tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79573146635997393522024-03-05T00:30:29.204-08:00The Wild WestWest Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-76827188445476726092015-09-09T12:23:00.001-07:002015-09-09T12:23:21.152-07:00Checking....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Huh....I kinda forgot about this blog. I am not sure I remember how to do it so this is just a test:)<br />
<br />West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-12422115645115291112012-08-14T16:47:00.001-07:002012-08-14T16:47:15.257-07:00Arizona--Baby it is hot!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are really enjoying the open kitchen/family room area. Our little house in NY was pretty cramped and we are having fun being in the same room together without being on top of one another! The view into the backyard and pool area is so refreshing. The sun is always shinning and we just love it!<br />
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The pool has been used almost daily since we arrived. The kids love to invite friends over. So far, no serious injuries have occurred to any of the little kids. However, my 28 year old nephew tired to give himself a concussion and cut his calf up pretty good. Going down the slide sideways is not recommended...at any age. <br />
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Jacob loves to just float around enjoying the water. He is such a pleasant little guy!<br />
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There is a spot in the pool for you, so please come play!<br />
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*PS--we do realize the pool looks a little "cloudy", but please rest assured that Kris knows how to make the pool sparkly clean. It had just been replastered and the grit floated around for several days. You can see the drain clearly now! Kris spends a lot of time babying the pool, we appreciate all his hard work:)West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-58652856370304032062012-08-14T16:30:00.002-07:002012-08-14T16:32:09.709-07:00Back to School.....Again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We didn't get much of a break this summer. Only 47 days to be exact. Those 47 days included packing, moving to Arizona and unpacking. Not much of a fun summer. Luckily, we have many hot days ahead of us and a fun pool in the backyard to enjoy them!<br />
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Joshua started 3rd grade this year. He has a great teacher and even though he thinks that school "takes way too much of his day" he was excited to go back to school to meet new friends.<br />
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Mariah started 8th grade. She has already made so many fun friends. On the first day of school she got together at a friend's house for breakfast and then they all walked over to school together. Lots of people have made her feel very welcome! <br />
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Samantha is in 6th grade. You should see the front row of her classroom. It is filled with adorable girls who have quickly become her friends. Lucky teacher:)<br />
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Oh my little kindergartner! I thought I was going to escape the tears this year, but I did not. The kids were fine, in fact they were more fine. It was just me that had the hard time letting them go. Another school year only makes it that much closer to graduation, then leaving, then me being very sad that I have an empty house...ok, I am being a bit dramatic. But it always a bitter-sweet moment for me. I love to see them grow, but sad that they can't be my baby forever.<br />
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Gabriella loves school and wishes she could go everyday. I am so glad that she is happy. <br />
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Jacob is 6 months old! It was a strange day for Olivia, Jacob and I on the first day of school. It was so quiet. Livi and Jakie kept looking around for the kids. I kept looking around for my baby-sitters:) We have adjusted to the change and try to enjoy the quiet time before the big kids get home. <br />
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<br />West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-57547122888747018212012-07-10T18:40:00.000-07:002012-07-10T18:41:16.216-07:00Jacob 5 months!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Time goes by really fast when you are a slothful blogger! Jacob is already 5 months old. I feel like I deserve a do-over for Jacobs first several months of life. We have been so busy with trying to sell the house, getting ready to move, organizing, packing, end of school, church responsibilities, hectic life of 6 kids, graduation from residency and Kris studying for his last step of the boards. I just want to sit and cuddle this little sweetie. If it were not for the fact that I nurse him, I don't think I would ever get to sit down with him and snuggle. That is just not right. Do-over!<br />
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<br />West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-64076861495646024482012-07-07T08:49:00.001-07:002012-07-07T08:49:37.810-07:00Jacob 4 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since Jacob is already nearly 5 months old I thought I had better hurry and post him at 4 months. I have been a little busy busy packing for our big move to Arizona, but I know these sweet mile stones come and go too quickly. Jacob is one of the sweetest babies I have ever known. He is happy, healthy and incredibly strong! He loves to pull his sisters hair, already such the teasing little brother:)<br />
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<br />West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-5023764624983464662012-05-27T12:35:00.004-07:002012-05-27T12:35:39.427-07:00Jacob 3 months cute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Love. Him.</span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqZDlQE3FfHT-0gP0lTilV29cDssZeWIKhEC0P8FaGS3ZBZoA3XMkty7sQNITUp9CtkLY82YwFmazcwy33VPBleIjRN77YK0SkK9Qth9sWAGj8uMZ6BZr-cqu6zUaJ0nyIV2AU8saVMH4/s1600/IMG_6998.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqZDlQE3FfHT-0gP0lTilV29cDssZeWIKhEC0P8FaGS3ZBZoA3XMkty7sQNITUp9CtkLY82YwFmazcwy33VPBleIjRN77YK0SkK9Qth9sWAGj8uMZ6BZr-cqu6zUaJ0nyIV2AU8saVMH4/s320/IMG_6998.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxtxZkkHl_epGndXebWbPzbSOTxLa-9r_HI7L-PJ2KrDz6sdw0NeAJ5VyxQRB5uFGuFlf1fmo54ItE1gl8XoaxjOPoUORtDa28RTYcoV_eH_ZISz3Y8W6kOJbdtOKhR6HlpU6EyopSQuw/s1600/IMG_6997.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxtxZkkHl_epGndXebWbPzbSOTxLa-9r_HI7L-PJ2KrDz6sdw0NeAJ5VyxQRB5uFGuFlf1fmo54ItE1gl8XoaxjOPoUORtDa28RTYcoV_eH_ZISz3Y8W6kOJbdtOKhR6HlpU6EyopSQuw/s320/IMG_6997.JPG" width="213" /></a><br />
<br />West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-20101694108296469782012-05-27T12:31:00.000-07:002012-05-27T12:31:14.145-07:00Joshua<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Happy Birthday to Joshua!!!!</div>
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This boy loves his birthday. I am sure it is easy to tell by the smiles and excitement of these pictures. I can't believe he is 8. He will be baptized in a couple of weeks, he is becoming such a sweet little man. At least when he is not making gross bodily function noises and annoying his sisters.....</div>
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Because Joshua is 8 he is now in cub scouts at church. His birthday came just in time for him to participate in the pinewood derby. I do not have any brothers and have never been to a pinewood derby race before. I had no idea some many grown men could be so excited about a car race. Kris helped Josh prepare his car. Kris' dad is an excellent pinewood derby car creator. His cars were known to win many races over the years. So Kris new all sorts of fun ways to build the optimal racing machine...I mean wooden car. Joshua was so excited about scouts. He loved his new uniform. The first night that Kris suggested they work on his car, Joshua dropped everything and ran to his room. We were not sure what he was doing. He came back out dressed in his full scout gear. Apparently he thought he needed to be properly outfitted to even work on his car. It was adorable.<br />
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All that work attention to detail of creating the car paid off. Joshua and his "Batmobile" were undefeated the whole night. His prize was a ribbon and a BIG chocolate bar. He was nearly bouncing off his chair trying to contain his excitement. My favorite part of the whole night was that Joshua was such a good sport. He complimented the other boys on their cool cars, told them "good job" when they finished their race, and tried to control himself each time he won so he wouldn't show off too much. He is the best. I am so happy his first scout experience was such a fun one!<br />
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<br />West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-77172207661058152962012-04-09T09:31:00.004-07:002012-04-09T09:59:37.724-07:00March 2012<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><br />Oh Boy!!! Look who is 2 months old!!!! Isn't he delicious? We are just loving every moment with our little Jakie. Seriously, the dimples just kill me...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUAZweKYklFBKjAH2XwO7FoDDWD9rO-_E1iJPIqt6EtXJZGr2vyPQY4y_EMhmGNAgl7T629qlzOz9HOh2Qu42IVi7BT2v8U9P9PNcKiIZx7uvr0el2sRUUly6iGe1EQJ1caTXrYb_LOyA/s1600/IMG_6889.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUAZweKYklFBKjAH2XwO7FoDDWD9rO-_E1iJPIqt6EtXJZGr2vyPQY4y_EMhmGNAgl7T629qlzOz9HOh2Qu42IVi7BT2v8U9P9PNcKiIZx7uvr0el2sRUUly6iGe1EQJ1caTXrYb_LOyA/s320/IMG_6889.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729441909454155826" border="0" /></a>Samantha and Mariah had a dance recital in March. It was so much fun to watch. Sam did hip-hop and Bree did Ballet. Both did a great job on their individual dances as well as the combined number at the end. I was one proud Mama! Joshua asked if he could stand at the back of the auditorium so he could do his dance moves. The kid thinks he moves like Usher--although he has never actually seen Usher dance. Fun night!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BD8XGmCfG74d0UR75w6lUSatIczt7uOZe9lGWzebTxG_jItBCzy1r6AI9y_odkA5Qka3tr_7uJxkT9v5e98XODKKcZDiJSx__V2kOu_HHb0bMC8cKVAGUh-_Z645szhkaU4Gp8z9sRoQ/s1600/IMG_6870.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BD8XGmCfG74d0UR75w6lUSatIczt7uOZe9lGWzebTxG_jItBCzy1r6AI9y_odkA5Qka3tr_7uJxkT9v5e98XODKKcZDiJSx__V2kOu_HHb0bMC8cKVAGUh-_Z645szhkaU4Gp8z9sRoQ/s320/IMG_6870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729441918922368082" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElNii8M7BwC5zsS8ZadfPrerOXNx8kskzQILjC6153mqHFH0giJKLlrKx1cJdMf194CuJbRjWzHHTVv-26CPjsBm5Uba7SRlRTU09U6oNGaZuHYWvONTwcJ5ZcsulGCkHaNDr7_lOnoRA/s1600/IMG_6869.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElNii8M7BwC5zsS8ZadfPrerOXNx8kskzQILjC6153mqHFH0giJKLlrKx1cJdMf194CuJbRjWzHHTVv-26CPjsBm5Uba7SRlRTU09U6oNGaZuHYWvONTwcJ5ZcsulGCkHaNDr7_lOnoRA/s320/IMG_6869.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729441913587067538" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-r3sYXkRQTl2WQX1eU2NLxuydAVvyYGvIywEyTPJm5tShyphenhyphenrU4lQNFAFHwRmYUYLVtvzuyvorzIhexUUCkf-qEsEiNmwwFf4KFKoN7pH42_a6l_JYAIKGmCxHHF5pms8pDoa2TRQVg4dlD/s1600/IMG_6860.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-r3sYXkRQTl2WQX1eU2NLxuydAVvyYGvIywEyTPJm5tShyphenhyphenrU4lQNFAFHwRmYUYLVtvzuyvorzIhexUUCkf-qEsEiNmwwFf4KFKoN7pH42_a6l_JYAIKGmCxHHF5pms8pDoa2TRQVg4dlD/s320/IMG_6860.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729441935504751378" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIIXnQAGP9zk-8TGyPdeu26QM-cjWkU33lT6b8ouG2NUCme0ywyjaba_ZPS8NcMV6svuCotL5JtjHrXgr1gU3GCVldYJMWO8u3XuEnwQkccBRK2vmKqPAjbfoSlk6vWVMJdx7S3azQ7lW/s1600/IMG_6864.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnIIXnQAGP9zk-8TGyPdeu26QM-cjWkU33lT6b8ouG2NUCme0ywyjaba_ZPS8NcMV6svuCotL5JtjHrXgr1gU3GCVldYJMWO8u3XuEnwQkccBRK2vmKqPAjbfoSlk6vWVMJdx7S3azQ7lW/s320/IMG_6864.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729441941000890082" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoDj6oi2WoAQSTkK0_lQubL0LeMd6UlAEeLdJNXaSzYGgfOTbQPHGrSfNtGc0va9VOOhVdxzktSEf2EMecv5n2GlgO2b8_EguOrZQo2Y29aWU_qCNs7Qdtxs55s8qb00qA6TOz-vtiAQw/s1600/IMG_6858.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoDj6oi2WoAQSTkK0_lQubL0LeMd6UlAEeLdJNXaSzYGgfOTbQPHGrSfNtGc0va9VOOhVdxzktSEf2EMecv5n2GlgO2b8_EguOrZQo2Y29aWU_qCNs7Qdtxs55s8qb00qA6TOz-vtiAQw/s320/IMG_6858.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729439935380104978" border="0" /></a>A couple of years ago I was at the house of Estelle Richie. She was giving a bunch of us a tour of her beautifully decorated home as part of a Relief Society activity. I happened to notice this adorable dress hanging in her daughters room. I told her how much I LOVED the dress and just thought it was so cute. Well, imagine my delight when about 18 months later she told me her daughter had outgrown the dress and asked me if I wanted it. Uh, YES! Of course I was excited about putting Olivia in the dress, but even more than that I was surprised that she remembered how much I loved the dress. There were a lot of women there that night and it was a little chaotic, yet she remembered. Perhaps I gushed a little too much, but I think some people are just very perceptive and thoughtful. I really appreciated to gesture Estelle made and it has reminded me to be more aware of those around me and really listen to the things they say. Thanks Estelle for the cute dress, it is adorable--and if I might add--so is little Livi Grace in it!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-40603212949688378932012-03-04T15:50:00.005-08:002012-03-04T16:24:26.817-08:00February...we survived!February has always been a month that we just tried to endure. The cold weather usually gets really annoying and we are anxious for spring to make an appearance. For years we have attended to local boat show in February. We used to go in Utah, then tried the one in DC, and attended the one here in NY a couple of times. In fact, the first time we went to the boat show together as a married couple we saw the beautiful Mariah boats and decided to name our first daughter Mariah. How is that for deep meaning in a name:) Anyway, my point is that with the birth of little Jacob we now have something more important to celebrate each February. His arrival certainly made this February fly by...and we have enjoyed every moment. Now if we could just get spring to show up....<br /><br />Here are a few highlights from Jacob's first month.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtio1Zb_N534FCKtaxKtwMA6DYfnnYmtkFXLJO583uaIsQTVxhL5n4tUi4W_Z8pixGvFzVgpfXIUk4xwTW0KVvdIpspBtEGkTxo4jZ0W4NwTx_YUa2Z4-kdcrrP8uZxOniQfam041xWA_F/s1600/IMG_6810.JPG"></a><br /><br />Jacob is so sweet and squishy, especially when he is sleeping.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtio1Zb_N534FCKtaxKtwMA6DYfnnYmtkFXLJO583uaIsQTVxhL5n4tUi4W_Z8pixGvFzVgpfXIUk4xwTW0KVvdIpspBtEGkTxo4jZ0W4NwTx_YUa2Z4-kdcrrP8uZxOniQfam041xWA_F/s1600/IMG_6810.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtio1Zb_N534FCKtaxKtwMA6DYfnnYmtkFXLJO583uaIsQTVxhL5n4tUi4W_Z8pixGvFzVgpfXIUk4xwTW0KVvdIpspBtEGkTxo4jZ0W4NwTx_YUa2Z4-kdcrrP8uZxOniQfam041xWA_F/s320/IMG_6810.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716197406921588226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIt3HQUTShMxlYfSdoAMf7FQCyAWNhaqY7Y3-IBKvrpFs-oKddUiV4k4GYf1u5_sTKCdPA2vaLntN4KutnYnaMYJyAqkbIbxGHXkSBjCSphwKHNVhLLVPW527lMQoktJmAecD80MFJyxNX/s1600/IMG_6834.JPG"><br /></a>Happy Valentine's day! This shirt was on for about 30 seconds before he spit up all over it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9V7HjFWpt9ZD2NeR3F3lQPTg6cAZ9rfB_e8ALAqTkE_yPZj0ZNZLEdqF9s3pxU9YCQQWt2tRFk2uXMwa5XY2SbKe78o-aAAzeUALgbulRUxE8kUwTmWfgVBGL_BBIZdtM8zQmV0zAFNX/s1600/IMG_6827.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9V7HjFWpt9ZD2NeR3F3lQPTg6cAZ9rfB_e8ALAqTkE_yPZj0ZNZLEdqF9s3pxU9YCQQWt2tRFk2uXMwa5XY2SbKe78o-aAAzeUALgbulRUxE8kUwTmWfgVBGL_BBIZdtM8zQmV0zAFNX/s320/IMG_6827.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716197031806764850" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Olivia cannot get enough of her new brother. She is actually very kind and attentive to his needs. She loves to give him his binky. We do need to keep the bedroom door locked when he is sleeping in his cradle or she will try to wake him up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ArropvbP_yMQRkzdAC-jGkGNoiNIq1He28OwXHityRNaVOnNySjT6rGpDkinVqWYSSeiVOgccUpqTf-Cn-zPK-bteQ-5KXTusFPFmfhin3TRKMQbFdXPToE-EqU-B-kRO-BzDbmSO2OH/s1600/IMG_6828.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ArropvbP_yMQRkzdAC-jGkGNoiNIq1He28OwXHityRNaVOnNySjT6rGpDkinVqWYSSeiVOgccUpqTf-Cn-zPK-bteQ-5KXTusFPFmfhin3TRKMQbFdXPToE-EqU-B-kRO-BzDbmSO2OH/s320/IMG_6828.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716197020334959650" border="0" /></a>His poor eyes were so red for the first couple of weeks. They continue to clear up everyday.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GfSoJJslQ8qUci9Kfier7DCN7QofkUA9UkPyi1W-ivvE7gngSBLAoBhEw0o9Yy5lEASCmu6ylk9UezUIIbJ_g0pjiAaCwkQA558ID5vZjZd3JXCpwchG1uERPryMe8-5orZDaBFDwqoI/s1600/IMG_6844.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GfSoJJslQ8qUci9Kfier7DCN7QofkUA9UkPyi1W-ivvE7gngSBLAoBhEw0o9Yy5lEASCmu6ylk9UezUIIbJ_g0pjiAaCwkQA558ID5vZjZd3JXCpwchG1uERPryMe8-5orZDaBFDwqoI/s320/IMG_6844.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716197015146318146" border="0" /></a>We all loved having Grandma here with us for a couple of weeks. We were so happy Jacob made an early appearance so we could have her help when he arrived. I still don't know how she kept up with the laundry so well. We hope we didn't take advantage of her too much because we would love for her to come back!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPRSxkVOw14Ty9fBEwnViuYTg8vyCT535E_ZL95V_j1SVb51DQcJCSqEekqvKX5TgRF39CvTl7Pq4IPxUoBL8dUcZF6X-WfUh_IDChDIMR6cHQll0lzylEYG5r7d522D21DDJu6iI-3ky/s1600/IMG_6841.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPRSxkVOw14Ty9fBEwnViuYTg8vyCT535E_ZL95V_j1SVb51DQcJCSqEekqvKX5TgRF39CvTl7Pq4IPxUoBL8dUcZF6X-WfUh_IDChDIMR6cHQll0lzylEYG5r7d522D21DDJu6iI-3ky/s320/IMG_6841.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716197008384858594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwmtQiaZoNw54sOE28ZNS61oyOvnIZpi4IPRYu8BSSa-5E2zvxQlUrSBeVgEN92ETkAvaAFVQuAlt4L2p9ja1lgdwtW3xRP8C48SP2O7S1DmNJySm6Z55eAhmBw-414InlnBa54ZG0Hpk/s1600/IMG_6837.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwmtQiaZoNw54sOE28ZNS61oyOvnIZpi4IPRYu8BSSa-5E2zvxQlUrSBeVgEN92ETkAvaAFVQuAlt4L2p9ja1lgdwtW3xRP8C48SP2O7S1DmNJySm6Z55eAhmBw-414InlnBa54ZG0Hpk/s320/IMG_6837.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716197003403062066" border="0" /></a><br />My friend Darice and I were due with our babies just a couple of weeks apart. I am not opposed to arranged marriages...she is a cutie.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIt3HQUTShMxlYfSdoAMf7FQCyAWNhaqY7Y3-IBKvrpFs-oKddUiV4k4GYf1u5_sTKCdPA2vaLntN4KutnYnaMYJyAqkbIbxGHXkSBjCSphwKHNVhLLVPW527lMQoktJmAecD80MFJyxNX/s1600/IMG_6834.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIt3HQUTShMxlYfSdoAMf7FQCyAWNhaqY7Y3-IBKvrpFs-oKddUiV4k4GYf1u5_sTKCdPA2vaLntN4KutnYnaMYJyAqkbIbxGHXkSBjCSphwKHNVhLLVPW527lMQoktJmAecD80MFJyxNX/s320/IMG_6834.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716197400354082114" border="0" /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-15250098698049672252012-02-26T18:16:00.004-08:002012-02-26T18:36:15.795-08:00Final Score: Girls-4, Boys-2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohE3m12nX7X75AKnkK2z17SAc2Iqwk3sYpbqhnr90UFp8LJHJjeOLjc-CGWEx2YKUucvnwcHIujOlCpejH81huTc6FbhH4mKyIYMfxhFNrI04dzROkFooFh7wn-qC9abfcmzfZuuqNiWn/s1600/IMG_6733.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohE3m12nX7X75AKnkK2z17SAc2Iqwk3sYpbqhnr90UFp8LJHJjeOLjc-CGWEx2YKUucvnwcHIujOlCpejH81huTc6FbhH4mKyIYMfxhFNrI04dzROkFooFh7wn-qC9abfcmzfZuuqNiWn/s320/IMG_6733.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713634994759105474" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Jacob James has arrived!<br />Feb. 5, 2012<br />10 lbs. 3 oz.<br />21.5 in.</span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">8:54am</span><br /></div><br />We are thrilled to have this sweet little one as the caboose of our family. He has been a joy so far and we just adore his squishiness!<br /><br />It was a good thing he decided to arrive 9 days early because those 10 pounds of baby were getting really hard to carry around. I went into labor during the early hours of the 5th. I woke Kris up at about 2am and warned him we needed to head to the hospital. We finally left at about 3:30am and arrived at the hospital at 4:00am. They put me in a room, gave me an exercise ball to sit on and let me do my thing. I wanted to have this last baby without an epidural so I just tried to relax as much as I could. Kris slept in the bed while I sat and played on the iPad:) Everything went pretty smoothly. I went from 6 to 8 to being ready to push super fast. I think he was pretty desperate to get out of his close quarters because that 10 pound baby was out in about 5 pushes. He was so black and purple from being born so quickly. His poor eyes were completely red because he burst every capillary being born. I took one look at him and thought--that was traumatic for both of us! Once his swelling went down and he gained a bit more color we both felt much better. <br /><br />He is a bundle of joy and the kids just can't get enough of him. Joshua said to me tonight in a very whinny voice "why does Jacob have to be SOOOO cute?" His big brother even made him a paper airplane today during church. Olivia thinks he is the best new toy anyone could have and constantly wants to hold him and move him around to different places. However, when she is sad and needs Mommy she tells me "baby, bed". She had a bit of a hard time at the beginning, but we are all adjusting pretty well. However, we had Kris' mom here helping us for 2 weeks, then Kris was on vacation for the past week. Tomorrow everyone abandons me so we will see how it goes. <br /><br />Wish me luck:)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOBS-4sZxrpOLah1Kl-eL_PwI1-AjmUyenrPNSHuuXEbi5jMqb2l3ps9qAl-OZu6Fr2NE3n7Y_oAz5BKsSV84YaDmEFX8aw0aMHWkY4HRdi8UqCVscjADNMJZb7CDxBmdyEGSY54jmtoa/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ofdn7XfkPvgzR7Db2tJIH82ZSQ-MseNZfZ2uGKNmzLwoZGpncgGlMfCmRns0b2RosnJVsknQK5u8dTIY8RX8-XUYcWwfi_8s4EZa-JN6ncmr6JDsxIYFWm2KfJSdk9o8zIIruafzk9kM/s1600/IMG_6717.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Ofdn7XfkPvgzR7Db2tJIH82ZSQ-MseNZfZ2uGKNmzLwoZGpncgGlMfCmRns0b2RosnJVsknQK5u8dTIY8RX8-XUYcWwfi_8s4EZa-JN6ncmr6JDsxIYFWm2KfJSdk9o8zIIruafzk9kM/s320/IMG_6717.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713634997787335058" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-wyjbD-vT3PGp9N4oxSjXLPR3r518_zq0WTqUhOl1SqCxkpZ9DHmyODMSAAQAppdpN2np8JYELWiR0oK3a_GkTJV9NmrRsWS5fkRGrowhzaJ1MHJWgnIpQ-97iS287socLKZRpJ3FzPS/s1600/IMG_6813.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-wyjbD-vT3PGp9N4oxSjXLPR3r518_zq0WTqUhOl1SqCxkpZ9DHmyODMSAAQAppdpN2np8JYELWiR0oK3a_GkTJV9NmrRsWS5fkRGrowhzaJ1MHJWgnIpQ-97iS287socLKZRpJ3FzPS/s320/IMG_6813.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713635019706920914" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rz1SK6h_b-ZZ34LCBongZMPOk5623b0MJWFlX9MwOzGzP1mYTDg74XbBNNGqjiNeBMJUJ06gCLjHpxkjtB88LzWlX2l-m6MaiGAiAHodJS_1I_ILe8vuzG5Hk59TqslLzmAStXzFroEw/s1600/IMG_6720.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rz1SK6h_b-ZZ34LCBongZMPOk5623b0MJWFlX9MwOzGzP1mYTDg74XbBNNGqjiNeBMJUJ06gCLjHpxkjtB88LzWlX2l-m6MaiGAiAHodJS_1I_ILe8vuzG5Hk59TqslLzmAStXzFroEw/s320/IMG_6720.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713635006257957890" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOBS-4sZxrpOLah1Kl-eL_PwI1-AjmUyenrPNSHuuXEbi5jMqb2l3ps9qAl-OZu6Fr2NE3n7Y_oAz5BKsSV84YaDmEFX8aw0aMHWkY4HRdi8UqCVscjADNMJZb7CDxBmdyEGSY54jmtoa/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOBS-4sZxrpOLah1Kl-eL_PwI1-AjmUyenrPNSHuuXEbi5jMqb2l3ps9qAl-OZu6Fr2NE3n7Y_oAz5BKsSV84YaDmEFX8aw0aMHWkY4HRdi8UqCVscjADNMJZb7CDxBmdyEGSY54jmtoa/s320/IMG_6812.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713635018086860594" border="0" /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-77464122925783165852012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-25T06:00:07.647-08:00It's a birthday for Samantha!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0amtTQyThFvdiSvY2AD-pIc9zMu5Wo_BkVMjcnZm9UvMsLfujBDbKksoOiNRd1QW21vn5N_PhYN8S1Nf30JyF9R0OVsNeL91tEUETdrzg9zIaakBTZ1tNn0BBo_84mK5yTPilXgyq9TCZ/s1600/IMG_6574.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMg8tX2wmuUfOiReXMY-0Ffwo5Q4R34qKhyy5gHJZB-XqoqsSNLOyBzg44q4Or_IM5lh5FXtpVKHrxMqEMpCuhzHzsETkeffnOooUOjQUJOn0F0w09MfDp1fX60_mcoAbRdDEW69njKD5/s1600/IMG_6577.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMg8tX2wmuUfOiReXMY-0Ffwo5Q4R34qKhyy5gHJZB-XqoqsSNLOyBzg44q4Or_IM5lh5FXtpVKHrxMqEMpCuhzHzsETkeffnOooUOjQUJOn0F0w09MfDp1fX60_mcoAbRdDEW69njKD5/s320/IMG_6577.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695393280117330162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyHaXU796LCgtlDXhsByhnPliWv14JiwqqTD4UVqSDz9ArPxcFiMkVlDrPtroL-zy0S9w7eOjNKPcOKxzlkux-cG7If-_gmKAxdI9i7QPpBtyniZrFBd1335cDwNW7P6U0gMLKBrgvSBw/s1600/IMG_6567.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyHaXU796LCgtlDXhsByhnPliWv14JiwqqTD4UVqSDz9ArPxcFiMkVlDrPtroL-zy0S9w7eOjNKPcOKxzlkux-cG7If-_gmKAxdI9i7QPpBtyniZrFBd1335cDwNW7P6U0gMLKBrgvSBw/s320/IMG_6567.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695393278668753602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuKlQT4fJr4vPj7tiigcQmOmM5eZbqbo1QUa1SEAYlCFicUfhaxEwENDc-pUCiOHDEkGyk529wOy9rNjefaKyCBCxHp-Q3aehtq9fsHdUb5Pv2t0Vz0nVUBl_IfNdzfoafqTB1lXEChJ5/s1600/IMG_6578.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuKlQT4fJr4vPj7tiigcQmOmM5eZbqbo1QUa1SEAYlCFicUfhaxEwENDc-pUCiOHDEkGyk529wOy9rNjefaKyCBCxHp-Q3aehtq9fsHdUb5Pv2t0Vz0nVUBl_IfNdzfoafqTB1lXEChJ5/s320/IMG_6578.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695393272219724626" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0amtTQyThFvdiSvY2AD-pIc9zMu5Wo_BkVMjcnZm9UvMsLfujBDbKksoOiNRd1QW21vn5N_PhYN8S1Nf30JyF9R0OVsNeL91tEUETdrzg9zIaakBTZ1tNn0BBo_84mK5yTPilXgyq9TCZ/s1600/IMG_6574.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0amtTQyThFvdiSvY2AD-pIc9zMu5Wo_BkVMjcnZm9UvMsLfujBDbKksoOiNRd1QW21vn5N_PhYN8S1Nf30JyF9R0OVsNeL91tEUETdrzg9zIaakBTZ1tNn0BBo_84mK5yTPilXgyq9TCZ/s320/IMG_6574.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695393322097671762" border="0" /></a><br />Because Samantha's birthday is so close to when the baby is due we decided to celebrate her birthday with her friends at the beginning of December. Instead of a regular birthday party Samantha wanted to have a Christmas party for all her friends. So she invited 17 girls to bring some cookies and a pair of fun Christmas socks to exchange. We made Christmas crafts, played some fun games and exchanged the socks and cookies. Everyone had a great time and I cannot believe that we had 17 girls in one room for 2 hours and we all survived!<br /><br />I thought it was very sweet of Samantha to forgo getting a bunch of birthday gifts and have a party for all her friends instead. She is wonderful!<br /><br />Samantha spent the year growing! She also kept herself busy with piano lessons, dance classes and lots of swimming this summer. She is a bubbly, happy, easy going person and we are blessed to have her in our family. I often find her making up fun games for her younger siblings and she even keeps a prize box for them to pick things from so she can bribe them to help me with things or behave in the car. Seriously, she is amazing!<br /><br />I hope 11 is a great year for you, we love you!<br /><br />Happy Birthday Sammie Bear!!!!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-5510585124276717352012-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:002012-01-21T08:52:46.076-08:00Olivia is 2!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaWt-EgA1W1YllOsf2fsGbLZlt-X5vHj59mJuZw8W9JMOX2PFeqz-opDpK3rXmaCZPehrBYJS5pDIFXKQhtZWdwSfRe1BQbHsGlIm8v-uRGkV51D-7xqbP6faEz2iAFA1Olx-kK7Zejs7/s1600/IMG_6584.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaWt-EgA1W1YllOsf2fsGbLZlt-X5vHj59mJuZw8W9JMOX2PFeqz-opDpK3rXmaCZPehrBYJS5pDIFXKQhtZWdwSfRe1BQbHsGlIm8v-uRGkV51D-7xqbP6faEz2iAFA1Olx-kK7Zejs7/s320/IMG_6584.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695396758381296482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-v1kwo_aFawWFsgVh7DPmQMH2lDHdyBe5XKWkSRnf32SyfjETs88gC6C5yV5LvvPJoZ7ZXXTK2hGqIpuDlBitjWr334M_7ssDQOMTyNWYhUGeHDxapj2t9QVoZ1brvCX31BiEKWlUluD/s1600/IMG_6563.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-v1kwo_aFawWFsgVh7DPmQMH2lDHdyBe5XKWkSRnf32SyfjETs88gC6C5yV5LvvPJoZ7ZXXTK2hGqIpuDlBitjWr334M_7ssDQOMTyNWYhUGeHDxapj2t9QVoZ1brvCX31BiEKWlUluD/s320/IMG_6563.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695396749446920242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTu8JtmGEosNsox1_82OledHjOS0aTakY5uSxqq-oHfgupicAC-xVyzIAbHhy-YQcfd2s86uiDF9ZXvvcoskmKwHi_JZUKp1hXhSyCnltKqf1oDkrqP7mB6L9vXyb1L0ZMVLMCgHnH1ni/s1600/CRW_6536.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeTu8JtmGEosNsox1_82OledHjOS0aTakY5uSxqq-oHfgupicAC-xVyzIAbHhy-YQcfd2s86uiDF9ZXvvcoskmKwHi_JZUKp1hXhSyCnltKqf1oDkrqP7mB6L9vXyb1L0ZMVLMCgHnH1ni/s320/CRW_6536.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695396232435791730" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4r0GHOnMYXk6DE0XjPCtobDXDdYV6po-QK0IsY9tRgCy05p6BpVhlC9qI8XaO1Zp4x_F5CaF8gRsu5Vcl2lNBWbgu4kt47riwNszXavxkv1_WuIRQPEf8D5cxarhjtiIvBPMtv1viFspo/s1600/IMG_6550.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4r0GHOnMYXk6DE0XjPCtobDXDdYV6po-QK0IsY9tRgCy05p6BpVhlC9qI8XaO1Zp4x_F5CaF8gRsu5Vcl2lNBWbgu4kt47riwNszXavxkv1_WuIRQPEf8D5cxarhjtiIvBPMtv1viFspo/s320/IMG_6550.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695396226346598658" border="0" /></a><br />I can't believe our little Livi is 2! She is such a sweet baby and I hope that she sails through the 2's with no problem. She has funny words such as:<br /><br />YE=yes<br /><br />YEEP=also means yes, depends on the level of excitement associated with the yes<br /><br />Bee-Bee=Gabriella, who is the only family member she names besides Mom and Dad<br /><br />Bone=phone, she thinks they all belong to her<br /><br />Wah-Wee=sippy cup<br /><br />She is such a joy to have in our home. She spends her time carrying baby dolls around, playing with Mommy's make-up, gathering things to obscure places (for ex. she will take all the clothes out of her dresser and put them in the hall closet), and chasing after Gabriella who she looks up to so much! She is a very quiet, self entertaining, disaster making, sweetheart.<br /><br />I hope she enjoys being a big sister soon. Olivia also has eyelashes to die for--lucky girl:)<br /><br />Happy Birthday Olivia Grace--you make us smile everyday!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-10006548223529488682012-01-08T14:21:00.000-08:002012-01-08T14:29:53.678-08:00Mariah is a teenager!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC9hAjo3FAY34MwpYpONg5TlNHHO8J4__YTy7onmxlalosYG1ROUztE8MLFhT30vFLJtYcluvid6Gx-dsTIXbtZjhcf1XOPihci23UM_34cfM80LYlOdTS3lzLYAc8NP78cRTlloElP8I/s1600/IMG_6633.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7u0aI1sIgid7sRP9uLH0YgWFRkLjWJfuIRpjQyRXATfWHy6bHtxCJruwk1mRwhIKyxn1Syin8Pd0DIaUk2ptC94UODc_K17wstXOdHr0q3197vckJqe4FCEDdhaNkevlcKnUMMTpRF69/s1600/IMG_6676.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7u0aI1sIgid7sRP9uLH0YgWFRkLjWJfuIRpjQyRXATfWHy6bHtxCJruwk1mRwhIKyxn1Syin8Pd0DIaUk2ptC94UODc_K17wstXOdHr0q3197vckJqe4FCEDdhaNkevlcKnUMMTpRF69/s320/IMG_6676.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695390631229433666" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD32YQkHMWwOXe7Kp2NoQqZ4jiEHpnOhqYBrVy-mBMvb5t1DUwqq1YVbp776UnVgiDC2s0wujLADT3_n565AcQ8J7SMHCE_WciL40Yhibm4ai9JdEhWXJRK73ygEAscPksmPLNe5IZIntA/s1600/IMG_6610.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD32YQkHMWwOXe7Kp2NoQqZ4jiEHpnOhqYBrVy-mBMvb5t1DUwqq1YVbp776UnVgiDC2s0wujLADT3_n565AcQ8J7SMHCE_WciL40Yhibm4ai9JdEhWXJRK73ygEAscPksmPLNe5IZIntA/s320/IMG_6610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695390658024091586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQd4d3zGwA-Nb2z4fVkIAXUpDj8_ynZKOY7lCMuiQAfC0bmPFwj05nf0L0lhGHDzRequW__mTfqr8JhdQsrSY8TAN7gR5Acc5CmCxuW6hFlipJSG5oH0_g9vLKzCs9MZO0iiHMVCs8ITl/s1600/IMG_6611.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQd4d3zGwA-Nb2z4fVkIAXUpDj8_ynZKOY7lCMuiQAfC0bmPFwj05nf0L0lhGHDzRequW__mTfqr8JhdQsrSY8TAN7gR5Acc5CmCxuW6hFlipJSG5oH0_g9vLKzCs9MZO0iiHMVCs8ITl/s320/IMG_6611.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695390636220227170" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC9hAjo3FAY34MwpYpONg5TlNHHO8J4__YTy7onmxlalosYG1ROUztE8MLFhT30vFLJtYcluvid6Gx-dsTIXbtZjhcf1XOPihci23UM_34cfM80LYlOdTS3lzLYAc8NP78cRTlloElP8I/s1600/IMG_6633.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC9hAjo3FAY34MwpYpONg5TlNHHO8J4__YTy7onmxlalosYG1ROUztE8MLFhT30vFLJtYcluvid6Gx-dsTIXbtZjhcf1XOPihci23UM_34cfM80LYlOdTS3lzLYAc8NP78cRTlloElP8I/s320/IMG_6633.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695390660588864914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7u0aI1sIgid7sRP9uLH0YgWFRkLjWJfuIRpjQyRXATfWHy6bHtxCJruwk1mRwhIKyxn1Syin8Pd0DIaUk2ptC94UODc_K17wstXOdHr0q3197vckJqe4FCEDdhaNkevlcKnUMMTpRF69/s1600/IMG_6676.jpg"><br /></a><br />I am certainly not old enough to have a teenager, but somehow Mariah is 13! She is an amazing daughter and we are so grateful to have her in our family. She spent the past year working really hard in school to maintain her status on the high honor roll, playing the piano, running cross country, making the Volleyball team at school and baby-sitting in her spare time! She is a super busy girl, but still manages to be happy and have some fun. For her birthday she invited a few friends to go to an outdoor ice-skating rink and then to dinner. It was such a fun night to watch her with her friends. She is very lucky to have a great group of girls to spend time with. I know she will miss them when we move.<br /><br />So far Mariah has been a very good girl so I anticipate very smooth easy teenage years ahead:)<br /><br />Happy Birthday Mariah--We love you!!!!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-32367407541825289872012-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:002012-01-08T14:20:24.260-08:00Christmas 2011<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Christmas 2011<br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzMG5oqHzABASBK3sCSBI0QzzHWXTf1N3nnosrVxw3-W_oUk4NXcCbAdMl7uAeE60xN_LYUqDHIesE0GuUur_mMF-bokV75FiELHVf678XM-8n0KBo7s0vhMfyFYEYioxu-Q1rn1Oj7vp/s1600/IMG_6667.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzMG5oqHzABASBK3sCSBI0QzzHWXTf1N3nnosrVxw3-W_oUk4NXcCbAdMl7uAeE60xN_LYUqDHIesE0GuUur_mMF-bokV75FiELHVf678XM-8n0KBo7s0vhMfyFYEYioxu-Q1rn1Oj7vp/s320/IMG_6667.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695388173812884674" border="0" /></a><br />We had a really nice, relaxing Christmas season. There was NO snow, which is very unusual for us. Knowing this will be our last winter here in upstate NY we were really looking forward to the snow one more time. But, so far it is pretty pathetic.<br /><br />Anyway, we spent the month preparing for Christmas and just having a great time together. This year we had a friendly boys vs. girls gingerbread house decorating competition. Gabriella switched back and forth between the girls and the boys depending on who she thought was doing a better job at the time. A lot of the candy was wet, and after a while we figured out it was because Olivia spent her time putting candy in her mouth, sucking on it for a bit, then putting it back and moving on to the next piece--so gross:)<br /><br />We had a fun time on Christmas Eve. We made cookies for Santa in the afternoon and then went to see the "Lights on the Lake" which is a local lights display. It was a fun day. That evening we had our traditional nativity play as a family. This year Kris was the poor donkey that carried in Jamie (who is 8 months pregnant) on his back into the living room. The kids thought it was hilarious. At first Kris said he wanted to play baby Jesus, but I don't think the kids could have stopped laughing in order for us to read the Christmas story. So he settled for the donkey. The kids then exchanged the gifts they got for each other. It is always a highlight to see them anticipate the reaction of the person they picked out a gift for. They are so good to each other. All the kids were tucked in by 8:30--we were amazed. They all like to sleep in one room. Joshua woke up at 4am and we made him get in bed with us for an hour before we went for the gifts. I am sure it was one of the longest hours of his life! We enjoyed the gifts and had fun playing for a little while before we had to get ready for 9:30 church. We were even on time:)<br /><br />The sacrament meeting program was so lovely. Mariah played a piano piece with other girls in Young Women playing the violin, flute and bells. It was beautiful and I was so proud of her. Samantha and Joshua sang a song with a small group of kids. They did great too, I could even hear them singing!<br /><br />We spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing and just having fun being together. It was a great day! It did make me a little sad knowing it will be our last Christmas in this little house. The time had gone by so fast.<br /><br />Next year we will celebrate with the palm trees. It will be so weird.<br /><br />I love Christmas!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsuhfFBhIqhIx3clme_G0CzhBBJc_V6Xx5Z-C8kY4BP-PJdcxA538QHzLcoQyNaNU23tnHIEn-maAIgm8vbCz025ueaYY4lCZhonGGUPnrJhh4IUAXMnfTa_pnpsLip2e8q8dt6RFIcC8/s1600/IMG_6655.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsuhfFBhIqhIx3clme_G0CzhBBJc_V6Xx5Z-C8kY4BP-PJdcxA538QHzLcoQyNaNU23tnHIEn-maAIgm8vbCz025ueaYY4lCZhonGGUPnrJhh4IUAXMnfTa_pnpsLip2e8q8dt6RFIcC8/s320/IMG_6655.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695386561021857138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOjWlXqSEGQWTb_sPOqM0VmEpwhyphenhyphenw2QO_DRI2c1Xo57Mqr8Jjw65Lxm-_Ev0RzuQIS69Hxyd-yjbCIpwv3VkYma8KeE1qNF1G83sO9BkBu1VXDHMMfcx3A6EdNGVq92PJ26RguBxxG9F3/s1600/IMG_6646.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVOjWlXqSEGQWTb_sPOqM0VmEpwhyphenhyphenw2QO_DRI2c1Xo57Mqr8Jjw65Lxm-_Ev0RzuQIS69Hxyd-yjbCIpwv3VkYma8KeE1qNF1G83sO9BkBu1VXDHMMfcx3A6EdNGVq92PJ26RguBxxG9F3/s320/IMG_6646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695386577752750514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSr4DvObbDVsvlemcBexCoFYXcr2_LuF8TtiNQ9pqekvoc87aKrbcpB4UPtmPNskz7zNvjF1YvMZHM_UjmnuDE9Kn5Ra2TvpblU-zpp2NGqwq-QD2TGVLjMK8yk23hHH6hvVtVprXvmW_A/s1600/IMG_6656.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSr4DvObbDVsvlemcBexCoFYXcr2_LuF8TtiNQ9pqekvoc87aKrbcpB4UPtmPNskz7zNvjF1YvMZHM_UjmnuDE9Kn5Ra2TvpblU-zpp2NGqwq-QD2TGVLjMK8yk23hHH6hvVtVprXvmW_A/s320/IMG_6656.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695386570142793394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijsuhfFBhIqhIx3clme_G0CzhBBJc_V6Xx5Z-C8kY4BP-PJdcxA538QHzLcoQyNaNU23tnHIEn-maAIgm8vbCz025ueaYY4lCZhonGGUPnrJhh4IUAXMnfTa_pnpsLip2e8q8dt6RFIcC8/s1600/IMG_6655.jpg"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEojoGcWj-RVB9QtfaNYVAelHGsd8grhyqgc4H60eN80p1Y1KYOyaAMePxB5y0fpcrsQmUrtUQs9Yi9D_jAqYr5yth5o2sG7fORcx5yJjBpQesx5S3qffce3t3OFzWTZT6rRD326JnliJ0/s1600/IMG_6653.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEojoGcWj-RVB9QtfaNYVAelHGsd8grhyqgc4H60eN80p1Y1KYOyaAMePxB5y0fpcrsQmUrtUQs9Yi9D_jAqYr5yth5o2sG7fORcx5yJjBpQesx5S3qffce3t3OFzWTZT6rRD326JnliJ0/s320/IMG_6653.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695386596100297778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszyPDiuZjrr24KjjCqSDUp_jPHSOU5ds7eqN1ebklsdGvnqmeWJA14d2UnG4biV8AD8CpyLWkhulvsNgQjRaf-L52wTRAGsx6QeHymdWaWzBri0lliTycSX2mY5lYWyOEB7pQL8m26Mu0/s1600/IMG_6590.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszyPDiuZjrr24KjjCqSDUp_jPHSOU5ds7eqN1ebklsdGvnqmeWJA14d2UnG4biV8AD8CpyLWkhulvsNgQjRaf-L52wTRAGsx6QeHymdWaWzBri0lliTycSX2mY5lYWyOEB7pQL8m26Mu0/s320/IMG_6590.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695382497010151154" border="0" /></a>Ward Christmas party nativity. Gabriella was a sheep, Joshua was a shepherd and Samantha was Mary.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKzO2W7w4tCKRxaTVM8h05pHnqNhRQMPWir0z0JG-m6AcRBUmim3nz_W7sRorbhaMIWUVZBMGNO2OPrPZWn2cRb65vBN-Smem6giBS2HuX0lMGLhskQWZyynLfv2x8OQWq-ITu9UTkPFH/s1600/IMG_6591.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKzO2W7w4tCKRxaTVM8h05pHnqNhRQMPWir0z0JG-m6AcRBUmim3nz_W7sRorbhaMIWUVZBMGNO2OPrPZWn2cRb65vBN-Smem6giBS2HuX0lMGLhskQWZyynLfv2x8OQWq-ITu9UTkPFH/s320/IMG_6591.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695382485958368610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv-azTt8CaHDrKac9Rg5VFAPGm1eCoImCy4ArD0UHmRUMGzVlvM1eJmcj7wteT4h8DgLk6dI3CxxVj9hFxKDLUg6SSNBbKOlOY99S5Lj8hERspEJaHS-BegxrBNbnKexU8sKB5pXHU-zd/s1600/IMG_6600.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv-azTt8CaHDrKac9Rg5VFAPGm1eCoImCy4ArD0UHmRUMGzVlvM1eJmcj7wteT4h8DgLk6dI3CxxVj9hFxKDLUg6SSNBbKOlOY99S5Lj8hERspEJaHS-BegxrBNbnKexU8sKB5pXHU-zd/s320/IMG_6600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695382485673774306" border="0" /></a>Joshua thought the boys had a clear win over the girls. I kept telling him that although they had some cool construction aspects, it was all in the details...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycj6ROK200eKz1AMSErxzz09qklRyz58AGWsTyv6rIdtJQ2LhMnJDqxF5kOeUM8qKoM0OiomHE9woCeDcoaF1B3Mr0emzQpRiLlXhGpc_ohA2agwujipvfZBmJy50ODhSsoHds8FOLYjb/s1600/IMG_6595.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycj6ROK200eKz1AMSErxzz09qklRyz58AGWsTyv6rIdtJQ2LhMnJDqxF5kOeUM8qKoM0OiomHE9woCeDcoaF1B3Mr0emzQpRiLlXhGpc_ohA2agwujipvfZBmJy50ODhSsoHds8FOLYjb/s320/IMG_6595.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695382480503694194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFGnNav5Dov0RQyA-JVaES57I2EJSTi3C_LZciKvekwiJNVpwIliEnD-JdyTzd1hfLPXeo_DXnkWt1vwnItuylPg9LNzeX0C6MOMZAhvFfw5Nj8UnVPCNAxTu4vN24N36FaxvV2niM9xM/s1600/IMG_6643.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFGnNav5Dov0RQyA-JVaES57I2EJSTi3C_LZciKvekwiJNVpwIliEnD-JdyTzd1hfLPXeo_DXnkWt1vwnItuylPg9LNzeX0C6MOMZAhvFfw5Nj8UnVPCNAxTu4vN24N36FaxvV2niM9xM/s320/IMG_6643.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695388203535126850" border="0" /></a><br /><br />One month to go! I swear it lasts longer than the first 8 months combined. We are excited to welcome our new little guy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5IUzzzTnE-uhKP20Vcm-rGEcoEqInXkrIGLll4LvYIZRKhcEZB_jOwvq7oiHqFMJP-QTGd5IDu5r62sYAfaVG3au8BUX4rRx8yKtRCbGaCy_IUzcNsgeFMJr6uPgN0_SvybLwcBzHlkO/s1600/IMG_6662.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5IUzzzTnE-uhKP20Vcm-rGEcoEqInXkrIGLll4LvYIZRKhcEZB_jOwvq7oiHqFMJP-QTGd5IDu5r62sYAfaVG3au8BUX4rRx8yKtRCbGaCy_IUzcNsgeFMJr6uPgN0_SvybLwcBzHlkO/s320/IMG_6662.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695388178190970834" border="0" /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-2984178177327126362011-12-24T07:27:00.000-08:002011-12-24T07:42:20.365-08:00The stockings we hung by the chimmney with care.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUodv4lQQn_aRIep8liGZg4kacJGd4wu2WxKwKpFvmxpSe7VEHE_HuhcJu1e5-BIokq84j-GFoMJMJXjVQoTa0_QXjUwVJ3vrYQB6qR0DXgmXGQNFKPHwgn3hqwYuXa6LOnqj1RQ20m8V/s1600/IMG_6601.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUodv4lQQn_aRIep8liGZg4kacJGd4wu2WxKwKpFvmxpSe7VEHE_HuhcJu1e5-BIokq84j-GFoMJMJXjVQoTa0_QXjUwVJ3vrYQB6qR0DXgmXGQNFKPHwgn3hqwYuXa6LOnqj1RQ20m8V/s320/IMG_6601.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689717366564880450" border="0" /></a><br />Three years ago I was getting ready to hang the stockings above our fireplace and I needed to place new nails holes above the mantel. I didn't want to make more holes than needed. At the time Kris and I were contemplating the size of our family. We had four kids at the time and really wanted #5. Things were not working out the way we had planned--sound familiar? We had been fasting and praying about this for several months. As I was about to measure out the spots to make the nail holes for our 6 family members, I had a huge overwhelming feeling that we would have another baby and we would have her at the this house and so I needed to measure out space to accommodate another stocking. Now, this might sound funny to you--but to me it was such a clear answer to the concerns we had been having. I happily measured out enough spots to hang 7 stockings:) <br /><br />As I hang up the stockings each year I hope that I will be reminded of this sweet experience. Our Heavenly Father loves us and cares about each of us and the concerns we might be having. He gave us His son, to be a Savior for us, to provide a way to return to live with Him someday. I am so grateful that families are forever! I look forward to celebrating this amazing time of year with my family. <br /><br />I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-2913727007251182612011-10-07T08:36:00.000-07:002011-10-07T08:45:05.151-07:00Mariah and Cross Country<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcv-jELfp5LTtCIa9bOrau7-KVGpF3zo_XNbLgVmLImC8fh1ohyOfMPKsbxM8t2IsEvcOnb_IAUrk5yYbslYhzbFMUlJo9EQ0Gpgxp8her0PJPR47I3LwqzsVIBrUeRkokuBriiyzjL44/s1600/IMG_4985.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcv-jELfp5LTtCIa9bOrau7-KVGpF3zo_XNbLgVmLImC8fh1ohyOfMPKsbxM8t2IsEvcOnb_IAUrk5yYbslYhzbFMUlJo9EQ0Gpgxp8her0PJPR47I3LwqzsVIBrUeRkokuBriiyzjL44/s320/IMG_4985.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660776431220239554" border="0" /></a><br />Mariah decided to try doing cross country this fall. She has worked so hard and has overcome several injuries including: knee pain, ankle pain, a black toe we are pretty sure is going to fall off, and back pain. Nothing has stopped her. She just pushes through and keeps getting stronger and faster. She has practice everyday after school and comes home just in time for dinner. She gets right to her homework and getting her things gathered for the next day. It has been so fun to watch her be so responsible and take something so seriously. During their first meet of the season Kris and I looked at each other and thought...how did they trick these young kids into thinking this is fun? It is fun. It is fun to watch and a fun experience for all the runners.<br /><br />This picture was taken at her last meet in Rome, NY. They had to run through a creek and several really muddy, soggy puddles. Luckily, the waist deep pond was filled in this year so they didn't have to run through that one. At least it was about 58 degrees this day:) Keep at it Mariah!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-85356258106985436362011-09-07T10:09:00.000-07:002011-09-07T10:32:12.191-07:00And then there was one...Much to my disappointment, school started again. I don't know why it always surprises me, but it does. All the kids had a great first day. It <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">definitely</span> feels like fall around here. We went from a/c in the car to the heater in one day! All the leaves will be coming down before we know it. I will enjoy them as much as I can this year because next year we will not experience fall at all! I am pretty sure Phoenix has one season.<br /><br />Joshua was a little disappointed that I was not driving him to school on the first day. Because of Gabriella's preschool schedule I had them ride the bus and then I saw them get off the bus at school. I told Joshua I would see him there. I didn't think he would remember or care once he got on the bus. But, as he came around the corner-- as soon as he spotted me and Olivia he began bouncing in his seat and pointing us out to his friends. Then, while he waited for the bus to unload--which took a long time--he sat at the window looking at us. It was the cutest thing and made the tears that I had been holding back pour down. I am so happy that I do not have to pry my kids off of me in order to leave them at school, but I am also very happy that this little boy was excited to see his Mom!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVOYquczzrYIQmuJGIl4A5XUm4uwYbR1VBhSAbfDk2N-r_1ltNqpr9H4nkyV1AlMV1P0SV_jL2SxYWXEFNz-R_XcSLhyoMTv3elbkeVV0pr0FU45jQ_jRCH_9clgtvuvAtJjLv8rB3tRI/s1600/IMG_6501.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVOYquczzrYIQmuJGIl4A5XUm4uwYbR1VBhSAbfDk2N-r_1ltNqpr9H4nkyV1AlMV1P0SV_jL2SxYWXEFNz-R_XcSLhyoMTv3elbkeVV0pr0FU45jQ_jRCH_9clgtvuvAtJjLv8rB3tRI/s320/IMG_6501.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649667925163488498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROfAClTn8Ony7twxtGE2A4mhak60p95IxI9J1o3o1gr8wRtMhdPK5b9wSZTsgO_5uClPG6_E3MpkzacsOSmd08TykxsSN-yG1BFumn5adwiiqLOFy-E05Gj4vXacWqJCXG2xIVsjkx2x4/s1600/IMG_6504.jpg"><br /></a>Gabriella is off to preschool. She thinks she is so big because her school is in the big kids school. Even though she doesn't get to ride the bus, she loves being at the same school. Don't you just love how big the backpacks look on these little kids!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJHAKVQXaHwrQ75uvMNxP0iDzRPcmjSJWykAWEdDErkWMg0KEUs9042hKdlivwE0VEfpDPEC-u4luJ5lANzaAHENUZQGqTO8BSkDBDiIKcOvQR1yvjvGa-fePH_s5__TNgcm8B8eWy8tN/s1600/IMG_6499.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJHAKVQXaHwrQ75uvMNxP0iDzRPcmjSJWykAWEdDErkWMg0KEUs9042hKdlivwE0VEfpDPEC-u4luJ5lANzaAHENUZQGqTO8BSkDBDiIKcOvQR1yvjvGa-fePH_s5__TNgcm8B8eWy8tN/s320/IMG_6499.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649667559469013986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oux4wIkqHXLILbazBBITmnRhTb2eVDeYT8YVE0kZsnUSkh16W0NnDPZKeQcNdo_VOAia6pxRyA9-PInWFruD8lmUZjtiGmdApqP5EwECfK4bDE8nLzKg413AsAEj6kKA7rW9P04ROWYZ/s1600/IMG_6496.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oux4wIkqHXLILbazBBITmnRhTb2eVDeYT8YVE0kZsnUSkh16W0NnDPZKeQcNdo_VOAia6pxRyA9-PInWFruD8lmUZjtiGmdApqP5EwECfK4bDE8nLzKg413AsAEj6kKA7rW9P04ROWYZ/s320/IMG_6496.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649667549945954594" border="0" /></a>Sweet Samantha is a 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> grader! She has grown so much over the summer. All her friends told her she was way tan--I agree and I don't think it is fair that she has such gorgeous dark skin.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gerP8pQGNGmTkvPFjyy9Gv9AUoKAdH-GBXnQudeLP18SRPbeX_99AUbFTPBk4f6h3q75G5KS1tsF70UNA6nusEy5SSD3mRgMhQVxUdFdWT2uls7of6VqLqEJIdUembAubZHUSmhJW_C6/s1600/IMG_6494.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gerP8pQGNGmTkvPFjyy9Gv9AUoKAdH-GBXnQudeLP18SRPbeX_99AUbFTPBk4f6h3q75G5KS1tsF70UNA6nusEy5SSD3mRgMhQVxUdFdWT2uls7of6VqLqEJIdUembAubZHUSmhJW_C6/s320/IMG_6494.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649667547221456674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap3sgKlJELTGpU9wDBnwA-sdaxbdmz9XvXmERQWC__pmtr9KD7UoB3SMvii3YBei37Yf3BthjD_yAio8_Ds_MXw_Ux1ULaUpEIQQWLeRtG9NZf0TH_bvxTYSfx7GOWB1Aqlizgjh94jP8/s1600/IMG_6491.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap3sgKlJELTGpU9wDBnwA-sdaxbdmz9XvXmERQWC__pmtr9KD7UoB3SMvii3YBei37Yf3BthjD_yAio8_Ds_MXw_Ux1ULaUpEIQQWLeRtG9NZf0TH_bvxTYSfx7GOWB1Aqlizgjh94jP8/s320/IMG_6491.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649666720794511794" border="0" /></a>Joshua is a second grader and really was not looking forward to school starting. He loves to see his friends, but really thinks that school cuts into his life too much.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3eDbbjV0ozH_-3oaonyp3MH_R3u5yAkY3Hx_b6QPGUYGqY_p55fWN9YcvBriLaalW4GC7jOba8qCKD3JzUxUt3SkV7LqKrX0WkSyRMHn_SkURMSPBJmbQVDrMSOGGxqtynzjj99vBUbt/s1600/IMG_6490.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3eDbbjV0ozH_-3oaonyp3MH_R3u5yAkY3Hx_b6QPGUYGqY_p55fWN9YcvBriLaalW4GC7jOba8qCKD3JzUxUt3SkV7LqKrX0WkSyRMHn_SkURMSPBJmbQVDrMSOGGxqtynzjj99vBUbt/s320/IMG_6490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649666718461736946" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIVSJwp6QXhVi01ETDPru9Ay3w5toAcmA8K-GIHiADWUUvq-2grFqUjUx5WvLjLKaIerkN1NOMBMySxbg_G2-zO0y5Q6X7jR_yELItG5ifAzSq2x4eTY86Dj8BNaMq0q8HTTODWELtmTo/s1600/IMG_6489.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIVSJwp6QXhVi01ETDPru9Ay3w5toAcmA8K-GIHiADWUUvq-2grFqUjUx5WvLjLKaIerkN1NOMBMySxbg_G2-zO0y5Q6X7jR_yELItG5ifAzSq2x4eTY86Dj8BNaMq0q8HTTODWELtmTo/s320/IMG_6489.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649666703956491746" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Mariah</span> is off to middle school again--I don't know what else to say about that. If she just didn't have to be so pretty....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqJ55gUHEBTOg33Lf5UQ4xpaOZiN6QsSNzx2zLfX5OLqhT5V5VwmFC67jtTvBUTYiCcuubImMUW5Cdjyl6XDl27rcLWYK5vl9MLp1UCqVi8F5-JtpRgjeEoMRvajraUJ_0CSa3ab5Jdz3/s1600/IMG_6487.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqJ55gUHEBTOg33Lf5UQ4xpaOZiN6QsSNzx2zLfX5OLqhT5V5VwmFC67jtTvBUTYiCcuubImMUW5Cdjyl6XDl27rcLWYK5vl9MLp1UCqVi8F5-JtpRgjeEoMRvajraUJ_0CSa3ab5Jdz3/s320/IMG_6487.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649666713222946706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyJ8e83KJjRyBztIKaTW77HSGIKfe6_4EywPT9wBazDsUUD8uAWWSWfmzim_54V7tpEAtVf1Vr8FaoxGqetAIgk61GYJ0M4t0H3PY3g5iLaTSkuDfbsGhaHAB2behJxXiE-VFE8xsLTdp/s1600/IMG_6486.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyJ8e83KJjRyBztIKaTW77HSGIKfe6_4EywPT9wBazDsUUD8uAWWSWfmzim_54V7tpEAtVf1Vr8FaoxGqetAIgk61GYJ0M4t0H3PY3g5iLaTSkuDfbsGhaHAB2behJxXiE-VFE8xsLTdp/s320/IMG_6486.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649666698540612290" border="0" /></a><br />Olivia was really feeling the unfairness of the day and tried to follow all the kids into school. She was really glad to see the bus come home!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROfAClTn8Ony7twxtGE2A4mhak60p95IxI9J1o3o1gr8wRtMhdPK5b9wSZTsgO_5uClPG6_E3MpkzacsOSmd08TykxsSN-yG1BFumn5adwiiqLOFy-E05Gj4vXacWqJCXG2xIVsjkx2x4/s1600/IMG_6504.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROfAClTn8Ony7twxtGE2A4mhak60p95IxI9J1o3o1gr8wRtMhdPK5b9wSZTsgO_5uClPG6_E3MpkzacsOSmd08TykxsSN-yG1BFumn5adwiiqLOFy-E05Gj4vXacWqJCXG2xIVsjkx2x4/s320/IMG_6504.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649667567039350978" border="0" /></a>So, it is just me and Olivia...at least until February.<br /> <br />Not my best effort, but here are the kids back to school treats!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6jypeT_occW75q3MV70UZXTuTRVF6voz7kydKKPRRDjZdFYHYWlacKNEWAUGAoGpULlQwmX0uySyNzcQKvfNt9PYQfDx7fB-jlHLE1kP1K5Pd8o7QMAKqaHAxf509fD5zShX2AqOo1I8/s1600/IMG_6506.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6jypeT_occW75q3MV70UZXTuTRVF6voz7kydKKPRRDjZdFYHYWlacKNEWAUGAoGpULlQwmX0uySyNzcQKvfNt9PYQfDx7fB-jlHLE1kP1K5Pd8o7QMAKqaHAxf509fD5zShX2AqOo1I8/s320/IMG_6506.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649667572790015154" border="0" /></a>They are apples and pencils--just in case you couldn't tell;)West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-91482390252496711532011-09-06T17:24:00.001-07:002011-09-06T18:08:58.831-07:00Summer 2011Most of these pictures were taken with my phone camera so the quality is very poor. We had a fun summer and I am very sad that it is over.<br /><br />Kris was attending a conference in Boston in June so the kids and I joined him for the last few days. He flew there, we drove. It was a long drive. What was supposed to be a 5 hour drive turned into 7.5 because of all the weekend traffic. But it was worth it, we had a great time seeing the city. I have always wanted to go to Boston. We have lived on the East Coast for 10 years and this was our first visit. <br /><br />This is our car ride home--that is a lot of kids in one car!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85IrqI2a4yP37CR4yc4MXNtKPQtEb5PA1Ruikp322aVpm98ote9WKKZaz3yBxQkfJpz0WXu9kYxHItW_tD_AyAsRSC5tzx6aQzpSTRE4cQpNrecdIcKcHO4LPJ7QwMZLV55XjL1HY7kQF/s1600/2011-06-26_19-40-44_772.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85IrqI2a4yP37CR4yc4MXNtKPQtEb5PA1Ruikp322aVpm98ote9WKKZaz3yBxQkfJpz0WXu9kYxHItW_tD_AyAsRSC5tzx6aQzpSTRE4cQpNrecdIcKcHO4LPJ7QwMZLV55XjL1HY7kQF/s320/2011-06-26_19-40-44_772.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649410238097435314" border="0" /></a><br />While Kris attended conference all day the kids and I had to entertain ourselves. We spent most the day in the Public Garden and Boston Commons. It was a little drizzly, but the kids were in a great mood and we had so much fun exploring everything.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34VQNgJfLiRNG8sYQve3V_zTb8rYIVIG2VmGCxv3DXd6BtWhLs9om09ijfcOhKYhjC_73czj305XnMplgQRJ6WIZQ7ILInFGE7sMQNwna-NhS_9pu7MiTkn_qlJsGpAVC8zOegQDmI_fB/s1600/2011-06-25_18-22-20_272.jpg"><br /></a>This is the carousel in Boston Commons<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0kJYZKgXwbKDg6L25ytj9Vcz5Y9gpYc7RaolADZ8HNzXOP0RlasmSdV4qZprTQDCqu7AsaX964_TyweKoz-Qtl_UiiGmFcOumlFhnCTy6lUijvJRqBViCD69ERwdMx5z5bCUN5Scqocd/s1600/2011-06-25_11-38-09_394.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0kJYZKgXwbKDg6L25ytj9Vcz5Y9gpYc7RaolADZ8HNzXOP0RlasmSdV4qZprTQDCqu7AsaX964_TyweKoz-Qtl_UiiGmFcOumlFhnCTy6lUijvJRqBViCD69ERwdMx5z5bCUN5Scqocd/s320/2011-06-25_11-38-09_394.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649411234743225554" border="0" /></a>We didn't know where we were going and just kept walking and discovered this great shopping area. I know it probably has an official name, but I don't know what it is. The whole city of Boston reminded me of a small scale Washington, DC and an itty bitty New York City mixed together.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85IrqI2a4yP37CR4yc4MXNtKPQtEb5PA1Ruikp322aVpm98ote9WKKZaz3yBxQkfJpz0WXu9kYxHItW_tD_AyAsRSC5tzx6aQzpSTRE4cQpNrecdIcKcHO4LPJ7QwMZLV55XjL1HY7kQF/s1600/2011-06-26_19-40-44_772.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U6sBOoDF4pJQ3VNZeViR-G7gm4mKuWB8fYX95p1xvmCUhszndOT5zKeEt3ps40YIGVmmSMB7aIDpNENScvCuUyH9TgeCpIm7p7z3h29D_5Y42MeAAP9VcumO0cwTevx9mnZyEy-9gAIS/s1600/2011-06-25_12-50-54_971.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3U6sBOoDF4pJQ3VNZeViR-G7gm4mKuWB8fYX95p1xvmCUhszndOT5zKeEt3ps40YIGVmmSMB7aIDpNENScvCuUyH9TgeCpIm7p7z3h29D_5Y42MeAAP9VcumO0cwTevx9mnZyEy-9gAIS/s320/2011-06-25_12-50-54_971.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649410226377843298" border="0" /></a><br />A friend of ours told us about the ducks statues in the Public garden. She even loaned us her copy of "Make Way for Duckings". If you are as uneducated as I am then you should know it is a cute children's book that shows a family of ducks finding their way around Boston. Very cute book, and fun duck statues for the kids to play on. We spent way to much time climbing on ducks!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGtKDTIbKoyL71WFou-MMyorYF1DMYD_-mraV5-B907LlGqwm9RXI1PYA96MBZB8CgsqtDZw99aN7dH5RVh9HOqChb7L_ZBOOYsC9lti5Yjv6PA569iIdwZ3fDipIM4dFUfbCCbeuFGQi/s1600/2011-06-25_11-16-08_213.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGtKDTIbKoyL71WFou-MMyorYF1DMYD_-mraV5-B907LlGqwm9RXI1PYA96MBZB8CgsqtDZw99aN7dH5RVh9HOqChb7L_ZBOOYsC9lti5Yjv6PA569iIdwZ3fDipIM4dFUfbCCbeuFGQi/s320/2011-06-25_11-16-08_213.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649410216141078530" border="0" /></a>Joshua really tried hard to imitate all the different ducks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgpJMh3-woBwUOL4FC89jZ4bCoRxdTt5vFh9j7DCV8CdPs2dd9nQpLwljhfaLrjpxWPsME0sf9kEDuJjRXZtOIQiRJ3H7xGmew5zBr0-SER50s-heuCuDWVHxrBPOIIJQYn6KnVHxGa2W/s1600/2011-06-25_11-15-13_66.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgpJMh3-woBwUOL4FC89jZ4bCoRxdTt5vFh9j7DCV8CdPs2dd9nQpLwljhfaLrjpxWPsME0sf9kEDuJjRXZtOIQiRJ3H7xGmew5zBr0-SER50s-heuCuDWVHxrBPOIIJQYn6KnVHxGa2W/s320/2011-06-25_11-15-13_66.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649410205985456754" border="0" /></a>All of my ducklings lined up in a row. I was such a proud mommy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd6wN3IyyBAqP4uJJhlGVan4YTeR3itIF6UhlqzkUR-6UqK6tcWdwdpDl0AJZApAjCCE_VaRXidJeSs-RlCzPF0Wcac_vgOqpSddLJbdI82QwIGzEFy6YzA_kptJaOspt7XR_H4i9kmZj/s1600/2011-06-25_11-18-14_466.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyd6wN3IyyBAqP4uJJhlGVan4YTeR3itIF6UhlqzkUR-6UqK6tcWdwdpDl0AJZApAjCCE_VaRXidJeSs-RlCzPF0Wcac_vgOqpSddLJbdI82QwIGzEFy6YzA_kptJaOspt7XR_H4i9kmZj/s320/2011-06-25_11-18-14_466.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649410195497676418" border="0" /></a>Across the street from the Public garden was Boston Commons. They had a bunch of frog statues. The kids loved them too, but not as much as the ducks. There was a great playground there, but a bit to wet to enjoy it much.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6nuK1Azwn3vzSUBBMEsLSSekesQsSv6E_nvAhSlrjxPiSSAmycVVFyw2YbeVTjlD9M4R09cFgwctu1QQinc4FqBbLtA3DtJFnSg7KVYh2SaAqkzBl0JNnYG24rxUjreOXZwuXWAJ3_Vc/s1600/2011-06-25_10-20-38_83.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6nuK1Azwn3vzSUBBMEsLSSekesQsSv6E_nvAhSlrjxPiSSAmycVVFyw2YbeVTjlD9M4R09cFgwctu1QQinc4FqBbLtA3DtJFnSg7KVYh2SaAqkzBl0JNnYG24rxUjreOXZwuXWAJ3_Vc/s320/2011-06-25_10-20-38_83.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649409142820175090" border="0" /></a>We loved all the ducks in the duck pond. We rode the swan boats around the tiny lake. We all loved it except Gabriella, she wanted to drive the boat.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1t-T20708PT1RE6eINtC19nQfb_jXly7DUw2ODWxLnTEIVVLp4MbBXAuXZVOd_HREKJq3lNbVCV_s7z8RPiRtTEsk9oeAQZjebeo6PJ5obQ8UVYOM295TMEl3DX3Vh4saSUGjxaUkpv3/s1600/2011-06-25_09-49-22_638.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1t-T20708PT1RE6eINtC19nQfb_jXly7DUw2ODWxLnTEIVVLp4MbBXAuXZVOd_HREKJq3lNbVCV_s7z8RPiRtTEsk9oeAQZjebeo6PJ5obQ8UVYOM295TMEl3DX3Vh4saSUGjxaUkpv3/s320/2011-06-25_09-49-22_638.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649409132981609682" border="0" /></a>Don't these purple flowers look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book? We loved them!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWysPqsQ3woCf57zsSgQrxZjiBByXXf0zqE1UE4MXr9IM0A1GxNBVZiGJBicLxEHAqep8Olp_yOvVoOhy9ezElXU0wMNEiYaS2sXpJgpoaeGM-0RzxtgKSRcHzuy6bjw3GeL_b82eZurB/s1600/2011-06-25_09-57-24_635.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWysPqsQ3woCf57zsSgQrxZjiBByXXf0zqE1UE4MXr9IM0A1GxNBVZiGJBicLxEHAqep8Olp_yOvVoOhy9ezElXU0wMNEiYaS2sXpJgpoaeGM-0RzxtgKSRcHzuy6bjw3GeL_b82eZurB/s320/2011-06-25_09-57-24_635.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649409121096457314" border="0" /></a><br />Since we didn't want to make the kids walk all over the entire city we decided to buy tickets on the Duck Tour. Those are the obnoxious tour buses that go in the water also. It was a fun way to see the entire city, but not quite as educational as you might think. Our guide mostly pointed out all the Dunkin' Donut locations for us--there were a lot of those!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSS_dwnA8bOWgmVbebBqkWtN8om3OUjlulLM4H7ghVHyc4kDrSgWWQtTe9lYyzi4umgZUmaemWk5fDxiF_jUgK_ahB2DASdfugWSNJQ4VWrqwF1fm1qkHoZnTHSVhD34Wi7keOS_AHghgf/s1600/2011-06-25_18-21-39_966.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSS_dwnA8bOWgmVbebBqkWtN8om3OUjlulLM4H7ghVHyc4kDrSgWWQtTe9lYyzi4umgZUmaemWk5fDxiF_jUgK_ahB2DASdfugWSNJQ4VWrqwF1fm1qkHoZnTHSVhD34Wi7keOS_AHghgf/s320/2011-06-25_18-21-39_966.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649411251414891186" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34VQNgJfLiRNG8sYQve3V_zTb8rYIVIG2VmGCxv3DXd6BtWhLs9om09ijfcOhKYhjC_73czj305XnMplgQRJ6WIZQ7ILInFGE7sMQNwna-NhS_9pu7MiTkn_qlJsGpAVC8zOegQDmI_fB/s1600/2011-06-25_18-22-20_272.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34VQNgJfLiRNG8sYQve3V_zTb8rYIVIG2VmGCxv3DXd6BtWhLs9om09ijfcOhKYhjC_73czj305XnMplgQRJ6WIZQ7ILInFGE7sMQNwna-NhS_9pu7MiTkn_qlJsGpAVC8zOegQDmI_fB/s320/2011-06-25_18-22-20_272.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649411239054730082" border="0" /></a>Switching gears now....<br /><br />We love to go to the drive-in movies! There is a great place near our house that we try to hit a couple of times a summer. We usually make it for 2 movies--it makes for a late night.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNw5Nq2BrOjzCBNrI61VhYWEmTYLYsIFLCxgjq3s5apzMCZ2vkI_HtvD_k8Guu35C8udSFT0xLbFE1rl1lV4KdFh5Hoeps1A_6H4EcgTDsR4BNO_kYMVOzIkVzitjH0aJC1ffPCA-goqht/s1600/2011-08-26_20-17-31_857.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNw5Nq2BrOjzCBNrI61VhYWEmTYLYsIFLCxgjq3s5apzMCZ2vkI_HtvD_k8Guu35C8udSFT0xLbFE1rl1lV4KdFh5Hoeps1A_6H4EcgTDsR4BNO_kYMVOzIkVzitjH0aJC1ffPCA-goqht/s320/2011-08-26_20-17-31_857.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649409110378896098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2iOIawWK_V92qXf7rcdc99snUS516iy5KmTGhp-tWZTMl-uf0LrO1enltR-Rxhepsvv4vdZX8Kb4rWHpKRLnDDlwGH_4XQuaiNpqvub134rwko23dvx4HtFRsJxZOZ7Sh1Rv-jzWcCSn/s1600/IMG_6352.JPG"><br /></a>We went with some families in our ward camping to a place called Highland Forest. We had so much fun visiting with them and watching the kids play. We even hid peanuts for the kids, a favorite game my Grandma Palmer used to play with us when we went camping with her. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68MJgxiEx7EVpSRHYb6ieuMI6GZDjXd-kkAc2arffxGRUeX_kP09TuzuuoZ3flHqfm_b8Fmav0Rvnu2sMYKGX980zH2xx_XAdhf1ybW_5oWEaob7QH4ShrAaS2xuhJkvNtqsM5s1bug_y/s1600/2011-07-16_20-38-28_187.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjnmM2RwzPsuM2-2feZSNQ0ChjYEOxyqE6Olkaa9KE6Ch10AmINZV_doYhqB-PhnPALfvysS2EUPjekfQbywpxk5jSDJesAfLfW4EGJUoLeamX5Ah08h0CQ7KYdNAZ3Din6mpGqd1I11B/s1600/2011-07-22_20-25-17_491.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjnmM2RwzPsuM2-2feZSNQ0ChjYEOxyqE6Olkaa9KE6Ch10AmINZV_doYhqB-PhnPALfvysS2EUPjekfQbywpxk5jSDJesAfLfW4EGJUoLeamX5Ah08h0CQ7KYdNAZ3Din6mpGqd1I11B/s320/2011-07-22_20-25-17_491.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649408012527428034" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWqTHtw3Cd2mDwygiY98lavAIdMpISMI1RtRNYmb4ZR2w49jeHheHXUq-vW5tM7-5Yrndj1IbNbSTmmg9Bwmp_XWD4oAALDNn6XW0QZKPn6eQqvX3CevxxgjLc3p7nta8LtmTD-8Dcka2/s1600/2011-07-22_20-36-40_236.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWqTHtw3Cd2mDwygiY98lavAIdMpISMI1RtRNYmb4ZR2w49jeHheHXUq-vW5tM7-5Yrndj1IbNbSTmmg9Bwmp_XWD4oAALDNn6XW0QZKPn6eQqvX3CevxxgjLc3p7nta8LtmTD-8Dcka2/s320/2011-07-22_20-36-40_236.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649407989745656466" border="0" /></a>We put this shirt on Olivia and had her walk into the living room where all the kids were sitting. I asked them if they liked Olivia's new shirt. It took them all a little while to catch on, but it was fun to watch their expressions as they figured it out. They were all screaming and jumping up and down. It was very sweet to see how happy they were. And, we have since found out it will be a boy! That announcement was also followed by screaming and jumping up and down. However, instead of being in our living room we were in the parking lot of the grocery store. It was a little embarrassing:)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRETR9NrX5th12iVnSNVEuOLyaG82nGIgb6lOnWgClPrCmAYdsVs92WFwd7qe2_PyjGmArb_z8bknQQV7XHTIM_oDMpkancnvTDIf8E7YIxpNNZvplxnfz5xi5ViZWj_hyphenhyphencKxFzUHNQaS/s1600/2011-07-19_17-45-53_245.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRETR9NrX5th12iVnSNVEuOLyaG82nGIgb6lOnWgClPrCmAYdsVs92WFwd7qe2_PyjGmArb_z8bknQQV7XHTIM_oDMpkancnvTDIf8E7YIxpNNZvplxnfz5xi5ViZWj_hyphenhyphencKxFzUHNQaS/s320/2011-07-19_17-45-53_245.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649407998373830786" border="0" /></a>We love you summertime! We hate that you come and go so fast--it is just not fair!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWqTHtw3Cd2mDwygiY98lavAIdMpISMI1RtRNYmb4ZR2w49jeHheHXUq-vW5tM7-5Yrndj1IbNbSTmmg9Bwmp_XWD4oAALDNn6XW0QZKPn6eQqvX3CevxxgjLc3p7nta8LtmTD-8Dcka2/s1600/2011-07-22_20-36-40_236.jpg"><br /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-15206434918378304932011-08-06T11:47:00.000-07:002011-08-06T11:52:56.107-07:00Baby, baby, baby, Oh....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4MuPvQ0VwsU_G89tE5Z4XofoKIVZzWZozc7tI8KI5ymV75Vkzxuc6807YoO7yRq8rX6ddxDzNNJ3Yu2k-vKLW6RIgj4SCNboxkOGn-Dj8jZAe18CN4uHyhpKaWaI8o9nZuaeS91-flbO/s1600/valentines"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4MuPvQ0VwsU_G89tE5Z4XofoKIVZzWZozc7tI8KI5ymV75Vkzxuc6807YoO7yRq8rX6ddxDzNNJ3Yu2k-vKLW6RIgj4SCNboxkOGn-Dj8jZAe18CN4uHyhpKaWaI8o9nZuaeS91-flbO/s320/valentines" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637816573158446386" border="0" /></a>We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting baby #6! The sweet little one is due on Valentines day 2012. It will make our Spring even more exciting than it was already going to be. Now we can add a newborn on top of selling a house, moving across the country and starting a fellowship program in Arizona. We like to keep the chaos going around here. The other kids are so excited to have another baby. Gabriella asks me everyday, "how big is the baby?" It is a long time to wait, but we will be anxiously waiting his/her arrival!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-83737308379637838942011-07-19T06:45:00.000-07:002011-07-19T07:07:42.833-07:00Summer is slipping away!I know I am going to be amazed when the fall hits us again so I had to get a few pictures on here of things we have been doing this summer! There is not a lot of organization here, but they are posted:)<br /><br />We went to Washington DC to meet up with our friends the Haymore's. They moved to Washington state last summer and I don't have words to describe how much my kids have missed them. This is Joshua and Michael greeting each other. It started out as a hug and quickly turned to wrestling. No surprise there!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOf3iFcdIU3AicR42HNh9azSnHhxkg5uv4G_wyz4U3NxrGv_TFvT3zS59GNWXkl6Rw7tZRx92SJcsV5Spl6UWCoX8PvbFKhAfkUepmEjxt38dWSLmduJowBY9HLQ9itfHpGZMxX6iBekW/s1600/IMG_6352.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOf3iFcdIU3AicR42HNh9azSnHhxkg5uv4G_wyz4U3NxrGv_TFvT3zS59GNWXkl6Rw7tZRx92SJcsV5Spl6UWCoX8PvbFKhAfkUepmEjxt38dWSLmduJowBY9HLQ9itfHpGZMxX6iBekW/s320/IMG_6352.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631061658299842578" border="0" /></a>All the kiddos (except Lilah) at Iwo Jima and the New Carrillton Bell. (I don't know how to spell that) Basically this is one of the only places in DC where you can have a great view of the whole national mall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY8_Fjcn68pcnfK4-sMVtpYZO160Li66plpOLsG0mJernXMgx8vCd-fbauW1aAwfZ3BguicU4-Q7_aAdVOs80l7Y71H37sauP3rlEHPWWMmRXD4ME_5aKDdk6AgtUG-dwFyVFJGE7cDTc/s1600/IMG_6354.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzY8_Fjcn68pcnfK4-sMVtpYZO160Li66plpOLsG0mJernXMgx8vCd-fbauW1aAwfZ3BguicU4-Q7_aAdVOs80l7Y71H37sauP3rlEHPWWMmRXD4ME_5aKDdk6AgtUG-dwFyVFJGE7cDTc/s320/IMG_6354.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631061661497696386" border="0" /></a><br />These two pretty much never had space between them for the 3 days we were together. It was great.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOf3iFcdIU3AicR42HNh9azSnHhxkg5uv4G_wyz4U3NxrGv_TFvT3zS59GNWXkl6Rw7tZRx92SJcsV5Spl6UWCoX8PvbFKhAfkUepmEjxt38dWSLmduJowBY9HLQ9itfHpGZMxX6iBekW/s1600/IMG_6352.JPG"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARoy4ecteeV4d_wE52GH-sDDacigXltDlkrxEiJ5FIpo7kN82P34NQgiZEZKjWlj8K0yIXLki-pT7W8aBive4ODKapFp3wcRFvJMmDiZZRNP6q8TBFeuTH8xLoYFhhGcmh-mkOvCLbjU5/s1600/IMG_6357.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARoy4ecteeV4d_wE52GH-sDDacigXltDlkrxEiJ5FIpo7kN82P34NQgiZEZKjWlj8K0yIXLki-pT7W8aBive4ODKapFp3wcRFvJMmDiZZRNP6q8TBFeuTH8xLoYFhhGcmh-mkOvCLbjU5/s320/IMG_6357.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631061671807233346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Gabriella's Joy school graduation! I cannot say enough wonderful things about Joy School. It is an amazing program and if you have ever considered doing it with your preschooler, I highly recommend it. It is so fun to have the kids in your home and to watch them grow over the year. Gabriella really got into the program and sang all the songs like I have never seen her do it before. She is usually the kid rolling around on the floor while the others are practicing. But, apparently she can do that and listen at the same time because she knew every word. Too cute!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElQe1oz1J-QigCPC3K65_Vq-fmFOMMhPdCepUq1HPYfRtkkhVFlEs_BKpmrODzShceMS5CpPYozvgHx09G3WhvSIalFS5679_NzIUqt_B_FTNwut9WfKwzLl355gnKZmt4pDMN-Czevxg/s1600/IMG_6325.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElQe1oz1J-QigCPC3K65_Vq-fmFOMMhPdCepUq1HPYfRtkkhVFlEs_BKpmrODzShceMS5CpPYozvgHx09G3WhvSIalFS5679_NzIUqt_B_FTNwut9WfKwzLl355gnKZmt4pDMN-Czevxg/s320/IMG_6325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631061650508037538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfuGjgSOvtKqh2G9eDAN2rk6ohiQ_x7a1tGq4HO9cVuFEPf9M0JFihLpvNAj-0jIxDEhr5P38NJnrAvHUR5lhepylFN6o3UYOJhlnxJuAzVDstZx6f3FIK_InMui7j0Yg512RvQVoMmy2/s1600/IMG_6314.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfuGjgSOvtKqh2G9eDAN2rk6ohiQ_x7a1tGq4HO9cVuFEPf9M0JFihLpvNAj-0jIxDEhr5P38NJnrAvHUR5lhepylFN6o3UYOJhlnxJuAzVDstZx6f3FIK_InMui7j0Yg512RvQVoMmy2/s320/IMG_6314.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631061639803838274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7d_khsahLXfbXxO0QrsqIBJreByvFsl8L-UDJ633iE7T5btTHjncrFFP40-ntbklCJ4NoxKRDAVCs14u6T9kz1h_uAW7P3Fd1pyTG3toa5QYTaF0IaDewa9jfUbSZvqILqvYGxDyOTkK/s1600/IMG_6406.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7d_khsahLXfbXxO0QrsqIBJreByvFsl8L-UDJ633iE7T5btTHjncrFFP40-ntbklCJ4NoxKRDAVCs14u6T9kz1h_uAW7P3Fd1pyTG3toa5QYTaF0IaDewa9jfUbSZvqILqvYGxDyOTkK/s320/IMG_6406.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631060265164322290" border="0" /></a>We have had to say good-bye to so many good friends this summer as they have been moving. It is always so hard to have friends move. We ourselves have moved so many times in our married life and although it is hard to move, we have made many good friends who we still keep in contact with. The Theler's gave us some fireworks when they left and the kids had a lot of fun playing with them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLtuofJr0K4PsyWitkkBGB9r7BDVGN3_dn7aJ4s42EcSzykCgHPnNagR98K0Z5M0zc3-ETUreH096LrvDLgwnhsAuSCwMbPLuBlpII79-wRQZE9k8j2BRHLvJgXWC3yrN6weuJb2l1DlW/s1600/IMG_6428.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74yf7KricAvOcfKbHtR5bFsuHUvw3N1btpnfJbCIf-D30qJd1KhXzlUu0ALf6GqsDehD6jWMb5DHdoso-xgv7TeNS6om1m0XD5q0QbbVsOU7qmIuneQdPmytoSZerJtjTxmIdjxQ-0d8O/s1600/IMG_6436.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74yf7KricAvOcfKbHtR5bFsuHUvw3N1btpnfJbCIf-D30qJd1KhXzlUu0ALf6GqsDehD6jWMb5DHdoso-xgv7TeNS6om1m0XD5q0QbbVsOU7qmIuneQdPmytoSZerJtjTxmIdjxQ-0d8O/s320/IMG_6436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631060246499105634" border="0" /></a>White trash party 20011. Kris just enjoys this way to much. I have to admit it was fun wearing a banana clip again:)<br /><br />Yes, that is a tramp stamp on my baby. Don't worry, it was not permanent.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLtuofJr0K4PsyWitkkBGB9r7BDVGN3_dn7aJ4s42EcSzykCgHPnNagR98K0Z5M0zc3-ETUreH096LrvDLgwnhsAuSCwMbPLuBlpII79-wRQZE9k8j2BRHLvJgXWC3yrN6weuJb2l1DlW/s1600/IMG_6428.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLtuofJr0K4PsyWitkkBGB9r7BDVGN3_dn7aJ4s42EcSzykCgHPnNagR98K0Z5M0zc3-ETUreH096LrvDLgwnhsAuSCwMbPLuBlpII79-wRQZE9k8j2BRHLvJgXWC3yrN6weuJb2l1DlW/s320/IMG_6428.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631060255083956786" border="0" /></a>Joshua and his friend Rowan roasting marshmellows and trying to put stuff in the fire. What is it with boys and fire?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisq-o65QVtrAQnt1i9jnE5CakURJ9epg-FhvDR3A6hRCTu7hny-2alSdzWwLCB6pNqjWHQu2DvOBRPuZeebarYZjDJH2dkPGJysNY3sVC16tKyjjDsAYI1gk6pNk1PCoTWRclp82s-NfkC/s1600/IMG_6417.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisq-o65QVtrAQnt1i9jnE5CakURJ9epg-FhvDR3A6hRCTu7hny-2alSdzWwLCB6pNqjWHQu2DvOBRPuZeebarYZjDJH2dkPGJysNY3sVC16tKyjjDsAYI1gk6pNk1PCoTWRclp82s-NfkC/s320/IMG_6417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631060272735114050" border="0" /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-30020682174238758972011-06-14T11:38:00.000-07:002011-06-14T11:40:18.809-07:00Belated birthdays!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCapA-kWtliqF-KTn0I4l0fax5uMQvh9C6ssb3iqM_mrAT_wQmvLJARuGPvPoH0ojHF-4l2GRKuqk72Nh3x_f0gzPFatClkKNktiR2WRWSj5mXoJhKPublyw0aWRLQKw-Fs1TU4yP3Mr0S/s1600/IMG_6173.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCapA-kWtliqF-KTn0I4l0fax5uMQvh9C6ssb3iqM_mrAT_wQmvLJARuGPvPoH0ojHF-4l2GRKuqk72Nh3x_f0gzPFatClkKNktiR2WRWSj5mXoJhKPublyw0aWRLQKw-Fs1TU4yP3Mr0S/s320/IMG_6173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618146930943730642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrFFIMh3NoV5q8qmniQ7pgXwSenw9hEdv9MVC5QLOYzI_5OPzKsMNJMbTiWPwLpTBc615Mcnrf1g4eo9-03QpUmT4z4gGN92qMp2pHjEonT8g1vPWZjX16xeZkZzHo_cMAUc7IFNQ6EFs/s1600/IMG_6237.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrFFIMh3NoV5q8qmniQ7pgXwSenw9hEdv9MVC5QLOYzI_5OPzKsMNJMbTiWPwLpTBc615Mcnrf1g4eo9-03QpUmT4z4gGN92qMp2pHjEonT8g1vPWZjX16xeZkZzHo_cMAUc7IFNQ6EFs/s320/IMG_6237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618146922619798290" border="0" /></a><br />Joshua and Gabriella did have birthdays this year. I lost the cord that gets pictures off our camera so I am way behind in updates! I love how much my kids LOVE their birthdays!West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-58275512474839406272011-06-14T11:23:00.001-07:002011-06-14T11:35:19.771-07:00Utah County Half MarathonI survived! I surprised myself for sure. Several months ago my Dad told he was doing another marathon. He also told me my little sister was doing a half marathon. He offered to fly me to Utah for the race if I wanted to do the half marathon as well. I thought about it for about .3 seconds and said "HECK YES!" I have been taking a running class for a few months and was fairly confident I could pull off 13.1 miles. Although until the race I had never run this far. I like to have a goal:) I am slow, but that is ok with me!<br /><br />The race went well for all of us. My Dad beat his previous racing time by at least 45:00! My sister Katie and her husband Doug did amazing as well. Katie could easily do the full marathon--those skinny legs are fast! I finished in 2:25 (I told you I was slow) but it was a few minutes before my goal time so I am happy. <br /><br />If I were to ever do a half again this is the race to do. Nice downhills, a couple uphills to break it up and awesome scenery. <br /><br />It was so fun to see family! We have not been to Utah is almost a year and I miss all the amazing people I am related to--by genetics and marriage! I almost enjoyed flying by myself, but I get motion sick so it was still not too much fun!<br /><br />Thanks for bringing me to Utah Dad! You better watch out what you offer from now on--apparently I will do anything for a free trip!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0hhsIHA_bB-61cI2ngiuwldUEwH1mSUX45hrydMIO-4i8kBprerE7SDudJttB0C_gKdwQHDIaxcBwJnIzzT0kqr6eXr3GcaYPqzhXiw1RRJvqyoS69b8gIYsfc1ZSLC6Ah9SSckhiPbG/s1600/KT+and+Jamie+race"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0hhsIHA_bB-61cI2ngiuwldUEwH1mSUX45hrydMIO-4i8kBprerE7SDudJttB0C_gKdwQHDIaxcBwJnIzzT0kqr6eXr3GcaYPqzhXiw1RRJvqyoS69b8gIYsfc1ZSLC6Ah9SSckhiPbG/s320/KT+and+Jamie+race" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618143004039531778" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9EPZzwUBh1QSoBu2JpnBIt0ikc_fflxV_EAuw_nx-bzEUhTMetUKFJGLGVQcNgipFy8x5A0b-xvn69W4QCcPe4c_Lmr151RI5i5CADcKxS14jMOe-bjB9_4SR-Xq5d-29Scf2syDtvig/s1600/4+racers"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9EPZzwUBh1QSoBu2JpnBIt0ikc_fflxV_EAuw_nx-bzEUhTMetUKFJGLGVQcNgipFy8x5A0b-xvn69W4QCcPe4c_Lmr151RI5i5CADcKxS14jMOe-bjB9_4SR-Xq5d-29Scf2syDtvig/s320/4+racers" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618143004217106130" border="0" /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-29416481768020092072011-05-10T13:11:00.000-07:002011-05-10T13:20:51.734-07:00Can you handle the heat?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLJbv9tK5phmTHtMYRzDAmfD1qJOp9XwxM5Wu7EqZtLu-D-k0eHZki-kNH9zn66AjvGyIKBzQx1qTqXJsOt1gbLLUGpA_j_F1e6yeI5IkUwxhGTbz_T1XO5oWy7OBXMsVKCBmAEjhhADq/s1600/Phoenix-Skyline_0.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLJbv9tK5phmTHtMYRzDAmfD1qJOp9XwxM5Wu7EqZtLu-D-k0eHZki-kNH9zn66AjvGyIKBzQx1qTqXJsOt1gbLLUGpA_j_F1e6yeI5IkUwxhGTbz_T1XO5oWy7OBXMsVKCBmAEjhhADq/s320/Phoenix-Skyline_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605182817295787826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmMQ_LtmB1IvSC5POYMftcL7ibxGeyoujG-2jTEiQ6s5fHO2S4ugJELz-NrLQxp7-a92XM8EQSqhKxRwXr1I7FwOkMX4TL7p7uyEEzoKcVTza8HvLFhZHozaYkEirAH6HgOZ-XJZqv1od/s1600/vfiles27841.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmMQ_LtmB1IvSC5POYMftcL7ibxGeyoujG-2jTEiQ6s5fHO2S4ugJELz-NrLQxp7-a92XM8EQSqhKxRwXr1I7FwOkMX4TL7p7uyEEzoKcVTza8HvLFhZHozaYkEirAH6HgOZ-XJZqv1od/s320/vfiles27841.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605182804379521714" border="0" /></a>Today we found out that we will be moving to Phoenix, AZ next year for Kris to do his Orthopedic Spine Surgery Fellowship. We will only be there for one year, but we are very excited for this new adventure. We are so sad to leave our happy life here in NY, but we are also ready to finish this long medical training process. <br /><br />This past winter it snowed over 179 inches, which by the way, won us the New York State Golden Snowball Award--yes, I am serious there is such a thing. So, when people have been asking me if I think I can handle the heat in Arizona I have just one thing to say...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Bring. It. On!</span>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-45901762843807656342011-03-14T09:34:00.000-07:002011-03-14T10:09:30.059-07:00A man and his dream...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyg7pDNtOpSEcu9Fz79Vs5tEcU7ggLIjuuzxtfS_exZkSRqxTxBrh3YNq1aBNjmz-7V5ZIWstiZT7L8zvYj0fvdSbNh1hOY0VzaHtlSEv8bOKitj-vJguOiKYb52fKAscpI9Q5-rs7iqR/s1600/IMG_6111.JPG"><br /></a>Kris is a lover of boats. Every February for as long as we have been married we have gone to the annual boat show. Kris insists it is the ONLY good thing about February--I tend to agree. We often discuss/joke about which we will purchase first when he gets finished with all this medical training junk--a house or a boat. You might reason that we can't live in a boat so we should get a house first. Kris says he can live on a boat just fine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_WLw4PrIZ8P4NekTQv2rXhEOzKraZ6f-bK2-qZ0AHibfwdKsGLYHX7gX30h1zKJBmdvR0qeqtU3fxifaPkgSsKOySt7r5_hgmtNZhk12O2PMH7KX3yVwjW9s6KAXB-JW23I5YHBDV03K/s1600/IMG_6112.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_WLw4PrIZ8P4NekTQv2rXhEOzKraZ6f-bK2-qZ0AHibfwdKsGLYHX7gX30h1zKJBmdvR0qeqtU3fxifaPkgSsKOySt7r5_hgmtNZhk12O2PMH7KX3yVwjW9s6KAXB-JW23I5YHBDV03K/s320/IMG_6112.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583975238441929298" border="0" /></a>In fact, boats and the boat show have played a big part of our life together. When we were dating we spent many days on Kris' Dad's boat. I am not a very good water skier but Kris must have seen some potential because I am pretty sure he would not have proposed if I couldn't hold my own on a ski.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyg7pDNtOpSEcu9Fz79Vs5tEcU7ggLIjuuzxtfS_exZkSRqxTxBrh3YNq1aBNjmz-7V5ZIWstiZT7L8zvYj0fvdSbNh1hOY0VzaHtlSEv8bOKitj-vJguOiKYb52fKAscpI9Q5-rs7iqR/s1600/IMG_6111.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyg7pDNtOpSEcu9Fz79Vs5tEcU7ggLIjuuzxtfS_exZkSRqxTxBrh3YNq1aBNjmz-7V5ZIWstiZT7L8zvYj0fvdSbNh1hOY0VzaHtlSEv8bOKitj-vJguOiKYb52fKAscpI9Q5-rs7iqR/s320/IMG_6111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583981407456905138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After we were married, when February rolled around, we went to the boat show. We saw a beautiful boat and went to check it out. It was a MARIAH boat. He turned to me and said, "If we ever have a girl, can we name her Mariah?" Obviously I agreed and the following February we took our 4 week old baby girl to the boat show and took her picture by a Mariah boat. If I knew how to scan pictures into the computer I would post that too, but I don't know how so I won't. Just imagine a tiny Mariah in front of a big boat. Here she is as a big girl...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyg7pDNtOpSEcu9Fz79Vs5tEcU7ggLIjuuzxtfS_exZkSRqxTxBrh3YNq1aBNjmz-7V5ZIWstiZT7L8zvYj0fvdSbNh1hOY0VzaHtlSEv8bOKitj-vJguOiKYb52fKAscpI9Q5-rs7iqR/s1600/IMG_6111.JPG"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasaHvc7qdWqq5zdJwCHaMSQnS2ORWUdf2FVS-_4C1cR1lBfQBOgXsfft5mvdXZbI0j2axKxcv5bFXB11MmQ5jk80S0YkdwBVOV726U8j1YGMw4WlcDMoLrlFDsZmPsdotHuAfFthZ6Jzx/s1600/IMG_6115.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasaHvc7qdWqq5zdJwCHaMSQnS2ORWUdf2FVS-_4C1cR1lBfQBOgXsfft5mvdXZbI0j2axKxcv5bFXB11MmQ5jk80S0YkdwBVOV726U8j1YGMw4WlcDMoLrlFDsZmPsdotHuAfFthZ6Jzx/s320/IMG_6115.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583981069605176930" border="0" /></a><br />Our taste in boats has changed drastically over the past 12 years since and now Kris is all about the wake boarding boats. Unfortunately upstate NY does not value wake boarding boats so we were only able to find a few among all the fishing, party pads and luxury boats at the boat show.<br /><br />We had a great time and we were able to forget that it was 3 degrees outside--at least for a few minutes until we had to walk to the car again.<br /><br />And the debate still remains...house or boat.....house or boat.....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtPpdJ1d6lPZYdx1xnIC_cwtC6Py9CCkcixvZsNVN80fBnH0L6DnhiniuUyAdCvNgmgUDDr3fsUl_EgBPVvwv-iJzwqGENQMuD_aXI56hIDjV1sDNYbBYqvUdPgwYTjvjBYmmVay9FErN/s1600/IMG_6120.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtPpdJ1d6lPZYdx1xnIC_cwtC6Py9CCkcixvZsNVN80fBnH0L6DnhiniuUyAdCvNgmgUDDr3fsUl_EgBPVvwv-iJzwqGENQMuD_aXI56hIDjV1sDNYbBYqvUdPgwYTjvjBYmmVay9FErN/s320/IMG_6120.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583981081134013346" border="0" /></a>It is never too early to start! Gabriella called this a skateboard with boots. She cried when we took it off of her.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTiiFNbvqEi4KvyoZvfvh8vW6AmHGgbmliocsJ6nNsCzdZJymUUN1mEAKD0O9Tf0_TNiWGwsUAC_4lP3oGT-FbOylbZ9Qiekt56SAxAOUfwNBBsnuTsJ7d6H-T2BHYcuSfK2rx2fU1FmU/s1600/IMG_6113.JPG"><br /></a>And now February is over...why does it still feel like winter!?!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasaHvc7qdWqq5zdJwCHaMSQnS2ORWUdf2FVS-_4C1cR1lBfQBOgXsfft5mvdXZbI0j2axKxcv5bFXB11MmQ5jk80S0YkdwBVOV726U8j1YGMw4WlcDMoLrlFDsZmPsdotHuAfFthZ6Jzx/s1600/IMG_6115.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_WLw4PrIZ8P4NekTQv2rXhEOzKraZ6f-bK2-qZ0AHibfwdKsGLYHX7gX30h1zKJBmdvR0qeqtU3fxifaPkgSsKOySt7r5_hgmtNZhk12O2PMH7KX3yVwjW9s6KAXB-JW23I5YHBDV03K/s1600/IMG_6112.jpg"><br /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7957314663599739352.post-67002621937047233362011-03-14T09:21:00.000-07:002011-03-14T09:34:16.464-07:00Fighting the Winter BluesJoshua and Gabriella are very tired of the snow and winter cold. They want to go outside and play. After one bad snow storm, that left us stuck inside, they decided they had enough and they were going to do something about it. They found some summer clothes and got changed. Then they made pretend ice-cream cones out of play-dough, had a picnic in the living room (pretend park) and finally got themselves geared up for a Safari in Africa. It was hilarious. They made me cold to just look at them in their summer clothes, but they continued. I am grateful for cute kid imaginations and for siblings who love each other. It was s fun day for them--even if we were buried under 12 inches of new snow! <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCsvukIvLMysk8PdviF5s9knJqcx4E9zkxmlbNOs5_ebeS-sJwFD-pYSpf1jzbVmK5SxXqcHON3p0NDdGWE-pwOZ7e7zSVkPtmc5DckTB_9S4z26usDQg-Op1srUCNCON_ryATzDUYf-e/s1600/IMG_6043.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCsvukIvLMysk8PdviF5s9knJqcx4E9zkxmlbNOs5_ebeS-sJwFD-pYSpf1jzbVmK5SxXqcHON3p0NDdGWE-pwOZ7e7zSVkPtmc5DckTB_9S4z26usDQg-Op1srUCNCON_ryATzDUYf-e/s320/IMG_6043.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583973336959556850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C6N23UnRmiTAzHMFdvoCYtqbmBAoUmtbBSFVdgFfHQ5BkdAT-5MygqQtH1LTlIjl8XMx9j6385QOYLuHgcsMMqa0BTiQAOP1xHfQ0gAFL33do93Z0Az9pFjOKN7_dMi3dHVL3EusdSRS/s1600/IMG_6044.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXPYWDiJc06GasIq9_bCaT6mDomjoko56aDSnR_6gfaqKAcPT4Q2nruDxr4tDiNf1pEC-qMZtwRuUTMVtrKfhlEbrGE5jzu_YxQ2ASjsNYuJQ6HTQjg2JU9c10wWKYrFe4qzagzTMgAHC/s1600/IMG_6046.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjXPYWDiJc06GasIq9_bCaT6mDomjoko56aDSnR_6gfaqKAcPT4Q2nruDxr4tDiNf1pEC-qMZtwRuUTMVtrKfhlEbrGE5jzu_YxQ2ASjsNYuJQ6HTQjg2JU9c10wWKYrFe4qzagzTMgAHC/s320/IMG_6046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583973076678734882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C6N23UnRmiTAzHMFdvoCYtqbmBAoUmtbBSFVdgFfHQ5BkdAT-5MygqQtH1LTlIjl8XMx9j6385QOYLuHgcsMMqa0BTiQAOP1xHfQ0gAFL33do93Z0Az9pFjOKN7_dMi3dHVL3EusdSRS/s1600/IMG_6044.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3C6N23UnRmiTAzHMFdvoCYtqbmBAoUmtbBSFVdgFfHQ5BkdAT-5MygqQtH1LTlIjl8XMx9j6385QOYLuHgcsMMqa0BTiQAOP1xHfQ0gAFL33do93Z0Az9pFjOKN7_dMi3dHVL3EusdSRS/s320/IMG_6044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583973107722167250" border="0" /></a>West Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14302579839593608837noreply@blogger.com1