Palin for VP???

Our Elder Ellis (premission) and the VP candidate Sarah Palin

Wow....I was so surprised to see that McCain picked Governor Palin to be his running mate. I really like her. He made a wise choice...I think he is after the woman vote...a mom of 5 with one special needs child... and also she is someone definitely for more oil drilling. That is a good thing with the high gas prices. I do think that if there is anyone who can beat Obama it is a ticket with her name on it. And I sure hope it happens...it will be a sad day to have HIM as this country's president!!!!

Rylee's tonsil surgery

Rylee and her cousin Camry both had surgery this past Tues. Rylee had her tonsils removed and Camry had to have a tube removed and a patch put over her ear drum. They both did really well. They gave them some Valium type medicine to help them relax and not be so nervous or upset about going into the operating room. We got quite the kick out of watching them. Rylee kept saying "watch this" and bringing her finger up to her nose and Camry just hiccuped and giggled.
After Rylee woke up, she was a little groggy and tried to pull her IV out a couple of times. We got her to drink a little ice water and we are able to leave the surgery center. I told her she needed to eat a little something and she asked for a corn dog. We got her a Slurpee and some soft bread to have something in her stomach for her pain meds. She ate 8 pieces of bread. When we got home that night, she said that she was tired of sick food (soft foods...you would think a kid would love ice cream, pudding, and Popsicles) and wants to eat real food. Zoey likes the tonsil food diet! I have had to remind her that she has sores in her throat. She has snuck some food like Cheetos that have hurt her throat. She is doing well and will start Pre-K on Tuesday. We will post about that big day!

Anchorage AGAIN!

We went to Anchorage this past Monday and Tuesday for my 3rd surgery in 5 months for my children, (Avery tubes, Rylee tubes, and Rylee tonsils...all with the same DR...we should get frequent flyer miles don't you think??) We took Aunt Lynzie and Uncle Miles with us to go to the airport to fly back to college. On the way, we were able to see a pod of Beluga whales in the inlet swimming and playing. The girls, Rylee and her younger cousin of only 3 months, Camry were able to go to Build a Bear to get a special friend to accompany them to their surgery the following morning.

Photography Assignments

Here are a few pictures that I took of my girls for some photography assignments. We were supposed to take some from an above or below angle. This is what I took. Notice in the one of Zoey that she has panties on...we are 98% potty trained...we still have a few problems with #2!

Our new fish

Rylee has been bugging us for awhile now to get a fish. We have had two others and not much success in keeping them alive. Miss Peggy (the sweet lady that tended them while Ryan and I were in Hawaii) gave us this one. She inherited after her neighbor moved. Rylee was so excited when I brought it home. She named it Google and is great about remembering to feed it. I sure hope that we have better success with Google than we did with our previous fish friends.

Home Grown Broccoli, YUMMY!

We picked 6 heads of broccoli out of our garden. The girls were so excited! They ate it all raw and would not let me cook it. They sure love getting veggies and fruit from our garden. We have had zucchini, salad (which is what the girls call lettuce) and strawberries. We soon will have some carrots. Our potatoes are doing well. We are trying to grow them in tires this year...cross your fingers that our harvest will be plentiful!

Our American Idols

We joined the Wii generation...we got a Wii this past weekend, after playing with our friend's this summer while they were here with us. The girls just love it. Rylee is a little pro at bowling. It took her just a few times to get the hang of it. Last night, she bowled a 137 all by herself. Their favorite game, though, is American Idol. They love to sing. They don't do so hot with the scores, but they LOVE to try it. :)

Potty training! Wish me luck!

I am determined to get Zoey truly potty trained. She been wearing pull ups and doing so, so. My mom told me (actually showed me with Rylee) by putting her straight in panties and not going back to diapers or pullups. It should be about a week. So I have put her in panties...and we are going for the gusto. The accidents get fewer each day. We are staying close to home for the week so please keep us in your prayers...I need it! I might just be getting a plane ticket for my mom to come and help! :)

My comments on commenting!

I need to apologize...I am the WORST about commenting and I will try my best to become better. I love to see all of your blogs and read what is happening in your families, but I rarely take the time to leave a comment. I'm sorry! Please don't stop leaving comments on my blog. I love to read them. I am going to try really hard to be better about commenting.

Fun with Aunt Lynzie

Aunt Lynzie kept the girls for us on Saturday...as you can see they had lots of fun outside. Thanks for taking care of them Lynzie so we could have a great day together in Anchorage.

My little jumping beans

We finally gave in and got a trampoline. I was tired of taking the girls to gramma's house to jump, so while we were in Anchorage this weekend we got the girls a trampoline. They were so excited and love to play on it. We were out there as a family and watched Ryan do some great flips. I see why you are supposed to have kids while you are young....so you can have moments like we did on the trampoline!

Swimming Lessons

Rylee and Zoey took swimming lessons for the first time this summer. They both did really well. Since we spent so much time at my parent's house and they had that little pool, they both became more comfortable in the water, especially Rylee. When asked the first day my the teachers, she put her head right under. This is the girl who earlier in the summer would scream if you got her face wet in the bathtub. They both went off the diving board (of course that is the day that I didn't take my camera) Rylee put her arms out and jumped right off (most of the kids were dropped from one teacher to another). The teachers weren't going to let Zoey because she is so small. They thought that she would get too scared. Not my little dare devil!! I went over to where they were and talked to her and she said that she really wanted to go. The night before she sadly told her dad "that she was the only one who didn't get to go off because she was too small." After she had jumped and we got in the car to go home, she said "let's call daddy and tell him I jumped off the diving board." I think she was a little excited that she got to be like the other kids and go off the diving board.

Happy 7th Anniversary!

Ryan and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary on Monday the 4th! He came home with his beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. I sure can't believe that it has been 7 years since we were married. Wow, how the Lord has blessed our lives in that time. We have three beautiful daughters, who own our hearts...they bring such joy and happiness into our lives, Ryan has a great job, that he enjoys doing, we have a nice home full of love and laughter, we live in a state full of natural beauty (that I take for granted way more than I should), we have so many friends and lots of family that we have great love for...the list goes on and on...I know that I could never make a list a include every little thing that the Lord has blessed my life with. I do know that He has a hand in everything that we have and has helped us become who we are and what we stand for. He loves us unconditionally and helps us strive to be better. He will never turn His back on us. That itself is one of the greatest blessings of all. It is kinda overwhelming to think about!

I am thankful for my husband and his dedication to the Lord and his family. He works hard every day to provide a good life for us. He is a great man, husband and daddy. I am blessed to have him in my life. He is so easy going and full of patience. My love for him continues to grow each day. I am proud to be his wife. I look forward to see what the Lord has in store for us over the next 7 years. I am ready for the adventure!

One last King

This was our first summer to get to spend multiple nights on the river in a boat fishing for kings. We are lucky enough to have a good friend, Walt, who allowed us to "share" his boat. Ryan spent most of his month of July being the captain and guide of the boat, letting other people get their chance to catch a king salmon. Many nights were spent on the river without a strike or take down on our poles. Ryan finally was able to tag his own 51 pounder last night, the last night of the season. Thanks for all your hard work Ryan. It was a fun king season. We look forward to hopefully having our own boat next summer!

Visitor in our yard

Here is a shot of a bull moose that was hanging out in our yard when we got home today from town. Thought I would share it.