Lawrence Family

Lawrences? Who are they?

2010-05-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Heee hee:) Talk about some blog slacking huh? Winter has too many stories to start today.

Grandma is coming home today, and here I am finally blogging instead of cleaning. I motivate better last second...... I have been cleaning and healing cracked fingers....long story once again.

Just know we are here, busy, and still sharing the love with family and friends.
Stay tuned for more updates... the stories will come pouring in once I sit and relax.

5 years old = Kindergarten

2009-07-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

In Pine they've been starting school at the end of July. The day after Gwen's Birthday, she didn't mind though, she was TOO excited to go to school & meet other kids her age!

It's truly surreal watching your baby grow to be a big girl. One that you can send away for 6 hours during the day.

Security is found at Pine School. I grew up with her teacher, know her personally, her class size is only 8 students, so I know she's recieving plenty of one on one time with the teacher & aides!

sharing the photos

2009-06-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

I am over inindated with great photos from our family's fun affairs while Brooke was here!

No words can describe how much we enjoyed having the whole family together!

Sit back, relax, & enjoy:)

Grey water flourishings

2009-06-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

So wonderful what washer water does for a garden....once you get the garden in where the grey water despenses.

Don't judge my compost pile in the corner.....it helps my garden immensely! It was left unturned for these pictures:)

Mostly squash Yellow, Zuccinni & Grandma's favorite, Scallop! We have tomatos inbetween.....and we may success with corn this year! YEAH! The peas having been suppling our afternoon snacks for about a month now, we'd like to get a couple more!

Great Grandchild Update & Re-Count

2009-06-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Grandma asked me twice how many great grandkids she has now. I guessed 25 and figured since I had the list, and we are close to almost a year's lapse since the last count, we should just update it together!
So, let's update together (why not?)
Alyn & Nate - 3 - Madi, Lia, & Charlie
Andrew & Jessica - 1 William Charles
Brooke & Mike - 2 Emma & Andrew
Kori & John - 2 Spencer & Tanner
Jesse & Mindy - 2 Cai & Maya
Allison & Mike - 3 Preston, Caleb & Brigham
Cody & Emilee - 1 Eliza
Stefani & Bret - 2 Gracie & Holland
Mollie & Matt - 1 Gwendalyn Ava
Amanda & Steve - 1 Kate
Amantha & Colt - 2 Damen & Athan
Chase & Aliona - 2 Silas (one in the oven:)
Erin & Matt - 1 Charlotte
Brittany & Daniel - 1 Benjamin
TOTAL = 24

Congrats everyone, we have a great family. We have been blessed with such wonderful babies!

Surgery & Sibling Suprises!

2009-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's routine you tell yourself....it's ok.
Of course it is, nothing was telling me to be nervous about the quaduple bypass scheduled for Dad this past Tuesday.
Well, nothing till Amantha called, explaining the she was dropping EVERYTHING and going to go see dad before the surgery. She is the nurse of the family! When the medical professional gets nervous, the sister follows suit (me that is). I took all my stress & nervousness out on the house. We organized the spices, cleaned the shelving wall, pulled up flooring, vacuumed.....anyway, you get the hint, frustrated holding down the fort while you know your dad is medically bypassed, chest & leg cut open, and knowing that at SOME point they WILL try to get the heart to start pumping as it was BEFORE they stitched new veins on there! SCARY!
Either way the surgery WAS procedure, all went well. Dad is working on walking, healing, & coming home a healthier Dad than he has been in years:)
Now for the suprises!
I recieved a phone call yesterday from mom's phone....Hi my mommy:)
No, this is Brooke, but I AM calling you from mom's phone:)
Ok, you have 6 siblings how did you get here with out ANY of us knowing about it? AMANTHA & HILLARY, they are the conspiring culprits!
We love them for it....Brooke bringing the family here unexpededly after the cancelled trip in March was the BIGGEST HAPPY BOOSTER we ALL needed!
Thank you Brooke!
Thank you for loving us!
We can't wait to see Emma & Andrew again! (it's been a year and Gma Tayrien has NEVER met Andrew:)
As for the conspiring siblings....you two are good....I would have told the world! This was TOO BIG! Made my mommy's week and took so much stress off her shoulders I can only imagine!

Brooke will be here with the family for the next two weeks & we can't WAIT to be together as a family!
Finally Family Photos:)

These are some of the best from the past year's visits from Brooke & the family!

FIRE

2009-04-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it's fire season here in the country! We're pretty custom to dealing with these early "slacker" (campfire) fires. This one is only a mile away, and a little close for comfort!

Matt came home Monday morning from work and asked, "you see that fire?"

I said yes, but not worried, "you know it's a prescribed burn." I was wrong.

It wasn't. I went to work, and before I knew it Matthew was calling me.

Helicopters dipping in the Randall's pond were waking him up from his sleep.

Before he knew it the mountain was covered in slurry!

Years ago we had to deal with one 10 miles out & they had us preparing for evacuation. Grandma was here at the time and I asked her what she wanted to grab.....everything? She didn't know where any of her "important" things were.

I took advantage of this situation to show her that we have to be prepared, and living with stuff stacked up to our eyes.......is NOT being prepared.

Since this, I have worked periously to organize pictures, papers, & items that mean something to her!

Please keep us in your prayers! The winds are suppose to pick up today! 45 mph gusts! I have friends and family that are more worried about how close it is than I am.....I say it's on the mountain, and fires burn up hill. It'd take alot to get that fire down that hill:)

I'll update everyone at the end of today, let you know the acreage.

Pictures show our view from the house, and mom's house!

2009-04-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

Are we done spring cleaning yet?

Gwen says this morning...fresh out of bed, looking at the big blue sky & cuddling with me....

"Mom, my body REALLY wants to go swimming"

I love this kid.

Soon child, soon. We can go swimming. Till then, SLAVE LABOR!!!! :) Joking!

Gwendalyn Ava

2009-04-11T07:57:00.001-07:00

There once was a girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forhead

And when she was good, she was very very good,

But when she was bad, she was horrid!

Playing Outside

2009-04-11T00:28:00.000-07:00

Playing Outside is how I trick my brain to think that hard spring work is actually playing, given it's not being couped up inside crying over the computer I have to rebuild:)

Ahhhhh....playing outside, I love it! Love spring, I wish we'd get more rain, but I am sooooo excited for the garden, one we don't have to stunt due to the dry season.

When you plant a garden in Pine you can water it in May, then not again till mid July. Not good for veggie plants. Especially the tomato & squash that grandma loves! Therefore, we are moving the garden to the grey water.
I won't leave you with a teaser, I'll leave some before and middle pictures, but with the storm coming in, (along with the taxes dead line), you'll have to wait till May for finished products.

That was ALOT of digging.....and yes.....we are trying to find a piece of siding for the house, they don't make particle board shingles anymore, go figure.

Not MY hp....it'll never happen

2009-04-10T23:57:00.000-07:00

Remind me to a back up disc on my computer before I loose EVERYTHING!!!!!

No really, someone, please remind me how horrible it is to loose all your pictures, invoices, recipes, college work, real estate documents!

Honestly, that's my sarcasm kicking in again, it's too late. Sad, so sad.
I am SOOOO extremely thankful for the blogger, myspace, & facebook accounts that held MOST of my favorite pictures. All extras are lost.
Bummer. I knew it was coming too.....computer was glitching out.....and one day.....nothing but error.
F11 had to be pushed.
Never phased me till I sat down to do some business today....and what, no invoices, no Microsoft office already installed, frustration sets in, you shed a little tear, then you......

......shut the computer and walk away. Play outside instead! YEAH! Great alternative if you as

Someday

2009-03-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

I will find a project that doesn't involve a domino project effect, a strained back & calloused hand. I am determined!
Gwendalyn, Matt, Myself, Damen & Athan have been taking advantage of the great weather playing outside!
I play by raking, shoveling, mowing & sweeping....they help....kind of.....as in the words of Damen, "I can't anymore, I have splinters!"
I'll accept that.......go play now, just DON'T EAT THE ANTS!!!

I have lots of before and after pictures of our projects to come!
I have reached the point where I can start pulling out kitchen sections, scouring, sorting, sanding, painting, & hopefully drywall repair once I am secure with the fact that I CAN do this myself!

Stay tuned in the next month for pictures!

The Bucket List

2009-02-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

Not really my bucket list, But an interesting survey of life.

The Bucket List(as in things you should do before you kick the bucket)
( x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
() Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
() Been to Mexico
() Been to Florida
() Been to Hawaii (Thank you mom and dad Whitmer for the graduation present)
(x) Been on a plane (once, 8th grade, 7 hour trip to san diego)
(x) Been lost
() Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean (Santa Monica)
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke (One of my favorite past times from the teenager years).
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only - When you have 2 dollars in quarters, why not.
() Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
() Made prank phone calls - None that I remember:)
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - Water, last week:)
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Been skinny dipping outdoors- Fossil Creek....growing up, back in the days, don't judge me:)
() Gone to the movies alone - Mamma mia, no one (but gwen) would go with me:)
() Been deep sea fishing
() Driven across the United States alone ( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(x) Laid outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
() Seen the Statue of Liberty in person
( )Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
() Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding - First date with matt (singles activity)
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco Trolley
(x) Been to Disneyland
( ) Been to DisneyWorld
(x)Truly believe in the power of prayer!
( ) Been to the top of an active volcano and seen hot lava
( ) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Seen dolphins in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( )Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins

24 out of 56 items. I wonder how many everyone else will get!

Playlist Help

2009-01-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

Who can tell me how to add a Playlist to my blog. Everytime I click, "add Gadget" I can't find where I can copy the code.
I know you are out there! HELP!

Thanksgiving & Family

2008-12-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

If I had to choose my favorite thing in life. It would be family. There is no other place you can get the unconditional love, peace, & memories that are shared among family.

I am Thankful for my family!

Thursday we had Lunch at mom's.

Saturday we went to Cornville & visited the Tayrien side of the family.

Sunday Dad's birthday....More family!

Family:)

Oh, one more thing about my family. We love babies! I love that about my family:)

4 William Scotts

2008-12-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

Here they are!

Dad's Birthday was on Sunday, Nov. 30th. Grandpa Scott showed up so we thought we'd take a picture with the four generations that were in the room!

William Eugene Scott

William Samuel Scott

William Andrew Scott

Wiliam Charles Scott

Love them all!

Picture tag

2008-10-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here's how it works. Go to your computer's main "picture" file and count the fourth file in, pick the fourth photo in that group, then explained.

I'm not sure Hayley knows I have a blog, but I'll have to tell her since she's the star of this post!

This was taken last winter while it was snowing outside. Who took it? Couldn't tell you, but I am sure that I stole this off of her myspace.

Thanks for the picture Hayley....your my picture tag:p

Fun with Friends!

2008-10-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

We played with many friends this last break.
First cousin Charles! Yea! I LOVE THIS BABY! Here are some current pictures of Andy and Jessica's little one!

Second, we went and played in Coolidge. It's not often that we get to travel on a whim, but the trip was free, and the time was right, so we did! Gwen doesn't get to play with these friends often, but she talks about them alot! I also baby sat for 5 hours, three days in a row, 5 kids under the age of 6! Talk about a loud house! Holy Moly! They were good, I got lots done, and Gwendalyn had a blast! She enjoyed being able to play outside in the morning and not be cold!

We both enjoyed our visit to Aunt Donnie's house on our way there! She is one of Gwen's favorite people....she's been saying this for about a year now. She discovered that Cousin Natalie has some really neat princess stuff, likes classic movies and musicals like she does, and THEY HAVE A TRAMPOLINE! She had a blast and talks about her return!

Next time we'll have to give more notice and make it a play date with Preston and the babies. She remembers Caleb and Brigham TWO BABIES AT THE SAME TIME? WOW! (Gwen)For a little girl who talks about a baby (at least once a day) having two here at the same time was a dream come true! Here are some pictures from Alison and Mike's visit a while back!

We've had the opportunity to visit lots of friends in October. Thank you friends for all the fun!

We treasure the times we've had and the times soon to come!

We reminisce with pictures and remember with memories!

We will continue to enjoy time and cherish all the fun!

Fall Fashion with Fair Passions!

2008-10-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

It has been a very busy October for the Lawrence family! Gwendalyn has been on fall break for the last 2 weeks, and we had to do something fun! Winter is coming fast and it's time to experience the cool October air!

FIRST, we decorated the house! I forget how many decorations grandma has! I hadn't even opened the cupboards in the laundry room, when she decided to raid them last year! I couldn't believe how many glass pumpkins, stuffed witches, and Frankensteins were stashed in there! Gwen and Grandma both get a kick out of decorating for the holidays! I heard, "this is SO much fun mom, thanks for the fun!" & "I love Halloween so much" a hundred times that day! I have never been one to get into "stuff" decorating.....but that all changes when you see the joy in their little thrilled faces!

After we had a little bit of time to relax after our hard work we decided that we should spend some time with Roger (Matt's dad)!
It opened on the 10th of this month, and the 11th was buy one get one admission day! I am always a sucker for deals so I figured we'd go. Four years since we'd been able to go....between Matt's work schedule, my school, it's distance, & having a undependable car, it just wasn't an option as a family! Only hurdle, BUDGET!!! HA! It's almost comical! I flinched at EVERY PRICE! It's hard for me to believe that people actually go and spend money on food, drinks, nick naks & frivolities! $100 not on a budget would last 3 minutes there! ME, NO PROBLEM!

Here's a list for the EXPENSIVE STATE FAIR!

- $30 Gas
- $12 Admission *42
- $ 8 Drinks for 4 people*50
- $ 8 Stuff for Halloween costumes *58
- $30 60 tickets, (6-9 tickets a ride 50 cents a ticket!!! this shocked me a bit) Matt rode 3 rides, 9x3= 27 I rode 1 ride 1x9= 9 Gwen rode 4 6x4=24 / 24+27+9=60 *88
- $9 Lunch for 3 people *97
- Daughter loosing her voice for 24 hours from so much fun, PRICELESS!

A well spent budget for a whole day of fun! (Pics will come shortly).

Acceptance!

2008-10-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

I accepted that I lost my camera,

Stolen or lost, it's no longer mine!

I have accepted Anita's going away,

Until she serves her time!

I have accepted the life of karma,

Bringing love & peace sublime!

I have accepted accounting as my duty,

Also a mommie, wife, & friend as my chime!

Acceptance is a hard path to find,

But once trudged,

You KNOW it will be fine!

This poem may be a little elementary, but it basically sums up everything going on this past week!

I never thought that having to stand behind another family member in court would haunt me.....thought I was over that drama along time ago! Just remember, you never know till your there! THAT'S JUST IT! I DIDN'T WANT TO BE THERE! I STILL DON'T WANT TO BE HERE! I don't want to explain to 4 year old Gwen why grandma Scarim isn't here on Christmas, Easter, her birthday, year after year till she's out! I DON'T WANT TO! I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO! CAN'T I JUST AVOID IT ALL TOGETHER? ( if you have no clue why, and want to know, just research Scarim on Google, you will get the answers from the Verde independent). I just don't feel like telling the story.

How long do I wait? How long do I prancy foot around the "where's grandma" question? Till she's 6 and can understand that just because grandma did a REALLY bad thing, that doesn't make her a bad person? How about...... NOT AT ALL!

Anxiety, tell me it's not rising in your chest the thought of it! I need an answer pill! I have been praying......god keeps telling me that this WILL be OK......this will all get better with time......Gwen is a strong soul, she can take this.......I just don't know if I can. The tears swell up and the chest gets heavy......anxiety!

I will stay strong for my family! I have done this before, with WORSE circumstances, I can deal with this now! I will accept the good, I WILL accept the bad! I will accept the mediocre, I will accept this challenge in stride, I WILL stop crying (when I get done writing about it), I WILL stand strong enough for both me and Matt.....and we WILL ACCEPT THAT THINGS WILL BE ALRIGHT!

To make it alright, I'll list EVERYTHING GOOD in September.......

Gwendalyn received student of the month, she had no clue that she was getting a reward, but she liked hearing her name at flag ceremony......was SSSOOOOO shocked to see me standing there she just stood there even after they were told to sit down now:) The picture is her singing her ABC song at flag ceremony! She is blooming so much now, it's amazing!

Next, Matthew and I celebrated 6 years of being married! We finally got to do something fun besides dinner in Payson! We attended a Santana concert! I was blown away! It was the MOST fun I have had for 50 dollars in my whole life!

We have TWINS! Pumpkins that is:) Hopefully it's in the water.....that would be nice! But seriously....we have pumpkins growing out front with two on one vine! They are partially connected....Siamese twins:)

We got our phone & roof fixed! Yea! This was a long time coming......we have a new phone number due to Qwest offering to fix the phone line for less if we connected a new number, along with GREAT Internet incentives! If you need our new number email me and I will get it to you!

And last, but not least, I have lost 4 pounds! Only 40 more to go and I will be content!

Dishwasher dreams & cheers to easy pets!

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

I WANT A DISHWASHER! My eczema is flaring up and constantly having to wash dishes isn't helping! Just thought I'd remind all of you that have dishwasher just how fortunate you are!
What do I care though? I have 6 siblings and always did dishes, I am use to it, just feel like a slave sometimes!

I'm done whining, thanks for listening friends:)

Next, check out the fish on the right side of our blog! Gwen informed me that she wants an aquarium with fish. Honestly, I don't want to go there! They are costly, sensative, and I don't like cleaning out the tanks, I did that as a kid too!
Matt and I had a beta before Gwen was born, it wasn't 2 month after she was born did we kill Zeus. Uncle John came over and saw how green the water was a told me it would die soon if I didn't clean it's tank more.....I think it died 3 days later! Oh well!

Bird, dogs, pest catching cats! NO MORE! So, as a compromise, I set the family up a colorful fun aquarium! Feed my fish as much as you want Gwen feeds them plenty! All you have to do is click on the water, leaves little orange flakes for them!

We thought it was fun! Easy! LOW MAINTENCE!!! Unlike many other things in my life!

September rang a bell......

2008-09-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

September is here, and instantly the cool nights arrive!

It's been a month since Gwendalyn started school. She loves every second of it. Matt asked her what she does at school, she came back with, "we play in groups, we have snack, then we play outside at the green playground!" As she hopped out of the room, (as she so often does), I turned around from the dishes and clarified, "she plays, eats, they plays!" We both got a smile out of it.

What a great allocation of eight dollars a day! I like the Gwen that has been coming home from school with a the sense of sharing, listening, and rhyming! She has always sang everything... course she gets that from her mom.

We went to wal-mart today she tried her princess act out to get what she wants! (Princess aren't allowed to be sad mom, princesses get what they want, yes, she speaks in the third person, herself being the princess). I wasn't falling for it so she went and spilled the tears to grandma......and I talked her into not falling for it too! Without the full blown screaming temper tantrum! YEA! She just started these around January. I was hoping that going to school would help stabilize her ability to accept the rules and move on... and so far we've had success! Anyone who knows how well her grandparents are wrapped around her finger would have a huge successful grin on their face too!

On another note, I got to wake grandma up to great news this morning! Erin had her baby! What a great story to get to tell too! Nothing that will make you flinch and go.....oh! Is the mommy ok? I haven't had to many of those lately!
Grandma and I started to do the counting on how many great grand kids this makes it! As I asked her, she looked up and laughed.....I don't know:)

So......here goes the list (why not?)

Alyn & Nate - 3

Andrew & Jessica - 1

Brooke & Mike - 2

Kori & John - 1

Jessie & Mindy - 2

Allison & Mike - 3

Cody & Emilee - 1

Mollie & Matt - 1

Amantha & Colt - 2

Chase & Aliona - 1

Erin & Matt - 1

Brittany & Daniel - 1

TOTAL = 19

William Charles Scott
July 9th 2008

For those of you who
haven't seen him!

This is makes grandma a great grandma 19 times over! She love it! I told her that we can make a trip to go visit all these beautiful babies in the valley (why else did I get a grandma car?)

Also, if you have some special pictures, send them to me in my email.... I will print them off and put them in grandma's picture book. This is another thing that she looks at often. She likes being able to see the babies and know who is what name. I have been saving pictures I like off of your blogs and printing them for her. So, thank you for sharing......and continue to do so!

September is one of my favorite months! Not to hot, not to cold, and everything is in full bloom for a while! We are going to enjoy every second of warm we can find! It's disappearing fast! By the end of the month we have plastic on the windows, fire in the fire place and socks on our feet!

Berry Picking on an August Afternoon

2008-08-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

We had a blast! Gwen recieved a bite from one blackberry bush and was DONE berry picking. It had been 10 years since I have gone berry picking, I completely forgot how unforgiving of an activity it truly is. After failing to find big juicy ones on the rim, we drove down to the girls camp where we found the Jackpot! Litterally. Matt, Myself, Kevin, & Heather were out there picking and we picked every ripe berry within a mile radius......Gwen slept the whole time and wanted NOTHING more to do with picking them, just wanted to "chef" them when we got home. She did too! She helped make cobbler and it was DELICIOUS! There are plenty unripened berries that will be waiting for us in the next couple weeks! Can't wait! I will remember glove & clippers this trip though.

Have you ever picked this many berries before???? It's a first for us!

Sweet tasting success!

2008-08-16T23:40:00.000-07:00

Gwendalyn & I started a garden a year back. This will be the second year we have attempted to "grow" veggies & feed them to the family. SUCCESS! It's truly wonderful! We are proud of this garden....and look forward to sharing it with everyone!

Matthew & I worked our buns off for 5 years trying to get this property presentable.....and it's almost there! A few roof patches and we should be in the clear again for a while! Waiting for the bus to arrive I went camera crazy & took a million pictures of the property!

Yes, that's pumpkin that took over that WHOLE corner! It's so pretty though....we hope to have one by Halloween this year! One last thought....for those of you on the Tayrien side of this blog experience, what does yellow squash, pumpkin, & cabbage make YOU think of???? They bring me wonderful thoughts of a very special person:)

Cinderella's duty!

2008-08-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

I never imagined what this year would feel like. I remeber sitting there looking at my beautiful baby girl trying to imagine what she would be like when she was ready to go to school. The tears that welled up in my eyes when my friends would send me sappy emails that had to do with sending the little ones to school for the first time. This day wasn't even about how "sad" it was, it was about how "happy" it makes me to see my daughter excited to attend the same school I went to!

Taking pictures in front of the tree was the most emotional time of this morning for me. Cinderella has ALOT of meaning to me. She was the tree my mother use to line us up in front of (even though it meant making one more stop before school) so that she could take pictures in our new school outfits. It struck me when Gwen was posing in front of that tree that Seth & Hayley were the babies only a short while ago! HOW ARE THEY 17???? How is Gwen 4 already! All the more reason to blog! Everyone is growing up so fast! Including my princess Gwendalyn!

For example, this picture was taken 3 years ago when seth & hayley were Freshmen. Now they are 16 taking college prep classes in high school! When did the babies grow up??? When???

Motivation for Blogging, with a hint of Introduction.

2008-08-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

What do you know...it's been 4 years since I sat in the Den and wondered what it would be like to send my baby to school for the first time. It's amazing!!! Wasn't she JUST learning how to talk?? How does time go so fast. I look at the relatives blogs and truly enjoy the "journal" and "sharing" aspects of it. Now that Gwendalyn is starting school tomorrow I feel the need to document more of our family development & activities somewhere else other than all these pictures sitting in files on the computer.

I probably should have started this blog 3 months ago when the fun began....but we can catch up. It's OK. Fossil Creek is Gwen's FAVORITE spot to play in the water (during the week it's a quiet blast)! It was the cheapest "staycation" that we enjoyed this summer. We are still trying to get up to Telluride to visit friends, let's just say I'm not going to hold my breath. We had LOTS of fun with friends & family.

Really, the pictures speak for themselves. Check out the captions & enjoy.

Like I said....fossil creek is BEAUTIFUL worth it! Bugs & ALL! DON"T JUMP INTO THE BUBBLES that's my Banged knee that took 3 weeks to heal! That's what happens when you're having too much fun!

Brooke came with the kids in April. Andrew was already a year old before I ever met him! That was a first for a nephew! Emma is one of my favorite people she's always singing and talking to herself, and the curls! They remind me so much of........well me! There's not a whole lot of kids out there (including my own) that have a thick head of ringlet curls! Don't mind Colt (amantha's husband)....he was really excited to have his picture taken with Emma!

This picture is just fun. Gwen & I are having a blast with her ponytail! I have never seen a 4 year old be as articulate with their hair as Gwen is. She has several different shapes.......they include a "heart" hairdo, & a "rainbow" (you'll have to ask her for an explanation).

With this maturity of such independent thinking comes school. Wish me luck at staying strong as I walk her in, give her a kiss, and walk out the door. No crying is the goal!