Our Family Story

Twin Lakes in the Fall

2011-12-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

This summer things were so crazy that we only made it to the cabin once but because Marcus decided not to play football we went up a couple of times in the fall and it was AWESOME!

The cabin is always more fun when Aunt Rachee goes.

Yes, she is blowing bubbles in the snow.

When we got to the cabin their was snow on the deck but it didn't last and the next day the weather was beautiful.

Maleen couldn't wait to get outside for a walk or in her case a run.

Look at those pigtails fly.

What a view!

I swear they are the most adorable kids in the world!!!

I'm one luck mom.

Maleen was dying to test the temperature of the water.

Her assessment, "freezing"

Love her.

She is very curious.

We had such a great time.

Cinderella Party

2011-12-04T21:23:00.000-08:00

What princess doesn't need a sweet ride!

Look at all those makers to go with Maleen's new easel.

She loves to color.

Thank goodness for washable markers and crayons

because she doesn't always color on paper!!!

This sparkly hat box was filled with Disney Princess figurines.

What a sweet little princess

These four little girls have so much fun together.

Malee is lucky to have such great cousins.

Aren't they adorable!!!

Maleen has a deep love for Cinderella.

When I asked her what kind of party she wanted she said, "A Cinderella Party."

So, a Cinderella party she had.

Brown Eyed Girl

2011-12-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

I love this little girl!

Boating

2011-12-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

At the end of summer my dad bought a boat.

And we took total advantage until it got to COLD to go.

As you can see the kids love it.

By the end of summer Maleen had tried out the knee board (with me behind her)

and Marcus was a pro knee boarding all by himself.

We can't wait until next summer!

Tiny Dancer...Almost

2011-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

This fall I signed Maleen up for ballet and tumbling.

She looked absolutely adorable on her first day.

Unfortunately she tried it a couple of times and has refused to go back ever since.

Oh well we will try again when she gets a little older.

Baby Almah

2011-12-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

In August my younger sister, Jenny, had a baby girl!!!

Maleen is fascinated by her.

Tahoe

2011-10-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Lake Tahoe is one of our favorite places.

This year we got to go with our Cousins from Utah.

We had so much fun playing, swimming & relaxing that my Mom only took on picture of me.

Stadium of Fire

2011-10-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

When you are in a college football stadium in 100 degree weather you NEED a snow cone!

Maleen fell in LOVE with this "fireworks shirt".

She asks to wear it daily!!!

Maleen's favorite part of Stadium of fire were the sky divers at the very beginning!

There were 4 of them and I have to say it was pretty awesome!

Just hanging out enjoying the show.

The final act of the nigh was Brad Paisley.

He put o a great show!

This year we went into Utah for their annual Stadium of Fire event!

When you are there you feel so patriotic.

It is a huge event with about 60,000 people.

There are sky divers, an air force jet flyover, about a 200 dances preforming throughout the night on the football field, David Archuleta (from American Idol) preformed, a choir preformed the Gettysburg Address, Braid Paisley did a concert, plus tons of other smaller performers and patriotic moments, and the night ends with the biggest fireworks display on the west coast!

It is AMAZING!

Family Reunion

2011-10-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

We had a family reunion this summer.

Maleen's Great Uncle brought this chair fun chair.

Maleen took an instant liking to her Great Aunt Annette.

Which says a lot about her because Maleen is usually NOT outgoing towards strangers.

Aunt Annette kept Maleen and Hazel entertained in the sandbox while...

The rest of use did this challenge course.

Good job Marcus you are almost to the top.

Now you just have to cross the suspension bridge and ride the zip line down.

Swimming Lessons

2011-09-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

Maleen had the BEST swimming teacher this summer.

Her name was Natasha.

At first Maleen wasn't so sure about swimming lessons...

Now she pretends to be Natasha.

Maleen really wanted to go down the BIG slide.

So Natasha took her.

She turned off the water and basically crawled down it.

Was it fun?

YES it was.

ready, set, jump!

Maleen loves to swim.

Wedding

2011-08-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

Maleen had a great time at my Cousin's wedding.

She spent a LOT of time playing on the swing set.

The problem was she wouldn't slow down long enough for me to take a good picture.

This is my cousin and his adorable wife.

Maleen called her a "princess" all day.

Once the music started Maleen came running up to me and said,

"come on Mom, lets get our dance on."

She spent the rest of the night on the dance floor.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-08-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

These two can find mischief at the speed of light.

This is Maleen's famous "dragonsaur" face.

It was freezing this year at our cabin over Memorial Day.

This trip down to the lake was one of the few moments it wasn't SNOWING!

When your face is this dirty...

You need a "tubby-tub" in the sink.

Where Have We Been?!?!

2011-08-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

As you know it has been a LONG time since I posted. So, here is the story... Over a year ago my sister Melissa and I decided that we needed to take a much more active role in our children's education, and by more active I mean we decided to open a charter school. After over a year of WORK (Nathan likes to point out that I was not working full time, I was volunteering full time) by many people Oasis Academy opened last Monday. And can I just boast a little and say it is awesome.

The school filled to capacity within 3 hours of our open enrollment back in April (people started camping out Tuesday and enrollment didn't take place until Saturday.) We hired the most AMAZING teachers and limited the class size to 20. The school is 180 students K-8. We have the hardest working Board of Directors and the most dedicated parents (who volunteer a ton!). Because we have so many people willing to volunteer their time we have be able to do some pretty awesome stuff on or limited budget. Including leasing google chromebooks (one to one for 5-8 grades and two to one for 3&4 grades and several in K-2).

There is a lot of learning happening inside those doors.

One of our parents is an amazing artist. He painted this awesome tree right inside the front door.

Flag up!

We went with uniforms and I love them!

The Board hired Melissa as the administrator.

She is really the one who made this whole thing possible.

She pulled of a miracle with a lot of faith and hard work.

Mike is on the Board and our go to guy for everything. He does accounting for his "paying" job which has really benefited the school and saved us a ton of money. He is also very technically savvy which came in handy the first day when the internet went down!

Eager learners and parents!

This has been an amazing adventure and a great opportunity for Marcus and Maleen to have the BEST education our community has to offer! Now that the school is open and my life is again partially my own I will do MUCH better at updates.

Graduation

2011-06-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

Maleen loves licorice and needed a few pieces to make it through graduation!

Zoo

2011-06-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

While in Utah we also went to the Zoo.

Again Maleen loved it. The weather was perfect (not to hot, not to cold). The animals were all out and active and there were several babies.

Maleen is still talking about the baby elephant.

Salt Lake Aquarium

2011-06-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

In May we spent several days in Salt Lake City. My two youngest sisters both graduated from the University of Utah and we decided to make a minivacation out of it.

Maleen had a great time at the Salt Lake Aquarium. She loved seeing everything especially the turtle and petting the sting ray. She wasn't even a little afraid.

Easter

2011-06-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

We had pizza and egg dying at my sister's house.

Maleen LOVED it.

She especially loved the "pink"!

The Easter Bunny gave Maleen a new bike and helmet.

She wasn't to sure about it to start but loves it now.

Grandma gave Maleen Princess Tiana for Easter.

The Easter Bunny also brought this princess nightgown.

Maleen is very into all things PRINCESS!

All dressed up for Easter Sunday!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Wresteling

2011-03-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

While Marcus is busy doing this...

Maleen is busy doing this.

(There are a lot of little girls who have big brothers who wrestle. The girls have just as much fun playing as the boys do wresteling.)

Valentine's Day

2011-03-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

We had a big Valentine's Day breakfast!

With all the food we LOVE.

Christmas Day

2011-03-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

The Stockings were hung.

Santa had come.

Presents were waiting to be opened.

And we couldn't wait to open them.

Maleen was a great present opener this year.

She loves her "Becca" doll.

Feeding her a bottle is a real joy.

What could be better then...

a box full of costumes

When you open a "butterfly princess" yo want to put it on right away.

And when there are three pettiskirts you want to wear them ALL.

And if you can top that all off with a feather hat then you are "beautiful".

Maleen loves her pony.

When she bounces it rolls.

She rides it all over our house.

Maleen loves the unicorn pillow pet Marcus got her.

She sleeps with it every night.

Christmas Eve

2011-03-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

We have our Big holiday dinner at my parent's house on Christmas Eve.

This year we left nothing out...crab, coconut shrimp, prime rib, marinated shrimp, and all the sides!

This is Maleen with her Great Grandma Tucker.

These two have a lot of love for each other.

Hazel got Maleen this adorable vacuum.

It is just like our big one only pink!

It makes you really MAD when you want the present someone else has!

Grandma and Grandpa got Maleen this darling shopping cart and all this food to go in it.

What a little rug rat!

You can tell she had a great nigh.

Christmas Cantata

2011-03-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Maleen was all decked out with a "twinkle shirt" for this years family Christmas Cantata!

These two love to dress up and what better time to show off all your fancy clothing then at a Christmas Party!

Christmas Sunday

2011-03-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

The Sunday before Christmas our church does a Christmas Program.

We always look forward to it.

Snowman

2011-03-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

We only had one day this winter with enough snow to build a snowman.

Rudolph With Your Nose So Bright

2011-03-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is our Advent.

We fill it with little gifts or activities.

The Rudolph Noses were a big hit.

Maleen still wears hers around!

Starr Valley Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-01-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

One little monkey jumping on the bed.

Maleen couldn't wait to get outside in the snow.

It was so bright outside that Maleen needed her sunglasses.

The only way to go.

Someone pulling you around in a sled!

Look mom NO hands.

Not so much fun when you have to pull it yourself

I'm leaving on a jet plane.

Getting ready for the Turkey Shoot.

Sutton giving Maleen a lesson on how the pigeon thrower works.

Ear plugs. Check.

After a while Maleen got sick of watching the shoot and decided to watch a movie in Aunt Erica's truck.

Ready for a nap.

Like previous years, we headed for Starr Valley the day after Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time relaxing. The Turkey Shoot is always a highlight. This year there was a lot of snow and Nana and Papa delivered with lots of sleds.

Thanksgiving

2011-01-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

I made Maleen and Hazel these matching skirts for Thanksgiving!

Maleen look adorable.

"Give me hug" as Maleen says.

Maleen loves to dash up the stairs when she is trying to get away from me.

This when I was trying to catch her to lay her down for a nap.

Maleen has grown a new love for her Aunt Jenny.

Jenny introduced her to the beauty of the painted nail!

First Snow

2011-01-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

The first snow is always very exciting.

This year it snowed all night but was very warm so we didn't have much to show for it.

Nathan took the kids outside at 6:30 AM so they could enjoy it before it all disappeared.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

2010-11-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

2010-11-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

Mallen loved Halloween this year.

She carried around these pumpkins for days calling them her

"pumpkin purse"

You should have seen the tears when they were put away until next year.

Cutest clown in town!

Maleen had a great time trick-or-treating with all the kids.

She wasn't one bit afraid to go up to the doors and say "trick-or-treat"

She was amazed each time someone put candy in her pumpkin

She insisted on walking most of the night.

Needless to say she was exhausted.

Its About Time...

2010-10-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

Which seems to be flying by.
Things have been wild around here (being a mom, a wife, classroom helper, starting a charter school just to name a few my days FLY by) and my computer has been broken.
I finally got a back up computer while mine gets fixed.
I hope you enjoy the update.
I will post Halloween pictures over the weekend.
Maleen is going to be a clown!

Love Those Boots!

2010-10-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Maleen loves to wear boots.

These are her new favorites.

Our Bitsy Girl Turned 2!!!

2010-10-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Maleen loved everyone singing happy birthday to her this year.

She was a pro at blowing out her candles!

She knew just what to do with all of those wrapped packages...

and she had LOTS of help getting them open.

Maybe a little more help then she would have liked

She loves her "pink car".

She drives it all over the house.

and she takes her "poodle purse" everywhere.

She also loved her light up twinkle toe sketchers.

I mean what is not to love when you are 2.

We had an Bitsy party this year for Maleen.

Not only do I call her Bitsy but she is TINY.

(don't worry she is healthy just small as in she still wears 18 to 24 month clothes and only weighs 22 pounds)

Everything was Bitsy from the hamburgers to the individual chocolate cakes.

She got some great gifts.

Some of her favorites were of course her pink car, twinkle toes, poodle purse and her new kitchen.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-10-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture.

Look mom MUD!

Our kids have so much fun throwing rocks in the creek.

We spent Labor Day Weekend at the Ranch. It was so relaxing and fun.

Seriously...

2010-10-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Could she be any more adorable?

I love to curl Maleen's hair with rag rollers.

She is such a good girl about getting her hair done,

thank goodness because she has a TON of it!

Scouting for Elk

2010-10-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

Maleen did not know what to think about the fact that she was getting DIRTY and no one seemed to care!?!?

She might be small and look super dainty but she does her best to keep up with these guys.

She hates it when she gets left behind.

She just got dirtier and dirtier as the day wore on.

I don't think she has ever been so dirty in her life.

Even with the dirt she is still the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

These two LOVE each other.

Despite the age difference I often find them like this...head to head investigating something.

Nathan drew his once in a life time Elk tag this year.

So we spent a weekend in the mountains scouting.

Maleen loves an outing on the four wheelers.

We had a great weekend!

It's Football Time Again

2010-10-25T18:13:00.000-07:00

Maleen has more green and white clothing than anyone I know.

She has also spent a LOT of time at football practices and games!

Swimming Lessons

2010-10-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Maleen took a private swimming lesson with Hazel this year.

She loved to kick and jump in the water.

She did NOT like to float on her back

At the beginning of lessons she would even let me put her down.

By the end she would go off the slide and liked going under.

She never did take a liking to floating on her back though.

Tahoe (No Dad's Allowed)

2010-10-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

The last couple of years my sisters and I have rented a cabin on the lake in Tahoe. It is a NO DADS ALLOWED trip. Just us girls and our kids. We LOVE it. Here are some of the highlights from this years trip.

Cousin LOVE!

We have been waiting for our kids to be big enough to take to the SUPER SLIDES in Tahoe forever.

My sisters and I have fond memories of these slides from our childhood.

Does she like it?

NO!!!

Maleen is not a thrill seeker.

Which is crazy because she climbs up on and out of everything (her crib the kitchen table and counter...)

I never end of taking a lot of pictures at our Tahoe trip. I guess I am just busy living in the moment.

Let Freedom Ring

2010-07-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July at our Cabin.

We had a wonderful time and hope you did too.

Family Reunion

2010-07-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love those red sandles

Just as cute from the back as the front!

Maleen was a complete rag-a-muffin by the end of the first day of our family reunion.

She was in seventh heaven will all of her cousins to hold her and give her anything she wanted. She LOVED the popcorn balls and glow bracelets.

What a little DIVA.

She loves her sunglasses.

The 2nd day of the reunion we headed to an amusement park.

She did NOT like the rides.

She did however LOVE the splash park.

She was completely exhausted by the end of the day!

Day 3 we went to the Zoo.

She LOVED it, especially the monkeys.

We also went to the Natural History Museum.

and Jump On It (it is filled with trampolines and bounce houses).

Needless to say she was exhausted by the time we headed back to Nevada.

Swimming

2010-07-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Most Tuesdays we go swimming at my friend Courtney's House. Maleen loves to be outside, although she likes the sandbox more than the pool.

Candee Farm

2010-05-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Maleen loves the baby goats at the farm.

I am seriously thinking about getting her one.

They are sooo sweet!

She love to dawdle around and look at bugs and rocks.

Maleen LOVES going to Candee Farm. We buy fresh eggs and see all the animals. They have everything from pigs to horses, cows, ducks, geese, chickens, and roosters. There have been tons of babies at the farm this spring that we have loved to see. Maleen cries every time we leave.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-06T18:50:00.000-07:00

What did you find Maleen?

It's an Easter Egg

Put it in the bucket and then...
Stop hunting because you realize the egg you found is full of jelly beans!
We have some friends that have a big Egg Hunt every year. That is where these first pictures were taken.

Easter Morning

Maleen was much more interested in the Easter Grass then in hunting for eggs.

She did love this pink recorder the Easter Bunny brought.

She also loved the MagnaDoodle!

She got her chocolate bunny open all by herself. She loves a sweet treat and just knew that under all that shiny foil had to be something delicious!

Dixie Valley

After all the egg hunting and candy eating was done we went on a drive to a place called Dixie Valley. The weather was beautiful and the kids had a great time being outside. Maleen is an outside girl. She loved climbing on the rocks and playing in the dirt. She loved it so much that she didn't want to leave so Marcus had to scoop her up!

I'm Pretty Lucky

2010-03-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Wedding

2010-03-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here they are! Aunt Lynlee and Uncle Steve.

(Steve is awesome. We have known him for years and are so glad he is part of our family)

Maleen was a very good girl the whole trip.

That is until the actual wedding day.

She fell apart unless I was holding her...

or unless she was playing in this window.

The venue for the reception was beautiful.

We had a really wonderful week in Salt Lake.

Swimming

2010-03-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Our hotel in Salt Lake had a great pool.

The kids all loved it and swam for hours.

Thank goodness there were a lot of adults to help.

Bridal Shower

2010-03-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

Maleen went to her first Bridal Shower

for her Aunt Lynlee.

(isn't she pretty!!)

She was a very good girl.

She loved helping Aunt Lynlee open her gifts.

See what I mean about hating her Aunt Jenny.

She wiggled like a worm right out of her arms.

Birthday Dinner

2010-03-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my baby sister, Rachel's, 21st birthday in Salt Lake City last week. Marcus and Maleen are really lucky to have such an amazing aunt. She loves them to death and they love her.

When we all get together there is quite a crowd.

My sister Jennifer loves Maleen. Unfortunately Maleen HATES Jenny. We have no idea why?

Family Day

2010-02-21T08:42:00.000-08:00

Nathan has been working his tail feathers off the past few months. So, we decided to go on a family outing on Saturday. We went to the Nevada State Museum. We had a great time.

Presidents' Day

2010-02-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great Presidents' Day. We took advantage of the unusually warm weather

and headed to the park for McDonald's and some play time.

Maleen had her first soda pop. She loved it.

Then we played and played.

Would You Ever Guess...

2010-02-04T09:23:00.001-08:00

That she just had surgery 4 hours earlier.

Maleen's surgery to get tubes in her ears went great. She couldn't have been better, even though she woke up at 5:30 AM and didn't get to eat until 9:45 AM (this is a girl who wants a glass of milk and breakfast right when she wakes up). The actual procedure took about 15 minutes. She was like a new child the rest of the day. We feel really blessed that things went so smoothly.

ENT

2010-01-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Maleen had her appointment with the Pediatric Ear Nose and Throat Specialist. She will be getting tubes in her ears on Wednesday. I wish she did not need them but I am glad the technology is there because she has been miserable. Keep us in your prayers.

I haven't had a chance to fix the pictures because...

2010-01-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

Honesty she still looks adorable but trust me she is miserable.
Unfortunately I was unable to capture the blood curdling nose.

This is what happens everytime I put Maleen down.
Needless to say I am getting NOTHING done.
It woudn't be so bad if holding her made her stop crying;
but it doesn't really.

Maleen has had a double ear infection since the week after Thanksgiving. Not to mention double pink eye, a sinus infection and more than likely strep throat (no need to test as she was getting a major antibiotic) Well 5 antibiotics later (7 since April, More than Marcus has had his entire life) we are going back to the ENT on Friday. Who knows what Dr. Garrett will say but something has got to give.

I'm not sure...

2010-01-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what happened to the pictures. One second they were there and the next second they weren't. I got a new Apple Computer for Christmas. Maybe that has something to do with it. I will try to repair it over the next couple of days. Maleen is STILL sick. She has been to the doctor 3 times over the past 4 weeks. I am taking her back on Monday and I am sure our Pediatrician will be sending us back to the ear nose and throat specialist. Poor baby!!! Anyway right now all she wants is to be held and I am happy to oblige. Love You!

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-09T08:44:00.001-08:00

Maleen was feeling much better by Christmas Eve. I made her this little festive outfit.

Maleen loved playing with her cousins Brinley and Hazel.

So blessed to have this amazing family!

It didn't take Maleen long to realize that inside that paper was something fun. She loved this doll bed she got from her cousin Hazel.

She didn't even need to open this one to love it.

She loved it even more once it was open. Grandma and Grandpa really did a great job finding this adorable chair.

Maleen was not amused when Hazel tried to sit in her chair. She is not the worlds best sharer at this point in her life.

When Fenn sat in her chair I think she realized she did not stand much chance of getting him out by force. Sooo....

She decided to drive him crazy until he moved. She is one smart cookie.

We had a really wonderful Christmas Eve. We hope you did to. LOVE YOU!!

George Robert Tucker, Sr. Family Christmas Cantata

2010-01-09T08:37:00.000-08:00

Maleen had another double ear infection and wasn't in the best of moods. Lucky for her there were tons of people to hold and snuggle her.

We hosted the party at our house this year. As part of the festivities we read the Christmas story and sing the carols. It is fun and funny because of the 40 or so people there only about 4 can carry a tune.

We also had a delicious meal of home made soups and this amazing bread. Because there were so many people I had tables set up everywhere. This one happens to be in our entry room.

Party #1 Getting into the Spirit of the Season...

2010-01-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

We did a little pre Christmas Party with Nathan's family this year. Maleen looked so cute I had to share. Don't you love her boots. She sure does.

All Decked Out For Christmas...

2010-01-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

I love to decorate for Christmas. Maleen loves any think pretty so she LOVED all the Christmas decorations.

SNOW DAY

2009-12-12T08:27:00.001-08:00

Snow in Fallon only happens once or twice a year if that and it usually melts by the afternoon. You can imagine our joy when we got a call at 6:45 am on Monday announcing that School had been canceled due to the snow. This was the first SNOW DAY in Fallon in 20 years. Needless to say we were all way to excited to sleep and went over to my Mom's for a big breakfast and then headed out to play in the snow. Maleen was very disappointed that she only go one ride on the 4-wheeler (we used it to pull tubes). She cried so hard when she had to get off that my Mom took her back to the house.

We were over the moon when we got a call late Monday night and learned that there would be another SNOW DAY on Tuesday. This was a first in Fallon.

She is growing to big to fast...

2009-12-04T21:55:00.001-08:00

She has two and a half teeth. My pediatric dentist assures me that the longer they take to get their teeth the healthier the teeth will be. Her lack of teeth doesn't slow her down one bit. She is a great eater and loves a cheese burger.

She weighed 18 pounds at her last appointment.

Not walking, but why would she want to when she can crawl a 100 MPH. She is starting to show interest in walking now that Hazel and Sutton are. She will take 4 or 5 steps but then gets in a hurry and crawls.

She is a climber. Although she can't walk she climbs like a cat.

She says, "Momma, Dada, Baby, This, That and What's That?" She can repeat a lot of other words but doesn't use them real frequently.

She loves our cat Silver. Silver is so patient with her because she loves to lay on kiss and snuggle her.

Loves a baby doll.

Loves BLING of any kind.

Not amused by things she finds ugly. My sister had on this crazy stocking hat and Maleen bawled until she took it off.

Loves to pretend to talk on the phone.

She is pretty easy going most of the time but she is also not afraid to express her opinion (usually involves rolling on the ground and crying).

Currently has a cold!!! Soooo sad.

Starr Valley

2009-12-04T21:40:00.001-08:00

We always go to Starr Valley the Friday after Thanksgiving...

We do a family trap shoot which is always fun. Marcus is still to little to shoot trap but he sure loves his BB Gun.This is Maleen's Nana and cousin Sutton. Isn't Maleen the sweetest thing you have ever seen. I think she looks just like a little Pixie.

Although she is always adorable she is not always an angle. She did not want to share these Snowman ornaments with Sutton. They got into a real tug of war over them. Maleen ended up with two and kindly left one for Sutton.

Happy Thanksgiving...

2009-12-04T21:26:00.001-08:00

We always celebrate Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad's house. Me and Maleen arrived early to help cook. Ok, I helped cook and Maleen played...

She loves to play with this mega bucket of Tinker Toys, although this is the first time she has actually played in the bucket. She had a great time. Don't you love her hair. It's growing in thick and is the most beautiful color.

Maleen loves anything fancy. When she saw this head band my little sister had she went crazy. She just kept pointing and saying "that, that, that..."

Here she is all cleaned up and ready to eat. I made her and Hazel these matching outfits (this was my first real sewing project.)

We are so grateful to have Maleen in our family. She is amazing!!!

Major Update

2009-11-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

Alright I finally updated! There are a bunch of posts so you will probably have to go to older posts to see them all. They wouldn't fit on one page! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Marcus was a Ninja. He looked very stealth in the fog.

I made Maleen this little cupcake costume. Surprisingly she kept the hat on all night

My Mom goes all out for Halloween. She decorates soooo cute. The kids love to trick-or-treat in her neighborhood because so many houses decorate.

Better Late Than Never...

2009-11-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

It's my party and I'll cry if I want too.

Maleen loves a little bling so I made her this tutu for her party.

Happy Birthday To You!

Yum Chocolate.

Maleen was very excited to see the baby doll Marcus picked out for her.

She was not ammused by the amount of time it took to get him out of the box.
But she was in love when she finally had him in her arms.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-02T13:13:00.001-08:00

We went to the pumpkin patch at Lattin Farms in Fallon. Maleen was way more interested in crawling around in the dirt than posing for a picture.

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-11-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

Me and my big sisiter, Mel, did a fall photo shoot with our girls (the boys wouldn't cooporate). Maleen likes having her picture taken and is only to happy to pose. I couldn't decide which one I liked the best.

I'm A Mean Old Witch With A Hat

2009-11-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to a place called Gardner's Village. It has the cutest shops. They go all out for holidays and for Halloween they had these adorable witches all over. I'm not sure what the kids loved more, the witches or the candy store.

Best Friends

2009-11-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Thes little girls love each other.

1 Year Old

2009-11-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

Maleen was not amused at first by her pastry and candle. I am not sure if it was the candle or our singing.

Once she realized the pastry was for her and no one was going to make her be neat and clean while eating it she went to town!

Let me start by saying that we have had an amazing year with Maleen. We love her soooo much. She is all things a little girl should be. Just the right amount of sweet and sassy. Not to mention absolutly adorable.

Like I said we were in Utah wedding dress shopping on Maleen's actual birthday. (We wanted to wait and have her party when everyone was back to good health and could be there.) However, we couldn't let the day go buy without a small celebration. Maleen has a sweet tooth and loved her little french pastry.

Splish Splash...

2009-11-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

Maleen loves a bath!

Our Dolly loves a Dolly

2009-11-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

Maleen LOVES a dolly. We go very few places without one. This little doll is the first one she got. We were in Target and she was fussy. I gave her this little doll to hold while I shopped. At the time I had no intention of buying it but when I tried to put it back she lost her mind. Needless to say she has LOVED it ever since. She huggs it, kisses it, and wants everyone around her to give it kisses too.

One day she noticed to doll you gave her up on a shelf. She went crazy until I got it down and let her hold it. She threw her arms around it and gave it kisses. Now at least once a day she holds it and kisses it. If by chance she wants it and I don't let her hold it she will sit on the ground under the shelf and cry until I get it for her. I have to say it is pretty cute. She just looks up at it with longing in her eyes and tears rolling down her face. Like I said she loves a doll and I think senses that she is a very special one.

Wedding...

2009-11-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

My little sister, Lynlee, is getting married. Over the weeked of Maleen's birthday we did some wedding dress shopping. Maleen ate it up. To say she is a girly girl is putting it mildly. She LOVED herself in this veil.

The Sound of Freedom...

2009-11-02T11:21:00.001-08:00

Jet Noise!

We here it often in Fallon
Didn't they look cute in their patriotic colors!

Fallon has a large Navy Base where the Top Gun Flight School is located (just a side note a lot of Top Gun the movie was filmed in Fallon). For the fist time since 9/11 there was an air show. It was a big deal. Business closed, school ended early, and the whole town went out to the base. It was about 100 degrees with NO shade. Needless to say Maleen didn't last long not only was it hot but she hated the noise. Luckily for us my sister Melissa wasn't that into it and took the babies home for naps. Marcus was amazed by the Blue Angles and the Top Gun Pilots.

September 11, 2009

SORRY!!!

2009-10-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth,

We must apologize. We still love you and think about you all the time. We have had a rain cloud over our family and friends the past couple of months. One of our very good friends' six year old daughter was killed in a horse accident over Labor Day. Right after that my Dad became very sick, the kids got sick, and then my cousin had an accident. We are hopeful that things are looking up. My Dad and cousin are out of the hospital, both Maleen and Marcus are back to good health, and despite the their loss our friends are doing amazingly well.

Like they say every cloud has a silver lining and in the midst of all the craziness we have had some good times. I will be doing a major update tomorrow.

LOVE YOU!

Back to School

2009-08-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Marcus went back to school today. He is a big 1st grader. We sure are going to miss playing with him while he is at school! Why can't Summer Vacation last FOREVER?!?

What we've been up to...

2009-08-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Marcus football team started practices about a month ago. He is playing tackle football this year and the league takes it very seriously. His practices are four days a week for two hours. So, Maleen has spent a lot of time at the field. She loves it when he runs off the field for a water break. She is his biggest fan.

Last summer Nathan's parents put in this beautiful yard. They have thousands of square feet of grass surrounding the "Big House". It is so beautiful.

Marcus spent a big part of the day building a Dam in Boulder. I always pack a swimsuit knowing how much he loves to play in Boulder. For some reason the suit never gets on before he get soaked.

Maleen loved her first swim in Bounder

Starr Valley is one of our favorite places in the world. It is one of those places you can completely relax at. There is nothing you HAVE to do and a lot you CAN do.

Nathan had an archery deer tag for Starr Valley so we decided to spend the last weekend before school started there. Nathan has been going a 100 MPH since graduation and he completely crashed. He spent NO time hunting and a lot of time sleeping (which is what he needed). We went on several four wheeler rides and swam in Boulder. It was just the type of weekend we needed.

We also rented a cabin at Lake Tahoe for several days. I did take in pictures but I will get some from my sister.

Our new addition...

2009-07-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

Silver

Maleen loves Silver but I am not so sure how much Silver loves Maleen.

Swimming at Nana's...

2009-07-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Maleen and Marcus love the water. Their Nana bought this bounce house/pool/water slide for the kids.

July 4th

2009-07-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th at my parents' cabin.

Bridgeport's 4th of July celebration is everything the 4th should be.

The fireworks were awesome. Maleen couldn't believe her eyes.

What a Blessing

2009-07-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

These three little cousins were all born within a few weeks of each other. We wanted to bless them all at the same time so we had to wait until Maleen's adoption was final. Well it was final in April but coordinating two large families took some time. The Foster's came to Fallon and baptized Tanii at the same time. Nathan's Pa also came to town for the big event. We feel so lucky that these girls have each other. They are absolutely adorable and are bound to set this town on fire when they get a little older. Alls I can say is watch out.

We love our baby girls!!!

A Beautiful Day

2009-06-30T22:26:00.001-07:00

We had a beautiful day on Saturday. Maleen was sealed to our family. This is a religious ceremony at an LDS temple. We believe that by being sealed in the temple we can be a family for eternity. We love her so much and find great joy in the fact that we are an eternal family. Thank you so much for making this possible. We love you

Popsicle...

2009-06-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

What could be better on a HOT summer day?!?

She's on the move

2009-06-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

We're crazy in love...

2009-06-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

With this baby girl.

Memorial Day

2009-06-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

We had a great Memorial Day at Twin Lakes. The babies took a sink bath and thought it was great and Maleen loved her first piece of red vine.

Updates Coming Soon....

2009-06-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Things have been really crazy for us. We have had a ton of end of the school year activaties and end of baseball events. I have been wrapping things up at work for my LAST DAY this FRIDAY and Nathan has been studying for his boards. Starting next week I am officially a FULL TIME MOM and can't wait. I will update the blog then!!!

1st Swim

2009-05-09T21:37:00.001-07:00

Maleen went swimming for the first time while we were in Idaho for Nathan's graduation. She LOVED it!

Graduation!!!

2009-05-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

Nathan had his graduation last weekend!! Maleen stayed awake right until it was time to take pictures and Marcus woke up just in time for pictures.

ENT...

2009-05-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

Ear Nose and Throat Specialist. Yes, today I had to take Maleen to the ENT. She has had a double ear infection for weeks. I have religiously given her the two antibiotics prescribed by our Pediatrician but last Friday when she showed little to no improvement we were referred to the ENT. The status is this. Her infection all though not gone is improving. If at the end of next week she gets worse again we have to take her back for another dose of antibiotics. If that doesn't work then she will need tubes. She is such a good baby that no one believes us when we tell them she is sick with an ear infection.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Marcus and Maleen were up early on Easter Morning. Marcus did a great job hunting down eggs and Maleen loved her first taste of chocolate. They had the cutest clothes for Easter Sunday but were way more into their Easter Goodies then getting their pictures taken.

Tee Ball

2009-04-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

Super cute player and his No. 1 fan!

Alabama

2009-04-11T16:57:00.001-07:00

We started our trip off by finalizing Maleen's adoption. We are so blessed to have her as part of our family. She was by far the cutest baby at Court.

We had such a nice time seeing you. We love you all very much. We want to thank you for your gifts. We will cherish the baby doll forever.

St. Patrick's Day

2009-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

RISE and SHINE

2009-03-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Maleen is a great sleeper. She always wakes up
with a big smile.

She is also a very active sleeper. She talks in her sleep and moves all over her crib. I usually find her in one crazy position or another when she wakes up.

Who wouldn't want to wake up and see that smile!!!

We LOVE you...

2009-02-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

and would never consider leaving you out of our trip to Alabama. We are just sorry that getting a court date has taken so long. Maleen will always know how much you love her and how much we love you. See you in April!!!!!

She loves to EAT!

2009-02-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of Maleen eating her fist bites of food. She didn't know what to think at first but now she LOVES to EAT! She isn't to fond of rice cereal but she likes the oatmeal and loves peas, carrots and sweet potatoes.

Perfection

2009-02-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

I know I am partial but I must say that Maleen is a perfect baby. She has the sweetest personality and the best smile. She is a great sleeper (10 hours great). She wakes up chatting not crying and always has a big smile when she sees you. We love her so much. We are so excited for you to see her when we come to Alabama. You won't believe how much she has grown. When she went for her 2 month well baby she was in the bottom 5th percentile for height and weight. At her 4 month appointment she shot up to the 30th percentile for height and weight. Her Doctor says she is doing great which is always comforting to hear.