The Hammon Family

It’s Done!!

2011-06-10T21:01:00.001+02:00

Here is a picture of my beautiful sewing table!! It was worth the wait. Thanks Troy for making me this beautiful table!! The only downside is that its getting ready to be put into storage until we find a house.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-21T01:40:00.001+02:00

OK….maybe just a few words. We had spaghetti last night and she just loved it! She is just growing up to fast. Ella is also walking! I will post a video later.

Swim Time

2011-04-21T01:36:00.001+02:00

Yeah……It’s swim time again! Lauren started for the first time this year and she LOVES it. I can get her to do just about anything by telling her its swim day.

Here is Seth floating all by himself!

Caleb is also taking swimming lessons after Lauren and Seth. I usually give Lauren and Seth a quick shower after their lessons and keep forgetting to go back a take pictures of Caleb. Here is a video of Caleb “trying” to dive into the pool. He has gotten better since he saw himself in this video and realized what he was doing.

I am in LOVE……

2011-02-25T17:16:00.001+01:00

Do I even need to say anything? This is a sneak peek my photographer (Melissa Gephardt) gave me this morning. How beautiful! I love having my families pictures taken. I just can not capture such beautiful pictures. Wow…..I will treasure these forever as my baby grows.

Time to cook and sew

2011-02-25T01:54:00.001+01:00

After school today I decided to give all the little ones some quite time. This gave me a chance to get dinner going and a little time to sew.

Here is dinner.

Beef Barley soup! I have never made it before but it smells delicious! Troy is a big meat or “protein” guy so getting him to like soup is not easy. He was excited about this when I mentioned it to him so I will keep you posted.

Now for the fun stuff. Here is a little reusable sandwich/snack bag I made. It was really easy and I love the way it came out!! Anyone want one just let me know. These are fun and fast to make. I used oil cloth in the inside so that it would be easy to wipe clean (Tory you HAVE to make these).

Happy Thursday!

Weekends at the Hammons

2011-02-24T04:27:00.001+01:00

This is what our garage usually looks like on the weekends. =) The kids look forward to being with Papa in the garage and eating Papa’s “eggs and toast” for breakfast.

How FUN!

2011-02-24T04:21:00.001+01:00

I had a fantastic day today with a dear friend, Gretta. She was so sweet to show me how to make this beautiful pillow. She also taught me how to sew in a zipper. How fun!

She also gave me this beautiful flower for my birthday!

Thanks Gretta! =)

Ella Turns ONE!!

2011-02-18T19:37:00.001+01:00

Wow….Ella is ONE! I can not believe my baby turned one yesterday. She is the sweetest thing ever! It was so wonderful to have grandma and grandpa here to celebrate with us.

I was so happy and sad seeing how BIG little Ella is growing. I got a little carried away and put icing all over her face. =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA!

Catch up time……

2011-01-11T23:05:00.001+01:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. It is such a crazy time of the year for us. Erin had the most wonderful stuffing and “saved” the cranberry sauce.

The next morning we started decorating for Christmas. The kids and I started working on the gingerbread house and the boys quickly lost interest. Lauren on the other hand loved it! Here she is adding all the finishing touches.

Birthday time at the Hammons…..

2010-12-15T01:45:00.001+01:00

Three birthdays and Thanksgiving in 3 weeks! Crazy I tell you! I get so excited every year for the holidays to arrive. Then the birthdays start and by the time Lauren’s comes around I am ready to put the happy birthday “stuff” away. The good news is we get a little break between birthdays and Christmas.

For Caleb’s birthday we went to Boise and spent the morning at the Discovery Center. Then we had four boys over to help celebrate his day!

Caleb turns eight!

Caleb LOVED his cake! So did all his friends. I felt like a proud mama. :)

It was really cold that night so Troy walked all the boys home after the party.

Seth turns five……

For Seth’s birthday we went back to Boise and enjoyed a day at monkey business. Seth then enjoyed having his friends over for a little birthday party that night. Can you feel how exhausted we are getting?

OK….so I was less then proud about this cake. The good thing is that Seth loved it anyway.

Lauren turns three…….

Ah….at last Lauren’s birthday! Again we get the balloons and decorations ready. This time we decide to stay home for the day (thank goodness!). We all enjoyed watching Lauren enjoy her day. She also got to invite two friends over for a little celebration.

Can you feel the PINK! : )

N0w its time to get ready for Christmas!

Baby Legs

2010-12-07T00:03:00.001+01:00

My friend Erin sent me some baby legs (that she made). You can check out her store Baby Frills at www.Etsy.com(http://www.etsy.com/shop/BabyFrills?ga_search_query=baby+frills&ga_search_type=seller_usernames).

Baby legs are fantastic! They keep her legs warm in the winter and without rug burns in the summer. They are also wonderful because it make changing a diaper much easier then tights.

These crazy ones are some that I made. :) Let’s just say that Ella has quite a collection of baby legs. Olivia (if you are reading this) let me know if you would like me to make you some for baby Hammon. :)

Just added this picture because she looks so stinking cute!

Ella Bella

2010-11-12T17:35:00.001+01:00

Ella is just the sweetest thing ever! She is always smiling and gives lots of sloppy kisses. What a cutie! Had to share these pictures.

Crawling time

2010-11-11T00:44:00.001+01:00

My baby is now crawling. It seems like time is now speeding up. Ella is such a sweet baby! I am enjoying every moment and stage. Not to mention that she sleeps great. I am going to miss not having a baby to cuddle with.

I just want to know…..

2010-11-11T00:03:00.001+01:00

Its that time again. The question is: Where to next? No answer yet. This waiting period seems to take forever. We have now lived in Missouri, Virginia, Germany and Idaho. I love each new adventure. I grow and learn so much from each destination. I am thankful for every one I have met a long the way. Those that I still talk to and those that have left me with memories. I have even come to value those unpleasant memories that force growth. No news today…….maybe tomorrow (or not since its a holiday). Thanks to all you veterans out there!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-05T06:23:00.001+01:00

I am so proud of myself for taking the kids (on my own) to the pumpkin patch. We had a fantastic time! We spent over 2 hours there. The kids played in the hay, went into the corn maze, went on a hay ride, jumped into a hay trampoline, and even played in a little corn. It was an all around prefect fall day!

I know one day I will get a good picture of the girls together….today was not that day.

That is Caleb at the top of the hay hill. :)

Lauren rolling in a little corn.

Going on a hay ride……

This was the hay trampoline.

This is for my mom who has never seen a real pumpkin patch. :)

Trust

2010-10-25T22:35:00.001+02:00

I read something today that really made me stop and think. “Am I a person of faith or am I too bitter about my unfortunate circumstances for God to use me for his purpose?” “I hope that, if God so willed it, I would walk through a difficult trial with confidence and trust in God.” Lord I know you are stirring my heart I just pray that I will not let you down.

Breaking Free…..

2010-10-22T06:01:00.001+02:00

I wasn’t sure why God was prompting me to take this study (Breaking Free by Beth Moore) but I know now. It’s been such an amazing journey for me. The greatest part is that its not even over yet. Committing to do a study is not always easy and life just gets in the way. There is always something more urgent. Toys need to be picked up. Landry needs to be folded. Bathrooms need cleaning. But then we find ourselves in a storm and now all those pressing things just don’t seem so important. Its not always easy when we are being tested but when we remember his promises they become bearable.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. –Romans 8:28

What should I blog about….

2010-10-21T07:22:00.001+02:00

Its been so long I am not sure where to start. Life with four kids is busy. I guess I will pick some pictures from our summer.

Troy had a birthday. Does he look older? He may have lost a little more hair. Not sure….can’t tell. Seth these days says that he doesn’t want mommy to cut his hair to short or he is going to have no hair like papa.

For father’s day we signed Caleb up for a hippty hop race. It was a lot of fun! They were actually giving out prizes. If you look at the boy behind Caleb he is not to happy. This is because it was a close race and it was between Caleb and that boy for third. Can you tell who won?

The boys also took swim lessons all summer. Caleb is almost swimming on his own. Not sure why I can not find any pictures of Seth in the pool. I am not always the best at remembering to take pictures or I get distracted (oops).

This is how Lauren spent her time during swim lessons.

I had to put this one in here. Troy LOVES to throw Lauren up in the air. And she just loves it!

Here is Ella going for a swim for the first time. :) She loved it!

OK…one more then I need to go to bed. Here is Seth on his new bike. I love this tag a long bike. He is able to keep up with us and we can all go biking as a family. Best invention ever! OK…maybe second to the video camera. :)

Sneak Peek…..

2010-10-21T06:40:00.001+02:00

Here is a look at what our Christmas card will look like. I wanted to keep it a secret but I just can’t. I love these pictures to much not to share. For those of you in Mountain Home looking for a great photographer her name is Brandi Jo.

Let the Learning Begin…..

2010-08-25T07:17:00.001+02:00

I have been working really hard to get my “classroom” together and organized. Thanks to my wonderful husband, who built these amazing book shelves, I was able to get my space ready. Its been a lot of work but it is really nice to have such a large area for school. Day one and two down….only 178 days to go.

It is working so much better this year with each of them having their own little work area.

Thanks to the help of my friend Gretta I have a lot of great ideas for these two preschoolers!

Caleb is just a natural learner! He loves knowledge and has probably already read more books then I have in a lifetime. He is such an amazing little boy.

They LOVE being goofy! Caleb is sitting in Ella’s Bumbo.

Look at ALL that hair! I was thinking of shaving it one more time? What do you think?

Time to Eat

2010-08-11T06:42:00.001+02:00

Ella loves to eat. Dinner tonight was avocados and pears. She loved every bite!

Can you tell?

My growing Ella

2010-08-11T06:32:00.001+02:00

Here is Ella back in July at 4 months old.

Here she is at 5 months old. I just LOVE her smile!

My favorite things…..

2010-08-11T06:21:00.001+02:00

I must share some of my very favorite things! I started making Ella her baby food and it is so much easier when you have the right equipment. I have already made pears, plums, sweet potatoes and peaches!

Thanks to Baby Steals I even have this cute little container to take her food along with me.

All I can say about this is…..WOW! I love this monitor. I do not know how I have raised my kids without it. If you are a parent and do not own one of these you need to get one! Its called the Summer infant best view digital video baby monitor. And now I know why. Last but not least I now own my very own laminator. Its been a fun little tool to add to my gadget collection. Let’s just say I have gone a little laminate happy. : )

AWANA

2010-06-30T22:00:00.001+02:00

This was Caleb’s second year as a Spark. We are so proud of him and his ability to memorize bible verses. Not only did he finish the book twice he also finished his flight cards and began memorizing verses from his bible. Caleb has a lot of self motivation and strives to do his best always. We remind him that its not about winning its about having fun.

Our little Cubbie this year did GREAT! Seth adores his big brother Caleb and was so excited to start AWANA this year. He completed his first book in Cubbies! You will not find a more loving little boy then this one. He would do anything to help those around him.

And then there is Lauren. She does not like to be left behind. She to would learn verse and wear Caleb’s old Cubbie vest. She can even sign the Cubbie song all by herself. Lauren loves to keep us on our toes!

Here is Ella getting so big!

Little Helper

2010-06-29T18:51:00.001+02:00

Lauren loves to help whenever she can. I decided to give her a job today and she did a great job! Things were a little out of order but it was fun watching her do her best.

Law Day

2010-05-08T04:45:00.001+02:00

Today was law day at Troy’s office. Some of the 4th graders from the elementary school had a mock trail. We thought Caleb might enjoy going and watching a trial.

Caleb wanted to wear a tie.

I love how “into it” he looks.

No Time to Blog

2010-05-06T18:06:00.001+02:00

For the last few weeks I have been working on Brittany’s baby shower. It’s been a lot of fun and a great distraction from my normal day. I am actually sad that it will all be over this afternoon.

I made some biscotti's last night and they came out great! Here is a picture of the favors and thank you cards I made for Brittany.

I have also managed to keep four rose plants alive for a week! I am so proud of myself. I will be sad to see them go. They look great on my window sill. I will post pictures tomorrow of the shower and how it all came together. I am so thankful for all the help I got from Brittany’s friends.

Bald and Beautiful

2010-04-28T16:10:00.001+02:00

Here I am on my last child and I decided to do the Cuban thing and shave Ella’s hair. My mom has asked me with all my kids to shave them. Apparently this will help her to have “good hair”. I guess since this is my last child I wanted to see if it would make a difference. I think she looks adorable!

Mama’s Jeans

2010-04-27T16:35:00.001+02:00

Lauren’s Race Car

2010-04-27T16:13:00.001+02:00

We had some nice days over the weekend. The boys went to the city with Troy and I enjoyed a walk with my girls. It was Ella’s first time in the “race car”. I think she liked it!

Sisters!

Thanks to the Blog

2010-04-25T04:44:00.001+02:00

Here are a few more pictures of just Ella. Thanks to my renewed motivation to blog……..Ella will have some baby picture of herself.

I love this picture!

Library Time

2010-04-25T00:37:00.001+02:00

We made it out again on Thursday of last week. I was very proud of myself. Before Ella arrived I potty trained my little Lauren. She has been doing great until just recently. I guess since Ella was born she’s been having “accidents”. OK….sorry back to library time. After getting there Ella decided to go #2 and stink up the library. After changing her I noticed that Lauren was hiding under a table. When I pulled her out she had gone pee pee in her pants. Unfortunately, she was NOT in pull-ups and I had forgotten to put a pair of extra pants in my bag. Thankfully I did grab underwear. Instead of leaving the library I decided to put her in Caleb’s shirt (He was wearing two shirts…not sure why but thankful one of us was thinking ahead). Anyway, my friend Yean Yean came with us and she decided to start taking pictures. I remembered I had grabbed my camera before leaving and thought what a moment to remember. I can not wait to see what happens at our next adventure out. Life is never boring with four little ones.

Lauren in Caleb’s shirt.

Doesn’t he look happy to be out!

Here is Lauren’s craft. She was very happy with her butterfly.

Of course I had to include a picture of Ella. :)

My little Ella

2010-04-22T05:11:00.001+02:00

Here is my Ella at 2 months. She is now 10 lbs 12oz and 22 inches long. She is smiling and holding her head up. She also loves swatting at her toys and listening to ALL the noise.

Finally Left the House

2010-04-22T04:57:00.001+02:00

Yeah….we finally had some nice weather (a couple days ago). I actually left the house for the second time by myself with all four kids. We made it all the way to the park!

After we got there Lauren and Seth wanted to get on the swings. I was able to get Lauren in her swing but Seth was to heavy for me. I was carrying the baby in a front carrier so it was impossible for me to lift Seth. He was NOT very happy.

Lauren truly enjoyed our time outside. She is an “outdoorsy” kind of girl.

Poor Seth!

Lauren calls this her race car. :)

As we were leaving Seth finally got happy and wanted me to take his picture smiling.

Snack Time

2010-04-19T23:47:00.001+02:00

Every day I look forward to my little “sinful” snack.

Yes, that is right………peanut butter and mini dark chocolate morsels. No wonder I still have a few pounds ~~20lbs~~ to lose. Today I was out of peanut butter. I had the last of it yesterday. I told Troy there was no more peanut butter. He then informed me that it was all me. What? He said he never even touched it. I can not believe I had the entire jar to myself! Trust me when I say do not get started on this little snack. You will get addicted. Back to my story…… I was out of peanut butter so I decided to try it with almond butter. Guess what? It is just as yummy!

Belly or Back?????

2010-04-19T19:06:00.001+02:00

I have never placed any of my children on their bellies to sleep. “Back is Best.” However this morning Ella would not settle down. I knew what she wanted but I did not want to do it. Unfortunately, she is just to cute! She WON. I placed her on her belly and in less then a minute she was sleeping peacefully. Now what do I do? Do I continue to put her on her belly?

I also think I will change her bumper to a breathable kind. I read this morning that it’s better to have air circulating around the baby. With each new baby there is some thing new to learn and buy.

Is it Friday yet?

2010-04-19T18:49:00.001+02:00

I am getting about 3 hours of straight sleep right now (Not enough!). To have to wake up and take care of four kids all day is daunting to say the least. I look forward to Papa coming home and weekends. This morning in less then 10 minutes this is what my house looked like. Oh boy, it is going to be a long week.

Welcome to the family Ella Sofia

2010-04-18T23:41:00.000+02:00

Here is our newest member. Ella Sofia Hammon born on February 17, 2010. She was 6lbs 3oz and 21 inches long. She is a sweetie!

I woke up that morning wondering if today was going to be the day. Troy was off skiing with his dad and the boys. I had a doctors appointment that morning and a breastfeeding class in the afternoon. Everything went fine at the doctors appointment. It did not look like it was going to happen. Which was OK since I was only 37 weeks.

After the doctors appointment I was continuing to have contractions. Nothing I was worried about. Until I got to my breastfeeding class. They started to get stronger an more painful. A few minutes later my water broke. I told the lactation consultant that I had to go because my water had just broken. It was funny to see the faces of all those new moms in that room.

I quickly called Troy to let him know that we were going to have a baby. From what I hear you did not want to be in that Jeep that day. He made it just in time…….with 5 min to spare.

Thanks to grandma and grandpa Hammon for coming out to be with us during this time. We love you and can not begin to thank you enough.

Permanent Marker….

2010-04-18T21:23:00.001+02:00

Having a little one to feed every three hours or less makes it hard to keep my eye’s on our little toddler. I was feeding Ella when all of a sudden I realized that the house was silent (Never a good sign!). I got up from the couch and found my sweet little Lauren drawing on herself with a permanent marker. I decided instead of getting mad I will blog about it and grabbed my camera.

FYI for all you moms out there. Permanent marker is not very permanent. Here is a link on how easy it is to remove. http://lilduckduck.com/8-ways-to-remove-permanent-marker-stains/253

Birthday Time at the Hammons

2009-12-10T04:47:00.015+01:00

Winter is my favorite time of year! I think it has something to do with all three of our kids are born about 3 weeks apart starting in November. I will say by the time Lauren's birthday comes around I am just thankful its over.

We decided to take the kids to Build A Bear this year. They had a GREAT time and really enjoyed picking out their new animals. We ended up with a wolf, a polar bear and pink bear.

Caleb turned seven this year and is such a great helper. He is doing wonderful in school and enjoys leading his brother and sister around. He is a true leader in the making. His favorite thing in the whole world is LEGOS! He just can not seem to get enough.

I would like to introduce Fred.
We thought we would be in and out of Build A Bear quickly.......OH NO. Caleb spent over an hour changing Fred's clothes. In the end Caleb made Fred a soccer player (like uncle Trent).

Caleb enjoying Cullen Icing!

SETH TURNS FOUR

Two weeks after Caleb's birthday is Seth's birthday. Seth currently wants to be a doctor. He loves playing with his older brother all the time. Seth also enjoys building "new" creations with his kinex and he received his very own Lego set for his birthday.

Here is Max the "doctor".Seth was so excited to build his first Lego set. Thanks Tory! Seth kept talking about his Lego set that came from Germany. I think he misses you as much as I do. LAUREN TURNS TWO!

Our little princess turned two a week after Seth's birthday. She also got her very own bear. We named her Lucy and Lauren loves to snuggle with her. She also loves taking every animal and doll to the bathroom to pee. :)

Lauren has changed and continues to change almost daily. Lauren loves to help me in the kitchen and watch everything that I am doing. She is so different from her older brothers but she can hold her own with them. I am very excited that Lauren will be blessed with a sister real soon. I can not wait to see them together.

Here is Lucy!I love her new slippers. :)At first she wasn't sure how to blow out the candle. Once she got it she wanted to do it again and again and again. :)

Caleb Playing Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

2009-12-10T04:41:00.003+01:00

I love listening to my little man playing the piano. He is learning how to play Christmas music and fills our house every morning with beautiful sounds. Click on the link below to watch him play Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35tHU2qqOkQ

Kisses

2009-09-16T01:24:00.003+02:00

I rarely "catch" a great picture the first time. I love this picture! Troy has tried so hard to win Laurens affection since he got back from the desert. I think she is finally accepted Troy back into her life. I love seeing them together!

Pretty Girl

2009-08-22T06:03:00.004+02:00

The kids love going to this great indoor play center in Boise called Rafiki. It's great for the kids and me. I get to hang out and chat with my friends while they have a fabulous time. Here is Lauren getting into one of the baby cradles. The crazy part is that she actually fit!

She adds so much to our growing family!

Summer FUN

2009-08-22T05:48:00.003+02:00

Nothing better then getting wet when it's 101 degrees outside. Troy had fun spraying the kids and watching them laugh.

Lauren LOVES to keep up with her big brothers.

Troy's Fan Club

2009-08-22T05:34:00.002+02:00

Here is Troy getting ready to change his oil. Along with him are Caleb and Seth (his biggest fan club). It took him twice as long to change the oil but the time spent together was priceless. Caleb and Seth kept asking questions and Troy enjoyed explaining everything to them.

Arrival

2009-06-02T06:28:00.011+02:00

The day finally arrived! I took the boys to their favorite place to eat....Burger King. It has a great indoor playground. I was hoping to get some of their energy out before getting to the airport. When we arrived at BK I finally told them that today was the BIG day. Caleb ask if I was making it up. They both looked at each other and started screaming! It was very sweet. When we got to the airport every minute felt like an eternity. We only had to wait about 15 minutes.

WOW......what JOY! We were so excited when we saw him. The boys went running.

Nothing could be sweeter! I can not begin to explain the sweet JOY we all felt. To feel complete again. It felt like a dream coming true.

Even Lauren knew Papa was finally home.

Getting Ready...

2009-06-02T04:26:00.017+02:00

I was so excited to decorate the house and "get it ready". The boys knew it was getting close but they didn't know the exact date. I told them we needed to get the house ready just in case Papa came home early. We had a great time making signs and talking about how much LOVE we were going to give Papa. Every moment was spent thinking about Troy and how wonderful it would feel to be together again.

188 links=188 days of separation

While Troy was in the desert, he was talking to Seth on the computer while Seth was playing with his kitchen. Troy asked Seth for a chocolate cake but Seth said he couldn't make one because Papa wasn't there. When Seth found out Papa would be coming home soon, he insisted that he had to fulfill Papa's request. The kids love to help in the kitchen.

The Nebekers

2009-03-29T05:50:00.003+02:00

We all had a wonderful visit with the Nebekers! Caleb and Jack got along so well......it's like they had been friends their whole life. Caleb is still talking about Jack.

Here are TWO toddlers SCREAMING! :)

Tea Time

2009-03-29T05:45:00.003+02:00

Seth loved playing with this tea set. I put a little apple juice in the tea pot and we all had tea together. :)

Lauren on the MOVE.....

2009-03-29T05:21:00.003+02:00

I thought you would enjoy seeing our little girl...on the move. She is up and moving. I love seeing her walk! I think it's so cute. She is this tiny little thing moving around. She loves to "try" and keep up with the boys. She is so sweet.
The boys are SO good to her (especially Caleb)!

March Mustashe

2009-03-17T04:41:00.006+01:00

I hope this makes you LOL a little (or a lot). I know I did! :)

Caleb Missing his Papa

2009-03-13T05:18:00.004+01:00

Caleb loves to listen to you read Mighty Machines to him. The other day he asked me to turn it one for him. When I looked into the living room to check on him this is what I found......

Papa......Can you feel it?

Lauren's New Hide Out

2009-02-16T08:52:00.003+01:00

Lauren loves to hide in here. It's so cute to see how happy she gets when she gets in and closes the door. I left her a few "safe" cabinets for her to be able to play in.

Memories

2009-02-16T08:43:00.002+01:00

He was so proud to put your old necklace on. I told him the whole story and he loved it!

Here is Seth (not wanting to be left out) showing you his necklace. :)

Time in Miami

2009-02-16T07:40:00.005+01:00

You might be wondering why Caleb is laughing SO hard........just look at the next picture. I am still trying to teach Seth that he CAN NOT just go to the bathroom outside. He did this more then once while in Miami.

Sand Angels

I love this picture.

My Muscle Boys

2009-02-16T06:16:00.006+01:00

I was cleaning up from dinner when Caleb (and Seth) decided to "workout". Caleb said that he wanted to get bigger muscles. He can actually do 5 push-ups. Seth not so much....but he tries. Very cute! Did you notice Caleb's necklace?

Here is our little girl growing up. I thought you would enjoy seeing her drink from her BIG girl cup.

Visit to Florida

2009-02-10T05:59:00.008+01:00

Here are some of the highlights of our time in the Keys. The boys enjoyed all the outdoor fun and all the love they received. Even with the kids being sick I'm thankful we decided to spend the holidays in Florida. The time went by fast and the kids really enjoyed spending time with family. Caleb LOVES to know and meet all his cousins.

Lauren loves to be held by men. I think she really miss not having you around.

Our little teddy bear always wants to be close to me.

Seth actually snuggled with Trent! They even took a nap together.

I'd like you to meet "Paper Papa"!

Here I am on my way to the ER for the fourth time.

Caleb enjoyed eating with paper Papa. He would even put a plate and silverware for you.

I thought this would make you smile and think of home.

Lauren's 1st Birthday

2009-02-03T06:35:00.004+01:00

Here is our birthday girl! It is so amazing to see how much she has grown in the last few months. She loves the her two big brothers and wants to be with them all the time.

Here is her first chocolate pancake.

YUMMY!!

It was so much fun buying princess wrapping paper. :)

I ordered Lauren a special cake for her birthday. It was just like I imagined it. They made a little one just for her. It was fun watching her eat a cake for the first time.

Here is her little cake.

Seth's Day....at the Zoo (of course)

2009-02-03T05:58:00.004+01:00

I decided to take Seth out for his birthday. He wanted to go to the Zoo. He is very excited for you to come home and spend the day with him at the Zoo. We had a really great time (except you were not there).

I love his excitement.

We then went to their favorite lunch spot (BK). They have the best indoor play area. We will have to take you there when you get back.

Lastly, I thought it would be neat to sing him Happy Birthday at the Cheese Cake Factory. I think we all enjoyed it (YUM YUM).

Looking back.....Seth's birthday

2009-02-03T05:05:00.004+01:00

Here is our little teddy bear! I still remember how different and cuddly he was from the very beginning. Caleb was so excited to be a big brother. I love watching how much they love each other. I hope they will always be good to each other.

Seth's first birthday. I'm so thankful we were able to be together.

Seth's second birthday.

Our little bear is three. He was so happy on his birthday. This was the first year that he was excited about "his" day.

Our Boys having Fun

2008-12-15T06:14:00.005+01:00

I thought you would enjoy seeing the boys playing together. Seth thought it would be funny to sit on Caleb and toot on him. :) I hope this makes you SMILE!

Our Teddy Bear Seth

2008-12-12T05:09:00.004+01:00

Seth has finally learned another color.........Green! Yellow is still his favorite but we are making some progress. I got him some crayons and color tablets for the bath and it's been a great way for him to express himself.

Here is Seth and Papa going to the zoo in Papa's jeep. Caleb and I helped Seth draw this picture. Seth helped with the scribbles. :) I love helping Seth express what he is feeling.

Looking Back........

2008-12-06T05:50:00.004+01:00

With my grandmother here I was able to go be with Caleb at school for their Thanksgiving meal. Caleb's favorite part was dessert!

Here is a cute craft Caleb made at school.

Caleb and Seth enjoyed watching the Macy's Day parade.

Here is some crafts we made at home.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Bairs. It was a very hard day for me. I missed you not being here to celebrate with us.

I love when the boys want to snuggle. :)

The Park

2008-12-06T05:19:00.003+01:00

I wonder sometimes why it takes us so long to leave the house. Then I remember I have very "active" little boys. Here is Caleb showing me how cute he looks as we are getting ready to leave to the park.

And here is Seth playing baby.......again right as we are getting ready to go to the park.

We finally made it to the park and had a great time.

I love this picture!

Lauren loved the swing and I had fun taking her picture.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-28T04:31:00.002+01:00

I am most thankful for my loving husband! We miss you.

Oh Christmas Tree....

2008-11-26T07:37:00.009+01:00

We decided to put our Christmas tree up early (last weekend). This tree has been in storage for three years since we left to Germany. I had forgotten how many pieces it comes with. It took us most of the afternoon to put it all together. Thankfully Caleb was a big help.

Caleb loves to be helpful!

It then took me three more days to put the lights on! The lights kept turning off or not working. I think next year I will put our other tree up that is pre-strung. The reason I didn't put the other tree up was that it also had lights out and I thought this would be easier. Oh was I wrong! Seth and Caleb loved helping me decorate the tree.
It was sad for me to put our tree topper on this year. I think this is the first time I've ever done it. Lauren also loved all the Christmas ornaments. It's always so special to see how excited the kids get. Can you believe I actually hung lights outside the house? This was actually easier then putting lights on the Christmas tree.

All I want for Christmas......

2008-11-25T05:32:00.003+01:00

I Had just finished hanging the Christmas tree lights when Seth got on the coffee table and decided to sing us a song. Thankfully I quickly reached for the camera. I didn't want you to miss this. He is such a sweet, sweet boy. I hope you all enjoy this!

He continued singing this over and over again until I had both boys on the coffee table singing.

The Kids

2008-11-24T21:35:00.006+01:00

Here is Caleb showing you his new toy (transformer car). He loves this little car! Seth also wanted to show you lovey.

Then they wanted me to take a picture of them. Then they wanted individual pictures. :)

Lauren wasn't sure about being in between her brothers.

Maybe it's because they love on her to much. :) Here is Caleb enjoying his new transformer Abuelo gave him. He was content just looking at it in the box for hours.

Remembering Yannick

2008-11-22T09:44:00.004+01:00

Before we left Germany we bought two more BIG trucks for the boys. We just gave Caleb his for his birthday. Every time he plays with it he remembers his friend Yannick from Germany. The one thing Caleb misses most about Germany are his BEST friends (Noah & Yannick). Just a few days ago he asked if we could go back so that he could go play with his BEST friend Noah.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALEB

2008-11-22T09:33:00.002+01:00

Caleb Turns SIX

2008-11-22T08:43:00.007+01:00

It's so hard to believe that our little baby is six. It feels like just yesterday we found out he was a boy and held him for the first time. I still remember so much of that day! Caleb was 6lb 4oz when he was born. I'm so blessed by my children. They help me to see my imperfections and make me strive to be a better person.

Caleb Turning ONECaleb turning TWO

Caleb turning THREE
Caleb turning FOUR
Caleb turning FIVE

Caleb turning SIX

Caleb's Birthday Party

2008-11-22T08:15:00.006+01:00

We had a birthday party for all of Caleb's classmates. We actually had a combined birthday party with Blaine (one of Caleb's classmates). Their birthdays are two days apart. We had 16 kids at the birthday party. Caleb had a great time! When I asked him what was his favorite part he said sharing my birthday with Blaine.

Here is Blaine and Caleb.

It was hard keeping track of so many kids.

Seth thinks he is also turning six. He never likes to get left behind.

Time to open the presents!

It was a little hard for Seth to understand that it wasn't his day. :(

We Miss you!

2008-11-20T07:34:00.005+01:00

I love this picture of us!

I love your eyes in these pictures! This one of you and Caleb is my wallpaper on my laptop. I can only imagine how wonderful it will be for all of us to be together again. We all miss you! I'm proud of you and feel so blessed to be married to you!

My Grandmother Arrived! (November 15th)

2008-11-20T07:07:00.004+01:00

It's been so wonderful having my grandmother here. I will forever be thankful for her. I must learn to be strong like she is. Here is a 84 year old woman who speaks no English who got on a plane, by herself, in Miami made a connection in Denver and arrived in Boise for her granddaughter. The Lord was so faithful bringing her to me. My grandmother should of never made that connection in Denver but she did. I give all the glory to God! We have been taking good care of her and I hope she will always remember this. I know I will.

I love watching the boys make memories with my grandmother.

Lauren is her little doll. She loves helping her learn new things.

Yeah!

2008-11-14T19:07:00.003+01:00

Thanks Papa for helping me figure this out! I love that I can put short clips on here for you to see.

Not happening tonight

2008-11-14T08:38:00.002+01:00

I really tried to figure out how to put a video on here and just couldn't do it. I will need to ask a more seasoned blogger. For now I really need to go to bed. I have not been keeping my promise to get to bed early. I miss you Troy!

THANKS GRANDMA......Here are your SUPERHEROS!

2008-11-14T08:11:00.005+01:00

They have been enjoying those costumes everyday! I get saved daily (sometimes every minute) by every superhero Caleb can come up with. Try and picture this. Caleb tells me that I need to scream (after I hear the breaking of the window) and yell for someone to save me. Then, of course, some superhero (he informs me of "who") saves me from the bad guy.

What a scary spider man holding his lovey. :) Now this is more Seth. Soft and cuddly! Lauren actually thought he was a dog.

More Letters from Home

2008-11-14T07:53:00.003+01:00

More letters coming your way. The boys and I had fun writing you letters today (Wednesday). I also had fun finishing up your care package. :)

I guess I got to carried away. Next time I will stick to the flat rate boxes or we will need to take out a small loan. :) I can not imagine what a really BIG box would cost. This one was 35 dollars to mail.

After seeing the pictures from above I decided I REALLY needed to give the boys a haircut. This is much, much, much easier with you here. Thankfully we did it with no major mistakes (that you can see). BEFORE

AFTERCaleb wanted me to take this picture so that you could remember that he sees you everyday.

Papa's Jeep

2008-11-14T07:34:00.003+01:00

Just about everyday Seth will ask if we can take Papa's Jeep. Today I said "Yes". He was SO excited you'd think that you were in the Jeep with him. I guess he feels close to you when we drive it.

Caleb and I spent the day together today (Veteran's Day). Tory watched Seth and Lauren for me (THANKS TORY!). Seth was really excited to go to Tory's since Daniel was home today. I think he spent the day asking Daniel to play with him. Caleb and I went to pizza hut and then to Madagascar 2. We had a great time. When we sat down at Pizza Hut Caleb looked at me and said "I wish Papa was here instead of you". He didn't mean it in a bad way he just really misses you. Right now there is no one they rather be with then YOU (Papa). I will say that I'm looking forward to the boys being able to spend time (this Christmas) with Uncle Steve and Grandpa Hammon. I think this "male" time will be priceless.

Sorry! I didn't quite capture their excitement.

Here is Caleb telling me a story the entire way there and back. It's good practice for me becoming a better listener.

He learned this at the movie today..............

I'm SAD.........

Just kidding........(hand goes up).....I'm happy!

Disney On Ice

2008-11-10T08:07:00.006+01:00

Tonight is the first chance I get to blog since Wednesday. Let's just say that I've had better days. Now that it's (hopefully) all behind us it doesn't seem so bad. Lauren was sick for 2 nights with high fever (103.9). I took her in on Friday and the doctor said she had an ear infection. He started her on antibiotic that day. By the next morning she seemed better already. Which was a good thing since I had purchased Disney on Ice tickets a month ago. The boys had been looking forward to this all week. Thankfully my friend Tory was able to take care of Lauren for me so that she did not have to be out all day. The boys especially Seth was looking forward to the bus ride.
For those of you that do not know Seth LOVES buses! He says when he grows up, after college, he wants to be a bus driver. I really do think this was the highlight of his day.

They LOVED the show! I really enjoyed watching them enjoy themselves.

This is the part that made me cry. All the princesses were out skating at the same time. It made me miss you (Troy)! It also made me sad that you were missing watching the boys have such a nice time. It's so wonderful watching them smile. Seth favorite princess was the one in Yellow (imagine that). He kept pointing to her saying "that my favorite".

Bus ride #2

After the show I took the boys out to eat and to a short trip to Wal-Mart. I decided to buy each of them a fighting fish and they were so excited! It's their very first pet. I would like to introduce Caleb's fish Fred Red Blue (on the Left) and Seth's fish Yellow (on the Right). Here they are posing with their new fish to show Papa.

Now this is how we have spent every meal. Watching and talking to Fred and Yellow.

At the end of the night as I was getting ready to give Lauren her medicine and put her to bed I noticed a rash on her body. She looked like she might be having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. I called Angela (who is a nurse) to find out her opinion. She suggested that I should take Lauren in to Urgent Care. Sure enough they switched her antibiotics and said that for now we will say that she is allergic to Penicillin. At this point, with the week I was having, I just couldn't help but laugh. THANKS AGAIN ANGELA !!!! I must take a moment here and thank all of the wonderful women in my life right now! You are all SO amazing and gracious. God is testing but also providing. Thank you again to all who are near and far. I feel your prayers!

Family Night

2008-11-06T05:56:00.005+01:00

Both boys were taking a shower getting ready for our family night. I went downstairs to take the pizza out of the over when I heard water. I had no idea where it was coming from. When I look in the living room there is a stream of water falling from the air vent. Immediately I run to get the bucket. Then I try to remember how to turn the water off to the house. I can't remember. A few min later Caleb runs to tell me there is another leak????? OK.....now I'm starting to get nervous. Then I remember how to turn the water off and close the water supply to the house. I went next door to get some help but my neighbors husband was not home. My neighbor came over and also suggested to turn the electricity off since the light fixture was wet and collecting water. In between all this happening I'm calling maintenance to come help. The builder finally calls back and tells me he sending a plumber but I will have to go meet him at the front gate. If I can not meet him I will have to wait until tomorrow morning. I told the builder I would find someone to watch the kids so that I could meet the plumber.

First Leak

Second LeakWater in the light fixture with water dripping out.I decided to let the boys have family night in the dinning room while they had dinner. I also called my friend Kirstin to please come help me. She stayed with the kids while I drove to meet the plumber. Thanks Kirstin for staying with me until the end! I really appreciate it.
Lauren is also sick tonight with a fever.

After the plumber left at 9pm we have two holes in the living room and one upstairs in the bathroom. He stopped the leak and will be back tomorrow to replace a pipe.

Troy your moving disks came in handy tonight! Thanks for buying these for me. :)

AWANA

2008-11-03T07:13:00.005+01:00

He did it! He earned his wings and first jewel. I tried to stay and volunteer tonight but I do not think it's going to work out. They do not have a nursery so I had to keep Lauren and Seth with me. I was more of a distraction then a help.

We also talked to Abuelo tonight. Seth kept saying "Call Papa now?". They really miss talking and seeing you (I do too).

Oh Boy! They had fun right before bed. They were playing superheros. I love seeing them play together. They love each other so much.

Seth is always looking up to his big brother. :)

He loves giving you kisses.

A Day in The City

2008-11-03T06:22:00.003+01:00

We started Saturday morning at the Honda dealer and after about 10 min Seth went to the bathroom on the floor. :) The best part is Mommy forgot a extra pair of pants at home. So we next went to Old Navy to buy 2 new pairs of jeans (I wasn't going to get caught again without an extra pair). After that we stopped at the Co-Op and I had the BEST turkey wrap (I can't wait to go back with you). Then we went to Costco for the last errand of the day.

After such a long day I wanted to take them somewhere fun. However this place was so crowded that I let them stay for about 20 min and had to leave. They had a great time but it was WAY to crazy for me to watch them with Lauren and so many kids everywhere. Thankfully they were not to upset. I told them we would go back when Papa gets home.

About 2 min after this picture Seth decided to bless the dealers floor.

Seth stayed in his dirty close for about an hour until the car was ready.

Planet Kid (Or Planet Crazy House if you ask me)

Very tired kids waiting for Mommy to cook them dinner.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T07:06:00.003+01:00

We missed you today! I decided to take the kids to the Harvest Festival at the Baptist church. They had an absolute ball! At one point Caleb turned to me and said "Mom I'm having a great time!". Lauren was a princess during the day and a little lion at night. We will probably still have Halloween candy left when you get back.

We also went to trick or treat on commander loop.

Can you Believe it?

2008-11-01T06:59:00.002+01:00

Caleb had his first bloody nose yesterday! He thought it was the coolest thing ever. :) I think I will go get a cool humidifier tomorrow. Especially since today Seth also had a bloody nose. Caleb wanted me to take his picture to show you.

We Missed You Today

2008-11-01T06:53:00.002+01:00

Hi There! I really missed not hearing from you today. We prayed for you and hope we can hear from you again soon! The boys were a little sad this morning when I told them you would not be calling. Tonight when Caleb was going to sleep he said that he really hoped you would call tomorrow. I love this picture! :)

Sending Letters from Home

2008-11-01T06:20:00.003+01:00

We had so much fun walking to the mailbox to send you some letters from home. We love you!

Lauren loves riding in the wagon.

Troy's Wood Shop Arrived

2008-11-01T06:06:00.003+01:00

The movers did a good job trying to keep it all to one side. It's waiting for you to organize it all.

Seth Missing Papa

2008-11-01T05:53:00.004+01:00

When I went up stairs I found Seth's down open. My mind started racing. I thought for sure he would be up to no good. I looked in his bed and sure enough he was not there.

Then I found him in our bed snuggled up on Papa's side. No mess at ALL just a little toddler missing his Papa. :(

Day Three and Four

2008-10-29T04:08:00.009+01:00

DAY THREE

Yesterday morning this is the first thing Caleb did.......Hug Sammy (pretending it's Papa). I thought you'd like this picture of your teddy bear. :)

It was FANTASTIC to see and hear from you yesterday!!!! I was SO excited!!! Thanks for calling us so quickly. We really appreciate it. The boys had a great time talking to their Papa over the Internet. ****For all of you English grammar savvy people I'm sorry about my switching from 1st person to 3rd to everything. Writing is NOT my strong point. :) *****

For dinner we had breakfast. The boys absolutely love this. I even made their pancakes with chocolate chips! What a special treat.

Caleb ate 5 pancakes!

Then again so did Seth. I love this picture. It makes cooking for them fun.

Here is everyone showing you how BIG they are. (SO BIG!!!!)

Lauren had so much fun getting messy.

Here is Seth's new booster seat.

DAY FOUR

Thanks Papa for starting our morning just right! The boys love to talk to you at breakfast. I think it's the highlight of their day. It's really good to see you! :)

I thought I would let Caleb have some fun this morning and have some friends over before school. They had a good time. Seth tries to keep up with the big boys.

Trying to be a good mom I let the boys ride their bikes to Tory's for dinner. Seth's bike had a completely flat tire. But he insisted that he wanted to ride it. So....again trying to be a good mom I walked it over to Tory's house to see if Daniel could fix it. I tried a few neighbors but no one could help. Anyway, it made for a VERY long walk. Can you believe it took us almost 45 min to get to Tory's? I'm not kidding. I think you can tell from the pictures below that Seth was not walking very quickly. It may have something to do with the fact that he decided to play between 4-6am this morning instead of sleeping.

Can you hear me asking him to move a little quicker? (LOL)

We had a great time at The Bair's house. Tory is a wonderful cook! I feel completely blessed to have them in our lives. Thanks for your amazing friendship Tory! The boys also had fun getting some wrestling time with Daniel. He even took them to the park before dinner. Again I'm thankful that the boys can have some needed boy time with Daniel.

Here is Sammy in Troy's favorite shirt.

Caleb loves giving Sammy lots of hugs. Tonight Seth looked at me and said why doesn't my bear have a shirt. I guess I will have to get creative again tomorrow.

GOOD NIGHT PAPA! We miss you!!!

Troy's "early" Promotion Party and Award Ceremony

2008-10-28T21:04:00.006+01:00

Troy will be pinning on Major while in the dessert. His boss (Lt Col Grant) suggested that we have an early (fake) promotion party. Thanks to Col Grant we had the privilege to pin Troy's new rank on. I did one side and the boys did the other.

Troy is an AWESOME Dad! The boys miss his hugs and kisses so much!Here is Troy receiving another award (I can't remember the name of it...oops).

More Pumpkin Carving Pictures

2008-10-28T20:53:00.004+01:00

Caleb loves this skeleton shirt. He is really into understanding the human body and how it works. Be careful if he sees you smoking he might give you a lesson on what it's doing to your lungs.

We had a great time!

Lauren's Ear Piercing

2008-10-28T20:31:00.004+01:00

We took Lauren to have her ear's pierced about two weeks ago. I started to hold her then decided this was more of a Papa job. There are just some things Dad's are more equipped to handle then moms. She cried for just a few minutes and then forgot all about it. We think she looks SO cute!

Our New House

2008-10-28T19:56:00.003+01:00

Our first house only had three bedrooms and about 1200 sq ft. Lauren was sharing our bedroom. Now we have 2200 sq ft and four bedrooms. It's so nice having more room for the kids. We've also enjoyed trying to make it our home.

It's hard to believe that in about a month Troy will be a Major! It's been over ten years that he has been serving his country.

We carved pumpkins the night before Troy left with our friends the Bairs (Daniel, Tory, Isaiah and Noah). We had a wonderful time carving and eating smores! :)

These are the two rooms we spend most of our time in (The kitchen and dinning room).

Day TWO

2008-10-27T05:10:00.003+01:00

This will have to be my last up-date for tonight. My goal for this deployment is to eat right, exercise and get to bed on time so that I can be the best mommy to my little ones. Well, we made it! Two days down. We got ready and went to church today (even had time to take a couple of pictures). I cried a little during praise and worship but then remembered I'm not doing this alone. God will be faithful! Thanks for all of you who called to see how I was doing and for those of you who prayed for me (I felt those prayers carrying me!). A special thanks to my friend DD for letting me have the night off from cooking. That soup was just what I needed.

Here is Lauren on the MOVE.

We made it to AWANA tonight and Caleb earned his Hang Glider patch! :)

At bedtime Caleb was sad and missing his Papa. So here is "Sammy" (his bear) wearing Troy's shirt. Caleb gave Sammy a big hug and said that now he could hug Papa all the time. He also said that he wanted Sammy to wear Papa's shirt until Papa comes home.

We LOVE you Troy!!! We prayed for you today and hope we can hear from you soon. I miss you. Big HUGS (Can you feel it?) :)

Seth's favorite things!

2008-10-27T05:00:00.003+01:00

Here is Seth holding his two favorite things......his love-E and his bus.

Our frist home in Idaho

2008-10-27T04:28:00.007+01:00

Mountain Home, Idaho is different then any other place I've ever lived. I am enjoying the beauty of the dessert and the wide open spaces. Our first house was in Gunfighter Manor. This neighborhood has beautiful trees and a fantastic park. We also had a wonderful backyard. The downside is that the house has been around since World War II. Let's just say I'm happy if I never see another earwig again. :)

The boys miss having such a great place to play. Here is my new "mommy" van. The boys love "road trips" now. It's hard to believe that a van can make a mom's job so much easier. No SUV can top the good old fashion mini van. :)

Empty House

2008-05-27T08:33:00.006+02:00

The movers came last week to pack us up and start the 90 day journey back to the states. Yes.....can you believe we have to live without our "things" for up to 3 months. I really thought that Caleb and Seth had to many toys so I decided to keep just a few cars for each of them. Bad idea! Last week we ended up in the ER for a possible concussion and many, many bruises. Over the weekend I went out and purchased a cardboard house and some blue tape. It's amazing what a little imagination can do.

The boys LOVE to hear their echo. I really do feel sorry for our neighbors.

Welcome Home!

"The City" has an airport, house, ocean/beach, hotel, parking garage, and lots of "blue" road. :)

This is our airport.

St. Avold, France (Memorial Weekend)

2008-05-25T22:48:00.007+02:00

Having fun in Germany

2008-05-25T18:22:00.012+02:00

Saturday we had some "German style" fun. We started the day at the local indoor pool. For some reason it had been long time since we had been there and I’m not sure that Seth remembered it. So this was like his first time and he had a blast. The boys really loved going down the big slide. Caleb can go by himself, but Seth goes down in my lap laughing all the way.

Seth started small but soon moved to the big slide.

He always wants to do whatever his big brother is doing

This was Lauren’s first time in the pool.

She wasn’t quite sure what to make of everything at first but warmed to it after a while.

Some ice cream fun to wrap things up.

After a morning at the pool, we decided to head to the Kaiserslautern carnival. The boys were fascinated by all the sights and sounds. Seth wanted to ride every ride in the park but at a Euro fifty per ride(about $2.50), we use it as a chance to teach the boys about delayed gratification.

Broken hearted

Finally!

To end the night, we enjoyed a roasted chicken in the “Chicken Tent.” (Yes, it really is a tent) The Germans aren’t especially creative with their names, but they can sure roast some meat!

Yum!

Here you go Abuela Maria. Pick your color.