First Hair Cut

Yes, Raychel is almost 10 and got her first real

hair cut!! We even got to bring some home in an

envelope!! She has many trims over the years,

but never a "hair cut." She wanted to donate her hair to

Locks of Love but when she found out they needed

at least 10 inches, she could only part with 6.

I am so proud of her desire, she said maybe next time.

This was the day of the hair cut, because her hair has gotten

so long all of her curl is pretty much gone, so on

this morning we straightened it to see just how

long it really was!!

The first cut....

"Wow, that's a lot" was all Jolene could say.
Poor Raychel looked at me and said "it's alright
isn't it?"

The finished look!!


Now it is so much easy it comb, wash, dry, and some
of the curl is back! She loves her new cut!!

It's just beautiful!

Learning Labs

This past week in Kindergarten the kids got to have

a "Littler Critters Vet Hospital". They loved it!!

They were encouraged to bring an animal friend from

home who may or may not be in need for the

"Vet Hospital". They had band aids, and thermometers,

they were able to "call ahead" and make an appointment.

They were able to build their animals a home where their

natural "habitat" may be, and or course do some artwork

for their animal friends. I truly love learning labs,

it amazing the new words and meaning Jolene comes home

with. The best is on her days off when she will ask

me what our "topic of the day" will be!!

A Dog Gone Good Day!

This is our family dog, Cammy. We got her in March 1999,

just a couple of months before Raychel was born.

Cammy was already 2 years old. She lived with us

in Washington, moved to Colorado with us and "rented"

a space at Sterling's while we rented until our permanent

move 7 months later. She has been a great dog.

She has been a great hunting partner for Ward, she loves

the water whether its the river, lake, or the kids swimming pool.

Until this last year she never missed a hunting season, Ward

learned she was going blind and deaf on one of the hunts

when she got disoriented in the river. We thought she was

a goner, luckily she figured it out and made her way back to Ward.

One thing for sure, no matter if Cammy is with us a few more weeks, months or years, she is the "girls dog." Cammy looks forward to her play time with the girls, and can't get enough of it!! And neither can the girls.

Dinner with a friend

Our great friend Ginger came into town for the weekend. We were going to get together Saturday, but ended up meeting for dinner at our favorite Mexican Restaurant Friday night. I didn't tell the girls she was coming so they were both very surprised to see her at the restaurant. It was great visiting with her, looking at her pictures of her new life, laughing and catching up on life. She moved about 18 months ago. It was a very sad day. Ginger is not only a great friend, but a mother and sister all in one.

We love her dearly! Ginger has seen more then her share of heartache, but keeps on with a positive attitude. She makes me want to be a better friend, mother, wife, and sister. My life is better because I know her, which makes my families life better.

We love you Ginger more then you will ever know, thank you for spending the evening with us.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

For an Enrichment class at church we made

these great Easter books about the last week of

our Savior's life. Each night the week of Easter we were able to

sit and read through this booklet together. It was beautifully done,

with quotes, scriptures, and of course pictures. It really brought

the sacrifice Christ made to life for our family, it was hard to read

without feeling the Spirit testify that these things are true.

It was really nice to sit as a family and discuss and share

testimony of our feelings. This will be a tradition in

our family for years to come.

We had lots of fun making our Easter/Spring sugar cookies
to share with our neighbors.

The girls take this tradition very seriously!!

Then the next night we colored Easter Eggs. This is

always fun to see the different colors they can

come up with and then remembers who's is who's

when it comes time to eat them!!

Then Sunday morning getting ready for church,

getting to wear the new Easter/Spring dress even

if there is a threat of rain/snow that day!!

The girls did a great job picking out their dresses this year.

I think they looked beautiful!

Raychel will be 10 in few weeks, she is so

beautiful and very ladylike, she is very

sweet and kind, she is growing up so fast!

Jolene looks so pretty, she knew how she wanted

her hair for days, all curly! She was so proud of

the finished look. She knows what she wants...

all the time!!

We had to make hair bows that matched of course!!

Sunday afternoon the girls hunted for Easter

Eggs....

with the crazy weather they discovered there were

some outside......
as well as inside!!


After the Easter Egg hunt the girls watch a movie

together while we finished up dinner. I love

it when they do this. They really do love each other.

The don't like to be apart for very long. I can only

hope it keeps getting stronger!

Then dinner was served!! I love it when Ward cooks!

He put the ham on the pellet BBQ, pouring the honey mixture

over it often, it was the best ham, it melted in your mouth!!

YUMMY!!

And of course the Easter Bunny Cake, just like my

mom use to make for me and my siblings!!

Some family traditions are worth doing!

This really was one of the best Easters!

Goofy Girl!!

Jolene was so excited when she found this

old Halloween costume and wanted to wear it.

It's funny how the simple things entertain her!

She requested this pictures so she would look

BIG!!Jolene was super silly this morning

she wanted her picture taken because

she look like a "fashion model"

I wish you could hear how hard her

and Raychel were giggling as Jolene

tried many poses!! If it wasn't time to leave

for school she would have been there all day!!

To have her self esteem!!

A note from Dad

Here is another really great note from my Dad to all of his kids.
Since this is another journal for our family that I print off and have
made into a book, I want my Dad's sweet notes included
for the girls and us to read back on. It means the world
to me when I get these from my parents.



All.....

Thank you all so much for the updated blogs. You will never know how much I enjoy them. It really does let me know what everyone is up to. I see the pictures and laugh at all the fun times my grand kids are having. I believe that all of you are doing wonderful jobs of raising your children to be good responsible people and strong in the gospel of Christ.

It was a beautiful day to day with lots of sunshine. We had the sliding door open as we listen to Conference and felt the spirit of the brethren as they gave direction and council. I hope that all of you enjoyed that spiritual feast.

Yesterday the kids got sunburns out playing and Heathers family was having snow. I sure hope their weather turns to summer so that Ward and I can enjoy the golf course when we go down. Of course last year it was raining pretty hard, but that didn't stop us. We just enjoyed ourselves and had a great time.


Thank you again for the blogs, your mother and I really enjoy them.

Love Dad

Lunch with Billie

With a very cold and snowy Spring Break our great neighborBillie had a girls day with my girls.

She had them over for lunch, games and don't

forget the ice cream. They all had a nice, long

day together without me...it was nice

for the girls, they love Billie and Billie loves them.

Thank you Billie for being our neighbor!!

Wont be left behind

What is it about the second child, why do they have

to grow up so fast to keep up with the first child?

Well, since Raychel is learning to sew, and doing very well,

Jolene wanted to know when was it her turn?!

Now is as good as any!!

She started learning over Spring Break,

she's not tall enough to reach the foot peddle,

but she can hold the fabric in a straight line!!

Just a little guidance can really go a long way....


Both girls wore the skirts they made over
Spring Break to church. I remember making a
few items of clothing with the guidance of my mom,
but wasn't as happy with the results enough to wear it,
I'm glad my girls are proud of the hard work they have
done and want to show it off!!

They are mine

Children are an heritage of the Lord

~PSALM 127:3

Children are the promise of the future, the

assurance of greater things to come.

~Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley

I wonder if they know how ....
blessed they have made my life?
How their smiles light my world,
how their laughter brings my heart
pure joy, how their kindness makes me
smile, how refreshing their innocence is,
how all their questions keep me on my
toes, how their hugs warm my heart, how
their gratitude humbles me, I wonder if they
know they are my joy, my angels, my
weaknesses, my love, and most importantly
they are mine!

Snowy Spring Days

What do you do on a snowy Spring March....

Make a "baby" snowman...

Jolene was so proud of her little snow baby,

then the dog attacked it and ate it's

carrot nose!!!

After we dried the tears we made chocolate

chip cookies and warmed up with hot cocoa

and Raychel wanted to sew...she's addicted!!

they ended the day with a sister sleep over,

notice the cat and the baby bed next to Jolene.

All the girls are accounted for.

They dream of the adventures of the new day...

Spring Snow

Spring snow storm in the Rockies I sure hope my little tulips survive the new

blanket of snow that covered them

during the night.

March 26, 2009