The dead bird

The other day the kids found a dead bird on the back porch. I think maybe it flew into the window or something. Then two days later we found another one.... weird. Of course they wanted to hold it so we got out a clothes pin and we were in business.

The girls wanted to find out what kind it was so we looked it up in our bird book and they think it was a Scott's Oriole. They were so worried about it. It was so funny!

Josie's Preschool program

Josie LOVED preschool this year!!! She loved coming home and teaching everything she had learned to Charlie. She sure learned a lot and will miss her friends and teachers. She did great in her little program.

This is her BEST buddy Izak!

Josie loves Miss Dana and Grandma Barbara and is

already excited for next year when she can go back!

Josie's Gymnastics

Since the begining of the year Josie has been doing gymnastics and she LOVES it. I asked her what her favorite thing to do at gymnastics was and I was thinking she would say the balance beam or the bars or something but she said "just talking to all my friends". And boy is that all she did! She learned a lot and talked more! But is was fun for me to go and watch her.

I love her in the little leotards.

Look at all those cute litte girls!

She likes doing the balance beam... ... because she gets to jump in the pit at the end of the beam.

All Josie's CUTE gymnastics friends!

(Tessa, Eliza, Lily, Ella, Ruby and Josie)

I love Springtime!

As you all know by now I am terrible at keeping my blog up to date. We have done a lot of fun things this Spring. I love when the weather starts to get warmer, when you can do fun things outside again and spend time as a family. These are all the things that mean Springtime is here for me...

Scoccer! The kids loved going to the Real game.

Hair cuts outside in the backyard.



Planting seeds and flowers.

Being outside together as a family.

Hockey playoffs.

Easter outfits.

Rolling down big hills.

Playing basketball.

Cute babies with sun hats.

Easter egg hunts.

Flying kites.

I just loved this picture Springtime or not.

Nightly baths to get all the dirt off.

Hanging on the beach.

Show and tell at school.

None of the boys wanted to touch Mr. Butters.

Spring skiing.

Enjoying the sun!!!

I can't wait for summer!!!

Lunch for Frances

Frances loves to eat!!! She is such a great eater. The other day I was getting ready to feed her some lunch and I had put her in her high chair, gotten her food out, opened and ready to feed her when something happened and I got distracted. But when I came back in the kitchen....

...this is what I saw! Charlie looked at me and said "feeding baby momma". He had climbed up on the stool and decided to feed her lunch. He sat and talked to her the whole time he was feeding her. It was so funny and cute to watch them.

Like the rest of us, he could not keep his mouth closed as he feed her.

I was laughing out loud watching him.

She thought it all was so funny! They both giggled the whole time!


It is so great to see the cute little relationship the kids have with each other.

I love them all!!!!

Josie and the scissors!!!!!

So Josie had a little fun with the scissors the other day!!!!!! She has been using her kid scissors for ever and knows the #1 rule... that you ONLY can cut paper with scissors. Then for some reason she decided to cut her darling hair. She was playing quietly in her little princess tent and then the next thing we know she is about to cry. She went up to Charles on the verge of tears and said "I cut my hair and I probably should have left it the way it was." She was pretty upset that she had done it. Hopefully that will help her to remember to NEVER do it again. Oh well... it will grow back.

You can see in these pictures how crazy it was. Really short in some places with a few longer stragglers on top.

We took her to try to get it "fixed". It is so short but so cute and she LOVES it. I guess she will just have to get used to headbands and bows so people will know that she is a girl. I almost cried when I watched it all getting cut off. But now at least it will all grow back the same length.

She was so excited to show it off to her daddy! She told me that she knew that he would love it, and he does.

Good thing that she has a big personality to pull it off! She will be wearing a lot of dresses from now on! :)

4 years later...

I know that every mother says this but... I can't believe that my little girl is 4!!! She is everything to me!!! After waiting 6 years to get her into our family, she is more than I ever could have imagined she would be. She is adorable, funny, kind, spunky, social and perfect! She makes my life so happy. I love her more and more each day as she grows and learns.

Any one who knows Josie knows that she LOVES animals. So Charles came up with this great idea to get her a pet.... a pet rat. As we researched rats as pets we both decided that it would be a perfect gift for her. She was shocked and surprised and soooooooooooooo excited!!! Of course she assumed that he was a she and wanted to name him Butterfly. When we told her that he was a boy she decided to call him Butters which has turned into Mr. Butters.

She was pretty nervous to even touch him at first, but that lasted a whole few minutes. Now she carries him around like he is her little baby.

Charlie has gotten over his nervousness too.

Josie loves to go bowling for her birthday. We have gone twice in the last two years and it was for her 3rd and 4th birthdays. It is so fun with the kids. This year Brighton, Josies big cousin came with us. I think their favorite part is waiting and watching the balls come back.

Brighton is really a great bowler for only being 7.

Charlie LOVED it! Anything with any type of ball he loves.

He would get SOOOOOO excited when the pins would fall.





Josie wanted to do it all by her self now that she is 4 years old.

We all had so much fun!

One cake and one party down.

Josie really wanted a Fiesta for her birthday, so having all the Pinegar's and Patten's over was a HUGE fiesta!!! She borrowed a "fiesta" dress from her cousin Tori. She felt so beautiful and special in it.

What's a fiesta without a pinata?

What a fiesta it was! She told me that she was so excited for the Patten's and the Pinegar's to meet. :) She loves them all so much!

Happy Birthday sweet Josie!! We love you!!!