May

May starts out with May day of course... Each year the kids and I have taken the first cuttings off our Lilac bush, and place little baskets of flowers on the door handles of the family and dear friends.



Ash's pinky finger got caught in her shovel while she was helping Paul weed.
She was so hysterical I had to get a picture. Literally two seconds after I snapped this picture she pulled her finger out



This is a picture of Byron Yankee, an old friend of our family, and mom's first principal in Nampa. This is at the opening of the Time Capsaul that was put into the wall of the cafeteria at the end of the first year that Greenhurst was open. I bet none of us thought that any of our children would go to Greenhurst when it was opened.

My kids fall asleep in the strangest positions sometimes!!!

Paul came home from work to find Brennen sleeping like this...

A typical day in the Life of Addie

April


Reading books with big Sis...


Eating whatever my sibs leave within my reach...Thanks Brenn.


Chill'n with my mohawk...


Crawling in between any small creavice I can find...

Utahraptor

April
When it comes to anything science related, mom isn't good enough... We have to go to the family expert on science-granilani-, or that's Ash's thinking. She needed to do research on a dinosaur of her choice, and since we Rogers/Tampas Women never do anything the easy way, mom looked up a dinosaur none of us have heard of. Mom and Ash decided to do a to "scale" model of one of its claws. Ashlynn read several short paragraphs for information, and was able to answer questions mom asked her about them. We then put all those question together this Q&A peek-a-boo tri-fold. Ash recieved an E++ on it, and it was very different from all the other dioramas that the other students did. Mrs. Fred. even asked to have it for an example for next year. Ashlynn was so excited!!!

There's NO Crying in Baseball

March/April/May

One of dad's favorite quotes is from a League of Their Own, and Tom Hanks' Character is yelling at the girls and he says,"Are you crying, There's No Crying in Baseball.
On the morning of the leagues Jamboree, our team had to be there at 7:30 am for Pictures and an 8:30 game. We all know how unpredictable Idaho weather can be. One year we got sunburns at the Jamboree, because it was nearly 90. But it was so cold the kids were crying and didn't want to play.





Ash was on the Lookouts this year. Her coach, Steve Green, was in mom and dad's ward.
The team spent a lot of time practicing hitting, and not so much on fielding. It's interesting, you can tell what the different teams coach's emphasised during practices when it came to the games. There was really only two teams in the league that had the whole package, but they were also the teams that had had little to no changes from last year, and had been together for the two year age bracket.
Ash had fun, but still had ants in her pants while waiting for the beep, beep, beep of the pitching machine. There were a total 5 girls in the league this year. The girls softball league called us several times trying to recruit her, but Ash is adamant, she doesn't want to play with the girls.











Ash was introduced to sunflower seeds this season. That is what she is trying to dig out of her back pocket, while she was playing second. Second base was the position where she made the most outs. She was also one of three kids on her team that could make the throw from third to first.



She had a fun season, and is always sad to see it end.

Remember Einstein

April

One day a couple of years ago, I caught Brennen copying the Einstein pictue in our classroom.

Well the "Easter Bunny" brought him this shirt. To bad the "Easter Bunny" couldn't find one in a bigger size.

Easter

April


The kids had fun coloring eggs, for weeks afterwards, Brennen always asks if we can color more of them.

Another Playmate

March

The kids have enjoyed having another person to play with, most of the time.

Brennen got mad one evening, and tore apart a little pillow, that had tons of little white foam balls in it. We spent most of the night and the rest of the week vacuuming them up.


Addie acquired her own Lear jet. She had fun jet setting with her big brother and sister to the different exotic destinations around our home.

Leg Warmers

March


Remember these? We all had them in the '80's. They are my Favorite "baby item" this time around. Addie's knees were getting so chewed up crawling around on them, that I had to do something. The answer was leg warmers! They are Perfect for baby girls to crawl around in!!

My ever creative little boy.

March 2010
In one of our teams classrooms, we have a ping pong table. We'll Brennen wanted one for home, so he made one of his own. He used up the very last of his duck tape that he got for his birthday to make the paddles. He even let Ash play with him. They had fun.

Much has Happened since January.

February 2010
One of the most significant things that is happened in our lives since January, is the Factory closing. The "Factory", as we called it, has been a huge part of our life here in Nampa. It is the reason WHY we live in Nampa.


I have a lot of memories that are centered around the Factory. Taking lunch to dad in the summer, riding our bikes or roller skating around the workroom, sleeping in the office when we were to sick to go to school, cleaning out storage units (i hated this one, because of all the creapies and crawlies- have I ever mentioned that I really hate mice!!!!-), and many, many more wonderful memories. We even lived there for 3 1/2 months while our house was being built, when I was 14. One year, I even took my students on a fieldtrip to the factory, (we had been down the road at another parents work place) and dad gracesously showed the kids how mattress are made.





I hope that my kids have some memories of the Factory too, but I'm afraid that they are to young.

I have never seen the Factory gutted before. It has always been full of innersprings, boxsprings, buildup tables, sewing tables, the gluestation, pad, quilt, foam, and at times rolls of cotton. It made me want to cry.



It just goes to show, that the economy we live in is constantly changing... That the consumers as a whole want bigger, and "better" for cheaper, and for the cost of living in the U.S., we can not continue to manufacture any goods here for us to be profitable. Thus in slaving our country to others, and putting our trust and relying on others that maynot be so kind or forgiving in the future.
There I feel better now!

Adelaide @ SIX months

With Addie probably being our last baby, I don't want her to get any bigger. I want her to stay in each stage forever. But she keeps growing!!!
She has so much personality, and the way she gazes at everything, you know synopsis's are firing and burning everything to memory.
The first thing everyone says when they see her, is what a SMILEY baby she is.
Because Paul and my work schedules over lap by 1/2 hour, Paul drops Brenn and Addie off to me about 10 minutes before school's over. Everyone wants to hold Addie!!! "Uncle Stuart" (my boss) being at the top of the list. Several honorary grandparents and "uncles" have pictures of her in their classrooms and offices.
It's funny.
She just has one of those spirits that draws you in.
I hope it lasts.

Sweet Potatoes: Pricless

The doctors wanted Addie to wait and eat solid food until she was 6 months. This was because they couldn't explain why she was projectile vomiting, and figure by 6 months things would settle down. So, on Sunday Adelaide had her first taste of "solid" food.

Great-Grandma's Piano

I mentioned in an earlier blog that Paul's Grandma Pat gave us her piano. In turn, we kept it a secret until Christmas, and told Ash when she unwrapped a picture of a piano. Since then, she asked everyday when we would be going to go get it. On National Freedom Day, Paul rented a U-Haul and with dads help (Mark and Cousin Jim's on the other end), he went and got the piano. Let's just say, the thing is heavier then it looks.
Then for two weeks, Ash kept asking when Kamee (one of my good friend Kolene's daughters) was going to start giving her piano lessons. Kamee was sick last Sunday, and so Ash gave her younger sister Tiffani a message to tell her.
Long Story Short:
Ash starts piano lessons February 1st.

Stack-attack

Every time I turn around Brenn is stacking something.

Blogging Up!!!!!!!!

Christmas 2009:
Addie's First Christmas
All though it was Addie's first Christmas, we didn't get many pictures of her...and not one in her super cute outfit by herself. We only allow our kids to ask for one gift they really want. And they only get "three gifts" symbolizing the gifts the wise men gave baby Jesus.

This year the requests were: Ash wanted a Bopit game, and Brennen wanted a "Polar Express Train" (one that he had seen at JCPennies when I was getting the kids pictures done...it cost $200 on sale!!! And then on Christmas eve he found a real Polar Express train in a really weird place and it was much cheaper, but oh well.)

Ash got a bopit, color explosion, dart gun (from Brennen-it did have 2, "so they could play it together";) ), a new bike, and her great-grandma's piano (which she is really excited about), Leapster games, and a Hannah Montana Karaoke.

Brenn got two new Thomas Characters trains- Fearless Freddy and Hero, Leapster games, Legos, and transformers.

Addie got teething toys.

And they all got Clothes Thanks to Auntie Kir and Papa Dave and granilani!!! This is mommy's favorite!!!!


This toy has a working battery operated screwdriver and ratchet. You use them you put together planes, trains, and automobiles. Brennen has spent hours playing with this toy.

Ash & her 2nd cousin Haddon- He is 1 month 1 day younger

Addie's Carseat Game
How to play: Arch your back and go rigged as a board.