Fun Fact #7...

Fun Fact #7...

I eat Bubble Gum
Not chew. Eat.
I have done it for as long as I can remember.
I just tastes really good, and if you chew it then the flavor goes away.
That seems like such a waste to me.
And don't give me the crap about it staying in you for 7 years.
Not true.
I've changed too many diapers in my lifetime, I know it comes right out.
It might take 7 years to digest, but it can't stay in your body that long.
Trust me, I know.
I only eat the good, fruity tasting flavors, not ones like mint, cinnamon, etc.
My latest addiction has been Dubble Bubble Easter Egg shaped gum, like the ones in the picture.
They are good.
I'm finishing my 4th bag.

Good thing Easter is over...




Random Picture --

One day Jensen had been sitting at the kitchen table, busily working with a fury on something. I didn't pay much attention until Tim called me in to show me what he had come across. Apparently she likes things separated. And color coordinated. Tim says this is my fault.

No guessing who her mother is...

Spring Sing and Black Pumps...

Last night was the kids Spring Sing school music concert. It's always fun, getting everyone dressed up on a week night...rushing to get to the forever far away high school before the concert starts...battling for a parking space...searching endlessly for a seat in the auditorium that is clearly too small for all the family members the kindergarten kids have invited...having to buy dinner since the concert starts at our normal dinner time and gets done not too long before the kids need to go to bed. Oh, I'm sure I'll look back on these days, someday, with fond memories. Until then, at least the kids looked great! :D

Here are my cute little singers...


Jayden sure is a handsome little guy...


And my baby, Jensen, who will be 7 on Friday... :(


My two cute girls, with matching dresses and fancy shoes... (Jillen LOVES these shoes!! Tim finally noticed them last night as she was walking on stage. All he said was, "I don't like those shoes." When I asked why, he didn't respond, so I said, "Is it because they make her look so grown up?" He sighed and said, "Yeah." Ah, what a cute dad. :D )

Speaking of Jillen, here she is with the hair flip that she loves so much...

This is the version WITH bangs

And the version without. Isn't she pretty...

So, do you like these shoes? I think they are cute. I have been looking for a while with no success. I am still waiting for the black heels with the ribbon ties on them. But in the meantime, these have now joined the other 3 pairs of shoes that I own. I can't wait to wear them...

Happy Birthday Brookie Cookie!!!

I've said it before, and I know I will say it again -- when it comes to sisters, I lucked out. I got the best ones ever!! They are both so sweet and good and I love them so much!! How excited am I that today one if them had a birthday!!! And to make things even better, my computer and scanner are working great, so it's back to the regular birthday blog entry, with pictures galore!!!

Sorry Brooke. I post because I love. Yeah, that's it... :P

Someone is having a birthday? No, you don't say!!!


Here she is, little Baby Brooke... Only 2 days old.


Brooke's first Christmas...


Already a fancy dresser...


Super Cute!!!


Simply Go'geous Dah'ling... And now we know where Ellee gets her style. ;)


A little Pinecone Princess. I tried to redo this shot once with Jillen and it didn't even come close to working out. Brooke just has the skills with nature...



Now for some shots of me and Brooke together... Sweet, I know. :)

Me and Brooke in 1982


Again in 1982


1982 was a good year... :D


Us with Jayden in 2001

Us at Brooke's Wedding in 2004

Now I think I will do something a little different. I am going to highlight the many different sides of Brooke. Some of you may not realize how many talents she has. She is amazing, that's for sure!! (I won't put dates on most of these because, well, I don't know a lot of them. I would be just guessing.)

We'll start off with an easy one --

Mother and Wife Brooke

Brooke with Elliott and Ellee & Emelyn - Jan. 09


And here we go... (Remember, I post because I love. Just keep repeating that to yourself Brooke. :P )

Crazy Hair Brooke

Driver Brooke (featuring Brianna and Brett)

Skiing Brooke

Horsey Brooke (featuring Jillen and Jayden)

Cleaner Brooke (featuring Brett)

Slightly Worried About The Fashion Sense of her Older Brother Brooke (featuring Beau)

Sleeping Brooke (featuring Brianna and Belle, the dog)

Baking Brooke (featuring Brett) I just have to add, the fact that Brooke baked awesome chocolate chip cookies is one of the reasons Tim decided to marry me. He claims it's not, but I know the truth. He was devastated when Brooke went away to college and then onto a mission because he knew he wouldn't be getting any more cookies from her. :D

Hot Pants Wearing Brooke (featuring Tiffany Terror Kitchen)

Dancing Hobo Brooke (It was Halloween. She didn't just dress up like this to go out on a Saturday night. :P )

Trick or Treating Brooke (still featuring Tiffany)

Sassy Brooke

And, in one of her favorite roles ever --

Aunt Brooke!!!

Brooke with Jorden


Brooke with Jillen

Brooke with Jayden

Brooke with Jensen

We Love You Brooke!!!

We hope you had a great birthday!!!

Wild Weekend with the Whitmers...

Oh, will the fun around this place ever end??? :) What I thought was going to be a nice, quiet weekend at home proved to be anything but that!

Hazard #1 -- Poisonous Spiders

Have you ever seen a Black Widow? Do you want to? 'Cause I've seen plenty of them in my life and I could really do without ever seeing another one again! This weekend we killed 4 HUGE black widows, complete with egg sacks bigger than they were. Oh joy, that's what's living in my backyard...where my children play... Tim smashed the first one he saw and I took care of the other 3. Here's one of the lovely ladies that decided to build herself a home in our yard. Body the size of a dime. Egg sack bigger than that. Funeral services are pending...

Hazard #2 -- Live Electrical Lines

Do you see anything out of the ordinary in this picture of the power lines hanging over our backyard? Again, the yard where my children play.

No, let's try a little closer shot...

Getting clearer? One more, just so we're sure...

Um, that's not good. Needless to say, no power to our house Saturday evening. Good thing I like candles. :) And at least the weather was nice, we could just open the windows. And also good that Tim had decided to bbq ribs that day so dinner was already done when this occurred. What, you might ask, could cause such a thing to happen? Let's just say --

This USED to be in the backyard, where the power lines hang. I think they might hang a little too close to the ground. Joy.

Oh, and did I mention that those lovely ladies that died in our yard have relatives who apparently live in this cozy trailer? And that my dear husband is planning on taking our children camping in that this weekend? I think I'm buying a Bug Bomb this week...

Thank-you Mr. SRP Man. Since the line was live they sent someone right out and he had it fixed pretty quickly. We survived 2 hours with no power. It was not fun. I did not like it. Now Tim and the kids want to turn off the power once a month for 2 hours. I'm gonna have to talk them out of that.

Pay no attention to the scorch marks still on the line... :) It works!! That's all I care about! And the backyard is once again safe for the kiddies to play in.

Hazard #3 -- Broken Water Lines

Yeah, you know it's not good when the water suddenly shuts off and you go outside to find this...

Good thing Tim is good with PVC pipe. :) But still, no hand washing for over an hour? :o I thought I wouldn't survive!!

Good as new, and way better than it was before. ;)

What, you might ask, could have caused a pvc pipe to break apart? Hmm, let me think...

And WHO could have dropped this big, heavy bike onto the pipe? Well, I'm not naming any names, but he's 8 years old, he has brown hair and big bright blue eyes, and his name starts with a J. But like I said, I'm not naming any names. :)

Boy am I glad that weekend is over! :D

Easter '09...

Well, somehow that big bunny found his way into our house again this year. I really should find out who gave him a key or change the locks or something. But the kids seem to enjoy it, and he does leave candy...

Here is the scene of the crime. As you can see, there were little plastic eggs everywhere, some placed so high that only Jorden could reach them.


And as if the eggs weren't enough, he left stuff on the the couch. Man, and I just had the kids clean the living room the night before too...



Here's a closer look at the stash left on the couch.



After dealing with the shocking egg deposits all over our house, we were off to church, where I was told by one of the little boys in my Primary class that I am 'cute' and 'pretty.' When I told him thank you and that he was very handsome he told me, "No, I'm cute...but you're cute too." Uh oh, I think Tim's got some competition. But if that gets him to come help me on the days my teaching partner is gone, then so be it!! :P

Then we headed over to my Aunt Micki's house for a little fun with the Loe family. All of the kids found ways to entertain themselves.

Jensen found a Rubix Cube --



And she taught Britt (my sister Brianna's little boy) how to golf --



Jayden found some old pin ball machines that used to belong to my Grandpa Loe --



Jillen and Jorden found the pool --



And Jorden, Jayden, and My Dad found another kind of pool --



Britt roped my Uncle Rob into coloring with him --



And we all got to enjoy little Marnie, Brianna's new little baby. What a sweetie!!!

Me and Marnie, or should I say Marnie and Me... :P



Marnie and My Dad --

Marnie and Jillen --

It was a super fun day!! Hope you had a fun Easter too!!!