The Maddox Family

Warrior Dash

2011-08-01T12:48:00.004-05:00

Scott post race

Scott, and friends from church who ran with him

Scott jumping over fire!

Scott and friends pre-race

This how we got somewhat cleaned off

me and my friend Jenn
Me stepping out of the mud pit

Me getting ready to head into the mud pit

Carolyn jumping over fire

Scott and I pre-race

Scott and I both ran the Warrior Dash this past weekend. It was Scott's first race ever. We had a fun time running with friends! We were both happy we survived the obstacles. It was a very hilly muddy run. We would both do the run again.

Nashvegas 2011

2011-05-05T10:00:00.006-05:00

All the runners post race in St. Louis

Dad, Caitlyn, Emily, me, and Jason pre-race at the Expo

Dad with the basket from Michelle

Brianna, Jason, me, Mike, Regina, and my Dad

So back in November my friend Becca talked me into signing up for the Nashville Rock n Roll marathon. We then talked my dad, sister, brother, and cousin into doing the full marathon. My running friend Amanda ran the half marathon. Becca ended up moving to Australia a couple of months ago so she wasn't able to run with us. We missed running with her!!!

One of our family friends Michelle made us a race basket with all kinds of goodies to help with pre and post race. It was packed with all kinds of yummy goodies and foot cream and stuff to decorate our car with. She had run the Nashville marathon 5 years ago with her family.

My aunt Mardi, and cousin Mikan came out with Caitlyn to cheer us on. Brianna came with us too. They were the best cheerleaders. It was so fun seeing them along the race.

We drove to Nashville on Friday and then we went to the Expo and had lots of fun picking up our race packets and lots of freebies. My aunt Mardi, cousin Caitlyn, and I won free t-shirts. Em and I got some matching headbands that say, "Bad Ass Mother Runner." We then had a pre-race dinner at Jason's deli just down the straight from our hotel.

Race morning we headed down the street from our hotel to the starting line. There were thousands of people. The newspaper said 27,000 ran that day. 5,000 in the full marathon and 22,000 in the half. Of those 5,000 only 4,000 finished the race. It was a beautiful, sunny 80 degree day which is not good running weather when you aren't used to heat yet. We all finished the race with my dad coming in first of the group, then my sister, then my cousin, then brother, then me. The craziest part for me was around mile 12 when a man just passed out and fell to the ground. At that point, I just wanted to focus on finishing the race and not getting sick or passing out.

After the race, we went to a fun restaurant with Becca's brother Mike and his wife Regina. Then we went to the Montgomery Gentry concert for the race participants. After the concert, we enjoyed some frozen yogurt and then headed to bed.

We all had such a fun time running the marathon we are trying to decide which one to do next. I am thinking the Kansas City marathon so I don't have to travel during hockey and football season for the boys.

Easter Weekend

2011-05-05T09:47:00.003-05:00

Scott's brother Craig was married to Marianne in St. Louis over Easter weekend. We had a fun time hanging out with lots of family. Scott and Nile enjoyed golfing with all the brothers the day before the wedding. We had a yummy Italian dinner the night before the wedding. After the wedding reception while we were helping clean up, the tornado sirens started going off, then the electricity went off at the church. We waited until the warning went off and then headed back to my mom's house. 270 was shut down due to down power lines. Then we learned the St. Louis airport had been hit. We drove by we were only about 10 minutes from the airport. It was crazy seeing all the destruction.

Saturday, I went on my long run with my brother Jason. Then we went to Scott's parents for an Easter egg hunt and dying eggs. Then we went to the Cardinals baseball game which was tons of fun and enjoyed some ted drews ice cream after.

Becca's Wedding

2011-03-02T08:30:00.003-06:00

Book Club Ladies with Becca

Rob and Becca

So one of my best friends Becca got married a couple of weeks ago. She married a great guy. Becca is my running friend who talked me until running the Kansas City Marathon. She is the reason I have become addicted to running long distances. She also talked me into the Nashville Marathon which is April 30. I have been training for that this winter. My dad, sister, brother, cousin, and friend Jen are going to run the full marathon and a couple of my other running friends are going to run the half. I am sad though because she is going to move to Australia with her new husband in a month. I will miss her but I am sure she will have lots of adventures in Australia. I might even have to go visit her.

Her wedding weekend was fun because some of our book club friends that have moved away came back for the wedding. It was to see Amanda and Jenny and all hang out together.

Look Who's Eight!!

2011-01-18T13:35:00.005-06:00

This is Claire's drawing for the cover of her program

Claire in front of the food table

Claire with Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma

Nana, Great-Grandma, Claire, Carolyn, and Emily

The Family

Claire with Papa and Nana

Claire with Grandma and Grandpa

Claire turned 8 this past week. We decided to go to St. Louis for her baptism so her great-grandparents could attend. We had 34 people attend and Claire was related to all but 4 people. It was a great day!! Claire was able to wear the dress that I was baptized in and also my mom and sister. It fit her perfectly. After the baptism, we went to my mom's house for some yummy food!! It was great to be with all of our family.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2011-01-06T14:10:00.006-06:00

The Puzzle

All the Girls at the Zoo (while we are waiting for the tornado warning to disappear)
All the Maddox Boys

Brent and Claire at the Science Center doing experiments

Tourtillott Family and Maddox Family ice skating

Brent and Claire with their lego creations

Brent with Great Grandma

The Nativity Scene

Our White Christmas

Cousins building Legos together

Claire with her Justin Bieber Doll

We enjoyed a White Christmas in St. Louis this year. The kids loved playing with all their cousins, aunts,uncles and grandparents. Scott took the kids to a couple of movies. We explored the Science Center and the zoo. We were able to go ice skating with good friends who were passing through town. Scott, my brother Jason and his wife Brianna and I worked on a 2000 piece puzzle and were able to finish it which was quite an accomplishment considering my brothers dog Carmine ate a few pieces. We also were able to enjoy some bowling with the family.

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-04T10:56:00.003-05:00

Claire has a vampire

Claire doing her vampire face

B with his bowl of candy he got

Brent as a BYU football player

Nile as Elvis

We had a crazy Halloween weekend. We had a church trunk or treat party Friday night. Then Saturday the boys each had a hockey game and Nile had his last football game of the season. We managed to carve some pumpkins in between games. Claire really got into trick or treating this year. We were out for 2 and half hours and she didn't even eat any candy while we out walking. She had a fun time and saw some of her good friends along the way.

The Big Haircut

2010-10-26T14:48:00.003-05:00

Claire with her new do

Claire holding her ponytail of hair

Claire before the haircut

Holli cutting Claire's hair

So Claire has been growing her hair out for awhile now. We realized a few months ago if we let it grow out a couple of more inches we would have 12 inches to donate to Locks of Love. So last week, she went in for her big haircut. I can't get over how grown up she looks now.

KC Marathon

2010-10-22T11:25:00.003-05:00

Becca, Me, and My dad

Nile coming off the field after a sack

Jason, B, and Jonathan

B and Scott waiting for me to finish

Jason, Nile, and Jonathan

So my friend Becca, who is an ultra marathoner, which means she likes to run a lot, talked me into running my first marathon. We have been training together since the end of June. She has had us run hills, lots of hills, which helped me on the marathon because Kansas City has lots of hills. We would meet every Saturday morning at 6am to get it in before the heat and all of the kids activities. Some mornings we even went at 5am to get the runs in for the week. We came to love our Wednesday morning 8 mile run which was how many miles I was used to doing for a long run. I have come to love my long runs on the weekends. It is so nice to get outside with friends and talk for hours while we run. I think training for a marathon is almost more fun than running the full marathon.

Race day was a beautiful day in Kansas City. My friend Becca was pacing the marathon at 5 hours 20 minutes, I stayed with her until mile 11 or so when I came upon a big hill and need to slow down my pace so I could finish the race. I was happy that I finished the race and I was still able to go to Nile's hockey game later that afternoon. My body is recovering faster than I thought it would which is good considering my friend Becca talked me into running the San Antonio half marathon in 3 weeks.

I also had talked my dad into running the half marathon the same day I did the full. I couldn't talk him into doing the full yet. He was able to set a PR with a time of 1 hour 54 minutes. It was great to have my brothers and dad and Brianna and Scott and the kids at the finish line.

We had a great weekend with the family eating lots of KC barbeque both Oklahoma Joe's and Jack Stacks. I even made homemade chocolate chip cookies for my brother Jonathan who just got back from his mission.

My brothers got to ice skate at Brent's hockey practice. Jason got to watch Nile play an awesome football game. Becca had given Nile the pep talk about winning is everything the night before his game. I told him he better hit those players hard because his game was while my dad and I were running and I wanted to hear that he had a good game. No pressure or anything. He also won his hockey game later that day.

Nile's Indian Project

2010-09-21T12:42:00.003-05:00

Nile with his project

Nile's Indian Reed House

So Nile had to build an indian dwelling over labor day weekend. He picked the reed house to build. Scott and Nile worked on it most of the weekend. He ended up getting a 100% on his project. He had to write a report to go with it. He even carved out the canoe with his pocket knife.

Clips from Nile's First Football Game 2010

2010-09-13T19:44:00.002-05:00

Back to School

2010-09-01T08:32:00.003-05:00

Nile the first day of school

B his first day of Pre-K

Claire's First Day of School

School has started! It feels great to get back to a somewhat normal routine. Nile started 5th grade and is trying to decide what instrument to play this year. Claire has started 2nd grade. Brent is in pre-K this year. This will be my only year having all the kids in the same school. Brent's pre-K is at the elementary school with Nile and Claire. Yes, it did the rain the first day of school but we walked anyways.

Hilton Head 2010

2010-07-25T19:42:00.007-05:00

Claire shooting water at a pirate

A pirate

Brent, Nile, and Claire in front of the Black Dagger ship

One of the alligators that we saw

Claire, Scott, and Brent pointing at an alligator

The alligator nest

Scott and Claire biking

Claire on the beach

Nile, Claire, and Brent hanging around

The family at the beach

Nile at the beach

A windy day on top of the lighthouse

The boys building a tower on Claire

B on the beach

The kids with a turtle they found on the bike path

We went on our family vacation to Hilton Head again this year. We had a great time. We saw lots of alligators and even an alligator nest in the nature area. We also saw lots of sand dollars and starfish at the beach. The kids had a great time riding bikes all over the place. One day we even rode 10 miles to the South Beach. We enjoyed some crab legs and hush puppies at the Crazy Crab. This year we tried out the Pirate Adventure Cruise. They took the kids on a treasure hunt and had a box of treasure the kids could grab their gold coins from at the end.

My Birthday Weekend and Hospital Hill Run

2010-06-11T19:48:00.004-05:00

Me, My mom, dad, Nile, Claire, and Brent

Post Race Becca, Me, Dad, and Jen

Nile, B, and My mom waiting at finish line

Nile picking strawberries

Me, my dad, Brent, and Nile with our signs

Pre-Race Dad, me, Becca, and Jen

On my birthday, I decided to run the Hospital Hill Half Marathon, which is the fourth hilliest half marathons in the country. My dad came in town and ran it with me. I should say he started with me and then took off. He did awesome!! I didn't realize that it was the first race that he had ever run. The heat really effected me. My friends Becca and Jen stayed with me the whole time and even sang happy birthday every time we hit a mile marker. It was a fun run. Next year, I hope to be a little faster. It was fun having my parents come in town for the weekend.

Our garden is doing awesome this year. I have picked bowls and bowls of strawberries. I have made 8 containers of homemade strawberry jam, and frozen some whole berries. I also took the kids to a big strawberry patch to pick some berries one day.

Mother's Day Weekend

2010-05-13T17:08:00.003-05:00

B and Drew boxing

Claire and Sophia

Jason, Brianna, Grandma, Kevin, and Chris

Mom and Dad

Sophia, Claire, Brent, Nile, and Drew

Nile, Brent, and Drew

Sophia, Claire, and Lily

For mother's day we went to St. Louis so we could talk to my brother Jonathan who is serving a mission in Brazil. On Saturday, Scott took Nile and Brent up to his parent's house to help his dad and brothers build a fence for his mom. They worked hard and saw a mouse and a snake while they were building the fence. Claire and I went shopping with nana and Claire had a playdate with her friend Lily. On Sunday morning, I started out mother's day with a 10 mile run with my dad and sister. My dad is going to run the hospital hill half marathon in a few weeks with me. Then I made homemade waffles for the family. We ate a great bbq dinner while we talked to Jonathan. We were able to stay an extra day in St. Louis because Scott had some work to do so my sister and I took the kids to a bounce house. They love it!

Half Marathons

2010-04-22T16:46:00.002-05:00

Back in March I ran the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon in K.C. There was crazy weather that day. It rained the whole time and even hailed on me. The kids were freezing waiting for me to finish. They didn't come until the end. I ran that race in 2hours 35 minutes and then I ran the Olathe Half Marathon two weeks later and improved my time to 2hours and 30 minutes. I am training now to run the Hospital Hill Half Marathon in June and my dad has decided that he will run with me.

Brent Scoring a goal in Ice Hockey

2010-04-12T17:25:00.000-05:00

Brent's (Age 4) First Penalty on the Ice

2010-03-26T13:52:00.003-05:00

Spring Break

2010-03-26T12:52:00.004-05:00

B painting his airplane at a ceramics place

Claire painting a Dog treat container

B at the park

B going down a slide at the city museum

Brent and Claire climbing at the city museum

The kids at Suson Park
B and Nile all geared up

Nile and B in the locker room gearing up for stick and puck

We went to St. Louis for spring break to visit the family. Nile also had a hockey tournament there and his team ended up winning the tournament. They had to play a team of girls and were a little thrown off by the dancing during a break to Sir-Mix-A-Lot. It was pretty hilarious. We went bowling with the Maddox Family one day and the kids loved that. The are becoming better each time we take them. Scott had a great game too until the last few frames but he still won. We were able to see Sophia and Drew in their little ice show. The kids had a fun time playing with all the cousins. We went to a fun park one day because the zoo was shut down for St. Patty's Day. Also Scott and Nile got enjoy going to the Blues hockey game.

We took B to stick and puck to see how he would do with all his gear and he did great. He is going to start spring hockey this next week. He is pretty adorable out there on the ice with all his gear on.

We also went to the city museum which was tons of fun. We all went down the 10 story slide. B was a little nervous but then wanted to do it again but we said next time because you have to walk up the 10 stories to go down. The kids had fun exploring the caves and climbing on the outside tunnels.

I talked my dad into running about 9 miles with me one morning to help get ready for my half marathon tomorrow, Rock the Parkway in KC. He did great. I took him out of his comfort zone.

Crunchy Carmel Apple Pie

2010-03-03T08:47:00.002-06:00

Here is my recipe for the winning pie:

1 recipe Pastry for Single-Crust Pie

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

6 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples

1 recipe crumb toppinng

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup carmel ice cream topping

Prepare pastry for single crust pie. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch circle. Transfer pastry to a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim, crimp edge as desired. (Sometimes I cheat and use a pillsbury ready made crust)

In a large mixing bowl stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add apple slices and gently toss till coated. Transfer apple mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple mixture.

To prevent over browning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes more or till top is golden. Remove from oven, sprinkle pie with pecans then drizzle with carmel topping. Cool on wire rake.

Crumb Topping:

Stir together 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/2 cup butter till topping mixture resembles coarse crumbles.

Pastry for Single Crust Pie:

In a bowl stir together 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup shortening till pieces are pea-size. Using 4-5 Tablespoons cold water total, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of water at a time over flour mixture, tossing with a fork until all of the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball.

Pine Wood Derby and Blue and Gold

2010-02-26T13:50:00.003-06:00

Becca and Me (we are the Bear Den Leaders)

B, Claire, and Nile

Nile showing off his face painting
Nile with his Pinewood Derby car
The Car

Nile had his Pinewood Derby back in January. His car was a good looking car but not very fast. We had the Blue and Gold banquet last night. Nile earned his Weblos badge and a few activity pins. Scott was put to work at the face painting booth. He was busy all night. I won the 1st place blue ribbon for the bake off with our carmel apple pie. It was pretty yummy.

Hockey and Snow

2010-02-23T09:57:00.002-06:00

Nile on the ice during one of his games

Nile waiting to go on the ice

Claire, B, and Nile ice skating
B with his snowman
Claire with her snowman

We have had lots of snow here this past month. The kids had fun building snowmen one day that it snowed and it wasn't too cold to play in the snow. Nile has been playing lots of hockey. He made a select team this year so he has played in a couple of tournaments in Omaha and Des Moines. He has a big tournament coming up in Kansas City in a couple of weeks and he might even get to do a tournament in St. Louis which would be lots of fun. He is having lots of fun with his friends on the hockey team at the hotels, swimming and playing hall hockey. We are ready for the snow to be done and for spring to come so we can start walking to school again. B has a brand new pair of hockey skates that he loves to wear around the house with the skate guards on. He wants me to take him skating everyday. I usually take him at least twice a week. He is becoming quite the little skater.

Happy Birthday Claire!!!

2010-01-27T16:10:00.002-06:00

The Birthday Girl
Claire with her cupcakes

Claire with some of her friends

Nile and B jumping on the trampoline

Claire turned 7 this month. We decided to have a gymnastics birthday party. She had 19 of friends come. They had a great time jumping, climbing, and sliding in the gym. She loved having all of her friends there. Nile and B had a fun time too jumping on the trampoline. She is getting so grown up.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-22T14:39:00.002-06:00

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

B turns 4

2009-11-24T19:46:00.003-06:00

Brent celebrated his fourth birthday last week. It snowed for the first time this fall on his birthday. He was so excited to see the snow. We went to Steak-n-shake for dinner. Then we had a cake later in the week and sang Happy Birthday. He wanted an under armor shirt for his birthday and he hasn't taken it off since he has gotten it. He is becoming quite the little ice skater. For the past three weeks, he has had private skating lessons. He might be ready for hockey by next fall.

Nile turns 10

2009-11-15T16:35:00.003-06:00

Nile with his friends at the hockey game

Nile with his friends at Imo's
Nile blowing out his candles

The Birthday Boy

Nile celebrated his birthday last week. He had fun going out to lunch with Grandma last Saturday and then he played a great hockey game that day. For his birthday, this year he decided he wanted to take a few friends to the new minor league hockey game in K.C. They all had a fun time watching the game and they enjoyed IMO's pizza before hand, a St. Louis favorite. We are happy they have one here in Kansas City. I can't believe he is 10 years old this year. He is becoming so grown up.

Halloween Pictures

2009-11-12T10:30:00.003-06:00

The Family Halloween night

B my little football player

Nile, Brent, and Claire with their pumpkins

me and Claire with our fake eyelashes

We had a fun Halloween this year. Nile was Hercules, Claire was Cleopatra, and Brent was a BYU football player. For the church Halloween party, Claire talked me into wearing her Hannah Montana wig and fake eyelashes. They were actually pretty nice. We had a Hannah themed car for trunk or treat and played Hannah music, the kids loved it.

KC Half Marathon

2009-11-10T16:09:00.002-06:00

So I finished the half marathon while having the flu. My parents came in town for the weekend to watch Nile play hockey and football and see me finish my race. On Friday night, we went to Nile's hockey game and they won, it was a pretty exciting game. While we were at the ice rink, Claire started not feeling well. We got home and realized she had a fever. I started having a cough but thought I was fine. So I started the race with my running partners and I was doing fine until mile 2 and then it hit me, I was not feeling well. I didn't know how to quit the race so I ended up finished the half marathon while I was sick. I came home and crashed. It took me a good couple of weeks to completely recover. I am feeling lots better now and even thinking about running a half marathon in a couple of weeks just to make myself feel better that I can do it in better time.

Scott's Birthday

2009-10-14T18:12:00.004-05:00

The birthday Boy with his lighter

Claire's birthday card

Nile, Brent, Scott, and Claire

Scott had a birthday this weekend. We went out to dinner with some friends and then to a corn maze and bonfire. It was freezing!! The kids wanted to make Scott a chocolate cake with vanilla icing. They did a pretty good job. Claire wrote him the funniest card. It says, "To dad, Love Claire, you are the best dad ever. I would never want a step dad." She wrote it all by herself we have no clue where the step dad part came from.

A busy week

2009-10-05T10:41:00.004-05:00

Scott with his parents and B
Nile at football warming up

B with all of his 6th grade friends

Brent at the pretend birthday party at school

Last Thursday, Brent had a bike ride at his preschool. They were studying distance so they all brought up their bikes to school and rode around the school. Some 6th graders helped them. Brent is loving preschool. They had one area of the room set up for a pretend birthday party.

We had a great weekend. Scott's parents came in town last weekend to watch Nile play football. He played great!! He played every play of the whole game because there were a few kids out sick. He did a great job and his team has two wins two losses.

Claire's Boots

2009-09-22T13:28:00.003-05:00

We took Claire to the store this weekend to find some boots. I tried to talk her into getting some suede boots to match her cousin Sophia but she liked this boots the best. She knows what she likes. I think sometimes she is 6 going on 16. This the outfit she wore to school today. Hopefully, her feet aren't hurting too bad when she comes home from school.

Football Games

2009-09-22T13:17:00.002-05:00

Nile has won his first two football games. The first one, 12-0 and the second 30-0. He is doing a great job on defense. He says he likes defense better because he can tackle the other kids. We started hockey practice last week. This is going to be interesting doing to overlapping sports, it's just for the month of October and this last little bit of September. Hopefully we survive the month with all the practices.

Jason and Brianna's Wedding

2009-08-27T15:10:00.004-05:00

Drew and B

Claire

The girls me, my mom, and sister

Brianna and Jason

Scott and Nile under the All Star Arch

The centerpiece my mom made for the stadium, we also made baseball sugar cookies

Nile in the Cardinals dugout

NIle on the field

my dad, Jason, Flat Jonathan, Steve, Scott, Nile, and Christian golfing

My brother was married last Saturday. We all went to St. Louis for the wedding and had an exciting weekend. Friday, Scott and Nile went golfing with Jason. Then Friday night, we went to Busch Stadium for a rehearsal/welcome Brianna to the family dinner. There was a program and we all had a great night. Saturday was the wedding and reception. We are excited Brianna is part of the family.

School Starts

2009-08-17T10:48:00.003-05:00

Brent on his first day of preschool

Nile is on the left with the navy jersey

Nile on his first day

Claire on her first day

Nile and Claire started school last Thursday. Brent started preschool this morning. We are all excited to be back in the routine of things. Nile started playing tackle football a couple of weeks ago. It is keeping us busy. He loves it. He is a defensive tackle and loves trying to get to the quarterback. His first game will be next month. Claire loves school and being back with all of her friends. The kids are starting to learn Spanish this year as one of their electives. Claire came home the first day of Spanish counting to 10. I don't know if Dora had anything to do with that also. Brent was so excited to start school today. He was the first one there.

Hilton Head 2009

2009-07-20T19:10:00.005-05:00

The family on the beach
Scott and Nile golfing

B on the beach

Claire boogie boarding

The hissing alligator

The alligator on the lower left, we call this the gator bait pose

Grandma at Harbor Town playground

Nile

We made our annual trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina last week. We had lots fun. The weather was perfect this year, no rain and not too hot. We spent lots of time at the beach, the pool, and bike riding. The kids love going bike riding and looking for alligators, turtles, lizards, and frogs. We got the closest we have ever been to an alligator in the Nature Preserve, we could almost reach out and touch him. The kids were nervous he was going to jump up, he even hissed at us. We went back later in the week and they had added another wooden post to the bridge. Scott's mom went with us this year. We hope we did not wear her out too much. The kids loved building sand castles and jumping waves in the ocean, and picking up sea shells. We went to see fireworks one night. We climbed up the light house and looked out to Harbor Town. Scott and Nile went golfing and kayaking this year. They saw a bald eagle on their kayake tour and a big alligator on the golf course. Scott blamed the gator for his poor score.

Branson Family Vacation

2009-07-05T19:14:00.005-05:00

Nile and Scott in the cave

Claire and me in the cave

Claire and B waving good bye to Silver Dollar City

The gang on their favorite ride getting soaking wet

B, Claire, and Nile at mini golf

papa, nana, and Claire

Claire on stage waiting for awards

Papa and Nile with the golf ball

B and Claire at Dick's 5 and 10

The gang at the Dixie Stampede

Claire had a dance competition in Branson this past week, so parents decided to come down and meet us down there to see Claire do her dance since they couldn't make the dance recital. The first night we went to the Dixie Stampede show which was fun. The kids loved it!! Nile thought it was the best dinner he had ever had. On Thursday, Scott, Nile, and my dad went golfing, which was fun even though we had an injury. My dad accidently hit Nile in the leg with a golf ball on the 18th hole. He has a pretty good size bruise. My mom, B, Claire, and I hung out at the pool in the morning and then I got Claire ready for her dance competition. She danced great and received a gold award. Then we went mini-golfing and out for some frozen custard. On Friday, we went to Silver Dollar City, which brought back some great family memories. (My grandpa and grandma Farmer took all of us, aunts, uncles, and cousins to Branson 14 years ago on a big bus, it was quite the family vacation. We all loved it!!!) Claire could go on almost every ride but one. Nile loved all the roller coasters. Brent even got to go on Fire in the Hole. The kids had fun riding rides with papa and nana. We did get my mother on one ride.

On the way home we decided to stop at the Fantastic Caverns cave. It was an interesting experience. It is the only cave in the U.S. that you can drive through.

Recital Weekend

2009-06-16T11:13:00.003-05:00

Claire jumping in
Brent swimming

Claire with Grandma and Grandpa after the show

Scott's parents came in town last weekend for Claire's dance recital. She did a great job!! We had a fun busy day. The kids talked grandma and grandpa into going to the pool to see them swim even though it was in the 70's. Then we went to the movies to see Night of the Museum 2 which the kids liked. Then I came home to do Claire's hair and make-up and get her ready for the recital. We had to wake all the kids up on Sunday morning for church. It's weekends like this that we wish we had church just a little later.

Nile is in cubscout day camp this week. He survived a little ran yesterday. His baseball game got canceled because of the lightening. Claire and Brent started swim lessons yesterday. Brent screamed for the first little bit which is surprising because he loves the pool. He has to go everyday to feel like his day is complete. Hopefully, it will go better today.

IT'S A DOZEN

2009-06-07T21:48:00.002-05:00

Our anniversary was yesterday. Here is a picture of us from our wedding day. Time sure does fly by. It has been a great 12 years and we are looking forward to the years to come.

National Running Day

2009-06-03T11:22:00.002-05:00

In celebration of National Running Day today, I took the kids to the track to run. Nile ran 2 miles. Claire and B did a little less. They had fun running as fast as they could. They are enjoying their summer vacation.

Kindergarten Graduation

2009-05-21T15:27:00.003-05:00

Claire with her 1st grade pose from her program

Brent, Nile, and Claire

Claire had her big graduation last night. She sang some songs and received her kindergarten certificate. She was absolutely adorable. She is excited for first grade. Nile just has a half day of school left and then we will be in summer mode. The kids are so excited for the pool to open up on Saturday, hopefully it will be warm enough to enjoy. Scott is busy painting because the boys get their new bunk bed tomorrow. They are so excited.

Mother's Day Weekend

2009-05-11T18:35:00.002-05:00

The cousins tanning on the green

me with my new running shoes

We had a busy Mother's Day weekend. We went to St. Louis so we could be there to hear my brother Jonathan call home from his mission. It was great to hear him. He has become very fluent in the language. Some of his friends were there and they were shocked that he was speaking so well and had learned the language as well as he has. The kids loved hearing from uncle Jonny.

The kids ordered me some running shoes and a running outfit for mother's day. I loved them!!!

My sister also came in town for Mother's Day and all the cousins had a fun time hanging out. They put on their swimsuits and sun glasses and were "tanning" on the golf green. While we were in town my other brother Jason wasn't feeling so well. He went to the urgent care center and they said he might have mono. He thought that was crazy but sure enough on our way home my dad called to say that the doctor had called and confirmed that he has mono, so hopefully no one else in the family gets it.

Busy Weekend

2009-04-27T12:51:00.007-05:00

Nile as catcher

The Garden Beds

Claire after her dance competition

B with his hockey "game face"

I went ahead and signed up Brent and Claire for another session of ice skating lessons. They are really enjoying them. Claire is even learning a little routine on ice with little jumps and turns. Friday night, Nile had his first baseball game of the season. He played catcher part of the time and enjoyed the game even though they lost. On Saturday, Claire had another dance competition. She did great. They received 3rd place. While Claire and I were at the dance competition most of the day, Scott, Nile, and B built two raised garden beds. We decided to start a garden this year. We are going to do one bed with strawberries and the other bed with veggies. Nile had a birthday party that night so Scott and I decided to get a babysitter and try and do a little furniture shopping at Nebraska Furniture Mart. While we were looking around, tornado sirens went off, apparently there were tornados in the area. So we were offered to go into the storm bunker or leave the store. We decided to leave and didn't run into any tornados.

Easter Eggs

2009-04-14T19:27:00.002-05:00

My Latest Projects

2009-04-06T13:55:00.003-05:00

When my sister-in-law Jill came to town in February, she had made this really cute bag. She has posted directions on her blog www.homemadebyjill.blogspot.com. She is our little Martha Stewart, in fact, she used to work for her. So I went and bought all the materials and made one myself. I think it turned out pretty cute.

I also ran in the 5K this past weekend with a couple of my running buddies. We all did good. I did it in 30 minutes 36seconds. I improved my time from last year by 4 minutes. We are getting ready to run a 10K in May and then maybe a half marathon in October. We will see.

The Tourtillotts Visit

2009-04-06T13:48:00.002-05:00

The whole gang at the movies

Abby, Claire, and Katy

Kim and I

Our good friends the Tourtillotts came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. They came in town to go to a relative's wedding reception but the reception ended up getting canceled due to a snow storm. We had fun hanging out. Kim and I went got pedicures together. We got a babysitter and went to the movies and out to dinner. We were supposed to run in the Olathe 5K together but it was moved to the next weekend due to the weather. On Saturday, we took the kids to see "Monsters vs. Aliens" in 3-D. They all loved it. We enjoyed having them come in town to visit. The kids had blast playing with their kids.

The Solar System

2009-04-06T13:43:00.003-05:00

Nile did a science project on the solar system for school a couple of weeks ago. He made a model and a display board. It turned out great!!! We went to the store to find a kit to use for the project and there were some that had the planets already painted but Nile wanted to pain the planets. He said that was the fun part so Scott helped him paint all the planets. They turned out a lot more realistic than the kit.

Our Newest Niece

2009-04-06T13:34:00.004-05:00

Nile, Brent, and Drew playing baseball

Baby Sydney

Nile holding his cousin

My sister Emily had her baby girl, Sydney Jene on March 20. She has c-sections and wasn't supposed to have the baby until March 25 but ended up going into labor on the 20th, which is my mom's birthday. It worked out nice because my parents brought her other kids, Drew and Sophia back to St. Louis. We were there for spring break so the kids got to have some fun cousin time. On the way back to K.C. we stopped and saw the baby at the hospital. The kids loved holding the baby Sydney.

B-Man on Ice

2009-03-11T16:51:00.009-05:00

Oscar's Visit to K.C.

2009-03-02T17:25:00.003-06:00

Claire, Oscar, and Brent

Nile and Oscar

The whole gang

B and Grandma

Last weekend, Jill, Oscar, Kevin, Craig, Marc, Natalie, and Grandma and Grandpa all came to visit us in K.C. They came for Nile's last hockey game of the season. It was a good game, Nile's team lost in overtime:( Then we had the end of season pizza party with all of the team. We had a great hockey team this season. Scott and his siblings ended up staying up late playing Raving Rabbids on the Wii. It was fun watching everyone dance. Claire loved playing with Oscar. This morning she woke up and said she missed Oscar and has named one of her baby dolls Oscar.

Blue and Gold

2009-03-02T17:20:00.002-06:00

Cub Scout Cake decorated by Nile

B and Nile

Last week, Nile had his blue and gold banquet. He earned his bear badge. He had a fun time decorating a cake which we all enjoyed. He is having a fun year of cub scouts.

Jason's Visit

2009-02-25T10:38:00.002-06:00

At Jack Stack

Jason, Scott, me, and Ashley at the brazilian restaurant

Nile and Jason on the ice

My brother Jason came in town to visit us last weekend. He skated with Nile at his hockey practice and then we had to go to his favorite barbecue place, Jack Stack. Saturday, we had fun playing the wii together and then we tried out a new brazilian restaurant, in honor of Jonathan, who is serving his mission there. We took our friend Ashley with us. We enjoyed some yummy food. Then we did a little shopping. I had to make Jason some chocolate chip cookies, they are his favorite before he headed back home.

Ice Skating

2009-02-20T11:52:00.003-06:00

Nile is the one in the red pants with 1 on his back

Brent touching his toes while skating
Brent and Claire skating around the rink

Nile's hockey season is almost over. He has the final tournament next weekend. He has had a great time playing hockey this year. Today, Claire and Brent started ice skating lessons together. They love it!! Brent actually went around the whole rink by himself without holding on to any one. That is a major accomplishment. Usually when we go ice skating, Scott and I are holding on to him the whole time.

Dance Competition

2009-02-08T20:25:00.002-06:00

Claire with her trophies in her costume

Claire on stage with her friends

Nile with his valentines

Nile's valentines

Claire had her first dance competition. She did really well. Her routine received a gold trophy and the best costume award. Claire was chosen from her class to be the one to go up and get the trophies. We get to keep the trophies for the weekend and then turn them into the dance studio when she has dance class. Nile did all of his valentines for his class today. We decided to be a little creative and make the ipods from Family Fun magazine and the gum valentines.

Pine Wood Derby

2009-02-05T10:58:00.002-06:00

Nile with Scott and friends who earned their bear badge

Nile with his pine wood derby car

Nile had his pinewood derby a couple of weeks ago. He has also earned his bear badge. This week he was so excited because he learned how to carve with his pocket knife.

Martin Luther King Day

2009-01-20T14:41:00.003-06:00

Claire and Nile

Nile, Scott, and Claire, and Casen and Easton, who went ice skating with us

The kids were off school today so we decided to take them ice skating. There is a new outdoor rink by us that we thought we would try out. It was a small rink, in fact while we were putting our ice skates on the Zamboni driver crashed into the side glass wall and broke two panels. They cleaned up the glass and then we were able to go skating. Claire has gotten so much better. She skates by herself and despite the cold temperature wanted to keep going. She was the last one off the ice. Then we tried out a new restaurant that one of our friends started called "the ingredient" it was fun place. Lots of fresh ingredients. We will be going back again. Then Nile had a hockey game. He played great even though their team lost. We have about 9 more games in the next few weeks and then play-offs.

Happy Birthday Claire!!!

2009-01-14T13:06:00.003-06:00

Claire with some mini cupcakes she made and iced herself.

Claire all made up

Today is Claire's birthday. She is growing up so fast. We are having a birthday party this Saturday with friends from school. She is so excited. Last night, we had hair and makeup clinic for her dance class. They are going to a competition next month and they want everyone to have the same hair and makeup. She even has to wear fake eyelashes. She loved the makeup and wanted to keep it on for awhile. I took some pictures so I can remember how to do it. She is trying to decide where she wants to go to dinner tonight. We had to take Krispy Kreme doughnuts for her treat at school today and Scott volunteered to be one of the Watch D.O.G.S. (dads of great students). He is at the school all day volunteering.

HOW COME I SMELL NACHOS?

2009-01-07T17:26:00.007-06:00

Brent, Nile, and Claire with Louie

Nile, Brent, Claire at the arch

Nile and Dahlia

Cousins Brent and Sophia

B with his Blues hockey jersey

Bailey and Nile

Drew, Sophia, and Claire Christmas Eve

Nile and Jason playing hockey on Christmas Eve with the Firths

We went St. Louis for Christmas this year. Christmas Eve, Nile and my brother Jason went and played hockey with the Firth family at the ice rink, (they rent out the rink for friends to come play hockey). Then we went to aunt Sue's house for Christmas Eve and all the yummy food. The kids acted out the nativity. We had a good Christmas Day. We were able to talk to my brother Jonathan who is serving a mission in Brazil. Then we headed up to the Maddox's for Christmas dinner. Later that week, we met my cousin's dog Dahlia, a bulldog. Nile had fun hanging out with his second cousins. We went to the Arch one day with Rob and Sarah (Scott's brother and his wife). We went to the Blues game with all of the Maddox's on night. The kids had a great time. Brent didn't take his eyes off the ice. He loved every minute of it. After the game, the kids got to go down on the ice and shot a puck into the net. On the way home, Nile said he wasn't feeling so well, next thing we know throw up was all over the car. Claire had fallen asleep in the back seat and woke up saying,"HOW COME I SMELL NACHOS?" It was lovely. Needless to say he was sick all night long. By New Year's he was feeling better so we headed up to spend the day with the Maddox's, playing the wii and hanging out. At around 5pm Brent said I don't feel so well and he got sick. Then a couple of hours it hit Claire. My dad, brother-in-law Matt, and sister all ended up coming down with the same virus. Luckily Scott or I haven't gotten the virus and hopefully it has passed us over.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-22T20:57:00.003-06:00

Here is our Christmas card. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. We are heading home for Christmas to spend the holidays with our families. We are excited to talk to my brother Jonathan, who is in Brazil, on Christmas day and hear how things are going.

Our New Favorite White Elephant Gift

2008-12-20T12:36:00.001-06:00

Claire's Holiday Show

2008-12-07T16:56:00.003-06:00

Jason, Drew, Brent, Nile, Claire, and Scott raking leaves at Grandma's

Aunt Sue with the Turkey

Grandma, Grandpa, and Claire after her dance performance

Brent and Claire with Santa

Claire posing in front of the Christmas tree

Claire had her dance holiday show this weekend. She did a great job. She knew her routine. Scott's parents came in town for the weekend to see the show. Santa made an appearance at the end.

For Thanksgiving this year we went to my Aunt Sue's house. Over the weekend, we went and raked leaves at my grandparents house. The kids had a blast raking leaves and jumping in the piles.

Claire gets her Ears Pierced!

2008-11-30T21:24:00.003-06:00

Its official. Claire is growing up too fast. We got her ears pierced last week. She wanted them done for her winter dance show coming up next weekend. Her friends Abby and Katie Tourtillot were there for moral support.

Happy Birthday Brent!

2008-11-17T20:46:00.004-06:00

Brent with his robot

Scott, Carolyn, and B

The Spiderman Cake

Brent holding up 3 fingers for turning 3

My B

Today was Brent's 3rd birthday. I can't believe my baby is 3. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's with our neighbors. He had a great time playing. He was little scared of Chuck E. Cheese. He hid under the table when he tried to come over and say happy birthday. Scott made him a spiderman birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Nile!!

2008-11-09T12:01:00.003-06:00

Jason and Claire ice skating, she actually took off by herself this time

Craig, Marc, Kevin, Nile, Jason, and Grandpa

Nile with his birthday cake, Scott decorated it

Nile turns the big 9 today. Yesterday, he had an ice skating party with some of his friends. Emily and Jason came in town and so did Scott's dad and brothers. We had the ice skating party from noon-2pm and then we all watched Nile play hockey later that afternoon. It was a great game to watch. The game ended 5-5. We had so many shots on goal, it was crazy. The most classic moment was when the other team went to do a line shift and they all fell out on each other, it was like a domino effect and then we went down and scored. Kevin said it was more exciting than a few of the Blues games he had been to. Nile loved having family come out to his party and his hockey game.

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-04T14:11:00.004-06:00

Claire as the Pink Power Ranger, Nile as James Bond, and B as Spiderman

Claire with her bag of candy

Brent and his friend Landon

Scott with the kids in front of our house

Here are some pictures of Halloween night. We had some friends over for dinner and then Scott handed out candy while I went trick or treating with the kids. It was a beautiful night. It was the warmest Halloween I can ever remember. Nile didn't feel so well after about 1 hour, so I went home with him and Brent. Claire ended up trick or treating with Nile's friends and their parents. They said she was going faster than boys and wanted to keep on going. She came home with a huge bag of candy. It was a fun night.

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER

2008-10-31T09:37:00.004-05:00

Scott got dressed up this morning in his Batman costume at 5:30am to go to the movie theatre by our house. He took Brent with him as Robin. They were celebrating the grand opening of new AMC Fork & Screen. The first 100 people in line with costume won one year's worth of movie passes. Scott was lucky number 47. We have free date nights for the year.

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-28T20:00:00.003-05:00

Claire, me, and Brent at the campfire

Scott and Nile after he received his award

Scott, Spiderman, James Bond, and the Bride

Spiderman in his web

Our ward trunk or treat was last weekend. Scott decided to dress up as Dwight from "The Office." Nile was James Bond. Claire was a bride. Brent was Spiderman. We had a fun time. The kids came home with lots of candy. Last week, at Nile's pack meeting for cub scouts he received his religious square knot. The pack meeting is one of our favorites of the year. They have a big bonfire and we roast marshmallows and have smores.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T13:20:00.003-05:00

Nile showing his game face for Flag Football

My scarecrows Claire, Brent, and Nile

B picking up a pumpkin

Nile, Brent, and Claire at the Pumpkin Patch

This weekend was quite busy for us. It started Friday night with Nile's hockey practice. Then Saturday morning, Nile had two flag football games. He had fun playing at those. He enjoys playing defense and he got an interception. Then we went to the KC Pumpkin Patch with the kids to pick out pumpkins. They had fun going through the haunted barn, riding tricycles, racing rubber ducks, zipping on the zipline, and looking at the farm animals. Then we came home to drop off the pumpkins and pick up Nile's hockey gear. He had his first game of the season. He did a great job and his team won.

Jonathan's Weekend

2008-10-17T15:24:00.004-05:00

Jonathan

Scott with his parents
Jonathan, Grandma, and Aunt Gloria

Scott, Becca, and Ben, Uncle Tom, Leslie, Aunt Karen, and Jason, and Gramps
Jonathan, Brent, Jason, and Nile playing a little hall hockey
Drew and Claire crashed Saturday night after the dinner party

My brother Jonathan left on Tuesday to fly down to Brazil to go on his mission for our church. We went to St. Louis last weekend to say goodbye. On Saturday, we met Scott's parents on the way into town to celebrate Scott's birthday with lunch at Red Robin's. That night we had a family dinner with Jonathan. My kids had a busy day and enjoyed playing with their cousins Drew and Sophia. Brent and Drew are quite the pair when they get together. On Sunday, Jonny bore his testimony and did a great job. We are really going to miss him for the next two years but know that he is doing what he is supposed to be doing. When Nile said goodbye, he said Jonny I will see you in 2 years 2 days because he was leaving 2 days after we left to come back to Kansas City.

Nicholas Sparks Book Signing

2008-10-17T15:14:00.006-05:00

Carolyn and Nicholas Sparks

Me, Shannon, and Kim

My friend Kim talked me in to going to the Nicholas Sparks book signing for his new book "The Lucky One." I haven't had time to start it yet. It was a fun night. We got there in time to get our picture taken with Nicholas and then he talked for awhile about himself and his life and then we got our book signed. We went out to the Cheesecake Factory afterwards and enjoyed a bite of cheesecake. It was a sad night because it was our last girl's night out with Kim. She has moved on to Texas. I am sad because she has been my running partner, friend, and babysitter(we would switch off babysitting during the day). I will really miss her but we can still keep in touch with the phone.

Happy Early Birthday to Scott!

2008-10-08T17:13:00.007-05:00

Scott went ahead and ordered his birthday present today. (We will be in St. Louis on his birthday this weekend saying goodbye to my brother Jonathan, he leaves on his mission to Brazil next Tuesday.) He has been talking about this bike every since he saw it in Hilton Head on our family vacation in July. He is so excited!! He had to special order it because it is the new 2009 model. (www.feltracing.com)

Before he went to order his bicycle, he went to try and renew his drivers license. He had told me a couple of weeks ago that his license expired on his birthday. After waiting in line in not only once but twice (he went to the license plate center instead of the drivers license center first), the lady with the hairy lip informed him that his license expired October 11, 2009. I guess when your old your 8's and 9's start to look alike.

Boys Weekend

2008-09-29T12:20:00.003-05:00

Nile up close and personal with Fredbird

Brent, Scott, and Nile on the way to St. Louis

Brent and Nile at the Cardinals Game

Craig, Marc, and Kevin at the game

This past weekend, Scott took Brent and Nile to St. Louis to go to the Cardinals game Saturday night. They had a fun and busy time. There was the Kids Club party at Busch Stadium and then the game that night. The kids had fun with Fredbird and got his autograph. Brent watched from a distance. The Cardinals had a good game and fireworks went off a few times for home runs. They went to the game with Craig, Kevin, Marc, and Jason. The boys had fun with their uncles and dad. They went to Ted Drewes after the game to enjoy some ice cream. It was a rushed weekend because they had to leave early Sunday morning to make it back for the Primary program in church. Nile sang "Called to Serve" in Portuguese. Both Claire and Nile had their parts memorized and did a great job singing. It feels good to have the program over.

Time Out

2008-09-15T21:15:00.003-05:00

Kim, me, and my mom

Claire with her new haircut

My parents waiting in line for Gladys Knight

I went to St. Louis for Time Out for Women this past weekend with my friend Kim and my mom. Our favorite speaker was Jason Wright. I am excited to read his book Wednesay Letters. We were also able to go to see Gladys Knight perform with the Saints United Choir. It was a great experience. I wish we could have some Sunday meetings with her music. It was fun to clap and dance with the audience. There were people in the audience who would talk to the choir by saying, "You tell it sister" and "Amen" and lots of hand raising. I had a nice break from my children. I think I can be a better mom when I get little breaks every now and then. Scott did a great job with the kids. Nile had hockey try-outs this weekend for his new season. Scott did that with all three of the kids. He even took the kids to church by himself, which I think was a first with all three kids. He said that they did good. They made me signs on the door for when I came home Sunday night. Here is a picture of Claire's new haircut. I took her in to have it all evened out.

SCOTT'S SHAMELESS PLUG FOR PROFILE WASHER AND DRYER

2008-09-04T10:23:00.003-05:00

Scott is so excited about this new washer and dryer that he asked if he could post something on it. New Profile Front Load washer and dryer is out now, washer and dryer talk to each other and the washer programs the dryer based on what its done. The washer has Smart Dispense, which can hold up to six months worth of detergent and pumps in just the right amount for each load. They come in Vermilion Red, Champagne Gold and White. GE is doing an online drawing through 9/8/08 if you want to try and win a set.

Visit www.washingmyjeans.com to enter.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T10:15:00.005-05:00

Brent holding a lock of Claire's hair while Claire points to where he cut.

Nile winning at Monopoly. He has hotels on all of his properties.

This past Labor Day weekend, Scott and I decided to stay in town and get caught up at home. On Friday night, Scott took Nile and his friend Ed to the skate party at the ice rink so Nile could break in his new ice skates. They had a fun time. On Saturday, we cleaned house a little bit and then we went to the pool for the whole afternoon. It was so nice, we had the pool to ourselves for a couple of hours. Sunday morning, I ran the nike plus human race 10K in an hour, which was a good time for me. On Sunday evening, we played monopoly with the kids. Nile was the big winner. He had hotels on all of his properties and owned almost the whole board. He picked us off one at a time. He was quite the bargainer. On Monday, we went on a family walk and took the kids to the playground. Scott and I decided we need to clean out our closet so we were working on that and the kids were playing in the basement. Half through cleaning, Claire comes up with a big chunk of hair and says Brent cut my hair. I thought she was joking for a minute until I saw that he had really cut her hair. We decided to put the cleaning on hold and eat lunch and head to the pool. The kids needed to let out some energy. It was quite the weekend.

First Day of School

2008-08-16T19:45:00.004-05:00

Claire started her first day of kindergarten on Friday. She had a great day. She is making new friends enjoying being in kindergarten.

Nile had his first day of third grade on Thursday. He had a great day. He has lots of friends in his class and his teacher is nice. So for the kids first day of school, I thought I would make them a special cake. So I started making the cake and I was using some pumpkin to make the cake healthier and I sliced my thumb on the can. Blood was gushing every where. I was a little freaked out. My friend Kim came over and took Brent to her house and I drove myself over to the Urgent Care center where I received three stitches. I was in out of the Urgent Care center in record time, 45 minutes. I drove home and picked up the kids from Kim's house and then finished making the cake.

B is all Potty Trained!!!

2008-08-05T19:42:00.002-05:00

After we got back from vacation, I decided to start the potty training process with Brent. He was ready and is doing so awesome. He decided to pack up all of his diapers and gave them to his friend Jackson. He told me he didn't need them any more because he was a big boy. He has been my easiest child to potty train.

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-05T15:43:00.003-05:00

Vampire Girls at Rainy Day Books

Kim, Trina, Jen, me, and Maren

I picked up my copy of Breaking Dawn at midnight on Friday night. When Stephanie Meyer had come to town back in May I pre-ordered Breaking Dawn and also got a copy of the Host. We were supposed to get a special gift, it turns out we got autographed copies of Breaking Dawn. I was so excited. I was able to finish the book yesterday. I thought it was great and the best book of the series.

Hilton Head 2008

2008-07-30T19:49:00.007-05:00

   Brent, Nile, Jason, and Claire
   me and my B
   Scott with Brent on Dixie
   Claire on Romeo
   Maddox Family at the nature preserve
   Scott and the kids at the playground
   Claire, Brent, and Nile at the beach

   Scott and Claire on their bike

We just returned from our family vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina. We had a great time. When we got there we went to the beach first thing, Brent did not like the sand. He walked on his tiptoes and wanted to be held. Claire and Nile found a few sand dollars and seashells. We had a couple of beach days. The kids loved playing in the sand and boogie boarding. Scott and my brother Jason got stung by a jelly fish one of the days at the beach. It was quite a painful experience.

Scott, Jason, and Nile went golfing a couple of times, once at Hilton Head National Golf Course and then at Heron Point at Sea Pines. They also took some golf lessons. While they were golfing, I took Claire and Brent to the pool. We went on bike rides every day to the nature preserve and saw lots of alligators, turtles, lizards, snakes, birds, and frogs. The kids loved going bike riding. Jason babysat for us one night so Scott and I could go see The Dark Knight. It was a great movie! We enjoyed our date night. We ate at the Crazy Crab which is one of our favorite restaurants. Scott and Nile love the crab legs and Claire and Brent love the hushpuppies. We also tried out a new restaurant the Sea Shack. It was kind of a hole in the wall place but I had the best salmon I think I have ever had. We will definitely go back there again next year. We also enjoyed ice cream in Harbor Town by the lighthouse. We climbed the lighthouse and while we were on top we saw a dolphin come right up to the dock. Claire and Brent also went on pony rides while Nile was at his golf lesson. To finish off a long day of driving from Hilton Head to St. Louis, Scott got a speeding ticket in Illinois. We had a great family vacation.

Fourth of July

2008-07-09T10:58:00.004-05:00

I finished my fourth of July quilt (before the holiday). Here is a picture. It is the biggest quilt I have ever made on my own. My friend Amanda designed but then I put it all together. We did it as an enrichment project.

On Fourth of July we went to St. Louis. We started the day at the ward flag raising and pancake breakfast with my dad. Here is a picture of my dad and the grandkids. Then we took the kids to Grant's Farm where Scott, Brent, Claire, and Andrew were all attacked by the goats while they were feeding them the milk bottles. Scott and Nile went golfing with all of Scott's brothers and dad. Then Scott, Nile, Craig, and Ann went to the Cardinals game that night. It was a fun filled day.

On Saturday, Scott and I went to the temple and got to one of my best friends from college Kristen. It was so good to see her and her family. The kids went swimming with Grandma Maddox. Here a few pictures from Sunday. Claire cried when it was time to say good bye to nana she had a fun week staying with her.

Cleo

2008-07-02T17:04:00.002-05:00

Last night Cleo was scratching at her ear so I looked inside and it was bright red. Today, I took her to the vet and he said that she has an ear infection. We hope she feels better soon.

US Open and Golf

2008-06-25T21:38:00.004-05:00

Scott went to the US Open in San Diego this year. He went with my dad and brothers Jason and Jonathan and friends Brian and Chase. He had a great week. He said he golfed his best game at a course they found nearby Torrey Pines.

We signed Nile up for golf lessons this summer at a course by us. He had a great time. He was sad to have his last day. I told him his uncle Jason is going to work with him one on one when we go to Hilton Head later this summer. Jason is teaching golf to kids around Nile's age this summer. Since it was his last day, they had a putting contest and Nile won. He was pretty excited. The coach gave Scott his card and recommended more individual lessons to help him improve the skills he already has.

Claire's Dance Recital

2008-06-25T21:29:00.003-05:00

Claire had her dance recital last weekend. She did a great job on her dances. She was quite the little star. I was lucky enough to be the stage mom because no one else would volunteer. It was fun to be back stage with Claire and help her practice the routines. Here are a few pictures.

Los Cabos Mexico Trip

2008-06-07T16:46:00.005-05:00

Scott and I went to Mexico last week. We had a great time!! The first night Scott had an awards ceremony which was nice. Then on Monday morning, we had signed up to go on the Rhino ATV ride. It was fun. It reminded us of when we owned the Jeep. We had fun but sand was flying every where. We came back to the hotel and ate lunch and then hung out at the pool with some of our GE friends. We had a nice dinner on Monday night with all of the GE people. There were about 200 GE employees there. Tuesday, we went snorkeling and had a great time doing that. Scott loved swimming with all the fish. We ate lunch by the pool and read our books. Here are a few pictures from the trip. The second is the view from our room. The last picture is Scott's favorite, I was so hot and sandy from all the sand blowing at us while we were driving.

Vegas Trip 2008

2008-05-16T19:35:00.007-05:00

Scott and I went to Vegas this past week. We left Monday morning. We walked up and down the strip on Monday looking at the different hotels. We went to the Wayne Brady show on Monday night which was funny. On Tuesday, I was able to get a massage and enjoy the spa experience at the Monte Carlo where we were staying. It brought back memories of my girl's spa trip last August with Stef, Alli, and Megan. The massage was free this time so that was nice. We went on the trip with Scott's work, his region was the 2nd in the country for sales last year so they won the trip. Scott was the top sales person in the region so we are going to Mexico in about two weeks for that trip. Scott and I hung out at the pool on Tuesday and then we had dinner with his co-workers at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in the Venetian. Dinner was really yummy. One of our friends Joyce is a magician and was doing magic tricks for us all through dinner. When she was younger she even competed against Lance Burton in a competition. She said he won and was always really good. Here are a few pictures from our trip. Joyce is in the middle of the group shot. On Wednesday, Scott and I walked the strip a little more and then decided we wanted to see Iron Man. It was a great movie. We owe Emily big time for watching the kids. They were all good for her. When I drove Emily home, Brent asked if he could stay at Emmy's place. Drew and Brent were having a discussion about what to call Emily. Brent said that's Emmy and Drew said no that's mommy. The went back and forth for awhile it was pretty funny.

Mother's Day

2008-05-16T19:25:00.003-05:00

The Saturday before mother's day, Scott drove to Columbia, MO to get my sister Emily and her kids. Em came in town to babysit for Scott and I while we went to Vegas this week. On Mother's Day, the kids and Scott made Em and I breakfast in bed. It was delicious. Nile told Scott he thought it would be a good idea to get me a new ipod for mother's day. I think he just wanted my old one. I love my new ipod. I downloaded some of my favorite tv shows to watch on the plane to Vegas. I have to post the picture of this flower that our ward gave out for mother's day. Emily didn't even take one. I was going to put mine in the trash but I thought I better take a picture because no one would believe how pathetic they were. They were frozen carnations. Emily and I were laughing when they handed it to me, Emily just sat back down. Here is picture of all the cousins.

Vampire Girls

2008-05-16T19:17:00.002-05:00

Scott and I have had a busy week. Last Thursday, May 8, Stephanie Meyer came to town for a book signing. Stephanie talked for about a half hour and then signed books. She talked about the movie coming out and how she had made comments on the script and she was excited for it to come out. Some of my friends from church got tickets and went to meet her and get her new book The Host. We had t-shirts made that said, "Vampire Girls" and then underneath in smaller lettering we each had a different saying. My shirt said "Fire or Ice?" It was a fun night. Nile's teacher from school and the school librarian ended up going also. I have started the Host and like it so far, I can't wait for Breaking Dawn in August.

Grandparents Day

2008-05-02T14:09:00.002-05:00

Today was grandparents day at Nile's elementary school. His Nana came in town to spend the morning at school with him and then we all went out to lunch. They had a fun morning together filled with lots of activities. Claire lost another tooth on the bottom of her mouth. She is so excited about her missing teeth. She shows everyone that we see everywhere we go, the grocery store, Target, dance, restaurants. Nile has started baseball up again for the summer. He has had two games already and his team has won both games which is very exciting for him. Brent has become quite the entertainer. He has loved having his nana come and visit for a few days. Last night, Scott took the kids to Nile's hockey practice while my mom and I went shopping. Brent packed his own backpack with his hockey gloves, mouth guard, hockey puck, and he was carrying his stick. He asked Scott if he could bring his ice skates and skate, too. He thinks he is one of the big kids. Scott brings a stick so that he can play hall hockey with Brent at the ice rink while Nile is practicing. There were some big storms last night. My mom and I were shopping at the mall and we didn't hear anything. Scott had taken the kids to eat at a restaurant and he said the tornado sirens went off and the workers at the restaurant locked the doors and closed the restaurant early. Scott said he stayed an extra half hour to wait for the rain to slow down.

Claire's First Lost Tooth

2008-04-07T08:53:00.003-05:00

Claire lost her first tooth yesterday. It has been loose for about a week. She ate an apple on Saturday on the way to Columbia for Drew's birthday party. She was real nervous that her tooth was going to fall out while we were in the car and she didn't know where she would put it. I told her I had a ziploc bag to put it in if it came out. Yesterday morning, during conference she was playing with her tooth. Scott said let me look at it and he pulled it out. She was so excited to have the tooth fairy come last night. I can't believe how grown up she is getting.

Olathe 5K and Easter

2008-03-31T08:55:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, some of my friends from the ward ran in the Olathe 5K race. I improved my time from last year by 5 minutes. It was a cold day, I was just glad there was no rain. Here are some pictures from Easter. We went to St. Louis to visit our families the week before Easter because it was the kids spring break. It snowed on Easter in St. Louis so we didn't get any outdoor photos. It was the first time that I can remember it ever snowing on Easter Day. We tried to take the kids to the arch but the day we went they sold out of tickets while we were in line. We did make it to the art museum and the zoo. The kids enjoyed spending time with all the family. Nile had the Pine Wood Derby for his school troop last week. He wasn't very fast but it was a good looking car. He won the judge's favorite award. He has enjoyed being in scouts with his school and church friends.

GE Monogram Experience

2008-03-12T14:57:00.004-05:00

Scott went to Louisville, KY last week for a training on the GE Monogram appliances. He learned how to cook some yummy things from a chef. He wanted me to put a plug in for his appliances www.monogram.com.

March Happenings

2008-03-05T13:04:00.005-06:00

This past weekend, Nile had his hockey playoffs for the end of the season. He lost his first game but then won the second two games. His team ended up coming in 5th place out of 10. We went to a pizza party with the whole team on Saturday night and had a fun night. Nile sure does love playing hockey and we had a great team and great coaches this year. Sunday, I took a couple of pictures of the kids before church we ended up having a beautiful morning. I have been busy reading. I just finished two good books. The first one is These is My Words and the second one was American Bloomsbury. Claire is busy at dance class getting ready for her recital in June and she is into playing Webkinz on the computer. She is so funny as soon as she earns money for her pet she goes to the pet store and buys new outfits for her puppy where Nile on the other hand saves all his money and only buys the necessities like food and water. Brent is talking more and more lately. He cracks us up. He told me the other day he wanted to go to the alligator place and I said, the zoo. He said, no the other place. So I said Hilton Head and he said, yes and I want Jason to come with us. Hilton Head is where we take our family vacations every year. I think we are going to go in July this year. Scott won another trip for work! His region came in 2nd for sales for last year. We are going to Vegas in May just Scott and I. My sister is going to come in town and help watch the kiddos.

President's Day Weekend

2008-02-19T13:49:00.004-06:00

We had a busy weekend this past weekend. The kids were out of school last Thursday and Friday for parent teacher conferences. We went to Chuck E. Cheese's on Friday to let the kids burn off some energy. Then on Saturday, Scott's mom and brother Kevin came in town for the weekend. We went out to lunch for her birthday and then we went and saw National Treasure. Luckily, Brent slept through the whole movie. On Sunday, we had some snow here so church was cancelled and then we had Nile's cub scout Blue and Gold Banquet for school that afternoon. Scott made his mom his famous Carmel Apple Pie for her birthday which turned out delicious. Then on Monday, we went Cosmic Golfing at the kids loved it.

2008-02-11T18:14:00.001-06:00

Last week, Nile had his music program at school. He did a great job. He was front and center for the performance and is quite the entertainer. He enjoyed a snow day last week and went sledding with one of his friends from hockey. So Friday night we took the kids out to dinner for Chinese at Pei Wei, and the kids used chopsticks to eat their dinner, even Brent. He loved the food. Then after dinner, we went by the ATM. On the way home, Brent said, "Mom, I need to tell you something." and I said, okay Brent what do you want. and he said, "Tell dad to give me some cash." We were cracking up. That night, we called Jason on the phone to see how he was doing. I told the kids that he was getting ready to play in a hockey game and we all told him good luck. Brent then said, "Let's go to Jason's hockey game." I said, we have to take an airplane and fly back out to Utah and he said "Let's go." He loves watching his uncles play hockey.

Sunday January 27

2008-02-01T16:34:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we had an interesting day at church. This is a picture we took before church. I am in the primary and we have a "missionary moment" we the kids can share an experience from the week where they have tried to share the gospel. Our primary president was conducting and she called on Sunbeam during this "missionary moment." The sunbeam then says, "When my sister was a baby my mommy used her nibbles to feed her milk." It was a quite the comment. All of the adults in the room had to contain their laughter. Needless to say, we are changing the how me do our missionary moment and asking the parents to come in with their child to tell us if they have an experience.

Pine Wood Derby

2008-01-25T17:13:00.001-06:00

Nile had the pine wood derby last night for scouts. His car did okay. He designed it himself and Scott helped him make it. He received the "Sportiest Car" Award. On Monday, for the holiday, we took the kids down to Kaleidoscope at Crown Center and then we went ice skating at the outdoor ice rink with some of our friends. Brent loves ice skating. He just wants to keep going and going.

Utah Trip

2008-01-17T15:41:00.000-06:00

Last fall, Scott and I decided that we wanted to take the kids out to Utah to see Jason play hockey at BYU for his senior year. This past weekend in January was one of the few weekends where he had back to back games in Provo. So last Thursday, Scott, and I and the kids and my dad all flew to Salt Lake City from St. Louis to go see Jason play some hockey. We had a busy trip. On Friday we took the kids skiing at Sundance. Nile loved skiing and did really well. I was watching him come down the mountain and some other moms were asking me if he had been skiing for awhile and if he had lessons. I told them he had private lessons from his papa. Claire went down a few times and enjoyed it. We then went back to the hotel and took the kids swimming at the pool. Then we went to Jason's hockey game. Nile was able to warm up with the team. Lots of my cousins that are living out in Utah came to the game and also my aunt Mardi and uncle Jay and aunt Donna. Scott's brothers also came to the game. Then afterwards we went to Village Inn for dinner.

On Saturday, we swam in the pool at hotel and then we took the kids up to the BYU bookstore. We also walked around campus. Scott and I hadn't visited in a few years so it was fun to see the new buildings. We decided to go to the BYU basketball game that day. Sitting next to us in the bleachers were future little cheerleaders and some of the BYU cheerleaders. Jason took Claire over to the cheerleaders to get a picture since she was in her cheerleading outfit. She had a blast at the game. Then we went to Jason' s hockey game. They won on Saturday night. After the game, we drove up to Idaho during a blizzard to see my grandparents. It had been about 3 years since I had seen them.

We spent Sunday going to church with my grandparents and then my aunts and uncles and cousins living near by came to visit for a birthday party for Claire. We had fun visiting with all of our relatives.

On Monday, we drove back to Salt Lake City. We went to lunch with my aunt and then walked around Temple Square and the Church History Museum. Then we flew back to St. Louis and then drove back to Kansas City the next day. It was quite the trip. We tried to fit in as much as we could. The kids were happy to get home and back on a schedule but we sure did have a fun time. Nile is already asking when he can go skiing again.

Happy New Year!!!

2008-01-03T20:07:00.000-06:00

We survived the holidays. I am posting a picture of the GE cookies that Scott and I make every year for some of his customers. This consumed a lot of time in the month of December. I am also posting a picture of the glass blocks that my friend Kim and I sold together. We had a busy time in St. Louis. On Christmas Eve, all of the Farmer family was together at my aunt Sue's house. It was fun to be with all my cousins and aunts and uncles and my grandparents. We had a fun night and enjoyed all the yummy food that we always have. On Christmas Day, we went up to the Maddox's to listen to Craig's phone call home from his mission. We enjoyed talking to him. We went to the St. Louis Zoo over Christmas break and also the City Museum. The kids loved both. Today, Claire enjoyed playing dress up and putting on her new nails that Santa left her. We hope everyone has an exciting new year.

It's December!

2007-12-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy December so far. This Sunday we were lucky enough to have church canceled because of ice. It was nice to have a day not to go any where and just hang out and get caught up around the house. The Sunday before we took some pictures of the kids before church.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-29T14:28:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving weekend. Scott designed this turkey centerpiece.
We went and cut down a Christmas Tree, we did it last year for the first time with the kids. Growing up, I had done it with my family until I was a teenager and then my mom bought artificial trees. The kids loved going even though it was freezing outside.
Claire had a project to do for school. We had to decorate a gingerbread person. Here's how it turned out.

Nile's Baptism

2007-11-26T14:54:00.000-06:00

Nile was baptized on Thanksgiving Day in St. Louis. He was able to have his great-grandparents there and both sets of his grandparents, some great-aunts and uncles and aunts and uncles there. Nile's uncle Marc gave the talk on baptism and then Claire, Nile, and Brent sang "I am Trying to be like Jesus." It was too cute. Then Nile's Papa gave another talk. Nile was so excited to be baptized and have his family there to watch him.