember it is fine to know more than your children on some things! Innocence is OK! They have plenty of time to grow up and absorb all the things in this world!

Just the two of us!

Jason was on break for 3 weeks this December. It was nice to have him home. We didn't get to play too much this break but we sure got alot accomplished. We were able to go to Las Vegas and spend some time with our families. It was nice to not worry about school for a little while. This was on our way home from Vegas. We just needed a break from the long trip. I think we locked the kids in the car!

I've Fallen and I can't get up!

Have you ever had the feeling of being overwhelmed? Well I think I have finally reached that point. I have fallen off the blog wagon. I hope that I can catch up! So much has happened in the last 6 weeks. Christmas, a surgery, in-laws coming to town, renter's in Vegas that got up and left with no notice, a 24 hour trip to Vegas for nothing more than cleaning, painting and stressing. Then a 24 hour trip home with pneumonia. But Life is great! The kids are healthy, I think homework is finally caught up and I get to start working out again after my recovery from a right venous ablation with stab phlebectomy. I keep looking for the positive in life. I am finding "Joy" in the journey.