the troyer's lifesong

Our house redone!

2010-01-10T23:15:00.002-05:00

BEFORE!

AFTER!!
for more pictures of the transformation... click here!

big girls playing

2010-01-10T22:20:00.001-05:00

My DAISEY girl is getting so big... She turned ONE and has grown into a little girl. No longer just my baby girl. Lately she has been playing with brooke and it makes me so happy! I have such wonderful memories of playing with my sisters and I hope with ALL my heart that my girls will have the relationship that I have with my sisters.

merry christmas troyer style

2010-01-10T21:58:00.002-05:00

I tried DESPERATELY to get a christmas picture in their jamies... and it wasn't working! I finally gave up and then decided after looking at them that this really was the BEST one! Exactly like the are... my crazy kiddos! LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I am such a blessed mom!

David and Kristi's Wedding!!!

2009-10-29T19:30:00.002-04:00

Brandon got sick.. so clint and I didn't get to go to the wedding together, so I took Brookie with me! A little mama time... well it wasn't that easy actually; I brought her home right after the ceremony and switched with clint! That way we both got to spend some time with our dear friends on their special day!

My camera did not take very good pictures of them, but she was SOO beautiful!

kissy kissy!

So fun!

Gilley's and the Mize's!

Brandon's in kindergarten......

2009-09-10T08:02:00.003-04:00

My baby is in kindergarten now... sheesh! He was so excited and JUMPED out of bed! I really did okay as well. Last year was a little rough for me and him, but this year we both did great! I thought he was going to push me out the door! He had a bunch of well wishers peeking in on him, like Beckey Knight, Tamara Mathew and Missy Hatton... all checking to see if mom was gonna need to be pulled out! Thanks guys! :)

Crawling, Standing and thinking about walking

2009-08-28T15:42:00.000-04:00

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where to begin??

2009-08-28T09:45:00.009-04:00

Where to begin?? This summer had been crazy for me and blogging has definately taken a backseat! But you already know that....

The end of June my niece Estella Mae was born, so tiny but so sweet. I am having so much fun getting to know one of my nieces as a baby. It was incredibly hard not being here when she was born, but I love getting to see her nearly everyday and holding her during lunch so mama can eat! Just returning the favor, kay :)
Mom came when Stella was a week old, and brought Trish, Halle and Will with her.. Trish and her kids got to stay with me, and we had a wonderful time being together....
(The girls are learning to potty train, and apparently they are teaching their dolls :))

AJ came home from his LDAC training camp and got to meet both Stella and Will at the airport. We pulled up in our army t-shirts and picked him up at the airport! So fun! Will reminds us so much of him!
After that it was a whirl wind of camping trips, ZOO trip to OHIO for brandon's birthday... and then the MONSTER TRUCK BASH for his 6th birthday when we got home....

Dad came home the beginning of August and we all surprised him with an early 60th birthday present! He barely had time to step foot in our house and we were singing to him! (mostly cuz we didn't trust my kids not to spill the beans, if we waited)
We spent the next few days with mom and dad as a family, just enjoying getting to be all together again! It had been about 14 months since we had seen dad, and since then Stella, Will and DAISEY had been born! So many new babies to meet!

This last weekend we had to say good-bye to them AGAIN!.. It really doesn't seem to get easier... Blessings and Curses of being such a close family...

TODAY, I find myself with a mixture of both anxiousness and contentment.. Odd I know.. I'm anxious about Brandon starting school full day next week, potty training brooke, preschooling gavin and weaning Daisey... However the LORD is really becoming my strength more and more.. It seems to take me getting so stressed out to realize that ONCE again I am trying to handle everything myself... and once I surrender I am so much more CONTENT!
So we'll see how the next few weeks go, and how often I blog! :)

Happy and starting to talk

2009-06-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

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Missouri trip

2009-06-27T18:53:00.003-04:00

This is one of my BEST friends' and her family... Hanne, Walter, Elise (almost 2) and Lucy (almost 1). Clint, Daisey and I got to go down and visit them last weekend and have SO much fun! The time went by way too fast, and I was a little sad that we didn't bring the rest of the kids for them to meet, but it was a VERY nice break as well! THANK YOU Gilleys, Mathews and Grandma and Papa Mosie for coming up and watching them for us!

We also go to catch up with the Borbe family, who we found out is expecting baby #6! Congratulations guys!

Hanne and I with our baby girls...

I had a wonderful time with Daisey... sometimes #4 doesn't get much attention. She ATE it up!

It was a nice escape for clint and I too!

What a doll! You should see her wonderful personality too... One day I was putting daisey down for a nap and all the while I could hear Elise calling me from her pretend phone, "Hello Aunti Keisa..... daisey?" She fell in love with Daisey!

TWO PEAS IN A POD! They are a few months apart in age, but as you can see just about exactly the same size :)

Camping pictures

2009-06-25T10:31:00.008-04:00

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy for our family... Going and going! We have been taking pictures, with all the plans to blog them for you.... but when Estella Mae decided to join us, she took the stage! I'll back track now and show you what we have been up to! :)

This is what it takes for us to go camping :) ha ha... I know jade, it's ridiculous!

This was our campsite! NOT like out west, but we still had fun!

The boys had a BLAST on scooters and bikes and brooke learned how to blow and catch bubbles!

We were right on Lake Erie, so on one of the nice days the kids and I (minus Dasiey... thank you grandma) got to play on the beach.

Clint also took the kids fishing off the shore.This one is for you mom and dad...

I think we have a fisherman :)

The ride home kind of wiped everyone out.... The boys just got crazy !

Estella Mae Gilley Arrives

2009-06-24T20:43:00.004-04:00

She decided to come a little early, but Estella Mae was born on June 22nd! One day after her parent's anniversary! She is only 5 lbs 8 oz, a little peanut, but SO beautiful! Clint and I were in Missouri when she decided to come, so we missed her arrival so we couldn't wait to meet her!

Ready for Kindergarten

2009-06-14T20:09:00.002-04:00

Brandon just had his last day of 'young fives.' We really loved his teacher and as she will be teaching kindergarten next year we have our fingers crossed we will get her again! She really choked up when she said good-bye to her class! Thanks again Mrs. Murray! He is now a kindergartner!

sick baby girl

2009-06-11T19:21:00.002-04:00

Keep our Daisey girl in your thoughts and prayers..... she has a double ear infection again. She has had them back to back lately, and now the doctor is talking about tubes. That always makes a mama a little scared..

High in the Sky....

2009-06-09T21:55:00.001-04:00

If you scare easily... I wouldn't look at the rest of the pictures :) The nights are getting so much warmer lately and we were all outside with the kids playing! NONE of my children are afraid of heights... if you didn't know all ready!

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tball and fat lips....

2009-06-08T08:46:00.003-04:00

Brandon was playing catch on the sideline with a buddy.... and caught the ball in the lip instead of his mit... poor baby!

I challenge you to try to get this kid to smile~

laughing girl

2009-06-02T08:11:00.001-04:00

Please ignore the ugly bib she is wearing! She had gentian violet in her mouth for thrush and I didn't want to ruin her clothes... but she was so cute laughing I wanted to share it with you!

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It's a big day!!!!

2009-05-30T18:57:00.003-04:00

We've been trying to take the training wheels off for a few weeks lately, but Gavin wasn't quite as confident as he needed to be. He kept giving up, but today was the day!!! We are SOOO proud of him! The funny thing is we just watched the episode of Jon and Kate *8 where one of the boys takes off riding, and Gavin realized that he was the same age as they are.... "I can do that too mama", he said! So we gave it a try!

I see you 'G!'

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T ball days

2009-05-29T09:42:00.002-04:00

Well I'm not sure if he quite got the idea of it at first...

Look at that swing :)

It is quite funny watching all these little guys, but I have been amazed after 3 games how much they have actually improved. They all still dog pile on the ball, but they do try to throw it to first now and they all know which way to run when they hit the ball! So fun!

Lugnuts game...

2009-05-28T10:05:00.002-04:00

Brandon got to go to a Lugnuts game in Lansing with the Mathews a few weeks ago... We had made other plans and weren't going to be able to go, but they took Brandon with them! THANK YOU so much! He had a blast!!! There are pictures on their blog!

Spring Concert

2009-05-28T09:59:00.002-04:00

Brandon's School had a spring concert for the young fives class and all the kindergarteners recently. It was quite adorable, and since we know quite a few kindergartners too it was fun to see them too!

Brandon's teacher who he adores.... 'Mrs. Murray'

Brandon's two best friends... Emma Mathew and Judah Hatton...

I see you Bubu...

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We have a nephew!

2009-04-27T08:04:00.002-04:00

My sister Trisha and her husband just had their little boy! Or shall I say BIG boy.... at 8lbs 13 oz and 22" long!
They decided to call him Will Gregory Greenfield, and I say it fits him! Wish we could be there to give him kisses!!!

snow in april??

2009-04-06T13:01:00.006-04:00

Yea, I thought it was a joke too! We haven't had enough this season??? I guess not, we woke up to about 6 inches and school closures! Craziness!!! What else is there to do, but bundle up and play outside. I was seriously lucky I even found all their stuff again! Brookie's snow pants were way too small, but oh well...

g's faces and d found her voice....

2009-03-26T07:24:00.001-04:00

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good bye tooth

2009-03-15T08:20:00.002-04:00

(a little worried cuz he heard there was blood)

(excited smile)

We were shopping in Lansing and I was lagging behind, but when I got into the store Brandon had some BIG news! He had his first loose tooth. The funny thing is when he showed me if was only hanging on by a thread! Within 30 minutes it was ripped out... and NO mom, I didn't take it out.... (daddy did) He has been so excited to go back to school to show his teachers and friends. He is the first on in his class to loose a tooth.

hats in the store!!

2009-03-09T18:09:00.002-04:00

My babies even get to be the models! I was surprised to pull up and see them in the display window!r

I was invited to put my hats in a boutique last year, but I was just never quite able to do it... I finally did! I went in today to check and see how they were doing, and already I have a sale! We'll see how it goes! The store is called "On the Ave," and like it's name it is right downtown on Michigan Ave.

Songs according to brookie

2009-03-05T08:53:00.002-05:00

Here is brooklyn's rendition of a few of her favorite songs.... This is for halla lu, cuz I know she will watch it 40 million times! (sorry it kinda gets cut off)

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3 months...

2009-03-05T08:50:00.001-05:00

A few pictures of 'miss du' this month!

Brooke's birthday at the 'tree house'

2009-03-05T08:43:00.002-05:00

On brooklyn's birthday we took the kids to the 'tree house' for the first time. It was such a fun afternoon! It was set up so that parents could climb up in it with their little ones and that made brooklyn very happy. I think I climbed up 40 times!

Sweaty boys having a BLAST!

Birthday smoothie! Yes, it turned her mouth and teeth green.

Cheese...

I just about died here... or the little boy at the bottom.... SHEESH!

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updates finally!

2009-03-05T08:34:00.003-05:00

All I have to say is that 4 kids is NOT 3 kids.... I try to keep up, but the blog seems to be the thing that lacks... So sorry!

We've had a lot of fun things lately and our little daisey du is growing so much. Here is a glimpse of the last few weeks.

Brooklyn opening a present from nana and papa in cambodia.. Her birthday seems like it was a month long!

Going to a 'David Crowder Band' concert with our best friends the Mathews! Thanks guys!
'Miss Du' getting stronger everyday!

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Birthday girls!

2009-02-09T12:23:00.009-05:00

We decided to have a joint birthday party for Brookie and Addie this week. The girls are only a month apart and their mama's are best friends... so we thought it would be fun. We had alot of friends and family that came over for some AMAZING white chicken chili... (I NEED the recipe) and ELMO cake! The girls had matching birthday dresses and were the center of attention! During clean up the parents had some fun too!

Here is our big girl... Addie is 6 weeks old than Daisey but they're the same size!

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Superbowl is 3-D anyone??

2009-02-05T17:13:00.000-05:00

a night out.....

2009-01-31T12:57:00.002-05:00

A few days clint and I got invited to go out with some very good friends of ours; JP and Sue Marr. It took some planning with our little ones... but thanks to some students and the Gilleys we were able to take off for several hours. We all went out to dinner at Smokey Bones and then to a Chris Tomlin concert in Grand Rapids. Thanks everyone for making this possible for us. We really needed the night out!

brookie has pneumonia... again.

2009-01-20T12:48:00.002-05:00

We have had a nasty cold and cough going around our family, and I am desperately trying to keep it away from Daisey!!! This morning Brooke's cough was worse, so I took her to get her chest listened to. If you remember she was in the hospital last year with RSV and pneumonia.... It is not rsv this time, PRAISE GOD, but we are on antibiotic for the pneumonia. Please keep us in your prayers... mostly that Daisey does not get it!

9 weeks already

2009-01-18T09:08:00.003-05:00

Some new Daisey facts: I sleep through the night consistently now! I rarely cry, but if I do it's only cuz I'm hungry or tired. I love my swing.... I love to be against your chest, but I probably won't sleep there anymore. If I'm awake I bet you'll get a huge smile and probably a coo. I'm almost ready for a squeal or laugh. I haven't met anyone I didn't like...but some hold me better than others:) Watch out I'm getting big fast!

Daisey knows her name...

2009-01-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

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by hook or by crook

2009-01-06T17:18:00.002-05:00

When brooke decided she wanted an apple she was gonna do whatever it took to get it! Now you know why she had a broken arm when she was only 15 months!

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Daisey is almost 8 weeks!

2009-01-06T17:16:00.002-05:00

Here is a glimpse of our baby girl at almost 8 weeks. She is our sweet snuggler!
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Happy Birthday G man!

2009-01-06T17:10:00.002-05:00

Gavin turned 4 yesterday! It took mama forever to find basketball stuff for his party.... but we finally got to put on the party that he has wanted forever!

Christmas Memories

2009-01-01T11:56:00.006-05:00

This year we made some new memories; some were fun and some were tough....
It started out by wrapping gifts until 2:30 in the morning... what was I thinking waiting until the night before???
Then the next morning we set up skype with my mom and dad who got to watch the kids open up their gifts all the way from Cambodia!

Daddy read the Christmas story to the kids from a new book that we got just for the occasion.

Brookie putting the story and the nativity together.."baby Jesus and the mommy..."

"I'm so excited!"

Thank you Aunt Micky and Uncle Darren for the awesome gifts! Daisey snuggled up in her new blankie with aunt JojoThank you so much Grandma Jeanne and Grandpa for the gifts you send the kids... We were able to really add to their Christmas!

Big girl pretties...

An hour after opening gifts and eating a brunch with Grandma, Papa Mosie and Jojo we loaded up and made the 4 hr trip down to Ohio! They were all awesome travelers... and daisey slept the whole way! We sure packed out that van though....

We had Christmas dinner with all clint's extended family... Those of you who don't know his dad grew up Amish, so most of the family is still amish. The boys loved all the horses... Gavin said that he knew which horses were for the buggies and which were for "racing"... I told him I though all of them were for the buggies but he insisted that some of there were for racing... Such a boy!

Beautiful little traveler!

Brookie snuggled up with her "dora baby" and "ellie"

another reason we made the trip!!!

Christmas Sunday Best.

2008-12-22T11:09:00.001-05:00

This is for you mom.. wanted you to see the girls dresses! Turned out cute I think.
MERRY CHRISTMAS

smiles!

2008-12-16T09:20:00.004-05:00

This is our little lady at one month! I can hardly how fast the last month has gone! We see different sides of her personality coming out every day, and it's so much fun! She is definitely a snuggler and loves to right up near you... calms the second Gavin starts singing 'twinkle twinkle,' and gets pretty dramatic if you ignore her fussiness... all in all she is a very easy baby that goes everywhere with mama and LOVES it.

Sleepy time...

2008-12-13T19:27:00.003-05:00

It's the end of the semester and both daisey and daddy are ready for a break!

A Huge thank you!!

2008-11-28T21:01:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to send out a HUGE thank you to Trish, Jade and Halle for all your help the last few weeks! We could NOT have done it with out you! I really did have the best time getting to spend some down time with you guys... You out did yourself Trish cleaning, cooking and watching my kiddos! Jade that you so much for letting me steal your girls for 2 weeks! We love you guys! I'll keep praying you get rid of your house so you can move here!

Kayla and Craig, thank you so much for all your help the last few weeks! Craig you have spent endless hours watching the big kids and running out energy for us! I don't know if you know how much of a help that is... and Kay thank you so EVERYTHING you have done! Everything from endless laundry, running errands and crocheting blankets! We love you guys!
Aje.. thank you so your support! It meant alot to us that you stuck around to meet Daisey and helped out with everyone! ...we love having you around!

2008-11-19T15:21:00.002-05:00

Daisey Joy had her one week appointment today and she was already gained her birth weight back and then some.... Good girl!
I added more pictures here too!

Introducing DAISEY JOY..

2008-11-13T20:59:00.005-05:00

The Troyer family is very excited to introduce you to the newest member of their family.. Daisey Joy!

7 lbs 11 oz, 21 inches.... and just beautiful.

Born TODAY.. November 13 at 2:13 pm!!

Proud BIG BROTHER Gavin tickling her toes!

BIG SISTER.. Brooklyn loves the baby!!

BIG BROTHER Brandon is so proud of his sister!!

The Fryers...

2008-11-08T18:34:00.006-05:00

The senior class had a fund raiser last night... a dodgeball tournament! It was a lot of fun for everyone playing and so fun to watch too! No, I didn't get to play with everyone... I'm still carrying around my own "ball." They named themselves "The Fryers" since most of the team was part of the kitchen crew... they recruited Kay and AJ too. They boys thought it was pretty fun to watch!

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Trunk or Treat??

2008-11-05T20:16:00.003-05:00

Captain Hook

Peter Pan

and our own little fairy...

Our church has an annual event of a "trunk or treat" harvest party. We had over 800 people come this year! What an outreach to our community!

Can I tell you a secret??

2008-10-22T10:49:00.003-04:00

"Brooke let me tell you a secret.."

"Do you want to watch Pablo?"

"Yeah!!!"

Go Uncle AJ

2008-10-16T16:11:00.003-04:00

We took a very spontaneous surprise trip to chicago yesterday to go watch Uncle Aj play a game! It was a long day, but the kids did awesome and amazingly the downpour stopped only long enough to play!

Cheese... (can you see the teeth I'm getting??)

My pictures didn't turn out that well, but it was fun to watch anyway...

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Brandon reading his first book!

2008-10-10T09:34:00.002-04:00

Brandon brought home his first book to practice reading! He was so excited to read and share it with Gavin and Brookie.... I have to say, I was pretty excited to see it myself!
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Daddy and me....

2008-10-10T09:27:00.003-04:00

Clint got two tickets to a Notre Dame game last weekend, and we thought a little father-son time was in order! He has been doing SOOO well at school and we wanted to reward him! Brandon's first football game and he had a BLAST!

Shesh-O-Shesh!!

2008-10-04T20:05:00.002-04:00

I have somebody tell me about everyday that I look like I have a ball under my shirt, but I didn't really believe them until I saw these pictures! So funny! Less than 7 weeks now.... until Daisey Joy arrives! Can't wait to meet this little mover!

Rockstar!

2008-09-21T19:45:00.001-04:00

Brandon had another game this saturday, and he scored 8 goals! Clint was worried that the other parents were going to be mad at him....

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Rain go away!

2008-09-21T19:40:00.001-04:00

What do you do when it rains for 4 days straight??? Put on your mud clothes and GO OUTSIDE!

Pregnancy Celebration....

2008-09-21T17:46:00.002-04:00

A good friend at school had a great idea to have a time of celebration for all the ladies that were due this semester of school. Almost all of us are already mothers and didn't really need a shower, but had such a great time being honored anyway.

This is what Kayla made.... my favorite!

Brandon's first soccer game

2008-09-06T13:04:00.003-04:00

warm up...

kick off.

Defence!

throw in!

Brandon did so well on his first game... He scored the only 2 goals for his team! But beyond that he had so much fun! There are 2 other boys on his team, Karter and Ethan. They play 3 on 3 with a short field, no goalie or scores. It was so much fun to watch, and Gavin was SOOO excited when he scored! This is a picture right as he scored and then his congratulatory hug from a very excited brother!

Game in Goshen...

2008-09-04T09:29:00.004-04:00

Craig, Kayla Clint and I got to go down to Goshen Indiana to watch the ONU tigers play! We got there with only 15 minutes til game time, but the weather turned out to be perfect and the game was a lot of fun...

Warming up...

Our friend Tim Weldy met us there.... It was great to see you again.

Finally putting in some 'SPEED'
Good Job Carraway!

We won 2-0
It great to see you for a minute!

Pregame warm up chant... it was pretty fun to watch.
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This was a pretty nasty collision!

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Score! Don't blame the photographer.... It was too fast for me!

First Day of school for Brandon

2008-09-02T13:13:00.003-04:00

Talking to Aunti Trish... "have a good first day of school, brandon!"

Ready to go!

Mom's School bus...

walking up to meet my teacher..

'This is my friend Joshua.'

'Lining up to go inside.... I was so excited that I barely said good-bye to mom'

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Labor Day

2008-09-01T18:18:00.003-04:00

With the beautiful weather that we had today, we really wanted to enjoy the "last day of summer." Craig and Kayla came with us and enjoyed a little picnic on the boat....
Brandon starts school tomorrow and he is VERY excited! Mom is a little apprehensive.

For more pictures check out Craig and Kayla's blog!

It didn't quite go as expected! The battery died on the boat and we had to have someone bring us out a battery to jump start us! Good thing we were on a sand bar! Thanks David, you saved the day!

2008-08-28T21:04:00.004-04:00

Can we come too, Nana and Papa?? We fit in a box!

a need to update...

2008-08-28T20:56:00.004-04:00

It is not like me to go so long without giving some kind of update, so here is my excuse! You know that cute little puppy that you just met?? Well we found out that she likes to chew cords! 3 different people's computer cords! They don't work well after that! So today a new replacement FINALLY came!

Alot has happened in the last two weeks as well. ALL the students have come back to school and clint went into full-time cooking again.. The difference this semester is that Clint is now running the kitchen and training a whole new staff! It is a lot to do, but so far it has been awesome! Food has been amazing and all the new employees are catching on fast!

Yesterday Mom and Dad left for their new ministry in the country of Cambodia. It was a pretty tough day for all us left behind! I found myself caught between the emotions of being excited for them and how God is leading them, and mad that God is leading them on the other side of the world! It was a long night for all of us with last time conversations as they finally left the west cost about 2 am (my time!) I feel myself tearing up again thinking about it, but we TRULY are excited for what they are about to begin! They have been such an amazing example to so many people around them of perseverance and obedience.. We LOVE and MISS you tremendously Nana and Papa!

Meet Kina

2008-08-14T09:54:00.003-04:00

A friend of ours lab had puppies and we just fell in love with the white one! Here she is when she was just tiny!

And here she is now!

Brookie's first big word was 'Buppie' and they kids asked when we could have Randy's puppy just about everytime they saw a dog...

So after much consideration we decided to bring her home... and named her Kina.. . She is VERY smart, and at only 11 weeks she is 90% house trained!

I'm getting hair I promise!

2008-08-14T09:52:00.001-04:00

This was our first attempt at pony tails! They didn't last too long, but too cute!

Birthday Boy!

2008-07-29T19:48:00.006-04:00

Birthday Boy!

brothers first, friends forever!

peek-a-boo!

what is it?

a fishing pole!

Thank You!

Can't believe you are 5!

Cheese....

slipin sliding!

2008-07-12T19:37:00.003-04:00

They had a BLAST!

Even brookie got in on it!

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My helper

2008-07-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

This week I worked on painting clint's office at the school. He finally gets his "notre dame" office. Now we have a place to put all the things we have collected over time... I'll post pictures when we are finished!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-06T19:43:00.002-04:00

We all had a great time going to Cascades Park to watch the fireworks this year.Grandma and Papa Mosie came and sat out on the lawn at Cascades Church. We really enjoyed catching up with everyone from there. We missed spending time with the rest of our family in Idaho though!

Our big boy on the big slide!

2008-07-02T14:14:00.003-04:00

He conquered it and he wasn't even scared! This was the first of many times he went today!

I felt this kick!

2008-06-27T23:06:00.001-04:00

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Ultrasound Day!

2008-06-27T15:18:00.004-04:00

Baby Profile

Saying "hello"... you can see the leg too!

Precious little feet!It's a GIRL!

2008-05-28T18:06:00.002-04:00

There was no negotiating with the doctor concerning a cast... even though we leave in 5 days and won't be back for a 3 weeks. It's broke he said, and it needs a cast for 3 weeks. I guess that means 4 if that is when you get back... She picked "ink" her word for pink... She is doing really great and has already figured out how to balance with it!

it started out great fun...

2008-05-25T19:02:00.003-04:00

The day started out so much fun... It was in the high 70's and the kids were having so much fun running in the sprinkler for the first time this season. We were over at clint's parents house eating dinner out on the deck, and somehow in the midst of cleaning off the dishes brookie decided to fall off the kids picnic table. I don't know if she was trying to get down or what, but she ended up dislocating and later we found out that it was broke as well! Can you believe it??? Some of you may remember that brandon did the same thing when he was about 2 1/2. I thought he was little. Poor baby. She will be in the splint and sling until wednesday when we see the doctor again. Hopefully we won't need a cast, as the kids and I are supposed to leave next Tuesday for Idaho!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-05-25T18:57:00.002-04:00

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this week! We had such a relaxing get-a-way and I even got to see my favorite! I love you so much sweetie! Thank you for the roses and the wonderful time!

Clint's breakfast! He thoroughly enjoyed it!

bath time..

2008-05-25T18:54:00.002-04:00

blowin' kisses

Emma's ballet recital

2008-05-19T19:24:00.003-04:00

The boys and I sitting with David and Kristie.. (miss you guys! Hope you're getting better Kristie!)

Brandon watching intently...

Emma is on the far left...

We got to watch my best friend's little girl's first ballet recital this week. The boys brought flowers and thought the dancing was pretty cool! Every time a 'High School Musical' song was used the boys sang along.. (loudly I might add...) I had a fun night with my boys! Good job Emma!

Josh and Tamara.. Love you guys!

Spring picnic

2008-05-14T15:42:00.003-04:00

This las weekend was the school's spring picnic and we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. My shoulders are still a littl sore from all the sun they got!

Clint and one of his buddies decided to "duke" it out! Not sure who won, but they had fun!

thanks tamara for the pictures... :)

Crazy Crayons

2008-05-12T20:58:00.003-04:00

Our family has been down with colds for what seems like forever and the boys were definitely getting stir crazy! So we checked out Martha Stewart crafts for kids and found 'crazy crayons.' The boys had a blast peeling and chopping up the crayons, then we mixed up the colors and melted them in the oven until we had new crayons! Great Fun!

Surprise!

2008-05-06T22:07:00.002-04:00

Brandon wants to surprise his nana and papa, auntie's and uncle with what he has learned lately! First try after taking off the training wheels and he TOOK off! We are SO proud of our big boy! What a natural!

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Preschool Soccer!

2008-05-05T10:00:00.004-04:00

The preschool kids at the school are getting together every week now to play soccer! There are a few students that are coming out and teaching them skills and just having fun with them! They boys got all geared up, and had a BLAST! They want to be just like Uncle AJ!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2008-05-02T08:25:00.001-04:00

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Our house...

2008-04-28T20:05:00.003-04:00

I have never put on pictures of our house after we did renovations to it.... The outside still needs done, so I'll wait on showing you that.. :) But here is our HOME..

A baby's coming

2008-04-23T13:35:00.002-04:00

It was fun to get to see our little one this early... The video clip shows just how well I think he/she is going to fit in with their siblings... 10 weeks old and already moving around like crazy! Watch out! As you can tell, there is only ONE baby in there too! We actually had the ultrasound because there was a chance there could have been two?? I have to say I am very happy that there are not!
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2008-04-13T15:31:00.003-04:00

I know it has been a while since my last post and for that I have but one explanation...
We are expanding our family again...
We found out a little while ago and I have NOT been feeling myself this time. So please give me a chance to get past the nausea and then hopefully life will get back to normal. You could pray that I can keep up with being mom to our three little ones while I feel so lousy! PS: It looks like we are due November 20th...

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-23T17:47:00.004-04:00

When we got a foot of snow of Friday night they decided to make our egg hunt IN the church this year! It was a little different, but I don't think the kids minded at all! They all got their share of candy and prizes!

This year has been fun teaching the boys about the true meaning of Easter.... Brandon especially is very close in his understanding of what Christ did for him. We are excited about the day they understand completely! It won't be long....

a bit about the boys...

2008-03-19T18:46:00.003-04:00

The kids woke up this morning to a package from their Aunt Micky! They were all so excited for the unexpected surprise! Thank you so much.....

Gavin slipped trying to get out of the pool this week, and split open his chin... Poor baby, we really thought that he was going to have to get it stitched closed... The doctor was able to super glue and butterfly it! We are SO thankful.. now if we can only keep him calm so he doesn't split it back open.

We got the boys their Easter outfits this week too... They will be wearing the same thing in Kay's wedding so they wanted to show them off!

Gavin the ring bearer!

brookie learning to talk

2008-03-09T21:16:00.000-04:00

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Birthday pictures!

2008-02-29T09:59:00.004-05:00

Brookie's "little pink riding hood" from Aunt Jodi!

Squeaky shoes from aunti trish and uncle jade!

Everyone eating dinner!

22 kids!

She had NO problems with the cake!

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

2008-02-29T09:57:00.000-05:00

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Sneaky Brookie..

2008-02-25T09:23:00.002-05:00

This week is brooke's first birthday and I went out and got her a birthday present... a few hours later I heard something and I went in the play room and she had found the sack and pulled one of her gifts out! She was clapping and smiling playing with it. I guess she likes it!

New Snow Fun!

2008-02-07T16:34:00.001-05:00

We got 4 inches of new snow last night and today turned out to be pretty sunny! What better way to get some energy out??? What you don't know is that it took as almost and hour to get suited up and out the door... and I think we only played outside for 15 minutes! Isn't that classic?

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She's a walking girl

2008-02-06T10:30:00.000-05:00

That is what Brandon says everytime she walks into the toyroom or across the living room. She wrinkles up her nose and shows up her teethy grin! She loves all the attention!

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She's HOME!

2008-02-02T18:35:00.000-05:00

Thank you sooo much for all your prayers! She was able to come home this afternoon at about 3.. She is doing so much better. Her lungs are clear and her oxygen levels are normal now.. She still has a nasty cough and probably will for some time! We'll probably lay low for a few more days just to let her get her energy back and mama too:)

Update on Brookie

2008-02-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

KEEP PRAYING!

Thank you so much for your prayers for Brookie! As of Friday night she is still in isolation at the hospital, but she is improving. Her lungs are now sounding clear- Thank you God!! The doctors want her to go 24 hours without her oxygen levels dropping so we are praying that she can come home tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers!!

Oxygen tubing taped to her sweet face.
Sweet girl.
Brookie's tiny arm with the IV.
She is very very tired!
Brookie's hospital room.

Pray for our baby girl

2008-01-31T16:49:00.000-05:00

Brookie came down with a fever on Saturday night that turned into a cold...what we didn't know at the time was that cold was RSV... The sad part is that her RSV also turned into pneumonia.... We took her to the doctor a few times trying to figure out what was going on and Wednesday afternoon they sent us to the hospital... Last night during the night her oxygen levels dropped and they ended up putting her on oxygen... She is now beginning to improve since they have determined that it is both RSV and pneumonia... Please keep her in your prayers as we are still in the hospital and don't know for how long... I'll update you when I can!

Christmas Scooters... and Brookie walking

2008-01-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books
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The many faces of G

2008-01-24T15:35:00.001-05:00

Gavin had his 3 year check up this week, and while we were waiting for the doctor to come in and see him we were killing time by taking crazy pictures... This is our G, sweet and crazy!

AJ's ROTC Basketball team

2008-01-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

This weekend Brandon, Brooke and I went down to Notre Dame with mom and dad to watch AJ's ROTC Basketball team compete in the 22nd Flyin' Irish Invitational. There were over 40 big name schools there.. I think Olivet was the only private Christian school there among schools like Notre Dame, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M and many others... It was pretty amazing... This was the first year that AJ's program was big enough to have a team and they weren't expected to show quite as well as these other big name schools. They just kept winning however! With a deep bench, and unending energy they played 3 games on Saturday and 4 games on Sunday to go all the way to the FINALS! Their final game was in the Joyce Center, the main Notre Dame Arena, against the Aggies of Texas A&M. The game was intense and close the whole time... but with energy spent and injuries putting a strain on the team Texas A&M ended up winning in the last few minutes.. One parent joked that it took 4 battalions to beat Olivet: Texas' team was made up of Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy. It was an exhausting but very fun weekend getting to see AJ and watch him play. Brandon made friends with "army guys and airplane guys," who dribbled and passed with him and even danced together with ipods! GOOD JOB AJ!

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Brandon the helper

2008-01-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

We were in a hurry to get out the door this week sometime, so I enlisted Brandon's help... He did such a good job, but I did have quite a bit of cleanup and I have to say it was halarious watching those two.

brookie einstein

2008-01-11T09:57:00.000-05:00

We think she is just amazing! She is now 10 1/2 months old!
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Fun with the Mathew kiddos

2008-01-11T09:47:00.000-05:00

My best friend Tamara dropped her kids off to play yesterday while they had places to go, and we had such a great time! Emma just turned 5, Josie is 2 and Addie will be one very soon! It is so fun that our kids are the same age. I felt like super mom getting all 6 kids to sleep at the same time too! You can check out their blog too.