Updated photos

This is a picture of my grandma taken when she was 19 in 1942. What a beautiful woman.









This is David

receiving his wolf badge in scouts! What a proud day!

Well not quite a year, but almost half! we are busy this January season with the rain just starting today this winter! It has been sunny up until this morning when it decided that it was winter and rain was necessary!

The last few months has definitely been hard for us. we have dealt with the death of my grandma who raised me, so it was like loosing my mom. It was difficult but with my kids it was easier to let her go. Emmelia was quite attached to her and in her last few weeks when we visited her in the hospital my grandmother would light up at the sight of her. They had such a great relationship and it was awesome to witness the pure joy that one person could bring another in a time of pain and sadness. We explained to Emmelia when great grandma died that her body went into the ground and her spirit is in heaven waiting to be with us again, and that she is watching over her as an angel. With this she still says she misses her a lot but I noticed she hugs the picture of her and her great grandma that is in her room whenever she gets sad. She actually sleeps with a nightlight in her room that we got with from my grandma's house and she says its grandma watching over her as she sleeps. :) The love and faith of a child really can help you see the brighter side of life and the perspective that we should have.

Well David did fracture his finger but did not break the growth plate and after SIX WEEKS (in the middle of soccer season) of his fingers taped together, he has had no problems. He is currently reading the Harry Potter series and is currently on book 4. He is really enjoying them and I need to figure out what the next series is to get him interested in since he has already read the Percy Jackson series. Any suggestions?

Marcus is also reading the Harry Potter series and just started last week. He read the first book in less than a week! He started the second one this afternoon and when I wrangled the book away at bed time (I have learned that they read until well into the night, so I have taken books away when lights are out) that he was already 62 pages in! He is also getting straight A's in school and his teacher calls him his brightest student.

Emmelia as I have talked a bit about already is growing and enjoying life as usual. She is thoughtful and completely spoiled! (of course in the good way ;)) She brings such joy into our lives and we are happy to have her.

Josh has now lost over 100 pounds and is still going! I am so jealous! He is enjoying his new job and the challenges that they bring! He works hard and we are truly blessed by his presence, diligence, and love for us that he has.

Pictures of the past few months!

Mela with Long hair

My Little Slugger Marcus

It's been way too long!

Well as I predicted last year, it would be far and in between for me to keep up with this blog. So let's take a stab at to what has been going on in the last few months since my last post. Most of these things will have occurred in the past few months seeing as how my memory isn't as good as it use to be. :)

So we will start I guess with each of the kids:

Emmelia is in preschool. She loves to paint, and play on the playground. She can read and write her own name as well as most of the alphabet. We were driving in the car today and she told me the clock said 100, when I asked how the clock could say 100 hundred she told me it has a 1 and two 00. When I looked at the clock she was right. It was exactly 1:00 p.m. She is too smart for her own good.

Marcus has finished his first year of baseball in June and absolutely loved it. He is now in second grade and is extremely smart. He tries to do upper level math and can read at a 4th grade level. He celebrated his 7th birthday in July and is a happy, jumpy kid. Also in July, we went camping and on our second day there his dad thought it would be awesome to give him his pocket knife, within 5 minutes he had managed to slice his thumb and an ER visit later had 4 stitches. He is very proud of those stitches but told me a pocket knife is not for him until he is 12. :)

As for David, oh that kid. :) He is in 4th grade now and in his 5th year of playing soccer. He is doing good but we find he is lazy. Well for being my kid this is understandable. He likes to stand by the goal and wait for a team mate to work and get the ball to him and then he tries for a goal. He did make the first goal of the season at his scrimmage and was very excited for it. He celebrated his 9th birthday in August and is such a bright and helpful boy. He just had a new development for him as well, on Saturday he was jumping on the trampoline and fell on his right hand. It was then stepped on by two other kids. Two days later with much swelling and a bruised pinky, I took him to the doctor and found he had fractured his right pinky finger. Needless to say off to the orthopedics we go to see if the growth plate is involved. I will keep you updated within the next year. ;)

As for Josh, he is experiencing a year of changes. In July he had a Gastric Sleeve done and in two months he has lost 62+ pounds. He is looking slim, healthy and happy. He also was just promoted in his company and is now moving up the chain. We are so proud of him. He has one more semester hopefully as well and should be graduating from City College in May. Fingers crossed. :)

Well as for me, there are many things we could say. I am still going to school as usual, I no longer work and that has freed me up a bit, and I am busy running kids around. I turned a big 30 in August and also celebrated our anniversary in August of 10 years! Who knew time could fly so fast!

Well this is all for now! Hopefully I can be back before a year goes by again!

The Holidays!

So I am trying to get ready for the Holidays. Our house is crazy. The kids are now out of school, and I still have some wrapping and a few little things left to buy. When to have the time? This time of the season is so stressing that I have decided to divide and conquer. I am going to make a list of everything that needs to be done and break it up in to a little everyday so that I can complete all my tasks without feeling so overwhelmed and still be able to smile and enjoy my kids on their days off. Like right now, I am currently baking cookies for Josh's work party tomorrow and writing on my blog. :) j/k

I am actually going to sew jammie bottoms for Marcus that I was suppose to do a few weeks ago. Maybe I will actually cut out their jammies for Christmas. I make them every year and this year I haven't started yet. I have blue and white stripped fabric and I may actually try and do a shirt with the boys' bottoms. Mela will of course just get a nightgown as usual.

But really there is lots to do and hopefully I can get things done before Christmas! Eek! I guess I have 6 days left and we shall see if it gets done. I will definitely keep everyone posted.

Christmas Tree Hunting!

Of Course here is Emmelia showing off the hammer that she found. (stick that looked like a hammer)

David could't get enough of the snowball fight so he got himself. :)

And Marcus is ready to bring it on!

The family minus Amber taking the picture! It would have been better with her in it I think.

Last Saturday December 4th we went to Apple Hill to find a Christmas Tree! This is an annual tradition and this year we had a wonderful surprise. SNOW! There was a really good amount on the ground. The kids were so excited that we had a snowball fight and they were actually trying to slide on it in jeans. Needless to say that by the time they got in the car the were soaked down to their socks! They had so much fun it was hard not to laugh! Emmelia decided to go off a bit on her own and when I called her she came running and said "Mom I was just doing some hiking." I kindly told her she may do all the hiking she likes holding an adults hand. What a fun day. Soon we will actually get it decorated. :)

Pumpkin Patch 10-16-2010

So every year we try and go to the Fog Willow Pumpkin Patch. This year we did just that and the kids have so much fun! There is a petting zoo, and a playground. They certainly found it interesting this year that there was a trampoline made of hay! In fact that is just where Emmelia wanted to play the entire time! She had to hold on to her hat just so it wouldn't fly away.

Just a note to update everyone. Our little monster's are David is 8, Marcus is 6 and Emmelia just turned 3 in November.

Hope you enjoy these! The day was such a blast!