Three Girls and a Guy

Kierra's 4th Birthday

2012-01-15T17:25:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe Kierra is 4 years old. She has grown so fast. She is an active, loving little girl. She loves music and imaginary play. Just a few pictures of her birthday. For months she has told us that she wanted a balloon cake and a balloon for her birthday. :) She was so happy to get to pick them out.
After church on her birthday.

Kierra playing her "guitar" (ukulele).
Great Grandma with all her great grands.
The children on Christmas morning.

Making Memories

2011-12-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

A brief update on what we have been doing the last almost 3 months. Life is so busy that my blog rarely makes the "must do" list.

In October we got the privilege of going to Zion National Park with Aunt Bobbie aka Grammy. We went in her motorhome and had a wonderful time camping right in the park. We love Zion National Park and is was so neat to get to stay in the park this time. Brianna and Kierra loved traveling in the motorhome and staying in the "trailer" as they called it. Brianna earned her second Jr Ranger badge, the first was from Grand Canyon earlier this year, and Kierra earned her first Little Jr Ranger Badge. She was so proud of herself. Thanks Grammy we had a great time.

We also had our first field trip with our homeschool group in October. We went to Oak Glen to the apple orchard. The girls got to make apple cider, johnny cakes, and corn husk dolls. Daddy got to go with us which we all enjoyed and was a huge help to Mom.

We managed a quick visit to Great Grandma's house.

Ethan's first time in the swings at the park. (Sorry don't know why this picture won't rotate but too tired to try again).

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Great Grandma and Wesley's family. We forgot to take a picture until we were about to leave and Ethan was asleep. The girls had been playing hard outside with Papa. The girls got to stay there with Grandma and Papa for a couple of nights and Mom and Dad and Ethan headed home so Mom could go to work.

Ethan started "army" crawling. He could get wherever he wanted to go.

Made Daddy proud, playing with a light saber the girls left lying on the floor.

Thanks to Daddy the Christmas tree got put up and the house got decorated for Christmas. Thanks Daddy. The girls helped a lot too.

Ethan got a hold of the Flaming Sword and was trying to "read" it but then decided to try to eat it so Mom took it away.

The girls with their friend, Bonnie, at a tea party birthday party for our friend, Brandy. They really enjoyed the party.

Brandy, the birthday girl, and Ethan and his buddy, Elisha.

Ethan learned to sleep in his crib. He still doesn't really like it (he would much rather sleep with Mom), but sometimes he does fairly well and other nights not so good. This is still a work in progress. Hopefully some day he will sleep through the night.

Ethan also learned to pull up to things and has started cruising around furniture or whatever he can hang on to.

Kierra learned to pump her legs and swing herself on the swings. She can even start herself. She is growing up way too fast.

This past Sunday night was our Christmas service at church. This was taken after the service. Both girls participated and Ethan was good and took a nap. Thanks Grandma for the new Christmas dresses.

Today we went horseback riding with our friend, Miss Sonya. We haven't been able to go for a long time and the girls love riding. It was cloudy and a bit cold but we had a great time anyway and the girls prayed for no rain and it did not rain a drop. Kierra LOVES to ride. I think she could ride forever.

Brianna taking Ethan on his first ever horsey ride. He loved it too. Brianna is a great little rider and had a great time riding again.

Cousin Sammy was spending the day with us so she got to ride too. This was her first ever horseback ride too. She loved it and I think wants to go back with us again sometime.

Thanks for checking in on us. I would say I will try to blog again soon but that may not happen. We are blessed beyond measure and just trying to enjoy every moment with the children and as a family. We hope you all have a blessed Christmas.

"Snake" bite!

2011-09-22T11:12:00.001-07:00

Brianna has been getting some type of bug bites the last few days. Last night before bed she showed me one of the bites and said that is was getting swollen like one she had on her finger before.

Then she said, "I think it was a snake that bit me."

I kind of laughed and said it wasn't a snake.

Brianna said, "Mom, there is a snake that they say, when it bites you it causes pain but usually doesn't kill you, and it can cause mild swelling."

She was quite serious. Thankfully she walked out the bedroom door right after she said it because I lost it laughing. That child is something else and she is only in 1st grade! Hoping we can keep up with her. (I believe that snake information was in a book she has about reptiles but not sure.)

Brianna's "snake" bite:) (It really isn't even as red as the picture makes it look.)

Praise the Lord

2011-09-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord for taking care of Ethan during his surgery on Tuesday. He had to have a urology procedure done. They said the surgery could take 45 minutes to 2+ hours depending on what they found once they got started. Thank the Lord it ended up being less complicated than they thought it might be so it was only about an hour and a half from the time they took him until they let us be with him in recovery. After about an hour in recovery we got to take him home and we are so grateful. He had a rough evening that day but by yesterday was doing pretty well. Thanks to all who prayed for him and us. Mommy struggled with some fear before the surgery but God is good and helped me through that too. The surgery center doctors and nurses were wonderful and took good care of Ethan and us. Another answered prayer that day. He had to go several hours without eating prior to surgery and as you can tell by looking at our boy he LIKES to eat. He was getting fussy while we were waiting for them to take him back and he was tired and wanted to nurse but Mommy was praying and thankfully he fell asleep and took a nap until they came to get him.

Leaving home to go to surgery. Poor boy had no idea what was about to happen.

Playing with Daddy before they took him back.

After surgery and on our way home :)

Family vacation

2011-09-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

We are so blessed that MomMom, Aunt Shaley, Aunt Dana, Uncle Larry, Papa Great, Kartyr, and Karlye were able to come visit us. We had a wonderful time with them all. The kids enjoyed being together to play and we enjoyed visiting. We celebrated several birthdays that are all close together. One day we went to Knotts Berry Farm and had lots of fun. The rest of the time we mainly spent at home. Papa Great flew home on his 83 rd birthday. Thanks Papa for coming to visit us. We so loved having you all here. We were sad to see them leave but are very thankful for our time together. Thanks all of you for coming. These aren't in order but I am too tired to rearrange them so here they are.

Ethan the smiley boy. Can't believe he is 6 months old already.

Kierra and Karlye spent hours playing outside in the yard and in their car.

Four generation picture.

Kartyr, Nana, and Kierra driving the race cars at Knotts Berry Farm.
MomMom braved the spinning sombero ride with 3 of the kids.
Kartyr and Brianna flying.
Kierra flying.
Uncle Larry bought Ethan a Snoopy dog.
Papa Great enjoying watching the kids ride the rides.
Karlye getting her face painted.
I love this picture. The big kids got their faces painted first and Karlye wanted to but was a little scared until Daddy held her hand. Everything is OK if Daddy is holding your hand.
4 painted hooligans.
Kierra's butterfly face paint.
Bri's princess crown face paint.
One very adorable Spiderman. Kartyr with his face paint.
We all rode the big train which got "held up at gun point." The kids gave the thieves some coins and in exchange the robbers gave the kids some shot out bullet shells. The robbers told the kids that those shells were special and allowed them to "1. Stay in the park until it closes and 2. Ride all the rides for FREE for the rest of the day." The kids of course fell for that hook, line, and sinker and were so very impressed and told all of us what those special shells would allow them to do. We got a great laugh out of that. At the end of the ride the robbers offered to take a picture with the kids :)
Aunt Dana and Ethan
Some semi trucks the kids could "drive." One of only 2 rides that Ethan got to ride. This was his first ride and then the big train.
Kierra's favorite ride in the whole park. A little mine car that she had to make go herself by pushing and pulling on the little handle bar. So funny. She rode it so many times I lost count. Thankfully the place wasn't busy so she could ride that many times.
Papa Great saying goodbye to one of the characters.
4 of the kiddos with Snoopy.

Brianna's Kindergarten Graduation

2011-07-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Brianna graduated from Kindergarten on May 26, 2011. We are so proud of her. Mom Mom flew out for a few days to be here for the big occasion. Thanks Mom for coming. We loved having you here. Grandma and Papa came for the big night too. Thanks.

Brianna and her friend Mia

The 2 kindergarteners in front with all the preschoolers behind them.
Getting her diploma and her tassel turned.
The cutest cake made by one of the preschooler's Mom.
Kierra and Ethan with Brianna.
Enjoying the outdoors.
Smiley boy. He is growing way too fast.

Brianna's Busy Birthday

2011-05-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

Brianna turned 6 years old on April 30th. The partying started on Thursday, April 28th with cupcakes at school. The girls also had their trike-a-thon for St Jude Children's Research Hospital on Thursday. On Friday night we had a small birthday party at home with 2 cousins and 2 friends and then the 2 cousins stayed all night for a sleepover. They had a great time. On Saturday (her actual birthday) it was just us and we took her out to dinner. On Sunday we had a small birthday party for Brianna and Auntie Amy and Great Aunt Nancy at Grandma and Papa's house. What a lot of birthday parties for such a little girl.

Brianna with her crown her teacher made.

Trike-a-thon at school.

Brianna having a blast riding her bike at school.

Kierra riding her bike at school.

Ethan enjoying all the noise at the birthday party

Friday night birthday party gang

Playing dress up

Sleepover. Everyone finally lying down at midnight. Mom barely staying awake.

12:30 am. Everyone asleep except..... Kierra. I convinced her to lay down by lying down with her and thankfully she went right to sleep. Finally mom gets to go to bed:)

Sunday birthday party

Ethan

We also got to visit with Wesley's grandma and 2 cousins and their children on Sunday evening. Great Grandma with all 5 of her current great grands. There is one more on the way:)

Brianna's birthday bicycle. She had pretty much outgrown her little bike. This one is a little big but she can ride it and hopefully it will last longer as she continues to grow.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T21:14:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter from our house to yours. Hope you all enjoyed your celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our precious children

Ethan not too happy about taking pictures.

My two handsome guys.

Mr Smiley

10 weeks old.

This is getting boring mom.

All right that is enough.

He was done and let us all know very loudly that he was not happy.

Kierra's first day of school and Brianna's school program

2011-04-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

My baby Kierra is growing up. She has wanted to go to "school" for a long time and the Lord worked it out that she will get to go to school for the next 6 weeks. I usually don't discuss things that are too personal and for sure not financial information but God worked a miracle for us and for that reason alone I will share this story so that HE can get all the glory and praise. We have wanted to send Kierra to preschool but financially that wasn't possible. Kierra has had difficulty with potty training and so we discussed that if she wanted to go to school that she had to learn to go potty on the big potty. The school was willing to help her with this job too but it was still the financial issue. Just in the last 2 weeks Wesley got an unexpected bonus at work (this was approved last year by his company to be given this year) and it was almost the EXACT amount needed to put Kierra in preschool for the remainder of the school year. God knew LAST year that this situation was going to come up and knew the exact amount that would be needed. Isn't our God good, and caring, and ALL knowing. I wish I could remember this more often and for every detail in life. I know it but I sometimes have trouble putting faith to action. Kierra has done very well and worked on going potty so last Tuesday she got to start preschool. She gets to go 2 mornings a week and she loves it. Brianna also had her school program and open house recently. I can't believe her Kindergarten school year is almost over.

First day of school

I think Brianna was as excited or maybe more excited than Kierra

Kierra's teacher, Ms Becky

Ethan

Can't have a post without at least a couple of pictures of Ethan

Brianna, Kierra, and Brianna's friend, Mia

Brianna and her teacher, Mrs K, showing Grandma her school projects after the school program.

Snow in April???

2011-04-11T12:48:00.001-07:00

If April showers bring May flowers then what do April snows bring? We woke up Saturday morning to a beautiful white view. Yes it is snow in southern California in April. What a surprise. It truly was beautiful. Not sure if some of the flowers and the grapes will survive such a surprise but we will see. Brianna was thrilled of course but Kierra only lasted a few minutes and then decided she was cold and came back in the house. Brianna and daddy played in it for quite a while. It lasted a lot longer than I thought but it was all gone by mid afternoon.

We told Brianna to come look out our window and this is what she could see. It took a few seconds before she realized that is really was snow.

Ethan's first snow. Had to take him out for a picture of course.

At first Kierra didn't want to go out but then decided she did so she got dressed and went out but didn't last long.

Some of the mountains near our house. It was still pretty cloudy so you couldn't really see very well.

Ethan's first trip to Bass Pro Shop. The girls will teach him to love it as much as they do I am sure.

P.S. I am way behind on blogging so there are 4 new posts including this one. If you are interested keep scrolling down.

Ethan

2011-04-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine from work crocheted these bags and hats for Ethan. They had matching booties too! Thanks, Maggie.

Daily happenings

2011-04-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

Asleep on daddy's arm. Ethan's first marshmallow roast. Daddy and the girls camped out in the backyard on Friday night after we got home so Ethan and I joined them for a little while in the evening. But we were smart and slept in the house in a nice comfy bed. Daddy and the girls had a wonderful time "camping." Kierra holding and singing to Ethan. She is such a good little helper. Ethan all dressed up for church on Sunday morning. Kierra told me the other day that she was "feeding" her baby. Not sure why she needed her sunglasses on in the house but she must have thought she needed them.
She wanted me to take a picture of her with her baby. Smiley boy. He is smiling more and more. This is the cutest little flannel shirt. He was so cute all dressed up. Smiling again. Playing with his new toy. He likes is for a little while and then wants to be picked up again. Big sister Nana holding and putting Ethan to sleep the other morning before school.

Grand Canyon Jr Ranger

2011-04-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

We started travelling home from Kansas on Thursday, March 24 th. We were sad to leave but had such a wonderful time being with our family. Thanks Mom for having us. We are quite a crew to put up with for 10 days.

Brianna and Kartyr, best buddies, most of the time:)

Our immediate family. We took this the morning we left. All those pictures and almost forgot to get one of our family together.

Brianna holding Ethan to help Mom out at the motel one morning when trying to get on the road AGAIN.

We stopped by the Grand Canyon on Saturday and planned to spend the whole day but it was SOOOO cold and the wind was blowing hard and it was snowing, much to Brianna's delight. We liked it too but my was it cold. Kierra got sick the last couple of days before we left mom's so she wasn't at her best so needless to say, being out in the cold wasn't much fun. We started out on the far east side of the Canyon and drove through the park to the main visitor area. At the east side visitor's center we picked up Brianna's Junior Ranger booklet so she could work on it throughout the day.

Brianna and dad working on her Junior Ranger booklet. For those who aren't familiar with the national parks, most of the parks have a Junior Ranger program where the kids fill out a booklet of activities and attend a ranger talk and then they earn their Junior Ranger badge. It is a really neat program. We had heard about the program but this was the first time that Brianna got to do it.

She was supposed to be drawing a picture while we drove across the park but she got tired and fell asleep. She never dropped the booklet or the pencil the whole time she was asleep.

We saw a lot of woods and snow on the drive across the park.

Brianna and the ranger that taught us about geology and the rocks at the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon, beautiful as always. It was so cloudy, snowy, and foggy that day but Wesley got a few pictures during a time when the sun was peaking through the clouds.

We told Brianna that if she completed the Junior Ranger program we would buy her a hat to put her badge on. She was very happy with her hat and badge. We are so proud of her for completing her first Junior Ranger program. She is looking forward to visiting another National Park and earning another badge. Unfortunately due to the cold weather we did not stay long at the Grand Canyon and instead started driving home and arrived at about 3 am on Sunday morning.

Cousins

2011-03-21T15:31:00.001-07:00

Mom had the kids' picture taken at a studio in Tulsa on Saturday.

Kartyr and Karlye

Going to Mom Mom's house

2011-03-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Brianna is on spring break for the next 2 weeks so we left on a LOOOOOOOOOONG road trip to MomMom's house in Kansas. The girls were very excited. We left on Friday evening and drove to Arizona to see Great great Aunt Dorothy. We stayed all night at her house and then on Saturday we started driving again. We stopped at Montezuma Castle National Monument in AZ and got out to look around and stretch our legs while Ethan ate. It was an interesting stop and the girls enjoyed being out of the car for a while. We then drove to Grants, New Mexico and got a motel for the night. On Sunday we started again and drove all day and FINALLY arrived at MomMom's house at about 3 am on Monday morning. What is usually a long drive was made VERY LONG when each stop to feed Ethan took about an hour. Thankfully he travelled very well and usually would go 3-4 hours between feedings. We were all very ready to arrive at MomMom's house. We are enjoying being here and seeing family. We are so thankful for God's traveling mercies and a safe arrival.

Great great Aunt Dorothy

Montezuma's Castle cliff dwelling. I don't think I would like to live like this. It was probably about 200 or more feet from this view down to the ground where we were standing.
A zoomed out view.

So very tired from a long day travelling.

Ethan in his little travel bed for his first night in a motel.

Playing at a rest stop in New Mexico.

Playing at the big visitor's center rest stop outside of Amarillo, Texas. They loved that there was a playground.

Finally at MomMom's house.

Meeting Aunt Dana and cousin Karlye on Monday morning.

Cousin Kartyr

Uncle Larry

Papa Great

Cousin Amy

Great Aunt Denise

We look forward to seeing more of our family and friends in the coming week.

Angel's fan!

2011-03-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

A few pictures we took several days ago. They aren't perfect but we wanted to get a few taken.

Angel's baseball fan!

Loved the bare toes.
Uncle Alan and Aunt Melissa got him a Dodger's jersey and this bear so we had to dress him up in his Angel's outfit and take a picture.
He was so funny and kept pulling on his tie.

She was so "done" with pictures and this was in the beginning of the photo shoot.

Sunday

2011-03-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

Meeting Great Grandma for the first time Sunday afternoon.
Dressed up for church on Sunday morning.

First Sink Bath

2011-03-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ethan's cord finally came off yesterday so he got his first sink bath last night. He was not at all sure he liked a bath.

First bath in the sink
Not really sure he likes a bath.
A bath wears a boy out.

Ethan is 3 weeks old and 2 princesses

2011-03-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

Ethan is 3 weeks old today. He is still doing well and usually only gets up a couple of times at night. Hopefully that continues. We are so blessed and are really enjoying him and the girls.

Yesterday Dad got the swing out and he got to try it for the first time. He really seemed to like it and even went to sleep in it for a little while.

3 weeks old today. Dressed in one of his Angels baseball outfits.

Princess Kierra playing dress up today.

Princess Brianna posing.

Ethan and Kierra

2011-03-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ethan in his moose PJ's

Kierra got the boppy pillow and her doll and then insisted I toss her Ethan's burp rag so she could burp her baby.

Frost and ice.

2011-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend we were supposed to get snow but we didn't get any right here at our house. The mountains and hills all around us got quite a lot of snow and it is so beautiful. It was very cold though and on Sunday morning there was a heavy frost and the girls went out to play in the frost. Wesley says, "California girls" they get excited about playing in the frost. It had rained quite a bit before the cold front came through so they did find some ice to play with. Thank the Lord, Ethan is still doing well despite his cold and stuffy nose.

Sleeping again :)
Mountains from the front of our house.
Mountains from the side of our backyard.
Big stretches.
Playing with the ice they found in the backyard.

2 weeks old!

2011-02-25T21:15:00.000-08:00

Ethan is 2 weeks old today. He saw his doctor and is up to 8 lbs 3 oz and is 21 inches long. He is growing soooo fast. I can hardly believe he is 2 weeks old already. Wesley and I have developed colds and now Ethan has a stuffy nose and a little cough. We are praying it is nothing more serious that just a little cold.

So peacefull when he is sleeping.
This is what he thinks when is nose is stuffed up. He does not like to be sick,
Finally breathing better and sleeping again.
Silly girl.
Trying on Ethan's bib.

A picture fix for MomMom and Aunt Dana

2011-02-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

Yes he even got dressed with Mommy on duty :)

Misc pictures from our week.

2011-02-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy week since I last posted. Ethan is doing very well. Saturday we had a baby shower and then Sunday was Ethan's baby dedication so that MomMom could be here for it. Today we had to take MomMom to the airport so she could fly home. Thanks Mom for all your help. We love and miss you.

Ethan sucking his thumb. If he can get it in his mouth he likes to suck on it. Mommy is trying to teach him to like the pacifier instead of his thumb.

First time in the sling and he loved it.
Smiling.
Wonderful food at the baby shower on Saturday. Aunt Bobbie gave the shower and Grandma Terri and Janice helped prepare everything. Ethan had several visitors and got many nice presents.

Group of friends from Mommy's work.

Future best buddies. Ethan and Elisha. Elisha is 4 months old.
All dressed up for the baby shower.
Family picture after Ethan's baby dedication on Sunday.
Kierra finally getting to celebrate her 3rd birthday. She was so happy to get to pick out a cake that she didn't seem to mind that her party was over a month late.

MomMom and her 3 munchkins this morning before MomMom had to leave and fly home. We miss her already.

First stop at Sonic :)
Napping.

Ethan in blue jeans.

2011-02-17T10:24:00.001-08:00

Ethan is 6 days old today and growing like a weed. Last night he slept in his own bed from 10 pm to 2 am and then from about 3 am to 6:30 am. Hoping this is a new habit. Ha Ha.
Ethan 6 days old.

Sleeping in his own bed.

Ethan update.

2011-02-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Finally getting some more pictures posted. Ethan is doing very well and is growing already. Thank the Lord he did not have any more respiratory issues after Friday evening. I truly believe God touched him that day. We got to go home on Sunday about 1:30 pm. We are happy to be home and be with the girls and MomMom. Today Ethan had to see the pediatrician. He is jaundiced but doctor said he thinks he will be fine and thankfully we did not have to have blood drawn. He weighed 7 lbs 3 oz today so he is almost back to his birth weight. We are so very blessed and are just enjoying baby Ethan.
Big sister Brianna
Big sister Kierra
A very proud MomMom
All dressed up for the first time just for Aunt Dana's sake.
Kierra got bored and decided to watch some TV.

Daddy and his boy!
All dressed and ready to go home.

Arriving home and daddy carrying him in to the house.
MomMom and big sister's waiting to welcome us home.
First family picture at home.
MomMom rescuing Ethan from the car seat.
MomMom happy to have us home.
Ethan after his first doctor's visit this morning. He is using the blanket that Aunt Dana made for him.

Welcoming Baby Ethan

2011-02-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to introduce Ethan Eugene. He was born at 8:05 AM February 11, 2011. He weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and is 19 inches long. We are so very blessed and thankful to God for his safe arrival. He had a little bit of respiratory problems and had to go to NICU for a while but they brought him back to us after about 2 hours and he is doing OK now.
Ethan Eugene

Kierra and baby Ethan
Brianna and baby Ethan
Our family
The girls couldn't wait to get to hold baby Ethan again when they got back to visit that evening.

Sick kids

2011-02-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update on how we are doing. My maternity leave started on Jan 17 and by Jan 19th I got the flu and of course Wes and the kids got it too. It was a rough week. We started doing better but the cough is still hanging on. Hoping it goes away soon. Brianna had gone back to school but this past Wednesday, Feb 2nd, she said she didn't feel good and that her throat hurt. She didn't look or act that sick so being a good Mom I sent her to school. Later that afternoon the teacher called and said she had fallen asleep on the floor at school. I went and picked her up and brought her home to discover she had a temp of almost 102. I really felt like a terrible Mom at that point. Thankfully I had already called the pediatrician's office that morning to get an appointment just to have her checked out since the sore throat was new and the next appointment they had was on Thursday. I took her to the appointment on Thursday and was quite surprised when she was diagnosed with pneumonia. The doctor said she still looked pretty good but definitely has pneumonia. We started her on an antibiotic and she has strict orders to rest and watch movies all weekend. She has enjoyed reminding me that the "doctor said I get to watch movies." After 2 days of antibiotics she seems to be doing a little better but still not her usual active self. Kierra had been doing fine on Wednesday and Thursday but of course by Friday her cough has worsened and she started a low grade fever. She seems fine otherwise so I am just watching her for now. We are praying that all of us get well very soon since I am scheduled for C-section next Friday, Feb 11. Please pray with us that we will all be well. Hope you all are having a great week.

Christmas Pictures

2011-01-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We enjoyed time together as a family and with our extended family this Christmas. The girls enjoyed all of the celebrations and presents of course. Thankfully Brianna often told us throughout the season that the REAL reason for Christmas is Jesus' Birth. I am thankful she is now old enough to realize that. New Year's was a quiet (well as quiet as it gets with 2 little girls in the house) affair with just our immediate family. We let the girls stay up late which they enjoyed. New Year's day Wesley and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it has been that long. We have many good memories of the past 12 years and are looking forward to many, many more. Brianna starts back to school tomorrow after 2 weeks off. Hope you all have a wonderful year this year.

Brianna and Kierra with Santa at Brianna's School Christmas program at the beginning of December
Kierra
Brianna and Kierra
Brianna
Our family
Christmas morning!

The tooth fairy

2010-12-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Brianna lost her first tooth on Thursday. She was so excited. She put the tooth under her pillow that night and asked me if the tooth fairy was really real? I didn't commit to that but told her she would have to wait and see. Amazingly she went to sleep pretty quickly and thankfully before Mom fell asleep.

A few minutes after 6 AM the next morning she came in my room all excited because as she said, "Mom the tooth fairy is really real. Sammy (her cousin) was telling the truth. The tooth fairy is real." She later called Dad at work and told him that the tooth fairy was real and that the tooth fairy left her a "whole dollar." She is so funny. A few days or a week before her tooth came out Daddy told her that she better hurry and get her tooth out because the tooth fairy was going to run out of money. Brianna told him, "Dad it has been a slow tooth season. I am sure there will be money left." Dad said he got an economics lesson from a 5 year old.

This was Brianna's "Share Feast" at school before Thanksgiving. I happened to be off that day so Kierra and I got to join her there and they let Kierra participate.
Kierra wearing one of the teacher's pilgrim hats.

Silly girl I found her sitting in the doll baby bed one morning.

Brianna's Kindergarten School Picture

2010-11-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

Brianna
Brianna and Kierra

Just a quick update. We are all doing well. Brianna is doing great in school and is starting to sound out words by herself and trying to read. Kierra is doing great too. She is working on going potty better on the toilet and just generally keeping us all on our toes. Just wanted to share a couple of new pictures of the girls.

It's A BOY!!!!!

2010-10-04T16:51:00.001-07:00

We are going to have to change our blog name :). We had the ultrasound today and baby boy looks healthy and was very active. We are blessed beyond measure. Daddy actually got to be at the ultrasound with me today which was an added blessing. Needless to say we are very excited and look forward to meeting this new little guy in a few months. Brianna has wanted a girl but just today before she found out she had told her teacher at school that she wanted a boy because daddy was "left out." She is very excited.

Kierra's surgery went well!

2010-10-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord that Kierra did very well thru her eye surgery this morning. She didn't cry when they took her back. They let us go to her in recovery and she was fussy at first but then they only kept her for a little while and let us take her home. She cried in the car but that was because of the bandage they put on her foot where the IV had been. She hates bandaides of any kind. Once we got home and I took the bandage off she just laid in my arms and rested quietly for about 1 -1 1/2 hours. After that she was up and playing and then went outside to play. She is doing great. We are so grateful for God's wonderful touch for Kierra and his many blessings to us. Thank you for praying for her today.

Pre-op picture. They made us put Kierra in a little gown instead of her staying in her pajamas and then they put these HUGE booties on her and I had to pull them way up to keep them from falling off. It was too funny looking.

A few hours after surgery she was playing outside as if nothing happened.

My Big Girl

2010-08-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Kierra is really growing and changing. In the last 9 days Kierra managed to give up her pacifier and just yesterday she moved into her "Big Dirl" (Girl) bed. I wasn't sure we would ever get rid of the pacifier but she did it. Yeah!!!! She loves her big girl bed and likes her new bed being in Brianna's room. Brianna reluctantly agreed that Kierra can sleep in her room for "a while." I figured being in with Brianna would help her with the transition. Kierra talks ALL the time and although still somewhat dutchy can be understood most of the time. She has also learned to swing on a big swing and tries to pump her legs back and forth. She is so much fun right now but she is also becoming more independent and is challenging and trying out her boundaries which is not so fun for Mom and Dad. I can't believe she is growing so fast. Brianna took the whole last blog so thought I would catch everyone up on Kierra. Brianna still loves school and now says she doesn't like Fridays because it means the end of school and she NEVER wants school to end. Wonder how long that will last? Hopefully a long long time!
Her first time to sleep in her big girl bed.

Swinging high on the big swing.

The girls with Daddy for his birthday. Happy Birthday Dad.

Dressed up for church one Sunday morning.

With her new Baby Panda that cries and takes a bottle. Thanks MomMom.

Playing dress up one day. Please excuse the laundry in the picture.

Brianna's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today was Brianna's first day of Kindergarten. Brianna was VERY excited about school but Mom and Dad had mixed feelings about this day. We are so blessed that Brianna is able to go to a Christian school and has a wonderful new teacher. Brianna came in our room before 6 am this morning wanting to know if it was time to get ready for school. I don't imagine that will last long but she was so excited to start this first day.

All ready for school.

A quick family photo minus Kierra who, lucky her, was still asleep.

On the ride to school.

Walking in to the school.

Walking in to her classroom to greet her teacher, Ms Juli

In her classroom by her cubby hole.

She got to out to the playground before class started and she immediately went the monkey bars and was hanging upside down but when she spotted us she raised up to wave at us. Silly girl.

At the end of her first day with her new friend, Mia. She was just as hyper when I went to pick her up as when we dropped her off this morning. Poor teacher.

Big Announcement!!!

2010-07-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday my mom flew out to see us and that night the girls got to announce that they are going to have a baby brother or sister in February. Brianna was very excited about the news and I don't think Kierra understood or really cared. We are happy and are thankful for another blessing from God. This picture is something similar to what we gave the Grandma's for the announcement.

4th of July and misc pictures.

2010-07-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July. I was looking through some pictures and decided to share a few. Hope you enjoy.

Brianna and Kierra dressed up for the Fourth of July

Brianna and the other "little girls" singing "upstage", as she calls it, at California Camp last weekend.

Bri and her California Camp best friend, Natalie. They only see each other once a year but it is always as if they were never apart.

Kierra with her hair up in a towel like Mama. Thanks Aunt Dana for the towels that are just the right size for the girls.

Bri with her graduation gift from Mommom and family. Thanks.

Few More Graduation Pictures

2010-06-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

Bri and her wonderful teacher Ms Teresa

Family picture

Finally got a chance to add a few more pictures. Hope you enjoy.

Brianna's Preschool "Congraduation"

2010-06-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

Today was Brianna's last official day of preschool and tonight they had a little graduation, or congraduation as she called it for a while, ceremony. I was afraid I would cry but I was so busy videoing it and laughing at the kids' antics that I did not cry (thankfully). She has been quite sad about preschool being over but she had fun tonight. Thank you Grandma and Papa and Auntie Amy for coming to her graduation tonight. Unfortunately my computer and blogger and I are not getting along so I will try to edit some more and add more pictures later but for now I must get to bed.

Brianna's 5th Birthday

2010-05-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

April 30th Brianna turned five years old which according to her is "not that young." Mom was not ready for this mile stone and tried cancelling the birthday but that idea was shot down by Brianna. She wanted to have a sleepover for her birthday so we had a party with family and friends and then the cousins stayed for a sleepover. A big thanks to Grammy (Aunt Bobbie) and Sonia for their help with the kids at the party. Hard to believe she is 5 already.
My baby is 5 :(
Playing outside
Pizza party
Friends
Kierra trying to hit the pinata
Brianna
Bri's friend Autumn
Bri's friend Bonnie
Cousin Larisa
Cousin Sammie
Cousin Megan
Cousin Emily
Brianna and Kierra ready to eat cake and ice cream
Group picture
Eating cake and ice cream
Kierra REALLY enjoyed her cake and ice cream
Time for presents
Saying goodbye to friends, Autumn and then Bonnie

The party was over and the sleepover with cousins began. In pajamas and playing a game. They ran up and down the stairs and yelled and had a wonderful time and then settled down to a game.
Larisa and I
Watching a movie and "resting to get our energy back"
After the movie all but one, who fell asleep during the movie, were up and running and playing again. It was then after 11 pm (Felt like later to me!) I finally put Kierra to bed and popped some pop corn for the others.
After midnight and still playing except for poor Megan who was trying to sleep.
Around 12:30 and 2 more gave up and went to sleep.
The last 2 still going strong at almost 1 am.
Finally at about 1:15 am the last two, Emily and Brianna, decided to give it up and go to sleep. So now all is peace and quiet in the house and Mom is headed to bed before they start waking up again.

Cousins

2010-04-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

The 4 cousins
Kartyr
Kierra and Brianna
Karlye
Karlye
Kierra
Kartyr
Brianna
Cousins

A few of the pictures we took of the kids while we were together last month. Hope you all had a Happy Easter.

Trip to Kansas

2010-03-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Kansas to visit family and friends the second and third week of March. We had a great time. I still haven't gotten all my pictures downloaded but thouht I would share a few of the ones that have been downloaded. I will try to update again soon.

Bri and Kierra in the snow in New Mexico which slowed us down on the way home. They loved the snow.
Girls with Papa Great
Dana, Chelsey, and I with our kiddos.
Karlye
Bri and Kartyr in a "quiet" moment watching a movie together.

Snow in Southern California

2010-01-22T23:51:00.001-08:00

After 4 days of rain we woke up this morning to snow. Brianna came in my room this morning and I had her look out the window and she was so excited she gasped and said, "snow." Then she said, "It snowed after Christmas?" I guess she didn't know it can snow after Christmas. I was afraid it would melt off so I took her out before I went to work and we threw a few snowballs at each other and then made a little snowman. Tonight when I got home our snow was gone but our snowman is still there (well part of it anyway). The mountains and hills were beautiful. Today I looked out the window of my office and saw a rainbow. Behind the rainbow we could see the mountains covered with snow. I think that is the first time I ever saw a rainbow with snow behind it. It was gorgeous but of course I did not have a camera to take a picture.

Kierra is 2 years old

2010-01-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

Kierra turned 2 on January 8th. I was off work that day and got to spend the day with the girls. Kierra's birthday started with waking up to a soft pink dog from Uncle Alan, Aunt Melissa, and the girls. She loved it as you can see in the pictures. Then we got dressed and started out on many errands that Mommy had to get done on her day off. Just before lunch we picked Sammie up from school and went to McDonald's for lunch and time to play in the playland. The girls all had a wonderful time playing then it was home for a nap and quiet time for mom. Kierra had a good day. I just can't believe my baby is 2. We still have to have her official party but I had to work that weekend after her birthday and we just haven't gotten around to having a party. Thankfully she is to little to notice and will enjoy the party whenever it is.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T21:12:00.000-08:00

Family Christmas pictures.

Sick and tired of smiling for pictures.

Fall Fun

2009-10-31T23:14:00.001-07:00

These are not in order but we have had a fun fall so far. Last weekend I took the girls to the pumpkin patch. They rode a couple of rides and enjoyed looking around. Mom sent the girls each a Tinkerbell outfit so tonight they dressed up and we went to Grammy"s (Aunt Bobbie) house. Grammy had candy for them of course and they enjoyed seeing the other kids in their costumes. Mom made it one more year without really trick or treating. One of these years Brianna is going to figure it out but thankfully she didn't ask why other kids came to Grammy's to get candy. They had fun anyway so that is all that matters.

Tinkerbell's

I didn't know Disney sold these. Brianna was playing in this box today and she told me that I should "Close the box and put sticky tape on it and send me to MomMom."
Kierra put her own church shoes on (on the wrong feet) with her pajamas.
Fun at the pumpkin patch.

A new addition to our family!

2009-10-18T22:31:00.001-07:00

Brianna and Kierra would like to announce the newest addition to our family!

Brianna's been asking for a baby and we didn't plan to accomodate her request but....

yesterday we discovered we not only have one new baby but 9 new babies.

We started a month or so ago with 6 neon tetra's and was down to only one survivor. Daddy and Bri made a stop at the pet store yesterday and bought 4 new fish. They brought them home and put them in the tank with the one surviving tetra. Later I stopped and looked in the tank to check on the new fish and saw a tiny baby fish. I asked Wesley if there were any baby fish in the bag with the fish they brought home and he said he didn't think so. We got to looking and counting and now we have 8 or 9 tiny baby fish swimming all around. Brianna is quite excited to say the least.

P.S. On another note. Mommy's baby girl is growing up way too fast.
Kierra's big girl ponytails.

Another wildfire in Yucaipa

2009-09-23T21:41:00.001-07:00

This is the second fire in Yucaipa this month. The other one was at the upper end of town and quite a bit farther away from us. These are pictures taken from our back patio. This fire just started this evening and was already about 200 acres tonight. It is a little farther away than it looks but still too close. I think it is probably about 1-2 miles away from our house. Please pray for the firemen as they work to get this and many other fires out.

DC 10 supertanker dropping fire retardant in front of the fire to try to slow it down.

Family pictures

2009-09-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

CousinsBriannaKarlye and KierraMomMom and her munchkinsKartyrKarlyeKartyr and BriannaKierra MomMom and Aunt Shaley find the chaos very funnyAunt Shaley with the kiddos
We so enjoyed having our family together. Taking pictures of all the kids was chaotic but now we can enjoy the pictures. Will try to post some of the vacation pictures soon (at least before they graduate high school) but no promises.

Friends and sisters

2009-07-25T23:04:00.000-07:00

Kierra LOVES her big sister.
Friends-Natalie and Brianna. They only see each other about once a year but seem to be instant friends again every year at camp.
Kierra started wanting Nana to rock her at night instead of mommy :( She usually wants Bri for a few minutes then lets Mommy rock her for a while before going to bed.
My silly baby girl.
Wearing Kierra's bonnet.
Kierra's funny bonnet with her dressy dress. Don't let the folded hands and innocent look fool you. She is usually up to mischief and trouble.
Kicking back in the pool.

I am way behind in blogging as usual. The girls are doing well. Kierra is 18 months old and is very active and into something all the time (usually not something good). Tonight in the car she got one of Bri's crayons and was chewing on it. Thankfully I don't think she ate too much of it and they are non-toxic. She tries to do everything that big sister does and copies, or tries to, everything she see's her do. The girls adore each other (most of the time) and Brianna is usually pretty tolerant although they are still human and get upset with each other at times. They like to lay in the recliner together and just the other night Brianna wanted to rock Kierra so I let her and then the next night Kierra chose Bri over Mommy (at least for the first few minutes). Brianna is enjoying summer and having the pool up. They are both water girls and love to play in the water in and out of the pool. Hope you all are having a wonderful summer too.

Trying to catch up!

2009-05-29T21:52:00.001-07:00

I am so far behind on blogging so thought I better try to catch up a little on some of our latest activities. Time is just flying by. The girls are both doing well and having fun. Kierra is 16 months old and is into everything, climbing on everything, walking up the stairs, and generally just gettng into trouble. She probably thinks her name is "No" by now. She is usually smiley and happy and very loving giving wonderful hugs and very wet sloppy kisses. Brianna turned 4 the end of last month and is growing like a bad weed. She loves "summer" because she can play outside in the water and can't wait til we put up the pool. She graduated to a booster seat and can buckle herself in so she thinks she is big stuff. She loves to sing and make up stories and songs. The other night she was counting and with very little help counted to 100. Pretty soon I am going to have trouble keeping up with her. She loves to use big words and is surprising us with her spanish vocabulary too. Well hope I haven't bored you too much so here are the pictures.
Signing "thanks" for letting her hold Mom's phone. She loves telephones.
Learning to roller skate.
Kierra
Loving sisters. (Sometimes anyway. Ha Ha.)
Bri in her "big" girl car seat.
Riding Ms Sonia's horse "Tasha"
Kierra's first real horsey ride! She loved it of course and was really mad when it wasn't her turn.
Nana holding her worked better.

Feeding the horse some treats.
Playing on the slip n slide.
Kierra would rather just drink the water.
My big Nana girl.

Happy Very Belated 4th Birthday Brianna

2009-05-29T21:42:00.001-07:00

We took Brianna and Auntie Amy to Disneyland for their birthdays. We had a great time and Bri got to meet some of the Princesses for the first time. Riding a roller coaster and loving it!
Meeting the Princesses

Gifts
And of course desert.

Happy Easter

2009-04-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Weekend before Easter
Hunting eggs

Happy Easter to everyone. The girls and I are visiting family out of state and having a wonderful time. Just wanted to update my blog but having trouble getting pictures to upload so will have to wait til we get home to add anymore pictures.

Play Time

2009-02-27T06:18:00.001-08:00

One of Kierra's favorite things is having Brianna push or better yet "RUN" her around the yard.
Having fun!
Oh No!I love this picture. Not sure what was happening but it is funny!
Blowing bubbles

Playing house

I was looking through some pictures and found these and thought you might enjoy them too! Brianna really does have her hair combed sometimes but I guess not while she was playing that day. The girls love to play together and Kierra is getting big enough to do more things.
P.S. Watching Brianna push Kierra around in her Tonka truck is not for the faint of heart but thankfully, so far, no injuries.

Misc Pictures

2009-02-22T18:04:00.001-08:00

Little Miss Smiley
Playing at the park

Kierra loves playing the piano. I love this picture of her playing with Mommy
First time to face forward in her car seat.
Bri
Church sure makes a girl tired.

Sound asleep after church today.
Ruffles, ruffles, ruffles!

Bri
Sisters
Bri pretending to sleep

Blessings

2009-02-11T21:13:00.000-08:00

Folding hands to pray

Kierra
Girls "new" house
Bri and MomMom having fun riding Dumbo

Kierra loves to "fold" her hands to pray. She remembers even when Mommy sometimes forgets. Sometimes God blesses us with little blessings beyond what we can even think about. One day last month I was driving to work and saw this little play house sitting by the street with a sign on it. I couldn't read the sign but thought the house must be for sale so I turned around and went back to where it was to see how much they wanted for it. The sign read "Free." I was excited and could hardly believe I found it. I went to the door and met a very nice lady who said her youngest granddaughter was 9 now and all the boys did was jump off it so she just wanted to get rid of it. She was very nice and set it back from the road and kept it until I could get off work and find a way to get it home. I told mom that God was just giving us an extra special little blessing. When I told the lady I had 2 little girls that would love it she said, "God bless you" for taking it. Now this was not something we "needed" but the girls sure love to play in it. We also had another big blessing in January and that was that MomMom came to visit. We had a wonderful time and hated to see her leave. Thanks mom for coming. Just one funny that Brianna told me this week. One rainy morning she wanted to go to Disneyland and I said we couldn't because it was cold and raining. She proceeded to tell me all the rides we could ride in the rain because they have a "roof" over them. She forgot the part about waiting in line which does not have a roof but anyhow. She then said, "We can take our umbrella and I can drive Dumbo (the ride in the picture above) and Daddy can hold the umbrella." She is so funny and is always coming up with some song or story to tell us.

Happy 1st Birthday Kierra!

2009-01-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

Our little Angel's baseball fan!
Very expressive

Clapping for herself

What a cute oops picture!
Had to share of pic of big sister too!

I really can't believe my baby is a year old. She has grown so much and is such a joy. She has taken steps but prefers to crawl or wants you to hold her hand so she can walk. She does several signs to communicate what she does and does not want. She is very loving and gives lots of hugs and very "slobbery"(if that is a word?) wet kisses. She enjoys being outside and playing with Brianna too. We had her birthday party today and I will try to post more pictures later.

Christmas morning pics

2008-12-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

Kierra's Pooh Car
Bri's new bicycle

Christmas morning pics of the girls. Kierra met a new milestone today: she took her first step today without holding on. Sorry for all the updates at once but I was very far behind and am trying to catch up.

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas pictures. We hope all of you our friends and family had a wonderful Christmas.

Kierra is 11 months old

2008-12-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

We are behind as usual. Daddy took these this week so I guess we will use them as her 11 month pictures. Kierra pulls up and cruises around everything. She is getting braver and letting go more often when standing. She is usually very smiley and happy except when someone makes her mad. She is such a joy and a blessing to us.

Snow in Southern California

2008-12-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Brianna's miniature snowman.

On the night of December 17th it rained and then we had a rain and snow mix which started sticking. The next morning we had a little snow on the ground so we took the girls out to play in the backyard. They had a great time.

Getting ready for Christmas

2008-12-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

Brianna got to make gingerbread houses with Grammy and her cousins then middle of the month. Brianna and Kierra on Santa's lap.

Some of the many faces of Kierra

2008-12-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

Kierra is so very expressive and funny. These were all taken at the Thanksgiving dinner table, hence the dirty face, dirty bib, and high chair in the background. We are enjoying watching her grow and change almost every day now. Hope you enjoy too!

Belated (again) 10 month pics

2008-12-01T22:44:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T21:00:00.001-08:00

Brianna helping Grandma and Papa make Thanksgiving breakfast Little Miss SmileyGirls with Great GrandmaClimbing the stairsNow how do I get back down there?

Happy Thanksgiving to all our famiy and friends. Hope you had a great day. We have so much to be thankful for and we were blessed to spend the day with Wesley's family. Just a quick update on the girls. Brianna is doing well in preschool and is enjoying going (for the most part anyway). She still says that boys "bother me." Kierra learned to climb the stairs last weekend and so now we have the fun job of teaching her to safely come back down the stairs. She also cut her second tooth today. Brianna says that now that Kierra has 2 teeth that she can start learning to eat "big girl food." Kierra also pulls up to everything and walks holding on to people or anything that will support her. Will try to update again soon. Julie

A few vacation pics.

2008-11-07T11:44:00.001-08:00

Anyone want a present? Kierra in the gift bag.
Happy 2nd Birthday Kartyr
Brianna and her new friend Hannah singing with the "singing cowboy" at the campfire.
Roasting marshmallows.
Bri riding the pony
Mommom & Sheriff Kartyr
Kartyr riding the pony
Brianna the pink cowgirl

Daddy and Bri paddle boating.
Aunt Julie with Karlye in the sling
Mommy, Kierra, and Bri going down the slide
Daddy teaching Bri to climb the "rock" wall
Kartyr enjoying the slide.

We went on vacation to mom's house and then my Mom, Shaley, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, niece, and us went to Big Cedar Lodge just outside of Branson, MO for about 5 days. We had a wonderful time there and it is so beautiful. Kartyr turned 2 while we were there so we had a little party and of course presents. Almost all of us got sick while we were there but we had fun anyway. Thanks mom. I still haven't gotten my camera downloaded since we got home so I am sure there will be more pictures later. We have still been sick since we got home so I am behind with blogging and unpacking (ugh). Hopefully more to follow soon.

Kierra's Very Belated 9 month pictures

2008-11-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

Daddy took these right before we left on vacation and I did not get them blogged. She is growing so fast and learning new things every day. She could wave byebye and clap her hands at 9 months old and say dada too.

2008-10-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Brianna playing dress up with Mommy's shoes on.
Kierra sleeping in the crib for the first time on Saturday night.
Sometimes going backwards lands her in difficult situations.

Bri loves to play dress up. Kierra finally moved into the crib and into her "new" room on Saturday night. Mommy is way late moving her but so far she is tolerating the move really well. Kierra usually goes backwards but still manages to get wherever she wants to go or at least moves all around the room. Yesterday I found her halfway under the bed. One of these days she will really figure out how to go forward and then I will really have to watch her constantly.

Bri's new room

2008-10-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

Brianna and Kierra trying out Bri's "new" bed

Brianna's handprints

We have been working on redoing the guest bedroom upstairs for Brianna as Kierra needs the "baby" room now. Brianna wanted a new room so this is what we did. Not perfect and not really completely done as we haven't hung any pictures on the walls yet but it is liveable so she is moved in. She chose to use the toddler bed instead of the daybed she has been sleeping in since she moved out of the crib but oh well. She loves her new room but is still "scared" to sleep in it. Mommy makes her sleep there anyway and one night when I was putting her to bed she asked, "Mommy why is our house made of wood?" I replied, I don't know but I guess whoever built it wanted to make it out of wood. Bri says, "But what if it falls down?" I confidently said, It won't fall down, it is VERY strong. Brianna immediately replies, "But Mom, you remember, the walls of Jericho fell down and they were very strong." I couldn't argue with that but just assured her that they only fell down because God made them fall down. I don't think she was convinced but she slept in her room anyway.

Misc pictures

2008-09-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

Girls last Sunday
Kicking back
Wiped out
Just a swinging
Bri pushing Kierra

Enoying the outdoors!

2008-09-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Kierra is 8 months old!
Clapping

Finally got to blog some pictures. We went up to Oak Glen today and took a walk and took the girls' pictures. Kierra is 8 months old now and is just growing way too fast. She loves to eat and thinks anything she finds on the floor looks good to eat. Mommy has "fished" more than one thing back out of her mouth. She is scooting and is crawling a little but isn't very coordinated yet. She is teething and of course fussy due to that but is usually a pretty happy girl. Brianna is doing well. She had a tough time at preschool for a couple of weeks but is doing well now (Thank the Lord). She said she didn't like school because there are boys there and they bug her and she doesn't like boys. I think someday we will like that train of thought but for now it is not so good. Well gotta go for now, Kierra is trying to help me type and it is not very helpful.

Still Alive!

2008-09-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Thought I better post something as it has been so long. We are all still alive and doing OK. We are just having computer problems and I have been unable to download or post pictures. Hopefully it will be able to be fixed soon WITHOUT losing any pictures. Julie

Big sisters bed.

2008-08-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

Trying out big sister's bed!Being silly.Toes do taste yummy.Tonight I laid Kierra on Brianna's bed for a minute and Bri thought that was really neat so she laid down by her and told Daddy he needed to take a picture so of course he did. Kierra liked laying by Bri for a few minutes. The other day Brianna got in trouble and then a little later she told me, "You and daddy hurt my feelings." Of course I reminded her that if she would obey that her feelings would not get hurt. Tonight when she was saying her bedtime prayers she prayed, "Please help Mommy and Daddy not to hurt my feelings because it really hurts. And help everyone not to hurt children's feelings or grownups." I am sure God must smile at the antics of children.

Kierra signing "more"

2008-08-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

We have been signing to Kierra for a little while now and just the other day Grandma Terri said she was banging her fists together. Tonight daddy was tickling her back and when he would stop she would bang her fists together to say "more" so he would tickle her again and she would sign "more" again. Can't believe she is signing already. I am a firm believer in teaching babies to do sign language as they can communicate so much sooner and it decreases their frustration at not being able to let us know what they want. Brianna signed early but I don't think it was this early. Just had to share Kierra's newest accomplishment.

Pictures and More Pictures!!!

2008-08-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

My very smiley baby!
Big sister and little sister.
Kierra is: Thoughtful
Happy
Very sad (after 6 month shots)
Happy dreams. (This really wasn't posed.)
So sweet mom couldn't resist taking pictures
Bri thoughtfully reading
Happy girl
Ruffles and smiles
Mini picnic at the park with friends.
Sitting up
Future Nurse.

I am so far behind with pictures that I just put them in. Sorry for the random order and scattered thoughts but it is late and I just wanted to get new pictures on here. Some of these are older but here they are anyway. Kierra is 7 months old now and sits up well and scoots around on the floor on her back or her tummy. Yesterday she was saying Da Da Da Da. Its all about Dad I guess. Well got to go for now.

Pics

2008-07-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Kierra's first time in the pool
Our princesses

Kierra wanted her bear to fall asleep with.

Just a quick update. Will try to update again later. Julie

6 months old!

2008-07-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

Just a preview of her 6 month pictures. I will try to add more later.

Sitting up

2008-07-13T21:42:00.001-07:00

Sitting up!
Trying out her rain coat!
Bathing in the big bathtub with sister.
All tired out.
Chewing on an ice cube!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T23:03:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July. We had a nice day together. Brianna really enjoyed watching the city fireworks display from our backyard. She loves fireworks. "Uncle" Steve came over and was holding her on his shoulders so she could see better and they were talking about the fireworks when Bri suddenly says, "Daddy, My uncle Steve is bigger than you." He is a little bit taller but I guess he seemed bigger since she was up on his shoulders. She is something else.

Kierra's new discoveries.

2008-07-04T22:56:00.000-07:00

Toes are Mmmm Mmmm Good!
Sitting up (well, kind of)
Leaning!

Kierra discovered how to get her toes into her mouth and now she chews on them quite frequently. I guess they taste good or are just handy, I am not sure which. On Wednesday I sat Kierra up, propped by her hands, and she was able to stay that way for about a minute or two before taking a nose dive. She was not impressed with the nose dive or landing on her tummy. She still does not like tummy time.

Misc sleeping and crazy hairdoo pics!

2008-07-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Kierra
Bri fell asleep sitting up.
Kierra in her "Send me to Grandma Special Delivery" outfit.
Bri's crazy hairdoo
Kierra sleeping in her favorite position. Hands above her head and legs in the "frogleg" position.

Just a few misc pics of the girls. The first two were taken on Friday morning when I was trying to leave for campmeeting. Then yesterday Brianna put on one of Kierra's headband things and it pushed her hair up all crazy and it was too funny not to take a picture of so here it is. The last is of Kierra again. She used to be froglegged (probably from being breech) but here almost 6 months later she still keeps her legs like that a lot. Oh well maybe someday she will outgrow that. Just trying to catch up and share some of the pics taken over the last week.

Best Friends

2008-07-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

Bri and Natalie
Kierra, Jessica, and Brianna
Girls and Joshua
Bri and Kierra
We were at Palmdale Camp this weekend and Brianna loved having other children to play with. Brianna and Natalie (Cherita's daughter) played together at camp before and probably did not remember each other but hit it right off and were friends again this year. It was all about Natalie according to Bri. In fact one night Brianna came up to me with a full glass of soda and I said where did you get that and who gave it to you? Bri says, "My best friend gave it to me." I figured anyone that gave her a glass of soda was probably her best friend for the moment but come to find out is was her "best friend" Natalie that gave it to her. Oh well I guess a little won't hurt. They are like two peas in a pod. The other pictures are of the girls with Jason and Joanna's children. We haven't see them for many years but were so happy to get to spend a day and a half with them at camp. They are doing deputation in preparation for going back to the Ukraine as missionaries. And finally, Yes MomMom the girls did wear FRILLY dresses to camp. This is only one of the two very frilly dresses they wore but I did not get a picture of them in the other ones. Thanks for the dresses MomMom. Bri calls them her "dancing" dresses.

Belated Happy Birthday to Aunt Dana

2008-07-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Dana. Sorry this is late but we were out of town and then Mommy was sick. Hope you had a great day. We love you.

French Braids

2008-06-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Posing
French braids
Mommy and Kierra at the beach.

I tried french braiding Bri's hair for the first time on Monday. I am not good at combing little girl hair and braiding all those curls was quite a trick. I thought it turned out cute but definitely not something we will try very often (at least not for now.) Wesley and I went to Torrey Pines State Park Beach last Friday for him to do engagement photo's for one of his cousins. We took Kierra with us and had to have a picture of her on the beach. I wanted to put her feet in the sand but then she fell asleep. Maybe next time she can feel the sand.

Girls

2008-06-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

All wore out.
Eating the toys.
Sisters

Kierra's "new" toy.

I got out the exersaucer on Monday and cleaned it up for Kierra. My how much dust toys collect when not in use. She really liked it. She wants to be in a standing position most of the time anyway so thought she would like it. She is very interested in what is going on around her and liked having all the toys within her reach. She is getting much better at reaching out and grabbing hold of things (including getting her fingers in the peanut butter jar, when mom wasn't fast enough today.) She is still teething and chewing on everything. Bri is still making us laugh on a regular basis. One of her latest was to tell Papa on Sunday, "Poor Daddy. Mommy gives him too many chores like Cinderella's step mother." I don't know where she comes up with some of the things she says. She is so dramatic.

Kierra is 5 months old!

2008-06-10T18:34:00.001-07:00

Kierra is now 5 months old. Last Saturday she rolled over for the first time. She rolled from her back to her tummy. Now we're in trouble. I have not been anxious for her to learn these things but she did it anyway. She is eating little bits of rice cereal sometimes and loves having the spoon in her mouth. She always wants to eat what we are eating. Brianna wanted to taste Kierra's cereal one day so I let her and she of course did not like it at all but Kierra seems to like it OK. She is teething and drooling all over the place all the time.

Girls

2008-06-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Bri, Kierra, and Sammy
Bri and Kierra
Kierra

The other day I put Kierra in the little stroller and took her out on the patio to watch the "big" girls playing. I looked out a few minutes later and found the girls had pulled their chairs on each side of Kierra and were taking a break with her. Kierra loves watching them play and they love her too. Wesley had the girls for 3 days this weekend while I worked and he just told me that he told Brianna that he was going to use a pen to write in a paper and she corrected him and said, "That is write on the paper." She is starting REALLY young as part of the Grammar patrol. She is so funny.

New Hairdoo

2008-06-06T07:50:00.001-07:00

Finally enough hair to wear a bow.

Bri's first time with braids.
Bri picked out her own clothes!

I got home from work last night and Grandma had braided Bri's hair. I have never braided it before and I though it was so cute so of course I wanted to share with MomMom and Aunt Dana and anyone else that wants to see too. Kierra finally has enough hair to put in one of those little velcro bows.

Girls, Friends, and Cousins!

2008-06-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Friends:Clarissa and BriannaCousin Amy with the girlsJustin, Amy, Clarissa, Brianna, and Kierra

We enjoyed meeting Aunt Denise, Amy, and Justin and playing at the park today. Brianna's was happy to see her friend, Clarissa too. Kierra enjoyed being outside and watching the others play. Thanks for visiting us. Julie

Preschool Open House

2008-05-31T22:26:00.001-07:00

Brianna and Ms Becky
A self portrait (with help)
One of Bri's pieces of artwork
Kierra with her legs straight up in the air.

Thursday night Brianna had open house at her preschool. They had a little program that was cute and then we visited the classroom to see some of the projects they have been saving. I will probable share more later but here are a few. One of Kierra's new things is to hold her legs straight up in the air. She is growing so fast.

Brianna's 3 year pictures

2008-05-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

We will share more later.

Our weekend

2008-05-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Bri, Aden, & Kierra
Kierra at a Hawaiian themed bridal shower.
Bri loves balloons
Kierra
Sitting in Bri's doll stroller.

We had a busy but fun weekend. Saturday we got to see Wesley's cousin's and meet baby Aden for the first time. Sunday afternoon we were at a bridal shower for another cousin. And then Monday we got Bri' 3 year pictures done (finally), and then spent a little time with some family, Kierra is growing so fast and this weekend tasted rice cereal for the first time (she did not like it at all but we'll keep trying). She also managed to snag the pacifier off her chest and put it in her mouthby herself (just once). She has started sleeping most of the night again and Mommy is hoping this is a lasting accomplishment.

Pics

2008-05-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Kierra having tummy time and being entertained by Bri
Her new thing "Upside down paci"
Smiley

I am finally back. I have worked the last 6 out of 8 days and had no time or energy for blogging. I am sure I am in big trouble with MomMom and Aunt Dana so thought I had better get a couple of new pictures on here. I hope to add more later. Julie

For MomMom & Aunt Dana

2008-05-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry it is sideways. Maybe someday Mommy will learn how to do it right! Love, Bri & Kierra

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T20:21:00.001-07:00

Bri and KierraThe gift Bri made at school.The card Bri made for me at preschool. The heart is actually a pin that I wore to work today.The little poem inside the card.One more gift for Mommy. Bri made at Sunday School.Hope all of you had a Happy Mother's Day. Love, Julie

Sisters

2008-05-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sisters

Kierra
The little fairy princess
Bri in action

It is hard to believe that another week has gone by. Kierra turned 4 months old this week. Brianna has learned to really swing herself on the swing and usually amazes me how high she can go even without a push to get started. Bri got a birthday box this week and it had a dress up fairy princess dress in it (Thanks Aunt Dawnie). Bri loves playing dress up. Daddy has the girls by himself this weekend so he got some cute pictures of them today. Got to hurry and get to bed. Julie
P.S. Happy Mothers Day!

Brianna

2008-05-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

Birthday cake at G'ma and Papa's house.
Blowing out the candles.
Mmm Mmmm Good!
Sisters
Bri's new pool.

Most of these are from last weekend but Wesley just downloaded them from his camera (or maybe he did it and I just didn't know about it). Anyway I thought I would share them. The one in the pool is from today. Brianna bought this pool with her own money that was given to her. She paid for it at the store and everything. She thought she was big stuff. Well it is very late so better get to bed. Julie

Kierra laughing.

2008-04-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is not the best picture but I was able to catch her laughing.

Kierra

2008-04-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

American Princess

Daddy putting Kierra's feet in the pool while still in her Sunday dress.

It was VERY hot on Sunday so after church Dad took Kierra out and put her feet in the pool to cool her off. Kierra loved it. Brianna loves the pool too but had to change her clothes first.

3rd Birthday trip to Disneyland

2008-04-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Riding the carousel.
Eating a special ice cream treat.
Kierra loved the Winnie the Pooh ride.
Exhausted from a few hours at Disneyland.

On Monday Brianna's Aunt Amy and I took the girls to Disneyland for a few hours. I wanted to take her for her birthday since Mom got us passes for Bri's and Kartyr's birthday. Brianna loves Disneyland and even pretends she is going when we aren't really going. Brianna had fun but it was super hot and busy so Mom did not have that much fun. I like going to Disneyland but only when it is cool and not busy (the not busy part is hard to come by). Kierra liked the Winnie the Pooh ride and was quiet during the ride but as soon as it was over she started crying. Thanks MomMom from Bri and Mom too, for the day at Disneyland.