Our Family Adventures

Dow Run 2011

2012-02-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

This year Rich was able to run with us! The kids had a blast. Both came away with PR's!

Spencer's times:

2010-- 24:48, 7:59 pace
2011-- 23:27, 7:32 pace

Nicole's times:

2010-- 32:02, 10:19 pace
2011-- 30:14, 9:43 pace

(Maybe this is why I can't keep up with my kids........)

Cave of the Winds--Niagara Falls 2011

2012-02-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

What a Magnificent Natural Wonder!

The kids loved the Hurricane Deck!

Soaked and Happy!!!

Niagara Falls--Maid of the Mist--July 2011

2012-02-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

Palmyra, New York

2012-02-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

Last July, we were able to visit Palmyra, New York and attend the Hill Cumorah Pageant. This is something I have looked forward to doing. We set a goal as a family to read the Book of Mormon and then attend the pageant. The children were helpful in reminding us to read and the experience turned out to be a great one for our family. We still had some chapters left to finish, so on our drive to New York we were able to listen along to the final chapters.

Here we are in front of Joseph Smith's boyhood home.

My cute boys. It is pictures like this that make me think "Luke, I am so sorry I did not cut your hair." :)

I love the scenic view of the temple.

In Sacred Grove.

Nicole was able to get a picture with some of the cute young women from our ward who were in the pageant.

What a wonderful experience it was to be able to read the Book of Mormon as a family and then be able to watch it be told to us again through the play. I am so grateful for the many talented people who give of their time to be able to provide such an experience for us to enjoy. I am looking forward to going again this summer with my brother and his family!

My Birthday 2011!

2012-02-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

Rich and children always do such a great job to make me feel special on my birthday! Spencer babysat so Rich and I could go on a date. Rich had made arrangements to make me all of my favorite meals and I requested that he keep it simple so I could actually get to spend time with him. He has been going to school as well as working so any extra moment with him would be the best kind of gift I could want! It was lovely.

Obviously, Rich is the photographer! We have had a tradition for the last few years to celebrate our families birthdays with the Savage Family. So, here we all are :) Hoping for many, many more birthdays........

Nicole's School Play

2012-02-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

The second graders put on a wonderful play entitled "I am Responsible"at the end of their school year. Nicole was looking forward to it for months and not only had her parts memorized, but all of the other parts as well. It was so fun listening to her sing the songs and practice her lines. She loved performing and even got to do a cartwheel! (Gymnastics has become her sport of choice!!) Nicole grew a lot physically, emotionally and mentally in second grade. She loved her teacher, Mrs. Doan and looked forward to going each day.

Jonas Salk

2012-02-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

In fifth grade, each student had to research someone to be for the wax museum. Spencer spent weeks trying to come up with the perfect person to represent. He finally settled in on Jonas Salk. What a fascinating individual! Spencer has long been interested in finding cures for medical problems. It started when he suffered from an exotic form of ringworm that has left him with alopecia on his own scalp and was heightened while watching his little brother, Luke, as a newborn suffer with difficult medical illnesses. I love reading the reports and stories he writes and this one was very interesting. I continue to enjoy learning from my children. I have included it below.

Spencer with his buddy Mithelish.

The Boys!

Jonas Salk: Battling for Worldwide Health
By: Spencer James

Poliomyelitis, the inflammation of the gray matter in the spinal cord of its unfortunate victims. A virus that brings paralysis, or worse fatality. An epidemic that struck every summer, attacking all, young and old, rich and poor, and everyone between. Disease that showed no mercy and hit wherever it could: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America. A plague that evaded the immune system changing the cell's DNA to reproduce its own hideous form. It seemed to be the super bug that could not be stopped. What could conquer the barbaric germ, which, would show no mercy to the mad, marauding, merciless malady?

On a wonderful day, October 28, 1914, in the "Big Apple", Jonas Salk was born to Russian Jews Dora and Daniel Salk. Throughout his childhood, Jonas was puzzled by what had happened to the crippled children throughout his city, with crutches and boy parts at unnatural angles. Then, when he looked at his healthy athletic legs, he even more deeply wondered. Dora and Daniel did their best to keep their son from getting Polio. They succeeded. Jonas never got Polio. Jonas's parent's both worked in the clothing business. Dora Salk, was an escaped Russian from the violent pogoms of the later end of the 1800s. Daniel's parents also came from Russia, but Daniel was born in New York. Both parents were of the Jewish faith. Dora and Daniel did not make very much but they had enough to cover all of the family's needs.

Salk's parents gave their son very high expectations that he strived to meet and exceed. He was a serious boy who was a good so to his parents, and a good brother to his brother Herman. At school and at home, his exceptional knowledge and self-discipline set him apart. One relative quoted: "When Jonas said something, you could put it in the bank." However, another thought he was too serious and often needed a joke or a good-natured tease.

In school, Jonas achieved amazing grades and skipped several grades. Jonas was interested in law and signed into the New York City College at age 15 to study law. Early on, he got bored with the study of law and decided to enter medical school. Jonas in medical school met his sweetheart, Donna, and they soon married. Jonas achieved exceptional grades, yet again, even in the difficulty of medical school. Jonas was most interested in the field of research. For an internship, Johnas went to Ann Arbor to work for Dr. Thomas Francis, a virologist at the University of Michigan. After this experience, he even more greatly strived to pursue a research career. For this reason, his colleagues bugged him about not wanting to be a physician who's work would give more pay and be much more exciting than research.

After graduating out of Medical School, Salk worked as a resident physician. He and Donna barely managed to get by on a tiny wage of $15 a month! He was very respected by his fellow residents not only because of his immense knowledge and competence, but also with his great friendliness and leadership skills. This got him a spot as the resident's president.

After his resident experience, Jonas remembered the offer of work that Dr. Thomas Francis give him to help. He then joined Dr. Francis on his recent project, a vaccination for types A and B of Influenza, a disease that plagued soldiers during World War 2. Jonas remembered something he heard at an earlier lecture, "The killing-vaccine method" combined with Salk's and Francis's original knowledge they developed a successful vaccine to fight Influenza. Jonas soon received a once in a lifetime opportunity, a trip to Germany to help fighting U.S.A. soldiers with the disease. The trip was an absolute success.

After returning from the success in Europe, Jonas received two offers. One, being open lab space in the Pittsburgh Municipal Hospital, the other being to help in the desperate fight against Poliomyelitis. Both offers were way too good to refuse, he accepted both. Jonas's greatest work was about to begin.

Jonas's part in the battle against Polio was not only trying to type the disease but also to track it. This was not only extremely boring, but just as repetitious. There were three different types of Polio all with their own different strains. What Jonas and his co-workers had to do was inject a healthy rhesus monkey of which they had in their lab with an antibody for one of the types of Polio. He would then inject the same monkey with an un-typed strain. If the monkey contracted Polio, it was either the other two types, or a completely unidentified Polio strain. If it did not contract Polio, it was of that same type injected into the monkey.

In 1949, Dr. John Enders made an absolute breakthrough. Some people are allergic to animal tissue and right then if a vaccine were to be made, it would have had animal tissue in it which would not help them. What Enders did was he found a way to create the virus without using animal tissue. However much Salk asked if he could do the same, the organization that he worked for would not allow Jonas to do it. Whit insane work and determination, Salke set up way to use Ender's method without funding. Now that he had the virus in a lab and using it to create a vaccine safe for human use. A.K.A the much needed for over 40 years at this time, the Polio vaccine.

At home, Jonas had 3 boys but rarely got to see them because of his overly hectic schedule. Sometimes 18 hours a day! However, every single summer, Jonas set aside vacation time to bring his growing family to a resort and beach in Ohio. Luckily, during this whole time, Donna supported him entirely which allowed their home-life to run smoothly.

Back at t eh lab in Pittsburgh, Jonas had loads of attention on the viruses growing. Unlike influenza, one strain of a type of Polio gave immunity to all other strains of the same type. So Salk had to choose the 3 most effective strains from each type of Polio and combine them in his vaccination. What he called a "wonderful accident" was that the first 3 stains he chose ended up to be the most effective. Now what he had to do was to kill and "cook" the strains using Formaldehyde.

However, many other Polio researchers disagreed with Salk's methods believing it would not be powerful enough. One of the most vocal Polio researchers against the Salk's vaccine was Albert Sabin. Other, such as even the president of one of the largest groups against Polio (NIH) poked extremely sharp comments against Salk until finally he realized Salk's brilliance.

Using a creative technique, Jonas became extremely close to creating the vaccine. So close in fact, he decided to take a test on it at the D.T. Watson Home for Crippled Children. After the test on this school and one other, he found that the vaccine was safe. But was his vaccine effective?

In the latter end of the year 1952, Jonas tested blood samples from the immunized children and found out that he had scientific proof now to back up the effectiveness of his vaccine. At a Polio convention in Hershey, Pennsylvania in early '53 Jonas announced his success. Finally after a hectic year of proving the vaccine's effectiveness, the largest field test in world-wide history would be planned in 1954. Over 60,000 children across the country dubbed "Polio Pioneers", received the shot and a few received a Placebo as its effectiveness could be proven. However, before this all happened, Jonas vaccinated his friends, family, and others.

Finally, on April 12, 1955, the results were in and the wait was over. Dr. Thomas Francis announced the news. It was completely successful. Over there fourths in knocking out Type 1 and 90% in Types 2 and 3. Later on a TV show, "See it Now", hos Edward Murrow asked Salk who owned the patent for the vaccine. Jonas replied: "There is no patent." "Could you patent the sun?" He believed everyone had an equal right to good health. The only bad side to Jonas's success was that he now had positively no anonymity and wherever Jonas was reporters dogged him.

Jonas soon decided he should create his own labs. He chose world class architect Louis Kahn to be in charge. After traveling all over looking for the perfect place for his institute to be, he decided on La Jolla, a town over-looking the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.

In Russia, Dr. Alber Sabin was creating an OPV for Polio or Oral Vaccine meaning it could be taken by swallowing or eating on a sugar cube. Another difference between Sabin's and Salk's vaccine was that Salk's vaccine was used with a killed virus while Sabin's used a live virus, meaning the person who got the vaccine might get Polio because he/she got the vaccine.

Jonas spoke loudly against Sabin's vaccine because not only could it give the vaccinated person Polio, but it could state that Salk's vaccine didn't work in the long term, even though it completely did work in the long term. Basil O'Connor, president of NIH and good friend of Jonas quoted "This is the only time I have ever seem Jonas get mad enough to fire back." The officials in the end did recommend only receiving the Sabin Vaccine if you were over 18. Today, both vaccines are used.

During this whole time, Jonas was also working on his institute in La Jolla. He believed mid-way that his original design was too cluttered so he completely restarted. In 1964, the institutes's permanent structure was fully completed.

Unfortunately, Jonas and Donna's home life and marriage had become weaker and weaker until it had become too weak to exist, a rope of sand. In 1968, Donna and Jonas were divorced. Two years later at a dinner party, Jonas met Fancois Gilot, former companion of painter Pablo Picasso and they married.

Jonas and his son Darrell soon started working together on a stronger killed-virus Polio vaccine. Salk at the same time was working to create a vaccine against HIV and AIDS until nearly the end of his fruitful life.

On June 23, at the ripe old age of 80 in La Jolla, California, Jonas Salk died of heart failure.

Jonas Salk, the amazing New Yorker. The man who conquered Poliomyelitis and Influenza. The man who dedicated his life to battling for world-wide health. The man who showed no mercy to the mad, marauding, and merciless malady.

Bibliography: Jonas Salk: Conquering Polio

Mackinaw Island

2012-02-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

Company and Exploring

2012-02-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

May 2011

We were able to have my parents come and visit with us last May. It was so fun to be able to explore a little more of Michigan with them. We went to Mackinaw Island. It was a perfect time to go. A little cold, but not one bit crowded. My dad had just had shoulder surgery so we took a horse carriage ride around the whole island. It was Beautiful!

Spencer and Rich really enjoyed the Fort. As you can see, Luke is anticipating the loud gun shot!

We visited Traverse City where Rich and Jeremy ran a 10k. The kids loved playing at the Great Wolf Lodge. No pics, I guess that means we were all having fun!!

Wonderful Surprise!

2012-02-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

On our trip to Utah last January we decided to drop in on our good friends the Guerinot's in Nephi, Utah. It was just a little jaunt off of the highway and Rich thought we really should stop by. I am so glad we did! We used to live next door to them during all of our years at Wymount Terrace and have so many wonderful memories with them. Alex was not home but Gini insisted that they come up and visit that evening. A few months later Alex showed up in Midland, MI to interview for a position and was able to fill in the rest of the beautiful family tree he started for us the ten years before. It was such a dream for me to have him here and complete my family tree. He ended up taking a position in Arizona, but I know our paths will cross again. Life is interesting. The longer I live the more I see the inner workings and inner twinings of people in our lives. At the end of the day, nothing is more important than people. I am grateful.

Spencer and Vincent were best of friends back in the day. It was so fun to see them enjoy each other.

Girlfriends

2012-02-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

I am so fortunate to still be in touch with the girlfriends I grew up with! Everytime I go to Utah, we try to get together for lunch and everytime it is like we haven't missed a beat. These were the same women I attended 5th grade with and then went on to be college roommates with. We have seen each other through thick and thin. At the brightest of hours and darkest of hours, these women have always been there. Miss and Love you all!!!!

Spring Soccer 2011

2011-06-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Spencer and Nicole both played soccer this spring. They did a great job and both improved during this season. Rich was able to help coach Nicole's team. It was really fun to see them work hard and play well.

U12 is the first year they start officially keeping score. Spencer's team went undefeated and ended up becoming the League Champions!! He has played with most of these boys before and they play very well together.

Can you believe next year this little guy gets to start playing???? I think I am in denial that my baby will be three...... Like the other two, he loves soccer :) And yes, orange is his FAVORITE color.

Easter 2011

2011-05-18T04:57:00.000-07:00

Nicole and Luke had a blast coloring eggs this year. Spencer did not have any interest which meant Nicole and Luke had extra eggs to color. No complaints here!

I love the picture of Spencer reading to Luke in his crib. I am the only one that has not climbed in his crib to read to him in the mornings. Even Rich climbs in with him on the weekends. I prefer my rocking chair :).

Goodbye Winter...

2011-04-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Now that the snow is melted, I am still waiting for the sun to shine. I wish it felt more comfortable out shining than hiding behind a cloud. I was looking at some photos (which I am horrible at posting...) and realized the little people in the pictures are the only thing I enjoy about the snow :) Their smiles somehow make the gloomy days seem brighter.

Summer cannot come soon enough!!

Cousin Time

2011-03-07T05:10:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite things about going to Utah is spending time with cousins!

Here is Nicole with her cousin Ashley from Portland, They enjoyed having "twinner" hair!

Spencer's face cracks me up in this picture! He is very loved by his younger cousins and loves to play with them, even if it is dragging them around the house!

Hide and go seek is a favorite! They actually got one more inside of this coffee table!

Cousins are the BEST!

Posterity

2011-03-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

I have not yet posted about our trip to Utah, however, after looking at these pictures my eyes filled with tears thinking of the wonderful posterity Grandpa Roberts has left behind. Grandpa was an incredible man and left a huge impression and influence on his family. We are all so much better for having had him in our lives.

Grandpa and Grandma had two daughters.

They had a total of nine children.

Those children have had ten children.

The group all together.

The group with the mother's who started it all.

We are grateful to belong to such a loving, supportive, and wonderful family. We love you all!!

Rich's Birthday

2011-03-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Rich stopped counting his birthday's two years ago. So, let's just say he is 32. Nicole said we need to start using number candles for Dad :)

We Love you SO much!!

(I love how Nicole is trying to help blow out the candles!!)

Ice Skating

2011-02-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

I really don't like winter. However, I live with three children that LOVE winter and everything that comes along with it. A favorite is ice skating. We are so fortunate to live in a town that has free ice skating rinks set up all over town. One is just 1/2 a mile from our home. I must admit seeing them so excited makes it worth enduring the long, cold winters.

My three little snow balls :)

Gingerbread House

2011-01-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

Each year at Chestnut Hill, the 2nd graders make gingerbread houses. Nicole has been looking forward to this since she helped Spencer make his three years ago! Rich was able to help decorate, too! She was so pleased with her finished product. I think it looks just like her, colorful and sweet!!!

Dow Christmas Walk

2011-01-18T06:51:00.001-08:00

One of the things we enjoy is living in a town that offers so many family friendly activities! Each year, Dow Garden's has an Annual Christmas walk. It did not feel much like Christmas because we did not have any snow! However, it was nice to spend time with family and friends walking through the beautiful candlelit gardens.

The poinsettia tree is always a favorite!

The Snow Queen

2011-01-18T06:43:00.000-08:00

Nicole and I went to see The Snow Queen at Midland Center for the Arts. It is so much fun having a girl! We enjoy our "girl time" together!

Spencer earns Presidential Fitness Award

2011-01-18T06:21:00.000-08:00

Spencer worked so hard this year to earn the Presidential Fitness Award in P.E.!!! The qualifications for this award were:

1. 45 sit ups in 1 minute
2. 10.3 seconds or under on the shuttle run
3. +4 on V sit
4. run a mile in under 7:57
5. 6 pull ups or 22 right angle push ups

HE DID IT!!! Congratulations! Rich took him to 7-11 and he picked out the Biggest Slurpee he could get!

If only I could do any one of these......

Final Day!

2011-01-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday was our final day of sightseeing in D.C. There was quite a bit of construction being done on the Jefferson Memorial, which led to a more adventurous way of getting there.

This was our one cold day. It was definitely worth the long walk and the cold.

On the steps of the Jefferson Memorial.

Here is Rich and Spencer in front of the Discoverer/Corona in the National Air and Space Museum. Rich's grandfather worked on this project and it was fascinating to talk with him afterward about the specifics of this incredible part of history. The work that he did on this was done in the 70's and 80's and it was not declassified until 2003!! I can see where Rich and Spencer get their love of being challenged and having a desire to make a difference in this world.

This was a fantastic family vacation. We are already talking about when we can go back! This is one of those trips that I believe every American should take. I am so grateful to be a part of this great Nation!!

All the way to the TOP!!--Washington Monument

2011-01-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

Three days in we were finally able to secure tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument. Rich drove in first thing Friday morning to get tickets. This ended up taking the ENTIRE morning! We were so grateful he took care of that part for us while we were back lounging and swimming at the hotel. :)

A view of the White House from the top. This was taken about 4:30 p.m.

On the way back to the hotel we were able to do my request of the trip. I have always wanted to visit the Washington D.C. temple. It was so beautiful in person, I only wish we would have had more time to go inside. Next time.

This was taken right outside of the visitors center. The center was decorated with beautiful Christmas trees from each Stake in the D.C. area. They also had a beautiful Nativity Exhibit. I loved the feeling of being there with my family.

Arlington National Cemetery

2011-01-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

We made one last stop before eating our Thanksgiving feast. While there is no way for me to fully comprehend the sacrifice that has gone into making this great Nation, seeing the row after row after row of white headstones does begin to paint a picture of the many sacred souls who have paid the ultimate price for freedom.

While we had been enjoying a day of sightseeing and history, we were grateful the people at Mimi's Cafe had been working hard preparing a wonderful feast for us to enjoy! We even had plenty of leftovers for the next day. ;)

Smithsonian's--Thanksgiving Day

2011-01-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving day we went to visit the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History. My favorite part of this day was without a doubt the Star Spangled Banner Exhibit! Talk about incredible! They did not allow photographs, but the impression it made on me was powerful. I have always had a great love for our flag, but that love has been magnified after seeing and learning more about this symbol of our great country.

Nicole had one request when planning our trip to D.C., see Dorothy's ruby slippers.

It was fun to learn that Dorothy's slippers were originally going to be silver, but because the film was being made with the all new Technicolor, they chose red.

Luke learned a new word on our trip. "Fish". I think he could have stayed in this one spot all day. It almost made me want to dig out our fish tank. Maybe someday.....

Nicole in front of the Hope Diamond. It was Gorgeous!!!

Thanksgiving--Washington DC

2010-12-19T19:08:00.000-08:00

Without family around and without traditions established, we decided to try something new for Thanksgiving this year. We got in the car and drove to Washington DC! I am so grateful we did, for so many reasons!!! We drove all night long, checked into our hotel, took a nap, and then went Exploring!!!

This was the first thing we saw. We had read about it in a traveler's guide and LOVED it!

The weather was just Beautiful and we enjoyed walking through the memorials. Here we are at the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background.

My 3 boys :)

Luke climbed every step to see the Lincoln Memorial!!

What an inspiring Memorial!!

Luke's 2nd Birthday

2010-11-21T17:45:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my baby is two!!! Luke had a wonderful birthday full of trains, and more trains :) He played every waking minute and could not have been happier. We love having him in our home.

Some of the things Luke loves right now are trains, chocolate, and cougars. He gets so excited to see Spencer and Nicole every afternoon and looks forward to playing with his friends. He loves to read story books and is starting to do small puzzles. His vocabulary is very limited, however, he can communicate very well. His universal word for help is "MOM!" It does not mean me, when he wants me, he says "Mommy". I think he has learned that when you want something you yell "MOM!" He is such a delight.

Below, are a few pictures of his special day. We Love you, Luke!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Our children Love Halloween! They always have so much fun deciding what to be every year. This year we had Mr. Atom Splitter as the Mad Scientist, Jessie the cowgirl, and our standard two year old costume, froggy.

Spencer loved bringing dry ice to school and having it smoke out of his beaker! It was a very popular prop :)

Nicole was excited to see her friend had also dressed up like a cow girl!

Rich and I went as Shrek and Fiona to a party this year.

The three cuties on their way to trunk or treating!!

Mt Timpanogas Temple

2010-11-01T04:59:00.000-07:00

Lisa caught this great picture of Nicole with her cousin Ashley waiting for the bride and groom. ("I'm going there someday")

The sealing of Reed and Kamie Jo was beautiful. The sealer spoke about how our sacrifice to each other is what makes our love grow. He said it begins as a sacrifice, then turns to a service of love, and ultimately consecration. I don't think I have ever seen Reed so happy as when he walked in the sealing room to be married and sealed to Kamie Jo for eternity. I was so grateful to be able to witness such a wonderful ceremony. There really is nothing like it.

A typical "grandpa" scene. The kids are like magnets to him.

The two families.

The three handsome brothers.

Our family! It was such a beautiful day. We were worried about rain, and it ended up being just perfect. Spencer and Nicole enjoyed being able to go to the temple and to actually go inside and be in the waiting room while we were waiting for Reed and Kamie Jo to come out. I realized my children are not able to see the temple very often. Our closest temple is two hours away. We were grateful they could be part of this day with us.

Reception

2010-10-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

Reed and Kamie had a beautiful reception. Spencer and Nicole were helping with the doors and gifts. Spencer was Reed's best man. He looked so adorable in his suit. It was so cute when he went to try it on. I think it is the first time he had ever worn pink. He came out with his brown suit, cream colored satin shirt and pink tie and said to me "Mom, I look like Neapolitan." He couldn't get over how"comfortable" his satin shirt was :) The three girls looked beautiful and enjoyed being together. I don't know how many brownie sundaes they enjoyed that evening, but they loved all of the toppings and sprinkles.

Our Trip Out West

2010-10-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

The day finally arrived. Uncle Reedo was getting married! We are so grateful we were able to be there and witness such a wonderful event. This is our quickest trip to Utah yet! Even though it was quick, it was packed with wonderful memories and fun.

Traveling in style. Rich wanted to get the brightest luggage possible to make it easier to spot the kids in the airport. Luke will get to sport a lime green one next time we fly. It was cute because Spencer wore his Ivory Coast soccer jersey that day so he was very coordinated with his luggage. Luke enjoyed riding around on the suitcases. It was much easier to keep track of him that way!

We arrived in time for a wonderful dinner with many family members, some we hadn't seen in years, family pictures and a birthday party! It was so fun to get to celebrate a birthday with cousins!! It was Lincoln's 1st birthday the day we arrived and Grandma threw a super fun Thomas the Tank Engine party. I think Luke was more thrilled than the birthday boy! Here he is in his new conductor hat and playing the fun animal game.

The donut game was a hit. It is so funny to watch the kids try to eat their donut without using their hands. I am thinking of taking this game to church. Rich and I could not believe how focused and controlled Luke was when there was a donut hanging over his mouth! He didn't lift his arms ONCE!!!

Spencer and Luke playing foosball. Luke had different techniques than Spencer :) More pictures to come......

Nicole turns 7

2010-10-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know if there is a child that looks forward to and enjoys birthdays more than Nicole. She has always loved her birthday and usually starts planning the next one the day after her last one. She was especially excited this year because she was having a friend party. She had all the details taken care of weeks in advance. The invitations, decorations, crafts, goodie-bags, and food. Not only did she know what she wanted, she wanted to help with every part of it. She did such a wonderful job.

Nicole is such a happy, sparkly girl. We just love having her in our home. She loves to play with her brothers, play the piano, do crafts of any kind, play with her American girl doll and barbies and loves to help me cook in the kitchen. She is very helpful and loves to learn.

Happy Birthday!!

Here are a few pictures of her special day.

Each of the girls made a frame to take home.

Spencer was so sweet and saved up money to buy her a webkin she had been wanting. It is a joy to see how much they love one another.

Kirtland

2010-09-24T17:40:00.000-07:00

On our way back from Cedar Point, we stopped and visited Kirtland, Ohio. This is a significant site in our church history and where the first LDS Temple was built. I have always wanted to visit here and was so grateful we were able to go. There was such a wonderful spirit there.

It was just our group on the tour of the temple and with that many little children, it made it very nice. The temple is exquisite. When you think about all the sacrifice that went into the building of this temple, it truly is remarkable.

The church has a wonderful visitors center in Kirtland. They have re-done several of the old buildings. Here we are in the top of the Newel K Whitney store in what was once the School of the Prophets room.

Nicole is opening the door of the ashery oven. They would convert hardwood ashes into pot ash that was then sold to make soaps, glass, and fertilizers.

The whole crew! We had a wonderful and memorable trip. I hope to visit there again and see the other sites we were not able to see that day.

End of Summer

2010-09-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

Now that fall is fast approaching and the leaves are beginning to turn, I feel I should post the last few summer moments.

"Got Pudding?" This is what Nicole said to me as she turned around with a smile :)

Here is Nicole's full blown garden! She loved harvesting the broccoli and ground cherries best.

Nicole even created her own perfume line. It had been brewing in our backyard for several days. Leaves, berries, water and any other special ingredients she may have added. I love the name she gave it.

Spencer has been busy finishing up his webelo award. He earned several new pins and should have his arrow of light and webelo award next month!! My cub scout is almost a boy scout!!

Cedar Point

2010-09-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Before the end of summer, we went to Cedar Point! Spencer and Nicole were so excited!! We had been planning the trip since the beginning of summer with the Savage family and it did not disappoint! The weather was Beautiful, the lines were short, the company was great. I did not get many pictures, however, here are a few from the day. The favorite ride for Spencer and I was "Raptor".

This is Luke at 5:00 a.m. He was ready to PARTY! Spencer and Nicole both fell asleep for a couple of hours on the drive there. Not a wink from Luke :)

We picked the perfect day to be there. The weather was beautiful and the lines were short. After no lines at Disneyworld and again at Cedar Point, I think I would have a hard time waiting more than 15 minutes to go on a ride!

Luke LOVED the train.

My Cute Family! We had such a good time!!

Lego Exhibit

2010-09-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

When I saw that the Lego Exhibit was here in Midland, I knew my family would love to go. Here are some highlights from our visit. It was awesome to see what could be created with little bricks and big imaginations!!

First Day of School

2010-09-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

I will have to catch up from the summer another day. But, I wanted to share the first day of school pictures. Spencer and Nicole were so excited! Spencer started 5th grade and Nicole started 2nd. Nicole came running into my room all dressed and ready to go saying "Mom, my alarm did not go off!!!" I told her "that is because it is not supposed to go off for another 20 minutes!" I am so grateful that my children have such a love for learning. It is quiet with just Luke and I at home. That means we also have a lot more time for reading and snuggle time . I can't believe he will be two in just a couple of months!! Life is good.

Visiting the James Family

2010-08-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about going to Utah is we get to see both of our families. I was so grateful that Nicole and Luke could spend time with Grandma James during my grandfather's funeral and viewing so I could better participate and enjoy being with so many of my family. Our children have been blessed with the most wonderful grandparents!!!

It was nice to visit with Great Grandpa James

Luke enjoyed giving lots of head butts :)

I love this picture of Nicole with her Grandma James.

We wish we lived closer, but love the opportunities we get to be together.

Cousin Time

2010-08-09T02:42:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of our trip to Utah, was the amount of time Spencer, Nicole and Luke were able to spend with their cousins! I have the best brothers and sisters-in-law who made so much effort to spend as much time possible with us while we were visiting. My mother (their grandma) is the Best party planner and every time we turned around there was another party planned!! The memories are Priceless. Here are a few cute picture of their time with cousins.

The boys, minus Luke :)

The cutie girls.

If you have never played the donut game, you are missing out! It is a MUST at grandchildren parties!!

My Brothers

2010-08-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to put a picture of each of my brothers. Sorry, John. This was the only one I had of you ;) He is my youngest brother. I enjoy him so much. We stayed up way too late almost every night catching up! That must be why he looks so tired....

My brother Dave with his wife Haley. Dave is just a couple of years older than I am. He was my best friend for many years during my teenage and college years. He just welcomed his third daughter into their family while we were visiting and has one darling little boy as well.

My oldest brother Michael with his wife Mia. We had a great time with he and his family in Florida earlier this year. Michael has always been a protective older brother to me and has one of the biggest hearts of anyone. He has a son and a daughter that remind me of my own children!! Too cute.

This is my brother Matt with his wife Adrie. I was definitely a baby hog with their new daughter, Aftyn!!! They also have a daughter and son that my kids love to play with! Matt is so much fun, it is hard to be with him without smiling or laughing.

It was so great to be with all of them. I miss you all!!!!!

Boating

2010-08-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

While in Utah, Rich's parents let us take their boat out one evening. The water was beautiful and it was a such an enjoyable time. Rich grew up water skiing and always looks forward to going. We all had a blast tubing and Spencer enjoyed knee boarding for his first time!

Luke was actually quite well behaved on the boat. He snuggled with Grandma most of the time.

Spencer and Nicole loved tubing! They did not want to get off.

Rich tried a little of everything. He is sure we need a boat someday. Until then, we are grateful for the times we get to go :)

Hiking the "Y"

2010-07-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Rich thought it would be fun to take Spencer and Nicole on a hike to the "Y". They decided to go early one morning with both of their Grandfathers. I knew they would love it, but we were not sure how long to plan for it. They were all the way up the mountain in 37 minutes! Nicole was pulling both of her grandpa's with her the entire way!! Coming down, Spencer ran it in 11 minutes with Nicole right behind him, running out of control, in 13. Thanks Grandpa James and Grandpa Hurst for a wonderful memory!!

Grandpa

2010-07-23T09:33:00.001-07:00

You won't find any pictures of my Grandpa on this post, but, he is the reason my entire family was together. Grandpa Smith passed away on Sunday, July 4, 2010. By Thursday evening, my immediate family was together for the first time in over 5 years. The amazing part of all of this is that Grandpa had 20 living grandchildren and 30 great grandchildren. Everyone of them, including spouses, were in attendance. I feel this is such a wonderful tribute not only to him, but my Grandmother as well. They have a personal relationship with each one of us. I feel very blessed to have been given such wonderful Grandparents.

We almost had all of us for a photo. Dave had to leave, but there is a picture of him down below. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for my family. I have loving, supportive parents and four brothers that have the biggest hearts of anyone I know. Even though we live far apart, I love and appreciate the relationships I have with each of them.

It's not often I get to snap a picture of just my mom and dad :)

Here is Dave. Another blessing of this trip was Haley had her baby, Brooklyn, just as we requested, before we left! These are just some of the things that are so hard to miss when you live away from family.

My Grandma Smith. She is a woman of strength and someone I would love to be just like.

Another special moment of the trip was being able to visit with my many cousins. I spent so much time with several of them growing up. Many of those times were at my grandparents home. It felt so good to be with all of them again.

This trip was very good for me. More so than I had expected. I have lived away from family for seven years now. We have been blessed with wonderful experiences and friends we would not have had otherwise. But, the family I spent almost a week with, are the reason I am who I am. They have supported, loved, and encouraged me in every way. I love belonging to such a wonderful group of people.

My Birthday 2010

2010-07-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Rich and the kids always make my birthday so special. The morning began with delicious muffins, then on to opening gifts, and a delightful game of tennis together. Rich took me out to lunch for my birthday and then we all went for a round of mini golf. We completed the day with a yummy ice cream birthday cake. Thank you to my thoughtful family and friends for making me feel so loved :)

Little Helpers

2010-07-21T18:10:00.001-07:00

This summer we have been working out in the yard. Luke has caught on very quickly on how to help.

Have I mentioned how much I love the green in Michigan??!! It makes me want to be outside every moment.

Spencer

2010-06-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Spencer is a busy 10 year old boy! I thought I would put a little post up of what he has been doing.

SOCCER, SOCCER, and more SOCCER. This boy does not leave the home without a soccer ball. He is continually practicing his dribbling, juggling, and soccer moves. He has a new personal record for juggling at 105. It is fun for me to watch his determination.

One thing we enjoy doing as a family is running. At least three times a week we have a family run. Nicole usually rides her bike and the rest of us run. This past weekend was the Dow Run. We had decided to run it together, and then found out Rich was going to be out of town.

The kids were so excited about doing it, so for the second year in a row, we ran it without Rich. This year I signed Nicole up for the 5k walk. Big mistake. She ran the entire thing! I could not keep up with her (she did it in 32 minutes), and I was getting a lot of negative comments for "running" in the walk. I decided to just let her go ahead, we had plenty of friends waiting at the finish line.

I wanted to get a picture of Spencer before the race started and couldn't find him. I went to the start line and there he was, with his friend, Justin, front and center! These boys could not have been more excited for the race to begin!!!

Spencer finished the 5k in 24:40. He finished 3rd in his age group and received a medal! Way to go Spenc!!!

He participated in the Midland schools track and field meet. He ran the 800 meter, with a time of 3:14.
He also participated in the long jump, with a distance of 9' 11".

Have you seen one of these before??? I did not know they existed until this year. Spencer passed off all of the songs on the regular recorder at school and was moved to the Alto recorder. He has had such a fun time playing these instruments and has informed me that he wants to play the saxophone next year for fifth grade music class.

I will admit there were a few nights he was only allowed to practice in his room, with the door shut;)

This summer he will continue his piano lessons and is looking forward to his insectology class at Dow Gardens.

I have enjoyed having a son who has so many interests. I continue to learn everyday from my children.

My New Love.....

2010-05-28T12:35:00.001-07:00

I think I am addicted. Two nights in a row and I can't wait to make more! Here are the recipes. Let me know if you try one of them :) But I will warn you, you may become addicted, too.

Cream-Cicle Ice Cream--

This is the recipe from my Aunt Carolyn. We used to eat this at family get-togethers and I have Loved it ever since!

2 pkg. orange kool-aid

2 (3 oz) pkg. instant vanilla pudding

2 cups sugar

2 pints whipping cream

milk

Mix all ingredients together and put in a 4 qt. ice cream freezer. Fill freezer to fill line with milk and freeze.

Dole Whip Pineapple Ice Cream

1 quart Dole pineapple juice

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups sugar

3 cups cream

milk

1. Mix the pineapple juice and sugar…make sure that the sugar is dissolved.
2. Next add the cream and vanilla.
3. Pour the whole mixture into the Ice Cream mixer.
4. Add milk to the “fill line”

At this point simply follow the instructions on your ice cream maker.

When the ice cream is ready you can serve it as is or you can stick it in the freezer for a while and let it set up a bit.

Enjoy!

12 Years

2010-05-25T09:59:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday, Rich and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary. Although we weren't able to do much to celebrate, (soccer games, stake conference, company) I was able to reflect on how grateful I am to be married to Rich. It has been, without a doubt, the best decision of my life.

I love being married to my best friend. I look forward to sharing everything with him and enjoy every moment I am able to be with him. He understands me, accepts me, and loves me for who I am. He encourages me and loves everything I do.

When we were dating, he was trying to decide what to study in college. I told him that my dream was to be a stay-at-home mother with my children. As long as he would support me in this choice, I would move and do whatever he needed to be successful in his career. We have moved 8 times. While I hope we will get to stay where we are for awhile, I know that I can be happy wherever we live, because at the end of the day, he is my best friend and I am his.

He is preparing to leave the country for a short time next week to do something that is very near and dear to his heart. While I am nervous for him to go, I am so proud of what he is doing and am grateful to support him in this decision. I know many lives have been blessed by his choices, including my own and our children.

I love being married to someone who makes me want to be a better person, not because he thinks that I should be, but because of who he is.

I look forward to many more anniversaries.

The Little Red Hen

2010-05-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Nicole had her first theatrical performance!

Nicole was given the part of Little Red Hen in the first grade play. She had her part memorized and every other part in the play. It was adorable.

Here she is with her props in the back ground.

They made the back drop and each created some animals for the barn. She is pointing at one of the ones she made.

Nicole has been so excited for the chicks to hatch in her classroom. They had 12 eggs and 10 hatched. Each day they would get to have chick play time. Yesterday, the chicks went to live on the farm. Here she is enjoying some chick friends with her girlfriends. She invited the entire Savage family to her play. And of course, they came.

I love this picture of Heather with her sweet baby boy. He didn't play with any of the chicks :)

Luke was fascinated by the little chicks. He loved holding them.
Nicole had a wonderful time performing the play and then showing her school and chicks to all of us.

Below, are a couple of clips from her play. Enjoy!

Nicole's Ballet Recital

2010-05-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Nicole had her first ballet recital on May 7th. She was so excited. She did a really great job and looked beautiful.

Here she is with her friend, Autumn.

She is on the back row, second from the left.

A closer look.

She was so excited to get flowers after the recital! Great job, Nicole! We had so much fun watching you and look forward to many more recitals.

My Trip to Utah May 2010

2010-05-13T04:41:00.000-07:00

Luke and I were able to spend a week in Utah with family and friends. I had been looking forward to the opportunity to attend Women's Conference at Brigham Young University with my mother. Getting there with Luke was the Worst flight of my life. Below is a picture he took of himself. I don't think he could look more tired! Despite the bad start, we had a Wonderful time and it was so good to see my parents and so many of my family along with many from Rich's family. I was even able to spend an afternoon with my girlfriends. The highlight for me was spending two full days with my mother.

During the LONG four hour flight.

The look on Luke's face in this picture cracks me up. He was so Proud of himself for being on the escalator. He kept going again and again. He sure enjoyed his cousins.

Myself with my new niece, Aftyn, along with Haley and Adrie, my sisters in law. (Yes, we are at Cafe Rio! A must when visiting Utah!!)

My mom with the boys Jace, Tyler, and Luke. It was quite a job to hold Luke to take the picture....We were there to celebrate my brother Dave's birthday. I didn't get a picture of the birthday boy, but here is my aunt Lori and cousin Chelsey. Luke loved Lori feeding him ice cream!!

Going to lunch with my girlfriends. We have been friends since 5th grade. It is funny to think I am the only one who has moved away. I am so grateful for the women they are and that they are still around so close when I come home to visit! We missed you Lori!!!!

The first day of Women's Conference we made reservations to eat in the Sky Room. It was delicious!!

I have to give a BIG Thanks to my Dad and Haley. While I was enjoying my time at Women's Conference, my Dad took the entire day off work to be with Luke. We left Thursday morning at 6 am and did not pull in again until 11 pm. Haley watched Luke all Friday. Thank you! Thank you!!!

Luke hanging out with Grandpa James during Julianna's baby shower. He said Rich used to love to be held this way. Luke is very busy. I remind Rich often that this comes from his side of the family :)

Luke and Aunt Jennifer. He ran right up to her. All of my children just adore her!!!

A cute picture of Rita, Jennifer and Julianna at Julianna's baby shower. It was so fun to get to be there!!!

My handsome brother Matt with his new little princess.
Uncle Reedo came over to visit!!!
The girl cousins with Luke. Joceyln, Katelyn, and Paizley were all so good to Luke.

My dad and Aftyn.

We had a wonderful time and the trip home was nothing short of a miracle. It was so fun to go and so great to come home. Rich and the kids did great, but I think they were just as excited to see me as I was them. Next time, hopefully we will all go. Until then, I miss you all and can't wait to see you again soon!!!!

Spring is Here!!!

2010-04-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying lots of time outside. It was a bit cold Saturday morning, but by the afternoon is was 68.

Luke is really enjoying the freedom of the outdoors. Each morning he brings me his shoes and is ready to go outside.

Nicole is such a great mama. Kit is so lucky to have her :)

We were trimming bushes and glad to have some much needed smashing from Mr. Spencer.
It feels so good to be spending time outside :)

Spring Break and Easter!!!

2010-04-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

We felt so fortunate to have such beautiful weather for spring break! Usually, we still have snow on the ground and the whole town leaves to look for sunshine. It was in the 70's and sunny almost everyday!

We were able to repaint the deck and spend lots of time outside with friends and family. We even had the Carn's over for Conference again. This time no one fell asleep and we didn't burn anything down! That could be because we had 13 kids with 4 adults while our dear friend was delivering her 7th baby!!! It was an eventful and wonderful week :)

We had a barbecue and Luke discovered that he loves strawberries! He is so dirty from lots of playing and the scab right by his nose and on his forehead are from falling backwards off the deck and landing on a stepping stone. Poor guy! It is so hard to be one!!!
These three little girls had a blast and I do not think could have been any dirtier. I made Nicole shower rather than taking a bath that night because she was so dirty!

Rich even got to climb a tree to rescue a ball. I am sure his family remembers him climbing the coconut tree in Hawaii. (hehe) This time he didn't come down with any scrapes :)

We were able to go to Dow Gardens to see the "Butterflies in Bloom". Poor Spencer, right as I went to snap the picture of him with a butterfly, it flew away. But, there was one right on that finger!!! We even got to see a frog eat a couple of butterflies.

Easter morning was a Blast! The kids were so excited! Luke figured out very quickly that if he threw his basket or an egg really hard it would open up and he could eat the treats. Watch out Grandpa Hurst, the whopper eggs are his favorite!!! They got a new trampoline! I even jumped with them. To my suprise, I could still have "bum wars" with my kids!

A friend of ours has an egg hunt every year. Nicole found her first egg on the playset and then slid down to continue her hunt. Spencer looked for eggs for a bit, but was far more interested in juggling. He got over 20 in a row! Way to go!

Luke didn't care to do much except smash eggs and eat treats. Usually, he would be running around and into everything, but that day it was all about the candy!!!

Luke and I look forward to coming and seeing our families in Utah soon! We can't wait to meet and hold our new niece!!!

No other choice

2010-03-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

If Rich has his say, there really is no other University. I have to admit, he does looks good in blue ;)

March

2010-03-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that March is almost over! It has been beautiful and unseasonably warm in Michigan. I wanted to post a few pictures of this month. I thought I should post a picture of me and my lip after discovering I had MRSA!!! But, after further review of the pictures, I have decided not to post it. Just know for those who did not see it, it was bad. After six medications and two IV antibiotics at the ER, I have fully recovered and feel very blessed. As for the other little people at our home, they are doing great and are excited about being out of school for the week for Spring Break. Rich wishes he were off all week, but is looking forward to having Friday off.

Rich took Spencer to a Monster Truck show with a group of boys and dads. They said it was an "experience". Rich called me from the show laughing and I honestly could not understand a word he was saying because it was SO LOUD!!! VRRROOMMM

Nicole was excited about Wacky Wednesday at her school. Her classmates all thought she was the wackiest one!!

Luke loves when I whip cream. He runs right over and dances back and forth on his little feet until I give him a lick.

Spring is here and life is wonderful.

Spencer is Double Digits!

2010-03-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Spencer!!!

Nicole was the official party planner for Spencer's 10th birthday. She made a balloon strand to be hung above his door for him to walk out into. And yes, she blew up every balloon herself!

He was so excited with his solar powered physics workshop!

Just being normal :)

Luke enjoyed the balloons for the next week!

This is what happens when I let Rich use the camera. He kept laughing and I didn't know what he was doing until I saw this. Crazy man!!!

How I ever got so lucky to have a child that prefers a donut cake, I will never know. But, I love it :)

Spencer is such a fun boy! He loves reading, learning, soccer, basketball and telling jokes. He has recently been mastering the art of eavesdropping which is about to drive his parents nuts! But even that makes us laugh. We couldn't dream of a better boy. We love you, Spencer!!

Where's Luke??

2010-03-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

This is where we frequently find Luke. He has a thing for hot wheels cars right now and loves to send them down Spencer's pinewood derby test track. He occasionally needs someone to clear away his traffic jam. His favorite ones are the orange ones. He will go down with two orange cars, play with all of the cars, and then come back again with the same two orange cars!

Castaway Cay -- Day 3

2010-03-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Castaway Cay was our favorite day of the cruise. It is Disney's Private Island and it was Beautiful!! I could not believe it was January!!

The top pictures are of Luke and Spencer on the top deck as we pulled into the harbor. The ship behind us is Davey Jones' ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The nice thing about this island was that the people from our ship were the only ones on the island. They had a delicious barbecue prepared for us for lunch. They had a place for the kids called "Scuttles Cove" where they entertained the kids with sand soccer and sand castle building along with many other activities. It felt so good just to relax on the beach and feel the warm sun on our very white skin. ;)

Luke was able to put his feet in the water. The top two pictures are from the adult only beach. It was so quiet and I fell in love with the color of the water. It was at the end of the day, so we snuck our kids over for a quick photo. I now have the top left picture hanging over my bathtub to remind me of just how warm and beautiful it was somewhere other than Michigan in January!!!

We had a little too much fun with the beach wheelchairs :)

That night they had a pirate ship party. We had SO much fun! We all dressed up for dinner and then went out on the deck to dance and watch fireworks. The kids had a blast!

That night, while Rich and the kids were asleep, I went with Reed, Conrad, Don and Rita to the Karaoke bar and have the BEST blackmail video EVER of my brothers-in-law and father-in-law singing Jeremiah was a Bullfrog. Rita and I were laughing for days!!! Thanks for the memories, guys!!!

Lighthouse Project

2010-03-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

The fourth grade students at Chestnut Hill had to pick a Michigan Lighthouse to research. After they researched it, they had to build a replica that worked using the circuit skills they had learned in science class. They had to have a report on it and also a brochure. Spencer chose to do his on the Waugoshance Shoal Light. It is located on Waugoshance Shoal Island, several miles off of Mackinaw Island. (Now we have a place to explore this summer :))

He did a Great job! It was a lot of fun to watch him work hard preparing it and then to present it. We liked turning the lights out and watching his lighthouse glow. Like most projects, it turned out to be much more work than we had anticipated. On one particular evening, he was getting pretty frustrated with the top. His lighthouse had been bombed several times and in frustration he said "I wish during the bombing the whole top would have been destroyed!" At that moment, I couldn't have agreed more!

Here he is with his display and the front of his brochure in the library where he was able to present it to parents, teachers, and students.

These are Spencer's best buddies, Simon and Mithelish. Great Job, Spencer!!!!

Nassau, Bahamas--Day 2

2010-02-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

After meeting the Princesses, we headed to the top deck of the ship for breakfast and a look at the island. It was a sunny day and we were excited to get off the ship and check out Nassau.

Nicole "crowned" Luke with her tiara and thought she was SO funny!!!

Here is a look from the top deck when we pulled into the Harbor.

Nicole said her stomach wasn't feeling very well, so I gave her some Dramamine. By the time we made it to the Atlantis Resort she was out!!! (We even had a really fun taxi ride to the resort. I wish I had a picture of the van we were and and the driver. He made it very exciting :)) They had these beautiful chairs in the lobby and Nicole and I spent the next hour right here.

We were able to go to the Aquarium. It was beautiful. Here are the boys with Grandpa. Luke kept pointing to all of the fish. There was one tank where you could actually go in really close to this really big fish. Grandpa put Luke as far in as he could go. The fish swam towards him and he got SO upset! He did not like being THAT close to the fish!!

A better look at the Resort. I told Rich, I wouldn't mind going back to stay there some time!

We went back to the ship to give Nicole a rest. Here we are in front of the Disney Wonder. We stayed on Deck 6. After a good nap and some lunch, Nicole was feeling much better. We decided to head back to see the famous Straw Market. It was an experience. After picking up a few souvenirs, we met this woman selling sugar cane on the side of the road. Rich loves sugar cane and decided to stop and buy a bag. I overheard her telling her friends about her sister in Haiti. I told Rich, "I think this woman is Haitian." He asked and immediately started speaking Creole to her. She was so surprised to hear him speaking her language. They had a wonderful conversation and I was so excited for Rich! It was definitely a highlight of the trip for him!!

That evening we went for a walk on the ship. Luke loved the freedom of being able to go wherever he wanted. We snapped this cute photo of him. He stayed up way too late every night, ate lots of yummy food and loved every minute of it! (I guess that is what we all did!!!)

Nicole Meets the Princesses (Day 2)

2010-02-23T06:15:00.000-08:00

We knew this was going to be a "Magical" trip for Nicole. She has loved the Disney Princesses for years and was so excited to meet them. So, first thing Monday morning, with Autograph book in hand, she awoke and quickly put on her princess dress and went to meet them.

This is where the cruise made my life as a parent so much easier!! One ten minute line later, and she had chatted, received autographs, and taken pictures with each one!! It was definitely "magical" for both of us!

Nicole thought she would like Belle's entire outfit, including gloves and hair bow.

Last but not least, her Favorite Princess, Cinderella. She even commented to Nicole about having the "same dress"! It was a big highlight of the trip for her.

Pinewood Derby

2010-02-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

Spencer was able to design and build "The Menace" pinewood derby car. He loves to do this kind of thing and took great pride in his car.

Here he is getting ready to race it.

Spencer also received his Bear award that night. He continues to enjoy scouting and looks forward to his activities.

Here is a picture of "The Menace" in first place as it comes down the track. He finished 3rd in his age group and had a great time!

Rich's Birthday

2010-02-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Rich doesn't like the fact that he is getting older. I keep trying to tell him these are the "glory" years. Does he really think the kids are going to run to the door and greet him with hugs and kisses forever??!!!

Well, they did that day. His birthday was on a Sunday and he had early meetings so the kids didn't really get to see him until that afternoon. They helped me with a little suprise of taking a cake to church for him and his young men group to eat. They were really excited for him.

Spencer and Nicole wrote the most thoughtful, kind cards to their daddy.

Eating his second cake of the day! See Rich, birthdays aren't so bad :) We are so grateful for you and all you do for us. You are the best husband and father for us. We LOVE You!!!!

Trip to the Bahamas and Disney World Part 1

2010-02-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

The entire James Family flew into Florida on January 23rd. All 17 of us! Rita is incredible at planning these trips and coordinating with everyone and their schedules. It was a wonderful week with lots of fun and many new memories created.

The three girls waiting to board the ship. They were anxious and very excited.

All of the nieces and nephews love Uncle Reed. He spent so much time with them. Spencer was lucky enough to get a share a room on the cruise with him. They loved having their own stateroom and enjoyed many activities together. They invited Nicole to go swimming with them one evening and then went back to their room, called room service and ordered up cookies and milk. These are the kind of moments they will always remember.

This picture makes me laugh. There is a mandatory safety drill the first evening of the cruise. Luke thought he was pretty funny in his life jacket.

The girls loved swimming in the Mickey Pool. Mickey's ears are little hot tubs (more like warm tubs) for the kids.

Spencer's Backpack

2010-02-18T06:59:00.001-08:00

I am always interested in finding out what I might find in Spencer's backpack. His brain works very differently than mine, and I love getting a little glimpse of his mind while looking over his work.

He brought home his writing folder yesterday for me to review and then sign. One piece I found very interesting. Spencer has always been fascinated with roman numerals. He never writes the date as most people do he always uses roman numerals.

That being said, the following piece he wrote was written XI-XVIII-MMIX, entitled Roman Numerals:

Have you ever wondered how and why the heck in Star Wars and other series III is 3 and how it goes to IV and so on?!

Do you want an explanation, here's one.

First, here's the letters and what they mean. I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100, D=500, and M=1,000.

You can add them together of the same number, but only 3 times. For example: III=3 but IIII isn't 4 IV is. Because if you put a roman numeral before a bigger roman numeral the bigger roman numeral is minused by that much. You can do that as many times as you want in a number for example: CMXLIV=944. You can use that with any number like this IL=49. That is called the subtractive principle.

Now I hope you've learned about roman numerals what they are and how people use them.

I must certainly say I learned something! I also have a better understanding as to why Spencer enjoys them so much. Each day it is another little math problem for his brain :)

The comment from the teacher was "Nice explanation. I never knew about the subtractive principle."

DONE!!!

2010-02-17T15:26:00.001-08:00

The blog has been printed! 2010 posting here I come! Well, maybe tomorrow...

The Rest of Christmas Break

2010-02-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

Grandma and her little sweeties.

Nicole enjoys doing Everything with her Grandma. Their brains work the same way, so they understand each other very well. I have always said Nicole pays attention to every detail, very much like my mother!

Luke enjoys having someone read to him. My mom read many books to him while she was here.

Rich was able to take most of the holiday break off. He took the kids ice skating several times. They are so lucky to have him. When it comes to balance and coordination on the ice, I just don't have it!

We went tobogganing and tubing. Grandma spent most of the time with Luke so I was able to sled with my kiddos.

Grandpa and Spencer LOVED sledding!

Thank you SO much for coming to spend Christmas with us and for all the memories you helped make with us!!! We love you!!!

Christmas Day

2010-02-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

Our afternoon was filled with phone calls to family members and just enjoying each other.

Nicole was so excited because Kit turned one on Christmas Day! She wanted to have a party for her right away. She along with her new doll, Natalie, celebrated with a special birthday candle in our Christmas dessert, lemon cream cake.

Posing for mom.

We had a relaxing afternoon. I ordered a ham and with Mom and Dad here, being in the kitchen was much more enjoyable! It is nice to have someone else helping cook or clean with you!

Mr. blue eyes.

My parents and others say they like coming to our house to "relax". I wonder if what they really mean is that we are kind of boring!!! I guess that is a tip I am throwing out there. If you are looking for tons of excitement, this might not be the best place to visit :)

Having boys nine years apart, it isn't easy to find anything that matches. I was excited to find these cute warm up suits!

Christmas Morning

2010-02-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was full of excitement! I just love the magical feeling at Christmas. Each year the kids make gifts for each other. This year Spencer installed a special light in Nicole's closet to create a special reading spot for her. She made Spencer a football kicking stand. They each made Luke a little wooden car (Nicole) and a little wooden truck (Spencer). It is such a fun tradition. They look forward to making their gifts for one another and I am always impressed by what they come up with!

My parents made and gave Nicole the most adorable bunk beds for her doll. Grandpa and Grandma James gave her a new doll for Christmas. She could not have been more thrilled with her gifts.

Nicole loves giving her doll curly hair with her new hair kit.

Luke enjoyed hammering with his new toy. He now enjoys hammering everything with that little hammer!

We had three very excited children on Christmas morning! They were excited to see their stockings and the letters Santa had written back to them answering all of their questions from the night before.

Luke was very happy with his new ball. He crawled around all morning playing with it.

Soccer stuff for Spencer.

Nicole wanted Pixos and Santa brought plenty! She is quite the crafty girl!!!

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-02-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to have my parents come for Christmas. They always bring with them the funnest ideas and games. This year was no exception. They had played a game with some of my brothers and their families a few days before and had so much fun we got to play too. It is a reindeer game where you are in teams and each team sees how quickly they can stuff all of the balloons into the pantyhose and put them on your head. From the pictures below, you can tell the kids LOVED it!!!

Why does the picture below make me think of a really bad impression of Chris Rock???? So Funny!!!

Grandma with her little shepherds.

A tradition we started a couple of years ago is to have a Shepherd's dinner on Christmas Eve. We heard about the idea from our Bishop's family. They dress up like Shepherds and then eat the kind of food Shepherd's would have eaten. Fish, honeycomb, that kind of thing. Well, I liked the dressing up part, but there was no way my children would eat that way. So, we adjusted it for our family. We have pizza!

This year was fun because Rich put a "virtual fireplace" on our big TV and kept changing it during the evening. We enjoyed many different types of fires :)

Then we acted out the Nativity. Nicole being Mary, Grandpa Joseph, and Spencer the donkey :)

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, these cuties!

Trimming the Tree

2010-02-17T10:18:00.001-08:00

We had fun decorating the tree this year. This was definitely my Favorite part!!!

The Nutcracker

2010-02-17T10:06:00.001-08:00

Nicole has been taking ballet this year. When we found out the Nutcracker was coming to our very own Midland Center for the Arts, we knew we had to go. She was so excited! We read many versions of the Nutcracker before going. After every scene she kept saying "I hope it's not over yet!" She loved every minute of it. So did I.

Here she is all dressed up with all of our little girl friends who also went.

November 2009

2010-02-17T09:40:00.001-08:00

November was incredible in Michigan this year!!! It was unusually warm. I could not have been happier! I started taking tennis lessons and was able to practice outside every Saturday the whole month of November.Midland has a Santa Parade. Usually, I would not be interested in going because of the cold. This year was an exception. The weather was SO nice not only did we go, we rode our bikes to the parade. It was so much fun. Spencer enjoyed snuggling with Luke during the parade. He is starting to outgrow the "chasing for candy" stage. He is the best big brother for Luke and Nicole. We are all SO blessed by him each day. He is kind, caring and a whole lot of fun!

Nicole made the cutest book with props in school this year for Thanksgiving. She put on her Pilgrim hat and read it to us right before we ate our Thanksgiving feast! It was just our little family this year and we really enjoyed it. Spencer and Rich played in the Turkey Bowl that morning and then we had a delicious, low stress dinner. That evening we had the Savage family over for pie and to plan our next day of shopping. Rich wasn't interested in going with me, however, Spencer was Really excited about it. He was really helpful and we had a lot of fun, just the two of us!

These are here only because I find Luke so irresistible.

Luke is ONE!!!!

2010-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

What an incredible year for an incredible little boy!!! He could not have been happier when he awoke to his Mylar balloon. I love this age when everything is so exciting.

Daddy and his little Luke.

Here is Luke with his very dear friend. One that has been there with each critical moment of his life. (including his only time falling down the stairs!!) Did I mention he is also our Doctor??!! Luke gets very excited when he sees him. I think the feelings are mutual.

He had a lot of help opening presents. He loved all of his new toys and the fun friends that were there to play them with.I missed getting a picture of him with his buddy Samuel that night, so I found a cute one of the two of them the day before. They have so much fun together.

The CAKE!!!! Spencer and Nicole loved that Luke had his own little cake.

He was a bit confused by the candle.

His face says it all! DELICIOUS!

Luke is the happiest little guy I have ever seen. He is also the busiest. I will gladly take happy and busy over grumpy and lazy. He has brought so much love and laughter into our home. We love you, Luke!

Nicole's 6th Birthday

2010-02-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Nicole had been counting down and planning her birthday for Months!!! She had it planned to the last detail. She wanted to go out to eat at Red Robin (which happens to be an hour away!). I thought I could persuade her into going somewhere else, a little closer. But, when I mentioned it, she replied, "I want to go to Red Robin so I can order the Tower of Onion rings and have the sundae with sprinkles and whipped cream and a cherry on top!"

Her other request was a pinata. Not just any pinata. One that she could break open all herself!

Here she is swinging at her very own pinata. And yes, it was just as exciting as she hoped it would be :)

This girl Loves music, so she was Very excited to get her own MP3 player!

Blowing out candles.

Nicole and her crazy friends!!
Looking Cute!!

Nicole is such a joy to our family. She adds an extra sparkle to everything. We feel so blessed to have her in our family!!! We love you, Nicole!

The Scoop

2010-02-05T07:05:00.001-08:00

After two years of blogging, I have decided it is time to publish my blog. I have a few entries from 2009 to add. Nicole's birthday, Luke's birthday and Christmas with my parents. There is already much to blog about from 2010 including Rich's birthday, Spencer's Pinewood Derby and our trip to the Bahamas and Florida. SO, it is going to take some time to get the pictures from the old computer onto the new one and then I will be formatting and all the great things that come along with that. To my family, please be patient, pictures will be coming, I just want to finish the last couple of years and start new.

Surprise and Surprise!

2009-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday we woke up to our first large snow storm. The kids were thrilled! I was thrilled because this meant a day completely unscheduled! It has been too long since we had had a day like that!

We have several big snow balls in our backyard. They were much too heavy to stack!

Then, the biggest surprise of all! My brother that lives in Utah gave us a call and asked where we were going for dinner. He had to be in Canada for work the next day and decided to drive down and spend the day with us! What a treat! We were all so excited to have him for the day.

He and Spencer played some serious air hockey! Uncle Matt is very competitive. I don't think he ever lets anyone win.

Nicole has always Loved her Uncle Matt. It was fun to see how excited she was to see him. They spent time together building a really cool lego tree house.

We had to take him to the most Magical Place in Midland!
THE SANTA HOUSE!!!

Of course, my camera ran out of batteries right as the kids went to sit on Santa's lap. I guess that means we have to go again :)

Thanks to Uncle Matt for a wonderful day. We loved the Surprise and hope to get many more visits. Maybe with Adrie, Paizley and Jace one of these times!!!

**Still to come---Nicole's birthday, Luke's birthday and the Nutcracker!

Conversation

2009-12-04T18:44:00.001-08:00

While driving home tonight I heard this conversation in the backseat:

Spencer's eleven year old friend: "I can't wait until I turn 16. There are so many pretty girls in 6th grade. Then I can get my drivers license and go on dates."

Spencer (9 years old): "I can't wait until I'm 19. I get to go on a mission. And then, I can't wait until I am 65. Then I get to retire."

I am thankful for......

2009-11-30T06:25:00.001-08:00

I found this in Nicole's back pack.

I am thankful for

Crasy uncl redeo buredo that wers a speedo that eats daredos. Food. Famlys. School. Mrs. Rice. Hous.

The part you are missing is the wonderful illustration of Reedo in his speedo. (My computer is having some issues...)

I know I will miss when everything is spelled correctly and written just right. To me, this is Perfect!!! I Love this girl!!!

Halloween and Lately

2009-11-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

Here is Mr. Luke. This fall he has enjoyed being in the backpack and going anywhere his daddy is going. He even looks the same direction Rich looks. I can't help but smile when I see him smile.

Nicole and I decided to dress up as 50's girls for our Ward Halloween Party. I am enjoying having a little girl with a very big personality!

All ready to go "trick or treating!"

Luke is ready to go too! As soon as we notice Luke is missing, this is right where he can be found. He makes a mad dash to the stairs as quickly as he can, and he is QUICK!!!

All dressed up and ready to go! One problem, the zombie didn't look so well. (No, really, he didn't look well) We took his temperature and it was 102.9! Poor Spencer had to miss out on trick or treating this year. Thanks to a nice sister and thoughtful friends, he ended up with PLENTY of candy. We hope he is feeling better soon.

Rich dressed Luke for church. It was his first white shirt and tie day. It was too irresistible not to snap a picture! Hope you are all having a nice fall. The leaves have all come down from our trees. It has been so windy this year. Usually, we are still raking at Thanksgiving. Winter is on its way....

Remembering the Past

2009-10-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

I came across some old pictures and had to share.

These were taken behind our apartment at Wymount in Provo, UT Fall 2002. Spencer was two.

This is how I remember Nicole in the mornings. She was one. I had to pull her hair out of her face first thing so she could eat.

The very first part of October 2003. She was just a couple of weeks old.

October 2005. Spencer was five and Nicole was two.
Spencer's first day of preschool. It was September, 2003. He only wore that shirt once or twice because he told me when he wore it he "looked like the teacher". He has been a t-shirt boy ever since.

Spencer seeing Nicole for the first time. It was a moment I will never forget.

Meeting Baby Luke for the first time. November 2008. He was one week old. Another moment I will never forget.

You're Invited!

2009-10-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

To: A benefit dinner for EDE (edehaiti.org)

Place: Bennigans (on Eastman in Midland)

Date: TODAY, October, 20

Time: Any time today

**Remember 2o percent of all sales go toward sending children to school in Haiti! Don't forget to print out your flyer from the website edehaiti.org

As an added incentive, all kids meals are only 99 cents.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!

It's Soup Time!!

2009-10-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

I tried a new one today. Delicious!

Olive Garden Style Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 cups chicken stock
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 stalk celery, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped (I used three)
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
16 ounces potato gnocchi

Saute the onion, celery, onion, garlic, carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add chicken, chicken stock, cream, salt and pepper, and thyme. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Ladel into bowls and serve. I added fresh parmesean to the top.

**The gnocchi is usually in the spahetti section fo the grocery store. (I found mine at Eastman Party Supply.)

First Day of School

2009-10-07T10:04:00.001-07:00

School started September 8th. Nicole has Mrs. Rice for first grade and Spencer has Mrs. Smith for 4th grade. They both love their teachers and look forward to going each day.

Spencer has quite a few different teachers throughout the day. He has one for Social Studies, Science, Math, and Writing. This helps them to get prepared for middle school. He seems to enjoy the variety. One thing they are doing that I really like is from 4th grade on they have to have a planner and write down what is happening in each class and check when it is completed each day. He then has to have it signed by a parent each night so we know what is happening. I appreciate that he is being taught to be organized.

Nicole gets to bring a new book home each night and read it to a parent. She is becoming such a wonderful reader and reads with lots of expression. She loves math and likes all of the ways to count to 110. (by 2, 5, 10) She also has started working on multiplication (at home) and just loves figuring it out. She is becoming more patient with her work and is enjoying school very much.

It has only been a month, and looking at the pictures I can hardly believe they were in shorts! The weather has cooled off so much since then.

Spencer's Talk

2009-09-28T17:38:00.001-07:00

Spencer was asked to give a talk in Primary this past Sunday. This is what he wrote:

Prophets teach us how to strengthen our families by telling us what we need to know, what we should do , and how to be prepared. In D&C 38:30 it says: if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. So if we do what the prophets want us to be and do our families will be prepared at the day when Jesus comes to Earth. If on that day we're prepared we will be very happy that we did what the prophets said in all we did and were prepared for that day.

We also need to strengthen our families and other people so their families will be prepared and we won't need to fear about it.

I know this church is true and if we follow the prophet we will be prepared and we won't need to fear.

Our visit with Uncle John

2009-09-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have Uncle John come and visit with us before permanently moving to China. We had a wonderful visit and feel grateful he came to see us. We were able to go blueberry picking, to a Loon's baseball game, Luddington Beach and spend lots of quality time together.

Saying "goodbye".

John and I by the waterfall at Dow Gardens.

Nicole and Daddy playing at the beach.

Spencer has really enjoyed soccer this summer and fall. He has been practicing and it is paying off!

It was a perfect day to fly kites. The wind was annoying to the rest of us, but not for Nicole the kite girl :)

John, Christine, and Nicole enjoyed burying each other. I wish I had the one of Nicole burying John, it was a classic. (he knows what I mean....)

When I get angry.....

2009-09-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

I screem I stomp I get in truble I win I powt I kriyu I cof.

(I scream, I stomp, I get in trouble, I whine, I pout, I cry-ya, I cough)

I had to get help on the cry-ya.

This is what came home in Nicole's backpack. And yes, she does do all of these things :)

"What about Luke???"

2009-09-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

After looking over the last post I could almost hear my mom saying "What about Luke??!!" I realized there were not any pictures of him. So, here is a long post of Luke pictures. He has some great news. His physical therapist and occupational therapist were here last week. After watching him crawl all over, pull himself up and cruise around furniture and several other activities, they announced that Luke no longer needs their services. He is completely caught up. You can imagine the joy I felt. This little guy truly is a miracle in so many ways. He warms my heart.

Summer Reflections

2009-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Spencer and Nicole are back in school. The feelings are bitter sweet. We are all enjoying having some structure in our lives again, but I do miss them greatly. I like to think they miss me a little too. Nicole came home yesterday and said "I wish it were half day first grade so we could play barbies together more." Which of course made me think, "I really do need to play with her more." Time goes by so quickly. Having said that, they are both extremely happy and love their teachers. I have been so impressed with the teachers they have. We couldn't have dreamed up a better situation for them this year.

I thought I would post some highlight pictures of our summer. There will be more to come. I am so far behind. What else is new :)

We were lucky to have our wonderful friends from Missouri pay us a visit. Spencer and Nicole are showing Freddy their garden. We have enjoyed many tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli! Dow Gardens is always a stop we have to make with our visitors. We spend so much of our time there. We also went to the Farmer's Market, the Tridge and were able to see the bubble man. Susan has a Great pic on her blog from that one!Susan and I.

I love this picture. It sums up how I think Spencer and Nicole felt about summer. Pure bliss. We chose not to do much traveling, but to just enjoy our surroundings. I loved it. I think we all did. It is so enjoyable to enjoy the simple things. We were able to go to the beaches close around us. I think Luke will enjoy them much better when everything doesn't have to go in his mouth! This particular day the kids went with Rich and his mom to Luddington. It was a beautiful day for them.
We were so grateful Rich's mother was able to come spend a week with us. We had many wonderful memories with her. The beach, the Loon's game, school shopping, and playing Scrabble were some of our favorites. It is hard to be away from family, but we are so blessed to have family that love to keep coming to see us, wherever we are.

Another cute pic with Grandma James. The kids found a piece of driftwood and loved pretending it was a surf board. Thanks for coming! We miss You!!!!

For my Mother

2009-07-22T16:31:00.001-07:00

Hopefully, when she logs on today she will be happy :)

Enjoying the sunshine before church on Sunday.

I am not sure who loves who more. They both adore one another.

Nicole was so cute today. She has been taking a pottery class for the past three weeks. Today was their Art Reception and she could not wait! She wanted to dress up and bring chocolate chip cookies. We even painted her fingernails and toenails red to match her pretty dress. It is fun having a girly girl. Here she is in front of the flowers just outside of the Midland Center for the Arts.

Showing off her mask.

Below, she is explaining all of her projects to her daddy. She was thrilled we were all able to come. She is such a sweetheart and is growing up way too fast. I can't believe she will be starting first grade!!!!

Toronto

2009-07-22T14:09:00.001-07:00

On my birthday, I awoke to the smell of cinnamon muffins, with candles. Spencer and Nicole had gotten up early and baked them for me. Then we dropped the kids off at our good friends home and headed off for a weekend getaway. Rich had surprised me with tickets to see the Sound of Music in Toronto, Canada and I was so Excited!!!!

We stayed at the Marriott located inside the Rogers Centre. It was a fun place to stay. You could look right on to the field from various locations in the hotel.

That night we ate dinner at a wonderful little Italian restaurant and then went to the musical. It was Wonderful!!!! I have always loved the Sound of Music movie, but fell in love with it all over again watching it on stage.
The theatre was beautiful.

One of the things I loved about Toronto was the effort that was put forward to make it a green city. On the side of the roads were many of these green billboards. They looked great! They also had their garbage on the streets divided into three bins, compost, recycling, and trash. I thought it was a wonderful idea. One problem though........., at least while we were there, the garbage crew was on Strike!!!

Rich lying down by the CN Tower. Just kidding, I guess it didn't rotate for me. Oh, well.

The CN Tower in the day time.

Here we are up 1815 feet inside the CN Tower standing on the glass floor. It was quite a view and I really enjoyed seeing it all lit up at night.

Friday we went to see Niagara Falls. It was my first time and it was breathtaking! I loved hearing the rush of the falls and feeling the mist that was in the air. It all seemed so easy and relaxing by ourselves!

From the top of one of the falls.

Not on the trip, but how cute is he?!! Mr. Permagrin. He always has a smile on.

Thanks again to the Carn family for taking such good care of our sweeties!! I look forward to many, many more getaways :)

SUMMER

2009-06-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

It is finally summer in Michigan, and I could not be happier about it! Spencer and Nicole are out of school for three months. The weather is beautiful and Michigan is green. I love everything about this time of year here. We have such a long winter, that I want to spend every moment possible outside. Farmer's Market, park days, walks, bike rides, grilling, swimming, ice cream cones, gardening, flowers, if it has to do with summer, I love it!!!

If you have wondered what we are doing, we started our annual garden class at DOW Gardens. Spencer is taking an insect collecting class. We have net envy at our home (I am going to have to get Nicole her own net) and many dead insects and moths on my countertops in little containers, or the popular "kill jar". We have even had to freeze a couple of them because they were too Big for the jar! All three are signed up for the summer reading program at the library. We spend almost everyday at the pool (sometimes twice a day!) which is half a mile from our home. I cannot think of a better way to spend our days. I love not rushing in the mornings and spending all day every day with all three of my sweeties.

To start June off, the kids and I completed our first 5k! Spencer and I had set this as a goal early on in the year and had been working towards it. Nicole was able to walk it with some friends. As happy as I was that I finished, I was even more pleased with how well Spencer did! I had been looking for something to do with him that would be our time together and this proved to be the perfect thing. I will never forget spending many evenings running and talking with him. Rich was in Chicago that weekend with our church youth group. I am so grateful to wonderful friends who helped us make this happen!

Planting day! We planted tomatoes, mini bell peppers, cilantro, green beans, flowers, cucumbers, and carrots.

Here is cutie boy, Luke, showing off his new skill! Sitting up all by himself :) I just took this picture tonight. I cannot believe how fast he is growing!!!

A Few Firsts

2009-05-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Spencer had his first large research project at school to present. He researched holograms. He decided to present it as a prototype. It was very successful and interesting. It was fun to watch him present it over and over to students and teachers. Here he is presenting it.

Luke has really figured out rolling! Here he is on his way over.

Luke's first try at rice cereal. More came out than went in. Can I tell you how entertained Spencer and Nicole were?! We enjoy this little guy so much!!!

Crusin' in his walker. He has really figured out how to get around the kitchen.

His therapists are working on hand coordination and bringing his hands to the center. They just need to bring Popsicles to therapy!!!

Spencer and Nicole spent an afternoon with some friends in our jungle area. This is what I found after much hard work! A new clubhouse :) I cannot wait for summer to have many more hours of fun outside!

I went away for my first time since Luke was born! We spent a wonderful weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio at a Time out for Women conference. It was very enlightening. I came home feeling very empowered and grateful to be a woman.

Spring Break 2009

2009-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This is a LONG post!!!
Well, since we have now been back from Spring Break for almost a month, I guess it is time to blog about it!

Luke is now sleeping which means I feel like a real person again and have energy to do things that I enjoy, that includes blogging.

We had a wonderful Spring Break and are so grateful to our families and friends for rearranging their schedules to spend time with us. We miss you all and look forward to our time together. Rich was able to go skiing a couple of times and was reminded of what it feels like to be on a mountain again. The kids were able to spend time with their cousins and grandparents. (Nicole told me this morning that she is always going to live close by me so her kids can go to their grandma's house whenever they want!! We will see...) I always love to spend time with my brothers, Rich's brothers and sisters, their families, our parents and catching up with friends. It really was so great to see you all!!!!

**These pics are not in order.

Grandpa James with his grandchildren.

This was so fun. We walked around BYU campus one of the days and Nicole and Ashley were talking about being roommates. Nicole said "We can live together with NO PARENTS! We can make whatever food we want and stay up late every night!!!"
One of the special things about going to Utah is getting to go to our son Matthew's grave. We are so grateful he is buried so close to both of our families.
It was a perfect way to celebrate Easter and to be reminded of the blessings of the resurrection.
Nicole has always had a special place in her heart for her Uncle Matt. I know he does for her too.
The girls had a girl tea party with Grandma (I wish I had a picture), so Grandpa had a boy party. They drove the tractor, gathered eggs and did boy stuff :)

I was able to go to lunch with my girlfriends since 5th grade!!!! Two hours was not nearly enough time. It was so nice to visit and catch up. It is amazing to look back on our lives since high school and see what life has brought each of us. These women give me such strength!

Visiting with Grandpa and Grandma Smith.

Four generations of James men.
We were able to take Spencer to General Conference. We were about 20 rows from the front. It was a very special experience to share with him.

Spencer in front of the Salt Lake Temple.

Our family at Grandma and Grandpa James'.

THIS IS MY JOY!

We were so lucky to travel with our fabulous friends, the Carn family! You should have seen the looks we would get with seven kids (two infants) as we boarded the airplanes!!! So fun and such great memories!!!

Nicole and Katelyn enjoying a drink at Cafe Rio, a must when visiting Utah!!!

An update on Luke

2009-03-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

This post has been a long time coming!

The past three months have been very emotional as we have tried to figure out how to help our Angel boy, Luke. He was born with a condition called laryngotracheolbronchialmalacia. This basically means that his larynx, trachea and one of the bronchial tubes going into his lungs were underdeveloped. It is something that most babies outgrow within one to two years.

His laryngomalacia was so severe that we couldn't wait for him to outgrow it. We spent many nights in hospitals and meeting with specialists to try to figure out the best way to help him. We had been dealing with the Pulmonologists in Ann Arbor, MI. He had many tests done, none of which could help his condition. He was loosing weight and could not keep anything down. While he would try to breathe he would swallow air and it would make it very painful for him and then when he would eat he would throw it all up.

I learned how to put in NG tubes and fed him that way for a while, but the reflux (a side effect of the malacias) was worse with the tube. If we moved him at all after the feeding, he would throw up. We were told to try this for a month and see how he did, and if things didn't improve, they would most likely need to put a g-tube in his stomach until he could outgrow the malacias.

On the day of discharge, they decided to have us see an ENT for a consult before we went home. Within five minutes of being there, they put a scope down his nose and immediately knew what was wrong and were scheduling a surgery for him. The feeling I had at that moment is difficult to describe. I was so Relieved! Someone finally knew how to help my baby!!! He was scheduled for the next day, which didn't happen because his potassium levels were too high. We went home very frustrated and disappointed, however, still hopeful that this surgery would help.

My mother was the angel in all of this. She flew in to be with us not knowing how things were or would turn out. Her flight was scheduled for two weeks. She ended up rescheduling twice and staying for FOUR weeks!!! She was such a blessing. I really don't know how I could have done this without her constant love, support and being the best grandmother for Spencer and Nicole while we were away.

The following week on February 19th Luke had a supraglotoplasty surgery. The surgeon used micro instruments and a laser to widen his airway. The results were nothing short of miracle! The doctors told us it was like he had been running a marathon everyday. The work it took to breathe was so exhausting. Within just a couple of hours our baby was finally a baby again! He could eat, breathe, and sleep. All of the things a baby should do and he struggled so hard to do!

We know we have been extremely blessed and will be forever grateful for all of the prayers and fasting that were done in Luke's and our behalf. We have the the most wonderful and supportive family and friends. I know that God hears and answers our prayers. We are so grateful for this beautiful baby boy.

This video was taken one week before his surgery.

This video was taken just three days after surgery.

The angel in all of this, my mother, with her sweetie baby, Luke.

Marveling at the fact that my baby was so quiet after surgery. I LOVE this boy!!

We found out Luke enjoys the Baby Einstein movies in the hospital!!! It was so funny to watch him enjoy watching them :)

Nicole enjoying her happy, healthy brother.

FANCY Day!!!

2009-02-27T06:42:00.001-08:00

I am VERY behind on blogging and have so much to put on, but the thought of updating seems overwhelming right now. So, instead I will share with you my morning. Nicole had "Fancy day" at school. If any of you are familiar with the Fancy Nancy books, you will understand the theme of the day. If you know Nicole, you will know this was right up her alley. She has been so excited!

She has to write a report to share with the class every Friday. The one she wrote today made me chuckle. In fact, they all make me smile. Here are a couple of lines from today:

"My brther had a brthda on Febuaree 25th. Wii had lots of fun."

Name

2009-01-22T17:11:00.001-08:00

As you know, our last name is more commonly a first name.

When I married Rich I really didn't think much about it. I thought how nice it was that it was a name people could spell easily. My maiden name, Hurst, wasn't hard, just not that common, so I had to spell it a lot. I soon realized this was not going to be that easy. I would say "James", they would say "Jones?".

The real struggle began when we named Spencer. It didn't even occur to me that Spencer was a more common last name. He has been called James Spencer from the beginning. Anytime I fill out a form it will read (last name) James, (first name) Spencer. People must think I don't know how to fill it out properly because then they call for James Spencer. To make matters worse, when we lived in Missouri there was a little boy Spencer's same age named James Spencer. They were on the same t-ball team and also went to the same pediatrician. We knew this because they kept telling me Spencer was not current on his immunizations, to which I would politely ask them to check the name on his chart.

I put a lot of thought into naming Luke because of Spencer's history. Rich even gets called James Richards. I liked the name Andrew, but realized that too was a common last name and would get confused. My idea of picking an obvious first name has already been dashed several times. Two weekends ago while we were at the hospital, we had to wait extra long for his tests to be done because he had been entered into all of the systems as James Luke. Last weekend when we were at the U of M hospital, the nurses and Doctors would come in and ask how James was doing.

Nicole and I seemed to have escaped the problem, or so I thought. Today, I took Spencer and Nicole to the dentist. After calling for James Spencer yet again, she then came back and called for Nicole Spencer!!! I started laughing right out loud.

Rich said Dow Corning has a plant in Wales. I think we need to move there. It is much more common to have James as a last name there!

(A look at James Luke, I mean Luke James!)

Happenings

2009-01-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick look at what's been going on.

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Hurst for the beautiful new dress!

A very fancy tea party :)Nicole invited everyone with special invitations and announced that we all needed to be dressed up. Including mustaches..........??????

Nicole loves how it twirls!!!

Luke spent the night in this massive cage!

Luke spent the night at the hospital. I was a bit suprised when I saw his bed! I think all three of my kids could have slept in this bed at the same time!

Rich had a wonderful birthday. I was at the hospital with Luke so Spencer and Nicole woke up and made Rich breakfast in bed. They made Pillsbury cinnamon rolls by themselves! Spencer said the hardest part was getting the can to open (ha ha). Rich was a bit concerned when he saw Spencer with a pan and hot pads coming into his room. He had no idea they had been running the oven! They also wrapped all of the gifts. What cuties.
Luke looking cute with his little spiky do.

An amazing happening! Nicole decided to quit sucking her thumb! WOW! This was very difficult for her but she chose to do it all on her own. She asked if she could go to Chuck E Cheese when she stopped. Here she is enjoying her reward!

Happy Birthday Rich!

2009-01-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

My reality with you is much better than any dream.