Allen & Kari's Family Adventures

Easter

2011-04-24T21:19:00.007-04:00

The girls on Easter.

Falling

2010-11-02T22:41:00.004-04:00

Fall, it's my favorite time of the year. Oh! My favorite thing about October has got to be my pictures. Pictures of birthdays, fall leaves, and my 4 beautiful girls! Pictures capture everything I love about the month and I can go back and "relive" the moments again! Don't you wish you could capture the smell of a crisp fall morning in New England with a camera? Here a little glimpse through my eyes of our fall. Hopefully I'll be able to post a lot more soon! We miss you all and hope you're having a WONDERFUL fall season!

SHE IS HERE!

2010-07-16T13:51:00.006-04:00

She has finally arrived after three weeks of her tricking us into thinking she was coming, she is finally here. She was 7 lbs. 14 Ounces and 20 inches long. However, the big question is, what is her name going to be, hmmm? As long as the girls like it, her name is Clara Kay.

Happenings...

2010-07-10T07:08:00.005-04:00

There's nothing like a timely update, huh? Just wanted to share a few pictures from the last few months.

I tried really hard to get some pictures of the 3 girls together and this is the best we got. It was a bit chilly so they weren't very cooperative. But they are cute just the same.

Eliza turned 7 in May! She chose apple-blueberry crisp for her dessert. It was delicious! She had a fun party with some friends from school.

Yummy Strawberry!

The Tender Mercies of the Lord

2010-03-07T15:24:00.000-05:00

The Tender Mercies of the Lord

It's a girl!

2010-03-05T15:43:00.005-05:00

Yes, we're having another GIRL! Isn't that a cute profile? I know she'll be just as darling as our other three. Now we just have to come up with a name, that's going to be the hardest part.

And the award goes to......

2010-03-03T19:08:00.007-05:00

I am the luckiest woman in the world! I have the best husband in the world. He is incredible!

He is not at all hesitant to take a pink and purple car to the pinewood derby race. He named his car Little Women and had daisies on it. He did it for his girls, all FOUR of them. He could have made a real manly car just like the other men, but he thought of his daughters and made one for them! I love that he thinks of little things like that. The girls, of course, loved it. And guess what??? He took 2^nd place out of 24 cars. Yes, the LITTLE WOMEN car beat out all but one! WAY TO GO!!!

I am so grateful for him. He brought home some strawberries for me the other day when I was stressed and very tired. I had the yummiest bowl of cereal with strawberries…or should I say strawberries with cereal… they were so pretty and bright red I could not resist taking a picture. Don't strawberries just make you smile?

Anna's Birthday

2010-03-03T17:25:00.007-05:00

Anna turned 9! She is growing up so fast and loves the Jonas Brothers.

Anna got her ears pierced. The rule was that she had to wait until she was nine. She was very excited and hardly nervous. I was scared enough for both of us. She didn’t even flinched. She is excited to be able to wear all the cute earrings she got for her birthday.

Pictures?

2010-01-01T20:58:00.003-05:00

I think I have officially hit bottom. I only took 4 pictures on Christmas day. None on Christmas eve. What has happened to me?

Here are they only pictures I took on New Years Day (again, none on New Years Eve). This is the difference between my breakfast and Allen's. I had plain and simple cinnamon french toast.

This is Allen's. He shelled hazlenuts and then crushed them to garnish his cinnamon french toast.

Christmas

2010-01-01T20:09:00.003-05:00

The girls got to pick out their Christmas dresses. Anna and Liz picked out the same one I had for Sarah so we had triplets for Christmas Sunday. They are so cute and such hams for the camera.

Wreath Making

2010-01-01T19:56:00.003-05:00

A friend of our family joined us for family home evening and taught us how to make a homemade Christmas wreath.

Thanks Brother Walker!!!

Accessories

2009-12-19T19:10:00.004-05:00

Anna got glasses! She was so excited. She kept taking them off and putting them back on and saying, "Now it's furry...now it's clear" Hopefully she'll do well with her cute new specks.

2009-11-19T21:10:00.004-05:00

Squash anyone?

My awesome sister knitted me a pair of socks for my birthday.

Happy Birthday Sarah

2009-11-19T20:35:00.002-05:00

Our little baby girl turned 2 in Septmeber! She loves birthday candles and blew hers out so fast that we had to re-light them so I could get a picture. She burst into tears when we sang to her.

Penn State and 1st day of school

2009-11-19T19:28:00.007-05:00

We went to Pennsylvania over Labor Day to see my sister and her husband. We had a great time. We were able to go to awesome farmers markets and make yummy freezer jam.

We visited Penn state and the theater department. The girls loved the dressing room and all the lights.

We had a birthday party for Sarah in while we were there and this is what happened when we sang to her~~~

The girls took Swimming lessons this summer and had a blast.

First day of school.

Locks of Love

2009-08-27T11:32:00.004-04:00

Anna has wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love and she finally reached 10 inches so off it went!

I am so proud of Anna for having the desire to help other kids.

Summer fun

2009-08-27T10:12:00.008-04:00

Family Picture...

2009-08-27T09:31:00.005-04:00

Family pictures are pure comedy:
Kids have to have help to sit down,

Someone is always crying,

Dad is trying to keep everyone in line,

Someone is not looking at the camera,

AND... (drum roll please)

Mom is trying to smile through it all!

Ashlee

2009-08-27T08:41:00.007-04:00

Our awesome niece flew out the end of June to watch the girls so I could attend girls camp. The girls had a great time with her. We visited the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial in Sharon, VT.

This is the only picture that sarah is smiling in.

We took her to see Nubble Lighthouse in Maine.

There happened to be a wedding in progress when we showed up.

We really appreciate you leaving your friends and family to camp out with us for two weeks.

Thanks again Ash!

2009-07-21T17:35:00.002-04:00

So... I love my camera. This is a flower in our front yard.
It's beautiful, even with the bug.

Wise Words

2009-06-17T14:53:00.005-04:00

"Enough is a feast."

~Mary Poppins~

I think this will be my new motto.

Happy Birthday Eliza!

2009-05-27T15:22:00.018-04:00

I can't believe June is just a few days away. May has been a busy month for us. Here are some of the highlights. First and foremost was Eliza's 6th Birthday!!!

She is such a joy in our family! I can't believe how grown up she is. She has the best giggle...it's so contagious. She loves to be a ballerina, princess, and chef. She wants to be an artist when she grows up. Her imagination is unbelievable, she is always telling us great stories. Eliza is such a good sister. She helps a lot with Sarah. It makes me sad to see her "curlies" disappear as she grows older but she still has her beautiful smile with dimples. We love her so much and are so thankful she is part of our family.

She got a book called "A Princess Primer" and was on cloud nine. Before she went to school on her birthday (afternoon kindergarten) we had princess lessons.
We learned all about what makes a fairy godmother, how to step out of a carriage and how to curtsy.

But most important of all, we learned how to SNEEZE like a princess!

Anna had her 2nd grade Curriculum Night. The kids sang songs about everything they have learned this year. My favorite song was "Life Cycles" sung to the tune of "Grease Lightning". It was so cute.

The girls school had a memorial day program last Friday. It was a great tribute to our veterans. All the kids learned the songs and stood outside in front of the school. We were blessed with abundant sunshine. Sarah, Lizzie and I went for a walk in town and had a great time in the sun before we had to take Lizzie back to school.

Anna went on a field trip today to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. She was able to see a moose, black bear, bobcat, anteater, bald eagle and otters just to name a few. She had a great time and was excited to be able to use her new rain poncho.

New Do's

2009-05-03T22:33:00.002-04:00

It was time for haircuts at our house and the results are in!

Sarah had her 1st haircut. Now if we can just get it to grow on top we'll be good.

Liz wanted just a trim, then more, and more and more, oh! and bangs too.
This is her first time with bangs. She's so cute!

Anna has be bugging me for a couple weeks, "Please can I have bangs mom, pleeeease!" Well I did and now memories are flooding in of when she was just a tiny girl. We were hoping her hair was long enough to cut off and donate to Locks of Love but it was an inch too short.
Oh well, there's always next time.

1...2...3... Jump

2009-05-02T22:09:00.004-04:00

This past week was the girls' spring break. We went to the beach (remember we're in New England...Brrrr!) and had a great time. We enjoyed a sun-filled couple of hours hardly a cloud in the sky. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves jumping over the waves and wiggling their toes in the sand. Sarah kept looking down at the water as it rushed around her and she would get dizzy and start to wobble. The water was freezing cold but we had a fantastic time anyway.

Pictures upon arrival.

Pictures upon departure.

Sarah's "I can't quite figure this out" look.

Soaked to the bone.

We rinsed the girls off and then they were able to change into dry clothes for the ride home. We sure are grateful for our van or in other words... storage unit, dressing room, changing table and fine dining experience (yes, it even came with PB&J sandwiches, cheese, and finger jello to feed our hungry tummies.)

Maple...Sugar?

2009-04-15T11:46:00.010-04:00

We had a Sugaring off Party for our Primary Activity (planned by one of the valiants for his Faith in God award).
We learned how real Maple syrup is made.
Here is the spout being put into the tree. I really liked the 3rd photo because you can see the sap dripping out of the spout. It was amazing how fast it was coming.

Then you hook a bucket onto the spout to collect the sap.

Allen, Sarah and I tasted the sap. Anna and Liz were too chicken. It pretty much tastes like water with a hint of maple and earth. When the sap buckets are filled then you boil the sap to make the syrup and then filter it.
Wah Lah! Maple Syrup!

If you pour the hot syrup on snow it makes a candy of sorts.

YUMMY!!!! Now that's a TASTY TREAT!!!

This next picture is big for a reason. There were donuts to dip in the syrup and the bowl next to the syrup is full of Dill Pickles. The pickles are a palate cleanser. When you don't think you can handle another bite of sugar you eat a pickle and magically you are ready for more sugar.

We also had all-you-can-eat homemade pancakes fresh off the griddle to enjoy with our syrup.
I think this was Anna and Lizzie's favorite part.

This was definitely one fun activity!

Anna!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-18T16:42:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday to Anna (last week)!!!

Anna is such a wonderful girl. She always has a smile and a hug for us. She is a great big sister and loves everything Pink. We are very grateful to have her in our family. This was a special birthday for Anna, she turned 8 years old and was baptized. It's hard to believe she is already 8. She went to her first Achievement Day activity last night and loved it. I don't know if I can handle her growing up so fast. We are so proud of Anna and the beautiful young lady she is becoming. We love you very much ANNA!!!

New Van

2009-02-03T21:48:00.003-05:00

Here is a picture of our new minivan.
It is so nice to have some room between the girls!

A Giant Hug for Andrea

2009-01-14T12:44:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to post a huge THANK YOU to my sister Andrea for the fantastic hats she knitted for the girls. It's something we've come to rely on here in the ~COLD~ New Hampshire winter. Especially this coming weekend when it's supposed to be near -35 (windchill). Thanks again, we love you and look forward to seeing you next week!

2009-01-13T22:27:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we had a pretty good snow storm and enjoyed being outside together. Our driveway is excellent for sledding. The girls love it and even Sarah breaks into giggles. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T22:26:00.005-05:00

We had a great Christmas. Here are a few pictures with more to come, but for now I'm heading off to bed for some much needed sleep. Merry Christmas! Good night!

It's SNOW much fun!!!

2008-12-22T17:25:00.006-05:00

Sarah loves to climb in the winter clothes basket in the closet. Here she is caught once again, no clothes, only one sock, and chomping on a cracker. Ummm.... maybe I'll have a special snack next time i put my gloves on.
(Where is her mother?!?!?!)

It's quite an adjustment to make from winters in Virginia to those in New Hampshire. The girls absolutely love it. They are amazed at how much snow there is (from only 2 snow storms last week.) Luckily we got our power and water back last Wednesday night shortly before the storms hit on Friday. This picture is looking out of our garage down the driveway. The driveway continues on three times this length off to the right, before you get to the street.

Anna and Liz were so young when we moved away from Utah that they don't remember what it's like for snow to stay around for more than a day at most. Here they are attempting to sled down the snowbank made by the plow.

Lizzie is so proud of her strong muscles. Maybe I should put her to work shoveling the driveway!

Ice Storm Update

2008-12-14T20:35:00.002-05:00

For those who are wondering, yes we survived the ice storm last Thursday night but we are still without power and water. Of the county we live in 99% were without power. Today (3 days later) there are still about 150,000 homes without power in New Hampshire. Allen had to go into work on Friday so the girls and I hung around the house until about 3 pm when the thermostat read 56 degrees. We took refuge at our branch president's house in front of the nice warm wood stove.

Our landlord rounded up a generator for us late Friday night, so we at least have heat and electricity in the dining room. It looks like it may be the weekend before we get our power restored. We are doing well and are grateful for our 72 hour kit. It has been put to good use. Our hand-crank radio was a wonderful connection to the outside world during those first 12 hours. We are using our camping stove to heat water and lantern for use outside.

If there is one thing we have learned from all this, it is to put away water as much as possible. We had enough to drink but we forgot about the toilets. Thankfully we live close enough to the church building to go and refill our milk jugs. How grateful we are for the counsel of the prophet to prepare for emergencies and for those who have helped us put together our 72-hour kit. We are also very grateful for those who have worked day and night to help keep us and others warm.

December Fun

2008-12-11T18:40:00.004-05:00

The three little princesses and their christmas pj's.

Sarah meets the snow.

A Christmas treat. Yummmm......

In Heaven!!!!

2008-12-11T14:38:00.002-05:00

I have caught a glimpse of heaven today.....high-speed internet!!! Yes, we finally have it. It's hard to believe we managed to stay in the ice-age for so long (nearly four years) but we are finally thawing out and getting up to speed, literally. As for our blog, be prepared for an onslaught of pictures. Sadly, i have to re-boot my computer before I can access any pictures so there won't be any with this post. Check back soon though!

Big Day!!!

2008-11-06T13:27:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, November 5th was a big day for Allen. He is officially an attorney. He and I traveled to Concord to the swearing-in ceremony at the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. It's been 7 years in the making and the girls and I are very proud of him. We celebrated with cake and ice cream with the girls (they got the day off school!)

Lizzie has been after me for the last week to cut her hair. I thought she'd change her mind and want to keep it long. Needless to say, she is ecstatic with her new hair-do. She was sure none of her friends at kindergarten would recognize her. We cut off 5 inches! She looks so cute. Lizzie thinks everyone should cut their hair just like hers. We love her new cut too.

Halloween Fun!

2008-11-01T08:39:00.008-04:00

We had a fun Halloween. It started with Lizzie and I making Pumpkin Bread for her class party. It turned out very yummy! We made mini bread loaves and cut into slices… it was the perfect size for kindergarteners.

Yesterday afternoon, Sarah and I went to the school Halloween parade. The kids walked down Main Street then crossed over and came back on the other side. Sarah and I camped out in front of the Post Office. It turned out to be a beautiful day and warm enough that the kids didn’t have to wear their coats.

After school we came home and got ready for trick-or-treating. Anna and Lizzie loved having make-up put on. I think they were the prettiest Princess Aurora and Princess Snow White I have ever seen. I wonder if we’ll ever have a Halloween without a princess?

I was going to dress Sarah up as a cow but in the end switched to a ladybug. I figured I couldn’t let her get by without wearing it since both Anna and Lizzie wore it also…it’s a tradition I can’t break.

We took the girls in to town to trick or treat. It was their first experience with going house to house. I loved watching them in their excitement. There were a couple of spooky houses and costumes that scared Lizzie but all in all they had a blast. We got a late start but still had a great time. Even I am looking forward to next year.

2008-10-13T20:58:00.003-04:00

A few pictures of the views from the hike Allen, Sarah and I went on today.

This picture was taken through one of those binocular contraptions that are found in scenic view places. I didn't think it would turn out very well but I was pleasantly surprised. I keep wanting to call it a view finder. If anyone knows what they are called let me know. There are over 100 islands in Lake Winnipesaukee most of which are inhabited. Crazy, huh? How would you like to live on an island? What would you do if there was an emergency? There's no boat ambulance is there?

2008-10-13T10:08:00.002-04:00

Isn't the color around us wonderful. Especially at this time of year the world is so beautiful. These pictures are just a snippet of what's in our yard. Lizzie had a fun time throwing leaves in the air.

2008-10-08T13:32:00.002-04:00

A beautiful view of Lake Winnipesaukee.

I Love My Girls!!!

2008-10-04T22:57:00.003-04:00

Today was one of those days where I just sit back and think to myself...I love being a mom! It's great when you can catch those moments and really enjoy them. My moment today was Coats. We dug the coat box out of storage because it's turned quite cold quite a bit faster than we are used to. Coats were everywhere, all over the kitchen floor and so were we. Sarah made herself a bed, as well as an attack zone. Watch out if you're ever in the vicinity when little Sarah grabs hold of box, you'll get pounded. After quite the giggling match, I had to dig my girls out of the coats. Double duty for Mom! But hey, dress-up is fun no matter what you're putting on.

Allen's friend John, and his wife, invited us to go apple picking. It's something I've wanted to do so we were excited! The girls had so much fun, even Sarah got in on the action. She picked an apple and didn't let go of it until she decided to chuck it at Anna and Lizzie in the car. You can eat as many apples as you want while you are picking and Lizzie claimed 2 for herself. She was so proud she ate right down to the core!!

I've decided I'm making a dedicated fund just for "pick your own" fruits and veggies next year so I can can for my family.

2008-09-27T21:25:00.008-04:00

HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!
We found out yesterday that Allen passed the New Hampshire Bar Exam! Yea! We are so excited for him and are very proud of all his hard work and many, many hours of studying.
We love you Allen!!!

Sarah

2008-09-12T14:48:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update, here are few pictures of our now one year old and her yummy cake. More commentary will follow in the next couple of days.

Cookie Celebration

2008-07-08T16:39:00.008-04:00

In celebration of finding out we got the house in Wolfeboro (it's really in New Durham) the girls and I decided to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies!

UMMM..... Don't they look delicious!

Eating the fruits of our labors...

Happy 4th!!!

2008-07-04T21:23:00.007-04:00

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!
I just have to say how thankful I am to live in a country where we can make many of our own choices. The ability to use our free agency is truly a blessing!!!

Allen took the girls to get fireworks while I took a nap. They came back with some very interesting stuff indeed! Anna and Lizzie had a great time yelling, screaming, and running away. Sarah and I took refuge in the house after the first couple of fireworks flew high into the air and over the house. Sarah was shaking so badly it was really sad. She did better in the house but still jumped and whimpered.

We sure have missed our families and friends today and hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating of our freedom!

Baby Faces

2008-06-30T22:28:00.006-04:00

Sarah had her first taste of a Fudgesicle tonight for our family home evening treat. I think it's a bit too cold for her.
What do you think?

Sarah moved up in the world today and is feeling pretty snazzy with herself. No more playpen for a bed!!!
She has a real crib now!!!

Great Find!!!

2008-06-26T12:01:00.008-04:00

About three weeks ago we were in Meredith, NH and drove past a quilt store, Keepsake Quilting, that had a big sign that said "TENT SALE". So we decided to stop and see what it was like. My mom says this is one of the coolest quilt store around. They had signs taped to all the outside walls that said "Scrap Bag $4.99" We inquired as the to meaning of this and found out that you could put as much scrap material (box after box of scraps lined the walkway) in a quart size plastic bag and buy it for $4.99 as long as you could zip it closed.

I have never witnessed anything so crazy in my entire life. Hoards of women were lined along the sidewalk with mounds of material, meticulously folding and rolling and stuffing material into ziplock bags. Yes, there were definitely some veterans there who had enough sense to bring camp chairs to sit on. From what I understand, people line up very early in the morning, we arrived considerably late in comparison but still had a good time.

The Allen and the girls helped me dig through what was left in the boxes and we filled 3 bags (one for each of the girls). Hopefully our efforts will translate into a cute scrap quilt for each of the girls. We got 63 pieces in total. They are not really scrap size, the majority of them are about 1/3 of a yard. Such a bargain!

Here are a few of my favorite pieces.

This green one on the right reminds me of the drapes that Maria made into clothes in the movie "The Sound of Music"

Hopefully once we get settled I can get started on them. I'll post pictures of the progress we are making with them.

A walk in the park

2008-06-25T11:48:00.009-04:00

We went to the park Monday to walk around the trail (something we try to do everyday when Allen gets home from class). Anna listened to her MP3 player as we walked, while Lizzie played runway model and Barbie Fairytopia (trying to thwart the evil Laverna). Sarah had a great time riding in the stroller. The trail is about 1 1/4 miles long. It's a nice opportunity to get out of the house and get some fresh air and exercise. Right after we got home a huge thunderstorm hit, so we timed it just right.

Just a couple of snaps of the views, but the pictures don't do them justice.

Birthday Bash!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-24T20:21:00.012-04:00

Before Grandma and Grandpa Bos left we had a surprise birthday dinner for Lizzie. We didn't tell her where we were going so when we pulled up to
Chuck E. Cheese's, she started bouncing of the walls (is that is possible in a vehicle?) The girls had such a good time and Lizzie hit the jackpot on one of the luck games. And then she did it a second time! What a girl!

Fly, Anna, Fly!

Even Allen got in on the action.

Sarah enjoyed the eating the birthday bags, and I managed to get in a couple of games of Skeeball!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to say I was a bit disappointed that they no longer have the mechanical puppet Chuck E. Cheese and friends (yeah, it's been over 20 years since I've been there). It's all on TV now, how boring..... I guess the important part is that the girls had a great time.

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On Monday, the 19th (Liz's actual birthday)we celebrated again. Since we are currently living without pots, pans, cooking utensils, etc. we went to the store and she picked out a cake. She also got to choose a special birthday dinner. Lucky for me she chose Kid Cuisine's (the microwave is my best friend right now!!!)

Of course my girls can not go to a party without their party dresses on. Lizzie spilled on her's at dinner and just had to put another one on.

Here I was trying to get a good picture of the three girls and Sarah conned her sisters into covering for her so she could escape.

I think the best present she got was her gift card to Wal-Mart. She is so cute she put it right in her purse and told everyone she saw that she had a "credit card" (being 5 is wonderful). We went to Wal-Mart the other day and she chose to purchase a stick horse and 2 candy bars. And she still has $.49 cents left. What a thrifty girl!!!

Oh, one last thing.....................

WHO TAUGHT MY LITTLE ANGEL TO DO THIS?????

Our First Home in New Hampshire

2008-05-09T22:19:00.003-04:00

One week ago we had a great day of achievement in our family, Allen graduated from the Appalachian School of Law. He worked and studied very hard over the last three years in order to earn this degree and we are so very proud of him!!!! We are thankful for supportive parents who sacrificed a lot to join us on this special day. Also, two of Allen's good friend, Ryan and Spencer both drove and flew long distances to help celebrate with us. THANK YOU!!!!! After graduation we finished packing and cleaning the house and started on an interesting adventure. The drive to NH took only two days and boy did the girls have a good time riding in the Penske rental truck. We had a lot of fun using the walkie-talkies (thanks, Kevin and Tonya!)

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Here is a picture of our first home in New Hampshire. It has been an interesting week with a rollercoaster of emotions. The apartment we had set up to move into fell through when we got up here so we have been living at the Fairfield Inn in Concord for the last 6 days. Tomorrow we are fortunate enough to be able to temporarily rent a home from a member of the church until we find something more permanent. Thankfully my parents were nice enough to take our three girls for a couple of days in order for us to straighten things out. It has been a blessing that the girls are still young enough that they really don't understand what's going on....(they think it's still a vacation!)

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Today we took a day off and spent some time having fun before grandma and grandpa had to leave. We went to Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point State Park. The girls had a great time looking at several tide pool animals, such as starfish, sea urchins, and other underwater critters, in the touch tank. Liz was adamant that she was NOT going to stick her hand in the water! We had a great time learning about everthing that goes on in the sea. Afterwards, we walked down to the ocean and took pictures while the girls collects sea shells.

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I couldn't help but post some pictures of our girls. They are so beautiful!
(Of course, I'm partial.)

It's about time!!!!

2008-04-16T22:59:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I know..... I'm a slacker and haven't posted anything in the last five months. It's just not as fun when you have to spend 30 minutes to upload one picture, thus my procrastination. Here is a current picture of our beautiful girls.

Allen graduates in 2 weeks and 2 days!!! We are getting ready to move to New Hampshire in a couple of weeks, and are very excited!!! I'm looking forward to see a little less "wildlife".

When I'm not so busy packing and calling around trying to find housing I'll put on a few more pictures. Till then...Have a great day!!!

Sarah's Blessing Day Post #2

2007-11-06T09:12:00.001-05:00

Our Branch President took several pictures on that day and sent them to us. We thought we would share them.

Our second family

2007-11-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

This past spring we had a doe give birth to twin fawns in our yard. Unfortunately there has been a drought this past spring, summer, and fall causing a food shortage among the wildlife. After our little family of deer showed up in our yard all skin and bones we decided to feed them a little. They have become our adoptive family. Since feeding them they have put on a few pounds and they just might make it through the winter. We sometimes give them apples and here was a picture of them coming up to our doorstep for their afternoon treat.

Sarah's Blessing Day

2007-11-04T19:45:00.001-05:00

Sarah was blessed at church today. As you can see, she wasn't that happy to have her picture taken. It was a very nice day and a beautiful blessing. Anna and Eliza were very excited for Sarah's "blessing day". We sure missed all of our family on this special day.

2007-11-04T18:47:00.000-05:00

Our Little Sarah has finally passed the 7 pound mark (but just barely)! HOORAY!!! She is quite a tiny little thing. At almost 8 weeks old she still weighs less than Anna or Lizzie did when they were born.
We had a good Halloween. Our branch had a party and trunk-or-treat the Saturday before. The girls had a good time decorating trick-or-treat bags, eating donuts off a string and participating in a cake walk among other activities. We had a great turn-out, having 8 children there!

Sarah was our Little Pumpkin. She is so cute I could eat her right up!

Sarah Grace

2007-09-13T20:09:00.000-04:00

Sarah Grace was born on Tuesday, September 11, 2007. She weighed in at 6 lb 7.8 oz and is 18 ½ inches in length. She almost made her debut before the doctor made it there but luckily she waited and said hello to the world four minutes after the doctor got there. Sarah is a very blessed little girl as she had a knot in her cord. She is a wonderful addition to our family. Anna and Lizzie adore her and are great helpers.

First days of school

2007-08-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

Anna and Eliza started school on August 16th. Anna is in first grade and was excited to see all her friends again. Eliza was bouncing off the walls at the thought of going to school for the first time. They have both enjoyed the few days they have been in school. I, on the other hand, have found myself wandering aimlessly around the house wondering what to do. But do not fear, before too long I will have my hands full with the new baby! (probably sooner that we think!) Allen had his last first day of law school yesterday. We are excited to have him home and to be closing in on the end of school. ONLY 9 MONTHS LEFT!!!!!

New England Excursion

2007-07-15T19:21:00.000-04:00

Thought we'd post some pictures from our trip home. We flew into Manchester, NH where Allen picked us up. He drove us up to Gilford to see where he lives and works. His living quarters are interesting to say the least. We then drove over to Kittery, Maine where we stayed the night. The next morning we took the girls to see the Nubble Lighthouse. It was freezing cold and, being the mean mother that I am, I made them get out of the car so I could take a picture.

We also to the girls to the beach so they could collect some seashells. They were scared at first and didn't want to go near the water but then they caught on and it was hard to get them back in the car. Luckily, it wasn't nearly as cold or windy at the beach so we had a pretty good time. We all look forward to the time we can go back and play in the water and hunt for more treasures.

Allen drove us home to Virginia where we were fortunate to have a couple of days together as a family before he had to return to New Hampshire. He will be home four weeks from today. YEA!!!

Easter / Science Project

2007-04-13T21:32:00.000-04:00

Anna and Eliza on Easter.

Anna's Science Project, 3rd place winner in Buchanan County Science Fair.

Having a Swinging Time!

2007-04-13T15:36:00.000-04:00

Allen put up a rope swing for the girls in a tree behind the house. They absolutely love it. Allen always makes sure to check for snakes first though.