Johnson Joys

merry christmas

2011-12-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

another year gone

2010-12-31T22:20:00.001-07:00

I'm always amazed at how quickly another year is over.

We were able to spend New Year's Eve with Shad's family.

Which is why we were able to enjoy Green Canyon.

Speaking of which, we saw a bunch of wildlife on the side of the hill on our drive back from Green Canyon.

The kids always enjoy their cousins.

And we always enjoy piling them all in the same room to sleep.

We stayed up and played games, ate food, and talked ourselves into the new year.

I have no words of wisdom or deep thoughts to close out the year 2010, but I am most grateful for a wonderful husband and children who enrich my life every single day. Thanks for a great year.

the gem known as Green Canyon

2010-12-31T22:16:00.017-07:00

If you've never been to Idaho, then you've never experienced Green Canyon.

And let me just say, it is certainly an experience.

Before I had gone for my first time, Shad's family prepped me for the worst.

I was literally expecting the absolute worst hot springs swimming pool complex imaginable.

And you know what, it isn't the worst.

Close maybe, but not the worst. :)

It's a popular place. It's tradition. And it's fun.

Whenever we go we always enjoy a nice weenie roast.

That is often followed by s'mores.

After the meal we enjoy the warm swimming pool.

There is also a super hot pool and freezing cold pool in the adjacent room.

This time when we went, I sat out on the side and just watched...

...because of this cute little girl.

But it gave me opportunity to observe more of Green Canyon and all that it is.

This sign reads: "If you cannot swim please stay in shallow end"

Thank goodness for Green Canyon.

I really do enjoy it.

p.s. I didn't take any pictures of the dressing room, for obvious reasons. That is another story in and of itself.

random pictures

2010-12-29T22:20:00.001-07:00

It is what it is - lots of unconnected pictures.

Here the kids are doing "melty beads", as they call them.

Lindy got shots in both legs at her 2 month check-up.

Drake used the Dominoes box as a stand, so to speak, from which to sell his cars for 50 cents a pop.

A friend of ours gave us a bunch of eggs from her chickens.

I love the variety in color.

I found this paper that Drake wrote on. I think it was his way of venting some frustration with his brother. The word "saree" translates as "sorry".

Graham adores Lindy. He's pretty good with her, and is the only one that can consistently make her smile.

Avery loves having a living doll to hang out with.

Some friends gave us a box of mandarin oranges with a story. We enjoyed both.

One of the few decorations on our wall, made by Drake at school last year.

Cuteness.

Sad cuteness.

Flowers from Shad for our anniversary.

One of Graham's first (better) stick people drawings.

Chillin' with Uncle Matt.

Hangin' out with Aunt Amber.

Amber even joined us for a lengthy caroling adventure with some friends.

Good times.

christmas

2010-12-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve with Shad's family. It was nice to read about Christ's birth and let the kids participate in some special traditions. About bedtime, we loaded up and headed back home.

It was our first Christmas at our own home... with all it's decorative quirks (thanks to the kids).

The kids were already asleep when we got home Christmas Eve, so I was worried they might wake up earlier than normal in anticipation of Christmas Day.

It was different with just our own little family.

Lindy wasn't quite sure what to make of it all.

We missed the extra excitement and shared joy that comes with having more family.

But it was also nice to have a quiet morning.

And to not worry about losing things or getting them mixed up.

Avery made sure to hold Lindy's hand as much as she could, while still sucking her thumb on the other hand.

I remember when my mom would say some of her favorite gifts were the ones we made. I didn't believe her. But now with my own kids, I love the homemade ones because of the thought that goes into them. Lindy received this handmade gift from my youngest brother.

And Drake gave some of his legos to his siblings as gifts, and spent time decorating the envelopes to house them.

On the back of Avery's, he drew pictures of the legos that were inside, and how many of each.

On Graham's he left it a little more suspenseful.

I'm grateful for the Christmas season. I'm grateful to be part of two wonderful families. I'm grateful for the Savior, Jesus Christ. And I really do love the homemade gifts, whether or not my kids will believe me.

homemade computer

2010-12-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Drake is the type of kid that sees or thinks of something he wants to do, then does it.

Here he is next to his own computer that he made by himself.

A close-up of the keyboard:

He was a good brother and helped make one for Graham too.

And Avery certainly wasn't about to be denied her own computer either.

I'm very grateful that Drake's creativity and motivation help make up for my lack of entertainment as their mother.

It makes my job a little bit easier sometimes.

narcolepsy

2010-12-19T22:17:00.001-07:00

According to WebMD:

"Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness.

People with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness and intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep during the daytime.

These sudden sleep attacks may occur during any type of activity at any time of the day."

I may be the only one immune...

smile for the camera

2010-12-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

Because I document most of our lives with pictures, my children are used to me grabbing the camera a lot.

That doesn't mean that they always like it.

Other times, they ask me to take their picture and proceed to pose themselves...

...and their siblings (my sister-in-law made these cute aprons for the girls as part of Lindy's "welcome to the world" gift).

I certainly do like taking pictures.

And Avery has discovered a fake smile.

But I love her real one much more.

Drake always likes to look "cool" when I take his picture.

Or not.

Graham is the one who makes the most faces when I try to take his picture.

I'm grateful for cameras and the ability to capture images of people that I love.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-18T08:03:00.003-07:00

Here is a brief summary of our 2010 year:

Lindy is almost 3 months old already and is starting to smile a lot, and even laugh a little. She was born on October 3 at 8:23 p.m., after just two hours of true, active labor (I had irregular contractions throughout the day though). She weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and measured 20 1/2 inches long. She was born with a dark head of hair, but it's already lightened up quite a bit. She is very much loved by her siblings and we're excited to continue to watch her grow into her personality.

Avery is our joyous 2 year old. She loves to color and draw, and is a second little mother to Lindy. We love her big brown eyes and curly hair and how quick she is to smile and laugh. She can often be caught singing or dancing at any given time during the day. She surprises us with big words sometimes. Her most recent "big word" phrase: "Oh Mom, my cup accidentally fell on the floor." The "big word" she says most often: "actually". Avery definitely keeps us smiling.

Graham turned four in October. He has a knack for sports and plenty of energy. His favorite activity this summer was riding his two-wheeler without training wheels. He likes to wear shorts and continues to wear them as often as he can, even in the winter. He loves to color and is quite the artist. He is very sweet with Lindy and is often the first to help make her happy if she's upset. He really enjoys playing with his siblings and friends. He is in preschool this year and is always excited to show off what he's been working on.

Drake turned six this spring, and was already counting down to his seventh birthday the very next day. He is in 1st grade and has really taken off on reading and writing. He often leaves little notes around the house for different people. He is the social one in the family and makes friends anywhere he goes. He likes to take charge and often makes up fun activities or games to play. He is very creative and has quite the imagination. He has recently started taking piano lessons and is learning fast.

Angela is grateful to play at home with the kids all day. She continues to love photography, music, and reading when she has the time. She can't keep up on the house but enjoys trying to keep up a picture journal via this blog. She has started practicing the violin again as incentive for Drake to keep practicing the piano. She is still the secretary in Relief Society and has really enjoyed getting to know people better. The kids keep her plenty busy, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Shad has had an activity packed year. He went on High Adventure with the scouts in our ward, went backpacking in the Wind Rivers with his brothers-in-law Matt and Nathan and some of their friends, and has had a number of over-nighters, including snowshoeing to stay in a yurt. He has been a counselor in our ward's bishopric for just a few months, but is really enjoying the opportunity to serve others. If he's not busy with his calling he can often be found working on one of many home improvement projects. He still enjoys his work as a Physician Assistant, but enjoys his "job" as a husband and father much more.

We're grateful to all our family and friends who continue to make each year wonderful. Thank you!

christmas is coming

2010-12-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

We finally got a tree for our front room.

The kids were more than happy to help.

Because the kids could decorate their tree in the basement however they wanted, I decided to try and decorate this one a little nicer.

I just like this shot because it captures the Christmas feeling of comfort and joy for me.

This shot gives you just a glimpse into my lack of ability to complete my own list of projects... I've wanted to make matching stockings for our family since Drake was born. Let's start on the left, shall we? Shad's stocking was a gift from my Mom, which she embellished with personalized decorations. Those decorations have since fallen off and I have not put them back on... yet. My stocking is the one I had all growing up that my Mom made, and is still completely intact. Drake's I made to match mine and Shad's because I hadn't decided yet what I wanted to do for our own family stockings. But I only finished the stocking and his name (which if you could look closely is a poor job) the night before his first Christmas. Sometime later, my mom added the decorations. Graham's is finished as far as his name as well. Avery still doesn't have a name on hers, and she has now had three Christmas experiences. And you'll notice that I don't yet have a stocking made for Lindy... or any ideas for anything different.

Graham and Avery watching something outside. The stop sign on the window says "Santa Stop Here".

And the kids made a chain to countdown to Christmas. I'm not sure which child decided that Lindy's arm would be a good place to hang it.

I'm excited.

some of lindy's faces

2010-12-14T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the shots I've taken of Lindy so far this month. Some of these are not the most glamorous shots, but I want to remember her look at this age. Kids grow up too fast.

I love this girl!

school performance

2010-12-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Drake's school to watch him and his classmates perform songs that they had learned over the last several months.

I was trying to catch him in the act of singing and clapping... how he happened to look right at me when I took this picture is beyond me, but I think it's hilarious.

And just so everyone can enjoy a bit of Drake during the program, here are a few short videos:

I call this the "Cheek Biting" clip:

In this one he sees someone he knows and loses focus after that:

And lastly, I think Drake would like a little more choreography so he doesn't have to hold back:

I loved being part of the performances in elementary school.

snow fort

2010-12-04T22:16:00.009-07:00

While I stayed inside with Lindy, Shad went out to help the kids build a little snow fort.

Avery and Graham probably ate more snow than they helped pile it on.

Eventually Shad moved on to other things.

And Graham and Avery soon left the fort as well.

Drake was determined to work on it as long as he could stand the cold, which usually isn't very long for him...

...but for something as cool as a snow fort, he's willing to make an exception.

ward breakfast

2010-12-04T22:16:00.005-07:00

I volunteered to make some mini cinnamon rolls for a ward breakfast. I've only made cinnamon rolls a handful of times. So I thought it might be fun to take some step-by-step pictures of the process like I see so many people do on their blogs.

Long story short: this is the only picture I took before concluding that it wasn't worth the extra time and hand-washing (at least as far as hands-on baking is concerned). So enjoy this one picture.

The breakfast was delicious. My rolls are on the round plates.

Shad was one of several who helped make pancakes most of the morning.

And just because I won't be doing a food blog doesn't mean Shad couldn't start one. He can get pretty creative when using up pancake batter.

Ten points if you can guess what they are.

sisters

2010-11-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

This is Avery.

This is Avery sporting a band-aid on her nose.

This is Lindy.

This is Lindy trying to be like Avery.

Avery loves Lindy...

... a lot.

And that makes me really happy.

fake tree

2010-11-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago we bought a fake tree after Christmas. It was cheap because it was the display tree and on clearance. This was our first year setting it up. We set up their Christmas train underneath it.

I thought it would be fun for the kids to have their own tree downstairs that they could decorate how they want, without my worrying about how it looked or having to water it.

Well, decorate it they did, before I even finished bending the branches to make it look more filled in. And yes, the top part of the tree didn't light up for these pictures, but they did eventually work.

The kids found some very colorful "decorations".

And it doesn't bother me one bit that there is a game and a stuffed animal decorating the tree, because it's the kids' tree, and they're proud of it.

And I haven't even finished bending the branches.

more snow

2010-11-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I really like about snow.

I think it makes winter more beautiful.

It's super fun for the kids.

And it makes for some fun pictures.

I discovered one reason to like a crabapple tree (besides it's shade).

It feeds the birds when everything else is covered in snow.

thanksgiving weekend

2010-11-29T22:09:00.010-07:00

Lindy's blessing was scheduled for the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and Shad wasn't able to get work off beforehand, which meant we couldn't make the trip out to Colorado this year. So when Shad's aunt and uncle invited us down to Utah for Thanksgiving, we were excited to still spend the holiday with family.

Before we left, the kids and I made our traditional turkey cookies.

A few were given away, a few never got quite finished.

The drive was beautiful.

Lindy was excited to meet her oldest cousin (and only girl cousin on Shad's side).

We went to visit Shad's grandmother who was in a rehabilitation center to help her recover from a recent break in her leg. The kids didn't want to come into the room where she was doing some physical therapy.

Lindy didn't have a choice.

Not that she was even awake to know what was going on.

These two share a middle name.

Lindy shares a middle name with her Tia too.

Her hair looks a lot more red here.

This was the first time for most people to meet Lindy.

Thanksgiving dinner was held at a church building to accommodate everyone that would be there. The gym was used to entertain people until it was time to eat.

Whoever set the table did an excellent job.

The tables were set up in the shape of a "U". There was a lot of family.

After we ate, we tried to move around enough to make a little more room for dessert.

Avery kept trying to get in the shot.

There was soccer, essentially, in the gym.

There were several craft tables set up for the kids.

And Lindy slept through most of it. Many thanks again to Keith and Reva and everyone else who helped make it such a nice family holiday.

It was fun to spend some time with Shad's family.

Avery was happily turning the pages for the book... sometimes too fast, sometimes too slow.

And we couldn't leave until we got a bunch of shots of these three pearls together.

And while we were hanging out in Utah, my brother was having his own kind of fun.

My dad, who drove out from Colorado for Lindy's blessing, stopped first to be with my brother for a day or so. He showed up just 25 minutes after the elk went down.

And, needless to say, it was a huge elk.

And because we live in the same state as him, he brought us a bunch of nice cuts to enjoy. Thanks brother.

Yeah for family.

lindy's blessing

2010-11-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

Lindy was blessed on Sunday, November 28, 2010.

It was really nice to have my dad and brother there.

And even though we saw Shad's family for Thanksgiving, we were grateful that they made the trip up for Lindy's blessing.

Especially since the weather was not the most agreeable.

Shad's parents and all their grandkids.

I just like this shot because it captures Lindy's cluelessness amidst everything going on.

Did I mention the weather was disagreeable?

Our neighbor showed up with his cat and just plowed the driveway for us.

My brother got behind the camera.

And then he got cold.

But hey, if you've got the best cuts of an elk, that you shot, you've got to grill them on a real grill... even if it's the middle of winter.

We're so grateful to have this little gem in our lives. She's barely two months old and is already such a happy, sweet, content little girl. I can't wait to watch her grow into herself.

We love you Lindy.

lindy love

2010-11-23T21:53:00.001-07:00

Just a bunch of pictures of Lindy.

I love her eyes.

Her hair looks dark in this picture.

Reading with dad.

Her hair looks a lot lighter in this picture.

And I dare say even a little red.

Her hair color might end up being somewhere between Drake's and Avery's hair color.

random pics from november

2010-11-21T21:46:00.001-07:00

Just a bunch of miscellaneous pictures.

I picked up Graham from preschool one morning and he was very proud to show me his cat face.

Helping Dad replace hinges.

Creative use of hangers and a rocking horse.

Not wanting his picture taken.

Wanting his picture taken.

Blurry, but I love this shot.

Graham helping Avery get dressed.

Playing with dolls.

Morning hair.

Stories with great grandma.

Fun at the library.

Sleeping, obviously.

Still sleeping?

View from the kitchen window.

That's all.

first big snow

2010-11-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

We finally got our first big snowfall. I only took a few pictures before I went back inside to be with Lindy... and stay warm.

Graham has informed me recently that his favorite food is snow.

That and macaroni and cheese.

And Avery just loves life.

But really, who wouldn't love life if they were this cute?

lindy, lindy

2010-11-15T21:35:00.001-07:00

Just a bunch of pictures of Lindy. She is well loved.

Love this girl.

still warm, new rooms

2010-11-13T21:30:00.002-07:00

It's the middle of November and it's still warm outside.

A true Indian Summer.

Inside, the kids must be feeling cramped in their one bedroom, as I often find them asleep elsewhere...

So we finally moved the boys downstairs into their own room, and Avery has her own space until Lindy moves in with her. I love how open it is.

I think Avery likes it too.

And now we have room to put this desk in here that Shad so kindly refinished for me.

The boys are enjoying their own space too.

I guarantee it won't look this clean for very long... thus the pictures.

Drake's past sports.

And happy Graham. When we went to take the team pictures, Graham wanted nothing to do with it. So, if you look close, he's not in the team picture. And why the yellow background behind his individual instead of the grey dropcloth? The sneaky photographer snapped this photo when we were standing over on the side, and I distracted Graham by tying his shoe. He was not happy to be there.

Apparently they prefer locations other than their beds to sleep.

Maybe they weren't really cramped.

random pics from october

2010-10-31T21:57:00.001-06:00

This was a preschool field trip to a local farm that I didn't attend because it was super cold and Lindy was still a newbie. My good friends even took Avery along with them.

These next few pictures are just random ones from messing around with my camera.

Graham thought mittens were enough warmth for him to follow Avery outside.

Completely out.

And my most popular photo subject as of late...

Gotta love it.

At least I do anyway.

halloween

2010-10-31T21:41:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Halloween the day before... which was Graham's birthday. Thus, Graham concluded that anyone in costume had dressed up for his birthday. In the days leading up to his birthday, he often asked to try on his costume "for his birthday".

Here is the gang excited to go trick-or-treating.

Even little Lindy dressed up as a princess... but ended up sleeping in her car seat the whole time we were out, so it was in vain.

We celebrated mostly by going to our ward's trunk-or-treat. It was fun to see all the different costumes.

The food was good too.

We stopped by just a few houses in our neighborhood on the way home. The kids were plenty tired by the time we were done.

It was a fun night.

Happy Halloween!

Graham's 4th birthday

2010-10-30T21:52:00.073-06:00

Graham is now 4 years old!

One of his absolute favorite things to do is draw. He could probably sit and draw all day long. This is a picture he drew of Avery (notice the curly hair). He also has a talent for writing his name backward.

We opened gifts first thing in the morning.

One of his favorite gifts was a cape from his cousin Spencer.

It entertained him (and us) most of the morning.

He also really enjoyed a set of Trio blocks from Grammie and Grandpa (Drake did too).

Graham requested a vanilla-flavored pumpkin-shaped cake.

So there you have it.

This was his first birthday with a friend party and he was very excited. He wanted it to be a costume party. Here he is out on the front lawn watching one of his friends get out of their car. I think he was really excited.

This was the birthday party gang.

We played a Pumpkin Walk game.

Drake (a.k.a. Woody) was more than happy to draw out the numbers.

The kids went bowling with a pumpkin.

It wasn't a very round pumpkin, but oh well.

They played Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin (you'd think I might have branched out from pumpkins....)

And then he opened presents.

When it was time for cake, Graham acted embarrassed when everyone sang to him.

But he enjoyed blowing out the candles.

After cake, we had the kids wrap Graham up like a mummy using crepe paper.

He had to free himself at the end.

I think they all had a fun time (I hope so anyway).

Graham is a wonderful kid and it's hard to believe that he's only four. It seems like we've been blessed with him for much longer. I look forward to many more days with this boy. We love you Graham!

trying different things

2010-10-28T21:43:00.055-06:00

There is never a shortage of creativity among the kids. Drake and Graham made marshmallow/toothpick structures for a while.

Avery likes to wear any assortment of things...

Graham's trying to cut an orange, and Avery's working on a plum.

One morning, Graham volunteered to help Avery get dressed. I eventually turned her shirt around and put on long pants, but I kept it this way long enough for Graham to know I was grateful for his help.

This was the first time I caught Avery "reading" a book to Lindy.

She's done it many times since.

She's very happy with herself.

And it almost looks like Lindy is actually paying attention in this photo.

Sweet facial hair.

My second (maybe third?) time doing pigtails for Avery.

A fun spider balloon from Nana and Papa.

It's a rule in our house that the kids must eat at the kitchen table.

Apparently, these kids think they're the exception to the rule.

And finally, the kids have been reading a lot of books lately.

Simultaneously, Shad has been replacing a bunch of our interior doors.

So, of course, the kids used the old doors as book holders.

I mean, really, isn't that the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of old doors?

carving pumpkins

2010-10-25T22:37:00.000-06:00

What is October without carving some pumpkins?

The kids got to pick out whatever pumpkin they wanted from our bounty.

Then they each drew on a face which we helped them carve out.

I didn't tell the other kids that this was the fourth pumpkin Drake carved (but the first one with permission).

And here they are in all their glory.

Happy October!

fun in the fall

2010-10-21T22:32:00.001-06:00

We picked all our pumpkins and dug up our carrots.

The kids have been eating a lot of carrots. They don't always rinse them off, so Avery often has a ring of dirt around her mouth...

Graham's garden put out some mini pumpkins. I like to use them for decoration in our home.

More pumpkins, obviously.

We tried planting watermelon again this year--two different varieties. The plants didn't die, but they certainly didn't get enough water to grow very much.

The kids still ate what little there was.

Our front flower bed is full of color.

The kids enjoy playing in the dirt by the house that we have yet to do anything with.

Drake took it upon himself one day to carve a few pumpkins out back.

I don't even know what he used to carve them... and I'm not sure I want to.

I'm just grateful he had a good time and didn't hurt himself in the process.

And lastly, the kids decided to use the fallen leaves in our backyard for a fence decoration.

A barbed wire fence...

It kept them busy for a while.

And yes, I was right there and they were careful.

No kids were hurt in the making of this decoration.

this girl is loved

2010-10-13T20:28:00.000-06:00

Lindy gets a lot of love in this house, as is evidenced by the following bunch of pictures:

Gotta love her... and they do.

good times

2010-10-08T21:25:00.001-06:00

Here are just a handful of events during Lindy's first week of life.

Elder Jed Cameron and Andrew Pieper surprised us with a visit. They were some stellar missionaries that served in our ward before I was even pregnant with Lindy. It was fun to see them in street clothes and find out what they are up to now.

Grammie helped our kids carve pumpkins from our garden.

One of them was a zucchini- pumpkin hybrid.

My mom made my recovery easy and I am forever grateful.

Shad's parents stopped by for a little while to see the new one.

Drake was happy to read a book to Papa.

There were other friends that stopped by to see Lindy, but I didn't get pictures. I don't take pictures of everything that happens... shockingly enough.

more of lindy

2010-10-07T09:23:00.002-06:00

I won't bore you with my dialogue, too much. These are just more pictures of Lindy.

I think Graham likes holding Lindy the most.

Or maybe it's Avery that enjoys it most.

Lindy... and Lindy.

Good times.

Conference weekend

2010-10-06T09:19:00.001-06:00

Conference weekend was fun for us because a bunch of my family made the trip to our place and hung out for a few days.

Seeing my most recent nephew, Cannon, made me more anxious for our little girl to arrive.

We mostly just sat around and talked, or ate food, or watched/listened to conference, but I enjoyed just being with family.

My kids always love seeing relatives too.

Drake took it upon himself to drill screws into the posts on our back patio.

Here they're playing combat, or something.

They look pretty fierce, huh?

Here's a random shot of us getting ready to eat.

Homemade goodness (Trent and Amy--not me).

See how happy food makes people?

I enjoyed the weekend, despite being overdue. Friends and family are always welcome to visit (hint, hint).

I think Matt's upset here because they had to leave and go back to their own homes.

Matt and Micah were the last ones to leave, besides my mom (who stayed another week to watch our other kids while we had a baby). Just as Matt pulled away, Shad and I also pulled out of the driveway to head to the hospital to have a baby. She was born an hour and a half later. I have to admit it was really nice to be able to see and hang out with my family the whole weekend, instead of sitting in a hospital. At the same time, I kind of wish Lindy had come a day earlier so everyone could have met her. Oh well. At least the thought of seeing a brand new baby got people to come visit... and having a new baby fresh from heaven was a perfect ending to a spiritually uplifting and motivating weekend.

It's a girl!

2010-10-05T08:03:00.002-06:00

Lindy Pearl finally arrived on Sunday, October 3 at 8:23 p.m..

She weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and measured 20 1/2 inches long.

The cord was wrapped around her neck twice, but there was no distress and she was born very healthy.

Her face was pretty bruised up, but she was so alert right after she was born it was fun to look at her cute little eyes just taking everything in.

The next morning my mom and the kids came to visit us at the hospital.

Grammie holding Lindy.

We didn't have to talk Avery into holding her at all. Avery loved it.

The boys on the other hand weren't as interested. That night they came back to pick me and Lindy up and take us home.

After we put Lindy in some clothes and were waiting for the nurses to discharge us, Avery happily held Lindy some more.

Graham climbed up on the bed and decided he liked her too.

We finally convinced Drake to join his siblings so we could get a picture with all of them.

Then Drake gave us his best smile...

It's nice to finally have our little girl here.

I've been so excited not only to find out if we were getting a boy or a girl, but also just to meet this new little person that would instantly be part of our family.

We already love her so much, and the kids think she's pretty neat too.

And even though the boys were hoping for a brother, they're still very happy to have received a sister.

Welcome little Lindy. We love you.

new toy

2010-10-01T20:59:00.001-06:00

For Christmas last year, Shad gave me a handwritten certificate good for one new camera.

More than nine months later, I finally picked one out.

And it's been very fun and satisfying taking pictures with it.

I'm definitely spoiled.

But in this case, I'll take it.

On my due date, since we didn't have a new baby yet to determine our schedule, we took the kids to the park so they could play on the playground, and Shad and I could "play" with my new "toy".

So here are a bunch of random pictures taken by me or Shad.

Taking lots of pictures helped take the edge off of arriving at my due date.

random pics from september

2010-09-30T23:36:00.000-06:00

Well, it's the last day in September, and yes, I'm still pregnant. I guess that means we'll be starting October off with a baby... hopefully. In the meantime, here are a bunch of random pictures from September.

Something about being a first-grader has peaked Drake's interest in reading, and he loves it.

I love that he can sit down and read simple books to his siblings.

Here's a video of Drake reading, with Avery trying to copy everything he says.

Our neighbors were selling lemonade, so my kids decided to buy some, and then stay and help them.

We took our kids to a local nursery for shredded beef sandwiches and corn (we love a free lunch), and came home with a clematis and a lily (I guess it wasn't completely free...).

The aroma of these lilies is strong.

Playing with the neighbor's kitten.

Blankets are well-used in this house.

Drake is taking piano lessons, again. Maybe this time we can keep it up.

The kids love to draw and cut.

These two found their winter boots and didn't want to take them off the entire day.

Putting onions from the garden into a mesh bag.

As a gift for the new baby from his/her older siblings, each kid picked out some material and I sewed them together to make a blanket.

A random trail of paper that led from the kitchen...

...to the kids' bedroom.

And finally, both boys now ride their bikes without training wheels. Drake took Graham's bike out and felt pretty confident on it.

So I encouraged him to try again on his bike, and it was a success. I love watching the joy these two get from riding their bikes.

It's been a good month.

harvesting the garden

2010-09-23T14:14:00.003-06:00

So even though at my most recent Dr. appt., he said, "Well, you're definitely 4 cm...." this baby is still hanging out inside. So we've been using the time to get stuff done. This week we've been slowly harvesting the garden.

Drake helped me pick a bunch of red grape and gold cherry tomatoes.

We never picked our artichokes, but they blossomed really pretty.

The bees love them.

We pulled out a few tomato plants from the garden that we had not planted. They just started growing on their own, so we let them. We picked all the green tomatoes off to ripen up on their own, and we still don't know what kind of tomatoes they are.

We made some cucumber boats with the too-big-to-use cucumbers.

Graham relaxed in the shade a lot.

Drake wanted to start in on one of the sunflowers.

I picked a few mini pumpkins for decoration that Graham grew in his garden.

Earlier this week I preserved most of the corn that was picked, and Shad and the boys threw the corn stalks over the fence to the horses.

Shad planted a globe willow.

The drip system was put away.

The boys "planted" some corn stalks in random places.

And once my nine-month pregnant self got over the fact that the kids ruined a bunch of perfectly good produce, I took pictures.

I probably shouldn't be upset about losing a few zucchini, since we had plenty.

I don't even know what they used to carve the faces, but I have to admit they were creative.

We still have a few things in the garden to take care of, but I'm letting Shad do it when he wants. We didn't really figure into the picture that I would be due to have a baby when it was time to harvest... but until this baby decides to join us, we'll keep trying to get done what we can!

new office desk

2010-09-21T13:04:00.000-06:00

For a long time, Shad has wanted a corner desk for our computer/office to replace the one we've had since we got married. And for a long time, I've wanted to build some furniture. So I finally convinced him that if we combined our wishes, maybe they would come true. Although Shad ended up doing most of the finish work, I did actually help in the building process. So, without further ado...

Here is our old desk.

And here is our new desk

Eventually we'll build some drawers to go in the base cabinets so we can use them as filing cabinets, but we're glad to finally have the main part done and usable. I don't know if I can convince Shad to build anything else with me, but I enjoyed it and I'm glad we got to work together on it.

fire station

2010-09-17T17:27:00.004-06:00

Our little preschool group went on a field trip to our city's fire station. The kids were a little shy, but I think they still had fun.

The first thing they did, after introductions and some talking, was dress up in fire suits.

It was cute to see all the kids as little firemen. Graham, of course, had no interest.

Then the kids got to climb up into one of the fire trucks and make the lights flash and honk the loud horn. They thought that was great fun.

All except for Graham, who had no interest in doing that either.

Another thing they did was spray out an imaginary fire using a brush rig hose.

Finally, Graham found something that he wasn't too shy to do.

At the end, each kid (even Avery) got a bright yellow cup.

They also got little fireman hats.

We had the kids line up for a picture, but as you can see in the foreground, Graham didn't feel like it.

Before we left, the kids were shown the outside of a few more fire trucks.

When we got home, we used their new cups for lunch, and when we put cold milk in them, they turned green.

I think the kids had a fun time, despite their shyness.

medieval faire

2010-09-16T09:04:00.000-06:00

Every year our local library has a medieval faire. This year they served fried chicken and other goods for dinner. Then we wandered around for a little while just looking at the different displays.

Drake was fascinated by the chain mail and spent a while just looking and asking questions.

And Graham and Avery were interested in the necklaces, to the point where I couldn't get them interested in anything else.

They also had an area where you could dress up in medieval clothing and get your picture taken in a big chair, but my kids weren't interested in that at all.

saturday fun

2010-09-14T08:57:00.000-06:00

We started off the morning by working outside a little bit.

By working, I mean that Shad worked and I picked tomatoes. These are orange blossom tomatoes and green zebra tomatoes.

The kids picked mulberries, as is evidenced on their faces.

Graham had a soccer game. He actually gets out and plays now.

He refuses to wear his soccer cleats or shin guards, but at least he's out on the field.

Drake likes to play on the playground during Graham's games, and usually finds a friend.

As aggressive as Graham can be, he's not at all aggressive out on the field.

This video shows him actually kicking the ball once.

After Graham's game we went over to campus to attend the Sagebrush Arts Festival. It's basically local artists, of all different mediums, selling their work, with live music and a Children's Art Yard.

After wandering and admiring all the art and crafts, we enjoyed the Children's Art Yard. I helped Avery make a little bracelet which she wears all the time, and the boys loved making their own jewelry too.

The rest of the day we just relaxed (and worked a little) at home. 'Twas a good day.

drake and his bike

2010-09-10T08:34:00.000-06:00

Because Graham (who is 3 years old and Drake's younger brother) learned to ride his bike without training wheels, Drake decided he'd better learn too. He is definitely our most cautious child, so he was very unsure and worried the entire time he was trying.

But even Drake figured out how to ride without the training wheels.

Here's some video, too.

He hasn't been back on his bike since this one time, but at least he did it once!

randomness

2010-09-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

Here are just a bunch of random pictures.

This is Avery sitting in her booster seat during preschool when I taught. She thought she was just one of the students.

This is me, trying to get a shot of me pregnant.

If you can't see my face, I'm okay with pregnant pictures of myself.

This is a pile of blankets...

...full of kids.

Graham with a Q-tip taped to his nose. I think he called it his mustache.

The end... for now.

dr. appt.

2010-09-08T18:06:00.012-06:00

So I had the appointment where the doctor checks you, if you know what I mean. If you're interested in details, keep reading. As far as the picture below, I had changed a bad diaper and hadn't put pants on her yet when she found Drake's socks and Graham's shoes, and decided to put them on.

The doctor told me that the baby's head was down (which I could have guessed by all the kicking going on up high).

He said that I was almost 3 cm. dilated.

And he said that I was 50% effaced.

And then he said, "Well, we'll see you in a week, unless you have a baby sooner!" I'll be 37 weeks on Friday.

In other news, Graham went out and rode his bike again the very next morning after his success without training wheels.

Here's a little video. He loves it.

Graham's first day of preschool

2010-09-07T07:33:00.004-06:00

Well, Graham has officially started preschool, and I got to teach first (something about me having a baby soon....).

It's nice to be back on a good schedule again. And I'm glad Graham has some friends that he'll see on a regular basis. They're a fun group of kids.