Taneal and Audrey are Baptized

Taneal was baptized on Saturday with her cousin, Audrey. Taneal turned 8 in February but decided to wait to be baptized until Audrey turned 8 in May so they could be baptized together. Audrey lives about 2 miles from us, is in a different ward, but in the same stake.

We took Taneal and Audrey to a studio to have their baptismal pictures made in the beautiful dresses Becky (Audrey's mom) found for the girls. I think they felt like princesses. They sure looked it.

It is hard to believe Taneal is 8 and old enough to make such special covenants. She knows right from wrong and was so excited to be baptized. She felt the spirit during her baptismal service. On the way home, she told Evan "that was fun! I like being baptized." I'm glad it was a special experience for her. She is such a wonderful daughter. She is always making such great choices. She is very mindful of how people feel and shows compassion even when that is not the popular thing to do. I have been so blessed to have Taneal in my home and as the oldest because she is such a special spirit and is a great example to her younger siblings.

Taneal was excited to have many come to her baptism. With my family only living a few hours away, My parents, Dorias and Mark and their 4 children, Rob and Beth and their 4 children, Charles, and my Aunt Cookie (from Utah) were able to come. Evan's parents and three of his brothers flew in for the occasion. It was so wonderful for everyone to come and show support. When the Bishop was welcoming Taneal and Audrey into the ward following their baptism and confirmation, he asked Taneal and Audrey to stand up and turn around and look at everyone that was in the room. The room was packed. Taneal really took in just how many people were there because of her.

And to show just how special Taneal is, she already on the ball and wrote of the experience in her journal.

Taneal and Audrey sang "I am a Child of God" after their baptism and Becky played the violin and I played the piano.

Spencer's 2nd Birthday

My little boy turned 2! He had such a fun birthday. He is into Cars right now, so I thought I would decorate a Lightening McQueen birthday cake. He knew what it was! He got some Cars toys and loved them. The only problem is he got too many. He needed to only get 1. He didn't want to open any more presents for a while because he had what he wanted. After a little while we convinced him to open more of his gifts and he was pretty happy. He held onto those toys because he wanted them and didn't want anyone to take them away. After we got home he was trying to pick up all his toys and his hands just weren't big enough to hold them all. As he would pick up another car he would drop one and get so mad. He was sure one of his sisters were going to take the toys from him. Maybe that has to do with the birth order, being the littlest and always having older siblings take things from you? It was so sad to watch him so afraid to put any toy down. After about a half hour being home and realizing nobody would take his toys, he finally lined them up on the group and played with them.

Back to Spencer's cake. He was able to blow out his own candles! How cute is that! My little boy is growing up and just in time because soon Spencer will be a big brother!

This is a picture if Spencer on the way home holding onto the some of the cars he got. It was hard to get him buckled into his car seat because he wouldn't alternate hands to get the straps around him.

Happy birthday, Spencer!

This is a video of Spencer blowing out his candles.

If you want to see Spencer opening up some of his presents, watch this video.

Brutally Honest

Children are known for being very honest, right? I think my Danielle is included in that.

This last weekend I was patiently waiting for Danielle to finish up her business in the bathroom so I could help her finish up, and I was leaning up against the counter. Of course my belly is getting very large these days. I pointed out to Danielle to "check out how big my belly was getting." She looked at it and then said, "Yeah, and your bum is getting pretty big, too."

Don't you just love the brutal honesty of a three-year-old?

Those worn out tennis shoes!

Spencer loves to ride his trike. I've posted before about his love of his trike. The thing about Spencer and his trike is he is super fast, but won't use the pedals. This means he uses the toes of his shoes to make him go. About two months ago he outgrew his tennis shoes and needed a new pair. We went to the store and I picked out about three different shoes that I liked, tried them on him, and he couldn't kick his feet fast enough and shout "off" for me to remove those things from his feet. I decided to try on a pair that were identical to the smaller ones he had that were needing replaced (and not so stylish). These new ones looked like the "big white tennis shoes" that in High School my friend Heather and I would joke about that only "Utahans" would wear (only the missionaries from Utah wore those kinds and please, if you are from Utah and reading this, don't take offense. I was just a High Schooler and pretty much brainless, although every time I see white tennis shoes I think of this). And here I was trying them on my son. He loved them and so we ended up buying them. Don't children always make you eat your words?

Within about a week the shoes were already looking pretty worn. In about another week he had worn a hole in the toe. It was small but still a hole. By a month they were definitely needing replaced, but I was not about to buy him another pair of shoes because he would just wear a hole in those as well.

It was last week that I realized that regardless of how quickly he would wear another hole into new tennis shoes, he needed new ones. It was when he came inside from riding his trike and Evan took off his shoes. Evan called me in to "take a look". Spencer had worn a hole clean through the pair of socks he was wearing! It wasn't just a little hole, the toes of the sock was missing. So, yesterday we took a trip to the shoe store and he is now sporting another pair of shiny new shoes (not so white this time) that will probably not last too long, but at least his toes will survive. The trick will be to teach Spencer the appropriate way to ride his trike.

Mother's Day Tea

A week before, Camie sent home an invitation to a Mother's Day Tea with the kindergartners. Camie was so excited. She had been practicing songs that she wouldn't sing to me because they were a surprise, she kept asking me different questions of food I liked because they were going to be preparing the food for the tea. She assured me there were other options to drink then tea because of course we don't drink tea.

The morning of the Mother's Day Tea, she said in her prayers to "please bless that Mom won't forget to come to school today for the Mother's Day Tea." I don't think I really would have forgotten that, but maybe I had given her reason for concern. She also picked out my clothes. I wanted to wear a white skirt but Camie insisted I wear this pink shirt with denim capris.

I showed up at the school early and realized I had forgotten my camera. I would have been late if I had run home to get the camera. One of my friends, Valerie, was nice enough to take some pictures for me. The kindergartners sang to us and then we were escorted to the classrooms. There Camie had decorated a table setting and had plates and napkins all in place. All over the room were different things the children had written and drawn about their mom.

This is the card that Camie made for me. Remember it is written phonetically. Camie was so polite and happy. It was a wonderful tea party and I loved being able to spend it with Camie.

This is a picture of Camie and her wonderful teacher. I couldn't have asked for a better kindergarten teacher.

This is Camie right before the performance at the beginning.

We're on a first-name basis

All of my children call me "mom". They have always called me that and have never thought to call me anything but that.

Then came Spencer. It started with Spencer calling Evan by his first name. It was kind of cute, but we still corrected him with "Dad". This started about a month or so ago. Why would he think to call Evan by his first name when all his sisters call him "Dad". It began by calling "Dad" and then when Evan didn't answer, Spencer called him "Evan" in hopes of getting his attention.

About two weeks ago I realized that Spencer was calling me by my first name. I thought I always answered him when he said "mom", so I couldn't figure out why he was using my first name. I have always loved the way little children try to say "Stephenie" because it is usually slaughtered pretty bad, but none-the-less adorable. As was the case with Spencer. Of course lately he has thrown out the "mom" and "dad" altogether and we are completely on a first name basis, regardless of our efforts to correct him.

This was really brought to my attention yesterday when we were at the neighborhood pool swimming together as a family. Evan had Spencer is his arms and the girls were swimming all over the pool. I was somewhat close to Spencer when he said, "Steph!" I have never had a child call me by that! It took me by surprise.

It is funny the things kids do. He is not following his sisters in this first-name thing, he is being his own little self. I love seeing his personality and his independence emerge now that he is approaching 2. Hopefully this first name thing is a phase, and I will enjoy it (and tolerate it)while it lasts.

Yogurt

Some people think I am crazy, some think its cool, I call it being cheep with some added nutrition.

Yes, I make my own yogurt.

I make a gallon of yogurt each week.

My children love it.

A few years ago I was visiting my brother, Dan, and he had me try his homemade yogurt, vanilla flavor. I was so impressed. His son has an allergy of some sort to food dyes and homemade yogurt became a new staple in their house. Dye free, less sugar, and healthier then the yogurt you can buy in the stores.

Making yogurt is quite simple. I have been making it for about 3 years now. You only need a few supplies:

1 gallon thermos

digital thermometer

1 gallon milk (2% or whole)

1/2 - 1 cup powdered milk

2 -3 dollops yogurt culture (I buy Dannon's plain)

sugar (optional)

flavoring (also optional, I use 2 dye-free kool-aide packets, or vanilla)

You bring 1 milk and powdered milk to 170 degrees. Cool the milk to 115-120 degrees. Pour into the gallon thermos and screw on the lid. Let sit on the counter for 6 hours and you are done!

Probably more then you wanted to know about making yogurt, but I figure I save about $12/week and my family can eat as much yogurt as they want.

My new love

Oreos dipped in milk have been my favorite cookie since I can remember.

Sometimes I think I can eat the whole package in one sitting, but I resist.

I love oreos.

I saw they came out with a new kind a while ago. Mint Oreos.

I stuck with the original.

Most times when I try something new, I wish I had stuck with the original.

I thought I would try them.

I bought two packages: one original and one the mint kind.

If I didn't like them, my kids and hubby would eat them. Nothing to loose.

I LOVED them!

I ate the whole package myself.

I resisted: two sittings!

A True Mom

This is the look Spencer gives quite often when he has something on his tongue. He sticks his tongue out and then comes to me and proceeds to wipe his tongue on whatever I am wearing. I'm not sure what he usually has on his tongue, maybe a piece of fuzz or a small hair, or just something he doesn't think tastes very good. Sometimes he comes from outside with dirt on his tongue and promptly wipes it on me. Evan doesn't seem to work as well as I do. Funny things about kids and the things we put up with.

What is funny to me is that I know my kids are growing up when they no longer ask me to get thinks off their tongue (or wipe their tongue onto me). I actually find it sad that they no longer come to me to help them with their tongue problems. Do they really have to give up their innocence and grow up? So, although it may be kind of gross, Spencer keep the tongue wiping coming because then I know you are still my little boy.

Zofran

Yes, I am still taking the blessed drug, Zofran. I am also thankful for the zofran that disintegrates on my tongue. No swallowing and gagging. I have not needed anything with my other pregnancies. For some reason, this pregnancy decided to test my gaging and throwing up skills to the limit. Usually the nausea goes away completely by week 16. I am now 26 weeks and still throwing up if I don't take the Zofran. Other then the normal tiredness of pregnancy and the need for Zofran, I feel great. Baby moves and kicks, although not as much as some of my others. He uses my bladder as a trampoline, and the contractions have started. Everything is going great. So why do I still need the zofran?

The Ward Camp Out

We camped out about two weeks ago for the ward camp out. Yes, I am just now getting around to posting about it. We had a lot of fun. We showed up to the campsite just before suppertime. We ate grilled hot dogs with watermelon and chips. The kiddos had a ball!



Evan set up the tent and equipped all our kids with flashlights. That was a hit. As it got dark, they had so much fun. We sat by the fire visiting with members from our ward. I thought it was a pretty good turn-out. Evan took all the kids to the tent around 9:30 and got them to sleep. I stayed up until around 1am visiting. It was fun. Sometime between when I went to bed and sunrise, it rained. It rained for a while 'cause I needed to make a visit to the ladies room (we pitched our tent fairly close as this was a requirement for me to go camping pregnant). I didn't want to go out in the rain but was so worried that I would fall asleep and have one of those dreams that I was using the bathroom and really just go in my sleeping bag.



That would be embarrassing.



The hammock that Evan set up was a hit. I think all the kids from the camp out played on it nearly the entire time. They swung each other around and around and around. They were pretty disappointed when it was time to pack up and take it down.



We were pretty dirty but had a lot of fun.

Camie's surgery

Camie's surgery went very well. Thank you for all your prayers. Camie is simply amazing. She has such a happy and resilient spirit. We had to wait in the hospital before the surgery for about two hours fasting, and Camie was joking and laughing and playing games with me. She wasn't nervous at all. She had general anesthesia and did very well. The surgery took about 35 minutes. The doctor repaired the scar on her chin which was a "j" shape and made it a straight line. She doesn't have stitches on the outside, steri strips are holding it together. She has been wonderful. She was excited to ride in a wheel chair to the car. It took valet parking 45 minutes to get our car so Camie learned to turn circles and maneuver in the wheel chair. On the way home she kept making comments about how they should have let us take the wheel chair home.



Camie doesn't seem to be hurting. The only problem we are having is finding things for her to eat. She has to drink from a straw. The doctor emphasized the importance of keeping her chin dry. No eating anything that might slop or drip. That includes most foods for Camie. Last night for supper we had Spaghetti with Chicken fried steak strips and marinara sauce (Thanks Becky!). We cut the strips up very small so Camie wouldn't have to chew much, and she started bleeding, dripping blood. I just have to figure out what is soft enough to chew that won't drip. She ended up having green beans and a bowl of fruit cocktail. I think we will try a milkshake and fries for lunch today. breakfast was difficult. She had only fruit cocktail. I don't think her appetite is back, because usually she can eat more. I think I will keep her home from school until we can figure out this eating thing.



What amazes me in this whole experience is Camie's attitude. She has been blessed with such an upbeat spirit. She has been so strong and happy. I often wonder why this whole dog bite experience has been such a hard thing for me to deal with. It hasn't seemed to hardly phase Camie. But for me, a day doesn't go by that I don't replay the whole attack and thank my Heavenly Father that Camie came out of the situation without more injuries or even worse. We have been blessed.



Camie asked me if I was going to take a picture of her and post it on my blog. I told her only if she wanted me to. I wasn't planning on it. She said to go ahead and take a picture and post if because everyone would probably want to know how she was doing. She can't smile because it makes her bleed. Camie, you are so strong!

Camie is having surgery

Two summers ago, just after we moved from Utah, a few weeks after Spencer was born, Camie was attacked and mauled by a dog. She was four years old. The dog was on a leash and the owner couldn't control it. The dog bit her face pretty bad and we ended up riding the ambulance to the hospital. They were able to put her face back together remarkably well. I don't think most people would even realize she had injuries on her face.

She has a scar on her chin that will pucker more and more as her face continues to grow. We took her to a pediatric plastic surgeon and he said it needed repaired. We got a second opinion with the same diagnosis.

So, Camie goes in for surgery this week. It should be a very minor surgery and she will not need any more. She will be put under anesthesia. Please keep her in your prayers as I am very nervous about the anesthesia part. I haven't told her this is happening. I don't want her to be worried. I will tell her a day or so before it happens. She is a pretty tough girl. Amazingly tough. After the accident, she was all stitched up and had just gone through a huge ordeal, and as we walked to the car, she was a little "put out" because the ambulance didn't get to take her home. Oh how I love Camie and her resilient spirit.

Here is a picture of Camie a few days after the accident.

To snap or not to snap, that is the question?

This morning, I loaded my children into the car while it was parked in the garage with the door still shut. You see, I have better control this way. Spencer can't take off on his tricycle and Danielle can't go out front and admire the flowers while I am trying to desperately get everyone loaded. Much more control. After everyone is buckled, I open the garage door and slowly pull out.

Same this morning. Only this morning after pulling out into the street, I noticed something running from my driveway into my grass. Another reason for loading the kids into the van the way I do is sometimes there are loose dogs that run into my garage and greet us while trying to get loaded. After Camie's attack, we aren't too fond of dogs. Anyways, at first I thought maybe it was a smaller dog running. Then I realized it was a turtle that had probably been sitting on my driveway in the shade and when I backed out I scared it and it took off running! I just barely missed hitting the thing! I didn't know turtles could run that fast! No wonder the tortoise beat the hare! This turtle was probably the size of a basketball. I hopped out of the car, let the kids get out to look at this turtle, and ran in to grab my camera.

I wasn't sure what kind of turtle it was, it had the pointed head that I thought indicated a snapping turtle. I wasn't really sure, so I told the kids to stay away. I grabbed my bat and poked at the thing, and sure enough it was indeed a snapping turtle. I'm glad I had the kids stay away from it because I've heard that those type turtles are dangerous and can snap toes right off. The can also be very aggressive, which is how they survive and get so big.

And it was in my driveway! Then on my front lawn. I don't live in a swamp. I live in a quiet subdivision with commerce all around!

Welcome Owen!

Congratulations to Gerberta and Allen (Evan's brother) on the birth of their 9th child, Owen Royce.

Welcome Eliza

Congratulations to Nancy (Evan's sister) and Larry. Eliza was born weighing 8 pounds 1 ounce and 19 inches long. Eliza is Nancy and Larry's first child. Welcome to the world of parenting! We are so excited for you.

Seth got his mission call!

Last night we received a call from Evan's sister, Rachel. They were gathered at Evan's sisters' (Reyna) house to open Seth's mission call. They were rounding everyone up by coming to the house, and those who couldn't come over, like us (they are in Utah), via cell phone. I think they had 6 cell phones sitting on the coffee table with Evan's siblings connected. Trying to round up 16 siblings isn't easy. Evan comes from a family of 16 children. Seth is #14. (Sorry about the out-of-date picture, this is the best one I could find)

It was pretty exciting. Evan had our phone on speaker while Taneal, Camie, and Danielle sat on the edge of Taneal's bed listening to Seth read the call. Of course when he said he was going to Taiwan speaking Mandarin, they all had a confused look on their face. We told them it was near China and Taneal's eyes got big. It was a very special moment and so fun that even though we are over a thousand miles away and one of such a large family, we were still able to participate in this moment. Seth will enter the MTC on August 6th.

Congratulations Seth! We are so excited for you!

Big Juds in Idaho

When I lived in Rexburg, Idaho, (I attended Ricks College, now called BYU Idaho)there was this restaurant called "Big Juds". At this restaurant they served enormous burgers. If you could finish one of these burgers all by yourself, they took your picture and hung it on the wall. The burgers are big, but with all the young bucks attending Ricks College, a lot of them were set on impressing their dates, so there were a lot of pictures on the wall. This week my parents are in Idaho visiting Charles and Eric, Angela, and Aaron (Charles and Eric are my brothers). I guess they heard of this place a little way out of town and decided to check it out. They emailed me this picture of my nephew, Aaron, and I thought it was a great picture.

I think I only went to Big Juds once or twice, and could only eat a quarter of the burger. Of course now that my appetite has increased, especially when I am nursing a baby, I am very certain I could eat the whole thing!

A little more uncertainty

I was recently given a new route for visiting teaching. Well, seeing as the month is nearing to an end, I decided I had better get on the ball and do my visiting teaching. Today I was visiting with this sister who has lived in the area for over 30 years, and I have been in the local area for about 9 months, she asked me how I liked my doctor. I had to think about that for a minute. My response was, "I don't know".

I started seeing the most sought out doctor in the area (at least it seems to be that way, everyone I talk to goes to this doctor), the one that at least half my ward sees and recommends. I have been seeing him since the very beginning of my pregnancy and he has been a fantastic doctor. His bedside manner is wonderful, I have learned things about pregnancy that in all my previous pregnancies I never learned. I was very confident about him as a doctor and excited that I found such a wonderful doctor. Then the practice went and hired a midwife. This was very exciting since I want to have this baby without an epidural. But after having my last baby without an epidural and it was a very challenging experience, I am very aware that having a midwife to coach me through the intense labor could be very helpful. So, I switched to the midwife last month. I was excited about this decision. I would still deliver at the hospital, just with the help I felt I would be needing.

Two weeks ago I received a letter in the mail stating that the doctor that I liked so much would be leaving the practice and moving out-of-town. Last week I found out that the midwife was not approved to deliver at the hospital, at least not yet. Now I'm without a doctor. I can still see another doctor in the practice, but it leaves me starting all over again. Why is this such a big deal to me? Good question. Everyone else seems to be fine with a new doctor. Why can't I be fine with this?

I guess it is just a little more uncertainty to add to my list . . .

Apostle Song

This video was sent to me in an email. My kiddos really enjoyed watching it . . .

Baptism Journals

A few weeks after I moved to my new house I was called to be a counselor in the Primary in my ward. For those of you who have no idea what I just said, I was asked to serve with the children in my church. In some wards (churches) this may not be a big deal, but in my ward it is huge. Usually there is only a president and two counselors and a secretary. In my ward the president was allowed to have a third counselor, which was well needed. To give you an idea, back in January the statistics for my ward were 42% of my ward was under the age of 18 years. At that time there were 44 children under the age of 18 months! By December, our nursery will have 50 children. Our Primary is quite big. We have around 100-120 children that attend Primary each Sunday, most of them in junior primary. We have the most wonderful primary I have ever seen. I feel like we are a "Provo" away from Utah. We are kind of like a little bit older BYU ward.

So to the point of my title. This year we are having 12 children baptized. This is such an exciting time and a wonderful experience. As a Presidency, we wanted to do something for each of the children (and still stay within our budget) to help this experience be memorable for them. I made this baptism journal for the CTR 8 class this year. It took a lot of time and I had help. Thanks to Becky and Jana for catching my mistakes and offering ideas and to Malcolm for doing the binding cost effectively (free). At the end of each journal is about 50 blank, lined pages that we pass around at the baptism for people to write a message. The remainder of the pages are for the child to use as a journal.

Anyway, it was a big project, with left margins and right margins, double sided pages, and way too much thinking, but I was pleased with the results. I ended up making 30 of them. Taneal won't be baptized until June, but she really likes the journal and the children that have so far received the journal have enjoyed them, too.

Home Depot Saturdays

The Home Depot here does a free children's "make and take" project one Saturday a month. It is a very fun activity for the kiddos. This month Evan got the kids up and called Becky (sister-in-law) to see if the cousins wanted to go to Home Depot with my kids. Of course Tyler and Audrey were happy to go and avoid shopping with their mom and brother. Evan left Spencer at home with me and he took Danielle, Camie, Taneal, Audrey, and Tyler all to Home Depot for a fun activity. They were able to make flower/planter boxes. So, after they hammered away, they went to the garden section and bought potting soil and flowers. They came home and helped Evan plant their flowers in their newly constructed flower boxes. It was a very fun activity. Go Dad!

And the results are . . .

Can you tell what we are having from the first picture?


The second picture is a profile picture and gives no indication to what we are having.

As Evan and I were walking into the doctors office for the ultrasound, I asked Evan what he thought we were having. He said he was sure we were having a girl. Deep down I knew that, too. We are so good at having girls, why we would we have another boy? And look at how cute our girls turn out! We really are good at it. So, when the ultrasound tech showed a picture of the baby's abdomen and was measuring it, I thought I saw something down lower. Evan thought he saw it too, but I didn't remember seeing such detail on Spencer. Then, the tech announced that we were having a BOY!!! I asked her how certain she was and she said she was very certain that it was a boy. Check out the first picture and see if you can see what we saw. We are so excited. A girl would have been great, too, but I am so happy that Spencer will be getting a brother instead of another sister that will convince him he needs his nails painted and lipstick!

A Bride Most Begrudging

No, I'm not talking about me. I've been married twelve years! The girls in my neighborhood recently read this book for book club, and I finally got around to reading it, only a month or two too late! I started reading in in car-pool line Friday afternoon and I finished it last night (Saturday). It was very entertaining and clean. If you are looking for a good read, try this one.

Here is a brief overview of the beginning of the book:

In Deanne Gist’s debut novel, A Bride Most Begrudging, the reader is transported to 1643 and follows the path of Lady Constance Morrow who, in the beginning of the novel, is attempting to say farewell to an uncle who is to be deported for loyalties to the King. England is in the beginning grip of the Civil War, and royalist sentiments are squelched with ferocious authority. But before Constance is able to leave the ship, she is abducted by the captain, a practice not uncommon in the day, and is forced to become a “tobacco bride” - a woman sold to a male colonist as a bride for 150 pounds of tobacco.

yummmmmy . . . .

The Humphery's family has had us over for dinner for Hawaiian Haystacks and Taneal could not stop talking about how wonderful they were and wouldn't it be great if I could make Hawaiian Haystacks the same way. Of course Taneal quickly threw in that mine were good, but the Humpherys' were so, so, so good. I finally got the recipe and tonight we are having the famous Hawaiian Haystacks for supper. Hopefully Taneal won't be disappointed!

Hawaiian Haystacks
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 tsp curry
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

In saucepan melt butter. Add flour and stir-will be lumpy. Quickly add milk and chicken broth and then rest of ingredients. Stir with whisk over medium heat until it thickens. Add shredded or chopped chicken (2-4 breasts). Serve over rice with any toppings you like- tomatoes, celery, cucumber, olives, onions, green pepper, chow mien noodles, cheese, pineapple, mandarin oranges!

Spencer Talking

Spencer is taking his own sweet time in talking, but finally coming around. He says too many words to list, and communicates with me very well. He repeats anything, and is so much fun to hear. He knows a lot of names and says them very well. In our family, he pronounces his sister's names a little different, leaving off the first consonant, only because he learned our names when he was first learning to talk. He can say those sounds, but he calls us what he has been calling us since the beginning and refuses to conform. Check out the video of him saying our names. The one that is the most hilarious is Camie's name. He can say "cat" and "cow" with the "c", but when it comes to saying "Camie" with a "c", he just won't do it. He is so funny!

Is it a girl or a boy?

I am having my ultrasound next Tuesday, April 8th. Hopefully we will find out what we are having. I have been wrong with all my other babies 100% of the time. We did not find out with Camie what we were having, but I was sure she was a boy. Wrong on that one. I have a feeling I am having a girl, but that could just be I am so used to having girls. I really would like a boy because I would love for Spencer to have a brother. What do you think? Take the pole to the right and lets see what everyone thinks!

Bonnie and Grammy came to visit

Bonnie came to visit with my mom. Bonnie is a nurse in Las Vegas. It had been about a year since I had seen her. It was fun to have them come visit. THe kiddos really enjoyed their visit, too. Bonnie was as beautiful as always!



We went to a party place that had an all-you-can-eat buffet, which included all the ice cream you wanted. The kiddos loved the food and had a great time on all the indoor activities. Taneal rode the indoor roller-coasted and did not like it at all. She didn't realize it, but she was so scared she started crying. After she got off, she didn't realize she had been crying. I felt so bad I had talked her into riding it.

Bonnie did not want to kiss Spencer. But how do you resist a cute little boy that comes puckered and ready for a kiss?