Happy Birthday, DUSTY!

Today is my brother's birthday, he would have been 48 years old this year. Unfortunately we just don't get to celebrate it with him this year, he passed away about 3 1/2 years ago from colon cancer. Ya know, I have really become to absolutely HATE the word "cancer". I think I could go a billion years with out ever hearing that again. (I just don't think I'll have much luck with that though)

Dusty is a giant of a man if I ever knew one. Not to say that he was perfect or anything, as we are all human, but I have never seen anyone (personally) become closer to that as he did in his final months. He became so close to our Lord and Savior. I admire him so much for that and for so much more. Dusty absolutely loved life. He did more is his short 44 years than I think I would ever do in a lifetime. I sure love and miss this guy so much. What a reunion I have been planning when I get my turn to go home. Oh how I look forward to embracing both him and my sister Tina, who left us about 19 years ago. Wow, how time has gone by.

Happy Birthday, Dusty!

We all Love you SO much!

Greene Family Photo Shoot 2009

Is that not a good look'in family...

...who aslo knows how to have some fun

Bryana, Matt, Peyton, Tatum, and baby Kade

us... Cindy, Jeremy, Cassidy, Taylor, Emma, and baby Ryann

Sandy, Tucker, Madison, Sadie, Noah, Drew, and Aly

Mom, Dad, Suzy, Brandon, and Jake

Suzy, Brandon and Jake

Derick, Tristyn, Ashtyn, Kaidyn, Jackson, Dustin and baby McKenna

Jay, Brooke and Aaron

Savannah, Aaron, Niki, Meghan, baby London, and baby Ella

Savannah, baby London, Meghan and baby Ella

Mom and Dad

Mom and I

Mom and Sandy

Jay and Mom

Mom and Bryana

Mom and Brandon

Mom and Madison

Niki, Mom, Savannah, baby Ella and Meghan

Easter 2009

Easter was a little different for us this year. It seems that we came to the cliff part of our life's hike about a week before Easter. My sweet mom unfortunately found out she had pancreatic cancer at the same time Jeremy's dad's colon cancer turned very aggressive. Both of us were torn in different directions and it became quite the uphill climb.

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However, it is amazing how you realize how MUCH you love those close ones around you and how you can get a good perspective on life. Somethings that you think are so important just are not that big of a deal.

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It has also been a time that our family has become truly indebted to good friends. With both Jeremy's family and my family dealing with major trials, I depended on the strength of some amazing friends for support with my kids and basic life stuff. Thank you SOOOOOO much for your true Christ-like service!

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Through everything, I was still able to get some sweet Easter smiles. You gotta love the nature of an innocent child.

Ended the evening with an Easter Dinner at Grandma Greene's

The girls helped Grandma Greene with her famous fruit salad. And yes, that entire bowl got filled up by the time they were done.

Grandma's Birthday

Happy Birthday Grandma Atkin! We love you and are so grateful to all you do for us.

Ryann's 1st Birthday!

Oh sweet baby doll! How time has flown by...

Ryann had her 1st birthday in March.

These three kiddos were so excited to have little Ryann join us. It was quiet the struggle of who got to hold her.

Bald and lov'in it! Like father like daughter

Cassidy is so good with Ryann. Half the time Ry prefers Cassidy over mom or dad. Thank goodness for big sisters, for both my sake and hers.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY RYANN!!!

Does that smile not just melt you? Gotta love those teeth.

"What is this brown stuff? CHOCOLATE?!?"

Emma's 4th Birthday

As long as we are playing catch up...

My Emma had her 4th Birthday in February. I can not believe she is already four, she is stuck at 18 months in my mind.

Emma was a very even-natured baby and toddler. She was very easy going and happy.

Emma found her current sassy personality around the age of 2 1/2. But we still love her more than she will ever know, sassy and all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!!!

Thank you Grandma Tami! We love you very much.

Quinci, Ryann, Taylor, & Emma

Oh, how we love those dress-ups. The dancing outfits that rarely go a day without being worn.

Thank you Grandma Atkin! We just love the Tinkerbell house SOOOO much.

Happy Birthday, TAYLOR!

Ok, this is a really old one, but for journal purposes I am adding this in. Besides Taylor's baby pictures are just too dang cute to not post.

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My big guy turned 7 yrs. old in November. (it has just taken me forever to post about it). Wow! Does time fly when your having fun, or what?

Taylor is such a good kid. We enjoy having him in the family soooo much!





Happy 7th Birthday!

One of my proudest "mommy" moments this year was while I was cleaning the glass of our back sliding door, when Taylor came up and asked for help with something. The entire time he was asking he watched every stroke of the paper towel and Windex. I explained I would be able to help him as soon as I finished cleaning the glass. He stood there for a moment, then leaned over took the paper towel from my hand and said, " Here mom I'll do it, you missed a spot"
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I had to seriously hold back my tears. I was so dang proud of him for having those instincts.

A good birthday dinner at Taylor's favorite restaurant... Good 'ole Serrano's
We love you Taylor SO much! Our family would not be the same without you.

To All the Moms!

Okay, so this is the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I was trying to figure out how to set it as my blog's background music, no luck.

IT IS SO FUNNY!!!

This one goes out to all the moms out there that at times feels like they are in the same rut I am.

ENJOY!

(don't forget to scroll all the way down and click pause on the music first)

So if you are like me you will push play again and laugh even harder the second time. We have a couple of "Father's DNA" walking around at our house.

So it Begins!

I knew the days of laying a blanket down with a couple of toys were over, but I didn't know we were so close to the ones where I just can not humanly possible keep up with a BUSY toddler. And she is only 10 months old.

She is gets EVERYWHERE!!!! She thinks she is so much bigger than she is. Okay, maybe that is a little denial setting in, but still. Oh, Ry what are we going to do with you?

I Made BREAD!

Yeah! I made bread from scratch. I ground the wheat from my food storage and everything. I feel so domestically successful.

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Bless my mom's heart, who by the way I think is the most amazing, generous, genuinely caring person I know, she came over one day last week and sent the whole day teaching me bread making skills and canning chicken skills. We got 5 loaves of bread made and 14 jars of chicken canned. What a productive day!

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Too bad that feeling left as fast as the day did. Hmmm... what do you do?

Look at my wheat bread just rising away!

I love you mom! Thanks!

Fun in the Snow!

Couple of weeks ago we bundled up and headed to the snow. The kids had a blast and will not let me put the snow boots away in hopes that we will be able to go again before is starts getting warm for good.

Emma just ate and ate and ate that snow. She was just shivering inside and out by the time it was time to go.

Ryann didn't know what to make of the snow at first but quickly got the hang of it. Until nap time came that is.

Ashtyn and Cassidy had a ball going down the hills as well as everyone else




Jackson

Cassidy

Yes, Emma is still eating the snow.

For some reason it was a struggle actually getting away(which may be a slight understatement), but once we got there we all had a GRRREAT time.

"Punkie Bruster" Quinci

This was just the cutest moment...

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The kids were outside playing and out comes our neighbor, Quinci. She was just skipping as hard as she could with lopsided ponytails just flopping as she skipped. I could tell that she had just gotten up from a nap and the outfit was to satisfy her mother's request of long sleeves and something warm on her legs. I love the color combination.

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If I wasn't outside I would have been rolling on the floor. You are too dang cute Quinc.

I just love this child's spirit. Thanks for sharing it with us Quinci!

Sweet Cassidy

Now don't fall over of amazement... 2 posts in one week!

Cassidy had a crazy hair day at school the last few days before winter break and I just couldn't go without sharing this...

She was So cute and was in the best mood that day, so the hair just bounced as she walked.

Would this just not be the life! In a soft cushy chair just for you, someone bringing you food, cleaning it up when your done... oh, I really think I could do that for a day or so.

We call this Ryann's pink "Where's Waldo" pj's.

I Feel like a Human Again!

Oh, sweet sigh! The holidays are over (as much as enjoy them when they are here), our spat with RSV is over, and a trip to the ER (I'll explain later) is over. Whew! What a season!

I finally feel like I have a grip on my life again and am ready to get back to reality, and catch up on an enormous amount of blogging.

Soo... almost a month late... We had a awesome Christmas!

This going to be a long post and I will not be offended if you skip parts... I know it is long but wanted to include all of it for journal purposes.


Getting Ready for Christmas

everyone participated in setting up the tree and decorations, it was a nice change to the usual "mom doing it by herself". I think we found a new tradition!

even Ryann had a stab at the tree branches

Turned out fairly good, huh. The best part are the homemade ornaments. I have really come to absolutely treasure those!

(note all the ornaments strategically placed about a foot off the ground)

Holiday Candy Making

in efforts to keep an old holiday tradition alive, we made Christmas chocolates. Oh, the kids thought they were in HEAVEN!!!!! lick'in and paint'in and lick'in and decorating and just a little more lick'in.

Ryan was still trying to figure all it out. I could tell she knew something was different between her pretzel in her hand and the yummy chocolate in Cassidy's.

Sorry Ry, there is always next year.

This was part of the lick'in

School Programs

Cassidy did an awesome report on Freya Stark and then got to dress up like her for Cassidy's cottage fair night, where all the kids got to show their stuff to the parents. She did such a great job.

This quarter Taylor's cottage was "Plymouth plantation" (studying about the Pilgrims, etc.) He really enjoyed it... however not as much as the "sweet shop" he studied the previous quarter.

Emma had a little program at preschool. She decided she was going to be shy that morning, even though all I heard for about a month is all the little holiday songs being belted out of the back seat of the car. Funny how they do that.

Christmas Morning
The kids were so excited! It took them forever to fall asleep, especially Cassidy. She just knew she was going to catch Santa in the act. Ahhhhhhhh... no pressure or anything. It was neat to watch how excited she was.

I just had to document Emma's "do" in the above picture. I was just rolling on the floor when I saw it. She didn't seem to care and just loved her new Hannah Montana outfit.

What an awesome brother to share with is baby sister! Too bad she didn't get any of the good stuff inside.

Christmas lunch with the Atkin's
It has always been so neat to have both mine and Jeremy's family close that we are able to go and visit everyone on the holidays.

Jeremy's parents are always so good to us at Christmas... they always put so much thought and effort into making Christmas nice for the kids. Thank you so much for all you do.

Hmmmm... yeah, I am just going to have to taste it!

Dinner with the Greene's

We finished the day up with dinner at my parents and all the Gang. Wow, how we have grown over the years. There were 41 of us, 1 on the way (that we know about), and 3 missionaries... What a crowd!

Meghan, Sweet baby Londyn, and Mom

It didn't take the kids long to start breaking in all the grandma gifts.

Sandy and her sweet family... plus a few extras

We had an amazing day! I think the best part it spending it with family! I sure feel blessed to have the family I do. Especially my husband and kids.

Where-O-Where has November Gone?

Wow! Where did November go? I think I have been saying that for about 2 months now... hmmm... Oh well onto the next month (the crazy month... AHHHHHHH!!!) However, I am bound and determined to not feel so crazy chaotic. We will see how things turn out.

So about November...

Some of Jeremy's family from Vegas came down for Thanksgiving and the kids has soooooo much fun together. They made Christmas trees out of upside down ice cream cones, and just loved it... Thank you Tami and Scott for some good memories.

Cassidy, cousin Brooke and cousin Morgan

Now those are some SWEET girls... hehe
Emma was heart broken when her Christmas tree was chopped down.

Taylor's going green... hehe

Sweet Madison!

Taylor and Logan

I have a feeling these boys are going to be good buddies when the age gap starts shortening.