The Armantrout Family Blog...

Mary's 6 th Birthday!

2011-06-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun day! We rented a huge inflatable slide and played on it all day. The kids all had so much fun (and the adults).

Mary's Kinder Grad & Will last day on the BUS!

2011-06-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Will loved riding the bus to Pre-school. We had the best bus driver and aide. He was always asking for Earl and Ranea. They were so darling with the kids.

Mary had her kindergarten graduation. It was so cute, they had a darling program they performed for all the parents. Mary did so good on her part I was so proud of her. I can't believe how fast this year went by. We loved her teacher and she had a great year and learned so much!

Will's first Tie....

2011-03-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

Will's first tie. I saw this cute little outfit and couldn't resist, how cute is he.....

Will's buzz

2011-02-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

Will got a haircut. My sister was watching my kids for me and when I came to get them I had a new boy, good thing it looks so cute.

WII DANCE!!

2011-01-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

Mary's new favorite game, WII DANCE!! She loves it, it is so fun to watch her dance, she gets all in to it!! Her favorite song right now is Eye of the Tiger. She wins every time!

Christmas Morning!!!!

2010-12-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Santa was HERE!!! I love Christmas morning it is the best day of the year. My kids were so excited to see if Santa came. Mary got the horse stable she was wanting and Will got a cute little car to ride in and of course plenty of new books.

I loved the looks on our kids faces when they first come down the stairs and get there first peak of what Santa brought.

Will enjoying our Christmas morning breakfast. Matt makes the most yummy crepes every year!!

Fowler Family Party!!

2010-12-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

We had are annual Fowler Family Christmas Party!! It was so fun to get to see all of my cousins that I have not seen in year's! I love the holiday's!
We even had a special visit from Santa. Mary loved him, she told him she would like an animal stable and corral. Will was not so sure, he just kept telling him "BYE BYE"

Mary's Christmas Sing!!

2010-12-17T17:56:00.000-08:00

Mary had her first school performance. She did so well, she sang her little heart out. It was so cute!!!!

Santa on the bus!!!

2010-12-16T07:35:00.000-08:00

Will has the best bus drivers! They had Santa on the bus and gave them all the cutest little stocking filled with treats and toys. Will just loves them. I am so greatful for all the wonderful people in our life's, it makes putting my baby on the bus so much easier when I know he will be taken care of and loves it so much.

Candy Christmas Tree!!

2010-12-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Matt was telling me about one of his favorite childhood Christmas traditions. Every year his mom would make a popcorn Christmas tree to decorate, he would look forward to this each year. I thought it was a great idea and we should pass along this tradition with our kids. Needless to say they loved it!!! I think Will ate more candy then he put on the tree, he was loving it!!

Will's Birthday and 1st Day of School!!!

2010-11-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Can you believe my baby started Pre-School!! He even rode the bus, he looked so tiny sitting up on the seat! It was everything I could do to let him go and not follow him. He loved it and had a great day which is more then I can say for myself. I must say thanks for all the calls and distractions I needed them. I was not ready to let go. He is growing up so fast!

Will's 3!!

2010-11-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

I can not believe my baby is 3 years old. He has grown up way to fast. He has been such a joy and has brought so much happiness to our home. He loves to read book's, I could sit and read all day to him and he would love it. He loves things that start with a "B" Books, boats, boots... He loves his horse riding lessons, playing with his sister, and anything outside.

All he wanted for his birthday was some boots. He has been trying to wear his sisters but that is not quite working out for him. He was so excited to get a pair of his own.

Pumpkins

2010-11-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

Horse Riding Lessons

2010-11-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

Will has been taking horse riding lessons. My dad has been taking him and he loves it. He tells the horse to go and stop, and he giggles whenever the horse "trot's". What a kid!

1st Day of Kindergarten!!

2010-09-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Mary had her first day of school. I can't beleive my baby girl is starting school, wow where did all the time go. I think it was harder for me to leave her then the other way around. She really likes her teacher and is going to do great!!

dancing "DOGS"

2010-07-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

Mary and Will love music, dancing, and dress-up's..... so why not combine them all. They are the cutest dancing dogs I know!! I just love my kids, there is never a dull moment.

Mary's Grad

2010-05-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Mary had her Pre-school graduation last night. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. She looked so grown up in her cap and gown!!!

Sky Diving!!!!!

2010-05-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

We went Sky Diving while we were in Mesquite. I LOVED IT!!!! We went with my sister Jody and her husband Justin, and my brother Bo's wife Lauren and of course my MOM!!!
It was just a spontaneous idea that we actually followed through on. Something I will never forget!!

Easter in Mesquite.... (a little late)

2010-04-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Mesquite for Easter with my family. We had such a great time. The weather was perfect. The kids were in heaven playing with all of there cousins.

Will loves his "Ice cones"

2010-04-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Will and Mary could live off of Ice Cones if I would let them. We are so ready for summer and have been loving this nice weather.

Mary's Mud BATH.......

2010-04-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

The many sides of Mary. She went from giving herself a "make-over" to playing in the mud, and I mean playing in the mud. And it was all in the same hour, no I am not kidding. I love that kid, she keeps me on my toes.

Easter Eggs.....

2010-04-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

We colored Easter eggs last night. I am not sure what I was thinking when I bought the beaded/glitter/glue egg dying kit???? I think I will be finding bead's in my kitchen for quite a while. Mary loved it and thought it was amazing.

Grammy's Easter Baskets!!

2010-03-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

Gramdma Pat sent the most darling Easter baskets for the kid's. Mary and Will both loved them, she even put in some "hard amimals" for Mary and some tractors for Will. They love getting mail from Grammy!!!

Mary and Daddy's Snowman.....

2010-03-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Will just got his hair cut, it turned out so cute. I was over at my sisters and we just decided it was time for a cut. Will was not cooperating to say the least (he hated it!!!) I was a little nervous, but it turned out great.

Mary and Matt made a snowman, they had so much fun. Tinker was even trying to "help" It was so warm and sunny. We love the snow but we are all ready for the sunshine!!

Grammy Pat's Quilt!!!

2010-02-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

Grammy Pat made the most darling quilts for the kids. They loved them, Mary sleeps with hers every night. She is so talented, we love her quilts! Thanks Grammy we think of you everytime we see the quilts.

The newest member of our family.....

2010-01-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

This is "Tinker" she is Mary and Will's new puppy. She as been so fun, we love her.
Mary just told me her whole name is... "tinker Bell Coco Lazy bone's MUD" but she calls her Tinker for short.(Mary cracks me up)
She really has been a pretty good puppy. She is pretty mellow still and likes to sleep a lot.

Will loves "ham chowder"

2010-01-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Will wanted to eat his soup all by himself with NO!! help. He loved it, I just let him eat it however he wanted. I think I might have started something.....

Christmas Morning!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited on Christmas Morning, they couldn't wait to see if Santa had came. When Mary came downstairs and saw her pink giraffe all she said was "I knew it, I knew Santa would bring it" she was so happy her face just lit up. I love Christmas Morning it is my favorite part of the holidays. To watch your kids be filled with such joy and happiness, nothing else seems to matter....
My mom and Dad came over and I think Will was just as excited to see them as he was about his presents. He is still a little young to understand, but he was loving every minute of the excitement.

Santa.......

2009-12-25T20:15:00.001-08:00

Santa came and payed us a visit on Christmas eve. It was Will's first time to see Santa he wasn't so sure at first and then he really decided he was not interested. Mary on the other hand loved him. Mary asked for a "Lu Lu" Furreal kitten and a pink giraffe, she loves animals.

Christmas Eve.....

2009-12-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Mary wanted to be a princess on Christmas eve, which is very rare for her. So I had to take a lot of pictures. She looked so cute,and was twirling all around the house. She was so excited for Santa to come.

Zoo Lights

2009-12-16T08:19:00.000-08:00

Will helping .....

2009-12-01T15:02:00.000-08:00

Will wanted to help decorate the Christmas tree. He got a little distracted with the "coke" decorations and was trying to get a drink. He was getting a little mad when nothing was coming out. He is so cute!!!!

Matt's Deer!

2009-11-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

Matt went hunting is Montana with his buddy Mike and got a nice deer. I was glad to have some more meat in the freezer, we love deer meat. Baby Will thought the deer was pretty neat too.

Halloween.....

2009-11-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Mary and Will were both "fire Dogs" for Halloween. They looked so cute!

catching up

2009-11-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Mary loves the snow and was so excited to wake up and see it all. It was quite a storm for October. She even managed to sneak a snowball in the house to throw at me. What a kid.

Will's Birthday!!

2009-11-04T11:26:00.000-08:00

My baby turned 2 yesterday. I can't believe Will is 2 years old. It is amazing how fast he has grown up. He loved opening his presents. Grandma Pat got him this darling bouncy horse which he loves and Mary loved so much we had to get another one.
He is such a sweet boy. He loves climbing up and down the stairs, playing animals with Mary, reading books (he will bring me books to read all the time), and he loves being outside and visiting the neighbors chickens.
He kept saying "baby baby" and doing the sign for come. Sure enough later that day my sister Jenny had her baby. A beautiful baby girl. I think they are going to be Buddy's and get to share a birthday.

Granpma Pat & Pa Pa Steve!!

2009-11-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Grandma Pat and Pa Pa Steve came down for a visit. We always love when Matts family can come. They took Mary to play at the park and for ice cream. We all went to Corn Belly's at Thanksgiving Point, a fun corn maze with games and slides. Then the next morning Mary woke up sick!! I felt so bad. So we spent the rest of the time home with Mary. I hope no one else gets the bug. We still had a great visit and made some great memory's.

Mary's 1st Field Trip

2009-10-10T08:46:00.001-07:00

Mary went on her 1st field trip to the pumpkin patch. The kids all loved the corn maze and seeing all the pumpkins. I still cannot believe how fast she is growing up. She loves pre-school and is doing so well.

Muzzleloader Deer Hunt

2009-10-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Me and my dad were able to go deer hunting. We had a lot of fun and created some great memory's. After a few misses..... I finally was able to get a deer.

Buddy Walk...

2009-10-03T11:13:00.001-07:00

We participated in this years Buddy Walk. It is a fundraiser for kids with Down Syndrome. It was really fun, they had games for the kids to play, face painting, balloon clown, music, and lunch. My sister Jenny and her kids all came to support Will, they made a cute little poster for him. Our team name was, Where there's a "WILL" there's a WAY

First day of Pre-school

2009-09-03T18:20:00.001-07:00

Today was a day full of firsts. Mary had her first day of Pre-school. Spike the caterpillar turned into a butterfly. Will pulled himself up to stand at the couch. We had quite a day. I still cannot believe Mary is old enough to go to pre-school, I was surprised by how emotional I was. My kids are just growing up way to fast.

Favorite Game..

2009-09-01T17:31:00.001-07:00

Will and Mary love to play "What's in Neds Head?"
It is a really fun game. They have to put there hands in the holes of Neds Head and find funny objects without looking. It has brought hours of entertainment. Will is growing up so fast, he is just like one of the big kids (when did that happen??)

The newest member of the family...

2009-08-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

This is the newest member of the family. Yes it is a spaghetti squash. I think Mary has adopted just about everything you can imagine, we just might have to brake down and get her a dog one of these days....

Bear World......

2009-08-15T19:23:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanksgiving Point

2009-07-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

Mary and daddy testing out the water at Thanksgiving point's Discovery Gardens. We had so much fun exploring everything.

Will did not like the water, he just wanted to watch with daddy.

more from bear lake...

2009-07-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

Jody sent me some more fun pictures from Bear Lake that I wanted to post. We Tye dyed T-shirts with the kids, it was so fun and they all turned out great!! Thanks Jody

Bear Lake Fun....

2009-07-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Mary & Tyra at the Farmers Market in Idaho. We got some yummy fruit and veggys. The girls found some darling tutu's that my mom got for them. They looked so cute all walking around together.

Will helping blow up water balloons for the water fight.

June

2009-07-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Will loves grass..

2009-07-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Me and Mary were picking a zucchini from the garden while Will was picking grass. He can get things into his mouth faster than anyone I know. He loves being outside or anywhere near his sister. He has to be in on all the action, he knows when he his getting left out.

Mary's Playdate...

2009-07-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Mary has found a new friend. She just loves Bo & Laurens new dog. His name is "Tator" and he is so cute, Mary could play with him for hours.

Daddy

2009-06-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Daddy moments...

2009-06-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day Matt!

2009-06-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day! (Matt & Mary June 10, 2005)

(Matt and Will Nov, 2007)

Happy Fathers Day to the best daddy anyone could ever ask for.
Thanks for being such an amazing dad.
Mary said " I love you the best......I like it when you take me to the movies and eat popcorn. I want to play "hard animals" with you now!"

Happy Fathers Day Dad!

2009-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day Dad!! You are the best! I Love You!!!

Will loves "ice-cones"

2009-06-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

My kids love "ice-cones"!!! Mary calls popsicles ice-cones. Will caught on to this treat really fast.

Mary's Birthday!!

2009-06-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Mary is 4 years old!!! I can not believe how fast the time has gone by, she has grown up way to fast. Mary has been such an amazing daughter, she can always make me smile. Some of her favorite things right now are, playing with her "hard" animals, jumping on the tramp, playing in the dirt, anything with paint and she loves wrestling with her brother. She definitely keeps me on my toes..... but I could not imagine her any other way. She has brought so much joy and adventure into our life's, I know without a doubt that she was meant to be my daughter and Will's sister. We love you Mary!!

My mom came over and made birthday crowns with balloons. Mary was not holding still long enough to get a picture, but Will was loving it. We went to Kangaroo Zoo, Mary loves that place and then we came home and had pizza and cake.

Mary in her Smokey Bear T-Shirt. She has beautiful big brown eyes!

Mary and daddy

Mary 1yr old

Mary, June, 10, 2005. She weighed 8lbs 4oz. She was so cute, I loved her big cheeks and dark hair!

Fishing....

2009-06-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

We took the kids fishing for the day. Mary loved splashing in the water, even if it was freezing cold.

Daddy and Will trying to catch a fish with Mary's princess fishing pole.

Mary was more intrested in the bate then fishing.

summer time haircut....

2009-06-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Daddy decided it was time for Will's first buzz.

I must say I had my doubts but it turned out pretty dang cute!

While I was doing this, Mary was doing that....

2009-05-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

While I was busy at work planting our garden, Mary was busy at work making her own garden, I think....

Will is feeling much better

2009-05-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Will is finally feeling much better, YEA!!!! He is such a strong little boy, he is always exceeding my expectations. I am so greatful for my kids, they make me smile everyday.

Grandma Pat took this picture and just emailed it to me, I thought it was darling.

Will's Surgery

2009-04-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Will just had surgery on Thursday. He did so well, we only had to stay in the hospital for one night, we were planning on 3 days. He is still really hurting, but he is a tough little cookie. He had is tonsils& adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears. I think the pain meds. had just kicked in this photo. The only thing he is eating is oatmeal and a little ice cream, so we are really trying to keep him hydrated, so far so good!

I love his cute little feet, they look just like Mary's did at his age!!

Will & Daddy at the hospital in recovery.

Summer is getting closer.....

2009-04-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Mary has been dieing to run through the sprinklers, so today was finally warm enough to let her, at least for a little while. She thought she would be helpful and put on the sunscreen, I don't think her legs will get burned, ha ha ha

Mary loves going for walks and finding everyone who has a nice animal to pet. Right now her favorite animals are some brand new baby goats they are so cute, and the dog "allie". She loves animals!!!

Baby Will.....

2009-04-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

Baby Will- Will loves to read books, his favorite part is getting to turn the pages all by himself! He is standing up to furniture and we are working on standing independently. He can sign eat when he is hungry and we are working on about 5 other signs. He can say "Ma, Mom, Da, Da, Ba Ba". He can wave Bye Bye, it is so sweet. He loves playing and wrestling with his sister, they are best buddy's. He is the best eater, he will try anything. His favorite foods right now are avocado, sweet potato and oatmeal.
He has to have surgery this Thursday, so keep him in your prayers. It is not anything too major, he needs his tonsils removed and then they are putting tubes in his ears. I am really hoping for a speedy recovery. (anything would be better then Marys experience)

Grammy Pat

2009-04-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Mary making a snow Angel

Grandma Pat came down from Oregon for a visit. We were so excited for Matt's mom to get to come, we always have such a great time. Mary and Will both love her so much, Mary was wanting her to play with her non-stop.

We played with Mary's animals, told story's, went to the Dinosaur museum, rode pony's, played played played. I could not believe all of the snow we got, wow, it was one of our biggest storms, our power was even out for a while. I was so glad that it finally warmed up enough to go outside. Grandma and Mary planted some flowers for me and got us a beautiful patio set and we BBQ and had dinner outside it was great! We really miss all of Matt's family, (especially papa Steve) and can't wait for our next visit. Love ya

Easter.............

2009-04-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

The kids were so excited to find there Easter baskets today. Mary was helping Will find his eggs and basket, it was so cute! Will wasn't sure what was going on, but he was loving it.

Will trying to crawl to an egg. We have been trying to get him to crawl for so long and he will only do it when he is by himself, when HE really wants to, he has quite a stubborn streak. I wonder where he gets that from???

I even got a little crafty and made their Easter baskets this year!!

time out.....

2009-04-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Mary put her animals in time out.
She loves playing with her animals it doesn't matter if there stuffed or plastic, she loves them. She plays "house" with them and it is so fun to listen to her conversations, it sounds a lot like me.......

Will loves cupcakes....

2009-03-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Will was eating some mac&cheese for lunch which he loves, and to top it off I let him have a cupcake for desert. Needless to say he was loving life!!!

Spring in Mesquite!!!

2009-03-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

We finally made it down to Mesquite to see my sister's family. Matt stayed home with Will and me and Mary had a girls week-end. Mary has been missing her cousins, especially Tyra. Mary and Tyra get along to well, I love watching them play together it is so cute! We had so much fun.

we played at the park

jumped on the tramp with the sprinkler

went swimming, it was 85 degrees

rode bikes

flew kites

painted

made crafts

played, played, played

Maverick, swinging and trying to eat his sucker without letting go of the swing.

Mary and Tyra riding bikes. We got Mary a new bike while we were there.

Mary loved driving the jeep, she would have spent the whole week-end in the jeep.

Spring Fever!!

2009-02-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

We have been loving this nice weather! Mary has been outside as much as possible, she is ready for summer. We spent the day drawing with sidewalk chalk, jumping on the tramp, and riding her bike. It was so nice to get outside and not freeze.

Will was loving it too. He kept trying to eat the leaves. He is always so happy, he bring so much joy to our lifes!!!

Play dough

2009-02-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

We made some home-made play dough today. That is one of Mary's favorite things to do. She plays with it for hours, making "cookies", snakes, snowmen. just to name a few. What ever keeps her entertained. The recipe is on the bottom if anyone is interested.

No-Fail Kool-Aid Play Dough

2 & 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

2 pkg. unsweetened Kool-aid

3 Tbsp. oil

2 c. boiling water

Mix dry ingredients. Put oil in the center of dry mixture. Rapidly, stir in boiling water. It will be sticky at this stage. Set mixture aside until it is cool to touch. Knead well. It should be soft and smooth and not to sticky.

It is really easy and turns out great, Mary loves to make it. I store it in a zip-lock bag and it will last for quite a while.

Stairs.....

2009-02-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

We have started to teach Will how to climb the stairs. So far he doesn't really like it, unless there is a reward waiting for him at the top. I have learned that for Will to do something he needs some serious motivation. If he doesn't want to do something, it won't happen. He has a little bit of a stubborn streak.(I wonder were he gets that???)

Will's in on the action...

2009-01-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

So I took grammy Pat's advice and decided to let Will have a try at finger painting (with chocolate pudding). Will loved it, especially when he figured out he could eat it! Mary was more than happy to show him how it was done!

Will

2009-01-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

We have been trying to convince Will that crawling is a good thing, so far he doesn't think so. We have some new exercises with the couch cushions so hopefully that will help. He is getting so strong and is doing great! What a cute kid!!!

Will loves to read books. His favorite part is turning the pages as fast as he can, it is so cute!!

Family Pictures!!!

2009-01-26T14:31:00.000-08:00

We got our family pictures done!!! I love them! Shannon Brems took them and she does such a great job! It was not easy, my kids were not cooperating. Thanks Shannon!

Mary's influence.......

2009-01-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

So I think that there is a small chance that this is from Mary's influence???? Sage came over today and Mary wanted to paint with her (or on her) either way? They are so fun to watch play together.

Mary helping her with her back, what a thoughtful cousin.

Mary's new Creation's

2009-01-16T15:30:00.000-08:00

Mary wanted to make something with clay for todays art project.... so she made a whole village of snowmen. The biggest one is Matt, she played with them all day! It was so cute, she is so creative! I am amazed they are all still standing.

She even made "Roxie" (my sisters little dog), Tyra is the pink one in front with the smashed face, she has been missing her cousins in Mesquite. We are planning a girls trip to go visit soon!

1st night away

2009-01-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

Mary with her concert souvenir

Me and Matt spent our first night together away from both of our kids. We had Willie Nelson concert tickets at Peppermill concert hall in Wendover,NV. We had so much fun! It was such a good concert, I can't believe he is still touring, he is 75 and still has an amazing voice. It was such a fun overnight trip. We met some new friends calvin & kenzie, bridger & jen, they were so much fun, thanks for letting us tag along!

My mom and dad stayed with the kids! Thanks a million it was a much needed night out! The kids didn't even miss us, I think they were hoping for another night with grandma & grandpa.

Only at my house.....

2009-01-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Only at my house does art time turn into this........

I think she missed a spot?????

"MOM! look I am the Incredible Hulk!!!"

(daddy's little girl)

PB&J

2009-01-06T11:51:00.001-08:00

Will found a new love, Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches! I decided to let him try some of Mary's lunch and he loved it, I think he ate more than Mary.

Mary wanted a picture with her "COOL" sunglasses, gotta love it!

Mary got a little to close to Will when he was eating and ended up with a hair full of peanut butter, Will loves to grab her hair and she is always so patient with him, they play so cute together.

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Baby Will eating breakfast! We make crepes every Christmas morning the kids love them!

Grandma Pat & Pa Pa Steve spoiled the kids, they got baby Will& Mary some darling toy's, they always know just what to get!! Thank you, We love and miss all of Matts family!!

Mary loves her animals!! That was her favorite thing and all she wanted to play with!

Will was more interested in the wrapping paper and ribbon!

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-24T07:26:00.000-08:00

While Mary was decorating cookies, Will was enjoying a piece of jerky. (his new favorite treat)

Mary decorating cookies in her new baking hat and apron, so cute!! She is quite the decorator!!

She loves getting cookies ready for Santa, it is one of her favorite things about Christmas!

Will & the Christmas Tree

2008-12-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

The ribbon on my Christmas tree kept getting pulled down. I kept putting back up a little higher. I thought it was Mary pulling on it, I didn't think Will could reach it now. But he is pretty smart, he pulls it down with his feet until he can get his hands on it. So FUNNY!

Thanksgiving Fun!!

2008-12-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

We had a great thanksgiving at my moms house! All of my sisters and brother was there it was so fun to watch all the kids play! The food was so yummy!! My mom made an awesome turkey!!! Thanks mom!! Even Will was enjoying all the yummy food!

After dinner my dad took all the kids out for a 4-wheeler ride.........

only the weren't riding on the 4-wheeler they were being dragged behind it on a tarp. The kids loved it. They had a blast! Only my dad would think of that

Will's a rollin'

2008-11-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

Will has been rolling for a while but he has never really gotten in to anything. But now he is pulling on the Christmas tree, hiding under the couch and table, and his favorite thing to pull on, Mary's hair! I think I am going to have my hands full, it is amazing how fast he has grown!! WOW

Grammy Pat & Pa Pa Steves visit!!!

2008-11-21T16:28:00.000-08:00

We love when Grammy Pat and Pa Pa Steve come into town, they live in Oregon so we really miss them. They took Mary to Cabelas and the Harley Davidson shop, and to the movies they really had a great time. The kids just love them. THANKS for the fun visit, we love and miss you!

Mary showing off her trampoline skills!!

Will's Birthday!!

2008-11-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

Will and Mary are best buddy's, she is so sweet to her little brother.

Will and "Tobby" (my dad) He loves grandpa!

Will loved his birthday cake, that was the first time he has ever tried cake and he loved it!

Will's 1st Birthday!!!

2008-11-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Will was born on November 3, 2007. He was 2 whole months early and only weighed 3 lbs. 6 oz. On that same day we found out the he was diagnosed with trysome 21 (Down Syndrome). He spent 7 weeks in the NICU at Utah Valley Regional. It was all so over whelming. We had so so so many neat experiences and have been so blessed everyday. I am so very thankful for William and the sweet spirit he has brought into our life's. He has been the best baby, always happy and content. He has truly changed our life's, I am so grateful for the opportunity to raise such an amazing child. We love you WILL!!! More birthday photo's to come.

Here is a poem I found that I could relate to at the time of Will's birth.

Welcome to Holland
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……
When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”
“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.
Emily Perl Kingsley.c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

Will's 1st Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Baby Will 3Lbs. 6 OZ. I still can't believe how small he was, he was just a little bigger than a beanie baby.

Will's 1st Tooth!

2008-10-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Will finally cut his first tooth!! It takes my kids forever to get there teeth. I can't believe how fast this year has gone. Will is growing up so fast. He is such a great baby. I have been so blessed with such wonderful children.

Hee Haw Farms

2008-10-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Mary loved getting out of the house today. We haven't left the house since her surgery. We had so much fun on the slide, petting the animals, and Mary loved riding the tractor.

Mary and Matt both loved playing with all of the farm animals. They were so cute.

The little pig was getting a little to friendly with Will's stroller, it even gave Will's toes a little lick. It was pretty funny.

Will's Hair Cut

2008-10-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is a before shot of Will's hair, his hair grows so fast.
Mary wanted to be in the picture even though she was still in pain from her surgery, notice the sad eyes
After...... I love his new hair cut my Aunt Cheer cut it. He looks so grown up. What a little stud.

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!!

2008-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was so surprised by how much snow we had at our house this morning!! Mary was so excited, she loves the snow!! She has still been hurting from her surgery but that wouldn't stop her from building the first snowman of the year!! She is such a tough kid, she had a rough recovery.

Mary's Adenotonsillectomy Surgery

2008-10-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Mary had to get her tonsils and adenoid removed. We were worried about Mary's snoring at night and pauses in breathing. We took her to the doctor and he recommended that we video her sleeping and take her to Primary Children's. We took her to the ENT at Primary Children's on Tuesday, and she had her surgery on Thursday. We weren't quite prepared for that but are hoping that it will help her sleep apnea.
Before...........

After..........
She is so miserable, if anyone has been through this and has any tips please let me know. I feel so bad for the poor little thing.

Will's 9 month check-up

2008-09-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Will had his 9 month check up today. He is doing so well and growing up so fast. The doctor was very pleased with Will's progress and thought he was doing great!!!! He weighs 18 pounds 1 oz. and is 28 inches long. GO WILL!!! He had to get 2 shots in his leg and then they had to check his blood. They tried to poke his foot but it would not bleed enough so the had to draw is blood in his arm. They had a hard time finding a vain and had to poke a few times, it was so sad I felt so bad for the poor little guy. He was a pin cushion today. We went home and he had a nice warm bath and massage and he was smiling again in no time. Hopefully all of his blood work comes back positive.

Will's new "mad" face!!

2008-09-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Will loves real mashed bananas, he loves anything with a lot of chunks and texture. If I try to give him his regular old baby food and he's not in the mood for it he will let me know. It is so cute!! He scrunches his nose and blows air out his nose. I love it. He is so fun!!! He is always so happy, it is so funny to see him try to be mad, he trys not to smile at the end.

Will's 1st Hair Cut!!!

2008-08-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Will had his first hair cut today! My Aunt Cheer cut his hair so cute!! He was such a good boy. He is growing up way to fast!!

Mary also got a trim. She was really good too, her hair is getting so long!

Mary wanted to feed baby Will. It made a huge mess but they both seemed to enjoy it! Mary is such a great big sister.

Mary's caterpillar "spike"

2008-08-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

My mom found us a caterpillar egg. We have watched the caterpillar grow from the size of a pin head into this full grown caterpillar and then into a butterfly. Mary named him spike and loved watching him grow so fast. It has been so neat to watch!!!! Thanks MOM!
This is spike spinning into his cocoon, we were lucky enough to catch it. It only takes a couple of minutes.

10 days later..... Spike arrived in his new form. It was so neat!!!

Mary wasn't so sure about spike climbing up her arm. She started to panic when it got to close to her neck.
Sage with the butterfly, I love this picture!!!

Mary loves her tomato's!!

2008-08-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

Mary loves to pick the tomato's in the garden. It is her favorite treat in the summer time, she will eat them just like an apple. This is the first year that we have had our own garden. It has been so fun to grow our own veggy's.

Sweets & The Aquarium

2008-08-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

We went on a tour of the Sweets Candy Company. It was so fun, the kids loved it. They made us all wear hair nets, even baby Will it was so funny. They showed us the whole factory. We saw the salt water taffy, cinnamon bears covered in chocolate, jelly beans, and orange sticks Marys favorite. They gave us samples at each stop, Mary was in heaven she loved the chocolate covered cinnamon bear. It even had baby Will's mouth watering. It was very interesting to see how it all works.

On Saturday we went to the Living Planet Aquarium. Mary's favorite was the Jelly fish, they were pretty amazing to watch. She also liked the shark. It was a fun day out before her cousins start school.
Jenny and the kids came, Dalton was the only one brave enough to tough the Sting Ray.
Jenny and the kids in front of the Candy Factory wearing their hair nets.

Mary & Tyra's Sleepover!!!

2008-08-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Mary and Tyra were playing so cute together, they have been dying to have a sleepover. (they act like they are 13) They were up until midnight!!! I went with Jody, mom&Dad, and Bo&lauren to the Hal Ketchum concert at the Sandy amphitheater and all they kids were still awake and going strong when we got home. They had a blast. We really miss the Ludvigson's .