4 Years old!

Dear Roonie:

Happy Birthday my sweet Angel Baby! You are such a sweet girl with an amazing little personality. I can't believe how smart you are - it kind of scares me! You blow me away every day with your loud attitude, or random thoughts or sayings, or just your energy. We never know what to expect from you - either in attitude or what will come out of your mouth. You are irreplaceable that is for sure. You keep us on our toes, and let us know what you want, when you want it and HOW YOU WANT IT.

Things I want to remember about you at this age are:

~Your sweet little lips. They still have the crooked "drew barrymore" thing going on when you tell a story, and you still have that adorable lisp.

~You tell the best stories!

~Still the best dancer I have ever seen, hands down. I don't know where you come up with your moves, and some of it it worrisome, not gonna lie!

~ You Drive me CRAZY. I don't know what to do about your huge attitude sometimes. I feel like I am fighting with myself at 17 years old and I don't know what to say to you sometimes.

~You really want to bare your testimony at Church, but when you get up there, you just tell daddy to tell them that you are a Child of God and you hide. You still tell me excitedly that you did it and I still cry like crazy, but you still have yet to actually do it.

~You don't like to say prayers, and I don't know why. We say them at night as a family and it is such a struggle, it worries us sometimes. We hope that we are doing enough to teach you spiritually, but we aren't sure.

~You LOVE to do family home evening. You teach us each week, and use the items to made in Sunbeams the previous week. We do it at the dinner table each Monday night and you really enjoy it.

~You are pretty mean to Heidi still. I think you like to dominate her, maybe you feel dominated by me. You really hate to share anything, so when she even looks at something yours, you scold her and take it away. She loves you though and lights up when she sees you. I do love when you go into her room first thing and say, "Good Morning Sugar Baby!" Like I do - it give me hope for you two :)

~ You are the highlight of my day. You always say something sweet, or give me a wonderful hug and tell me I am great or pretty or that I cooked a good dinner or something to make all the other stresses that come with you melt away and I know you will be alright. I want to be good enough for you Roon, and I am trying everyday to be the best mom to you, and to Heidi. You are a wonderful person with so much potential - I will try to help you reach it!

Happy Happy Birthday Michaela. We love you so much and need you in our family. Here's to another crazy wonderful year!!

Just a few hours old! 2-13-2007

First Birthday Party

2nd Birthday Party

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday 2-13-2011

Going on a Frog Hunt!

Living on 5 acres has it's benefits - Especially if there is a creek all the way in the back!!! We have gone on several frog hunts this spring - and we hear frogs all the time! The first hunt of the season was with Grandpa Sam, Daddy and Michaela, and that is when Michaela fell in love with and even a little bit obsessed with her frog - Pancake Face. Where did she come up with that name? Only she knows, but that is his name. We had him for about half an hour before we let him go, and she squealed and giggled while he jumped all over the kitchen floor :) The surprising thing? Me - squealing like a girl when Pancake Face touched me. I am the queen of catching snakes and lizzards in my childhood memories. I even put a swimming pool of snakes by my front door one night so my mom wouldn't come after me (and a bunch of friends) when we went night swimming....And then there is a perfectly harmless TINY frog - and I squealed! Kids are making me soft people. Time to call my cousins and join them for some real, Wyoming adventures. I digress. (I do that a lot though...) Anyway, frog hunting! It's so much fun! Last night we went as a foursome - and even Heidi stared at the ground a little. Enjoy the pictures!

Heading back to the creek

Such a beautiful baby!!! She isnt too sure what we are looking for......

But like a good soldier - she checks out the ground now and then

Mommy and Baby Heidi

Looking for Pancake Face's family

The original Trio

"Pancake Face" (and all the crumbs on my kitchen floor.......gross!)

Actual Size

All you need is a flashlight and a jar!

Not related - but help needs documented when it happens right?!

Goals

I am struggling with this blog thing. I feel like the updates are pretty meaningless, mostly because the people who would be interested in checking it, probably already know what is up with our life anyway.....but at the same time, I SHOULD be keeping a legitimate journal, and I don't so I use this blog as my fake blog. I don't think I will get credit for it though, because I usually just say something like we are busy, the girls are cute, adoption is neat and Jordan is hot. So. To blog or not to blog? To go private and really start "journaling" my thoughts, or stay public and wonder who keeps up with us? That is the question. Not that I have the answer right now - I was just saying that is my question. Do you read this blog? Who are you? How often do you come here? For today, my kids are both asleep and the dishes happen to be done so I do have time for a little soul baring so I will post a few goals for 2011 I am contemplating. Nothing is set in stone, mostly because nothing is ever in stone, but these are my goals for the time being.

1) I bet Jordan a cruise that I wouldn't spend any money from the bank account on the kids this year. I will consign, or craigslist to sell something first and then use the money from that to get them clothes or toys or something.....So I have a little envelope in my diaper bag with some cash in it and that is what I take with me to Target or wherever. Here's hoping!

2) We already eat pretty healthy, (ask Jordan...he kinda hates it) but I want to do even better. Nothing specific, but I want to feel like I am doing a better job that what I currently do.

3) Work out 4 or 5 times a week.

4) This may not be an issue for you but it is for me. I would like to Wash, Dry, and PUT AWAY the load of laundry that I do. It's sad people - you should see the laundry room floor. It's full or clean clothes.

5) Date night.

That is it for now. We do try to keep up with the normal, Dinner as a family, Prayers as a family and brushing before bed too....but that is the list! Here are some pictures to document our life because if you do come to this blog.....you are probably hoping for pictures....

Cooking a little dinner

Getting a few emails out of the way...

Working the field a little

Staring contest with Aunt Shawnie

Down time...

Wii with Grandpa and Uncle Morgan...(technically a cousin...but Michaela calls him Uncle)

Not flattering, but this is the truth ;)

Puddle splashing

Um...yes, she does her own hair...and Yes, I usually let her out of the house :)

Dentist!

December wrap-up

Has it really come down to this for me? Updating my blog once a month? I guess I join the ranks of mother's who despite beautiful, witty children - only find the time at 9 at night between answering emails and toting a reluctant toddler back to bed - to quickly recap the month with a few hastily taken pictures and some memorable captions meant to jog our memory for the time when we add the pictures to their scrapbooks and journal it "for real."

We started the Holiday season with a wonderful trip to California to spend Thanksgiving with my Grammy Ginny. The odd part of that trip is that we left Jordan here to have Turkey dinner with his parents and sister and grandparents. We couldn't think of any other way to be able to spend time with his family, and also my sister who was in town for a short amount of time and Grammy at the same time. So we figured since we eat dinner with each other and are (usually) grateful for the other person on a daily basis - the best plan would be to devide and conquer. And conquer we did! It was so fun to see my sister and her girls and Grammy and cousins - and when I came home, I came home to a husband who missed me, a sink full of dishes and a HUGE flat screen, high tech, fancy futureistic tv and blu-ray player - FUN!!! We still won't buy cable, but our netflix viewing has increased significantly - especially since we can stream them directly to the tv now!!

In December bot my girls were sick with colds, but it mostly affected Heidi. She had to have breathing treatments, every mother's worst nightmare right? Not mine! Heidi just sat on the counter while I made breakfast/lunch/dinner and gave them to herself! So easy :) She is really starting to talk a lot, and man is she fast! Her temper is comical, so its hard to take them seriously, when you have a tiny baby laying on the ground, moaning and growling, kicking and beating her fists on the floor! We sure do love her though!

Michaela is loving her preschool, and is learning very quickly. Her teacher's called her a spirited leader....DUH! We have entered into a stage of backtalking and I am NOT A FAN. I honestly feel like I can say that to everything I say, she counter's with something. EVERYTIME. We are getting through it, and she is such a wonderful friend. The other day I dropped them both off at the gym babysitting thing, and she took Heidi's hand and said, "It's ok baby Heidi, I am your sister and I will take care of you." So sweet! She also needs her "Private-sy," in the bathroom and when her clothes are dirty its time for me to do her "Laundirty!" We so enjoy our little girls.

Jordan is LOVING his new job. He enjoy's being important and making a difference.

I joined a gym - and I surprisingly love it! So far I have been everyday since I joined two weeks ago, minus the 4 days we were at my parent's cabin for Christmas. I don't have any specific weight loss goals, I just want to feel good.

Anyway, that is us! I hope to get back on the blogging train, mostly because I am counting this as my journal and hope that heaven counts it too!!!

Heidi loved Uncle Richie over Christmas Break :)

She loved all her new toys!

Opening her gifts like a big girl

Baby loving her baby :)

Family Christmas Eve Jammies

We went on a date! No KIDS! And if Jordan only takes these weird pictures...I am going to post them!

Preschool Christmas Program - I bawled the whole time - SHEESH!

First year in the history of Michaela that she hasn't cried! Heidi started about 1 second after this picture was taken...

She looked so cute and little when she gave herself the breathing treatments :)

I love that they are starting to play together more and more. In this picture they are playing bus driver. I don't think Heidi really cared what the game was, she was just happy to get in and out of the chair over and over again at the "stops!"

Thanksgiving 4 Generation. Don't mind that I look like poop - but what a wonderful opportunity :)

Grandpa Sam, Grammy Ginny and Michaela (And Emma) Taking a walk

Fife and Winn Girl SOUP :)

Hehe

Going Cold Turkey

No, this post is NOT about Thanksgiving leftovers. We did have a wonderful Thanksgiving though - the girls and I went to California with my sister's family and my parents, and visited with Grammy Ginny while Jordan headed up to his parents house and spent the day with his Grandparents. We didn't know how else to see everyone that we wanted to see other than to divide and conquor. We are so thankful for our families and the truth of the Gospel in our lives.

Back to the title. For a while now, my leg has been killing me. I limp all the time and it is soooooo time for some kind of surgery to fix it. My back hurts from limping and I feel like it consumes my daily activities - like if I have been up and doing laundry a lot then I wouldn't be able to do grocery shopping because of all the walking. It also makes exercising really difficult and I feel gross about how fat I look/feel. ANYWAY. I feel like all I ever do is complain. If Jordan asks me how I am that day - 90% of the time I say, "My leg hurts today," as if that is all the explanation he needs, or as an excuse for the dishes in the sink or kids in jammies at 2pm. Well today is December 1, 2010, and I will never say those words again! SERIOUSLY. I don't want to be a complainer - so I simply won't do it. Nothing but sunshine and daisy's over here - and I mean it! I am grateful that I still have my leg - so if it hurts, I will look at it as the subtle reminder that it is simply attached to by body. I am not really a gradual person - when I do something I usually do it all the way, like giving up fast food in 2010. So it's easier for me to quit complaining 100% rather than limiting myself to one or two a day. Thus, the title. So, if you ask me how I am or what we are doing or how I am feeling - you will get a positive response :)

Day One: Thankful that I have both legs, and that I can walk, and run and jump.

A Sampler

There is no way to catch up. We have only been here for a few weeks and already Michaela has started Preschool, I have had a birthday, Aunt Shawnie had her birthday, we have driven to Boise and back in ONE DAY, had a 3 day sleepover with the Winn girls and Grandma and Grandpa Kresge, spent Halloween with Grandma Marti and Papa John and - oh yeah - unpacked a few boxes! Did I mention that Heidi started walking and we are planning another road trip to Napa Valley CA for Thanksgiving, I started my own business and my sister is Pregnant? Or that Christmas is coming but even before that BLACK FRIDAY?!?!?!?! Yes, my avid blog followers, we have been so busy that I have failed to mention the above events, especially in chronological order. For those of you glued to the screen and constantly hitting the refresh button, just in case we have posted, here you go. The above events happened, and below are a few pictures to prove it and jog my memory when I am journaling the physical scrapbooks.

See how excited she is about walking? I have the cutest video of her actual first steps, but it won't load. If we are FB friends, it's on there.

Visit to Grandma and Grandpa Kresge's house is always full of more than a few bedtime stories!

Happy 15th Birthday to the beautiful Aunt Shawnie!

The most delicious Strawberry Shortcake EVER! She is so stinkin cute!

My girls and I woke up at 4am and drove all the way to Boise (7Hrs) making only ONE stop. We picked up the Winn girls and drove all the way home in the same day. What troopers! Not a single tantrum.....Heidi and Lucy whined at the end, but overall it was a great trip!

Here!

We made it! We were on the road for seven days exactly - almost to the hour :) We made lots of stops, our favorite was at the Culley's house for a triple birthday party! I have tons of pictures, but lets face it, I probably won't post any because by the time I actually get moved into my own house, (not until the 9th) with my own internet (That's not coming until the 15th) these pictures will be old news. So, I will say, we did the Culley's in WI, and Mt. Rushmore in SD. Now we are here, living between the Best Western, My parents and Jordan's parents house. LOVING Washington.