Stinebaugh Family

Zoe LOVES Soccer!!

2010-04-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

To say that Zoe loves soccer is probably and understatement. She is so excited to play. The season started a couple of weeks ago and she is having a blast! As she heads out to the field to play or comes off for a water break she has this run that is more like a hop/skip/jump and is just happy. It is always accompanied by a huge grin across her face. She has scored 9 goals so far and she can't wait to score more!

I love this picture because it shows her huge grin that she has the whole time she plays.

Fun in the Yard.......

2010-04-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

We have been living outside in the nice weather. The girls have these great little farmers tans already! We have been working and playing hard in the back yard.

Zoe, Mommy, and Cale.

We had fun taking Shadow pictures in the bright sunshine. Really tried for all 4 of us but it just didn't happen.

Zoe & Cale

Micah, Zoe, and Mommy.

Micah loves the rocks and her diaper is usually full of them by the time we head inside.

The only downside is we only have 1 swing and all 3 girls love it. Micah is sure that she should be the only one allowed in. She has been plowed by the swing several times as the other girls were swinging. Great opportunity for teaching sharing! :)

Love this girl. She seems to try my patience more then the other two. She is just so determined. Yet at the same time she can me the most loving/silly/adorable girl.

Micah saw a cat and really wanted to get to it. It was pretty funny to watch her look through all of the rails and holler at the cat.

Zoe and Cale hauled dirt with dad. They had to get new shovels because they have worn the old ones out. Our girls love to work!

Brad built these great play pins for Micah. :)

Please mom please just pick me up!! Sometimes we work so long and hard the girls have had enough. They have been so amazing through are many projects and working along side of us. We hopefuly will have grass soon!

Family Hiking.......

2010-04-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

We loved the warm weather we had and took advantage of it and did a little family hiking. There is the fun little spot 5 minutes from the house! The girls love it!

Micah is sure that she shouldn't be trapped in the backpack!

Zoe and Cale are so much fun to watch walking together, running all over, and climbing to new heights. Cale is like a little mimic of Zoe. It is funny to listen to her repeat everything Zoe says.

We saw a ton of wildflowers my girls loved to pick and a great view of Mt. Spokane.

Couldn't have asked for a better time. Fun with family in the great outdoors!! Hope to do it often this summer! :)

It took Micah a second to get her legs back after she was allowed out and then she was off and running. She is a busy girl! :)

We LOVE track!! (or at least I do)

2010-04-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we got a last minute call that Sydney was running in a track meet in Freeman. I love track season so we jumped in the car and headed down to watch her race. We made it in time to watch the 300 hurdles. The weather was windy and a little cold so we didn't make it to the end to watch the 4X400 but we had fun. It made me miss track season so much. I loved coaching track! Hopefully we can make it to another meet! :)

Micah loved all the rocks and found a nice seat on the sidewalk!

Cale preferred to watch from the car where it was warm!

It is amazing how much the cool weather can wear a kid out!

Oh where has my baby gone?

2010-04-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

The other day I finally had to admit to myself that Micah is no long a baby but a little toddler. Especially after I did her hair in piggy-tails for church and took this cute little picture. She is growing up. It is fun and exciting to see her accomplish so many new things and watch her personality develop but sad on my heart that it has happened so fast.

She has decided that she should eat at the table with us and no longer likes the tray on her high chair. It makes cleaning up so much harder but she loves it. She often tries to sit in "Cale's Chair" which doesn't make Cale to happy. This morning Cale wasn't awake yet and Micah thought she was pretty big stuffy. The worst challenge is trying to keep her off the table. If you strap her in she screams at the top of her lungs and if you don't she crawls all over the table. What to do?

She has taken quite an interest in Cale's binkie these days. If Cale has them she grabs one and runs. She likes to suck on it just long enough to bother Cale.

She love it when the fridge is open and can play with everything. Lately she just loves to sit on the little ledge as well. She wants her blankie all of the time. When you get her out of bed she hands you her blanket, her moo moo, then looks around to make sure she has everything the lifts her arms for you to pick her up.

She is so much like Zoe in this regard. She loves to play on the counters especially while I cook. She will sit the whole time I am cooking. She plays with the utensils, snacks, plays with the toys on the fridge, and most recently she discovered the spice cabinet. Now you can't keep her out of it but she loves to shake them all. The one toy sings the "ABC" song and she plays it over and over while she dances. She is quite the little dancer. All you have to say is, "shake it Micah" and she is dancing away.

Easter in Montana

2010-04-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

We headed to Montana for Easter weekend and had a great time. We needed to pick up the raft because Brad is starting rafting season already. The girls and I will wait until it is a little warmer! :)

My sister and her family met us at my parents and we enjoying hanging out, good food, general conference, hot tubing, and all the fun Easter activities. My girls would move to Grandma's house! The other day we were driving to Coeur d'Alene and Cale was giddy with excitement when she said, "were on grandma's road!"

We of course dyed Easter Eggs. Zoe is my project girl and would sit for hours dying Easter Eggs. She was so sad when the eggs ran out. Cale was right there with her in excitement. You would have though 6 dozen eggs would have been enough!

These were my contribution to Easter egg dying this year. I applied the the tape for the letters, Zoe picked out the color and I wrote the rest of the name. Love them!

Micah loved the Easter egg hunt! She knew exactly what to do and crawled right under the tree to get her egg.

It took Cale awhile to get the hang of it but then she was off running and grinning!

Zoe was running from the beginning and had to empty her bucket so she could continue. She wasn't so excited about combining all the candy because she wanted her own but in the end it hasn't bothered her at all. Mostly they just want gum and I don't have a problem with that at all! (it is sugar free!)

I love my parents yard!! I am truly lucky to have grown up with such a playland and now my girls get to enjoy as well. Trampoline, swings, basketball court, tag on the tires, room to run and play, and of course the rope swing. We would ride on it so long as kids we would have to get gloves are hands were raw. I could easily see Zoe doing the same thing. It looked so fun Brad and I had to give it a try as well. Still love it!!

At Thanksgiving Zoe and her cousins found a long hole through the haystack and made a fort out of it. Zoe was so excited to go back and play in the hay fort. She was a little sad when we arrived and the haystack was almost gone. It took her awhile to figure out that the hole was really gone and she couldn't make another one. Grandpa to the RESCUE!! He headed right out to the stack and built Zoe her own fort. Making it stable with boards so he felt OK about her playing in it. Zoe was in heaven! Thanks Grandpa! :) Zoe loves to be Grandpas little buddy and work right along side of him.

Zoe and Hannah had a great time playing with each other. Zoe is so blessed to have several cousins her age and close so that she can do things with them.

These two however are TROUBLE, TROUBLE, TROUBLE!!! If there is mischief to be found they will find it. You are constantly worried about what they are going to do next!

Micah got glasses on the trip. Goofy girl!

And the best set of bed head she has ever had!

In the end the girls were exhausted and ended up kicking us out of bed!

Together.......

2010-04-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

I did get this picture of the girls together that I love!!

My Beautiful Girls!!

2010-04-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

With Micah turning 1 and Cale 3 I really wanted to get new pictures of the girls. I had so much fun taking their pictures. I love how some of their personalities were captured. Aren't they gorgeous girls? (Not that I am bias or anything! :) ) I love the blue eyes. They definitely have their dads coloring! Still working on one with them all together.

Cale is 3!!

2010-04-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

It is hard for me to believe that Cale is 3 but it is true. We had so much fun celebrating her birthday as a family. When I asked who she wanted at her party she said, "mommy, and Zoe, and Micah, and daddy." So that is what we did.

For about a month she said that she wanted a flower cake but as we were buying sprinkles she saw a princess cake and decided that is what she had to have. So this is my attempt and she was more than thrilled (it helped that it was purple!).

Everything was princess and the girls of course had to dress up as well.

I love how excited she is!!

She was so great about letting Zoe help open and share every present with her. Cale has always been like that and it is one of the things I find most amazing about her. Example.....If she asks for a snack she always ask for Zoe too and brings her one.

Micah sat in the high chair for quite awhile and then she finally decided she had enough and climbed on the table to join the fun.

I love how Micah is just doing her own thing while Cale and Zoe are busy opening presents.

The winner of all presents were the baby dolls. It is the only thing she asked for. She wanted 5 of them but she was happy with two. She loves baby dolls!

Dr. Kincaid said that Cale is a healthy happy little girl. She has a tendency to win over people pretty fast with her cute little smile and fun personality. She is in the 85 % for height and weight her stats are:

Height : 38 1/2 inches

Weight: 34 lbs

I am truely grateful for Cale. She is our little sunshine!

My Daddy LOVES me!!

2010-03-28T21:23:00.001-07:00

Several years ago Brad's mom and sisters all purchased this amazing cleaning tool called a Shark. I have wanted one for years!! It is a steam cleaner and one of the amazing things it does it clean hardwood and tile floors like a dream. My parents recently put some new floors in their house and in discussing how to clean them the word Shark came up. I proceeded to go on and on about how amazing they are and how I have always wanted one. My dad said he was going to get one for my mom and that I should get one. I said that it wasn't in my budget but someday I would love to have one.

Then one day this box showed up at my house!! I was sure they had made a mistake and delivered it to the wrong house only to learn that my dad had bought me a shark as well. I could hardly contain my excitement and couldn't wait to use it!!

So here is the beautiful tool that will now make my life so much easier!! No more hands, knees, and scrubbing by hand!!

All of the fun accessories it comes with. Can't wait to try it all!!

We tried it out the very 1st day and I love it!! The girls had fun using it too.

Zoe was so excited to use it. I should have let her use it more but I wanted to use it too!! She could turned into my mopping girl she loved it so much.

This is my amazing dad who does so much for me. THANK YOU DAD!! I LOVE YOU!! Isn't his smile the best!

Greatful for my MOM!

2010-03-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

I have always been a procrastinator and this time I have been in a crunch to finish a couple of college courses to keep up my teaching certifications. I have had the worst time trying to study. I just never seem to get it done no matter how much I plan too. I needed to get a mid-term done and wasn't sure how to accomplish that. So I called my mom and asked her to come to my rescue. She came for a couple of days played with my girls and kept the laundry from getting out of control. The girls had a great time, I was able to study, and we even got to play a little bit. What would I do without such an amazing mother! THANK YOU MOM!! I LOVE YOU!

(Zoe woke up Friday and asked Grandma when she was going home. Grandma answered, "I don't know your mom hasn't informed me yet." Zoe said, " You should stay the day and go home this evening. Grandma said she didn't drive at night. Zoe quickly replied, "well then you can stay the night and leave after breakfast in the morning." Zoe was sad when Grandma headed home that afternoon after we shopped for area rugs all morning. I think Zoe would keep Grandma around forever!)

Loving the cabinets.............

2010-03-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Micah is loving the cabinets these days. Especially the one in my bathroom. As I am getting ready for the day she downloads everything out of the cabinet and climbs inside. She even loves to have the doors closed. Then she will open it every once in awhile and say BOO. She is just so cute doing it I don't even mind the clean up each day.

The other day I found her in the kitchen cabinet. Apparently she couldn't get the door all the way open but she still found a way to squeeze right in.

She got her sisters involved and they were all playing in the hall closet. They played for quiet awhile. I loved all of the giggles!

Spokane Chiefs Hockey......

2010-03-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

Brad called home from work the other saying he got tickets to the Spokane Chiefs Hockey game and he wanted to take Zoe. She was so excited to go and talked non-stop when she got home about all the fun things she saw. She is great about remembering the details and it is fun to hear her tell about it. She has been daddy's little buddy lately. She even woke up at 5:30 to join daddy at the REI dent and dings sale Saturday morning. Even though it was a little cold she had so much fun with daddy and getting to eat out for breakfast.

I LOVE to swing!

2010-03-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have mention several times that my girls love to swing but have I said that it comes from me! :) I LOVE IT! The higher you go the more fun it is. Recently I have been taking the opportunity to swing with my girls. I am not sure if I love the swinging or the giggle I hear from them.

OH MICAH!!

2010-03-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

The other day I was in the shower and Zoe came in to tell me that Micah was on the top of her bed. As I exclaimed, "how did she get up there!" Zoe said, "I guess she climbed." Later that night as Micah and I were playing in the rooms she quickly showed me her new trick. It definitely makes her all smiles! She is a goofy little girl. Now part of our morning routine is to put the ladder on the top of the bed so she can't climb. Although she can climb down just as well. I am just to nervous to have her up there without me around.

I guess she is just keeping up with her sisters. Yesterday while the girls were outside laughing and giggling I found them at the top of the outside of the deck which is about 10 feet high!! They started at the bottom stair and climbed rung by rung to the top. My heart almost stopped when I saw them and the large pile of boulders below them. They were told not to do it ever again and I pray that they choose to listen!

Mom am I a beautiful princess? She wants to be doing everything her sisters do. This night she was even wearing Cale's underpants.

Micah has decided that Spaghetti is her favorite food. I however hate the clean up. But with her limit diet options I can't affort do cut this out.

We LOVE the SUNSHINE!!

2010-03-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

With the weather so nice and spring like we have been living outdoors. The girls have been playing non-stop outside and it has been wonderful!! Zoe would truly live outdoors and the cold rarely seems to bother her. Cale loves to be outside but if she gets cold then she is done and ready for some hot chocolate. Micah loves it outside just as much as Zoe. If the door is open she is running out. If she is caught and brought back inside or never allowed to go out in the 1st place a big fit is thrown. She has the saddest cry!

Zoe has been riding her bike and is desperate to learn how to without training wheels (not exactly sure how that is going to go!).

Cale tags along and tries it all but mostly just ends up running behind.

Micah is particular to all the different cars and is most upset when she isn't the one riding in the jeep beside Zoe. She is getting better about sitting in the stroller and following behind as long as she has food!

I have tried a couple of times at the parks to get a picture of all 3 girls together but. Here is what we got. Micah is way to busy to be stopped for pictures.

I love this pic of Micah even though it is blurred. This is just a classic look for her. Her tongue is always sticking out there!

Zoe loves the crossbars and anything else she can climb on, hang upside down on, etc.

Cale loved watching the ducks and chasing them as they got close. Micah wanted down and the minute I sat her down she went right over to the edge and tried to climb right in. She was so upset when I wouldn't let her do it!

Any day there is sunshine Zoe is sure we need to have a picnic!

We have enjoyed outside so much we have worn Micah right out!

Jump-n-Bounce Fun!

2010-03-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago we joined some friends at a fun bounce and play. The girls had a blast on slide!

Micah even had fun climbing around.

Afterwards we went and watch Brad play a little soccer.

The girls had so much fun they didn't want to leave. They stayed with Brad while I took Micah home for nap. They got to run around after the game and Zoe kicked it in the goal. She came home so excited for soccer to start again. I had to hurry and get her signed up because I wasn't actually going to do it!!

More Micah...........

2010-03-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

When Zoe was a little girl she loved coats and Micah is the exact same way. If there is a coat, jacket, sweater, vest, etc around then she has to have it on. She brings it to you and holds out her arm making a little noise for you to put it on. It doesn't matter who's it is and the more the merrier. If you don't put it on her and put it up she cries and throws herself on the floor.

She also loves shoes and purses/bags. She likes all shoes but really likes to wear Cale's because she can actually walk in them. Often she has a purse/bag hanging from her arm.

She absolutely loves baby dolls!! If the girls have one then she is running after them trying to get one. She hangs on to the back of Cale's baby carrier crying because she wants it. It is about as big as she is but she carries it around rocking the baby. It is so cute!!

She loves all telephones and puts them right to her ear. If you are talking on it holding her she is scream while trying to take it out of your hand.

I am just amazed at how much personality has come out in the last little while. For her birthday I said she needed a baby doll. Brad said, "we have ton!" Looking back now we should have definitely purchased a baby doll!!

She loves books and wants you to read to her constantly. You can find her sitting in front of the book shelf in the girls room looking at books. Before her nap we sit in the chair with her blanket and read books. One day she slid of my lap and I told her to go get another book. Now she thinks it is a big game. She will bring a book, climb up, read a couple of pages, slide off my lap, look at me with a cute little smile, and run to the next room and bring back another book.

HO HO HO!!

2010-02-28T21:41:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine told me about this foam soap you can buy so I purchased some for the girls. They have loved playing in the tub with it! Zoe decided that she should be Santa Clause. She thought she was pretty funny.

Our little school girl......

2010-02-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

Zoe's hair was in desperate need of a trim so I set up an appointment. I mentioned to her that we were going to get her hair trimmed. The night before she said to me, "mom I think that I want to cut my hair short." I told her that would be fine but she wouldn't be able to braid it or put it in a ponytail. To which she replied, "that's ok, I really think I want it short."

The next morning she brought me her American girl doll magazine, showed me Kit, and said that she really wanted her hair cut like that. So she brought her magazine to the appointment with and told Kim that is how she wanted her hair cut. She could hardly hold back her smile as Kim cut and styled her hair. Zoe's only concern was that it curl under like Kit's hair.

She absolutely loves her hair and has been so excited about it. Later that day she said, "mom when my hair starts to get long again I am going to cut it short again right away!" I think she looks adorable. I can't believe how much more grown up she looks. I guess she really is ready to head to school.

Just a few of Micah's favorite things............

2010-02-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

Micah has decided she loves the top of the table and can be found there quite often. Anytime we are in the kitchen she is climbing to the table top.
She loves to hang on to the edge of the red chair while someone is sitting in it.

The worst is the stove to which she also likes to bounce up and down!!

My mom says that I deserve her because I was the same way! :)

Happy 32nd Birthday Bradley!!

2010-02-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

While in Bonners Ferry we enjoyed some really delicious birthday cake for Brad!! We enjoyed it for dessert, breakfast the next morning, late afternoon snack, etc. It was so good!!

His birthday was actually later in the week but he was going to be busy with work. However Zoe was sure that we need to do something on his birthday. So we made some chocolate chip cookies, cooked a big one for Brad, made a Happy Birthday poster, and the girls stayed up late to sing Happy birthday to him.

Fun with Grandma & Grandpa Stinebaugh.........

2010-02-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

At the end of January we decided to make a trip up to Bonners and visit Grandma and Grandpa Stinebaugh. The girls were so excited they could hardly wait the day until Brad got off work. If I could keep it from them until the last minute I would!

Once we get there I no longer exist in the world of my girls, it is all about Grandma and Grandpa. Even if I try to help I get told no. Good thing they have such wonderful grandparents that don't mind (or at least I think they don't!). One time Grandpa thought he was going to get stuck with both girls and he was only slightly worried! :)

They loved getting to ride on Grandpa's new toy for plowing the snow that hasn't come this year.

Even Brad got a chance to take it for a drive.

Grandma worked hard all weekend to teach Zoe how to crochet. Zoe was sure she should have a blanket done by the end of the weekend! :)

I was able to spend the day in the Kitchen cooking Brad's birthday cake (so yummy!), enjoying great company, learning cooking tips, and getting great new recipes! Thanks mom! Micah helped out by taking the best nap ever!! All my girls have loved napping at Grandmas house.

You don't think they are related do you? I find it fascinating when you know people or even your own children and you can pick out things they do that is identical to someone they are related to. Often times I will catch a facial expression on Brad that is just like his dad or something he says. I guess genes run strong.

Micah is 1..........

2010-02-18T21:39:00.000-08:00

Micah had her 1st birthday on the 26th of January!! We had such a fun day celebrating. Zoe and Cale had lots of fun decorating the house and wrapping presents. Micah is our sweet little goofy girl. He smile lights up our life constantly!!

Zoe made this card for Micah and bought Micah a cute sippy cup with her own money for her birthday. She was so excited to shop for her. Micah loves it!

I loved watching all of them interact as they opened Micah's presents. They had such a great time.

Micah's little tongue is constantly sticking out!! It is so cute.

Yummy, yummy cupcakes!! Micah had 3 and I believe the other girls did as well. I guess sometimes as a parent you just have to let go and enjoy the fun!

Hopscotch for everyone!

2010-02-11T15:33:00.000-08:00

One day Zoe was trying to hopscotch on some potholders on the kitchen floor. So I put the painters tape to use one more time and put one on the floor. We have now had several different versions and it seems to be a permanent part of the floor heading down the hall. Every time I try and take it up the girls beg me to put it back again. As long as they are having fun! :)

I LOVE Chocolate!

2010-02-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

Look at what I found..........it is so yummy!!

Whenever Micah is consentrating or working on something her little tongue sticks out. Which lately has pretty much been all of the time! So cute.

Look at me I am so cute!! The smiles left rather quickly when the chocolate was taken away!

Definately a Stinebaugh.......

2010-02-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Brad has to sleep with his hand above his head and so does his mom. I don't know who else suffers from these same issues but it is definitely being passed on. I guess Micah will just fit right in. She is either like this or on her tummy holing onto her blanket. I love to sneak peeks at sleeping babies!

There was a little girl..............

2010-02-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

There was a little girl who had a little curl

right in the middle of her forehead;

when she was good, she was very, very, good.

and when she was bad she was horrid.

Is there anything else to say? Oh yes, we love our Cale!

This is just because I love this of Cale. She is always wanting to do funny things with her hair in the tub. I always love the giggle and the smiles that accompany it.

There was a great big moose!

2010-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

We woke up one morning to animal tracks across the front yard. Zoe decided to go and investigate and took a picture for us with the camera. (I love her boots at the bottom of the picture!) Brad saw on the news later that day about a Moose on the south hill and we were lucky enough to have him cross our yard. I just hope he doesn't' decide to come back!

Is it really Winter?

2010-02-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

It has been such a crazy winter compared to last year! With hardly any snow and weather that feels like spring we have been able to head to the park a couple of times. If Zoe had her way we would be there every day!! She is constantly asking so one day as we were out running a few errands I surprised her and stopped by the park. She was so excited to play!! The cold doesn't bother her at all so even when we were all ready to go and a little chilled she was still wanting to play.

Zoe of course had to run for the crossbars but after several times across said it hurt her fingers a little to much.

Micah loved the swings just as much as her sisters. My girls could spend the whole time on the swings if mom didn't get tired of pushing. Good thing Zoe can pump now.

I guess it is time to head home for naps!

Painting for Everyone!

2010-02-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

We have been working to finish the downstairs bathroom. I am super excited yet at the same time it is one more bathroom to clean!! The best part is no more hauling Cale up the stairs to make it to the bathroom in time! :)

Anyways when it was time to paint the girls were ready to join right in. Zoe has been painting since she was about 1 1/2 years. I haven't been so brave with Cale but she did really well.

I took a series of pictures and when I went back to look at them I loved how Cale made a different face for each one. She is such a funny girl!

Daddy and his work crew. I love that he has the patience to do this with his girls.

Z - Zebra Zoe

2010-02-09T22:01:00.001-08:00

I love how Cale looks at Zoe to see what she should do and then tried to follow suit.

The girls love to play dress up and so we have been collecting all kids of dress up clothes. Cale had on a Caterpillar costume and I said, "C for Caterpillar Cale." We also have a Monkey costume so Zoe added, "M for Monkey Micah." Then she looked and me and said, "what can I be mom?" To which I quickly replied, "Z for Zebra Zoe." Then she wanted to know how she could dress up to be a Zebra. Zoe I put the painters tape to use and Cale had to join in the fun as we made Zoe the Zebra. They had so much fun giggling as I stripped them up. Fun Times! :)

Oh Micah!

2010-02-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

At 1st Micah started playing in the bottom drawer and downloading everything out of it. Being a smart mommy I thought, "Oh I will just move the stool over so it blocks off the drawer." It didn't take Micah long to figure out she could climb the stool and access the top drawer!! She is a smart one!!

Lemonade Anyone?

2010-02-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

While Micah and Cale were sick Zoe watched quite a bit in the movie/cartoons department. She got several ideas that she was ready to act upon. Including planting a garden and setting up a lemonade stand. She spent a long time outside trying to plant a garden only to end up frustrated. However it didn't take her long to move on to setting up a lemonade stand. Cale and her filled all the cups with water and made snack bags with craisins and crackers. It was a nice day but still cold after awhile. Cale gave up long before Zoe. In the end Zoe delivered snacks to all the neighbor kids and came home sad that no one stopped at her stand. After explaining to her we live on a remote street and the time of year wasn't quite right the only way to cheer her up was to promise we could trying again when the weather was warmer on a different street. I believe Zoe is always going to keep us busy with something! :)

Sickness...........

2010-02-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

As I mention before the girls have been sick many times. Just after we got back from celebrating New Years in Lewiston with the Lathens, Micah and Cale got sick again!! I spent two days sitting on the couch with the both of them laying all over me, taking turns puking and running fevers. It was a long couple of days............

I love this expression on Cale's face. I said, "Cale are you sick?" To which she replied, "yeah."

They would just take turns being awake, puking, and falling asleep. Cale would fall asleep in the funniest postitions.

Micah was so hot she didn't want anything on and kept pulling on her PJ's. I felt so bad for her.

I was so glad Zoe didn't get sick as well and I hope we are at the end of our sickness!!

Dedication!

2010-02-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

Brad loves to watch football. He dreams of having cable one day so he can watch without any problems. Until then he has to have a lot of patience to watch some games. In order to watch Boise State play in the fiesta bowl he had to hold the antenna by the window!! He sat there for the entire game and even then it still cut out some. I felt so bad I almost said he could get cable! :)
Zoe tried to hold it some for her dad but her arm tired quickly. Instead she kept him company and watched the game on the floor.

Where have I been?

2010-01-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

So I have had many questions as to my poor neglect blog and if I was actually still blogging. Lets just say the last couple of months have been a little crazy for us and it is the one thing I just couldn't keep up with. (ok there are probably several others I am behind on as well) Then once I got behind it seemed so overwhelming to catch up but I have finished the task!! (I am still almost a month behind but I am much closer!)

Why has life been so busy you ask? Well lets see.........since November the girls have been sick just about every other week. At least 5 times with the pukes, ear infections, croup, fevers, etc. No fun at all!! Just when I think we are healthy someone gets sick again! On top of that I taking a college class that I need to direct all my time and attention to and can always find many other things to do instead! So I have been trying to make myself be good. And I have been busy taking pictures for people! :) I have had so much fun!! I can't wait to post some of them for you to see.

I love having the blog and being able to look back at all our memories. The girls love to see what I have written about and the pictures I post. They look at it often. So hopefully I will stay a little more caught up so I don't have to do marathon postings!

So there is a lot of new stuff on here so enjoy and don't get to bored!! :)

Christmas!

2010-01-18T12:27:00.001-08:00

For the 1st time we did Christmas at home. At least the morning anyways. My parents were able to join us for Christmas Eve and morning before the headed to my sisters. After we opened presents we headed out to Brad's sisters and enjoyed the day with their family and his parents. Of course we spoiled the girls not even meaning to. It is so easy to go overboard! We did have such a wonderful day!

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law helped me at the last minute to make these cute baby doll carriers for the girls.

Micah loved her new Moo Moo. As Zoe said, "Micah Moo Moo gets a Moo Moo!"

Cale was so excited for her piggy bank. She has been feeding Zoe's piggy, piggy for a long time now. I wanted to get her this for her birthday last year but target was out. She jumped up and down with excitement!

Zoe played and sang us songs all morning.

Micah was so fun to watch open presents. She loved tearing off a piece and handing it to you. Zoe and Cale had fun helping her as well.

Sugar Cookies

2010-01-18T12:22:00.001-08:00

I have always loved making sugar cookies. I used to make a mess at my moms house all of the time making cookies with my nieces and nephews. It is sad to say that I haven't taken the opportunity with my girls. So this year I decided I would be brave and we would make cookies for friends and neighbors to give out with our christmas cards. We had lots of fun cutting them out and decorating.
Micah had fun getting messy and watching from her chair.

The only bad part was the girls all got sick right after that and we never delivered the cookies or cards!

More entertainment..........

2010-01-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

It seems like whenever I am in the kitchen cooking that is where everyone ends up hanging out. Micah is usually hanging on to my legs wanting me to hold her so I give her anything trying to entertain her. This night Cale and her had so much fun playing with the colanders.

The silly things that entertain.

Nutcracker

2010-01-18T12:14:00.001-08:00

My sister called several months ago and asked if we wanted to get tickets and take the girls to see the Nutcracker. So we bought tickets for My sister, her daughter Hannah, my Mom, myself, and Zoe. When Cale found out we were going she was so sad and mad at me she wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the day. So I drove down to the ticket office to see if I could exchange tickets and get one with us. Luckily I was able to and I am so glad I did. We had such a fun girls time. They loved to whole thing!! Especially getting all dressed up to go someplace!

An obvious lack of entertainment............

2010-01-18T12:09:00.000-08:00

Brad and I were in the kitchen cleaning up dinner when we heard this really strange noise. As I went to inspect this is what I found.........

They were laying on their tummies, pushing backwards, and dragging their foreheads along the hardwood floors. It would make a funny noise so they kept doing it.

In the end they had red dots in the middle of their foreheads that they complained hurt and stayed for days. I guess we don't have enough to do at our house!

Where are you Cale?

2010-01-18T12:04:00.001-08:00

A couple of times I found Zoe and Cale hiding under their bunkbed while playing Hide and go seek. Cale has decided that she just likes it under there. One day she got in trouble and I sent her to her room. When I made it upstairs to talk to her I could find her. I yelled and yelled for her but no answer. I looked everywhere in the house and started to get a little paniced. I was standing in her room trying to think of where to look next and I could hear her breathing. I quickly got on the flook and this is what I saw between the suitcases.

Now it is Cale's favorite place to be especially if she is in trouble. Sometimes during naptime she will just crawl under her bed and sleep after I have left her in the room. Such a silly girl.

Micah and Zoe now like to join her often. They all lay under there laughing and playing. Such cute girls!

Mom my tooth hurts........

2010-01-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

One morning Cale had several times that her tooth hurt. I finally took the time to look at it and it was turning black!! So off we went to the dentist for her 1st set of x-rays. She had taken a couple of blows to the face prior and one did some damage to her tooth. Really nothing to do but wait it out. She did great at holding still!

Dancing Zoe!

2010-01-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

Zoe's dance class preformed at a retirement center for their Christmas dance recital. The girls were so excited to see Santa!

Zoe waiting for her turn to dance. She was so nervous!

She was so shy it took her most of the dance to get started but she finally started to move. She knew the whole dance and had been practicing at home everyday for weeks. She was even teaching Cale the dance as well.

Cale wanted to be as close to the action as she could! She keeps asking when she can dance too.

Night of Nativities

2010-01-18T11:47:00.001-08:00

We had a fun evening with the Strom family attending the Nativities Around the World at the Stake Center and the Live nativity at another church. I had no idea we would be gone as long as we were but we had so much fun. Micah took her 1st couple of steps between Brad and I while we were there. I can't believe she is getting so big. She was so exhausted when we brought her home she didn't even wake up as I put her pajamas on and changed her diaper. She hadn't even had a bottle and she slept through the night!

Our Little Climber!

2010-01-18T11:43:00.001-08:00

Micah has been pulling herself up for a long time but she decided that she should climb as well. She instantly starts pulling herself up trying to get her foot on something to start her climb up. Her favorite place is the the edge of the bunk bed. She has now master getting up when she wants. She is not walking but she is climbing!

Decorating our tree!

2010-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

We had a fun evening decorating the Christmas tree. Cale made me a little nervous with the glass balls as they were her favorite.

Micah thought all of the decorations were for her to eat or pull of the tree and eat.

Everyday the girls spent re-arranging the ornaments. It was just something I had to give in and let them do or drive myself crazy. I am glad they enjoyed the tree. Zoe was so sad when we took it down. She clipped branches off and put them in a vase so she could remember our tree. Then she tried to plant them outside one day after she watch a cartoon about planting a garden. She couldn't quite understand whey they died.

Playing Together

2010-01-18T11:32:00.001-08:00

Zoe and Cale have really started to include Micah in playing. The tote her along every where even place I would rather they didn't. When she was 1st born Zoe could hold her while sitting or standing right next to me. Progressively over time she has advanced to carrying her down the hall, getting her out of the crib, down the stairs, and now apparently on top of the changing table. Micah doesn't mind at all. In fact she loves all the attention that she gets. Unfortunately Cale tries to do the same things but Micah doesn't appreciate it as much!

Watching Football is a must!

2010-01-18T11:29:00.001-08:00

Sunday night is our family football night. We hang out, eat Carmel popcorn, and watch football. Brad is training the girls early!! (although Zoe sometimes complains alittle about all the football we watch! )

Snow, Snow, Snow, We love the SNOW!!

2010-01-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

I am a little sad this year that this is the only snow we have really had. What is winter without sledding? I guess we are surviving but we took advantage of the little snow we did get and played for a long time. (I went a little picture crazy! :) )

Every time it snows Zoe wants to make a snowman. This wasn't the best snow so it was a little frustrating for her and her mom but we managed to make a little one. She was so excited!

I love when I take more than one picture Cale is always looking at Zoe in several of them just to see what she is doing. She loves to to do and say exactly what Zoe does.

This is what Micah did while we played outside. She took a great nap and I had to sneak in and get some pictures.

When she woke up we were still having fun playing outside so we bundled her up to enjoy in the fun. Only she wasn't so such she like it.

Actually this is exactly what she thought of it!

Big sister Zoe to the rescue!! She made her feel so much better about the snow, as long as she was holding her!

My Little Fakers!

2010-01-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

Zoe and Cale had been playing and then they got so quite. This is how I found them when I came out. I thought they had actually gone to sleep. Thinking it was so cute I went to get my camera and when I came back Cale couldn't contain the smiles from coming out!!

More Micah........

2010-01-17T22:24:00.000-08:00

I have been trying forever to get a picture of Micah on her knees. She loves to sit and play like this but every time I try for a picture she takes of crawling towards me. I enlisted the help of Zoe to finally get my pictures.

Micah loves her brown blanket. She will crawl towards her room and try to pull it out of her crib to get it. You get the best snuggles when are the one holding it. She loves to be all snuggled up when she goes to sleep but when go you in later she is usually uncovered and holding on to her blanket. Love it!

Mischievous Micah!

2010-01-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

Micah was being so quite one day and it took me awhile to locate her in the house. She has found her new favorite place to play. .......... downloading the bathroom drawer. She looked so cute sitting there playing in her mess I had to get a picture. When she finally noticed me I got this cute little grin as if to say, "look at me!"

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-01-17T22:02:00.001-08:00

We headed to Montana this year for Thanksgiving. My parents were gone for my youngest brothers graduation from the Border Patrol Academy but we met my oldest Brother Rick, his son Tele, my brother Grant and his family, my sister and her family. It was kind of interesting being at my parents house taking care of things and not having them there but we had a good time. My girls love being outside and all there is to do.
Cale had tons of fun feeding the horses!

This is my favorite one of her feeding.

Micah and I had tons of time together. Her sisters were so entertained with cousins Micah enjoyed having me all to herself!

They had fun playing all of Grandma's drums in a band.

Reading nightime stories.

Of course making good use of the hottub.

and playing in the barn. The built a fort down the the haybails. I think I am still get hay out of Zoe's jacket!

We enjoyed several fun walks. This is Cale chasing after the cousins. She never gave up she just kept running after them yelling, "hey guys wait up." Every once in awhile they would come back for her.

While there we took the opprotunity to hike up the mountain and get our christmas tree. Brad scouted it out 1st and then we all walked up to cut it down. He did a pretty good job!

My niece Lydia took our family picture for us. Several of the other kids tried but this was the best we got!

Cale was tired and needed a ride home.

Zoe was sure she needed a little tree upstairs. Her and I had fun making decorations for her little tree.

Cale of course needed a tree too. When it got left at Grandma's house she wasn't very happy with us at all!

My Barnwood

2010-01-17T21:33:00.000-08:00

I have wanted some barnwood for awhile so Brad posted an ad on Criagslist for me and I received a call from a guy about a barn he had that collapsed. So on Saturday we loaded up and headed to see if we could get some wood off this barn. It was such a fun day!! The girls had so much fun playing and hanging out in the truck when they got to cold. They were so good the whole time! We got a good load of wood so I could build a backdrop for pictures and Brad is making some picture frames. We can't wait to go back this spring/summer for some more!
I love how the pictures turned out.

This is the 1st picture I took. Then realized she had the binkie in and had her take it out but of course this is the best picture.

Could not get all 3 girls to look at me at the same time! Ugh!

Brad working hard for my barnwood.

Thanks Danielle!!

2009-11-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

Met up with Danielle and her kids at music class and after talking for awhile invited myself along to join in their family outing to the Polka Dot Pottery later that afternoon. It is a place where you choose a piece of pottery and then you paint on the glaze. My girls had a great time. Zoe was a little sad because she really wanted to paint this purse but instead we choose some flower ornaments. Zoe could spend hours there, it is totally her thing. We can't wait to see how they turned out and hang them on our Christmas tree. Thanks Danielle for letting us tag along!

(Really don't like the pictures my point & shoot camera produced!! For me this type of camera is a necessary evil. It is easy to carry, have in the diaper bag, use with a baby in arms, and get pictures. Beyond that I don't like it at all!!)

We Love Our Daddy!

2009-11-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

Zoe Turned 5!!

2009-11-11T22:24:00.000-08:00

We just celebrated Zoe's 5th birthday. It is so hard for me to believe that she is that old already. Her first question was, "how many days until I get to go to school now." She was a little bummed when I said how long she has to wait. She was sure because she was 5 it was time for her to go. Then she stated, "that's not fair" to which I answer, "life's not fair but life's not fair for everyone so that makes life fair."

She only wanted to have a family party and a flower cake. She has been waiting for her birthday since Grandma and Grandpa came home from Italy. (The whole time they were gone she was told they would be back when she had her 5th birthday.) She had fun picking out decorations at the store and didn't exactly stay with the flower theme but she was excited about it all. Especially to make her "poster" to hang up. Cale and her had lots of fun coloring her poster.

I was going to let her help make the cake but I chickened out and made it all the night before. (mainly because I wasn't so sure I was up for Cale's help as well :) ) She was really excited about it when she saw it so that made me happy.

She was super excited about these star candles that she picked out. Her favorite colors are pink, blue, and purple.

She also really wanted to have a crown to wear.

She had to wait all day until daddy made it home from work for her party. She did get to open presents before dinner. I don't think she could have waited any longer.

Cale gave her some new jewelry and she hasn't taken the necklace off since.

Her daddy bought her an easy bake oven!! She loves it and wants to bake everyday!! YEAH! Only we didn't realize you had to have a light bulb so she had to wait several days until we got one to use it.

Cale was so funny as Zoe opened presents. She was jumping up and down so excited for the next present. She could hardly contain her excitement. She also sings the "Happy Birthday" song really well. Zoe was wearing around her new tennis shoes so Cale decided she should wear Zoe's new snow boots. When I asked to take a picture she pulled out all kinds of funny faces.

We celebrated the day before her birthday so Brad could be there. When she woke up on Monday I didn't think about saying happy birthday and she was pretty sad about it. She said, "I thought I would see you and you would yell, "happy birthday"." So on her real birthday I had to do it up pretty good. We took cupcakes to her dance class to celebrate as well. We had a fun couple of days celebrating our Zoe. We love you Zoe!!

She is 46" tall lin the 95% and 42 lbs in the 70%. She is healthy and smart according to the doctor. She was really upset because she had to have the flu shot when she went.

9 months

2009-11-11T22:03:00.000-08:00

My baby is 9 months!! I can't believe how fast time is going. She is still our smiley little girl as well as a busy little girl. She is busy pulling herself up on everything and using it to walk all around. She has stood by herself several times for a couple of seconds before she sits back down. You can most often find her sitting on her knees playing. As long as her sisters are in the room she is happy to play. She loves it when they sit on the couch with her and she is the center of attention.

She has decided that she doesn't like the word no. She was hitting and pulling Cale's hair the other day because she didn't want her next to her. I said, "Micah Noel no no you be nice." She welled up in the biggest tears and laid on my should just sobbing. Later that night she was smacking at Brad's face and when he told her no she sobbed and sobbed again. It is so sad.

She gets so excited when you go in to get her in the morning. The same excitement emerges when Zoe and Cale get up in the morning. She just about jumps out of your arms she is so happy to see them. She loves to dance even when Zoe and Cale are the ones bouncing her around. When music starts to play she starts to bounce up and down and shakes her head.

She continues to be the worst at having her diaper changed. I tend to avoid it until the last possible minute. She is instantly trying to roll over and crawl away the minute you lay her down. You spend the whole time holding her down listening to her cry.

We keep trying to get her to wave bye-bye but no luck yet. If you hold your hand up she will give you "5". She loves to read books. She is absolutely in love with her brown blanket. The minute she is tired she snuggles right into it and holds on. She is very stingy with kisses but when you get them they are the best.

She continues to be our little bug. At her 9 month appointment we found out that she is anemic so we are working on feeding her iron rich foods. She was 28 3/4" in the 75% and 16 lbs in the 10%.

Wink Wink

2009-11-11T22:02:00.001-08:00

Cale has learned how to wink. Brad loves to watch her wink and took this cute picture.

Family Day

2009-11-03T23:07:00.001-08:00

At the end of our sickness we just needed to get out of the house!! So we took a drive to Lake Cour De' Alene and enjoyed the afternoon playing at the park.
They are so cute!

Micah was so content to sit and watch her sister play.

She has become so attached to her brown blanket. When you pull it out she get so excited and snuggles right down on it.

This is Cale's look when Zoe wasn't playing what she wanted her to.

and this is the one she was giving the little boy who was playing on her boat. She did not want him there. I was talking to her about the park being for everyone and sharing when he suddenly jumped up and ran away. I wish I had caught a picture of her facing lighting up because he left.

It was a beautiful day and we had such a great time. I love fall weather!!

Halloween

2009-11-03T22:59:00.001-08:00

We were still recovering from being sick but Zoe didn't want to miss Halloween. So we dressed everyone up and enjoyed the trunk or treat at the church. The girls had a great time, atleast Zoe and Cale did. They are both pretty shy and need quite a bit of pushing but they got some great treats. Cale would look at the treats offered and say, "I don't want one, I don't like it."

Micah did fine as long as she sat on my lap.

Cale loved to roar. She was so excited to be a lion!

We ran a quick errand afterward before we took them out trick or treating but on the way home everyone fell asleep so we called it a night.

Pumpkins

2009-11-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

We didn't make it to the pumpkin patch this year again but we did actaully carve some. Brad picked up a couple on his way home from work and we had a fun family night.

Micah enjoyed eating the pumkins. We couldn't hardly keep her off the table.
Zoe designed her own face and drew it on.

Then daddy helped her carve it out.

Cale wasn't so sure about the whole process. She wouldn't touch the insides or seeds at all. She kept saying, "oh gross" and make a funny face.

Sick, Sick Sick!!

2009-11-03T22:40:00.001-08:00

Micah started not sleeping or napping well again. I was sure she had an ear infection only to take her in to be told it was probably just teething. One day later she was running a 105 temperature with a horrible cough, runny nose, and sores all over her throat (according to the doctor on the 2nd visit). With Tylenol and Motrin I could keep it at 102. We slept on the couch together for a couple of nights. She is finally back in her own bed sleeping but she has a raspy little voice and has a sad little whimper after she cries. I feel so bad for her but I have actually loved all the snuggles I have been getting.

After Micah then Cale, myself, and Zoe all got sick. At one point all 4 of us were sick. It made for a long miserable week. Brad stayed home from work a couple of days to help but they only wanted to sit on my lap of course. Brad caught some of the yucky sick as well. I am so greatful we are on the mend and doing better.

Rain, rain come again.........

2009-11-03T22:37:00.000-08:00

My girls love to dance in the rain. We got new umbrella's so they were very excited to head outside and try them out. Now whenever it rains they are ready to put on her boots, grab their umbrella, and head outside to dance.

1st Soccer Season Done

2009-11-03T22:00:00.000-08:00

Zoe's 1st season of soccer is over. She had so much fun she can't wait to do it again. She missed one of her games and it took her awhile to get into the last game. She finally scored a goal and she was all fired up again and ready to play. She scored a couple of goals every game. Her favorite game was the one she scored 4 goals. She has got a great stride in her run!! Can't wait for track!

This little girl Tyler and her were both great players. Sometimes they had a hard time remembering they were on the same team. They took turns taking the ball from each other and scoring.

Grandma Judy was able to come over for the last game.

New Baby Dolls

2009-10-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

While shopping at costco tonight the girls saw and fell in love with these cute little babies. They were so excited about them that of course had to buy them. Their excitement just spilled out of them as they ran in the house to show daddy and then jumped right into the tub to play with them.

A great day outside........

2009-10-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

The girls played outside all afternoon. I could hear the laughter and giggling so I went out to join in the fun. I loved capturing all of the different expressions of Zoe as she played. The sound of their laughter was definitely music for me!! I wish I had a recording of there laughter to play over and over!! The entertainment you ask..........the new pile of gravel. My girls will probably be sad when we have grass! :)

Cale was very good at making sure her back was to me at all times!! I was getting so frustrated and then she got so sad because she had to go inside due to a potty accident.

As she hiked up the stairs she said, "but mom I don't want to go inside." Then she attached herself to the rails and didn't want to proceed any further. She eventually made it to the top and was happy little Cale again. Patience, patience, patience is what she requires!!

Grandma & Zoe's Project

2009-10-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is the project Grandma Sheridan helped Zoe to make this last weekend. Zoe loves it!! I am so grateful for a loving grandma who took the time to teach. We love you!!

Yummy Treats!!

2009-10-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Family home evening treats were really yummy!!

Zoe's Nest

2009-10-20T22:12:00.001-07:00

The day after vacation is always a long one. Trying to to unpack, do the laundry, in this case cleaning the house after leaving it in such a disaster. Of course the kids are always needy as well.

You can always tell when Zoe is tired because she becomes weepy over everything. Nothing you do seems to help and everything makes it worse. She usually says, "I'm trying to stop but the tears just keep on coming."

She attempted a project that didn't go as planed for her and from there she cried over everything until I told her she had to go to my bed and take a nap. When I came up stairs to check on her this is how I found her.

For 45 min I had all 3 girls asleep!! To bad I couldn't decide what was the best thing for me to do with that blissful moment in time. :)

Stinebaugh Gathering

2009-10-20T21:49:00.001-07:00

After being released from the hospital we quickly packed our things and headed to Bonners Ferry to get together with the Stinebaugh Family. We were the last to arrive due to our accident but we enjoyed the time we were there. The last time this much of the family was together Zoe was 1 1/2 year old. We really missed Matt and his family and hope to see them soon.

Zoe was so sad that we were so late and she missed the potato dig but once she arrive she had so much fun playing with all of her cousins. We stayed with Sarah and her family and my girls just love Ally!! She was amazing with them playing, feeding, bathing, and putting to bed. She is an amazing girl. I can only hope my girls grow up to be like Ally.

We enjoyed lots of great food, visiting, play games, staying up late, hiking, and all of the beauty. We can't wait to go back and hope it will not be another year seems how 1/2 of Brads family lives up there now.

Cale found this wig at Aunt Kamus's and fell in love. It made her beautiful. She dance, twirled, and fluffed her hair. Aunt Sara taught her how to say she was, "gorgeous." She even had to wear it home she was so in love with it!

We enjoyed a fun hike and Micah was so tired she couldn't keep her eyes open. We missed Zoe and Cale on the hike but they were able to ride home with Grandma from church and spend the afternoon/evening. Zoe had such a great time and sewed her name and dollie on a dish towel. She can't stop talking about. Cale of course kept everyone entertained. When we arrived to pick them up she was of course in her underwear, wearing a basket on her head, standing the stairs looking in the mirror saying, "love you, love you." She is so funny.

A Horrible Night to Remember...........

2009-10-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was a long horrible night for us. While getting the kids ready for bed I was holding Micah in my arms and giving Cale a piggy back ride. Cale was squeezing a little to hard, it caused me to blackout and I dropped Micah to the hardwood floor. As I was coming to I remember seeing Micah on the floor not hearing her but trying to figure out how she got there. After Brad filled me that I had dropped her we proceeded to try and console our little girl. Brad felt her head and found a weird flat spot on the back right side of her head that when touched she cried even harder. At that point we loaded everyone up and headed to the ER.

After several hours and a CT scan we found out that our sweet little Micah had a fracture to her skull. At that point my tears were uncontrollable. I felt like such a horrible mother even though the doctor tried to assure me that, "it happens". Brad gave Micah a blessing and took the other girls home. Micah and I stayed the night in the hospital attached by cables to monitors and an IV. She couldn't eat and keeping her from getting twisted in the cables made the stay lots of fun.

In the end she had no bleeding just the fracture so we were able to go home. She is fine and acts completely normal.

We are grateful for the help of wonderful neighbors, for priesthood blessings, and that Micah will heal and be fine. I couldn't imagine our life without our sweet, beautiful, smiley little Micah. Times like this makes you appreciate what you have and really makes you want to live your life right.

Sorry the pictures are no so great. We ran out of the house with nothing and the only thing Brad remember to bring me was my cell phone which has a scratched camera.

Football anyone?

2009-10-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Brad called home on Wednesday afternoon and asked if we wanted to go to a football game. Zoe was so excited she couldn't stop talking and asking questions about it. We packed warm clothes and drove through McDonalds on the way and made it just after the game started. It was a little cold but everyone had a great time. Cale loved running up and down the bleechers and Zoe had fun trying to find Gabe on the field.

Her favorite part was snuggling Uncle Mike to keep warm! Zoe keeps asking when we are going to another game. She loves her cousin Gabe.

Look mom, I can drive too!!

2009-10-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Cale finally got the hang of driving her little bug too. Cale had so much fun driving Micah around and Micah loved every minute of it especially when she was able to get ahold of the steering wheel. The funniest part was when I went to pick her up her pants were left standing in the car. Cale yelled, "mom her pants, look at Micah's pants!"

Busy, busy little girl.........

2009-10-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

Micah has become a busy little girl. She loves to play and see what she can get into. She is constantly on the move and getting into everything.

Visiting School.......

2009-10-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

The girls and I made a quick trip to my sisters. Hannah and Zoe are the same age. I love that Zoe has so many cousins her age. Hannah started school this year and Zoe was sad that she didn't get to go as well. While we were visiting Zoe was able to go to school with Hannah for the day. She had a good time and was so excited to go in the morning I couldn't get her to eat breakfast. She looked so cute getting off the bus and she said, "do you have a snack? I'm starving!" I am glad she got the opportunity but it really made me appreciate that I have her home for 1 more year. I want to make the most of it and just enjoy my little girl Zoe.

I can ride a bike!!

2009-10-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

It took her all summer but she finally got it. Cale can ride her bike. She has been able to pedal for a long time but steering was always an issue. We enjoyed a nice long walk watching the girls ride their bikes. It was a great family evening.

Cale, "I can go really, really fast."

Daddy & Micah in their cute hats!!

A Lazy Sunday........

2009-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

We had a great breakfast, stayed in our pj's and settled in downstairs to listen to general conference. There were some great messages given from our leaders. The girls made it a little difficult to listen but I enjoyed the day with them. Now I am enjoyed listen to the talks one by one quitely on my own!!

Home From Italy........

2009-10-05T21:06:00.001-07:00

Grandma & Grandpa Stinebaugh flew home from Italy on Monday night. It was a very long day for the girls because they could hardly contain there excitement. I was so glad when we headed to Aunt Rachel's to meet up with the cousins!!

We had a great evening of good food, visiting, and making a sign for grandma & grandpa. It has been such a long time since we have been with a lot of the cousins. It was fun to see how everyone has changed.

The clocked was watched closely each minute until the plane arrived. Grandma & Grandpa were the last to get off the plane so we had quite the wait. It was so fun to see the kids excitement for them show up. Lots of hugs and kisses were given. Zoe was attached to grandma's side for the rest of the night!

It was late and Micah was tired. She was definitely a mommy's girl. She did let Aunt Sarah hold her and snuggled right down onto her brown jacket. I think she thought it was her blankie at home. It was so cute to see her snuggling into the jacket. (Brad was in charge of taking pictures because I had Micah. There are a few he missed but I will give him effort for trying. He took video of them walking out so there is no picture. I will have to see if anyone else got one.)

Tuesday morning we headed out to Aunt Rachels for breakfast and on Thursday grandma & grandpa stayed at our house. The girls were so excited to have them. They were sad to see them go the next morning and insisited on saying goodbye outside even in the rain.

Supportive Sisters!!

2009-10-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Soccer is a cold sport!! So far we have played in the wind, rain, and cold but Micah and Cale love to go. We just bundle up and have fun cheering for our Zoe. She is doing awesome!! As soon as I can figure out the video I will get it posted.

Little Stinker!!

2009-10-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Micah is quick these days to get into things that she shouldn't be. She finds anything she can to put into her mouth. She is a speedy little crawler. I found her terrorizing my planner other day. I love her little face when she gets caught!!

New Jeep

2009-10-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

Zoe has received a new jeep and the girls are in love!! We have been cruising in it everyday. It has some speed to it and they can't get enough of it.

We love our underwear!!

2009-09-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

I really do dress my girls every morning but at some point in the day they end up in just their underwear. It could be the cause of going to the bathroom and never putting pants back on, changing in and out of dress up clothes, or just because they feel like it. It is there favorite way to be and I can't seem to change that. Looking back over the last several days every picture I took the girls were in their underwear. Funny, funny girls!!

Silly little Cale!

Hey guys let me in the tub too!! She crawled from the kitchen to the bathroom when she heard them in the tub. She tried lifting her leg and climbing up the edge of the tub.

Zoe even took her PJ's off during the night and woke up just in her underwear!! Good morning girls!!

Daddy won't let me do it!! (this is after she used all the tools and colored a big mark on the wall which daddy wasn't too happy with.)

I love it when the play well together. Zoe is a great big sister!!

Daddy Tax......

2009-09-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Whenever Brad give the girls a snack or treat he always takes one. If they ask for a fruit snack her opens it and then eats one before he gives to them. He has always called it "daddy tax".

Zoe and Cale decided they wanted apples for snack today. Cale had hers and Zoe asked for one. Cale grabbed one out of the basket, took a big bite, and handed it to Zoe.

Zoe immediately says, "mom Cale took a bite of my apple." She doesn't really like sharing things like that so I was waiting for the crying to start but instead she shrugged her shoulders and says, "Cale Tax". It was so funny!!

Ready for some bumps and bruises?

2009-09-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Micah has decided to progress some more in her movements. She is now starting to walk along the couch and toys. Her favorite place to stand is now attached to my legs. It makes moving just a little hard.

She loves playing around the dishwasher and walking around the edge. Brad was doing dishes so I went to get my camera and by the time I made it back around the corner Brad had sat her down and she didn't like it so much! :( So this is the picture I got. So so sad!!

Today she made her biggest move. I had left the girls downstairs playing while I went to fix dinner. Micah usually does good for a little while while her sisters are with her. I went over to the stairs to yell down to Zoe to get an onion and there was Micah sitting on the 5th stair. I panicked, ran down the stairs and grabbed her. Daddy came home and helped her play on the stairs. Zoe had fun enticing her to crawl up ( I made sure to tell her she couldn't do this on her own). So now we need to figure out a way to block off the stairs as I am sure she will crawl right up.

New Camera!! :)

2009-09-20T21:49:00.001-07:00

I love having my camera but with 3 little kids it isn't always possible to carry around a big camera to get pictures. Example......last Thursday the girls and I were in Couer d'lane at the park for a picnic. By the time I got Micah in the stroller, the blanket underneath one arm, the cooler in the other, Zoe and Cale holding to the stroller there was no room for a big camera. So I sadly left it behind in the truck. Now all of the cute pictures of that day are in my head. So on Sat I ordered us a new point & shoot camera. I can't wait for it to get here!! Plus I can add some little videos to the blog. Micah has started making this little grunting noise. She sounds like a little gremlin. It is cute. Can't wait to catch it on video.

Spokane Youth Soccer........

2009-09-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Zoe had her 1st soccer game on Sat. It was a beautiful day right up until it was time for her game and it started to rain but we still had a great time. Micah and I hung out under the umbrella and she didn't mind the wind in her face at all.

Cale was sad at 1st because she wanted to play as well but she had fun watching and showing us her muscles.

Zoe was so excited to get her new soccer shirt and has wanted to wear it non stop since then.

Zoe likes to stand back and figure things out 1st before she joins in. It took her the 1st half of the game to get warmed up and then she did awesome. She was out running everyone and scored 2 goals!! She wanted to stay longer and watch other games so she could learn how to play. She can't wait for her next game!!

A Swing For My Girls.........

2009-09-20T21:31:00.001-07:00

When Cale was a baby we were given this little airplane swing. It used to hang from our Apricot tree in the back yard in Lewiston. She loved to sit in it while we were outside. Zoe loved to twist up tight and unwind. While my dad was in town he hung the swing under the back porch. My girls are in LOVE!! Micah absolutely loves to be out there swinging and is all smiles as the girls push her. At 1st I told the girls that they were to big but the eventually found there way into the swing. Cale sitting and Zoe pushing. Then Cale sitting and Zoe holding on and swinging with her. Finally Cale was sitting and Zoe was standing behind her. For 3 hours they found entertainment in the swing!! We love it!! :)

Another Marathon Posting Session!

2009-09-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

Yeah!! I am finally caught up again. It is another long one so I hope you enjoy. You will probably have to go to older posts to get all of it. Hopefully I will be able to stay caught up this time.

Sisters?

2009-09-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

You don't think they are related at all do you? This is how my girls usually look anytime they are outside. Zoe is usually just as dirty but I wasn't ready for Micah to join in quite yet.

An Actual Family Picture! :)

2009-09-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

After 3 years we made an attempt at taking a family picture. With the camera set on a stack of 5 gallon buckets and one of us running back and forth pushing the timer button I was happy with what we got. I think next time we need to enlist help!! Hopefully it won't take is another 3 years to get a picture.

Micah wasn't so sure about sitting in the grass. Love her worried look. Cale lost interest really fast and so there are no individual pictures of her. The girls were getting cold but Zoe stuck in there with us. Although her smile is a little forced. A storm was moving in so it was getting a little chilly but the lighting was awesome!

Cale Anne

2009-09-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

If I could only capture all of Cale. I try to take enough pictures, write it all down, and take what video I can get but even then I don't think that I can get it all. I pray my memory will keep it all but she is just so well, Cale. She is the best and worst all wrapped up in this fun little package. Never have I been more up and down with someone but it is just who she is and I love her so much. Her facial expressions are just so great. So full of animation when she talks I am just love to watch her. Sometimes I am watching her little face so much I realize I have no idea what she was saying.

We actually made it to a garage sale where Cale found these rain boots that she now lives in everyday. When it is time to head out of the house she puts on her rain boots. She was ready to wear them to church on Sunday and had quite the meltdown when I wouldn't let her. I walked up the stairs the other day and here she was standing outside the door. Love it!!

Cale wants so badly to do what Zoe is doing which causes most of her meltdowns these days. She is a very independent little girl. She wants to do everything herself and if you forget that and accidently do something you are in for the long haul because there are somethings that just can't be undone. The otherday I found myself spilling more milk on the floor just so she could clean it up because I just couldn't take the screaming/crying anymore.

If Cale is tired or hungry she just gets mean. I am the same way so I am sure it is gentic, she just can't help herself. When she gets that way I usually make her got to sit on her bed. The other day she sent herself to bed after she got upset over something and when I made it upstairs to check on her this is what I found. So sweet!

Yes she is still attached to her "B". She is only allowed to have it at nap time, bedtime, and the occasional meltdown in the car!.

Zoe Mae

2009-09-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

My little Zoe is growing up so fast and I wish at times I can slow it down. We have had so much fun watching old home movies lately. The girls can't seem to get enough of them. Sometimes I wish I could go back and visit her when she was my little baby. On the other had I love watching her become this amazing little girl. I am constantly in awe at who she is becoming.

Zoe absolutely loves flowers. My sister planted this fun flower garden outside our front door. Zoe excitement for each new flower it amazing. I constantly find her smelling the flowers. Each time we are at Costco she wants to buy a new bouquet for the table. If she had her way we would have fresh flowers on the table everyday.

Zoe has asked for a very long time if she could take Ballet and I finally found her a class. She was so excited to start. She has class every Tues. afternoon. After the 1st class her teacher was amazed at Zoe's ability. She came up after class and asked if Zoe had ever taken dance before. When I replied no she said, "She has such great control of her body for her age. She is very athletic." Zoe comes home and practices everything she learns. At bedtime each night we do stretches and dance around the room. I wish I were as flexible as her! It should be a fun year. I can't wait until she has a recital.

Swim lessons come to an end.....

2009-09-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

We had a successful session of swimming lessons. It was great to be out as a family every evening enjoying the nice weather. After swimming lessons we had fun playing at the park before heading home. We found this great little bag that worked perfectly for a Micah carrier. She could stand in it and I could carrier her all over in it. Zoe and Cale loved the tire swing and could really get it spinning.

Cale got a little bored with swimming lessons so Brad had a hard time keeping her motivated to do what was asked. As long as she is warm is loving swimming. Zoe improved so much. She is going under the water all of the time now and really wants to be able to swim.

This was Micah patiently waiting each evening. She looks so cute just hanging out.

The last night was family night. They turned on the slides and toys and we could join in the fun. Zoe didn't like the sound of the big bucket dumping all of water. She didn't want to be around it at all.

The girls love goggles!

Enjoying the lazy river!

They were a little cold so they had a hard time enjoying the last night. It started out a little rocky but they had lots of fun in the end.

By the end Brad had Zoe swimming under the water.

We can't wait for next summer and enjoy some more swimming lessons!

We love to swing.......

2009-09-14T21:15:00.001-07:00

This summer we spent a lot of time at the park. Yeah!! When you don't have grass you visit the parks as often as you can! My girls all love to swing and the high you go the more fun they are having. I love the big smiles and the great giggles they have as they swing. This summer was a big year for Zoe she learned how to pump by herself. She can get going all by herself although at times she still likes a good push. I wanted to take a little video but that camera is broken. So here is a series I tried to take of her getting started.

I absolutely love this smile!! I am so glad I caught it on camera.

The day I bring the camera Cale decided she wanted to swing in the little swing. Silly girl! :)

Micah is loving it just as much as the other too. Grandpa just hung her a swing outside off our back porch. She is all full of smiles and excitement as you put her in.

The other big accomplishment for Zoe this summer was the crossbars. She started falling in love with them last year and mastered them this year. By the end of the summer she could skip a bar, hang upside down, and climb all over them. She works so hard get better at it. When she saw someone skip a bar she worked and worked until she could do it. It is fun to see her determination.

Splash Down!

2009-09-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Water activites are what we like to do. Several times we headed to Splash Down waterslides for some fun. The girls loved it and of course so did we. It is a little hard with 3 little ones and only 2 adults but we made it work. It will hopefully continue to be activity that we participate in each summer!

Even Micah joined in the fun!

As long as Cale is warm she is a little wild and crazy. She loves the water!

By the end of the evening when it is cooling off you will find the girls in the warm pool and you can't convience them to move away for anything!

My brother Grant and his family spent sometime with us this summer and they enjoyed an evening at the waterslides with us. Thanks for the fun!

Lake Coeur D'Alene Cruise

2009-09-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Brad and I celebrated our 6th anniversary with a cruise around Lake Coeur D'Alene. It was a great evening with just us and the beauty.

Micah 6th Month

2009-09-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

I have finally edited and am posting Micah's 6th month pictures. I can't believe it took me so long!! I had so much fun taking pictures of her. She is so smiley it is hard not to get a cute one. Zoe & Cale were big help in getting her to smile as well. So much so at times she wasn't sure who to smile at!

We took pictures the 1st time and got some cute ones but she got tired. On the 2nd go around she had learned to sit up by herself and had started crawling. She was much harder to get a picture of. Most of these Brad is holding her in place so I could get a picture.

She caught on to crawling really fast. Now she is cruising all over the house. If you leave the room she is coming after you. She has made it all the way down the hall pretty fast. She sat up by herself on a Monday. By Wednesday she was crawling and on Thursday she pulled herself up to standing. I was not ready for all that at one time. The girls and I ran out and bought a baby gate to protect her from the stairs.! She loves to pull herself to standing but she gets really upset when she falls over. Her crib is her favorite place to stand.