The Crazy Bates

Isaac

2012-01-18T22:15:00.000-08:00

Isaac turned 2 today and he didn't really have any clue, but he sure LOVED opening the presents and blowing out his candles! He even did the happy dance...And of course the cake:) He lOVES candles so much he can't wait to blow them out, so I held him through the birthday song (which consisted of the traditional birthday song and both families crazy birthday songs), but he blew them out and then started into the cake. His dad made him an Elmo cake that was VERY cute and yummy! Thanks Dave, I couldn't have stood up long enough to make it. Yep I am due in 2 1/2 weeks and this boy is big, so I am slow:/ I was very proud of myself for cleaning and organizing the toys. That was not an easy task!! So, Isaac still has is own birthday, because brother cooperated and stayed in:) Now we will see if he will come before or after Dave's b-day:) Happy 2nd my cute Isaac dude!!

Cassandra Joy Bates

2012-01-05T22:47:00.000-08:00

So, Cassie is now 9! She is growing up into such a beautiful girl. Her smile is so contagious and I LOVE to see it! She always revels in the fact that her birthday is 2 days after Christmas, and doesn't feel bad at all:) So glad her middle name is Joy and that she is my Christmas baby. She is always thinking about how things work and is so fun to talk to. She loves to try new things and never wants to miss out. She never wants anyone else to miss out either, so she loves to share. She is taking a few of her friends (and Sissies, of course) to Hollywood Connection to ride rides, eat cake and pizza and celebrate. She couldn't be more excited!! Happy 9th my sweet Cassie Joy:D

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was just the right balance of fun, and pondering the birth of Jesus. Now that the girls can understand things more deeply, we could really focus on His birth and have some great discussions. There were some "firsts" we did this year. We saw the New Testament videos on Christ's birth and "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and really enjoyed them both! They led to some great conversations. We went on our first carriage ride at Temple Square and it was SO fun. We went to the Candlelight Christmas with Nana, Grandpa and cousins (at this is the place...) and it was fun to go back in time. My favorite was their caroling to us in the street. We also listened to "The Most Beautiful Story That's Ever Been Told" the song that the ward choir sang at Grandma Kammerath's funeral in June (which made me cry so much I could barely get through the words). That's one of my most favorite Christmas songs now and makes me think about Grandma too. It was our "first" Christmas without her and without any great grandparents, weird.

The girls had so much fun giving presents and wanted to pass out those presents first when we got downstairs. I was so glad that was what they chose to do. Christmas was great and Isaac and his cute smile were so fun to see. When we first went down the stairs he saw his basketball hoop and giggled. It was perfect! It was so nice that Christmas was on a Sunday and singing in the Christmas choir was wonderful. I blubbered through the last song-but I can blame that on hormones, right? Anyway, the parties were great and it was so fun to see family and eat yummy food. New Years Eve we stayed overnight at the hotel again with Grandma and Grandpa K and Wendy's family and had a ton of fun!! (but missed those that weren't there:( Now on to 2012:)

p.s. Even though the hormones made it difficult to sing in the choir, being pregnant, I felt so deeply some of the lyrics to the songs. I've been pregnant (almost due) through 3 Christmases and somehow things just seem to mean a little more...

p.s.s.The girls also had their dance concert and it was really fun to watch them. They did a great job!

Music

2011-12-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hello! Phew, I am almost done with everything "big" I have to do before Christmas...AND I have survived it barely still walking:) The Viewmont choir concert was last night and today in school and it was great. Both Cassie and Ashley got to be in it this year. This year was so challenging and the kids just had a hard time settling down, but they FINALLY did this last week and did a great job. I heard some singing at the performances that I had never (or rarely) heard in practice, so it was such a payoff. I never thought this would be something that I would do (directing), but I have had a lot of opportunities to hone my skills. I have been ward choir director twice and this choir director for 5 years now. It is something I surprisingly love to do. (At least my back is to the audience;) I don't like being in front of large crowds and don't like to call attention to myself, but I LOVE music and the joy it gives the audience and the singers (and me). I love what it does for our souls. EVERYONE needs it in their life, so if I can bring that joy to other people, then I guess that is my reason for doing it again and again. It's the same way when I sing or play the violin. The joy it brings to me and those who listen makes it all worth it. What a gift!! Now I am going to take a nap...or maybe in a few days...

Graditude

2011-11-01T13:01:00.001-07:00

I first heard this poem when I was a young woman and I have kept it all these years.  It is a great reminder for me...

Some murmur when the sky is clear
And wholly bright to view,
If one small speck of dark appear
In their great heaven of blue:
And some with thankful love are filled,
If but one streak of light,
One ray of God’s good mercy, gild
The darkness of their night.

(Richard Chenevix Trench, in Sourcebook of Poetry, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1968, p. 396.)

Halloween 2011

2011-10-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

So Halloween season thus far has been really fun. I found really fun costumes without a lot of effort to put in on hair and makeup, so maybe that's the reason, but it's been good. Ashley is Angelica (girl pirate from "Pirates of the Caribbean"), Cassie is Little Bo Peep with her cute bonnet and blue staff, Megan is Dorothy with her basket with toto in it and Isaac is a pirate (because Ashley wanted him to match her and I found the cutest costume online!!) Anyway, they already wore their costumes to dance class, the ward halloween party and the school Halloween parade and parties. Now we just have our Halloween party with Grandma and Dave's production on Monday with trick or treating and we will be officially done. Dave is working so hard to finish his new skeleton dance for Monday and I think it's really cool. He just LOVES doing this (even though it means loss of sleep and some stress). It's fun to see him doing something he loves. And he is really good at it. Love you Dave!!! Pictures to come after Halloween...

I did the cutest craft with Cassie's friends in her class for the Halloween party and I will post a picture of that too-I highly recommend it!! It was from Oriental Trading company and cost 6.25 for 12, so it was 12.50 for her whole class and a couple extra for my kids to do:) I loved it because it took some effort, but they could do it themselves for the most part and they can hang it up to enjoy during the holiday.

So...Halloween was AWESOME this year. The weather couldn't have been more perfect! The girls and Isaac loved trick-or-treating (Kaitlynne and Ashley took Megan and Cassie around, and Isaac and I slowly wandered around for a little while together-mostly checking out the decor at everyone's house:) AND Dave's show looked great! The sound took a few more minutes than he would've liked to get started, but it all worked out and everyone enjoyed it. The skeletons looked great and he added a few fire affects to the "Pumpin Rot" song. Such a fun show!!! Anyway, I am glad to live in a neighborhood where we feel safe on Halloween and where people like to have fun!! Until next year:)

Ashley turns 11!!

2011-10-12T11:14:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Ashley turned 11 yesterday. It's exciting yet sad both at the same time. It's fun to see her grow up and do so many things on her own, but I am so glad that she still needs her mom. She still comes and gives me kisses and hugs and I hope that continues. Anyway, her birthday party is this Saturday and should be a lot of fun.

Ashley's party was a big hit! We somehow managed to get everything ready and Mira helped with the cupcakes (thank goodness) and Ashley's friends were easy going, so it was a great time. They made a Harry Potter movie along with all the cheese and great acting that we were expecting:) Can't wait til Dave can edit it and she can show her friends. It's so nice to have good friends who are such great kids!

We made popcorn cupcakes and had Movie decorations along with the red carpet:) The balloons were a big hit with Isaac (Avery tended him at her house) when he got home and are still going strong! Birthdays are such fun times to celebrate these precious people who are in our lives.

It's a boy!!

2011-10-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

So I am carrying another boy to join our family in the beginning of February and we are so excited!! The ultrasound this time was really so personal and relaxed and I was so glad we got to do it this way. Dr. Smith invited us to come to the office this time instead of hospital. That was nice for a couple of different reasons. We can't do anything at Alta View because of our insurance, but we could do it in the office AND the girls got to come in (which they don't do in the hospital). The lady that did it came up from the hospital and she couldn't have been nicer. She talked through everything she was measuring and was so cute with the girls. She gave them each a picture of his cute profile to show each of their classes. She basically talked the whole time and told us that everything was good (which was what I was holding my breath to hear). The 3D view of him was so cool! He wouldn't move his hand, so we couldn't see his face, but his feet were so cute:) Anyway, what a cool way to do our last ultrasound:) That has sort of a melancholy feel to it, but only a spiritual/emotional level and NOT a physical level. On that level I am SO ready for this to be done. Anyway, I can't wait to decide on his name and meet him...he is going to be one loved kid...

Introducing...our backyard

2011-09-07T13:12:00.001-07:00

Okay, so my husband has outdone himself again. My backyard is almost done and it is amazing. It can't be beautiful until the playhouse and the flower beds are done, but it is AMAZING!! He has pretty much created the perfect backyard(at least for me;). His waterfall, hill, stream and pond are beautiful and so relaxing- the rubber chips are spread out, the bridge in place, the garden growing, the shed in place, the basketball pad ready and our outside entrance kid friendly. Anyway, I couldn't be more excited and GRATEFUL!! Now to finish our cute playhouse, get the window well covers on and finish the basement!! The flower beds will just top it off next spring:) Yay for backyards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and amazing husbands!!!!!!!!!!!

School 2011

2011-09-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

We've had the first 2 1/2 weeks of school and they have been very good. All three of my girls are in school all day :) and :( and they love their teachers!!! Yay!!

Isaac and I are doing great at home. He is growing up so big along with everyone else. He is definitely a boy and it has been fun to notice those differences. He LOVES balls and trucks and getting dirty, working with tools and doing everything! He makes sounds with his trucks and loves his mama. I love my boy.

I love the conversations that the girls and I have. We talked about being a mom in the car and how it is a real job and something that I love to do, to take care of them. Cassie chuckled as I said if people say my job isn't a real one, they can do it for a day and they would change their mind:) Cassie is so fun to talk to and loves life! She doesn't want to miss out on anything:) I love to watch Meggie play. She makes her dollies talk to each other and she really gets into her playing. She also LOVES monkey bars at school. She has calluses on her fingers form doing it so much, but it is just in her blood. What a cute girl. Ashley is growing up to be quite a young lady. She loves to read and sing and create stuff. She has great friends and I am so thankful for that. I love that they love to still give me kisses and hugs. I am so glad to be reminded of things by them and I am so glad that I can share the things that I know with them too. I hope that they know I love them and love who each of them is. We are all so excited for this little baby who is growing inside me. I can't believe that it is happening. Our family will be complete soon and I am sure we will just keep plugging along and trying to do our best!!

End of summer...

2011-09-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

We had some great day trips and getaways towards and the end of the summer and I think it helped us feel ready to get back into school and work hard. We went to Thanksgiving point with Mom and Dad K and all the gradkids, Lagoon with the whole Kammerath clan and we topped it off with camping at the stake property with the Bates'. We are SO blessed to have family close and that we can be together so often (minus the Idaho Bates' and Las Vegas Zaby's), but even then, we talk often and go on vacations together which helps them not feel so far away. I cherish all of these moments we have together and that my kids get to know and be loved by their grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins...

Wolf Creek

2011-08-21T21:45:00.001-07:00

We had another fun, relaxing trip to top off the summer at Wolf Creek. Mom and Dad rented a house and it was the perfect set up. There were 3 floors to play on, so we could be together or apart:) and they had a great gathering area in the kitchen and downstairs. We each made a yummy meal, so the food was fabulous and we played, swam and laughed together. It was so fun to have Josh, Sarah and their lil' ones there this year. I love family vacations with the whole clan. The kids have such a fun time together and the adults get to relax more because of that. Yay for summer!!

Wizard:)

2011-08-05T15:57:00.001-07:00

So, the girls finished their last performance of The Wizard of Oz on Wednesday and they had such a great time!!! They had a lot of fun doing it together too. (it was nice to have Ashley there to "take care" of Cassie. What a great big sister!) It was a lot of late nights (especially at the end), but they stuck through it and had energy til the bitter end. I was especially impressed with Cassie because at the beginning I wasn't sure she would be able to do it(she kept wanting breaks and treats), but that's how you learn, is by doing:) Ashley did great as a member of the Lullaby League and they were such cute munchkins with those cute smiles (just wanted to pinch those cute cheeks.) Seeing Cassie come out the first night with that huge grin was so fun. She was having a blast!(and didn't even itch or pick at anything). If you know Cassie, you know what I am talking about lol. And as their mommy, I am so glad that they are still my little girls, even though sometimes they do grown-up things. They still love their mommy and need her-and I need them too. Now to take the rest of the summer at a little slower pace...

lil' peanut:)

2011-08-05T15:50:00.001-07:00

So we saw our last little peanut on the ultrasound on Tuesday and (he or she) was so adorable, just kicking away and waving (very active)...Dave came with me and we were both (especially Dave) so excited that our baby looked happy as can be inside. I hope I can be that happy on the inside sometime soon too:) Dr. Smith was very excited too and it was fun to sit and chat with him for a minute. Can't believe we are doing this again, so he we go:) Aren't we getting too old for this?!?! No, it'll keep us young:) Here's to the last time I have to feel pregnancy sickness!!!! Yay:)

More curls?!?!?!

2011-07-29T10:50:00.001-07:00

So, my little boy looks not quite so little today. I told Dave I would get his cute curls cut off, so that I did. I took a before picture and we'll have to get a after. He cried through most of the haircut, so I didn't take the after yet. He looks like a new boy, but YES there is a lot of curl left on that little head of his...so here's hoping for fast growing hair that will bring more curls. Even Dave thought he didn't look like Dude as much when he got home from work, but he was glad I did it. Like I said, I don't think it will go straight, and with that cute grin of his, I think he would be cute even if he was bald:) Just makes me smile thinking about it. He has some thick locks (like his daddy had) and they still have A LOT of curl!!! Yeah!!!!

still cursed...

2011-07-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

So, this summer has been fun, busy and very predictable...as you can see from the title and if you read my post from July 2010, you would see that we are still cursed. Now, I am not a superstitious girl. I don't really give a thought to things like black cats etc;, but we have been blessed with a curse, and this year did not disappoint. Anyway, I wrote in the former post that Dave was always cursed to be sick on the 2 major holidays each year, the 4th of July and Christmas. I even had a thought the day before the 4th, hoping that this year might be different. This year was a bit more dramatic and involved all of us, so I am so grateful that we all came out okay-but I still think we should keep him locked up next year:)...

So, after Murray fun days, we were driving home and Dave, along with the rest of us, was eating popcorn. The rest of the story is not so funny and I am yet again so grateful that it turned out the way it did. He started choking and I was trying to figure out how I was going to get the car safely stopped and try to save my husband at the same time. I said to Dave as I stared at the dashboard "we have got to pull over". He took that as "pull over now" and on his way over we hit a girl going the same direction in the lane next to us. No mind you, I was as shocked as you and was glad that it wasn't too bad of a crash, BUT my number one concern was my still choking husband. We got the car safely pulled over in a parking lot adjacent to the road and I jumped out ready to do the heimlich. Anyway, by the time I got over he was out and already stressed about hitting someone etc; We made sure the other driver was okay (physically) although she was pretty shaken up and had just got her car fixed from a previous crash she was in. Our neighbor Jeff was the officer that helped us and he was very nice and made us feel better. I still think that it was the impact/shock of the crash that helped Dave get the popcorn, so I really couldn't have asked for a better outcome considering the circumstances. (I am sorry that the poor girl had to be involved though:( Anyway, so here's to hoping that holidays are a little less eventful in the future and this dramatic event possibly ended the cursing altogether...I guess we'll see:)

Grandma K

2011-07-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

We had Grandma K for sooo long, that I think it's going to be a while before it feels like she is really gone...at least for now. But, she is, and she passed her test with flying colors. I am sure she is happy with those who have already passed on. I will miss being able to think I might see her at the temple...It was so fun the night that I actually did. She was a part of my life since the beginning. What an example of faith. We won't soon forget what she would say to us if she were her, and that is the magic of Grandma...I will miss the punch (in the little glass cups) and cookies or other treats she would bring from the bakery. I will miss the waves goodbye at the door that would last til we were long gone. I will miss her wanting us to sing a song to her. I will miss...our visits...goodbye Grandma:)

p.s.we had a ward temple night last week and as I was sitting there, I felt like grandma was checking in to see how things were going...that would totally be her job:) It made me smile and I knew I was in the right place...

The California/Newport dream:)

2011-06-22T21:51:00.001-07:00

Our trip to Newport this year was fun!! I remember our first year going. It was 5 years ago. Megan was 14 months old, now she is 6. Wow, how all of the kids have grown... and now we have Isaac:) It was so fun to have the condo to hang out in and the beach and Disneyland to go to. The kids had tons of fun running around the condo, playing down at the playground, painting, playing games together, running some more:)...and of course the beach. Basically we all had fun just being together. Dave has a great video/picture montage of the trip...Thanks Mom and Dad for a great trip!

The Little Things

2011-05-30T23:02:00.001-07:00

I went shopping today with my girls earlier in the day, and Isaac later on at night. They did the cutest things, that I wanted to write them down so I could remember how awesome this day was (even though I was depressed that I shopped and have to take back 50% of what I bought (boo!)

That aside, as I shopped by myself today I ran into the Techeras. It was so cool to see them and I even spoke pretty good Spanish. I love that smile that Ina has. She held my face and looked into my eyes. What a sweet lady. They were going back to Uruguay because Daniel's father was ill...glad he can make it back to see him...Then as Meg, Cassie and I were shopping, whenever we were in a parking lot Megan would hold my hand. I love holding my kids' hands. As they older it happens less, although when Ashley and I are alone, she still takes my hand:) The girls were my wardrobe crew and they helped me try on my clothes and organized everything. Meggie would sit outside the room holding the clothes while Cassie would get them organized for me to try on. Then I would have to show Meggie each thing I tried on, so we would open the door:) It was most fun shopping I have had in a long time:) Anyway, I was grateful for those sweet moments. Then tonight as I was waiting in line at Walmart with Isaac, I asked him to give me a kiss. He leaned over and gave me a wet little kiss. What a sweetheart. It was great...

I count today as a day with some "tender mercies" from God along with all the drama that shopping for clothes brings to me...He loves me and I am so grateful he shows me:)

Megan's 6th Birthday

2011-05-26T21:47:00.001-07:00

Yes, Megan is 6, and I am not happy about it:( 6 seems so much bigger than 5 and it feels like she has moved into the big girl phase of life now...But anyway, I will survive. I have so many saved memories(thanks to technology) of Megan that if I want her to be little again I can take a trip down memory lane...anyway, enough of the sentimental stuff, Megan turned 6 and it was great!

She had a Tangled party with her friends and they had so much fun. Dave made a fun card with her posing as Rapaunzel. It was so cute. She invited 7 friends (plus her sisters) over and they played a princess game, made their own Tangled hair complete with flowers, did a pinata, had cupcakes and ice cream and opened presents. It was perfect princess party for a (still) little princess named Meggie:)

She had fun birthdays at both Grandma's and Nana's house and was spoiled in every way!! (Josh even made her a jewelry box cake:) Happy 6th my Meggie:D

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T13:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to my mother, mother-in-law and my Grandma K and my grandma's who have left (only for a little while) and still feel close. My children have the best grandmother's in the whole world!! Breakfast in bed and a kiss from my man chef, homemade gifts, hugs, grins and little kisses from my little people and not so little people, and it's only 9:30...now on to real life:) Thanks for such a nice morning:)

Mother's Day is a time to remember, reflect, love, hope, and love again. I am so glad to have had the privlege to be a mother, although sometimes I don't deserve it. I hope the good moments I have make up for those not so good ones. With the Savior's help they will...

Ashely Ann, Cassandra Joy, Megan Kaylee and Isaac David...I love you

Happy Mother's Day!!

Easter

2011-05-01T20:15:00.001-07:00

This Easter was fun for the kids. Our annual neighborhood Easter egg hunt is small, but not too small, and fun!! We really love it. It was Isaac's first Easter egg hunting and he was happy as long as he had an egg in each hand. He didn't worry about picking up any more, and forget about putting any in the basket. All the girls had fun and Megan even found a "golden" egg. They hid the eggs very well for Ashley's age group and Cassie was very excited about opening her eggs!! She and Megan went out on the deck and opened and traded around the winnings...Sisters are so much fun:) Our Easter egg hunting in the neighborhood is a fun thing to do. If you add our hunts at Nana's and Grandma's...we are spoiled:)

Along with all of the fun and treats, the Easter program at church was so neat to be a part of. Ashley, Cassie and Megan sang in the children's chorus and it was beautiful. The 3 numbers were so powerful for the choir themselves to sing, and I am so grateful that the congregation could feel that same spirit. Being the director, there is a power you feel from all that are singing that is hard to describe. I love music about the savior.

Yay for sitters...

2011-05-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

All of the girls LOVE to play with Isaac, but one of them (who will remain nameless:) has to be watched while she is doing so. But anyway, both Isaac and I are lucky to have such wonderful girls in our life. Ashley entertains Dude and I don't have to worry about him. It is so nice. Cassie takes him places and really gets him "involved" in what she is doing. She tries to put firebugs in his hands and takes him digging in dirt with her. Needless to say, he LOVES her. Anyway, we are using and discovering the backyard and we are so excited that we have it this year. Yay!!!!

Isaac, the sucker pro...

2011-05-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

My little Isaac dude is a pro at eating suckers. I attribute this a lot to the fact that he always has more than his fair share of saliva in his mouth;) He has drooled from 3 months on and sometimes it has been profusely...So the upside to this is that he knows how to eat a sucker. He actually knows how to eat most anything (except eggs), but he especially knows how to eat a sucker. Now, mind you, he doesn't get suckers everyday, but when he gets one the grin that I get from him is worth all of the wrestling I have to put up to change his diapers and clothes-almost:) Anyway, that little grin and actually watching him suck and chew and devour the sucker is so much fun. So, today I was taking a break for a minute while he was eating his sucker and I looked up and it was stuck in his hair. He was just playing around and didn't notice. I sat there and watched in delight to see if he would notice it was there or if he would just leave it there. Sure enough, a few minutes later he noticed it was there and tried to pull it out. That's when yours truly had to assist. I gave it back to him without too much pulling and he finished it off...and then it was BATH TIME:) What a cute kid:D

Isaac is walking and Megan's Tooth Adventure;)

2011-04-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

So, the boy is a walking machine now...so cute to watch. On his 14th month birthday he decided that it was okay to start walking by himself. He is so excited about the whole thing and I just love that grin...you know the one:D He can open toilet seats now:(

So, it's been a couple of weeks now and he IS a walking machine. He gets his food and then he gets down and just walks around the main floor, over and over, and picks things up along the way. Then puts things down and picks other things up. This continues for a long time until he realizes he is not OUTSIDE and then he starts crying. He LOVES to be outside. He will just sit on the grass and look around for like 20 minutes. Then he will start putting whatever is nearby in his mouth (aeration, grass, dirt, sticks long strands of grass) and chews on it:) So I am going to have to figure out how to make that happen while still getting my work done around here...wish me luck!!

On Facebook I posted:

Ok, so the boy is now walking and it is so funny to watch. He uses his arms to toddle along and keeps trying new maneuvers such as picking up objects and taking them along and turning around and going the other direction. Now if he could just be outside all of the time, then all his dreams would come true:)

Megan lost 2 teeth yesterday. She has had these 2 loose teeth for maybe a couple of months in her mouth. She did NOT want anyone to touch them, so being the 4th time mom that I am I decided they would come out when they did. So, one night she bumped her teeth on Isaac's tray and the screaming and bleeding began. It went like this:lots of screaming by Megan, bleeding, excitement and congratulations from the rest of us, more screaming by Megan, twisting and turning by mom (wow these teeth are stubborn!!) more screaming by Megan until they both decided to let me pull them out. Still whimpering Megan who eventually calmed enough to be a little excited that she would get 2 dollars instead of one. The girls were so cute and big sisterly telling her of their first tooth experiences and being so excited for her. Now, this cute little Meggie has a hole in her mouth and she is growing up!!! That can't happen, she's my little girl, but inevitably it will:(...and all this during dinner:)

What are commercials???

2011-03-10T19:11:00.001-08:00

The kids were sitting at the bar for breakfast and Dave said, "Hey Heidi, Cassie just asked what a commercial was." Now granted, this is my child who does not like to watch TV as one of her past times, but STILL...she didn't even know what a commercial was. Yay for netflix and DVDS!!! We watch our share of movies and shows around here, but commercial free. I am so glad that we don't have to waste our time watching useless things that someone else decides we need to watch.

Bates' Nursery by Cassie

2011-03-10T18:46:00.001-08:00

Ok, so life with these kids can sometimes get downright crazy, but then....sometimes they are so dang cute you can hardly contain your smiles. Today was one of those days. Cassie decided that she wanted to get all (and I mean all) of the toys out and create a nursery for Isaac all over the floor. So, she had stations set up all over the floor on the main floor (LOVE our addition) and she had Isaac try out the toys at all the stations. We have some fun toys and I am so glad that we have them, so my kids can play and create...AND when their friends come over they have stuff to play, imagine and create with (ok so I sound like a commercial). Anyway, they had a great time...the only problem is now it's time for clean-up:)

Ashley, the budding author and creative genius (especially when her mom needs it most:)

2011-03-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

So I went into Ashley's classroom to talk to her teacher and she said she had a writing assignment that she wanted me to see. She has taught for many years. Anyway, she had given an assignment for the kids to look at a clay dragon that she had, and then describe it for her. She was SO impressed by Ashley's description and wanted to make sure I saw it. Mrs. Hall wanted her to get an award for how awesome it was. Ashley has always been a very descriptive writer and it was nice to see her teacher appreciate her talent. She showed the principal and her former 3rd grade teacher Miss Miller and they both commented to me. I am so glad they are recognizing her talents and abilities and helping her develop them. What great teachers we have!!!

I love what a creative girl and entertainer my Ashley is...she is passing this ability down to her younger sister Cassie, so I am a blessed woman. She directed a musical at John and Heather's house with the 3 girls and Analisa...so funny and sweet!!

Basketball Cassie Cassandra4

2011-02-26T23:43:00.000-08:00

Cassie loves basketball and had so much fun playing in Junior Jazz this year. Her coaches were so great to make sure everyone got a chance to shoot baskets in the games. Cassie tried making some shots, and the last game she made 2!! I loved that look on her face after they went in. What a determined girl!! We love you Cassie Cassandra4 (that is how she signs most things on her papers at school).

Valentines 2011

2011-02-15T21:58:00.001-08:00

Valentines 2011 was a lot of fun. The kids picked out or made their favorite Valentines and they were just perfect! Ashley designed and colored her own (love fairy) valentines, Cassie picked out basketball valentines that turn into a hoop and ball, so you can play:) and Megan drew some beautiful hearts. Here is a sample of each of them...

The girls got new shirts and chocolate roses on Valentine's morning and Dave made us chocolate chip pancakes (yum) I rang the doorbell and left their presents for them. Dave got some See's chocolate and some non girly smelling lotion for his poor hands. lol

Dave took me to Log Haven up Millcreek Canyon and it was so cozy and romantic. The food was yummy too:) and he brought home some beautiful roses and a twix bar:) wow, talk about being spoiled. How fun!!

Dave is 40!!!

2011-02-15T21:47:00.001-08:00

Okay, so Dave is officially 40!! We celebrated in many ways and he got embarrassed AND spoiled. He had a party at Grandma's and Nana's houses, and then he got "Harrassed" (as he put it) on his actual birthday. Nana, Grandpa and I (and Isaac and Megan) went to his office to sing him a song his mom wrote and give him some balloons. I snuck decorations to Andrea who works with him, to decorate his cube, so he would be surprised when he got to work. The most embarrassing part was definitely the song(the song itself wasn't embarrassing. Mom wrote it and it was very good!!), and I wasn't much help singing with Nana and Grandpa, because I was either laughing or too embarrassed...Way to carry the song Mom and Dad!! Mike, Dave's boss, said "At least we know Dave is loved:) It's true, Dave is definitely loved...The kids made him cards and we had dinner in (Noodles:) and played little big planet. Dave and I also went on a date cross country skiing to celebrate!! I didn't want this to be a downer birthday, so I gave Dave a "I don't want to grow up" hat to wear and a "40 and fantastic" pin to wear. And his party plates said "the party continues"...and so it does. Happy Birthday Dave, I love you xoxoxox

Facebook post...Happy 40th birthday to my awesome Dave!! So lucky to have this ride with you:) We'll NEVER grow up K??

Isaac David Bates "Dude"

2011-02-15T21:42:00.001-08:00

Isaac is one year old:) I can't believe how fast time seems to go. He had a lot of fun at his party and LOVED the cake! We did a ball cake because they are some of his favorite toys. He loves to chase balls and will push them around on the floor. He got some fun toys and it was so fun to have everyone come (minus the Zabys in Las Vegas, the Bates' in Idaho and poor Stockton, Jimmy and Jan who were sick-Boo:( We are so glad you came to our family Isaac!!

Cassie Joy is 8!

2011-01-08T23:38:00.000-08:00

Cassie is 8 and is so excited to be baptized. She is so sweet and will be a great new member of the church:) She got her new scriptures from Mommy and Daddy and also a hymnbook and Children's songbook. She got to have her Lion House party with her friends and she was SO excited. She loves parties and loves to look forward to them almost as much as go to them. She invited 4 friends in her neighborhood and her cousins Ben, Zachary, Ady and Andrew. They played pioneer games, made taffy, ate yummy sandwiches, blew our candles and opened up presents. She also got to take home the leftover cake and a porcelain doll that holds a violin. What a fun thing. Thanks Nana, we LOVE the lion house!!

Facebook Post:

My sweet Cassie Joy turned 8 today!! I love all of her questions and philosophies about life. The way she thinks just makes me smile... What a great little girl:)

Cassie was baptized and confirmed by her daddy today. What a wonderful day with those she (and I) love. So grateful to understand what this life is about and have a Heavenly Father and Savior who love us and are patient. So thankful...

p.s. Everyone (minus Delaney and Graham) was here for the baptism. It was great to have an excuse to have everyone together again:)

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T22:14:00.001-08:00

This has been a wonderful Christmas season. The girls really got excited about everything and Isaac loved his first Christmas, except feeling overwhelmed at the big Christmas parties:) Cassie had so much fun writing to Santa and getting back a signed picture of him. We got a cute video of her reading her note from him...it's a MUST SEE:) I love Christmas!!!

Christmas Music

2010-12-26T22:09:00.001-08:00

I love this time of year because of all the beautiful Christmas music. We saw 2 great programs, Cassie's 2nd grade Christmas Concert and our Viewmont Christmas Choir. We also sang in our ward christmas program and Cassie and Ashley joined us in that. I love the music of the Christmas season.

Christmas Dance Concert 2010

2010-12-16T21:00:00.001-08:00

The dance concert this year was fun! All three of the girls had very different dances and costumes and it was so fun to watch.

Megan did "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" and it was adorable. Some of her moves were so dang cute I just laugh thinking about them. She looked so cute in her blue costume!

Cassie's dance was a fun version of "Jingle Bells". She is turning into quite a good dancer:) You can't help but smile when you see Cassie up on stage with her cute smile. Her yellow dress was fun to twist and turn in:)

Ashley is in Junior Starlettes this year! Her costume is so cute and is one of my favorites she has ever had. She danced in the finale, so it was fun to see her in 2 dances.

Thanks for the 6 years of shows my dancing girls!

Halloween-I amost forgot...

2010-11-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

So, we had a fun Halloween this year and the girls had fun dressing up. We even got to dress up Isaac for his first Halloween:) He was a puppy and looked so cute! He also had a cute pumpkin hat and shirt he wore to get a picture with Hadley. Megan was a genie and loved her costume, and especially loved wearing some makeup and glitter:) Cassie was a vampire princess and she looked great with her black lips, eye makeup and crimped hair. Ashley was Hermoine Granger from Harry potter and looked like a great Hermoine with her crimped hair. That crimper came in handy this year. We had fun parties this year. First we had the ward halloween party, then each girl had a dance halloween party, school halloween parade and parties, Grandma and Grandpa's halloween party and last but not least our trick-or-treating and Dave's show. His show was really fun this year. He has regulars that come every year to see what new things he has added. He added the goo coming down from the door, the house coming alive with the owner inside and the hand grabbing and scratching the driveway. It was a fun time for everyone and I love how our neighborhood is a great place to spend this fun holiday!!!!

Disneyworld 2010-Just the two of us:)

2010-11-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

I had a WONDERFUL trip with my Dave to Disneyworld this past week and it was SO FUN! We went for our honeymoon 11 years ago, and it was great to go back, just the 2 of us. Now, 11 years and 4 kids later, it was no small feat to get out of town:) Thanks to our moms and Mira we got to go Wednesday-Sunday. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach resort at Disneyworld and had our own hammock on the sandy beach that we relaxed on when we had to check out on Sunday. We made sure that we took our last day easy so we could come back rested and ready to come back to reality, plus it was Sunday. The flights were good and it was fun to spend them with Dave:)

When we got there Wednesday night we just grabbed some pizza and a salad at the resort and then rushed to bed, so we could have energy for the next day (which was early for us because of the time change).

Our first day was Epcot! I love that place. It was the food and wine festival and we tasted food (not wine:) from various countries along the way. We went to all of the countries and pretty much went on every ride...just enjoying the leisurely pace and really enjoying our surroundings-and especially each other. I love how much effort was put into making each country feel just right. We found some "milkys" in a little Japanese store and found little nooks that we hadn't been to before. We liked the mariachi band playing in Mexico and found Donald dressed up as a "three amigo". He kissed me on the check (blush) as Dave and I had a photo shoot with him. We were secret agents with Kim Possible too, which was super cool!! It rained on and off, but I love the rain, so it wasn't a problem. It wasn't cold, so it was just perfect:) We ended our night there with a great sushi dinner at the Japanese pavilion and fireworks. This week wasn't super busy here at Disneyworld/Universal(minus Harry Potter), so it was nice to not have to wait in long lines. Epcot is a great park!

On Friday we went off property to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I have loved this park ever since our trip with Dave's family 6 weeks after Ashley was born. My favorite ride, Spiderman, was great and we walked onto it twice because everyone else went to Harry Potter land. After, we went on what will be our last ride on "The Hulk". 10 years ago, that ride was pretty fun for me, but now it is torture!! I can't hold my head still and I feel really roughed up after. I guess that's what happens when you get old.lol Next we went to Dr. Suess Land and I LOVED it!! Seriously, can anyone go to that place and not feel like a kid again??? They had their ride working where you get to ride above everything on a little car, so fun! The Cat in the Hat was great! I can't wait to bring my kids here...The shirts were so cute here. I wanted to buy the shirts that said "thing 1", "thing 2"...Anyway, good times. Harry Potter land did not disappoint. It was cool to walk in and feel like you were in hogsmead, minus all the people. I loved the sparkly snow on the rooftops, and the crooked chimneys. The castle was awesome. The windows had fun things to look at and the 3 broomsticks was fun to go into. The wand shop had WAY too long of a line, so we opted for Zonkos. There we got some chocolate wands and other treats and we got Ashley a pigmee puff. They ring the bell everytime someone adopts one and say their name aloud and everyone claps. We got this on video for Ashley. We drank some butterbeer and REALLY love the caramel whipped cream that was on top. Some cute girls took a picture of us with our milk mustaches:) We were on the front row to watch the durmstrand girls and l.....do their routines, so they had us come up first for a picture with them. It was fun. As far as inside the castle and on the ride, it was awesome. The line was very entertaining and so fun to walk. It even snowed on us at one point. Anyway, the ride was really cool. You were really flying with Hermoine, Ron and Harry. Flying is one of the things in this life that I would love to do, so it was really fun for me. The part that wasn't quite so fun was how intense the head rattling was on the ride. I did okay even though it was pretty rough, but Dave hasn't been the same since...Anyway, another great day. After we went to Bubba Gumps for dinner at the front of the park and went home early (the park closed @ 7). We stopped at a candy shop on the way home:) Oh yeah, we park hopped to go see "The Mummy" (SO fun) and some other rides. It was fun to do some things I had never done before.

Saturday was a great day and we had a lot to do:), but the park was open til 2 a.m., so there was plenty of time. The whole point of this trip was to have fun, BUT relax at the same time, and we did a good job. In the morning we went to Animal kingdom and went right to Everest. It is now my favorite roller coaster. It was so unique and unexpected and just plain fun! We got to ride it 3 times. We went on the Dinosaur ride and watched 2 new shows, the Nemo musical and Festival of the Lion King. They were great shows! I like how different that park feels from the rest of Disneyworld. I got a cute hoodie in the Everest shop. Their clothes have a different look too and like it:) Next we went home and relaxed, sat in the hot tub (even though it was REALLY cold) and then went back to Magic Kingdom at 6. It was a great ending to such a fun trip!! We ate Clam Chowder on the second floor of the soup place (name?) that looked down to all the busily walking people. It was kind of hidden away, quiet and a GREAT place to relax! We went on rides, rocked together on the porch rockers at liberty square, watched fireworks and rode more rides!!!! We were dead when it was time to go and as we slowly walked out the park the Christmas music was going and they had some decorations that they had already put up. So, we got a little Christmas too:)

The next day was Sunday. We had our own general conference in our room thanks to the internet, relaxed, and tried to enjoy each other and stretch out the last few hours...when our room was gone we hung out on the hammocks on our sandy beach and took a nap. Our trip home went great and we got home at 11:30, just in time for bed. What a fun time!!!! Thanks Dave:D

My Facebook post said:

Had a WONDERFUL trip to Disneyworld with my Dave (Disney-freak travel agent husband) and I am trying to come back to reality, but DON'T WANT TO...What a blast!! Thanks honey:)-Thanks Moms K and B and Mira-hope you aren't any worse for the wear:)

Me and my girls

2010-10-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Cassie 5, Ashley 7 and Megan 3

I found this picture on Nana's phone from a couple of years ago and HAD to put it here. I just thought it was the cutest picture of us, so here you go:) (If you were wondering, we are at up at the Park City Marriott playing in their dress-ups.)

School Pictures:)

2010-10-11T09:47:00.001-07:00

Ashley 4th grade (almost 10)

Cassie 2nd grade (almost 8)

Megan 5 years-old

Isaac 9 months

So here are this years school pictures!! I am so lucky to have such sweet, beautiful girls! (But don't let them fool ya:) Here is Isaac at 9 months...love that smile:)

Ashley's 10th birthday!

2010-10-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ashley's birthday party was so fun tonight! She chose to go the Mayan. She had asked us for this party for a couple of years, so we decided tonight was the night. She invited a few friends and off we went. I have to say one of the most fun things to do was drive them in the car. They were so funny and had the best sense of humor. It really brought me back to my younger years and the crazy fun me and my friends had...I am SO glad Ashley has good friends! The Mayan was fun and the divers were great! The girls had a great time watching the show 4 times:)

Ashley celebrated her birthday both at Grandma's and Nana's houses. On both sides of the family there are so many birthdays in October. It is a busy birthday month, and so many wonderful people get to celebrate it together!!!

Ashley got so many fun presents and crafts and gets to pick out some more at the store. She is a lucky girl!! She loves to DO things, so all of these gifts will keep this girl very busy and happy. On her birthday morning Ashley got a crepe and bacon breakfast made especially for her by her dad. It was delicious!!

Just like the Build-A-Bear tradition with Nana when they are 5, Grandma and Grandpa take out each grandchild to dinner and to pick out a gift when they are 10:) Ashley had so much fun with them and picked out some fun things...

On Facebook I posted:

Can't believe that Ashley Ann came to our little family 10 years ago today!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE it has been that long. I still remember seeing her right after she was born and through the tears feeling like I was looking at a little me:) What a wonderful girl she is. Love you Ash:D

Soccer

2010-09-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

All 3 girls did soccer this year and it was so fun to go and watch their games. It was Megan's first year and she had a fun with the kids from her grade at Viewmont. She was a great kicker and her teacher from school got to see her play! Cassie made some goals and loved to keep the ball going the right direction. And of course the treat after was what really mattered:) Ashley was a ball of fire and made her games really fun to watch. Way to go girls!!

pictures

2010-08-30T10:01:00.001-07:00

Eventually I will get pictures posted. I need to steal Dave's computer and then I can do it fast:)

Meggie and Kindergarten

2010-08-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

So Meggie went to kindergarten today and I know she will have a GREAT time. As she went in the room Mrs. Lightfoot said "Hi" Megan and she was off and didn't look back. I know she is in good hands and she has some great kids in her class.

Before kindergarten started Grandma took Megan on a date. They went to Noodles for lunch and got Meggie's favorite macaroni and cheese and then went shopping at Toys R Us. Megan picked out (surprise) makeup and she has been playing with it since. It came in a cute carrying case and it has accompanied her many places. My Grandma Daw did this same thing for me when I started kindergarten. Wow, I can't believe it has come full circle. How time flies.

School

2010-08-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school and the girls were ready and so excited. Yesterday their daddy gave them all a father's blessing for back-to-school. It was neat to hear all of the individual things they were told in their blessings. I can't remember a smoother morning getting ready. Everyone did great and we didn't really have any huge breakdowns (that is saying a lot with our history:) I am so excited that they have the teachers they do. They will learn a lot and most importantly, I know they will love and take care of my girls. Megan went and had her interview with Mrs. Lightfoot and they got along swimmingly. Megan is so ready for school and will do great in kindergarten. Yeah for school!!!

And then there was sod...

2010-08-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today we got sod. There is not much more I can say than that. It speaks for itself. Thanks to both of our dads, Brock and Daniel (with me as the watering girl:) Dave was able to make huge progress today. All week he worked sooooo hard to get ready to lay it. He got rocks and topsoil delivered and then rented a skidsteer and hauled the rocks and topsoil back. He stayed up late on Friday smoothing out the topsoil, and Saturday they layed it!!! We have had our plan and I am so glad that is actually happening. I go out and look at it often, just to make sure that it is still there;) Now to the rocks...

View after Dave's work hauling rocks and putting down topsoil

Here we go...

What a beautiful sight!!!!

3 of my favorite people in the world:) Thanks guys!!!

Camping and Lagoon!!

2010-08-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

This year we had a lot of fun doing things close to home. Our 2 favorite things were camping and Lagoon...

Dave and I love camping and so do the kids. It seems everyone can relax and have fun and food always seems to taste better when you are camping. Grandpa Bates' breakfasts are always so yummy and I CRAVE my parent's dutch oven cooking. This year we went to the Spruces and
Redman...the kids always seem to find hideouts and love riding their scooters together and they loved panning the river for gold. The air is so fresh and everything is so beautiful!

I love this photo of everyone snuggling up and watching a flick outdoors courtesy of Dave:)

Lagoon was so fun this year! The kids could go on a lot of rides and we had so much fun together. Even Isaac and Hadley went on some rides:)

My backyard oasis

2010-07-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

My backyard is transforming right before my eyes...good things come to those who wait!!! Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!! and of course it's not happening by magic. Thanks Brock and crew...and of course Dave. Thanks honey!-(post from facebook;)

My Dave has finally done it!!! He is making me a backyard. Not just any backyard, mind you. It will be a wonder when it's finished.

It will have a waterfall, stream adorned with rocks and a pond (Cassie wants a duck and fish:) which you can admire while standing or sitting on the bridge (which Dave and I constructed for our wedding reception. I still want the white bench from Nana's and Grandpa's backyard that Dave asked me to marry him on:)

The playhouse which Dave built with his own 2 hands will be so cute (when I figure out all the decorating details) and will fit the entire family, so we can have a sleepover sometime...

Ohhhh, and I can't wait for the soft grass, so we can sit and run and play.

Then I get to pick out outside furniture and plants flowers in pots and plant a garden and...

on the far side patio we will put 4 square, hopscotch and a basketball hoop

oh and last but not least a shed (a very cute shed of course) to keep all of our stuff in.

Wow, I can't wait!!!!!

Thanks Dave for making it happen and for putting up with my longing looks and comments about outside
while I have been waiting...

Isaac the dude

2010-07-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, my little boy is 6 months old and he is a cutie! He is so happy and smiley. That's why we liked the name Isaac so much (because it means "he will laugh or laughter") and it really fits him to a tee. He scoots, rolls over, sits up, drools, smiles, laughs, cries, poops and all the other stuff babies do very well.

He was conceived after much longing and after a loss of our baby about 9 months earlier and another miscarriage shortly after. He came just at the right time though (funny how things work out that way). I am grateful for his unconditional love and sweet way.

We found him a shirt at the mall that says (Sara found it for us:) "DUDE!" Even though his middle initial d stands for David, we say it also stands for "dude"

I hope that we can be good to you Isaac and take care of you just right...Love, Mom

Here is a photo montage of his life so far

Cousins

2010-07-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

My children are so lucky that they have cousins their age. I was also blessed with this gift as a child and also with wonderful aunts and uncles, so I know how much of an impact that they have in our lives. But my children are SO lucky to have them on both sides:) And what fun they have together...

Thanksgiving Point

Look at all of these cute kids!!!!

Here are the girls (plus an extra one:)

I love this picture of Mom and Dad:) I am sure Isaac really IS happy...

Just as summer started all the grandkids (minus Hadley:( although Isaac slept through all lot of it:), Grandma and Grandpa (and Wendy and I tagged along), went to Thanksgiving point discovery gardens. They played in water at the ark, went through the maze, climbed the lighthouse, played in sand, floated boats and played with dress-ups. At one point Cassie said "There are no rules. You can do whatever you want." They LOVED that-and so did I. It was so fun and then to top it off we had lunch and Grandma and Grandpa bought us ice cream cones...

Cousin-over

Ady and Andrew came from Idaho this week and the kids had a great time being together. The highlights for me where the new waterslide we purchased (after much deliberation) and the puppet show put on by Andrew and Cassie and produced by Nana.

"Bubble Mania" with Ady, Megan and Ashley in Nana's tub after swimming:)

Andrew and Cassie doing their production of "The Mitten"

Shoppin' with Nana

Time to say goodbye:(, but what fun we had!!

As you can tell from the pictures, the waterslide was a hit. It's the perfect size, and wasn't too hard to take up and down once you figured it out, and was the right price. Thank SOMEONE for making just the right slide-after I looked at all the wrong ones. We gave Andrew rights over the water cannon, because lets face it, he is the only boy of 5 of the grandkids that were here (besides Isaac:) and he deserved it (and he even did pretty good at not hitting the girls in the face-a request put to him by Aunt Heidi)

Andrew and Cassie are the creative types. When they get together there is no sitting around. They go, do and create. This time they made a play based on the book "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. I love this book and so does Nana, because she had all the props and it was just fabulous!! We even got red tickets that got us into the show:)

Ady and Ashley got matching clothes from Nana at Justice for early birthday presents (and tried on more just for fun:). They had so much fun shopping with Nana.

Megan tagged along with whoever she was "assigned" to and was a cute girl. Thanks for being a good sport Meggie:)

Cousins are the best!! (and so are Nanas and Aunts:)

Family Photo!! Yeah!!

2010-07-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

We finally have a family photo with Isaac!! I wanted to take the picture in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard with the tulips, but we had a series of rainstorms this spring that just ruined those plans. By the time we got around to it, all of the tulips were gone, but the backyard still, of course, looked beautiful. One sunday I decided we were going to take it no matter what. It was probably the fastest picture we have EVER taken and it turned out cute. The funniest part is that Dave took the picture pushing the remote from his new video camera that takes great pictures. So, in a matter of 5 minutes we got out of the car, took a few pictures and got back in the car. With kids we know there is such a small window of time when they will be good, so we were back in the car quickly and on our way to Grandma's for Sunday dinner. It was fun to see their backyard again. I want to have a picnic there... So many memories:)

p.s. Dave did "photoshop" the picture to make it just right...I think he did a good job!

Rosella the moth

2010-07-10T22:04:00.001-07:00

The last night we were camping at the Spruces, Cassie found a moth that decided it was her best friend. She told me with her big blue/green eyes(those who know Cassie can imagine this look) that she was brave and let it get on her hand. She sat on her hand and didn't fly away...ever. She walked around for an hour with it on her had, so needless to say she decided to keep him as a pet. Cassie gave up her water bottle at the campground so she would have a home and fed him fruit. When we got home Dave made it a terrarium in a trifle dish and he seems very pleased:) Cassie is IN HEAVEN!!! They have been feeding it mostly fruit and juice. My girls are determined to have pets. They are happy with potato bugs, spiders or anything they can catch...and now a moth. She started laying eggs (they only have a life span of 2 or 3 weeks), so hopefully one of the eggs will survive:)

Dave...well, poor Dave:(

2010-07-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

We have a curse at our house...my poor husband gets sick every major holiday(mostly 4th of July and Christmas). So, if any of you know my Dave, you know he is a worker...he always has some project going on (he just finished the sprinkling system!). So, anyway, frequently on major holidays this kid is SICK!!!! He gets a break and he GETS SICK!!! There is nothing more I can say, except, get better soon honey:) and get rid of that curse!!!

Annie

2010-07-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

Ashley finished her musical "Annie" and she had a blast. Dave and I went to go see her on opening night and it was so fun to see our Ashley on stage! She was so cute and was a fabulous dancer/singer/actress. Lots of family and friends went to see it, so it was fun for her perform for people she knew. Her sisters were so excited to see what Ashley had been doing at all of her practices and afterward especially liked meeting Miss Hannigan and Annie. It was a great production with some very talented people. It's so cool that everyday people with jobs and normal lives, can come together and make something so great! I would love to do a musical with Dave and all the kids someday...it would be so fun!

Ashley was so expressive and fun to watch:)

What a cute bunch of girls!!

The whole cast!!

Backstage playing around...

Her sisters are SO proud!!

Before the show with her makeup artist:))

Click for more Annie pictures...

Swimming

2010-06-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Cassie and Megan have been doing swimming lessons for the past 2 weeks and it has been so fun to watch. Cassie and Megan ended up in the same class at the beginning, because Cassie was shy and didn't really show what she could do. When she realized she was going to be in Megan's class, (although they were having a lot of fun together) she showed them she knew how to swim:) She has had no fear and loves the water, even diving. Megan has come a long way, 2 years ago she screamed when she got in the water and last year she wouldn't get in the pool if she had a boy teacher (only Megan :), so this year she had a boy teacher and really learned the basics of swimming...they are all growing up:(:

Schools out!!:):

2010-06-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Miss Miller and Ashley

Mrs. Forsythe and Cassie

Miss Karen, Meg & Mrs. F

So, school ended... and now it's summer!! It was kind of a hard transition for all of us this year trying to get used to being together all of the time, but I think we are going to make it just fine. We are getting into a schedule now and have a lot of fun things planned:) The girls had a great time at school this year and learned so much thanks to their wonderful teachers. They are all ready for Kindergarten, 2nd and 4th grades...can you believe it????

Isaac (5 months) picture was taken when he was 3 months

2010-06-17T07:44:00.001-07:00

Isaac is now eating rice cereal and scooting around the room. Wasn't he just born!!?? The reason we started feeding him was the other day he started smacking his lips together (It was like a sign;) Also, his latest trick is that he LOVES to dig his heels into the carpet and scoot around the room. It is the cutest thing and so funny to watch. I thought I wouldn't have to worry about his moving around for a while yet...He loves to smile and is a happy boy, but wow is he heavy to carry. The girls adore him and are such great "babysitters":) Dave loves his little guy and when he gets home Isaac is soooo excited to see him. We love the "Dude"!

Princess Party

2010-06-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Megan had her first birthday party with friends this year and she had a blast!! She helped me plan the party and she knew exactly what she wanted:) After watching your 2 older sisters have parties, you pretty much know what you want. She had the barbie doll princess cake and Dave and I had fun making that together. They played princess games, broke the pinata, had cake and ice cream and opened presents. She invited 6 little friends and they were all so much fun. What a good time!!

Megan went to Build-A-Bear with Nana and Grandpa and made her bear. She named her Kaylee (her middle name) and she was very fancy, just like a Megan bear should be. lol She got a cool cupcake maker and pretty jewelry from Grandma and Grandpa, a pink scooter and some more girl lute from her Mom and Dad and plenty of other pretty princess things too from friends and family. It was a great birthday except for Meggie had to get bigger:( We want her to stay little forever...

Megan's 5!!!

2010-05-23T16:09:00.001-07:00

Today Megan Kaylee Bates is 5 years old. She is such a sweetheart. In addition to being beautiful on the outside she is so sweet(with her occasional crusties:). Megan will come up and kiss me at any moment for no reason at all. It's so nice to get unexpected kisses! a couple of months ago I was at the piano playing "I Know That My Savior Loves Me" and she came in and said "I know that song." She started singing it and it was the sweetest thing I have ever heard (and I am not saying that just because I am her mother). I was in tears and I want to always remember that sweet little voice. I think that that song was written especially for tiny children to sing because of the words, and I am so lucky that she was able to sing it so beautifully. She asked me the other day "Mommy, why does Jesus love the little children?" I love that she is being taught the things that matter. Anyway, I love Megan and am glad I get to spend so much time with her:)

Hat Parade

2010-05-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

Cassie had a hat parade in 1st grade the other day and Megan, Isaac and I went to watch. We waited out on the playground and they came walking by. It was fun to see how creative they were. Cassie was sick the day they made them, so a friend in another class made hers. I LOVE this picture of Cassie!!! She has such a sweet face and it makes you just want to pinch those cute cheeks:)

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day this year was great! My family spoiled me as usual. I got breakfast in bed with the best omelet that I have probably EVER had! I am married to a great cook! The girls gave me their homemade gifts (always makes me cry...) and sang to me in church. What beautiful girls I have...They each are special to me and each teach me something different. And what a fun thing to have a new little man in my life. Isaac is such a good boy and his smiles make my day every time I see them:)

Cassie was so excited for Mother's Day to come and kept coming up and giving me kisses and asking if I was excited. She is such a thoughtful girl. She made me a lot of cute crafts and a special mother's day cookbook:) Ashley made me garland of flowers from my garden, wrote a poem and helped Dad get breakfast ready for me. Megan was just cute and watching her little face as she sang was so fun.

My wonderful hubby makes everyday Mother's Day at my house. He helps so much and is so nice about it. We planted our flowers in the front yard together on Saturday, so that was a great Mother's Day gift. I am so grateful that he chose me to be the mother of his children.

Just Dance!!

2010-05-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

The girls had yet again a wonderful dance concert. Dave got a new video camera (after waiting 11 years) and we captured some GREAT video.

Meggie looked beautiful with her long curly hair and she danced to "Shall We Dance". She did a good job on her dance steps. The choreography was so cute and we loved her cute smiles and expressions!

Ashley got to wear red sequin shoes and danced to "Boogie Shoes". Her dance was so fun and she is turning into quite a dancer. She gets to try out for Jr. Starlettes this year, but either way she will be in a great group for next year:)

Cassie got to dance with her Daddy this time and it was sooooooo cute. They danced to "Save The Last Dance For Me". They got to go to practices and had so much fun being together. It was so fun to see Dave dance (I especially liked watching him dance with her in the living room...so cute:). I am so glad he got the chance to dance with his girls. It was a once in a lifetime experience and it meant a lot to Dave. I will post video clips and pictures soon...We love the Murray dance program. They do such a good job and it is low stress for us. The concerts are about an hour long and everyone who comes to watch has a great time! I love my dancing girls!!!

Oh yeah, their hair was fun this time. Megan had long curly hair, Ashley had crimped hair and Cassie had her hair pulled up like she was going to the prom for her dance with her daddy. I didn't stress out too much about the hair, which usually is the case;) and I had fun making everyone look cute!!

Meggie the runner...

2010-04-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

We discovered that our Megan is a runner! On Sunday she walked home from church with her dad and sisters and left them in the dust. She sprinted home and wasn't even winded. Dave said it was amazing to watch. A neighbor even yelled "Run, Forest, Run!" I was in the garage and heard 2 little footsteps and wondered where everyone else was. Come to find out they were trying to catch up to her:) The next day she couldn't walk until after a warm shower, her legs were so sore...it didn't cross our minds that she would need to stretch, she's only 4!!(almost 5:) What a funny girl:)
Dave added...

Never seen her run like that, and then all of a sudden she was unstoppable. Kicking up her feet in her dress and sunday shoes like a sprinter. With her little short legs she was still cruising! She's fearless... we'll have to watch her..

Spring Break!!

2010-04-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Swimming, How to Train a Dragon(Great movie by the way), kids sleepover with cousins, bowling, easter egg hunt, easter baskets, mission reunion, conference, girls night out, partying with family...GREAT spring break...and the little dude slept the whole night last night:)

I think it is awesome that you can go to lds.org or "mormon messages" on YOUTube and listen to any conference talk already. So cool...I really loved Sister Beck's talk. I already need to listen to it again:)

Isaac David Bates (aka "dude")

2010-03-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture from Isaac's blessing on March 7th(doing his superman pose:). He was such a good boy and looked cute in his white suit. Our home teacher Brother Wengren said that Isaac was sooo happy during the blessing and was looking around and smiling. He said he had never seen such a happy baby during a blessing before:) Maybe he was really talking to angels. I love little new ones. They are so fresh from Heavenly Father and share that sweetness so willingly.

Introducing Isaac...

2010-02-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

So...little Isaac has arrived!! He came on January 18th @ 1:44 p.m. and weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20 inches. The 18th was my scheduled c-section day, but he was going to come no matter what on that day. I got up that morning to get ready to head to the hospital and realized my water was breaking...so we just moved a little faster. We dropped off the kids and got to the hospital about 1 hour before we were going to, but things did not happen any faster:( I had to sit through pretty painful contractions waiting for everyone to be ready to get him out. But out he came, although they had to tug and pull quite a bit to get the big guy out:) This was my 4th c-section, so I pretty much knew what to expect. When I could tell it was taking longer than usual, I looked at Dave and asked if everything was okay. He was just staring at what they were doing and gave me a puzzled look. But, Dr. Smith managed to pry him out and we all breathed a sigh of relief when we heard the first cry...and I don't THINK I am any worse for the wear:) He has been such a fun cute little boy. When he was first born he didn't want to wake up and would barely open his eyes. When He did though he would just stare at us though those little slits. It was so funny. You could tell he was trying to figure out where he was and what happened to him. He loves to make funny faces and is a good sleeper. He has not been a good eater though and had jaundice and I had to pump and feed him in a bottle to make sure he got what he needed (which was VERY stressful for the first while), but I think we are figuring it all out. He has 3 sisters who LOVE him so much and he will never be bored:) His daddy is so excited to have him and they are already hanging out together. We love Isaac! Here is a link to pictures of him...http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhbatesbunch/sets/72157623114539257

Ashley is 9!!!

2010-02-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

So, I completely skipped doing Ashley's 9th birthday that happened in October, but she had a GREAT one and had a fun "friend party", "Nana party" and "Grandma party". Birthdays can go on for quite a while in our family and it is a really fun thing!! First we celebrate the actual birthday, usually have some kind of friend party, and celebrate at Nana's and Grandma's houses on sundays. Ashley chose a costume party and did it around a halloween theme. She and her friends had a great time decorating their pumpkins, playing some games and making their own carmel apples, YUM!! The pumpkin cake was a fun "Dave and Heidi" creation;) Good times!!

It was a good end of the year...

2010-01-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

So, these last few months have been good but very tiring for me. Halloween went well and Dave had a lot of people come to watch his production. He got his new projector and it took a lot of time to get everything looking right, but the picture was clearer and brighter! Yeah!! He has some exciting plans for next year and gave us a little preview at the end of the night.

The kids all started school and dance and had a GREAT dance performance. So cute!! I was busy doing choir and teaching my classes while being pregnant(not to mention running or guess waddling after the kids, trying to keep my house clean and my favorite, spending time with Dave.) Ashley was in my choir too and they sang so well!! I survived and can't believe I was able to do it all. I was SO tired at Christmas though and am relieved it's all put away and my house is put back together although now it is very bare. I am trying to relax and get ready for Baby Isaac to come. The girls and Dave are excited!! One week and 2 days to go...bring on the diapers:) Even though I was tired, we did have a very fun Thanksgiving and Christmas season and enjoyed being together and with our families:)

Cassie's 7!!!

2010-01-09T16:04:00.001-08:00

So, Cassie is 7. She is growing up way too fast!! She is in first grade now and is learning so much. She is a GREAT reader and LOVES to jump rope and hula hoop. She can give anyone a run for their money. Her teacher, Mrs. Forsythe loves having her in class and Cassie gets along with so well with her classmates. Cassie loves to learn and is always asking questions and telling us how she feels about things (which I love!!) It was fun to celebrate her birthday right after Christmas. She loves to go to parties and plan parties too(She loves TREATS especially). She can't wait for her game birthday party she'll have in the summer.

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

Dave is doing a good job keeping up with our photos. So, he pretty much does that. I am the writer, so you will get some info from me, however biased I may be:)

So, the girls got their school pictures and I wanted to post them. (When I get the photo updates on my computer I will:) We are so lucky to have them...

Ashley (9/3rd grade) is growing up into quite a young lady. She is so full of ideas and is always impressing us with her creations. She is a great baby entertainer and is going to be a GREAT big sister to her baby brother (Isaac, we think). She plays and gets along well with her friends and her sisters and is so fun to have around.

Cassie(7/1st grade) is so cute showing off her missing front teeth. She is such a fun girl to talk to. She has great ideas and is full of so much energy and a lot of questions!! We love it!! She is a jump rope and hula hoop addict and is really quite good at it. We are impressed. We love you Cassie Joy!

Megan(4 1/2/pre-school) is a cute little ball of fire. She is very fun to talk with and listen to. She is learning so many new things everyday and never tires of it. She appreciates anything beautiful and will tell you how beautiful you are and that she likes whatever jewelry you are wearing. She is great helper to her mom and will be to her little brother too. Mom and Isaac are glad to have her home until she starts kindergarten in the fall.

It's...

2009-08-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's a boy!! (We spared him the obvious picture:) We all think he is so cute:) Ashley and Cassie are so excited and Meggie has conceded that a little brother will be fun. Dave and I went and watched them measure "our boy"(Dave calls him). All the parts were there, looked good and were the right size(a HUGE relief). When they got the image first up it was so awesome to see him in there moving around. I was so emotional and so grateful. The whole process is just a miracle. He cooperated so we could know if we had to buy new clothes or not:) We can still use all of the same things as before (except for clothes and a few blankets). Now for the name...

Summer

2009-08-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

It was a VERY fun summer and we did a lot of fun things!! If you go to Batesbunch.com you will see the pictures that Dave put up of our fun goings on(Thanks Dave!!)...he does such a good job that I won't try to compete. But, I wanted to tell about a few of my summer highlights. I am now 17 weeks pregnant and VERY excited about his new little one. So are Dave and the girls. It was a rough last year as far as that goes, so we are grateful. It was so fun to go on family trips with both of our families. One was to Disneyland and other was camping, so it was fun to have such different trips. The girls had swimming lessons and all did so well. It was fun to sit and watch all of them. They lOVE water. We have started working on the backyard and hope to finish before it snows:)...oh yeah, I almost forgot...Ashley was in her first musical with her own solo. She was in heaven and I was so glad that her part meant so much to her. Wilford Woodruff is her great great great great(I think) grandfather and in her song she was singing to him. Anyway, it was a neat show and everyone in it did a great job. Like I said go look at the pictures that Dave put up. Enjoy!!

p.s.The other thing the girls did a lot this summer was make up shows. Tatym came over and played with them a lot and their shows were so fun. They were so creative with the costumes and props!!

Meg

2009-06-03T12:08:00.001-07:00

I was thinking about my little Meggie and her 4th birthday we just celebrated. We had her birthday at Bear Lake and she got a jewelry box heart cake. I made it with cupcakes this time and shaped them like a heart and frosted it with pink cream cheese frosting (yum!). Then we put some of her pretend jewelry on top. She loves to have jewelry on and carry he purse with her, so it was a cute and totally "Meggie" cake.

I was thinking back on some of the funnier, or I should say "crazier", things that Meggie has done in her short life and I thought of 2 that were pretty memorable. To say that this little girl is strong-willed or has her opinion about things, would be an understatement:

One day Dave and I were playing "pretty, pretty princess" with her and she didn't like the color that one of us was playing with so she suddenly banged her forehead so hard on the table. She started crying and got a huge goose egg....It was so shocking that Dave and I looked at each other in horror and then burst out laughing. The other time she wanted to play on the computer and I told I needed to do something first. A couple of minutes later she came back screaming with blood coming out of both of her nostrils. Ashley said she was mad, so she banged her nose on the wood floor over and over really hard. Wow, I couldn't believe it. I thought she had broken her nose. She ended up being okay, but what a determined little girl. Thinking of Meggie makes me smile...

p.s. I chose this picture from pre-school because she was so into her program and sometimes it is hard to get her to even smile:)(she doesn't like a lot of attention or people to look at her) It was so much fun to watch!

Bear Lake...

2009-05-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

We went to Bear Lake to celebrate Memorial Day and to say "goodbye" to the Bear Lake house. It was so much fun and very relaxing. We didn't go play at the beach (except for a second before it rained on us:(), because it was so early in the season, but we had a GREAT time! The kids just played and played and entertained themselves. They love the bunk beds upstairs so much and found all kinds of things to pretend up there...airplane with the fan, gymnastics, house...Dave had the multimedia center set up in the family room, so we played video games (lots of laughs) together, watched movies and played board and card games. I have so many memories at Bear Lake. That is where I decided the I loved Dave (in the middle of Bear Lake on the wave runner). It was so beautiful that day 10 years ago and I won't ever forget that. It also reminds me so much of Grandma and Grandpa Daw, so I guess it was perfect weekend to go. I am glad we had the chance to go "one more time". Goodbye Blue Bear Lake House...

Mother's Day (done right:)

2009-05-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

I was so spoiled today!! Breakfast in bed with lilacs from the yard and some great homemade gifts. Cassie said she liked me "better than a piece of cake"(which is a great compliment coming from her:) Ashley wrote a beautiful and deep (as usual) poem for me. Meg was just as cute as ever of course and gave me kisses and hugs. I love the yellow and red tulips Dave, and the meal was gourmet!!

p.s. This is the first formal family photo we've had taken since Meg was 18 months, so I am glad we did it! Cassie was so nice to pose with the tulips and Ashley's poem:) The other is me with my girls at the zoo(Dave was our photographer). We had a great time and a yummy breakfast with Dave's company to start it all off.

HI

2009-05-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been 2 months since my last post. I can't believe that it has been 2 months since Megan decided to make my life a little easier. She is so good at going to the bathroom by herself, that it seems like it has been forever since I changed a diaper. I won't take this for granted and I will enjoy every moment:)

I am enjoying the spring so much and I have really loved all the rain (except on soccer saturdays). Dave has done most of the family history work this month, so go to batesbunch.com and enjoy the pictures and videos. Life is good and my major project right now is cleaning my house out and getting rid of EVERYTHING we don't need. Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!

Meggie...no more diapers!!

2009-03-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am soooooooooooo excited that Meggie decided that going on the potty was an okay thing to do. It took a little convincing...but we did it!! A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I was sick of changing her poopy pants and it was silly that she was going pee in her pull-up and then throwing it away herself. She just refused to do it, sooo one Monday when I could stay home with her I took her pants off and she went bottomless the whole day. There were a few tantrums about how she wanted her pants, but she held her pee the whole day. That evening she went in the potty and the was a HUGE turning point. She had accidents the second day, especially when she had her pants on and she was testing to see if she could be lazy still and get away with it. But, when I told her if she went in her pants one more time I would take them off, she decided she wanted to have her pants, and that was that!! What a great thing. Megan is a very private person with her pottying. She has to shut and lock the door when she goes and she does everything herself (except for the occasional wipe). Even when I am in the bathroom with her in a public restroom, she says "I don't want to see your feet." Jan and I had a really good laugh about the other night at the church. It's fun to share these motherly moments with others, because they really are funny when you say them out loud!! Goodbye diapers!!!

Cassie's Boombox Party!!

2009-03-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

We had Cassie's "Groovy boombox" "Better late than never" birthday party this last Saturday. She picked out the pink and blue decorations and her "record" pink and blue Piñata (or pinata, like she likes to say it)at the store and was so excited. We filled the piñata with fun stuff, made the "boombox" cake, got balloons and ice cream and we were ready to go!! We played a "name that tune" game, Hullabaloo, stick the nose on the clown and then broke the piñata. After they filled their party bags, we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. She got lots of art "stuff" which she spends her life doing, so thanks everyone!! What a great time.

p.s. Cassie picked a boombox party theme because she lOVES to carry around her white boombox, serenade us and be our DJ!! I got the cake idea from the Family Fun birthday cake book which I LOVE.

Little Mermaid

2009-03-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Cassie and Ashley did a "musical in a week" with Missoulas Children's Theater the last week of January this year. They did their version of the Little Mermaid. I highly recommend this to anyone if you ever see your community doing it. They try out on Monday for parts and then practice after school during the week and on Saturday. Then, they have 2 performances on Saturday. They travel around the country doing these, so the costumes, music, scenery etc; is all done and they stick the kids in and go. What a great idea. Anyway, here a few cute pictures of the girls. They love to sing and put on shows, so this was really fun for them.

Ashley Ann, Cassie Joy and Megan Kaylee

2009-03-09T15:08:00.001-07:00

I wanted to put the girls pictures up because I think they were so cute...I am not biased:) I am well aware of my children's shortcomings, (as they are of MINE:)like not going to bed and listening when I ask them to do something, ANYTHING!) but being cute is not one of them.

They are so sweet, thoughtful and ....just plain cute. What can I say. I am trying to enjoy them more and play more with them. Playing games is something we love to do.

Cassie talked me into playing Clue with her, although we only just started. She also loves to play Coloretto (a fun game that Dave discovered thanks to the guys at work) and she plays with her stuffed animals which is so fun to watch. I played Sorry with Ashley (she won of course) and didn't feel sorry AT ALL about beating her dear old mom. Cassie loves Sequence for kids that my mom gave us for Christmas It's fun for all of us. Meggie loves to play Pretty Pretty Princess, especially with her dad. He has to be the blue princess though, but seeing him with the jewelry on is SOOO funny.(Jimmy got roped into it too when he was here. You look good in blue Jimmy:). I got a Chinese jumprope for Ashley for Christmas, because I loved that game growing up. Does anyone remember playing this?? The kids also love to play Big Little Planet or any of the playstation Lego games with their Dad. They would go on forever (not joking), if it wasn't for mean old mom. Anyway, it's fun to spend time together. I am glad I live with people I love to spend time with...

San Diego!!

2009-03-09T14:44:00.001-07:00

Dave and I had an awesome trip to San Diego at the beginning of the year. I just keep reliving it and want to go back so bad (just for a day...or two). Once I had everything planned and my kids were taken care of (thanks "Moms",Lynne and Jim and Jan), I could relax. I like to fly and hadn't in a while, so that was fun . We had such a fun time being together. I had never walked on the beach in the winter, and we were pretty much the only ones there. There were some people roasting marshmallows and it looked so fun. What a beautiful sunset. We went to dinner with Marc and Deon (great restaurant guys!), then spent a whole day (sun up to sun down of course) at Disneyland. The Christmas decorations were still up and they had their holiday overlays on Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World and we saw their Christmas fireworks. The San Diego temple was closed, so we went on Sunday after church and walked around the grounds. They still had their nativity up. What a gorgeous temple. We stayed around town for a day and night too and walked around Seaport Village(clam chowder in a bread bowl, yummy!) and went to a dinner and a movie in the gaslamp district(great sushi and sweet potato fries, not to mention a "small" sundae at Ghirardellies. Still not as good as Leatherbys by our house). It was relaxing and much needed!!! I love vacations...especially with Dave...alone:)

The Host

2009-02-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

I finished The Host by Stephanie Meyer last week, and I thought I would tell you how much I LOVED it!! It took a little while for me to get into the book, (It took me a while to get into Twilight too..) but what an amazing storyline. I thought it was very original and her creativity was limitless. The way she describes details and feelings is so moving. I felt like I really knew everyone and they were family. The descriptions she wrote were so vivid. I am not a writer (except for things like this), so critiquing is not my forte, but I know when a book touches me like this one did. If you've read it, I would love to know what you thought (even if you don't agree with me:)...

Grandma Daw and the girls...

2009-01-17T23:19:00.000-08:00

One thing I wanted to share was how sweet Cassie and girls were with Grandma as she was sick and even after she died. rewinding a bit... Megan, Cassie and my mom and I would go visit Grandma at Sunrise some days while Ashley was at school. She was cute with the girls and would play with them. The last time we went, the girls were dressing up in the dress-up clothes that Grandma had in her hallway and we were giggling. Grandma said something really funny and we all giggled. Anyway, we visited her again after she had fallen and was in her new place and Cassie helped feed Grandma and make sure she was comfortable. When we would go she didn't want to go play and run around, but she wanted to take care of Grandma. The Monday before she passed away we went and she wasn't feeling very good at all. Cassie held her hand put her arm around her. We sang to her and Cassie again wanted to make sure she was okay. As we got her settled and left that day we didn't know that would be the last time we would see her awake. She was on her way to a better place where she would know us all again and be healthy.

She died on Cassie's birthday and we were able to go and say goodbye. Ashley went in with me and we sang some duets for Grandma and held her warm hand one last time. That was a special memory for Ashley. Megan wasn't ever afraid to go tell Grandma she loved her and kiss her hand. At the viewing Cassie was up with Grandma most of the time and never wanted to leave her. She caressed her arm and made us all cry with her sweet way. She didn't want to leave Grandma's side (She got the job of holding the kleenex box so she could stay longer:) until they closed the casket. Then as we went back to the chapel for the funeral she wanted to go play in the nursey. She was done. She had said goodbye. Ashley stayed for the funeral and loved hearing the stories they told about Grandma and getting to know her better. We all took home some flowers from her graveside service and the girls each put together a vase of flowers to remember Grandma. I am so glad that my girls got to know their Great Grandma and I want to keep sharing my memories with them too...

Grandma Daw...

2009-01-17T22:41:00.001-08:00

My Grandma Daw passed away on Saturday night December 27th (Cassie's 6th birthday) and had a great reunion with Grandpa Daw and all of the others she loved. She suffered so much at the end, not ever really knowing what was going on, so it was a blessing for her. I have so many memories of her throughout my life. Ever since I can remember she was always a huge part of my life. I remember her coming to all of my important days and us always going over to her house...oh the memories there with all of my cousins. We always had the best time!! One time with Grandma I will never forget was when we went to vist her in South Carolina and we went to an amusement park. I wanted to go on a ride that spun around and went upside down. She was the only one who would go with me. I remember her laughing so hard she almost wet her pants:) She was always so supportive and loved everyone no matter what. It's hard to say goodbye to both Grandma and Grandpa, but what a gift they gave me while they were here. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa...

Cassie's 6th Birthday!!

2009-01-11T21:49:00.001-08:00

Cassie's 6th birthday was so fun this year. She was so excited about it and loved counting down until the day, "2 days after Christmas" she would tell everyone. She was so cute and wanted to us to go swimming together. We didn't freeze to death after and had a GREAT time going. Then we went to Noodles and Nana and Grandpa came and gave her a present. After, we went to see my mom and dad (they gave her some fun presents too) We all said goodbye to Grandma Daw for the last time, because that night she passed away.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!(Dave's Creation)

2008-12-29T21:26:00.000-08:00

This is Dave's other creative outlet this year. We never know quite how we are going to look each year, but thus far is hasn't been too embarrassing:) We had a GREAT Christmas, enjoying it for the first time in our new room and loving how excited the girls were. On Christmas Eve, Meggie heard us say that Santa was coming and she looked at me and said "Santa's coming here???" She couldn't believe it! Anyway, I am REALLY enjoying the time off from school with the girls.

Happy Christmasing...

2008-12-15T21:34:00.001-08:00

I haven't written for a while...but things are busy and we are enjoying the season. Just wanted to say "Happy Christmasing" to all of you out there. Heidi

Twilight with Dave:)

2008-11-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

So, I loved Twilight!...Dave and I went to see it yesterday for our anniversary (9 years:) He read it too, so it was all the more fun to watch with him. We both thought the characters were perfect and really couldn't think of anything we didn't like. It was surprising to me, because it's hard to make a movie that does justice to the book. I went in with low expectations and really loved every minute(except the cleavage shots:) It had a great mix of drama, romance, action and humor (there were some really funny moments). It was a great movie for a perfect date. To top if all off, we went to the Garden restaurant and had yummy food. Thanks Dave:)

pictures

2008-11-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hi! Just a quick note...Check out the pictures I added to some of the old posts:)

Halloween 2008

2008-11-06T13:23:00.001-08:00

Halloween was a grand old time!! Dave's show was very creative, as usual:) He had so much fun doing his new songs and neighbors, friends and family had a great time watching. The girls were a witch (Ashley), Minnie Mouse (Cassie) and a pink fairy (Megan). Cassie manned the front door and loved passing out the candy and doing her funnny voices in Dave's cool microphone. Now on to Thanksgiving...

Cassie...well, you'll see:)

2008-11-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

So, I love my girls so much. They have such funny ideas sometimes. They love to organize dance classes, plays, primary...whatever. The other day, while we were getting ready for Halloween, Cassie got every one of our dolls and stuffed animals (which we have collected a lot of:) and she organized them for a group photo. She recruited Meggie to help. It was so funny. Then, they all had to have a snack, so they she put down a white piece of paper for every one of them all up and down the stairs and put cereal on them...she is a cutie and loves to line up her guys and play with them.

My First Tooth!!

2008-10-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

I lost a tooth!! It hurt a little bit. Mom pulled it out and I didn’t even realize it. Then she showed it to me. Then we took pictures of it. That’s all. Bye. Love, Cassie

Halloween!!

2008-10-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

This new background is in honor of my husband and his PASSION for Halloween!!! Happy haunting Dave:)

Party Fun!!

2008-10-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was Ashley's 8th birthday party at the Lion House. It was pretty nostalgic going back after 26 years, although all I remember is the doll they gave me, eating the sandwiches (which were so yummy) and wearing a pretty dress. It was so nice to have a birthday party where I sat back and relaxed (except getting the kids there and back, which was pretty exciting). It was fun (and very helpful) to have both of Ashley's grandmas there plus Dave and I. Nana (Dave's mom) is the Brigham Young descendant and she planned the fun party. She had fun tidbits of info. to share with us. And it was nice to have my mom and Dave there to keep track of Ben, who likes to wander and explore (ha ha!! or not) Anyway, the stories, games, taffy, food, cake and all the fun was great!! Ashley had a really fun group of friends and our host was wonderful and very good with the kids. Birthdays are great!!! Heidi

Quick Note

2008-09-29T14:33:00.001-07:00

I decided if I just wrote a little something and didn't worry about pictures every time, then I might actually update this once in a while. So, Dave wrote about our fun lice experience. If you want to read more about that go to his blog(actually everything is on batesbunch.com). I am still trying to forget that it happened(the lice thing that is)...Anyway, my big project right now is getting our emergency kits updated. I think that Ashley's clothes are going to be 4 sizes too small because it's been so long. Anyway, wish me luck!! Bye, Heidi

We Survived!!!

2008-07-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

This picture pretty much sums up the last year of our life...we have been living in a construction zone. This was our christmas card photo last year and Dave did some photoshopping. (We did not string Christmas lights on all of the wood, but we had to make it festive somehow:). Hey, it was a year off from Christmas decorating... Anyway, we now are done (with all of the big stuff anyhow) and LOVE our house.

I was thinking about it, and it was almost exactly a year ago (July 26, 2007) that this picture was taken. There goes the yard...

We're on our way...:)

That's more like it...

April 19, 2008, we finally had Cassie's late birthday party(December 27 is her birthday), in our newly finished room!!!!!

Knowing me, it will take 5 years to decorate, but one step at a time...:)

Or... we could have left the decorations up. Oh well, too late!