Merry Christmas!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas to our family and friends!

Since this will be the first year I’ve written a family newsletter, I have a lot to share. Ernie and I were married nearly 3 years ago in the Bountiful UT, Bountiful Temple. It was a wonderful day shared with family, friends and lots of laughter and love.

During the last three years a lot has happened. Ernie moved from downstairs working with my brothers to upstairs working with clients. Jonathan started kindergarten and I nearly died when we had to take him to school. Now he is in the 2nd grade and Sabrina has started kindergarten. They are both the smartest kids in their class. They love to help their teachers and their teachers love them and can’t say enough good things in return. Both kids are good helpers around the house and love to sing and dance. It’s been interesting being thrust into motherhood. I’ve had a few ups and downs but I’m getting better at it and speaking of…

The biggest change just came into our lives on June 29, 2010. Aleyah Annie Upshaw joined our family. She is the sweetest little girl! I love being her mommy. It was quite a surprise since from a young age I was told I’d never have children. For once, I am glad the doctor was wrong. This little girls is such a bright ray of sunshine. She was born at 4:44 am and weighed 6lbs, 9 oz and was 18 ½ inches long. She decided she needed to make a grand entrance into the world, so after 2 days of labor, she came by emergency c-section. Just a little side note about Aleyahs middle name. It’s a very special name that I share with my sweet little grandma Buttars. From a young age I had always wanted to name my daughter Annie. I am proud of that name and I am sure that Aleyah will be proud to carry it on as well. Anyway, both Jonathan and Sabrina are great older siblings. At first Jonathan was a little disappointed that it was another girl, but after a while, he was ok with it. Now he is the best older brother a girl could have. Aleyah loves them both so much and the kids do their very best to make her smile and laugh. Ernie is a great father and you can tell Aleyah looks forward to when her daddy comes home from work. He enters the room and she starts cooing and drooling. It’s the sweetest thing.

So, that is our life over the last three years. We love you and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Brooke, Ernie, Jonathan, Sabrina and Aleyah Upshaw



4 1/2 months

I can't believe how fast time flies when you are having fun! I sure love being a mommy to Aleyah! She is the best little girl in the ENTIRE world. I'm not biased either. At first I was prepared for long sleepless nights, LOTS of crying and being cranky because of it all. Not so. I enjoy it all! I don't even mind the nights of no sleep....ha kidding. Aleyah has slept through the night since 3 days old. Sorry all, I got it lucky. During the last four and a half months, I can count on one hand the times I've had to stay up all night. She is such a sweet joy. When she wakes up in the middle of the night, she just lays there and coos so sweetly until I come get her. When I walk in, she smiles and those big blue eyes just make me very happy! As for the crying, she really doesn't do that either. Not even as a new baby did she ever cry that much. I can count of my two hands the times she's cried. The worst so far was when she had her first set of immunizations. Poor little girl didn't stop crying for hours. It was so frustrating because there was nothing I could do about it. I felt bad, but I really feel that immunizations are a necessary evil. I was also impressed with myself. I didn't cry when they gave them to her. I didn't really even get upset. It was sad true, but I was brave. She had a slight fever for the whole day and then slept like a rock that night. She also cries when her diaper is dirty or she feels like she is STARVING. Because she gets so upset when she is wet, I am hoping she potty trains earlier than normal. A girl can hope. Since coming into our lives, Aleyah has been such a joy. The kids really enjoy having a little sister around. Sabrina is always trying to make her smile and Jonathan is always there to help whenever we ask. For Jonathan's first school show and tell, he had us bring Aleyah. The class was so cute. The just ooh'd and aah'd over her. Mrs Commons had to remind them to stay quiet when they started to get too loud. Then they whispered. It was sweet. As the time goes by, more and more of her personality shows itself. She is an independent little girl. She loves to sit up on the couch by herself and look around the room. She doesn't want to be held like a baby either. She wants to be sitting up facing the room. She smiles and laughs and coos to anybody who looks at her. She tags along when I go to work in the mornings and all my customers think she is just the sweetest and cutest thing. I agree. She loves to listen to her daddy and big brother and sister read books to her. She smiles when I sing her songs and tickle her belly. I blow raspberries on her neck or tummy and she giggles. The other day I was holding her and she blew a raspberry on my arm, then last night she blew one on my neck and giggled. Oh so sweet. Nothing better in the world than to hear my little girl laugh and speaking of little girl, she is awake so I had better go....

Aleyah's Photo Shoot

Last Friday we had our friend Jordon take photo's of Aleyah. What a great time we had. Aleyah was so very happy to have her picture taken...well, for the most part she was happy. We have a few pictures where she is royally ticked off. Those ones are pretty precious. Jordo did such a great job of capturing how sweet our baby is. I recommend JHoffman Photography to all my family and friends. She does a great job and is priced well. Thanks go out to my momma for making the tutu that Aleyah is wearing. She did such a great job. Also, thanks go out to sister Christeansen for making the white blessing dress and thanks to Krystal and momma for making the white slip that went under her blessing dress. You guys ROCK! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Fish Pond

So, we've been working on our back yard fish pond for over a year now. It's taken a ton of work and a little bit of money. Ernie and the kids have been outside nearly every night this summer working on it and the garden. We had to take a week off when the baby was born, but finally it's done. It looks so nice and it's wonderful to hear the water running in the back yard. We have a waterfall, 1 Koi, several goldfish and 5 tadpoles. We also have several different water plants and have plans to get a few more. The kids are crazy about it and love to feed the fish. We have to remind the kids to not get on the rocks because we don't want them to fall in. We also have to tell them they can't use their fishing poles on the fish. If we are nice to them, they will feed out of our hands. I will post pictures of the pond soon.

More 5k runs

Sorry about taking so long to update the blog. I've been a tad bit busy. Here are some pictures of 2 more 5k runs that Ernie and Jonathan did. One was at the Portneuf Medical Center (the old Pocatello Hospital) and the other is at the park by the Holt Arena. I'm so proud of Jonathan and Ernie for running! They are doing such a great job and I think Jonathan will continue to run in the years to come. Enjoy!

Aleyah Annie Upshaw

After 9 long months of anticipation Aleyah Annie Upshaw made her appearance into this world. She was born Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 4:44 am. She weighed 6lbs 9oz and is 18 1/2 in long. She was delivered by emergency c-section.
All day Monday I had been having contractions. I went in for my weekly appointment with the midwives and they stripped my membranes. They were pretty sure I was going to have a baby that night. By 6pm or so I was having steady contractions every 6 minutes apart. They didn't hurt too bad and I thought I can do this. Ha! At 11:57 pm they were 2-3 minutes apart and still didn't hurt...then POP, my water broke and THEN THEY HURT! Holy crap! I've never hurt so bad in all my ENTIRE life...including that nasty episode with pancreatitus.
Midwives were informed and they said to stay home for a couple of hours but that wasn't in the cards. As it turned out it was very important for me to get to the hospital fast. She was ready to come out and in anticipation of that, already had a bowl movement. They didn't want her to breath that in.
We made it to the hospital in record time. I remember we passed a few cops on Arthur St and nothing happened. I was pretty surprised.
Anyway. Why the c-section? I was laboring for quite sometime. 20 minutes into it I do believe I asked for a c-section. Holy cow the pain, I could hardly speak or think. I didn't really want one but I did want the epidural. (I'm a chicken when it comes to pain. God made the epidural available for a reason you know.)
Baby's base heart beat was only 120 and every time I had a contraction, it would dip lower and then stay there, then dip lower, you get the picture. It dipped to below 100 and Tracy called in Dr Dyer.
At first they didn't want to do a c-section but I was dilated to just over a 5 and he said I had hours to go and baby's heart beat was too low. Emergency C-section here I come!
They prepped me and I was taken to the O.R. Holy crap it was cold in there. I remember shaking so bad I couldn't hold still. Then they needed to give me a spinal. The man told me to hold as still as I could and curl into a ball. Ha, that's a funny joke...not only am I dealing with mind numbing contractions, I'm shaking so hard that my teeth were jolting together AND in case you haven't noticed sir, my belly is HUGE. There is no room to curl into a ball! The nurse holding my hands really helped me though. We got the spinal done and within seconds I was numb from the chest down. I turned to the guy who gave me such relief and told him I loved him. I'm sure everybody laughed but by the time the pain stopped, I was so tired I could hardly pay attention. Of course the nurse tattled on me to Ernie. They guy grinned and said he was quite popular with the ladies. I can see why.
Ernie came in just moments after they started cutting. Probably a good thing I couldn't see because Ernie said they were pretty rough trying to get her out. She was born at 4:44am and just as precious as anything I've ever seen. She did look green, but it didn't matter. She was beautiful to me. They cleaned her off, weighed and measured her and then let me look for a few seconds then took her and Ernie away.
Now time for stitches. 8 LAYERS OF THEM. Oh boy. It took longer to stitch me up than it did to prep, cut me open and pull her out. By the time they finished and I got out of recovery, it was nearly 7:30 am.
I saw my family waiting in the room but I only had eyes for my little girl. She was beautiful. I'm not biased either. Some babies just aren't pretty. Mine is.
Yay she's here! What a sweet little girl God blessed our family with. She hasn't cried...yet and she is just sweet as can be. She is so alert and loves to look around at everything. I call her my little bird....probably because she is always hungry and has her mouth open.
She has been such a joy and the kids are so in love with her. They have been such a great help. Sabrina takes the dirty diapers to the garbage and Jonathan is always turning the mobile on so she can listen to the music. Both kids want to hold her and they are so very gentle. They are going to be such great older siblings.
Ernie has been awesome. From the moment my water broke to right now he has been so supportive. He helped me keep calm when the contractions were at their peek and when I was in surgery. He's helped in the middle of the night when I am so sore I can't get out of bed. He gets Aleyah out of her crib and brings her to me so I can feed her. He is such a great father. Just talking about it makes me cry. You can tell Aleyah loves him so very much.
Grandma and Grandpa Lish, my parents, just think the sun and moon revolve around her. For sure, they are going to spoil her rotten. They just can't get enough of her and love to hug and kiss on her forehead.
Papa and Gigi, Ernie's parents, came up and visited in the hospital. I do believe that Aleyah has them wrapped around her little finger as well and will be spoiled rotten by them too.
Aunts and Uncles on both sides of the family think she is beautiful and I can't help but beam in pleasure! Uncle Morgan is already lost. He grins at her and she just stares at him.
Krystal, my sister in law, was a HUGE help in the delivery room. She helped rub my back when it hurt and kept cold wash clothes ready for when I got too hot. Thanks a ton! I love you!
My mother was also a blessing. When the contractions hit their peak, she rubbed my legs and feet so they would relax. It helped so very much and I love her too!
My dad came up and helped Ernie give me a blessing. I don't recall what it said, but I know it helped me calm down and breath better. I love you daddy.
So, that is the story so far. She is a blessing straight from heaven and I will thank God the rest of my days for her.

Mini Vacations

I love vacation time. Since we didn't really want to travel with me being so hugely pregnant and the baby due any day now, we decided to take a mini vacation over Memorial Day weekend. We stayed at the Holiday Inn, went swimming, watched cartoons...kids...and ate at the restaurant. kids had a ton of fun in the pool. I got some great pictures of Jonathan drenching all within his splash/swimming range, that included people NOT in the pool. Sabrina seemed to swallow the whole pool. She hasn't quite grasped you aren't supposed to breath underwater yet. We are going to have to sign them up for more swimming lessons. Soon they will be like little fish. Despite Ernie's hatred of pictures, I got some of him helping the kids in the pool. No, you won't find pictures of me, I hate to swim with a wicked burning passion. Wrinkly fingers and toes for fun? No thanks! Perhaps in a few years we will take a real vacation. Ernie and the kids have never seen an ocean. I think they'd like that. It would be fun to start at the Oregon Coast and drive down through the Redwoods. I've never seen that part of the Cali coast. Then a little trip to Disney World or Lego Land...Hmmm...I'll have to save my pennies. Anyway, hope you all are enjoying our "summer" weather and you get a little mini vacation or the real thing. Pictures soon to come!

5K Law Day Run

Ernie has been on a kick to loose weight for the last few months. I am so proud of him. He goes to the gym nearly every day and has lost lots of weight. The most noticeable thing is the inches. He is getting skinny. I tease him that he lost it and I found it. I have a good excuse though so I don't feel so bad. Molinelli's Jewlers hosted a "Biggest Looser" event for all the employees who wanted to get healthy. The pot was $200.00 and I must say Ernie kicked butt. He won the money and lost the most weight. Every body did such a good job though and they are all looking so skinny. They are going to do another one in a couple of weeks and I'm excited to see how everybody looks at the end of those 12 weeks. Now for the 5k run. Brecken, Carole and Jeff all run. Ernie decided to try his hand at it. Then Jonathan found out what he was doing and decided he wanted to join in on the festivities. They went for a practice run last week and They ran it in 38 minutes. That's 3.2 miles. Jonathan is 7. I was quite impressed. His feet hurt after and so we decided he needed better sneakers. He broke them in all last week and this week. Today dawned WAY TOO EARLY! They got up at 6am so they could eat a good breakfast, stretch and go for a small walk before all the running began. Sabrina and I met them at the City Offices, where the race started, about 20 minutes before. It was a zoo. So many people were there. We met up with the others in our party and took some pictures. Then they were off. The shot made Sabrina jump. We left and got some hot chocolate because it was so very cold. Then we drove to Ross Park and waited on the side of the road for Ernie and Jonathan. We just made it in time to get a good picture of them. I tried to get a picture when they were crossing the finish line but my stupid camera decided to act up RIGHT THEN. Oh well. They did it! I'm so proud. Their time was 40 minutes and 2 seconds. Bet next time they beat that record. Ernie has signed up for all the 5k runs this year. Jonathan has caught the bug and I bet he will want to do it too. He has more energy than Ernie and I put together and this is a good way for him to burn it. As for Sabrina, she wants to try but she is still a little too young. We might try the 2 mile walk that's going to happen in a few months. By next year she might just be able to do the 5k. So here are the pictures. I'm so proud of them all!

Ernie's 34th Birthday!

So Ernie officially thinks he became an old man on Saturday April 24th. I assured him that he was well past an old man :) We had the kids that night and so they decided that we were going to make Homemade Lasagna and Brownies for his birthday dinner. I must admit that I over did it because we had so many leftovers we couldn't eat it all. But oh was it yummy! It was nice because that is Ernie's favorite dish. The kids got him a new wallet. He really needed a new one and I had been trying to convince him to get one. The old one was over 12 years old I believe. I gave the kids a couple of different options but I was secretly hoping for the wallet. Got my wish. The kids colored on computer paper and then we wrapped his gift in that. It was nice. On Wednesday night I took him out to dinner at Riggios. I even let him order steamers. For those of you who don't know, I am anti-seafood eating. He enjoyed his dinner and I must say it was SOOO good.

My 29th Birthday

Can you believe how time flies? I remember sitting in Senior Choir my senior year and seeing friends who had graduated come and visit. I thought they were so old. Ha. Not that I am old. I'm not. Ernie constantly reminds me that I'm still a baby. Compared to him, perhaps I am since he will be 34 on Saturday ;) My birthday was pretty great. Nothing better than sleeping in past 7am. I made a Red Velvet Cake that actually turned out super yummy. I spent the entire day reading after my doctors appointment (baby is doing just fine despite the 5lb weight loss this week). Ernie took me out to dinner to the Sandpiper. Never been there before and it was soooooo stinking good. Our neighbor Rod is the manager there and he recomended the best food. We had roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes with brea cheese and crusty bread. I want to eat that every day for the rest of my life. It was so good. We had steaks and then I got Creme Brulee for my birthday dessert. I was so stuffed by the time I got home that I didn't even eat a piece of cake. I ate it for breakfast though. It's got all the food groups from the food pyramid right? I just have to keep telling my self that. I'm great-full for all the birthday wishes from family and friends. You guys are the best a girl could have!

Monster Trucks & Pocatello Hicks!

Sabrina and I were driving to the post office and listening to Star 98.5. The DJ, Kelly Martenez said the next person to come to the UPS store and donate $5.00 to some charity would win 2 tickets to the Monster Truck show. We were at the stop light so I decided to do it. I had been thinking about buying tickets to the show because I knew the kids would enjoy going. We stopped and donated and got our tickets. I bought two more tickets from ISU and on Saturday April 17th we went to the show. The kids were crazy all day with waiting. We got to the Holt and there they were. The biggest trucks. Jonathan couldn't hold still. Sabrina was just as excited. We found our seats, unfortunately we couldn't sit together. We stayed a couple of hours. It was pure chaos there. We had ear plugs in but that didn't prevent us from hearing the roar of the engines or the screaming HICKS all around. I've never understood the appeal of monster trucks, demolition derbies or wrestling. Apparently Americans love it because the dome was completely sold out. No empty seats. Anyhow. Here are the pictures. I'm glad we went even though it was a tad bit red neck-ish of us.

My little white Dotty cat.

I had to put Dotty to sleep yesterday. Probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I say that about every animal of mine that I've had to put to sleep. She was only 9 and my best friend. I really miss her a ton.

6 month baby updates.

Hard to believe that 6 months has gone by. Baby is doing really well. We had another check up today and the heart beat is fine. She didn't much like the poking of the little wand thingy so she didn't hold still for longer than a minute. She moves often and likes to kick or elbow my bladder. It's the weirdest feeling but I love it. Makes me happy when she moves around, even when it's in the middle of the night and her jab wakes me up. We have another ultra sound scheduled for 4 weeks. Why you may ask? She wouldn't give us a picture of her face. She kept turning so her spine was in view. At least we know that part of her body is perfect for sure. We also need a better picture of her heart. Nothing to worry about though. The midwives are confident that everything is fine. Her heart beat is strong and sounds completely normal, they just want a better picture. I'm also going to have them double check to make sure she really is a girl. I'm still not convinced. Don't ask me why.
The nursery is coming together nicely thanks to our good friends Michelle and Greg. They've given us a ton of stuff including a crib and a carseat/stroller combo. They really are great! Howard and Eve have given us a ton of clothes and the cutest pair of red shoes I've ever seen. My dear sweet granny Buttars and aunt Kris have given us a ton of clothes as well. I'm going to have the best dressed little girl in the world...unless she is a he and then I'm screwed :)
Sabrina is super excited to have a little sister. She offered to let the baby sleep in her bed the other day. We didn't have the crib when she said this. I had to let her know that the baby would have her own bed and she wouldn't be able to sleep with her. She said she understood but the baby could if she wanted too. How sweet. I'm glad that she offered.
Jonathan is super excited as well. I think at first (about 10 seconds) he was sad it wasn't going to be a boy that he could play cars with. Then a big smile split his face and he was happy. He gets a big grin on his face whenever someone asks him about his new little sister. He'll be a great big brother and defend both of his sisters when they need it.
Ernie is the silent type but he seems pretty happy about the news. When we were at the ultrasound appointment he tried to look away so he wouldn't see the sex of this baby but he didn't look fast enough and baby was in a very accommodating mood. He thought he saw a boy. We had told the ultrasound tech that he didn't want to know what it was so she didn't say a single thing. After he had left she told me it was a girl and he had seen the umbilical cord. I tried to keep it a secret. He told everybody at Molinellies that it was a boy. I agreed then showed them a paper that said it was a girl and a secret. I announced it on Facebook with little concern that he would see it. He never gets on his page and even when he does, he doesn't get updates. The secret was out though because his ex-sister-in-law told him. Yes, I was and am more than a little irked. I mean really! I posted that it was a secret and to not tell him. Not exactly sure why she or any of her family was looking at my facebook page. Oh well. The cat's out of the bag now.
Mom has been a dear for the last 3 months...not me, my mom :) She just left today and I miss her already. It was fun to have her around. I've missed her over the last 5 years. She's been a great help and I can't wait till her and dad move back home. They aren't sure when that will be. Stinking railroad. They suck. At least I won't have to wait more than 3 months to see them as they will be rushing home the week I am due.
As for me...I am feeling more pregnant every day. I've got the stomach and all to prove it. Who would have thought that a tiny little baby the size of a mango (that's how big she is right now) would make a body feel so sick and so great at the same time? My sleeping habits have greatly changed. I swear I can't get enough of it. I go to bed at 8 or there about every night. Most of the time I get up at 8 or sometime right after that. I'd take a nap in the day if I could but I just can't fall asleep when the sun is shining. Not sure why. I finally got a body pillow and that seems to help with getting comfortable at night. I find that I'm really really grouchy. I'm trying to do better. I take time for just me. If chocolate is involved it's even better. I don't eat too much of it though because people say it's linked to heart burn and I've yet to have that. PLUS I don't want to get gestational diabetes. I really watch what I eat. I've had NO weird food cravings much to my husbands relief. I don't think he'd really like to go out for Chunky Monkey ice cream and corn nuts at 2 am. The only thing I can't seem to get enough of is Pineapple. I love it. But I've always loved it.
So anyhow. That is the update. It's a long one. I'm also going to post pictures from the ultrasound. They are pretty clear and one of them is so stinking cute. She is holding her finger up to her mouth. Looks like she is saying "Sshhh mom! I'm trying to sleep!" Hope you enjoy and hope all is well for you and your loved ones!

Baby blanket

So I decided a few months ago I was going to make a baby blanket. At that point in time I didn't know what I was having so I got some yellow baby yarn. I started the blanket but the motion made me so sick to my stomach I thought I'd puke....so I stopped. About 5 weeks ago I started again. I knew I was having a girl but I didn't want to make a pink blanket. So instead I decided to do a white one for her blessing day. It's taken a long time, but I finally finished it today! I'm really proud of myself for doing it. It looks good. Thanks to my good friend Mary W for teaching me the pattern all those years ago. Here are some pictures to go along.

Baby bump and Ultrasound pictures

So I thought I'd put some pictures of my ever rounding belly up. Ernie told me I wasn't allowed to complain about being fat anymore because I put the pictures up...that's what he thinks. So here they are.

Boy or Girl?

IT'S A GIRL!!!! Due June 25, 2010!!

It's about time!

So...Life has been busy with our little family. I know it's no excuse for not updating our blog so I here I go. Jonathan got great grades in Kindergarten. No surprise there. He is such a smart little boy. Can't believe how big he's gotten since I came into the picture. We celebrated Sabrina's birthday in September. She's 5 now and getting so tall. It's so strange because when we met she was 3. So weird. I've got pictures of her birthday so I will post those as soon as I get the computer working again. During the year, starting end of January I got a 2nd job at Great Harvest Bread Co. So much fun. They have really really good bread. Darn it! It was lots of fun working there. I made a ton of good friends and met some really eccentric people. In October I found out I was pregnant. Surprise! Nobody was more so than I. For over 10 years doctors had told me it would be difficult if not impossible to get that way. Once again, surprise. Obviously the Lord had much different idea in mind. So glad he did. It's been great and very hard at the same time. When I found out I cried all day long. I wasn't sad. Just in complete shock and so very happy. The weeks since then have been difficult. I quit my job at Great Harvest. I found it hard to help people and then bolt to the bathroom to heave my guts up. Working at Pampered Pets has had it's obstacles too. Smells that normally wouldn't get to me now make me sicker than a dog...every pun intended. I still enjoy working with animals though. It's great because right now I am the boss lady and I can set my hours. My customers have been very understanding as well. Most of them are women who have been pregnant and understand mornings are hard. I also have gotten used to the stares I receive when I have to pull my car over, open the door and puke in the road. If I wasn't so sick I would find the looks completely comical. Especially coming from men. I decided to go with the Nurse Midwives for baby care. My sister in law, Krystal went with them and they did such a good job and came highly recommended. I must say that so far they have given me a ton of support. I'm on a ton of medicine to help with the constant throwing up and they have made sure that me and baby are well taken care of. I am confident in them and their care of us. When we told the kids they were pretty happy. When Sabrina prays she asks for the baby to come out, or to stop making Brooke so stinking sick, or that the baby will be strong. She also asked to give me a hug the other day...then she said "Hey Brooke, guess what? When I hug you I hug the baby too huh?" or she once said "Hey Brooke....you are either having a boy or it's a girl." She is so funny. She wants a sister but I think she'd be fine with a boy. Jonathan is more the silent type but he's still excited. He told me he doesn't want a stinking girl. He want's a boy to play cars with. So funny. Either way they are both excited to be big brother and big sister. Any way....I think it's a boy. Not sure why. Just do. I guess in February we will find out. Baby Upshaw is due June 27, 2010. Can't wait. On another happy note. Mom and dad got called home! Yay! That means no more Nebraska. I know they will miss the people there but this is what they have wanted for so long. They should be home by December 17th. When mom heard the news she started packing and had most of it done that night. I guess she's a tad excited too. I'm glad they will be home soon. I've missed them madly and it will be nice to have family for Christmas. Anyway, that's our life the last few months. I'll try to keep it up from now on.

Lagoon 2009

Lance and Julie B gave us 4 tickets to Lagoon last summer. I know it's been a long time coming but here are the pictures from that day. It was so much fun and sooo hot. The kids had a blast. I thought Sabrina would shy away from the big rides. Oh no! She was crazy about them. Laughed like a loon. Jonathan got a little scared on the ride that shot you up and dropped you down. The look on his face was priceless. The kid setting next to him kept trying to calm him down. I didn't go on some of the rides because I am CHICKEN. Yes, I can admit it. After the long day at Lagoon we went and spent some time with my grandma Buttars and aunt Kris. It was really nice seeing them and they were so sweet with the kids. After that we went to dinner with Ernie's brother and sister-in-law Dwaine and Robin. We ate at the Lone Star. It's a steak place in Centerville. So yummy. By the time we left it was late and even later when we got home. Kids slept like a rock on the ride home. So did I. Any how, it was a great day and we are very thankful that Lance and Julie gave us the tickets!