Tricks or Treats?

October 31, 2008 - A fun day for everyone... well, except for Daniel who got sick (poor guy). So there aren't any pictures of our candy-eating robot machine, but we will take some as soon as he gets better! He did go out to trick-or-treat down the block and back, so he is happy with his candy loot! What a fun day, and very special. Maggie loved being a princess and her excitement could be seen on her face and heard with every giggle. The elementary school had their annual parade, and even Sam and Katherine got there in time to enjoy some of the festivities. The greatest thing in life for me is having all of these wonderful memories. What joy I have in life with such a beautiful family! Thank you, God!

Daniel's Dream House

If there ever was a cat lover, it is DANIEL! Yes, He would like a cat house like this in his bedroom! You'd be able to pick out Susie in it real easy... She'd be the one sleeping on her back with her paws all spread out and her big white belly up in the air! Snickers would be the one purring the loudest, and Olive wouldn't be in the cat house, she'd be in Katherine and Aimee's bunkbed!

Fall Break

What a great weekend having Joseph home! The days went by far too fast, but the time was wonderful. My favorite part of the weekend was going out shopping with Joseph for all the "stuff" he needed to take back to school with him. So we shopped and then had a great lunch at one of our favorite places, Johnny Carino's. Joseph loves the real deal green tea and we found the perfect teapot to brew it in.

It wasn't quite so hard to say goodbye this time. Maybe because it's just "see you soon." Before we know it we'll be ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, and another fun reunion we will enjoy together.

"And they call it, 'Puppy Love'...."

Aimee Faith after the Fall Carnival!

Autumn Memories

Sweet Girls!

Maggie, Katherine, and Aimee

What's a little corn amongst friends?

Cheering on the home team! Go Huskers! (At least for the day!)

Susie, the nosey cat!

Maggie's 7th Birthday

Maggie wanted to have a pumpkin cake for her birthday! So that's what it was, and boy was it ever good. Just put some whipped cream on top of that, and let me tell you what... we all enjoyed it! And considering she is, of course, the "Pumpkin Princess" .... well, what other kind of cake could there be?



It was a very special 7th birthday for Maggie. She requested "busketti" for dinner. On Monday she will take birthday treats for her class, and pass them out to everyone. We're going to go get some little party bags and fill them with candies for each of the kids. There were many fun gifts for Maggie to open and enjoy today. Tomorrow she is going to wear her new pink dress with the kitty on the front, to church. It's going to look adorable on her. It's hard to believe that my sweet Maggie is now 7 years old! She's growing up into such a beautiful young girl.... and oh, am I ever proud of her!!

Nana and Papa, Back in the Day

Carl and Hilda Gilmore

Honolulu 1931

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

The Roundup

Daniel has a heart of gold! And can be as stubborn as a mule! Gotta love the "combo kid!" Right now he's in second grade and his teacher is absolutely wonderful. Daniel has started Cub Scouts and LOVES it. He has a fall hike on Saturday and is anxious to get his uniform. He loves Pokemon and GameCube, but his favorite of all favorites is his cat, Susie.

Maggie is proud to be a first grader! She has many friends and really likes school. She has to work hard to get her spelling words correct, but tries her hardest. She loves to go to the park and play outside. She looks up to her big brother Daniel the most, and the two are quite the pair! She has a silly giggle and a quick wit, and her hugs and kisses are the bestest!

I love this picture of Sam and Aimee because you can hear the giggles in their smiles! Sam is in 8th grade and is having a very good year. He is planning on playing basketball like last year, and his best subject is math. He has a number of very good friends, and enjoys hanging out with them and playing computer games. Aimee is a bright 4th grader and is an awesome math student! She is in Girl Scouts and just recently went on a hike with her troop. She is also active in the HizKidz choir at church, and is practicing for her part as a "Wise Kid" for their Christmas program. Our cat, Olive, is particularly fond of Aimee and has chosen her to be her mother. If we ever need to find Olive, we know just where to look!

Katherine started middle school this year, and has met some great new friends already. I love this picture of her from last weekend holding her "10 lb. potato." She has such a sly sense of humor! Katherine is doing very well in school and brought home wonderful progress reports last week. She is playing volleyball, and I am so proud of her for trying her best at it! Katherine is such a great helper at home. She even helps Maggie and Daniel with their spelling words and reading homework. I really appreciate all she does.

Adventure at the Farm

Farmer Maggie and Farmer Daniel

And what an adventure it was! We picked potatoes, onions, beets, green beans, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, cabbage, carrots, and a few root type of vegetables that have yet to be identified! We had a blast! The kids figured out quickly that if they worked together they could fill up more bags, and that they did! And let me tell you... we were SO DIRTY by the time we were done! We filled up 5 wagons when we got off the hayride, what a haul!

The best part about the day... Well, for me, it was making memories for everyone that will last a lifetime! Katherine will never forget her "10 lb. potato." Aimee will never forget her skill at picking green beans, which is very tricky according to all of the kids! Sam will never forget how tired and exhausted he was after picking all the vegetables. Daniel will never forget hauling all of the vegetables by wagon to the truck! And Maggie... well, she'll never forget how thirsty she got!

It was a great day for all of us! There's a slideshow of pictures from our day... Hope you can see how much fun we had by the looks on our faces!

Mag Pie Smiles

Sweetest Little Girl, my Maggie is!

Maggie is LOVING being in the first grade! Yesterday she brought home her prized "rock" which she got to paint for a special project. She put it on top of the piano for everyone to admire. She's ready for her spelling test tomorrow, she knows all of her words! Only a few more weeks until her 7th birthday... where has the time gone? She's a precious girl, a gift from the Lord.

I took this picture of Maggie this morning before she left for school. I had just fixed her hair with the new ponytail doo-dad, she looked at herself in the mirror and squealed with delight! I'll never forget that! And then she wanted me to take her picture. What a ham bone!

Momma loves you, precious girl!

Almost Fall...

Well, it may not "officially" be fall for another week, but I am SO READY for my favorite of the four seasons! So ready, in fact, that I gave the blog a new look in honor of autumn. So to all of you: Enjoy the sunflowers, the scarecrows, hot apple cider, and colorful leaves... These are definately a few of my favorite things!

Daniel

Fall 2002

Six years later ... He's already talking about the many piles of leaves he intends to make and jump into!

A Lesson about 6th Grade Social Studies

On the way home from school yesterday, I asked Katherine how she was liking each of her classes. She told me she really likes all of them, except for Social Studies. That answer mystified me because I thought everyone, especially Katherine, would enjoy Social Studies. So I asked her why, and her answer cracked me up! She said she "...just couldn't understand it. It's called 'Social' Studies, but it isn't 'social' at all. We have to work, and there's no time to understand how to study being social. And you're not allowed to talk, and how can you be social if you can't talk?" You just gotta love my girl!

Way to Go!

This Poem So Touches My Heart

O long and dark the stairs I trod
With trembling feet to find my God
Gaining a foothold bit by bit,
Then slipping back and losing it.
Never progressing; striving still
With weakening grasp and faltering will,
Bleeding to climb to God, while he
Serenely smiled, unnoting me.
Then came a certain time when I
Loosened my hold and fell thereby;
Down to the lowest step my fall,
As if I had not climbed at all.
Now when I lay despairing there,
Listen ... a footfall on the stair,
On that same stair where I afraid,
Faltered and fell and lay dismayed.
And lo, when hope had ceased to be,
My God came down the stairs to me.

(Anonymous)

Joe Joe and Sambo

Hey Guys!

Looking Goooood!

Even with the bling!

Swimming Fun on our Estes Park Weekend

Aimee even practices cheerleading in the water! Yikes! Better look out for this one!

My three sweetheart girls having fun! I just love the expressions on their faces!
My little Magpie!

The Three Men in the Tub!

Katherine is so good to Maggie. She takes care of her and loves her so much.

True fun and games!
Joseph

Sambo

and Daniel!

Westmont College... Joseph's Big Move!

"Joseph's Big Adventure" Begins!

Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Ready to go to the airport...

After some crazy flight rescheduling, we finally arrive!

The trip from Los Angeles along the coastline to Santa Barbara was gorgeous!

Did people really fly across oceans in these??

What's wrong with me? I have no problem referring back to the "olden days" on this one!

The Westmont campus is beautiful. It's nestled in the mountains amongst mansions. The gates on entrances to the homes in the neighborhood get taller, the closer to the college that you get! And let me tell you what... it's NOT to keep out the college rif raf! The only way I can describe the campus is to say it is absolutely lush. Tropical flowers are nestled in amongst the trees. It truly is a beautiful place.

This photo was taken after the pre-med program lunch on Thursday. Joseph's classes are all scheduled, and he is ready to go!

We're on our way to the bookstore! I want to find a couple of goodies to take home to the other kids... (shh, don't tell)!

John Page Residence Hall

Joseph's new home-away-from home!

Joseph and Keith, his new roomate. Keith is in the same course of study, also a freshman, and genuinely all around good guy! He and Joseph will have a good year, no doubt about it!

First priority for Joseph... Get the new computer up and running! Next, getting to the post office to pick up some boxes we'd shipped. The room looks great. Went and got a new refrigerator, school supplies, and all the "snackage" Joseph is always known for.

Santa Barbara... what a beautiful spot! Joseph sure is fortunate to call it home for the next four years. It really is beautiful, and YES, the beach is only 5 minutes away from the college.

Joseph and I had a wonderful dinner together Thursday night... Kind of our "last hurrah" before I leave on Friday night. We sat outside at the Santa Barbara Fish Co. which is right across the street from the beach. So as we shared our wonderful meal we watched the skateboarders along the beach and the swaying palms, enjoyed the light breeze, took in the fire pit next to us, and shared some good stories and laughs. Couldn't get much better than this. And the cioppino and calamari... delicious!

Joseph, next time I come back can we go here again???!!!