Week link countdown...

ONLY THREE MONTHS!!!

Happy Birthday Amy!

It's hard to believe that it was 23 years ago that this picture was taken...

Yep, that's me with my first baby girl being wheeled from the hospital on our way home. (Such a dumb rule that they won't let you walk.)

She soon became a cute little rug rat.

Through the years she developed quite an appreciation of fine cuisine.

OK, maybe not just fine cuisine... ALL cuisine! (just kiddin honey)

She also became enamored with animals. Especially horses. This love affair started very early and I think she still wants a pony every Christmas!

Her list of pets would include, cats... lots of cats... gerbils...LOTS and LOTS of gerbils, (do you realize how fast those things breed?!) dogs, rabbits and rats. I'm sure I've left something out, but you get the point.

Oh yes, we mustn't forget the pet hot dog... another post entirely!

She most definitely wasn't a prissy girl... she HATED all things lacey or ruffly. You can see the pained look on her face below and almost hear her whine

"IT ITCHES... TAKE IT OFF!"

Which we did immediately after this picture was taken. Couldn't even wait for a dressing room, just did it right there on the grassy knoll.

Give that girl a fishing pole or a gun and she was MUCH happier.

She was quite a creative child. She was happy to stay home and hang out with mom and would come up with her own form of entertainment.

For BOTH of us.

May I present... drum roll.....

Amy the Raptor...

Amy the spy...

Amy the ... uhhhh... paperhead?!?

I am SO gonna pay for posting these.

She did surround herself with good friends of whom many are still part of her life today.

I just HAD to stick these pictures in for the girl's benefit. Hope they're still her friends after this!

Her nurturing nature was part of her from the beginning. If it wasn't the live animals it was the stuffed ones and the dolls. She started her domestic goddess training very young.

My part in her training is now complete and what a pleasure it has been. She married a wonderful man and together they are embarking on the journey into parenthood with their own little bundles of joy.

May they feel as blessed as I have.

Happy Birthday Ames!
We love you.

A Week Link...

2009 ~ I love it already!

So many things to look forward to. A missionary returning home, a grandbaby and TWO college graduations.

I just felt the NEED for a paper chain... so I made one counting down to the first big event. THE HOMECOMING! Each week, I'll post it as I remove the links. I know, most of you don't care, but I do and I can so I am. Feel free to skip looking at it if you choose. I won't be offended.

Who knows? I might enjoy this so much that I start making paper chains for everything. I can see the headlines now...

'Ninety year old woman found in home filled with paper chains.'

I wish you all a year filled with paper chain pleasures.

Hair-raising...

I should have known we were in for a wild ride. This child had his own ideas about his hair from the time he was old enough to comb it and I have proof.

In fairness this first picture is as it looked right out of bed and he just decided to throw in his own Elvis impersonation while he was at it....

This one, on the other hand was deliberate... 'the wave' as it was affectionately known HAD to be just right.As you can see it evolved with time and had an added little 'Swirl' on the side... (not to mention the cool beaded necklace). Can you tell his mother forgot it was picture day!

Finally, he outgrew the wave and the swirl and went for a simple center part... his parents breathed a sigh of relief thinking we were finally entering a somewhat normal hair phase...

Oh no... not so fast... take back that sigh of relief.

Before we knew it he was all grown up. Then came the major transformation from simply hair to ART...

That's right... it's PURPLE...

for the senior ball he tried to match her dress.

He was a drummer in the band... does that explain anything? Not a great picture but the only evidence I have that it was ever GREEN...

I wonder if this was in March... at least St. Patrick's Day could explain it.

next...

Perhaps he needed a little break from the bright colors so he opted for something else a little freakish... SPIKES... YIKES!

But, we weren't done yet...yep... RED/ORANGE...

this one seems to be workin for him though.

At last, we have reached the end of the rainbow and fade to BLACK...

Apparently, he made this one a group effort.

I'm happy to report that he has returned to own roots and has remained color free for several years. Now he wears purple pants.

We love him.

Bedtime Stories...

IT'S MORNING!!! Everyone pile into mommy and daddy's bed! Of course older brother is much too grown-up to participate in this activity.



She's always been like this to sleep with... my apologies to her husband. Not to mention her sleep walking and talking!



Camping out with dad under the stars. The first thing Wayne saw when he opened his eyes that morning was a skunk sniffing around Brian's head. Instinktively he shooed it away... thinking only after the words came out of his mouth how foolish that was! Fortunately, the skunk was so shocked that someone would dare 'shoo' him that he just ran off without leaving his scent behind. Whew... that was too close!

Who said....

Newborns don't smile?

OK, maybe it was gas.

So sweet... I miss my babies!

Burrito anyone?

I've seen them at Beto's this size before!

So Simple...

Cardboard boxes... the favorite toy of most kids.

Why do we spend so much money when cardboard will do the trick?

Good times...

My babies and me... no making fun of the mullet hairstyle or the acid washed 80's jeans please. Oh ok... make fun.

Daddy time and a 3-D movie!

Maybe I really will get the scrapbooking done this year!

Bubbles

Anything to keep them entertained in the car.

The bubble blowing contest... and we have a winner!

Bubble gum and glasses... not a good idea!

My joy, my life...

Motherhood... what can I say? I was born to be a mother. That was my calling, my passion and I am so incredibly grateful that even though getting started wasn't easy, it finally happened and it's been true joy to parent my children. Most of the time ;) Probably the most difficult job I've ever had, but also the most rewarding without a doubt. We were married 7 years before I had the opportunity of becoming a mother for the first time.

Adoption is a wonderful thing.

Three years later we started the process again only to discover that I was pregnant.

Pregnancy is a wonderful thing too.

Two more pregnancies after that one brought us two more children for a total of four. Four amazing people that I love with all my heart. I'm sure every mother finds her own children to be the best, the most ____ (fill in the blank), and the cutest... as it should be.

I am an admitted blog stalker and have so enjoyed seeing young families post the pictures of their growing broods that I decided I am going to start posting some pictures of mine.... retrospectively if that's ok. I guess since it's my blog, I can do whatever I want. I've been looking through the MOUNTAIN of pictures that I said I would scrapbook as soon as my baby started school. She's in college now but that's school, right? So, my New Year's resolution is to FINALLY get them done. I'm going to be posting some as I go along in my sorting. Some will be themed, some will be random and some will be revenge. ~love you guys~

We'll see if my children are still speaking to me at the end of this ride, but it will at least keep them coming back to my blog to see what damage I've done to their reputations this week.

So, let it begin...

I guess this is what happens when you are sandwiched in between two sisters that love to play dress-up. At least I HOPE that's all it is!

Aren't they cute?! Not to worry... the boy turned out great despite the torture of his sisters.