Some pics

I found tons of pictures on our camera from about the last two months, so here's quick update. :)

We were able to stop in and see our good friends Megan and Mitch in Columbia, SC as we headed to Beau's Reserve Unit for Family day. We loved staying with you guys and hope we can visit with you for a longer period of time soon!

Gwen absolutely loved the Moon Bounce that the Reserve Unit had at the park. We went to the park on post for activities and food. Gwen loved the playground and all the room to run, but this was definitely her favorite spot!

She saw a nearby pond and it was all I could do to keep her from walking right into it!


Daycare project for Thanksgiving

Fun with the cousins. :) The best part is that this was completely spontaneous (the hats anyway). I keep a stash of hats in Gwen's playroom for her to dress up with. The kids had been quietly playing after Sunday dinner and then one by one came out with their hats on! We just had to take a picture!

Daddy's Girl

Flutter kicks!

Maestro

A few pictures of our future musician... :)

Gwen loves to sing with us at church- even though she doesn't know the words- we love it. :)

The Movie

Okay, soon I will be posting more family pics, but for now I thought I would deviate slightly from my normal updates. Who saw the movie last weekend? I'm sure a lot of you did. :) I went with some girls from work and we had a great time. We all really loved the movie and we're all avid Twilight fans. Yes, we had to put up with some twitterpated teenage girls, but we weren't much better once the character, Edward, walked on the screen. :) There was a bigger mix of people in the theater than I was expecting. It seemed like quite a few boyfriends/husbands decided to make the sacrifice and and came with their loved ones. Of course the movie had to leave out some parts of the book- it's inevitable. They also added some ethnicity to the characters (I didn't think so and so was Asian, but whatever). They also took some liberties with some action scenes ( I'm pretty sure no one was climbing trees in the book). Otherwise I thought the characters were right on. Okay- maybe Jasper was a little too bug-eyed the whole time, but that's pretty much how he's described, so oh well. The leads were perfect and I'm glad we went to see it. I'm still trying to convince Beau to read the series (don't think it's going to happen), but I might be able to drag him to the movie since he's put up with me acting like a teeny bopper everytime the previews came on tv. What did you guys think of the movie? I'm looking forward to the next one. :)

Halloween

Better late than never, right? Here are some pics from Halloween. Enjoy our little "Dorothy!"

There's no place like home... And yes, that's Toto under her arm. :)

Ringing Nana and Papa's doorbell...

Enjoying the spoils...


Singing "Happy Birthday" to the pumpkins and trying to blow out the candles.

Our little pumpkin family

As an update, Beau and I are doing well. We're very busy with school and work and Gwen. :) We'll get a small break in early December from school so that will be a nice little breather. This will come just in time for Gwen's birthday, Christmas and visits from Beau's family. :) If we haven't spoken to you in awhile, know that we think of all of you and look forward to free time when we can visit and call again. Hope you're all doing well. :)

Pumpkins!

Here are some pictures from our trip to a local pumpkin "patch." Gwen had lots of fun- mostly throwing the small pumpkins and watching us chase after them, but fun just the same. :) These cute pictures are thanks to our friend Debi Chatfield. It was great luck that we got there just as she was leaving since my camera had just died the day before. Thanks again and enjoy!

Proposition 8

This is a family blog- that's why I'm including this important post from a friend about families. California is dealing with an upcoming vote that will determine the state's definition of a family called Proposition 8. This proposition supports that marriage is between a man and a woman. If this propostion does not pass, the repercussions will affect us all. In states where all types of "marriages" are already recognized, mandatory "Equality" curriculum is taught to kindergartners without the parent's notification or consent. I hope that all of us can stand up for what we believe in and support the Proclamation to the World- it was obviously divinely inspired by a Prophet of God.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World
http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html


Here's a link to a Jessica's blog with her views on the subject in California:
http://www.thebodenfamily.blogspot.com/


I asked what we could do to show our support and Jessica mentioned just getting the word out through blogging, and if we were able to, donating to the cause. There is a button on the right side of Jessica's blog that takes you directly to the Protect Families website if you're interested.


This link is an interview with a family in Massachusetts where all types of "marriages" are already state recognized and supported. Parents don't even have the right to speak out or protest the early teaching of their children about these topics without retaliation from the law. It's a scary thought and one that could easily become the "norm" for other states if this propostion is not passed.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1815825713

Please take the time to get involved and show your support in any way you can.

Family Home Evening Performance

Here's our little performer (and her daddy) giving us a little show for Family Home Evening. Of course she only does cute things when she's in a t-shirt and diaper... Oh well. :)

ROTC

Here are a few pics from Beau's swearing into ROTC. They held it at the Augusta Green Jacket's baseball stadium right before the game. I didn't have the best seats, so hopefully you can pick Beau out. :)

In this photo he's on the front row, fourth one in...


He's enjoying the people he's met in ROTC and staying busy with all of his history classes and endless papers. :)

Gwen's Tag

My friend Michelle tagged Gwen, so I thought I'd be a good sport and participate on her behalf! :)

Name and meaning: Gwendolyn Nicole
Means "white wave" and it's Welsh; I've always liked old fashioned names. I had already picked this name out when Beau reminded me that his grandmother's name is Gwendolyn, so we went with it.

Age: 21 months

Nicknames: Punkin, Sweet-girl, Babydoll, Little Stinker

Favorite activities: Playing outside, dressing up, coloring, singing and dancing

Favorite foods: Pizza, spaghetti, popsicles, raisins, cheese, anything sweet

Least favorite foods: Anything green, anything we ask her to eat when she's not in the mood

Favorite music: "If You're Happy and You Know It, " "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"- really anything she can dance around to. She also tries to sing hymns with us in church...

Favorite toys: Her "Woobie," stuffed elephant, any ball she can throw, her dress-up hats and jewelry, our shoes

Favorite book: Big Red Barn

Favorite item of clothing: Her white Easter hat- she wears it all the time!

What makes her sad: When she doesn't get her way, when mommy or daddy leaves

What makes her happy: When we come to pick her up, when she can use a "big cup", when she's getting chased around the house, singing along with "Signing Time", when she can play outside, when she gets to see her cousins, putting on "makeup" like mommy

Who am I going to tag? Anyone who has kids and would like to participate! Thanks!

September Showers

Okay- people take pictures of their kids in the tub, right? So please don't think I'm too weird for sharing these. Gwen recently decided that she would no longer sit down in the tub during baths... She will temporarily sit down for bubbles, but that only lasts until the bubbles disappear. Tomorrow she may change her mind again, but so far this has lasted for about a month. Beau found a child's shower attachment that sticks to the wall so that the resulting spray is Gwen's height. So far, it's been a big hit and made bath time a much more pleasurable, albeit wet, experience. I should not have been surprised with her reaction to the shower based on her outdoor reactions to water... see "Baby Pools Are Boring...". If anyone has ideas of how I'm supposed to stay dry during these sessions, please let me know (I can't do the whole tandem showering thing...).

Looks a bit creepy to me, but Gwen doesn't seem to notice...

As you can see, the steam was fogging up the lens- but if I can have a happy and clean toddler, then I sure don't mind getting wet in the process. :)

Family fun

Here are some pictures from Conlan's 3rd birthday- he's getting so big, so fast! Gwen always has fun seeing her Papa, Nana and cousins!

What a handsome guy!

She's such a girlie-girl... we love it. :)

Jumpy Gwen

Here are some pics from our trip to Jump City. At first we were afraid that Gwen was too little to enjoy it, but she quickly proved us wrong. :) She had fun jumping and tumbling around and showed us her enthusiasm with her little happy dance...

August

Beau's birthday was Aug 6th- here are some pictures... better late then never! :) Love you!

Our little performer- seen here standing on Nana's fireplace...

Uh- looks like trouble! Gwen and Talmage- 6 months apart. :)

We are family

Lots of love in these photos!

This one was taken during Beau's birthday celebration. We always end up out in the comfy sunroom...

This is during a recent visit from my dad- chillin' on the couch. :)

On another note- Beau and I started classes yesterday. We both have tons of studying to do and Beau will also have several History and Humanities papers to write, but we're excited to be on our way. I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel even though we're only at the beginning. :)

Baby pools are boring...

So last weekend we were able to go to Hunter and Peyton's birthday party at the park. It was a fun and relaxing time and we were happy to attend.

Cute Peyton turned 1

Happy Hunter turned 4

We knew that there was a huge fountain at the park and I decided to bring Gwen's swimsuit just in case although I didn't have high hopes. This has been her usual reaction to outdoor water works....

Not so happy. So I decided to wait to see if Gwen would be interested in the water before I put her in her suit.

The inquisitive toddler creeps in cautiously towards the spouting chlorinated water after seeing other children playing and having fun...

Wait! The fountain sprays water right into my face if I get close enough!

Yea! Let's do it again!

Lots and lots of water... and an ever-expanding, soaked with water, regular diaper... So much for the swimsuit. :) I did change her into her suit later and she went right back into the water to enjoy round two with Daddy.

Notice that I didn't put any cheese puffs on Gwen's plate...

And notice that she much prefers her Daddy's plate...

Thanks for the yummy cupcake- Happy Birthday Hunter and Peyton!