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Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Catching Up!

Wow, it has been awhile since I've last posted. Being on Facebook has pulled my attention away from updating my blog as much.

A recap of sorts since my last post in July:

  • My three oldest started their new school after we moved in September. Sarah started 5th grade, Adam 3rd grade and Jack 1st grade.

  • Sarah and Adam had to get glasses the beginning of November, which places five of our seven immediate family members in specs.

  • Grace turned 4 years old, Nov. 4th

  • Ben turned 2 years old, Nov. 23rd

  • We had really nice weather and it waited to snow until December, which is rare here.

  • Sarah won $100 in a contest from a magazine. She gets to have her photo placed in the March issue.
Which takes me to today and the big snow storm we are in the middle of. So far we have 10 inches and the kids had a snow day off from school, which was fun for us all since Dan also didn't work today. Instead Dan, Sarah, Adam and Jack worked on building an awesome snow hill track in our backyard and we all got to test it out. I am not much of a sledder, but this was fun.

Christmas is coming soon followed by the New Year 2010. Hopefully I can keep up with my blog posts more often.






Monday, July 13, 2009

new look times two!

Just messing around with banners and such so I decided to make a new look for my blogs by changing the backgrounds and creating new headers. I also have a few new posts on my photography blog...http://www.laisydaisephotography.blogspot.com

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Blog neglect

Well, it's been awhile and I haven't posted because of a combination of things such as little time, no desire, and last time I tried to post pictures blogger was down. Also, when I get this behind it is hard to catch up and keep going so today I am just going to post some pictures of missed past events. May 8th, Adam turned 8, June 18th, Sarah turned 10! I still can't believe she is 10, and some crazy hat pictures! These are all repeats if you are my friend on Facebook, so sorry about that. We have been having VBS this week at our church and had a very special guest. Laura the elephant or "ELLA-FELL-ANT" as Grace pronounces it! Also, the biggest spider I have ever seen, in my front yard! YUCK!! Enjoy!

Adam turning 8
Sarah turning 10
Me and the kids with our VBS shirts onLaura the "ella-fell-ant"Biggest spider I have ever seen! I totally freaked, look how close Dan's thumb is to it, EEK!

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Visit to Great Grandma's

This picture below makes me mad because I forgot to change my lens and used my prime lens on fully auto mode which used the smallest aperture for lighting causing the shallow depth of field which of course means anything beyond the point of focus is blurry so Sarah, Adam, Jack and Grace are blurry, and Sarah and Adam are extremely blurry. UGH! This was the last picture I took too because my battery died. So I couldn't change lenses and try again. Plus Dan and Grandma were done getting their pictures taken by this time. I see now where Dan gets his aversion to camera's from. :D This is Dan's grandma (his dad's mom) by the way in case you didn't guess by that last sentence. Grandma has an awesome chair that uses a controller to recline. Ben thought it looked cool as a phone!

I love this picture. Ben loves to give out kisses and of course that made Grandma's day.



Jack telling Grandma about what he's been learning in school.



Grace watching Grandma with love in her heart!



All five with Great Grandma Al!






Ben relaxing on Grandma's lap!







Thursday, April 23, 2009

I'm back...well sorta

So if there is anyone who actually follows my blog anymore especially since I've been MIA for so long, this update is for you. Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since Jack's 6th birthday way back in January. Anyhoo, here we go:



We sold our house back the end of January and moved out the day before we took a family vacation Out West that lasted nearly a month. When we returned we started the search for a new house during which time I turned 30 on March 27th and Dan and I celebrated 12 years of marriage on April 12th. We've now finally found something that will suite us for a few years. We should close on the new house and move in sometime in May (next month) which is also Adam's 8th birthday.



So pretty boring stuff, eh? Now you know why I haven't updated my blog. I'm not good at making things sound awesome enough or should I say blog worthy plus I've been rather busy taking care of five kiddos and reading that I haven't had time or rather made the time to post. I'm not sure if I will continue to update often here since I've started a Facebook account. I seem to have attached myself to that since I can stalk my friends by watching their status updates and get my fix that way without straining my brain with boring things to say about myself. I will continue however to occasionally lerk around here checking up on blogs that I follow.



Here is a picture for all those interested in seeing how my kids have grown. This was taken Easter this year. Jack wasn't actually mad in this picture, he was just trying to make a funny face and of course Ben was trying to excape.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Happy Birthday Jack!


Today Jack turns 6! I can't believe he is already that old. He is doing an awesome job in kindergarten. He still has to wear bifocals and probably will wear them until he is 13 but he'll always have to wear the glasses. Jack is really good at building things and doing puzzles. He can focus on things for hours and hours and he's really good at video games, even better then people twice his age. He is cool, our little "gwak man" Happy Birthday Dude! We love you!

Friday, December 26, 2008

In my heart

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was great except for the fact that I am sick with a cold. My head feels like it's going to explode every time I cough.

We have been having fun enjoying our time together playing games, etc...

Now about my post title...Grace was sitting next to me on the chair that is next to our wood stove and she lifted my shirt alittle to see my belly. She began to rub my belly and squeeze it so I said, "It's soft, huh? Well that is from having five babies. You used to live in my belly too for 9 months." To which she replied while lifting her own shirt, "Jesus lives in my heart." It was so cute and I said, "Jesus lives in my heart too." Faith like a child! Dan has been talking to her about Jesus and having him in her heart and what that means. I know she is still young to fully understand but just knowing that she put two and two together...A baby in my belly and Jesus in my heart!

Then she went back to squeezing my soft belly and talking in a quirky little voice and I suddenly realized that she was making my belly button talk. I didn't know whether to feel offended or giggle at her creativity. So I did alittle of both and quickly pulled my shirt down and removed her from my lap.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year and that Jesus lives in your hearts!
~credits for the picture go to Sarah~

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas Eve...







Monday, December 15, 2008

Christmas photo shoot

Well, I am still learning alot about my old camera and it's settings, but it can be very frustrating at times. Like when you want to take your own family photo for Christmas cards which includes trying to get 7 people to look forward and smile without blinking or making silly faces. Not to mention trying to get the right settings on the camera in a low light setting and then having to use flash while trying to not over expose our faces or cause a glare from Jack's glasses. All the while running back and forth from the tripod to where I am supposed to sit after pressing the timer being careful to not knock over the camera in the process of getting into position after quickly making sure everyone is looking ahead and not at me and then brushing my hair out of my eyes before the camera "clicks". WOW, that is a challenge.

So....here are a few tries and the last one is the one we ended up going with even though Dan was alittle off to the side atleast we are ALL looking ahead, smiling and there is no glare from Jack's glasses. I only realized after I ordered the Christmas cards that I'd forgotten to change back into my red shirt I had picked out especially for the picture. Oh well, you can't have everything perfect.



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Monday, December 01, 2008

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

But the fire is so delightful, since we've no place to go...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Well, today is our first snow day of the season. The kids are super excited to stay home and play games and I was super excited to sleep in alittle this morning.


and since I've not updated in awhile, here is some random stuff...




Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a nice time at my sister's house this year with lots of yummy food. Here is pretty much the only picture that turned out of all the grandchildren together and looking forward, although Lauren was trying to make a run for it and Adam had his eyes closed. (in this picture. Left to right, Kaylyn holding Charlie, Jenna, Adam, Sarah holding Ben, Jack in front row at Sarah's feet, Grace at Adam's feet and Lauren in front of Kaylyn making a run for it)



The day after Thanksgiving we put our tree up. The boys played video games while the girls and I put up the tree and decorated it. I strung the lights while Sarah and Grace hung the ornaments behind me. The best thing about having kids decorate the tree is that you have a good excuse for not having an elegant looking tree plus it's more fun this way. Here is an example of what I mean...

(Grace put four ornaments on the same branch)


It looks better this way, decorated with LOVE!


I got this fortune in my cookie recently... Wouldn't it be nice if it were true, especially in today economy.
(It reads: An unexpected payment is coming your way!)


Well, I think that's about it from my end. I'll leave you with a Thanksgiving shot of my little turkey's...

(Grace, Adam, Jack, Sarah and Ben)


Sunday, November 23, 2008

Happy 1st


Well, today is Ben's first birthday. I can't believe he is already a year old. Time seems to have flown by quicker with Ben then with the other kids. It seems like he was just born yesterday and now he is walking around and even saying "hi". My little guy isn't so little anymore.


Happy Birthday Dude, we love you!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Heartbroken

I just found out that my son Adam's best friend, Jackson's, mom died yesterday. She was a freelance writer whom you can read about here. I remember getting a letter from the school at the beginning of last year when she fell ill, but I never made the connection because Adam had not yet begun a relationship with Jackson. I remember praying for her at that time but unfortunatly her name then faded from my memory until I read this article from our local newspaper. That's when it all came back. When I read her name I instantly new this was Jackson's mom. UGH, my heart aches for their family. Poor Jackson to loose his mother at such a young age. I am not sure if Adam will know about this when he comes home. I am assuming there will be a letter sent home but I don't know if they actually tell the students at school or let their parents tell them later. :'(

She wrote this article in the Washingpost a few years ago not knowing what was to come.

My husband asked me if I knew her, and I said I didn't, but things are connecting in my brain now and I do remember meeting her once a few years ago at the playground where our children now attend 2nd grade before she became ill. It was before Jackson and Adam were even in school. I briefly spoke with her as our children played. Oh man, this makes me so sad.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

An email forward...

**I don't normally forward emails as I rarely read them myself but my sister sent me this as a forward and I thought it was pretty neat.**

VERY INTERESTING STUFF

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'The Rule of Thumb'


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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only - Ladies Forbidden'and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.


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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.


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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.


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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

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It is impossible to lick your elbow.


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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:

Alaska

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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)


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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

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The cost of raising a medium size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400

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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:

61,000

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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.


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The first novel ever written on a typewriter:Tom Sawyer.


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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.


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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:


Spades - King David

Hearts - Charlemagne

Clubs -Alexander, the Great

Diamonds - Julius Caesar


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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.


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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.


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Q.. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?


A. Their birthplace

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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?


A. Obsession

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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?

;

A. One thousand

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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?


A. All were invented by women.


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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?


A. Honey

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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?


A. Father's Day

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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.

When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase....'Goodnight, sleep tight.'


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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.


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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts.... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.'


It's where we get the phrase 'Mind your P's and Q's'


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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.


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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!


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Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.


I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?


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YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when...


1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.


2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.


3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.


4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.



5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.


6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.



7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen



8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.


10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.


11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
Go on, forward this to your friends. You know you want to!Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

**On a side note...check out my photo blog to see the picture I entered in the photo contest on my flickr group

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Happy Veterans Day!


Adam was a soilder boy for halloween and I thought this picture was fitting for today. You can see what the rest of the kids were for halloween over at my photo blog www.laisydaisephotography.blogspot.com

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Happy 3rd Birthday Gracie!


Today Grace turns 3!! She is so excited to be "free" (three) now and holds up three fingers anytime anyone asks her how she is. For the past couple of days she's been saying, "I'm gonna get a big, big present for my birthday, am I?" and "I can get a little, little present like this, am I?" She is such a cutie and has been a cuddle bug since the day she was born. Happy Birthday Susan Q's, we love you!






Happy Voting today too!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Ha!

Me in 1996 the year before I married Dan. I was blonde back then! LOL 1994 I actually remember wearing my hair like this, but not in 1994



1990 Yep, had this hair do at one point LOL

1984, um..not quite, but I do remember the feathered look! I was only 5 at the time.


1968, My face actually fits this one rather well, except for the turkey neck!!



1964, I've actually had my hair this short before, believe it or not.





1960, Nineteen years before I was born. I think I could've actually fit in back then.






Oh man, this was so fun! Check it out man....Yearbook yourself

Friday, October 24, 2008

Adam twigs...


I just posted this picture on my photo blog so if you follow that blog then this will be a repeat. Anyway, here is Adam at Old Woman Bay in Canada. Sarah tied these twigs together using all material found on the beach and spelled out his name. She is pretty creative. Anyway, I was just playing with some texture overlays in Photoshop and liked how this turned out so I thought I would share on this blog too.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Nothing much in bullet form

  • Sarah, Adam and Jack are all doing well in school as we had parent/teacher conferences two nights ago and came away with very good reports for all three.

  • Sarah continues to impress us with her art work.

  • Adam lost another tooth bringing his total loss now to four.

  • Jack broke his glasses the night before picture day at school so he had duct tape wrapped around his glasses for the picture. (see pic below)

  • Adam was toothless for his pictures.

  • Jack's new glasses should be here the end of the week or beginning of next week. One eye got better while the other worse and he definitely still needs his bifocals.

  • Ben's been taking 4-5 steps on his own several times a day and he waves now too. (see pic of him standing below)

  • Grace's 3rd birthday is election day this year, 11-4-08, and she is excited to be turning 3.

  • Dan's been very busy with the business but we are thankful for the times we get to spend with him on jobs where a play area is near by like the "Children's Garden" behind the library. (see pics below)

  • I'm still messing around with my camera and trying to figure out how to work it properly (see pic below)

  • Our house is still for sale


And now for the pictures:

You'll notice the infamous duct tape wrapped around Jack's glasses. The arm broke completely in half.

Ben standing and chewing on a stick (he still puts everything in his mouth, including a soggy roll of toilet paper after a dip in a dirty toilet, but that's another story for another time) Sarah, Adam and Jack playing at the children's garden behind the library (and two random unknown boys on the left). Dan is working on a new portion of this garden so we got to visit/play. You'll notice Jack on the far right driving the wooden train. He has a special bond with trains and spent most of the day inside that train only occasionally venturing out to gather passengers, "All aboard"Grace doing her own thing here with her imaginary friends, possibly helping round up passengers for Jack's train ride.Me on the far left (with my legs in a pretzel twist) practicing my mad photog skillz! Just kidding about that, but I am trying to learn. Ben is pretty hard to capture as he moves around a lot but he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing his reflection which allowed for a quick shot.