The Life We Love.....

The Desert

2012-01-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

Since the day I met Kevin, some 14 years ago, he has been trying to get me to go to the desert. It didn't exactly sound like my cup of tea, but he finally convinced me to go a couple weekends ago. I have to admit its not my favorite place, I much prefer the beach or the mountains, but the company was good and I did have fun. The girls had a great time playing in the dirt. Anna Marie has been learning about penguins in school and she loved sliding down the hills on her tummy like a penguin on ice. The second day we were there it was bitter cold and windy. It had rained the night before and soaked the girls jackets which we had left in the jeep. Since we didn't want to freeze in the jeep, we decided to take the truck into Ransburg and have lunch. That town in like something out of an old movie. I wish I had braved the wind and cold and taken a couple pictures. I guess I will just have to go back...some day.

The Tower of Heynen Wins 2012 Skill Master

2012-01-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

It was a surprisingly warm New Years this year at the Skill Master. Kevin did well, winning his heat race, but his little car just couldn't hold out the full 20 laps of the final race. It got hot and lost power about lap 17. Kevin was bummed to loose but we were all happy to see Phil take home the trophy once again this year.

Kevin and Charlie in what's left of the Oldsmobile.

Here is Phil and Lisa and their kids in the winners circle. Congratulations!

Christmas in Lake Co.

2012-01-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

As always the kids had a wonderful time in Lake County this Christmas. We came home with a truck full of new toys. My favorite part was watching my nephew parade around with Grandma's bird on his shoulder. He was completely comfortable with her riding around up there. Maybe he should be a pirate for Halloween next year.

Sophia and Aunt Jackie. Jackie is the girls constant playmate while in Lake County.

Anna Marie and Grandpa

A Visit From Mr. & Mrs. Claus

2011-12-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

At our family Christmas party last night we were visited by Santa, and this year he brought his wife. Aren't they cute. Big and little kids alike got a turn on Santa's lap. The best part was watching Leah, the newest member of our family who recently joined us all the way from South Korea, sit on Santa's Lap. She is very fascinated with blond hair and was equally amazed by Santa's big white beard.

Mom Carolyn and Leah

Mrs. Claus aka Mrs. Schuringa

Making the cut

2011-11-29T10:54:00.000-08:00

Julie and I attempted to take the girls pictures last week for our Christmas cards. Here is one shot that didn't make the cut but I still think is cute, just Sophia being Fia, if you know what I mean. Speaking of making the cut, you may notice Sophia has a new set of bangs. She decided to cut her own hair last week, and for a three year old she didn't do too bad of a job. (can you tell I am coming to terms with this, I wasn't quit so chipper at first) Of course it was skillfully remaster by a talented beautician. I begged our cousin Alicia to come out of retirement and fix Sophia's handy work. When I asked Sophia why she cut her hair she replied "I no see, Mom." Well I guess her hair won't be in her eyes anymore. She seems quite happy with her new do.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

Grandma came down to visit us for Thanksgiving and we had a nice dinner over at Julie's house. Anna Marie immediately started telling Grandma all about the "Elf on the Shelf" who was due to come visit us soon. Just like all the stores in town, Anna Marie would like to skip right over Thanksgiving and get straight to Christmas! Here they are reading all about him in his book. We didn't have this tradition when I was growing up so we needed to fill Grandma in on all things "Elf." This is such a fun tradition, I catch Anna Marie talking to the Elf all the time. Sometimes she is telling him her wishes and other times I catch her telling him how naughty her little sister is! If you don't know the story, the basics are that the Elf is sent from Santa to watch over the house and see who is being naughty or nice. Then each night he leaves and reports back to the north pole. Each morning he is in a new spot and the kids have to find him again. Its very fun, except it never fails, I lay down in bed at night, get all cozy, am just about to drift off to sleep and then !%#@ I forgot to MOVE THE ELF!

Slim turns 3

2011-11-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

Halloween Butterflies

2011-11-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

The girls were butterflies for Halloween this year. My girls were barefoot when we went to take pictures, they seem to have some strange aversion to shoes. Sophia of course went bolting around the driveway as soon as I let her out of the house and managed to take a large chunk out of the tip of her big toe, hence the tears on her part.

How Tall This Fall

2011-11-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

2011: (left to right) Lily, Anna Marie, Sophia and Grace

2010: Cousin Bella, Grace, Anna Marie and Sophia

2009: Anna Marie and Grace

2008: Anna Marie

Lemoore Air Show

2011-10-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

It was a hot day at the Lemoore Air Show this past weekend (hence the pouty face) but well worth the trip. We went with Tanner and Stacy and their girls. It runs from 10-4pm and if we go again next year I think we will arrive later in the day. It was a long day for the girls. The best part was watching the Blue Angles which started at 3. If you have ever considered going there are a few things you should bring. They do not allow ice chests but they do allow you to take in soft sided coolers. Also I would recommend bringing chairs and/or a blanket, sunscreen and a couple umbrellas. We ended up buying a couple of cheap umbrellas, which of course were broken by the end of the day, but at least we were able to get out of the sun a bit. It is free to attend but there is lots of yummy food there and also some fun bounce house/slides for the kids to play on so make sure to take a bit of cash along as well.

Grandparents Day

2011-10-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Anna Marie loved showing her Grandparents around her school this past week. Each year CVC hosts a fall festival and Grandparents day program. Here she is with Pakke (Grandpa Charlie) and Julie. Although she technically is her Grandma, as you can see she is too young for the title to stick, so Anna Marie just calls her Julie.

My Dad even made the drive down to see us. I loved seeing her take his hand and show him around her classroom. She was so proud.

She even got a visit from Great Grandma Jo.

We stopped in to say hello to Lily in her classroom as well.

City to the Sea

2011-10-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

We went to the coast at the beginning of this month to watch our friend Joel run the City to the Sea half marathon. Of course while we were there we had to stop by Avila Farms. Its a fun time of year to go since they have so many pumpkins!

Farm Girls

2011-09-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Valtenbergs

2011-09-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

The Valtenbergs made the drive down to visit us a few weeks ago. It was so fun to get to know their little girl Lilia. Wish you guys lived closer. Its was so nice to catch up with you both.

Lisa can still tear it up!

The man behind the camera. Most of the time we don't get to see his smiling face since he is the webmaster and photographer behind The Pink Lemon. Check out his "Through the Lens" tab for a peak at his awesome pictures.

Labor Day

2011-09-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

The girls spent the day off playing in their new tree house. Thanks to Daddy for being so handy!

Kindergarten

2011-08-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

Anna Marie with her Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Bons

We've had a vast range of emotions in our house this last week regarding the start of Kindergarten. At this point Anna Marie would definitely prefer to be at home. I had a hard time keeping a straight face the other day when she asked me "Mom why did you sign me up for this?" Although she wont admit it I can tell she is starting to enjoy it more and more each day. She is very proud of the stack of papers she takes home each day from all the projects they completed in class, and I know she thinks she is such a big kid now that she gets to ride the bus with Lily. I pick them up at the very first stop since our stop isn't until 4:30. She would really hate life if I made her ride the "so HOT bus" all the way home, but at least this way I can avoid the traffic jam in the school parking lot. I keep telling her how things will get better. Eventually everything wont be so new, the weather will cool off one of these days and before you know it you'll have made some new friends. Here's hoping I'm right!

Salmon Recipes

2011-08-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

This summer Kevin, Uncle Jim and Mike traveled up to Fort Bragg to go salmon fishing with my Dad. So what do you do when your husband comes home with a giant ice chest filled with fish.... here's some ideas:

Canned Salmon

Cut salmon into manageable pieces and pack in mason jars leaving at least 1/2 inch head space at the top. Add 2 table spoons of peanut oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each jar. Wipe the rim of each jar to insure that it is clean. While you are packing the jars, place the lids in a pot of water and set to boil. Once it comes to a boil remove the lids, dry them and screw on tightly to packed jars. Place a couple inches of water in the bottle of your pressure cooker, arrange jars inside the cooker and cook for 110 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. Once jars have been removed from the cooker and allowed to cool you can take a fork or other utensil and tap the top of each jar to see if it has sealed completely. Unsealed jars make a more hallow pinging noise then sealed jars. If some of your jars didn't seal then the contents must be refrigerated and eaten within a couple days. The rest of the jars can be stored in your cupboards. My Dad suggests waiting a few weeks before eating the sealed jars. That way you will be able to tell if something unwelcome is growing inside. I know that's not the most appetizing thought to leave you with, but it happens.

Smoked Salmon

In a large bowl or bucket add:

1 gal water
1 lb salt
1 lb brown sugar
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
1 tbs liquid onion
1 tbs liquid garlic

Mix well and add salmon pieces. Leave salmon in brine for about 1 1/2 hour. Remove salmon, pat dry with paper towels and/or allow salmon to air dry. Place in smoker and smoke for 10-12 hours or more if not done. We used a Big Chief smoker and it took around 14 hours. After salmon was finished we vacuum sealed what we couldn't eat within a couple days and put it in the freezer.

BBQ Salmon

Place salmon in an aluminum tray or home made foil boat, skin side down. Sprinkle with minced garlic and seasoning salt. Place chopped red onion and lemon slices on fish. In a small bowl mix the liquid ingredients:

1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp brown sugar

Mix well and drizzle it over the fish in the tray. Once it is on the BBQ baste often and cook until fish is done. Depending on how thick the fish is will determine how long it takes to cook. Obviously the thicker the fish the longer it takes. I think ours usually takes about a 1/2 hour and that's on medium heat or about 350 degrees.

Feed Lane Fun

2011-08-05T06:42:00.000-07:00

Avila Beach

2011-07-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

After our friends went home Sunday we spent one more night dry camping along Avila Beach. We had a great view out the back of our RV.

Camp Ground Games

2011-07-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Stomp Rocket and baseball were a big hit back at camp. After a day or so Anna Marie finally decided the Griffith boys weren't so bad after all and joined in the fun. She no longer refers to them as the "naughty boys" Sophia thought they were great fun right from the start. She actually cried and asked to to home with them when they left.

I think Tony gets dirtiest baby award. This was even before breakfast... or maybe the dirt was breakfast.

Always time for a little girl talk on home plate.

Avila Valley Barn

2011-07-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Look out Anna Marie I think Sophia has plans for you.

We road our bikes down the Bob Jones trail from Avila Beach to the Avila Valley Barn. Its a fun easy ride and the kids had a good time feeding lettuce to all the animals. This last picture is how I found Sophia when we got back from our ride. Not exactly the most comfortable napping position.

The Dunes

2011-07-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

We traveled to the central coast last weekend with the Griffiths and Heynens and stayed at Pacific Dunes RV in Oceano. The kids had a blast sledding on the dunes.

Chicks

2011-07-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Our baby chicks are growing up fast. We got them in the mail on the first of July. They were born the Wednesday before and immediately sexed and shipped out from Texas. It was a bit agonizing waiting for the call from the post office, knowing they were sitting in a box somewhere. When we finally got the call to come and pick them up the girls were very excited. I was relieved to see that all but one had survived the journey. We lost a couple more in the next couple days after their arrival but it looks like the remaining 22 are here to stay. This is the first time we have bought mail order chicks. In years past I bought pullets (baby hens) at the local feed store. With my old hens not producing enough through the winter I knew it was time for a new batch. We decided to order through the mail because I was interested in getting some unusual breeds that the feed store didn't typically carry. We ordered Buff Orpingtons (which we have now and love) Jersey Giants, Welsummers, and Cuckoo Marans. The Welsummers and Marans lay a very dark brown egg which will be fun to see. It will take this batch about 5 months before they start producing. Which will be just about the time that my older hens slow down for winter. Right now my flock gives me about 5-8 eggs a day from about 20 hens. In the winter I may only get 2 a day. First year hens give approximately one egg a day so I will be getting nearly two dozen each day this winter! Come see me if you need eggs!

Ever since we've had chickens I occasionally found a broken egg in the hen house. I typically blamed my hens for pecking their own eggs but I could never figure out who the culprit was. This spring it became a real problem and I was determined to cull the pecker. Kevin suggested I put a movie camera in the hen house. I was shocked by what I saw on that video. My hen house was infested with squirrels and they were getting fat on my eggs! Most of the time they would pick them up in their teeth and carry them back to their hole in one piece. But sometimes they would break the egg in the process and then it would be left in the nesting box. As you can image, as soon as I saw that video, the war was on. Since its not safe for me to put out bait (my chickens are free range and could eat it or my cats could eat a dead or sick squirrel) I have been slowly picking them off with a shot gun. I have killed 10+ squirrels so far and as soon as I have eliminated one family another family moves in. I have a feeling this will be an ongoing battle with the squirrels.

Swim Lessons

2011-07-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last week the girls took swim lessons and much to my relief Sophia is much more water safe. Anna Marie already knew how to swim after her lessons last year but she worked on diving and other swim strokes. Now as long as someone is in the pool with Sophia she can swim pretty well with out floaties. Its amazing how a "no fear" personality accelerates the learning process. Although I still don't feel like I can take my eyes off her, I do believe that if she were to accidentally fall in (or more likely jump in when I'm not looking) she would hopefully be able to get herself back to the side of the pool. At 2 1/2 I think that's pretty good. Life seems to be getting easier in all ways regarding Fia, she is now in a big kid bed, potty trained and we also seem to be over the hump of the naughty faze. Hurray! I think I just might keep her!

Isn't this the funniest cat...he loves the girls even when they're wet!

Linda

2011-06-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

March 30, 1951 - June 5, 2011

Linda was a beautiful person both inside and out. She did everything for others, caring, compassionate and never self serving, she loved children and children loved her. She had a lot of spunk and she knew how to have a good time. She was always fun to be around. Technically she was an Aunt to us, but she was like a Grandma to my girls and more then anything she was my friend, and I will miss her.

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.

Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the LORD: “LORD, save me!”
The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

The LORD protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.

Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.

For you, LORD, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

I trusted in the LORD when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.” What shall I return to the LORD for all his goodness to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.

I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.

Truly I am your servant, LORD; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.

I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD— in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD.

Psalm 116

Anna Marie turns 5

2011-06-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

We had Anna Marie's buddies over to celebrate her 5 th birthday yesterday. The kids had fun riding our new pony Sweety Bell (the girls named her after the My Little Pony). It was an enjoyable day although we missed the rest of the family, especially Aunt Linda who is suffering from cancer right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim, Kylie, Tami, Clyde, Jason, Erin and of course Linda during this tough time.

Emily and Sophia exchange a knowing look... "Yum cupcakes!"

Anna Marie getting a ride on Bell

Kristen and Sophia

Emily looking tough in her cowgirl hat.

The gang

Dont you just love Anna Marie's get up. She choose it herself. Can't you just pictures her thinking, what do I need to go ride horses and play in the dirt?... oh yes a pretty dress, a necklace and I'll bling out my cowgirl hat, perfect! Oh and Crocs of course because I've still got to be comfortable!

All Dressed Up

2011-05-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Smith -Vandenberg wedding last weekend. Congratulations Tommy and Alysse!

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

Anna Marie graduated from preschool last week. Here she is, front and center, singing. I can tell she learned a lot this year because at the begining of the year she would have stood there, nervous, with here finger in ther mouth the whole time. Preschool really helped bring her out of her shell.

This is what Sophia looked like that night. The photo doesn't show the dimension of her goose egg. I wonder, how long it will take before she realizes that leaping from funiture doesn't always end well?

Irrigation Season

2011-05-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

The girls love this time of year when they can strip down and play in the mud. It feels like summer now that its corn planting season!

This was a different, and much colder day. They were having fun throwing rocks in the ditch. It looks like they will be able to do that for awhile now since we got more rain then normal last winter. Our total rainfall for the year was about 13 inches. I googled our average rainfall and it said it was 11 inches, but even that seems high.

2011-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

Grandma Visits

2011-04-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

We had a nice visit with my Mom the last few days. She helped take the girls minds of missing Daddy. He is out of town until tonight. He has been in the Dominican Republic this past week. He went there with a group from our church. I can't wait to hear his stories about how the Dominicans celebrate Easter.

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Sophia and Grace

Lily and Anna Marie

Kylie with Erin and Jason's little boy Jase.

Alley the Easter Bunny and Moses

Bella and Jase

Anna Marie with her loot!

Grandma, and Linda with Jase.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo

2011-04-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

We hit the zoo earlier this week with Grace, Lily and Julie and our friend Alison and her daughter Indira. Don't you love the photo of the girls where Sophia has her finger up her nose. So typical! Grace's expression cracks me up in that photo as well. I think she's ticked because Sophia is leaning against her. Sophia and Grace currently have a love-hate relationship. They beg to play together but then do nothing but pester each other. Sophia bit Grace a couple times last week much to my horror. She looks so sweet in the bottom photo with Lily, but don't believe it 'cause she is quite a little terror these days!

The Thinker

2011-03-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

"Mom why do you have hair down there?" Oh Lord, are we really having this conversation I think to myself. I've had way to many moments like this recently with my oldest child who seems to be 4 going on 14. She can be the sweetest little girl, such a big helper and so loving and kind, the absolute apple of my eye and then two seconds later you would think the world is coming to an end the way the tears are flowing, all because I asked her to pick up her pajamas! The roller coaster of emotions can be daunting. More then once I have thought, if there's this much drama now, heaven help us when puberty hits! She will be 5 in June and it is amazing how much they can change in a year. Nearly 4 is a world of difference from nearly 5. They are physically and mentally so much more developed. She recently had her kindergarten assessment and I asked her before she went in to please speak loud enough for the teacher to be able to hear her. She still struggles with shyness, although preschool has helped her to blossom tremendously. When she was done she told me the questions were easy and the teacher didn't even have to ask her to speak up! Phew! In the last few weeks she has also learned to ride her bike with out training wheels. Kevin and I have always joked (not in front of her) that the poor kid didn't get much of his athletic ability, but she completely proved us wrong with how quickly she mastered her bike. I think the trick is to have a small enough bike that they can be sitting on the seat and still touch the ground with their tippy toes. I worked with her one afternoon on a whim, hoovering over her while she wobbled around, then the next afternoon I wasn't home and she decided to go for a ride. Kevin was mowing the lawn, noticed what she was doing and came over to help her out. He said all he did was give her some encouraging words and away she went. He thought I had worked with her a bunch and I was completely shocked when I got home. Now all she ever wants to do is ride that bike. I am so glad she has found something that she enjoys that is physical. For the longest time all she ever wanted to do was puzzles or crafts or something equally sedentary. Not so long ago, when we would go for a short walk, she would beg me to carry her because her legs were sooooo tired. I guess that's what growing up does for you, not only does it make you stronger but it also makes you ask the most awkward questions....which reminds me of another funny story. The other night I was getting the girls ready for bed when Kevin came in and gave me a little "flirty nuzzle" and Anna Marie says with this funny look on her face "Are you two going to hug? We both laughed, yeah something like that!

The Prankster

2011-03-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

Sophia has become quite the little prankster. I know this isn't learned behavior because no one else in the house thinks quite like her. I guess it must be genetic. I'm starting to think she has a little bit of my Dad in her. He was always full of jokes and other mischief when we were growing up. I think his favorite was jumping out from behind a bush when we went out to feed the dog after dark. There are also legendary stories about putting earth worms in a drunk mans can of chew, feeding cooked cat to a girl in his high school and many more equally devious episodes. Sophia at two years old, is not quite on that level yet, thank goodness. At this point the thing that she seems to think is absolutely hilarious is to wait for the perfect moment when Kevin or I step outside for just a second. She then makes a mad dash for the door, laughing mischievously she quickly turns the lock. There we sit begging her to open it back up. She's got the locking part down but unlocking it takes a little while. Then the other night, completely unprovoked, she climbed up on her dad while he was laying on the couch, stuck her butt in his face and farted! That's when it dawned on me that there is a little bit of Gatton in her after all.

Other then this mischief she is a typical two year old. Its amazing how fast they go from baby to little kid. She can now communicate pretty well which is nice because it cuts down on the frustration level for both of us. Not to say she never has a melt down, quite on the contrary, she can still pitch a mean little tantrum. She is a lot different from Anna Marie at that age though. Anna Marie used to get upset, turn a dark shade of purple, fall over and then finally start breathing again. Thankfully those days are long gone for Anna Marie and Sophia's tantrums are typically the kicking and screaming variety and they don't seem to last very long. She is also forcing me to reinvent my discipline style. With Anna Marie a stern word or a threat of time out was all we needed. Sophia is barely fazed by stern words and actually seems to enjoy time out. We do a lot of distraction and redirection at this point. I am hoping she doesn't figure that one out anytime soon. On the plus side, she seems to be mellowing out a bit, she will now finely sit on my lap and read short stories or watch a brief tv show if I am desperate to make a phone call and just need a few minutes of quiet. She is also starting to show more and more interest in potty training which I am thankful for. I am looking forward to not buying any more diapers!

The other day I picked her up from church nursery and she ran over, gave me a big hug and said "Mommy, I love-ed you" Its moments like thoughs that make me want to freeze time and never let them grow-up.

Snow Day- Take 2

2011-02-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

We went with Charlie and Julie to the snow last week. Our second attempt this winter turned out to be a much more enjoyable day! We sledded up by Grants Grove in the Sequoia National Park.

The view over the wheat

2011-02-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

The view this time of year is so beautiful. Its so nice when we can see the mountains.

California Adventure

2011-02-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

Meeting Woody was a big thrill for my girls. We're all big Toy Story fans. Even Fia yelled out "deres Woooody" when she spotted him.

Here is everybody waiting for the "Its tough to be a bug" show. This scared the @#$! out of my girls. Maybe we will try that again when they're older!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-02-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

Charlie and Julie took our family on vacation to Disneyland this past week. Kevin, his Dad Charlie, and his brother-in-law all work together on our dairy so its not everyday the the three of them can all be gone at the same time. It was a special treat for all the kids to go camping together. We stayed at an RV park in Anaheim. My girls had a blast in Disneyland. I loved watching them meet the characters. Sophia was very scared of Captain Hook but did okay with the others. She especially loved the Fairies and the Princesses. Anna Marie loved them all. She was completely star struck. In the top photos from left to right: Kristen and Jame's kids Ayden age 5, Caleb 8, Emily 3, Charlie and Julie's kids Grace 3, Lily 6, and ours Sophia 2, and Anna Marie age 4.

Anna Marie and Pluto above and both girls with Bell below. I thought Sophia was going to curl up and take a nap on Bell's dress. Pluto interacted with Sophia a lot until she actually warmed up a bit but she was all hugs right from the start with the girl characters.

Anna Marie with Goofy. He and Minnie Mouse were who she was most excited to meet.

Meeting Tinker Bell and Fawn.

When Anna Marie saw this mouse she immediately said look Mom there's Cinderella's mouse! We went to "Breakfast in the Park" where the characters wander by as you are having breakfast. It was so fun we had a hard time eating! Anna Marie has on my dress from when I went to Disneyland ages ago. If I say so myself, I think she looks adorable as vintage Minnie!

Anna Marie just loved being on vacation with Grace and Lily.

Is that Chip or Dale? I'm not sure.

Lisa's Baby Shower

2011-01-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

I'll take any excuse to get out of town during this January fog, especially if its to go hang out with my college girlfriends over on our old stomping ground. The central coast was absolutely beautiful, when I left San Luis Obispo on Sunday it was 78*. I had a great time catching up with the girls and Lisa's baby even gave me a little kick while we were there. I can't believe the next time I see her she will be a Mommy!

Left to Right: Andi, Hilary, Cheryl, Michelle, Lisa, Jackie, Me, Robyn, Tracy, Gina and Connie.

The Girls and Their Kitties

2011-01-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

Snow Day

2011-01-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Our trip to the snow was fun but also a bit of a learning experience. This is what we learned:

Enter the Sequoias from hwy 180, not hwy 198. The road construction on hwy 198 was a huge delay. They didn't open the road until 2 pm. Bring chains, they enforce the rules, and bring tools in case you have trouble with your chains. Bring lots of food, its a long day. Bring a travel potty for the kiddos as they choose the most inconvenient times to use the facilities, or lack there of. They don't understand why they can not pee on the side of the road in front of road construction personnel and many other bystanders. Extra diapers do come in handy for this situation as well, and last but not least, fill up your car with gas before you go, its not fun thinking you are about to run out of gas in the middle of no where!

R.I.P. Maggie 1999 - 2010

2010-12-29T09:35:00.000-08:00

With Anna Marie in 2009

Always loving patient and loyal, she will be missed.

She never missed an opportunity for a quick kiss, with Anna Marie in 2007

With her brother Max in 2002

2004

Christmas at Home

2010-12-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

Joesph and Alicia were kind enough to host our big family Christmas this year. We were even lucky enough to have Santa (a.k.a Mr. Schuringa) show up. That was a big hit, Sophia was one of the first brave kids go up to him and Anna Marie was one of the last.

All the children got a chance to sit on Santa's lap and get a prize...even Aunt Rena!

Anna Marie and Aunt Linda. We are so glad she is feeling well enough to celebrate with us. Her diagnosis with stomach cancer last summer has shaken our family.

The whole gang.

A Lake County Christmas

2010-12-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Its truly a child's paradise when we head up north for the holidays. Lots of adoring family, fun pets, mud, and did I mention new toys!

Uncle Reed and Sophia doing some ceiling walking!

We saw these two bucks on the way to my Moms.

Here are the cousins "fishing" in Aunt Patsy's goldfish pond

Anna Marie was excited that it was windy enough for some kite flying.

Cousin North, Aunt Jackie and Anna Marie reading some books.

Yeah Presents!

Anna Marie's new best friend was my sister Jackie. We both wish we could have kidnapped her and taken her home with us!

Our Christmas Card Photos

2010-12-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

December so far...

2010-12-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy couple of weeks around here as we prepare for Christmas. The girls have been having so much fun with the their new kitties. We have finally settled on the names Simba and Peach although I'm thinking they should be named Feisty and Mellow as they have very different personalities, perfect for my girls. Sophia is always chasing after Simba and Anna Marie is always cuddling with Peach.

Anna Marie also loves this time of year because its lizard season again, when they are cold, slow and easy to catch. She remembers that last year one bit her but she doesn't seemed worried that it will happen again.

They have both been enjoying all the leaves that have been falling in the back yard. I'm not loving them quite so much. I have to say, leaves aren't nearly as pretty when they're landing in your pool.

Anna Marie had her Preschool Christmas Program last week. It was very amusing to watch. As most of you know Anna Marie is not really one for the spot light so she spent most of the beginning fiddling with the bow on her dress, but she did manage to mouth the words to the songs towards the end. It was very cute.

New Kitties

2010-12-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

The girls and I finally wore Kevin down and convinced him to let us get a couple cats. Our friend Alicia had an adorable litter recently so we went and picked up a couple yesterday. The girls are in heaven and so am I due to the hours of entertainment they provide. We are keeping them in our basement until they grow up a bit more, then they will be outside cats. At least that's the plan, as you can see from the photo thats not where I found them this morning.

Hitt'n the Hills

2010-11-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

I had a great time riding last week with my girlfriends Jamie and Lisa. Can't wait to do it again!

Christmas Pictures

2010-11-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

I had the girls photos taken recently to use in our Christmas card. These are not the ones that I am going to use so I will share them here. You will have to wait to see the others...

Skinny Minnie

2010-11-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

34 inches, 20 lbs 12 oz, yes these are Sophia's latest stats. At two years old its a little scary, she is a normal height but is no longer even on the growth chart for weight. It is increasing hard to find cloths that fit, she is either wearing "high-waters" or "low-riders" when it comes to pants. I continue to search for nutrient dense foods that she will eat. Good thing she likes dairy products, now I just need her to eat more of them and I need to convince her to like peanut butter and avocado's!

Sophia turns 2!

2010-11-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

Sophia's big day started off pretty rough. She came down with some sort of stomach bug and didn't want to do much of anything except sit and cuddle with Mommy, which I have to admit was a nice change! Of course by late afternoon, after the party was canceled, she perked up enough for cupcakes and presents!

Halloween

2010-11-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

Minnie Mouse (Grace), Ham from Toy Story (Sophia), Tinker Bell (Lily) and Jessee from Toy Story (Anna Marie)

My girls experienced their first "city-style" trick or treat this Halloween. Since we live in the country we typically load into the car and drive to a few family members houses and then call it a night. This year we were invited to trick or treat the neighborhood of our friends Steve and Rhonda. I'm not sure if my girls will ever be satisfied with "country-style" ever again. Sophia was especially thrilled with the concept that you could simply knock on a random strangers door, hold out your bag of candy, and they would, in turn drop some candy into your bag. She bolted from house to house with her little pig ears flopping. Then she would scamper back to us and screech "CANDY!" I think Halloween is her new favorite holiday. Anna Marie was much more reserved and shy. She did enjoy herself as well and was proud of herself towards the end when she was able to work up the nerve to actually say "trick or treat" and "thank you" Kevin and I had a great time watching them have so much fun.

Adults-Only Halloween

2010-10-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Adam and Whitney - The Ricola Man and St.Pauli Girl

Doug and Alison - The Amish

Case and Alison - The Pirates

Us - The Christmas Elves

Peter and Whitney - Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head

Daniel and Emily -Salt & Pepper

Gerrit and Kim -White Trash

Camping

2010-10-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

We went camping at the Pismo Sands RV park last weekend with Kevin's cousin Chris and Jolene. It was great catching up with them and their busy family. The trip was a bit hard on Anna Marie. The first night there she came down with the "throw-ups" Thank goodness it didn't last long and no one else got her bug. We also took a trailer full of mosquitoes to the coast with us and it turns out they seem to really like the taste of her. She came home loaded with bites.

This is Eva, Anna Marie and Luke playing on Avila Beach.

I think Sophia's favorite part of the trip was playing in the puddle back a camp.

Here are Chris and Jolene with Hannah, Luke and Eva. Jolene is holding their adopted son Sean. They have been fostering children for a couple years now. Three month old baby Martha is in the stroller.

Kevin and Sophia went to the pumpkin patch in Avila, Anna Marie and I stayed home since she was still recovering from her rough night. The kids loved feeding the goats.

Harvest Party

2010-10-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our friends Daniel & Emily throw a big harvest party each fall. It seems like we've always had something else going on in years past so this is the first year we have been able to attend. The kids had a great time. Anna Marie dressed up as Jessie from Toy Story and we decided to just put a cute skirt on Sophia because it was way too hot for her pig costume. The funniest part of the whole afternoon was when Sophia picked up the sleeping calf's face and gave it a big kiss right on the end of its wet nose. She may as well said "My Mom may stick me in a ballerina outfit but I'm definitely a farm chic"

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

How tall this fall?...left to right: Cousin Bella, Aunt Grace, Anna Marie and Sophia

and the paparazzi... Julie and Erin!

Sequoia National Park

2010-10-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

We took a drive into the Sequoias today. It was an enjoyable trip, I drove and Anna Marie sat in the front and nobody puked! Yeah! We haven't driven up there since Anna Marie was a baby and we were dumb enough to not understand why she was upset. Kevin sat in the back and read the paper on the way up, which makes me sick just thinking about it. Sophia seems to take after Kevin in the nausea department as well as everything else. Thank goodness, that would be terrible if that was the one thing she inherited from me! We were even lucky enough to see a juvenile bear sniffing around on the way home!

Daddy's Girl

2010-09-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Kevin dusted off his bike this afternoon in preparation for an up coming trip. He rolled up on the driveway and yelled out "Anna Marie want to go for a ride?" she promptly said no thanks. Sophia came bolting over and yelled out " I wana wide" We both laughed. So typical. Sophia is in love with her Daddy and all the fun things he does. She loves to go for rides in the tractor, jeep, quad anything fast and wild. After they rode off on the motorcycle Anna Marie says to me "I'm a little nervous with Sophia on that bike, I hope she doesn't fall off" I said ya you and me both. This picture reminded me of another one from back in the day. I'm not sure why Charlie has the motorcycle in the house, and in whitey-tighties no less...who knows it was the 70's!

Corn Harvest

2010-09-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

Our corn harvest started Saturday. Its always fun each year to watch the corn come down. For the men its a summers worth of work and worry put away for another year.

The red tailed hawks enjoy the harvest even more then we do. They circle the fields following the choppers and snapping up the exposed field mice.

I See Me

2010-09-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently asked if I see a resemblance between myself, as a child, and Anna Marie. What do you think? (just in case you can't tell by the age of the photo, it goes top to bottom; me, Anna Marie, me, Anna Marie...)

Photo-Op

2010-09-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

If at first you dont succeed....

"Sophia look over there!"

"are we done yet?"

"I just want to be silly"

"maybe a head-lock will work"

...try, try again!

Plaza Park

2010-09-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

We went to Plaza Park this morning. Sophia loved the slide that was rated for children 3-5 years old, which scared me to death of course. They recently redid this park and it turned out great. I think we will come back, maybe when Sophia is actually 3-5!

Here is my friend Sarah's daughter Alieda. Isn't she a cutie!

The Other Women in Their Lives

2010-09-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

Here is Sophia and Margie. Sophia goes to day care once a week. She loves Margie and so do I. Before Sophia took her place, Anna Marie used to go to Margie's also. I think this helped ease the transition into school, and lets face it, its so much easier to run errands and do paperwork without the little ones around.

This is Anna Marie with Ms. Monica, so far she is enjoying preschool. She comes home with lots of stories about all the fun things she does all day.

The Queen of Buckles

2010-08-30T14:26:00.001-07:00

This kid is obsessed with buckles and latches, and unfortunately this still includes her diaper. When a onesie stopped working to prevent the nakedness, and resulting crib sheet mess, we switched to safety pins, and well lets just say there was nothing safe about that. We have now resorted to masking tape which seems to be working for the moment. She has also taken an interest in potty training, not with any consistency though. I think its more of the novelty and of course the desire to be naked. In the space of one day she peed on my bath mat, pooped in my shower, and severely plugged my toilet with about 50 wipes.

Fun Times on the "Little Lake"

2010-08-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

First Hair Cut

2010-08-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

We paid a visit to Cousin Alicia this morning. Sophia was in desperate need of her first hair cut, its nice to have her not looking quite so shaggy and even better that we have such a great beautician in the family. Thanks Alicia the girls both look so cute.

First Day of Pre-School

2010-08-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Oh I cant believe this day has come so fast. Anna Marie headed off to the next phase of life this morning.... the start of her education. I am praying she makes some new friends and enjoys her day. Sophia has already asked about five times "Ann Me where go" We all miss her already.

In the Garden

2010-08-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

My garden is pretty low key this year. With my priorities being elsewhere this spring I basically ended up with just the basics; tomatoes, squash, zucchini and basil, and my leftover winter crop of potatoes, onions and garlic. When my green beans didn't do well I decided to plant pumpkins, even though I swore last year I would never do that again. They take up so much space, but this year I have room to spare. The most exciting thing growing in my garden this summer are these baby chicks. One of my hens camped out on a nest in the middle of one of my tomatoe plants, hidden away in there for 21 days without my knowledge, until I heard some cheeping last week. Lets hope these babies aren't all roosters, oh well, they sure are cute for now.

Bravo Farms

2010-08-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

We went up to Traver the other day to have dinner and let the girls run around at Bravo Farms "fun house" and "zoo". They had so much fun checking out all there is to see up there. They have a couple of very sweet donkeys, some rabbits a goat and the biggest hit of all was hand feeding their chickens. The girls were so excited we had to laugh, its not like we don't have a whole flock in our back yard, but they aren't nearly as friendly. Kevin and I had fun checking out their large collection of antiques and funny signs. My favorite "If your smoking in here you better be on fire"

Bath Time

2010-08-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

Fast Grows the Corn

2010-08-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Remember last months photo? We've grown a whole new view!

Crazy Ladies

2010-08-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here is Sophia playing "in" her kitchen.

Fancy Anna Marie. They both love to play dress up. Although I think Sophia likes to play "dress down" even more

Even a onesie doesn't keep her clothed anymore. I am constantly changing her sheets.

Before and After- Kids Bath

2010-07-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

This room is definitely the most "interesting" in our new house - more vintage harm then vintage charm. I found the picture below on the Internet. Its an advertisement for our 1947 American Standard blue bathtub. Oh so glam back in the day...

After: Still peach but so much better.

After painting over the peach walls and the oak cabinets, removing the scary soffit above the tub, and fixing a massive amount of plumbing problems, I have to say its starting to grow on me.

Blogworthy Stories

2010-07-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Today I was forcing Anna Marie to clean up her toys. This always entails lots of whining about how much work she has to do and how hard life is for her in general. She really hams it up and spends more time complaining about what she has to do then actually doing it. So after she has tried every excuse in the book she gets quiet for a second and I can see the wheels turning in that little mind of hers. She has this sad little defiant look on her face and she says "Mom, I don't think I can live here anymore" "Oh really?" I say surprised and she says "yeah I don't want to live here anymore." "So where do you think you are going to live then?" "I'm going to go live with Grace and Lily" she says like she is absolutely positive that this is actually a possibility. So I say "ok Anna Marie lets give Julie a call and see if she will take you." She thinks for a minute "no, I think I'll wait until Grace is a lil bit older, she's kind-of a meanie"

I had to chuckle about that little gem. Especially the fact that my 4 year old gets bullied by her 2 year old "auntie"

Then this afternoon Lily came over to play and after they had been playing together for about an hour she came over and was talking to me about swimming (I think she was hinting at something) I mentioned that earlier today Anna Marie jumped off the diving board with no noodle and swam all the way over to the step by herself. Lily says with a shocked and slightly horrified look on her face "did she drown?"

Favorite Things

2010-07-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

I think our favorite place to be these days is in our pool. It is the first thing Anna Marie asks to do each day, and next she asks is if Lily can come play. She is doing much better with swimming since she started taking swim lessons. She used to be afraid of "the deep" but she just started jumping off the diving board without the noodle. She is no dare devil (she takes after me not Kevin) so this is a big deal. The photo below is Anna Marie with her swim teacher Cynthia. We are lucky because Cynthia is our neighbor so she comes to us. Back in the day I gave Cynthia riding lessons. Its fun to see her being the teacher these days, although it does make me feel a bit old!

My other favorite thing about summer: garden fresh tomatoes. It doesn't get much better than that.

Summer Time

2010-07-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

This time of year is a bit crazy for me even when we aren't trying to settle into a new home. I finished up a water quality (environmental compliance) report due July 1st. It is nice to be done with that and to be able to sit down at the computer and do something besides work. So here are a few pictures from this past month. I wanted to take some pictures of the girls next to the corn. It grows so fast, this corn was planted at the beginning of June. I am always out with my camera around the first of each month (more environmental compliance) so I'll take another picture at the beginning of August and trust me you will be shocked at the difference. This is also my new view. Pretty soon it will be nothing but a wall of corn.

Sophia lives in onesies these days. She has taken to getting naked if she has anything else on. I got real sick of changing sheets and cleaning up messes so she has been banned from normal cloths until she grows out of that faze. Here she is in time out. She seems to think "time out" is fun. I sure hope she starts to realize its not all fun and games at some point.

Anna Marie has been taking swim lessons. She is completely pooped in the afternoons. I often find her like this. This is also our new playroom. I just love having all their shit, I mean toys, in one place! Anna Marie has gotten to the age where she realizes there is danger in the world. Kevin was kind enough to explain to her why we were installing a fire extinguisher in our house. We have all had trouble sleeping ever since. Thanks Dad! She also listens intently to what adults are saying. I find myself doing a lot of "beating around the bush" aka explaining. We had a funny moment the other day by the pool. We were having a cocktail when Anna Marie happened to notice and asked me why Daddy was giving me water in such a small glass! I said I was just a little bit thirsty.

We found a dead dove in our yard, and no we didn't shoot it, but the girls thought it was absolutely fascinating. I thought Grandpa would enjoy this picture, bring him back to the good old days when I was his dove retriever/neck ringer.

Wild Animal Park

2010-06-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

On our last day of vacation we hit the Wild Animal Park. Since we drove home the same day we didn't spend a lot of time here. I took this picture because the Rino (in the shade) is one of only 7 left in the world. I think they said he was a White Rino (not in color but species). I enjoyed seeing the animals in a more natural habitat. The Wild Animal Park was originally started as breeding facility and then opened to the public some time later. They have over 500 babies born there each year.

Overall the vacation was a great one, although not exactly relaxing. It was so much fun to see the joy and excitement on the girls faces as we explored each park. Although I told Kevin I think I need a vacation from my vacation. We were busy, busy busy!

A Day At The Beach

2010-06-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

We spent a day on Coronado Beach while in San Diego.

Lego Land

2010-06-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

We spent our third day of vacation at Lego Land. Left to right; Charlie, Derek, Faith, Kevin, Anna Marie, a girl we didn't know, and Donnie. Anna Marie surprised me with her love of rides. She didn't want to ride at first but always came away smiling! I was just happy there was no vomiting involved.

Sea World

2010-06-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

I think the shirt says it all. We spent Anna Marie's 4th Birthday at Sea World this year. It was so much fun!

The perfect ending to a long hot day, ice cream and a cold beer!

San Diego Zoo

2010-06-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

We just got home from camping in San Diego. We spent our first day at the zoo. Here are the kids lined up in front of the chimps. Left to right: Sophia, Anna Marie, cousins Faith, Derek, Jordan and Brooklyn.

The kids loved getting filthy dirty at camp. The bath was muddy brown each night before bed.

10 Years

2010-05-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Its our ten year anniversary today. Oh how time flys. Don't we all look so young!

Settling In

2010-05-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

We had our first dinner guests over last night in our new house. It feels good to start getting back into a normal routine now that we have moved. Never thought I would miss cooking but a few weeks of take-out type meals with do that to a person. Here are the girls all lined up on the front window sill. Anna Marie is thrilled to have Lily out of school for the summer.

Bye-Bye Slow Season, Hello Summer

2010-05-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy this past month with home renovation/painting in our new house. We plan to be moved in by the end of the month. I haven't been taking many pictures of the kiddos lately but I did get a few of the girls playing together. Our wheat also got cut this week which signals the end of the slow season for us. The rest of May looks to be quite hectic, I think we will all give a big sigh of relief once the corn is planted and we are finished moving. I cant wait to lay out by the pool and have a giant margarita after all this!

Top Picture left to right: Aunt Grace (2), Anna Marie (almost 4), Sophia (1) and Aunt Lily (6)

Easter

2010-04-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

Our egg hunt was at Aunt Linda's this year. Left to right: Cousin Bella, Anna Marie, Sophia and Cousin Ally.

A Season of Change

2010-03-25T05:41:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung in these parts and we are thoroughly enjoying the change. But the weather is not the only thing changing around here. We are gearing up for a big move! Its big only because its exciting, not because we are going very far. We are headed just down the road to a different house on our dairy. The new house is bigger, has a pool, and is in a better location. We cant wait! The picture of Kevin with all the girls on the quad is in front of our current house. The only other changes going on are in Sophia. We seem to be quickly approaching the terrible twos, even though shes not quite a year and a half. Her new weapon against anyone who dares cross her, is biting. I think this is the only thing she has inherited from me. There is a notorious story in our family about me getting up in the middle of the night to go bite my brother while he was fast asleep. Although I'm sure he completely deserved the bite, I'm not sure I like to see the family resemblance coming out in Sophia.

The Busy Body

2010-03-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

We had Sophia's 16 month well baby check up toady. It was rescheduled from 3 weeks ago because she had an ear infection last time we were there. I was pretty discouraged last month because we had been working really hard to put some weight on her and at that appointment she weighed only 18lbs 6oz which means she had fallen even farther off the percentile scale. She was officially in negative territory at that point. Today when we went back she weighed 19lbs 5oz. This is still totally scrawny but at least she is back in the 5th percentile. I never thought I would be happy to hear that, but I am. Other than her weight she continues to thrive. At this point she is in about the 25th percentile for height. She has a budding curiosity and is constantly into something. I was cleaning the bathroom floor yesterday when I realized the house was just a bit too quite. When I went to investigate Sophia was no where to be found. I ended up finding her outside, barefoot and filthy dirty. She has figured out that if the garage door isn't latched all the way that she can push it open. She also continues to climb on everything, the other day I caught her climbing up the book case that is mounted to the wall above Anna Marie's bed. It was like seeing a miniature spider-man in action. When she isn't climbing, escaping or putting something in the toilet (her other favorite past time) she's dancing or "jumping." Jumping is in quotes because she isn't even close to actually getting off the ground, even though she tries with all her might.

Blueberry Lizards

2010-02-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month while doing some weeding we came across a group of blue bellied lizards. Anna Marie was completely fascinated with her new pets. She called them "blueberry lizards" The weather was cool that morning so the lizards weren't moving very fast. She carried them around in a bucket and when she realized that they would stick to her cloths she wore them like jewelry. It was all fun and games until the weather warmed up and the lizards realized they had had enough. The biggest one made a break for it, and even though we had had the talk about the proper way to pick up lizards, the next thing I knew Anna Marie was screaming bloody murder with the lizard firmly latched on to the underside of her palm. Even though it was quite difficult to get the little bugger off of her it was all pretty funny. I wish I had had the video camera rolling. Anna Marie decided she only liked the baby lizards after that.

Anna Marie also told me recently she was "growing up to be a big boy" I said are you sure you aren't growing up to be a girl? No she replied "cause look at all the hair on my legs like Daddy"

She also thinks that she needs to protect Sophia from other kids. For a couple years now Anna Marie has gone to day care one day a week so that I can run my errands in peace. Recently I realized if I wanted to have a relaxing errand day that I was sending the wrong kid to day care. So now Sophia has taken Anna Marie's place and Anna Marie spends the day with me. When she realized that Sophia would be at day care with out her protection Anna Marie was quite perturbed. "But Mom the other kids don't know what Sophia is saying. I have to tell them to back off when they bother her" I hate to break it to her but I think Sophia is going to be a much tougher kid then she will ever be. Anna Marie has too much of a kind heart to ever be tough. The other day we were talking about how to handle other kids who hit. We were on our way to play with a notorious hitter. So I said if she doesn't listen to you when you tell her not to do that just hit her back. She looked at me with a horrified expression and said " but Mom I don't want to hurt her" Well, so much for that idea.

K-man's Birthday

2010-02-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

Kevin turned 32 this week. Here he is will all his ladies! Left to right: sister Lily, daughters Anna Marie and Sophia, and littlist sister Grace.

Winter Garden

2010-02-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at broccoli turned out a bit sub-par. We have big beautiful plants but the broccoli itself is small. Im thinking I might have too much nitrogen in the soil. I guess ample amount of cow manure will to that too you. It did taste good though, even Sophia ate it. We are also eating a few small carrots out of the garden but the onions and garlic are still too small.

A few more zoo pics...

2010-01-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is Sophia's camera face. I guess she thinks its cute.

Anna Marie with one of the petting zoo goats. Later she asked me why we couldn't take the sheep and the goat home with us.

My nephew North: a.k.a little Reed

Our Day at the Zoo

2010-01-26T16:35:00.000-08:00

I met my sister-in-law at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo today. It was so fun to see my nephews again. The kids loved checking out all the animals.

North and Sky are so photogenic! Love those chubby cheeks.

This is as close as we got to a group photo. Much easier said then done.

I think I see some family resemblance here between Anna Marie and North.

This is Skyler. I wish all the kids would have been this easy to photograph. All you have to do is talk to Sky and he is all smiles. Plus he can't run away yet which is always helpful!

I love this one of North and Sophia. He was giving her lots of kisses. She really wasn't into it but you'd never guess by the photo!

Bath Time

2010-01-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

Photo Shoot

2010-01-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken from Sophia's one year photo shoot. I didn't post them earlier because some of them were used for Christmas gifts.

Winner Skill Master 2010

2010-01-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

The muddy mayhem that is the "Skill Master" was on again this year and Kevin managed to pull off the win. We are now the proud new owners of a shiny trophy, at least until next year.

He drove the same car this year as last. Even though he put a whole through the gas tank during his heat race he was able to patch it with some JB weld before the main event. There were 35 cars in this years competition.

Here is Kevin getting a congratulatory hug from Helia the property owner.

In the winners circle with our brother-in-law James. He was Kevin's co pilot this year.

Good-Bye 2009...

2010-01-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

... and good riddance. 2009 was not a great year for us. 2009 was a sad, difficult year for our family. This was the year that we lost our cousin Shelley to Cystic Fibrosis and also the year we said good bye to Grandpa Van Dyk. 2009 has been the hardest year for our dairy industry since the great depression. With a drop in demand of milk products due to the recession, a surplus of U.S. milk supply, and a shrinking export market, along with high feed costs its no wonder 2009 was a crappy year for our business.

As you can imagine we are happy to say good bye to 2009 and are looking forward to a better year in 2010.

Christmas

2009-12-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

On Christmas eve "Santa" came to our house, seeing the mix of sheer terror and exhilaration on Anna Marie's face was priceless. Santa brought her the "pink princess" she had been talking about all throughout December. When Santa left she said to me "wow Mom he knew just what I wanted" then she took some really deep breaths. When Kevin came back inside from "fixing something on the dairy" she told him that Santa was really "big and kinda scary and he didn't even take his boots off when he came inside"

We traveled up north after Christmas to visit my family. I don't think I will be able to put Sophia back in her car seat any time soon without lots of tears after that long ride. Although she did have a blast playing with my Mom's crazy Jack Russel Terrier. She would scream at the top of her lungs every time he would jump up to look in the living room window. Anna Marie is still asking if we can go see her Aunt Jackie. She had so much fun playing with her, if only she lived closer I would never be in need of a babysitter.

Sometimes I get frustrated with all the busyness of the holidays but its moments like these that make all the hassles that go along with the holidays worth while.

This is the Christmas picture of our party with Kevin's Dads side of the family. We are getting too big to do it at someones house these days. This year we rented out our churches fellowship hall.

Attempted Photo Op

2009-12-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

I tried my best to get a cute picture of the girls in their matching Santa PJ's. Obviously it didn't work out the way I had planned, between Anna Marie's fake cheesy grin and Sophia's inability to sit still, I mostly ended up with outtakes. Oh well, at least Sophia didn't take a header off the side of the chair.... trust me it was close.

Like father like daughter...

2009-12-11T19:15:00.000-08:00

...and here I thought they were watching "How its Made" together.