The Dockstader Family

Pig-Tails!

2011-05-10T21:12:00.001-07:00

I know I skipped A LOT from November to now, but I absolutely could NOT skip this milestone…

My little baldy finally got enough hair for pig-tails!

It may not be much, but it’s something. I guess when it comes right down to it, she’s cute enough that she doesn’t even really need hair.

BUT, I’m so glad it’s finally growing in.

Called to Serve

2011-05-10T20:53:00.001-07:00

Maclynn’s youngest brother Tyler received his mission call to serve in the Charlotte, North Carolina Mission last Saturday. He is currently at BYU Idaho and his call came to his mom’s house here in California. Through the wonderful modern technology of Skype, we were able to open it here while he watched from school. The family all gathered at our house and while we waited for everyone to get here Uncle Ty Ty entertained Emma with a little game of Peek…

A-Boo!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!

Mother’s Day

2011-05-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

Just a few pictures from Mother’s Day.

I vowed not to let Mother’s Day pass without getting a picture of me with the kids. I am very blessed to have the such good, kind, beautiful, talented children!

I made my mom sit for some pictures with the kids as well. They love their grandma very much, and are very lucky to have her. Jack looks unhappy, but he loves his grandma too!

Mother’s Day just wouldn’t be complete without a small tribute to the woman who taught me everything I know. She is with me through thick and thin. Literally! We’ve been inseparable since I was pregnant with the twins. I could never say enough “thank yous” to convey just how grateful I am for my mom. I love you Mom!

Where We’ve Been (cont.)

2011-05-10T16:56:00.001-07:00

Poor little Emma has had much to complain about as she’s been through 8 ear infections in the past 9 months. This has kept mom VERY busy.

Yes, that’s her blanky in the tub with her. When she’s not feeling well the only thing that will do is a blanky & a “sassy” (aka pacifier), and when it comes to bath time don’t even think about trying to take that blanky away! It’s a good Mommy had enough foresight to buy several identical blankets.

The other day I put her on the counter while I got her antibiotics out of the fridge. In order to get to the antibiotics I had to take the cake out of the fridge. I put it on the counter and when I turned back around this is what I found. She even grabbed a fork! I let her have at it since its better that she eats it than me and this was the end result…

Not nearly as messy as it could of been. She clearly understands that you don’t waste a good chocolate cake!

I looked up at snack time the other day to find both of her feet on the table. It cracked me up, which caused her to give me this look like, “What? Isn’t this how everybody has their snack?”

Where We’ve Been…

2011-05-10T14:36:00.001-07:00

A lot has happened with this Dockstader family since October of last year. We bought another house in October & moved in on Thanksgiving Day last year. Without question the most exciting part of the move was the crane we hired to move the playhouse that we built last year from the old house to the new house. The kids were really good to sit across the street…

while the crane moved the playhouse from the backyard…

onto Uncle Mike’s tow truck in the front yard.

Then from the front yard of the new house…

over the house…

and finally to the backyard.

However, the crane could only reach so far into the backyard…

It took 6 grown men…

and some very patient kids…

before our playhouse found its new home. It certainly was a lot of work, but well worth it. This is one of the kids favorite places to play. A huge thank you to Daddy, Grandpa Tanner, Uncle Mike, Uncle John, Uncle Dylan, Uncle Tyler, and Uncle Jeff for getting it into place!

An Uplifting Thought

2010-10-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling overwhelmed and a little blue lately. My sweet husband emailed this story/thought to me yesterday and it really lifted my spirits. I can truly identify with this woman whoever she is...

The shock on her face was visible. My oldest daughter (age 5) burst into the kitchen shouting her discovery. “Mom! We have a grape tree in our backyard!” I looked at the delicate bounty dangling from her fingers and sure enough, it was a cluster of perfectly round concord grapes. Her twin sisters, hot on her heels, bounded up the stairs to thrust their own prize under my nose. I stopped swiping food from the boys’ high chairs and followed them outside to our unruly backyard.

Two months ago we moved into a new (old) house. The backyard, along with everything else, spoke neglect. But I loved the ornate brick wall, the long stretch of grass for kids to run on, the winding perimeter of a garden. It was a weedy garden but I hoped to reclaim it – turn it into something colorful, maybe even fruitful.

The girls ran to the wall, jumping, pointing, picking and plopping. One grape after another disappeared into their mouths as they chattered about this splendid surprise growing outside their bedroom windows.

I hadn’t even noticed the vine. But there it was – tall and tangly, bent by the weight of lip-puckering grapes. I let the girls pick their own stash, rinse them in the sink and put them on the table for dinner. In a world where children can grow up believing all food grows in grocery stores, the “grape tree” (inappropriately named for it’s soaring tree-like structure) was a novelty at our house for days.

A week later while washing dishes in the kitchen, I looked out at the grape tree and noticed a fleck of pink. No orange. Wait – maybe it was red. I squinted and leaned forward. Handfuls of sunset orbs hung from the vine. They looked like peaches. But how?

I hurried out to the tree and sure enough – awkwardly perched in the highest branches of the vine were peaches in threes. “Girls! We have a peach tree growing out here!” I lifted them up one at a time to feel the unmistakable fuzz of a peach.

Then I bent down to inspect the root system. A bunch of slender trunks were clumped together. Two appeared to be the vine, one I traced upward to a lonely peach limb, and another, to my surprise, was a gangly old plum tree. Over time, it seemed that the vine had slithered its way up both trees, wrapping and curling, until both plum and peach were almost completely disguised.

Two weeks after our grand discovery, the grapes sweetened and neighbor children carted them home in pails. Tonight, we cut into our first peach and savored every slice.

How can nature go so boldly against the law of the harvest? No pruning, thinning, training, or attention. Nothing deliberate or sweat-inducing. Yet the tree bore fruit. Delicious, generous, and without price.

One look at my own spiritual vineyard and I see a similar neglect. Birthing our second set of twins this last year has been more than intense. I haven’t made it to the temple, haven’t fasted regularly, and it’s rare when I can stay for an entire block of church. My scripture study has been less than stellar and my sleepy personal prayers seem to fall short.

I am immersed in my children. It is that season. But maybe there is a parable at work here. Maybe I am like the grape tree – still bearing fruit (although disguised to most), still growing, still reaching for light.

I can feel the Lord of the Vineyard nearby, pruning and digging about. So I kneel weary and make my meager but best offering. To my surprise, He presses fruit into my palm – delicious, generous, and more than enough.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Summer at Millerton Lake

2010-09-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

We made a huge effort to get to the lake as often as possible this summer & we're so glad we did. We tried to go every Monday. Maclynn would go to work for half a day & bring the boat home around noon and then off we went. There's nothing quite like a summer day floating on the lake with the kids jumping off the top of the boat & swimming like fish. Emma did much better than I thought she would with the whole life jacket situation. Tanner, Hannah, & Jack are all such great swimmers. We enjoyed some great quality family time (something that is hard to come by with owning a business & Maclynn being bishop), and we made some fun memories!

Tanner

Hannah & Cousin Abby

Aunt Heather & Jack

La La Life

2010-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Jack is terrified of the cow mascot at Chick-fil-A to the extent that he refuses to go at all (even through the drive-thru). He got in the car the other day after school and and eyed my Chick-fil-A cup suspiciously.

Jack: "Mom, did you go to Chick-fil-a today?"
Me: "Yes."
Jack: "Was the cow there?"
Me: "No"
Jack: "I'm so proud of you, Mom!"

Here we go again...

2010-09-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

Normally I would have titled this post something along the lines of "Catching Up". However, given that I'm not sure how long that would actually take, combined with the fact that I really have no desire to do the work that would entail (at this point any way) - let's just say, "Here we go again..."

As you can see I have given the family blog a little face lift using some of my new skills from the Photo Shop class I am taking this semester (more on that later...maybe.) I've been playing with it all day. When I was in high school and I had homework to do somehow I always ended up cleaning out my backpack & organizing my workspace before any actual work was done (Procrastination happens to be my middle name). I know there's tons of work to be done to my blog & yet I spent most of the evening spiffing things up instead of actually posting. (Some things never change).

We had a fantastic summer packed with vacation, weekly trips to the lake, swimming at Grandma & Grandpa Tanner's daily, & lots of other fun stuff. I got a new camera and I've been having lots of fun learning how to use it, so hopefully I will eventually get around to posting some visual reminders of how we spent the summer of 2010.

The kids are back in school (sigh of relief), including Jack who started kindergarten this year, so it's just Emma & me for half of the day. So why isn't my blog up to date? Did I mention that Emma is home with me? (Her middle name is High Maintenance.)

So, here we go again...

Updates

2010-06-15T21:36:00.001-07:00

Hannah donated her hair for the second time today. She has been looking forward to a short do, but wanted to wait until it was long enough to donate. What a beautiful girl!

Tanner received the Citizenship award for the second year in a row. We are so proud of him. His teachers are always talking about what a good example he is. We are in complete agreement.

Hannah received the Principal’s Medallion award for the second year in a row. We are so proud of all her hard work. She is such a joy to have in our home.

Just some pics of my little ladies. Gorgeous aren’t they?!

The Story of Jack

2010-06-15T21:04:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time a sweet baby boy named Jack was born to a family who loved him very much. But life came with struggles for this sweet baby boy and as he grew there came a time when he needed to face those struggles.

Though his mommy wanted very much to be the one to help him through this tough time, she knew she could not do it on her own. After much prayer Jack’s mommy & daddy knew the best thing for Jack was to send him to a very special preschool, where he would be able to get the extra help he needed.

So his mother prayed that for the couple of hours that he was at school each day he would be with people who would love him, and who would teach him what he needed to know with love and patience. And they were blessed with angels who did just that.

With the help of some very gifted teachers Jack conquered preschool and will begin his kindergarten journey armed with the tools he was taught by these wonderful women.

Words will never be enough to thank our angels. We have been truly blessed to have you in our lives. We will miss you!

Just some “Mommy Moments”

2010-01-28T17:39:00.001-08:00

Words I never thought I would here myself say in the same sentence…

Handcuffs & Baby

as in, “Don’t handcuff the baby!” And I had to say it on 2 different occasions!

I had to smile proudly the other day when I saw Hannah cheerfully singing while she completed her chore of unloading the dishwasher. As I walked into the kitchen I laughed right out loud when I heard what she was singing… “It’s a hard-knock life for us…” She always has been my little drama queen!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-01-08T19:43:00.001-08:00

The holiest words my tongue can frame,
The noblest thoughts my soul can claim,
Unworthy are to praise the name
More precious than all other.
An infant, when her love first came,
A [woman], I find it still the same,
Reverently I breathe her name,
The blessed name of mother

-George Griffith Fether

It’s Great to be 8!

2010-01-08T19:17:00.001-08:00

2010 started out with not just 1 but 2 baptisms for the Dockstader family. On January 2nd Tanner & Hannah were baptized by their father. Daddy was also given the privilege of welcoming Tanner & Hannah as the newest members of the Clovis 2nd Ward since he also happens to be their bishop. Grandpa Tanner gave the talk on baptism and Uncle Tyler gave the closing prayer. It was a much anticipated event in our household and we are very proud of Tanner & Hannah for their decision to be baptized. They were confirmed the next day at church. Daddy, Grandpa Tanner, Uncle Dylan, and Uncle John participated in the confirmation.

To my sweet little munchkins, I am so proud of you and what you have become. You have grown into such amazing children. Still, it seems like only yesterday I held you in my arms for the first time. I wonder how long it will be before I can’t call you “Baby” & “Buddy” anymore. How long before you stop hugging me so hard that it squeezes the breath right out of me? Will there come a day when you stop rushing back to the car at school in the morning because you forgot to kiss me goodbye? Will there be a time when you no longer wish to snuggle with me? I hope that day never comes. But just incase it does I will cherish every squeeze, every kiss & every chance to snuggle!

I will never be able to adequately express my gratitude to my Father in Heaven for entrusting me with the two amazing spirits that you are. Happy Birthday Tanner & Hannah! We love you!

Gesundheit!

2009-11-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

Hannah was laying on the floor talking to Emma when she turned her head and let out a huge sneeze. After turning back to Emma she said, "Whew! I'm glad I didn't hold that one in. That would have blown my brains out my ears!"

Crazy Hair Day

2009-10-29T12:00:00.001-07:00

Just a quick picture from Crazy Hair Day at school.

Crazy hair or not, I have some beautiful kids!

What Happened?!

2009-10-27T09:26:00.001-07:00

Has anyone seen my old life hanging around? The life where everything had a place and everything was in its place? The life where Every little event was meticulously calendared so that nothing would be forgotten. The life where I had a routine with my kids so that things would run smoothly.

My life has turned completely upside down since my sweet little Emma has joined our family. I am the mother I never wanted to be. Confession time: This morning I dropped the kids off at school in my pajamas with no make-up on, and that’s not even the worst of it. I got out of the car to kiss them goodbye in my socks, with no bra! Fortunately, they are oblivious and don’t know how embarrassed they should be. What happened?! I have completely lost it. Today was crazy hair day at school for Red Ribbon Week (I fit right in as I dropped them off, as my hair had yet to see a brush!). So as I am giving Tanner a Mohawk and making Hannah’s braids stick straight up, Jack is pulling on my leg insisting that he needs to put his costume on now, and Emma is crying in the background. It is at that moment I realize that Hannah missed her first ACL meeting after school yesterday (ACL = GATE for the lower grades). AAAAHHHHH!

WHAT HAPPENED? Where did my nice, organized, in-control life go? Has anybody seen it, because I would really like it back.

Blessings of Reading the Book of Mormon

2009-10-26T10:09:00.001-07:00

President Marion G. Romney testified of the blessings that can come into the lives of those who will read and study the Book of Mormon. He said:

"I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity--the pure love of Christ--will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake, peace, joy, and happiness" (in Conference Report, April 1980, p. 90; or Ensign, May 1980, p. 67).

Just a little tidbit from my study today. I don’t know about anyone else, but those are blessings I can’t afford to do without.

Personal Scripture Study

2009-10-26T09:59:00.001-07:00

I have been searching for a way to improve my personal scripture study. I would love to take an institute class, but it’s just not possible at this time in my life. Quite by accident I found that BYU offers some of their religion courses online for free! I have just started their Book of Mormon class and I’m really enjoying it. Just thought I would share incase anyone else was looking for something new.

I will not yell

2009-10-18T15:21:00.001-07:00

My precious children are fighting – again. I’m ignoring it – again. It’s Sunday. We’re supposed to be keeping the Sabbath holy. I don’t think that involves fighting. The first four times I tell them in my nicest mommy voice, “Please, be kind”. That didn’t work. By the fifth time I want to yell, “Knock it off!”, but I don’t.

Flashback to Friday evening: Tanner & Hannah have dug a hole in the backyard and filled it with water, breaking not one but three rules (no taking yard tools out of the garage, no digging in the flower beds, & no playing with the hose without asking). Mommy is not happy, because mommy wants to get ready for her date (the one night a week mommy can leave the stresses of motherhood behind and rejuvenate with the love of her life), but now instead of getting a shower mommy has to figure out how to get three muddy kids to the bathroom without getting mud all over the floors she just mopped. Mommy is not happy. Mommy yells. Jack comes up and pokes me in the leg with his finger. I look down at him. “I need a hug”, he says. Sighing I give him a squeeze. “Awww, you so happy”, he says and off he goes. He doesn’t like it when I yell. I don’t like it when I yell. His sweet request for a hug reminds me that I do not want to be the mommy that yells all the time.

Return to present: “Tanner & Hannah, please finish cleaning up the blocks then find a book and go to your rooms to read until I tell you it’s ok to come out.” (and all of that was said in my “calm mommy” voice.) I am so proud. They are now fighting about how to clean up the blocks. “Ouch! you pinched my finger!”, “Hey, I was going to put that one away!”, “Don’t just rip it out of my hand!”, “ I want to put it there, don’t move it!” (I will not yell, I will not yell, I will not yell) The blocks are finally cleaned up and each go to their respective rooms. A minute later Tanner comes into my room, “Mom, can I go apologize to Hannah?” Surprised I tell him yes. (For those of you thinking “Awww, how sweet, there’s going to be a happy ending.” I say, “Don’t get your hopes up.”) I hear a door slam, open, then slam again. Open, slam, open slam. “Mom! She slammed the door in my face!” (I will not yell, I will not yell, I will not yell)

Still waiting for the happy ending? So am I! I think it’s called bedtime!

Challenges

2009-09-28T07:20:00.001-07:00

Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good (see D&C 122:7). Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Elder Robert D. Hales Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Pictures

2009-09-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

I had these pictures taken of the kids a couple of weeks ago by a very talented young lady. They turned out really cute! There is a link on my blog to Stephanie Ryan Photography if you are interested in booking her. She is fantastic with children.

Family Home Evening

2009-08-31T09:37:00.001-07:00

We have decided to use Family Home Evening for the next several weeks to reintroduce our kids to the leaders of the church. Last Monday we learned about President Monson. Tonight we are going to talk about President Eyring. While preparing for our lesson I ran across a quote that I liked.

“The children of God have more in common than they have differences. … God will help us see a difference in someone else not as a source of irritation but as a contribution. The Lord can help you see and value what another person brings which you lack.”

–President Henry B. Eyring

Summer 2009 In A Nutshell

2009-08-30T20:50:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe the summer is over. Although I didn’t do much blogging, I did want to jot down a few memories…

This was the first summer of Grandma & Grandpa Tanner’s pool & boy did we enjoy it. We spent everyday (except Sundays) cooling off in the pool.

There were several games & tricks that quickly became favorites. Here are a few pictures so we don’t forget.

This is the one man chicken fight. What a talented grandpa!

“Jailed” (as Jack refers to it) is when grandpa tries to keep all three grandkids contained on the top step of the pool.

This one is called “Ride the Horsey”. You get to sit on grandpa’s shoulders and fall into the pool.

And then of course there’s just good old fashioned fun as grandpa tosses you in the air!

The kids also spent quite a bit of time perfecting some of their pool tricks.

In the end we had three water bugs with beautiful tans…

and then came Emma our beautiful baby girl. What a summer!

We’re already looking forward to next summer!

My Messy What?!

2009-08-26T10:48:00.001-07:00

Hannah happens to be the artist in our family. She can often be found sitting at the kitchen table coloring a picture, writing a story, or drawing some kind of new invention. Yesterday she drew this one …

The title is supposed to be My Messy Shirt. In case you missed it this is how she spelled it…

Because she creates so many masterpieces I am not able to keep them all, but you can be sure I will be keeping this one! I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face.

She’s Here!

2009-08-07T12:09:00.001-07:00

This will be short and sweet as my time is a little limited lately, but I wanted to post some pictures of the newest addition to our family.

Emma Elizabeth Dockstader

Born July 31st at 7:48am. She weighed 7lbs 9oz and was 20 inches long. She was born on her due date and shares a birthday with her Grandpa Tanner.

We got to the hospital at 7:00 am and 48 minutes later I was holding her in my arms. It was INTENSE! No time for any pain meds, but she was so worth it!

1 Week Old

The nursery. Hannah is so excited to be sharing her room. More pictures later. She’s a screamer and definitely the most demanding of all my babies, so posts will be few and far between as we get to know each other.

What’s For Dinner?

2009-07-13T19:31:00.001-07:00

Not such a bad question tonight. It was 4:30 when I asked myself that question so I went to my kitchen to look at my meal planner. Sour Cream Pork Chops. My mom thought it sounded gross (although she didn’t come right out and say it), and I was a little skeptical myself. Still, it was nice to know that all the ingredients were right in my fridge & pantry (no last minute run to the grocery store!). It was good, and we have leftovers for another night this week. We tried the Bacon Cheddar Quiche on Saturday evening and we loved that one too. So far I am totally feeling like I am getting my $ worth and then some!

E-mealz Update

2009-07-11T13:49:00.001-07:00

I went grocery shopping for next weeks dinners today. I left with my grocery list (provided by e-mealz) and my calculator. I wont be able to tell you how the meals taste until next week but hear is what I do know. When researching e-mealz I found that most people said there were always plenty of left-overs. With that in mind added to the fact that Jack has a diet separate from the rest of the family I decided to only prepare 4 of the meals for next week. When I added everything up I ended up spending less than $60 for the week, which was a little less than $2 per person per meal (for a family of 4). I loved the shopping list and the way it was set up (divided into sections of the grocery store). I love that it is budget friendly. I will let you know if we love the meals. Here is what I am making next week: Cheddar Bacon Quiche, Sour Cream Pork Chops, Enchilada Pie, and Toasted Chicken Salad Sandwiches. All meals had a fruit/vegetable and a side.

I Can’t Wait Until…

2009-07-09T13:36:00.001-07:00

I can see my feet again.

my legs stop feeling like encased sausages & my toes stop looking like Lil Smokies.

I have a lap to hold my kids on.

I can roll over in bed at night without feeling like I’m doing a three point turn.

I can eat spicy food without getting heart burn.

I am able to lay all the down without having problems with acid reflux.

I can sleep on my back.

I can sleep through the night without getting up to go to the bathroom 5 times (yes, I realize I will still be getting up to feed Emma, but that is much less annoying!).

I can snuggle with my hubby without feeling like there is a watermelon in between us.

I can get out of the bath without thinking “heave, Heave, HEAVE!” (okay for this one you need a little back ground. First of all we have a sunken roman tub. Second of all when Tanner & Hannah were babies they used to watch the Winnie the Pooh DVD where Winnie the Pooh gets stuck coming out of Rabbit’s house and everyone has to get together and pull him out singing “heave, Heave, HEAVE!”)

I can get on the floor and play with my kids without wondering if I will be able to get up again.

my hips stop feeling like they are going to dislocate.

I can walk without a waddle.

I can get back to the gym.

I can get my pre-pregnancy clothes back out (I put them away so as not to depress myself).

I can hold my sweet little Emma.

I guess that’s it for now, thanks for listening to my whining. I’m sure there will be more later!

Nesting

2009-07-09T13:08:00.001-07:00

My nesting instinct has kicked in to overdrive this week! All of a sudden nothing is clean enough, nothing is organized enough, and it seems like there is just so much to do! I wish that meant I was going to have this baby soon, but I highly doubt it. She continues to grow and it’s funny, but I look at myself and I really can’t believe that I was bigger than this with the twins! I was however, much bigger. I remember Maclynn looking at me when I was around 6 months pregnant with twins and saying “You’re Huge!”. Just what every pregnant woman wants to hear. To his credit he has learned a lot over the last 7 years!

What’s for dinner?

2009-07-08T20:40:00.001-07:00

Oh how I hate that question! Mostly because 99% of the time I don’t know the answer. I will occasionally call Maclynn at work and ask him what he would like for dinner, but he hates that question just as much as I hate the first one (mostly because he doesn’t know the answer). I was listening to Dave Ramsey on talk radio today and I heard an advertisement for e-mealz. If you subscribe to e-mealz they will send you a full meal plan for a week of dinners including the shopping list. It’s $15 for 3 months (if you use the coupon code Dave you get $2.50 off). They have a ton of different menu options to suit your individual family (including a “points menu” for those of you doing Weight Watchers- which I will be doing shortly to get this baby weight off!). My first week of meals consists of Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta, Crispy Almond Chicken, Sour Cream Pork Chops, Picante Chicken and other yummy sounding dinners. It is also supposed to be very budget friendly. I am really excited to try it & will let you know how I like it.

36 Weeks

2009-07-07T12:19:00.001-07:00

I’m actually almost 37 weeks now but my mom took this picture last week. I realized I have no pregnancy pictures with Jack and only a few with the twins.

I’m huge it’s true and yes, I am absolutely positive I am only having 1!

Carwash

2009-06-27T12:22:00.001-07:00

This is our weekly outing to the carwash. Jack begs me to go everyday! Tanner & Hannah love it almost as much. What’s not to love? The kids get to watch the “show” then go outside and have free popcorn while my car gets a thorough cleaning from the inside out!

Who knew the carwash would end up being one of our great summer adventures?!

What We’ve Been Up To…

2009-06-26T18:01:00.001-07:00

People keep asking me what our summer plans are.

This is it. Me by the pool (this is as much as you will be seeing of me in my bathing suit thank you very much!), watching the kids…

horse around in the pool with Grandma & Grandpa!

Yesterday’s mean feat was a pool pyramid. What a fun Grandma & Grandpa! (Grandma would not appreciate it if I let you see anymore of her in the pool than I already have, but she was there too!)

What are you reading?

2009-06-23T15:32:00.001-07:00

I’m always looking for something to read. I am in a bit of a slump lately and I’m open to suggestions. What are you reading? What are you reading to your kids this summer? Any suggestions?

Black Widow

2009-06-18T09:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had a little episode involving a black widow and a hysterical pregnant woman. Keep in mind that the black widow was on my hand when I first saw it and I’m sure you’ll be a little more understanding about the ensuing hysteria. It was all quite entertaining for Tanner, Hannah & Jack. So here’s the picture I woke up to on my kitchen counter. A little reminder from sweet little Hannah…

Hot Summer Day

2009-06-17T20:22:00.001-07:00

Missing Grandma & Grandpa

2009-06-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

Grandma & Grandpa Tanner have taken off on a little getaway. They left yesterday and the kids are already asking when they’ll be back. We can’t wait until you come home!

Mommy Moments

2009-06-16T17:19:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I’m totally copying my sister with the mommy moments thing, but I thought it was a cute idea. My mom told me to get on my sister’s blog and check out a picture of Dallin that she thought looked exactly like Jack. Hannah was looking with me, this was our conversation:

Me: I don’t see it.

Hannah: What?

Me: Grandma thinks this picture looks exactly like Jack, but I don’t think so.

Hannah: I’m with grandma. Together we must face the Dark Side! (you’ll just have to imagine the mean raspy voice).

Me: okay…

Hangman with Hannah

2009-05-13T16:58:00.001-07:00

I remembered a funny story from when Suzanna was visiting with her family and I wanted to write it down before it was forgotten. We were at church and Chadley & Hannah were sitting next to each other playing hangman. Apparently it was Hannah’s turn to come up with the word and Chadley’s turn to guess. When the word was completed my dad got my attention and pointed to the paper. The word Hannah had chosen was LOIN! I could not contain the giggles, and I don’t think it looks very good when the bishop’s wife gets a fit of giggles during Sacrament Meeting! Upon further investigation we learned that it was actually supposed to be L-I-O-N.

Caught up!

2009-05-13T10:59:00.001-07:00

I believe I am now officially caught up (at least where my blog is concerned) and I plan to take a page out of Jack’s book and just relax by the pool this afternoon!

Baby Gifts

2009-05-13T10:55:00.001-07:00

I have received some really cute, creative baby gifts that I wanted to share.

My sister-in-law Lori gave me a beautiful basket of flowers…

Only, it wasn’t really all flowers…

It’s a bouquet of baby clothes,

baby socks,

and onesies rolled up like little rosettes!

I tried to take some pictures of what she did. Above is one of the onesies.

This is one of the socks

Here are some pictures of all the cute things that she had in that beautiful bouquet.

This outfit was the huge flower from the top (see picture 3 for a closer view).

Lori, I continue to be absolutely amazed by your creativity!!!

Here’s a little family secret for you…We all know what a wonderful creative homemaker my mother is (that’s not the secret). Well, somehow that talent skipped me (that’s the secret-at least I hope it’s not completely obvious) and went completely to my little sister. Suzanna is creative in the kitchen, talented with a sewing machine and I am completely in awe of her.

Here is the baby gift she made me…

It’s a car seat cover.

The fabric is gorgeous.

And a matching diaper/wipes holder. Isn’t it beautiful?!

Well, I must admit I feel completely inferior to these women’s creativity however, I am shamelessly willing to benefit from there amazing talents! I love you both. Thank you so much!

Catch up!!!!!!

2009-05-13T10:29:00.001-07:00

May 1st was the Mini Olympics for Jack’s preschool class. He loved it! He had fun participating in all of the stations until the Fresno Grizzly mascot showed up! At that point there was absolutely no reassuring him so we called it a day and went for some ice cream. Again I was not so good with the picture taking, but my mom got some great pictures so see Grandmother Fairy’s blog.

Catch-up!!!!!

2009-05-13T10:23:00.001-07:00

So here’s the part where we discuss how neglect I have been in the picture taking department. At the end of April we were lucky enough to have my sister and her family come for a long overdue visit. I took not one picture! What can I say, I was busy enjoying the moment instead of documenting it. So, for pictures of this you’ll have to visit Grandmother Fairy’s blog. Anyway we enjoyed the time that they spent here and can’t wait to see them again. Hopefully it wont be a year and a half this time. I guess that puts the pressure on our end to get out to Utah soon.

Catch-up!!!!

2009-05-13T10:18:00.001-07:00

Also during April our ward put together a wonderful Primary Quarterly Activity at the Fresno Temple. President Flake, a member of the temple presidency came out and talked to them about the temple, then gave each child an opportunity to touch the temple. We finished up with a picnic. It was a wonderful activity, the kids really enjoyed it.

Catch-up!!!

2009-05-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

On April 15th Tanner and Hannah’s first grade class got to go to one of the High School Ag Farms for a field trip. It was cold and windy, but we had a good time and learned a lot.

They learned about the different tools used on a farm.

This was Tanner’s favorite part. Give that boy a hammer and a nail and he’s ready to go to work. What can I say, he takes after his Grandpa Tanner!

They learned about roping cattle.

They may look cute at this stage, but can anyone say Swine Flu?!

Catch-up!!

2009-05-13T09:55:00.001-07:00

A HUGE thank you to our wonderful ward for sending our family to John’s Incredible Pizza for some MUCH needed family time. What a wonderful act of service! We had so much fun!!!

We got some much needed time with Daddy!

Jack loved the idea of watching cartoons while we ate dinner. So this was the only side of him that I could get a picture of!

There were lots of rides...

And a ton of games to play!

Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

Catch-up!

2009-05-13T09:35:00.001-07:00

Way back at the beginning of April My brother Dave and his family decided to take a break from the snow in Utah and come visit sunny California. We had a blast while they were here! I’ll admit I’ve been horrible about taking pictures lately, but I did get some pictures of our trip to the zoo. We sure had fun while you guys were here!

Hard at Work

2009-03-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful here this week. The other day Tanner wanted someone to go outside and play with him. He asked Jack and I heard Jack say, "Sorry Tanner, I'm working." (He was playing Magic Match on the computer.) Oops, I wonder where he picked that up.

Today is...

2009-03-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

Translation: "Today is Friday, March the 27th 2009!"

A Day At The Beach

2009-03-24T19:50:00.001-07:00

We spent last weekend at the beach with the Dockstader Family. It was good to get away even if only for a couple of days. The kids got to explore the tide pools and we also had a chance to visit the elephant seals. It didn't matter that it was 51 degrees outside we still couldn't keep the kids out of the water! Jack had a great time chasing the seagulls and Tanner & Hannah came home with a bucket full of sand dollars & seashells. Maclynn and I had a great time just enjoying the kids.

Birthday Boy!

2009-03-24T19:40:00.001-07:00

March 16th was Jack’s birthday. I tried to post an entry and photo album on last Monday, but couldn’t get it to work. So here’s a little recap of the last 4 years...

View Full Album

His first 4 months were a little rough. Due to infantile seizures that would cause him to stop breathing he was put on anti-seizure medication and an apnea monitor for the first 4 months. At 4 months we celebrated a clean bill of health!

View Full Album

He brings us so much joy and laughter we feel truly blessed to have him as part of our family. Happy Birthday Jack-Jack!

It’s A Girl!

2009-03-13T17:16:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time as I would like to devote to this post. We found out this morning that we are having a girl. She is healthy and we are soooo excited. Hannah has been counting the days until we could find out. She wants a sister so bad. So my mom & I showed up at school with pink cupcakes and a balloon. Needless to say she was thrilled and Tanner was excited about the cupcakes!

Hello Again…

2009-02-25T17:49:00.001-08:00

I’ll be the first to admit that when life gets overwhelming or I’m simply not feeling well. Blogging is the first thing to go. This pregnancy has by far been my most difficult, because I seem to be plagued with illness (and I’m not even talking about morning sickness!). Jack brought home a small virus that made it’s way through the whole family, only lasting about 3-4 days with each person – except for me. Of course my virus had to turn into a sinus infection and then progress to pneumonia, which last close to a month! I have since finished my antibiotics and am feeling much better. So here’s a quick update on our family:

Maclynn is staying extremely busy with work and church. He recently visited San Diego on a business trip and we are very glad to have him home!

Gill is just trying to catch up with everything that is sooooo far behind from being sick. We took the house off the market deciding that our lives are a little to hectic at the moment to even think about moving.

Tanner made math club at school and got to go to McDonald's with the principal.

Hannah also made math club just a couple of weeks after Tanner and also had a turn going to lunch with the principal. She also got proposed to at school by one of her friends at school (being a tomboy, she has mostly boy friends). She let him down gently telling him that she just didn’t know who she was going to know by the time it was time for her to be thinking about marriage. She will also die of embarrassment if anyone mentions this experience to her, so mums the word!!! P.S. She lost yet another tooth today!

Jack split his head open a couple of weeks ago and is going to have a nice manly scar to show off because of it. He is currently sporting the shaved head look and wears it oh so well! I have been extremely neglect in my photography duties so I don’t have any pictures of this.

Baby Dockstader #4 seems to being doing well as of our last doctors appt. He/she seems to be none the worse for the wear from all of mom’s illnesses. We will find out what we are having on March 13th. Care to make a guess?

Tooth Fairy Going Bankrupt!

2009-01-23T09:27:00.001-08:00

Yes, she's done it again. Hannah pulled another tooth last night! This is the sixth one she has lost in the last couple of months (including the one she lost on Christmas day)! I think the Tooth Fairy is in danger of going bankrupt!Hannah B. Dockstader: Toothless Wonder!This is Tanner losing his first tooth. He was a little more apprehensive about the whole losing a tooth idea, so we took matters into our own hands: Mommy held him down, Daddy pulled the tooth, and Hannah took the pictures! This is still the only tooth he's lost. I think he's afraid to tell me if anymore are loose!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-01-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm back in the saddle I was realizing how long it has been since I baked anything at all and I decided to post one of my families favorite cookie recipes. You just take your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe (I will post mine below)then melt some chocolate chips and spread it on the backside of the cookies. Delicious!!!

Peanut Butter Cookies
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll balls in additional sugar. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls about 3 inches apart. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped in additional granulated sugar.

4. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!

2009-01-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

So as I told my mother, I think the universe is working against me. No sooner had I published my last post than I came down with the FLU!!! What is going on?! So naturally I called my mom to cry about the injustice of it all (I think pregnancy hormones may have played a teensy role in all the emotion), and like any good mother she was extremely sympathetic. Luckily it was a 24 hour bug and I am feeling much better now. Unfortunately I passed it on to Grandmother Fairy (my mom). So sorry mom!!!

Someone threw a stick in my spokes!

2009-01-19T09:17:00.000-08:00

My life is definately all about routine. When I was younger I used to fancy myself spontaneous. Either I've changed with age or I'm just getting to know the real me. Getting pregnant this time has definately been like someone threw a stick in the spokes of my bike and everything went to..., well you know! I've been sick for the first time with this pregnancy and soooo tired! We are so excited for this new addition to our family, but it has taken me awhile to get back into the swing of things. I went from morning sickness (through our anniversary, Maclynn's birthday, my birthday, Christmas, and the twins birthday) to a sinus infection that still wont go away and during all of this we decided to put our house on the market! (For all you Clovis 2nd Ward readers we will be buying a house in the ward if ours sells.) Which means we've been painting and getting ready durring our down time. Anyway, I think I have finally got my groove back and am hopefully ready to joing the land of the living once again. I have missed all of you and look forward to catching up!

Tagged!

2008-12-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Okay so my mom tagged me and I'm supposed to list 8 wierd things about me:
1. When sleeping the opening of my pillowcase has to be facing the back of my head!
2. I love to vacuum just so I can see the lines in the carpet!
3. My toes have to be painted, even in the winter when no one else will see them.
4. The thought of my teeth scraping across peach fuzz on a peach gives me the chills.
5. During the winter my nose is constantly cold.
6. My feet and hands are constantly cold in the winter too, so I carry a heating pad from room to room with me when I'm at home.
7. I love to organize and yet nothing in my house is ever completely organized.
8. I am constantly cleaning, and yet nothing ever seems to be as clean as I would like it!

Morning Sickness

2008-12-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

So I guess after two previous pregnancies without a single day of morning sickness it's only fair that I have a turn with pregnancy #3, child #4. However, that doesn't mean I have to like it! Posts will probably be fewer & farther between due to the sickness and just being plain old exhausted. Not to mention, being head room mom for two first graders, Christmas (and all that comes with it!), being a wife to a bishop who is gone even more than usual due to tithing settlement, and getting ready for the twins birthday two days after Christmas! Ready, set, Gooooooo!

My excuse for being such a slacker lately!

2008-12-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Announcement

2008-11-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

Fall

2008-11-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I have been a major procrastinator lately because I know I have a lot of catch-up to do so I've decided to cut my losses and start fresh! November and December are an extremely busy time for me and my little family. If I get a chance to catch-up on some of the events I've missed in the last few weeks great, if not well that's okay too! I thought I would take the opportunity to express my gratitude this week. I have so many things to be grateful for! I have especially enjoyed the colors this fall. So today I am grateful for fall and the beautiful season that it is! Fall means leaves falling on my kids as they play outside and cozy fires with my honey after the kids go to bed. I am grateful for fall!

2008-10-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, to all who commented on my "Calling all mothers" post. I am blessed to be surrounded by women who are as joyful about being an LDS mother as I am. Your thoughts were all greatly appreciated and I was able to put together a talk I felt really good about. Thank you!

Calling all mothers!

2008-10-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

So I've been asked to speak in the adult session of our stake conference on Saturday evening and I'm looking for some additional inspiration. My topic is one that is near and dear to my heart, "The Joy of Being an LDS Mother". The wonderful thing is that I know this can mean something different to each one of us depending on what stage of motherhood we are in. So please sisters, comment. What is the joy of being and LDS mother to you?

Grandmother Fairy - Every grandchilds dream!

2008-10-13T09:47:00.001-07:00

So I was struck by the irony of this picture as I looked around Grandmother Fairy's house yesterday. Notice the cavities (not to mention the cookie in her teeth that she just ate -ewww sorry about that), and then watch the slide show of all the candy dishes my mom has lying around her house! Keep in mind that I only documented the candy dishes downstairs. I didn't count any of the ones upstairs. Seriously mother, what's a girl to do?!

Our Not So Lazy Sundays...

2008-10-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to live so close to family! It does make for some crazy Sunday's though. We are actually in the same ward as my parents so we see them at church. After church we change clothes and head over to Grandma & Grandpa Tanner's for dinner & a visit.My handsome hubby & cute kids!TannerJack-JackThe new pool! We are sooo excited!Back in the car for the 20 minute drive to Grandma Dock's house!Thank goodness for Nintendo DS!Grandma Dock has the meanest cat ever, and Jack loves her! Every time we go over when he sees her he says, "Ooooh, kitty soooo cute!". I make Maclynn stay close by incase a rescue is necessary. Seriously this cat sent my father-in-law to the doctor more than once. Once she even left a tooth in his arm!Jack & Aunt HeatherOur niece AbbyOur nephew Carter aka "Mater"

"Look Mom, no fighting!"

2008-10-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

This is just one of those moments that I usually take for granted and have been trying to be better about noticing.I found all three of the kids on Tanner's bed watching Hannah play a Nintendo DS game.Wow! It can be done. All three of my children can coexist in the same room without fighting!

Organizational Nerd

2008-10-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a bit of an organizational nerd. You would think this would mean that I am the most organized person on the planet, not so. What it does mean is that I get really excited about new ways to organize things. I have embraced this part of myself and find great pleasure in making little changes around the house that hopefully keep us a little more organized. So this was my latest little project. I recently made some labels for the toy bins in the kids rooms (see last Thursday's post) and this is how I put them to use... Hannah's RoomSo those of you that know Hannah are probably wondering why there would be a toy bin for Barbies since she DOES NOT play with dolls, princesses, or anything like unto it. This bin is mainly for the other little girls that come over to our house to play.Tanner & Jack's Room

2008-10-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

Jack was dressed from head to foot at 8:30am when it was time to take Tanner & Hannah to school this morning. However by 8:40am when we got home this was how I found him...
I would love to be able to say that this was an unusual occurance, but alas this is everyday at our house. As soon as he gets home from wherever we've been everything comes off! The boy has a definite aversion to clothing! I try to remember that a man's (or boy as the case may be) home is his castle, and I guess he should be able to walk around naked if he wants to! And as for the silver lining...I am extremely grateful that he chooses to keep his clothing on when out in public!

The T-shirt I designed

2008-10-10T09:26:00.001-07:00

So, I wanted to be able to show my support of Prop 8 wherever I go. I went to www.customink.com and made myself this t-shirt, isn't it cute? It cost $23.00 including shipping. I'm so excited!

2nd Half of my Thursday

2008-10-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Okay so as I always do I lost track of time once on the computer and when I looked up it was already 12:15. So from 12:15-12:25 Jack and I made a mad dash to get him ready for school and at 12:25 we leave.

12:30-3:00 I had some good ideas to get a little more organized around the house so I picked my mom up and we went in search of some bargains to put my plans into action. More about those tomorrow.

3:00 Pick up Jack from Preschool and head over to Tanner & Hannah’s school to wait it out until 3:30 when they get out of school. This is usually when I do my scripture study while Jack plays a video game, but we mostly spent the time spelling today. Jack’s favorite think to do is pick out words, read the letters to me and ask me what they spell. It goes something like this... “Mom, C-O-S-T-C-O spells....? Consequently at the young age of only 3 and a half he has already memorized several words. Some of his favorites are: stop, go, exit, Jack, and he has recently become enamored with learning how to spell all the colors. He already has green memorized. He is such a smart little guy and has always had a fascination with numbers and letters. He can count and recognize all the numbers from 1-29 and although he isn’t coordinated enough to write them all yet, one of his favorite things to do is type them on the computer. He can also recognize all of his letters upper & lowercase. I hate to sound like I’m bragging, but wow! I am continually amazed by my little genius!

3:35-4:00 We get home from school and I give the kids a half an hour for a snack (some Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars – recipe to follow) and some unwind time.

4:00-4:30 Chore time.

4:30-5:00 I let the kids play together while I continue working on one of my little organizational projects. The kids toys seem to be getting out of hand so I made some labels to put on the individual cubbies in their rooms where they keep their toys-a project I will finish tomorrow when they are at school and can’t object to my thinning them out a little.

5:00-6:00pm Maclynn calls to tell me that he is tied up at work and wont be home until close to 7:00pm so I decide to load the kids up and run a few quick errands. We run to Office Max (I don’t know what it is about office supplies that excites me, but I just love that place!) to laminate the labels I made and pick up some bookrings to attach them to the cubbies with. We run through the Wendy’s drive through for the 99 cent value menu for the kids (I’m not a big fast food fan) and head to Goodwill to drop off the items I decided to donate when cleaning out the garage.

6:00-7:00pm It’s “Crunch Time” again. I don’t know how I did it, but I did homework with the kids and all three of them bathed and in their pajamas in time for their 7:00pm bedtime. Maclynn gets home just in time for family prayers.

7:00-7:30pm I quickly cook a couple of baked potatoes and my sweetheart and I have a quiet dinner together.

7:30 to present – I cut out the labels I had laminated and attach the bookrings. Oh yeah, and I catch up my blog with the rest of my day. Now I’m exhausted. I plan to take a long soak in a hot bath and spend some quality time with the love of my life. Then I’m going to bed early to begin anew tomorrow. See you then!

So, these are the labels I made. I will post pictures of how I use them a long with the other 2 little ideas I had tomorrow.

What I've done with my Thursday...

2008-10-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 6:45 and turned on a cartoon for Tanner while I jumped in the shower and got dressed.

By the time I am dressed Hannah is awake and comes in to talk to me (I don’t call her my “Little Miss Chatterbox” for nothing). I ask her if she would like pancakes or cereal for breakfast. She opts for cereal. Jack is still asleep in the living room where we slept last night (me because of my aching back, and he because he needed his mommy during the night). I decide to put off breakfast for the moment while I do my hair and make-up.

Breakfast time for me & the kids. Jack goes with toast & “shake-shake” (Carnation Instant Breakfast) as does Tanner. Hannah goes for Coco Puffs. I make myself some whole grain toast with a little bit of peanut butter, I’m going to need that protein today. I wash it down with my favorite drink of Cranberry juice mixed with Fresca. I also settle my first dispute of the day between Tanner & Hannah.

7:30am Second dispute dealt with between Hannah and Tanner. I've decided it's already time for a period of separation. They are each sent to their separate quarters to clean their rooms and get ready for school. Jack also gets his first "time-out for the day for hitting Hannah with his blanket and then yelling his "I'm sorry" at her.

7:45 Mom calls from her cell phone (Hellooooo! It’s crunch time!) to tell me that she is all by herself at the corner of Herndon and Willow in support of Proposition 8. Apparently there was supposed to be a gathering of sisters from our ward to wave signs around. “Sorry, Mom”. Come on sisters get with the program!!!

7:55 Make-up & Hair

8:00am 3rd dispute between Tanner & Hannah and a small temper-tantrum (I’d say about a 2 on the richtor scale) from Tanner when they are sent to their beds to do their reading time for the day (what a punishment).

8:05am I finally make time to kneel for my personal prayers. Perhaps if I would have started out that way I wouldn’t have been dealing with WWIII all morning. I also remind the Tanner & Hannah to say their prayers and kneel with Jack while he says his prayer in which he asks Heavenly Father to “please bless us to be happy”, and to “please bless Teacher Pat, Grandma and Grandpa, Grandma Doc, Super Why (his current favorite TV show, and Mario Kart (his favorite Nintendo DS game.)

8:10 log the kids reading books in their weekly reading log. Help the kids make their lunches

8:20 Hannah’s hair

8:25 Family prayers & out the door to take Tanner & Hannah to school.

8:40am Home from taking Tanner & Hannah to school. I start a load of laundry and it’s time to make my “To Do” list for today.

8:50-9:00am Iron some clothes for my sweetie-pie. He left before everyone was up this morning to do some grunge work at the shop. He came home showered, gratefully changed into some freshly pressed clothes and headed off to “bring home the bacon” (mmmm, bacon).

9:00am-11:30am I rediscovered my two-car garage! We’ve been so busy lately things had really gotten out of hand. The “give away” pile was piling up as were the cobwebs. So, I did some de-cluttering, gave the place a thorough sweeping and put a ton of stuff that the kids had outgrown up in the attic. Honey, this one was all for you. Just another way for me to show you how much I love you. I know how you love a clean garage, and look there’s even enough room for you to park your car!

So this is part of my give-away pile.

I'll admit it's not my idea of what a perfect garage should look like, however I did the best I could with what I had to work with and without spending any $$$.

My nice clean garage.
11:30-12:00 Some “me time”. I’m famished!!! I reheat the chicken and potatoes from last nights dinner and sit down to blog all this. Oh yeah, and I took some Motrin for my back!

Doctor Mom "Medicine Woman"

2008-10-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I am my father's daughter. Who needs stitches when you've got a butterfly bandage and some hair clippers? So here's the story...
Tanner split his head open today while he and Hannah were fooling around in my shower. They were hot so they wanted to put their suits on and take a cold shower. You would think I would know better by now! When I went in to see what was the matter with Tanner blood was pouring (no exageration) down his face. I have heard that head wounds bleed a lot, but I have never seen so much blood in my entire life! Anyway, a quick call to grandma for some back up and we were ready to go to work. I applied pressure with a white bath towel (I forgot to get a picture of that before I put it in the wash) wich got soaked through with blood. After shaving his head we could see it wasn't as bad as we thought and we fixed him right up. What a tough kid!

Utah Trip

2008-10-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

So my mom & I took a roadtrip to Utah last weekend to visit my brother & his family and my sister & her family. We also got to attend the Relief Society broadcast at The Conference Center. I haven't been to Utah in about 10 years so it was my first time in The Conference Center. AMAZING!!! We had such a great time and lots of laughs. Infact we had so much fun that these are the only pictures I took the whole trip!

Sparthenian of the Month

2008-10-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hannah was chosen to be the first Sparthenian of the month from her class on September 19th. We are very proud of her and how hard she works to be aa excellent student, caring friend, and just a good little girl!

First Day of School

2008-10-01T12:14:00.001-07:00

On August 25th Tanner, Hannah & Jack went back to school. Tanner & Hannah are in first grade and Jack is in his second year of preschool. The kids love their teachers and are happy to be back in school. For any former Mickey Cox students Tanner & Hannah's teacher is Judy Marvin (formerly Ms. Parker). She taught at Mickey Cox when we were there and married Rod Marvin who also taught there. Actually my dad is the one who preformed that marriage! Tanner & Hannah really like her and are excited about being big first graders! Jack is also excited to be back. He loves his teacher and the routine and structure that school provides. He was excited to see some of his friends from last year.

I'm Back!

2008-10-01T12:13:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I have had a hard time getting back into the swing of things since my father-in-law passed away. I will admit my blog was the last thing on my mind. So a lot has happened, but I guess I will start by offering a little more information about my father-in-law's passing. Jeff suffered from a massive heart attack on August 15th 2008. He was gone instantly. He was only 54. We miss him terribly, but find great comfort in the knowledge that we will see him again. Our testimonies of the gospel have been strengthened as we have felt the blessings of prayers offered in our behalf by our family & friends.

Shaver Lake with Grandpa Doc

2008-10-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

In Loving Memory of Jeff Dockstader

2008-08-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

Funeral Services will be held Friday, August 22 @ 11:00am at the Fresno Stake Center. Thank you to all of our friends and family for your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time in our lives.

Dad's 60th Birthday

2008-08-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

Dad turned 60 on July 31st. For his birthday all of the kids got him an impact driver (what ever the heck that is). We also put together a scrapbook for him. We each included a letter to dad, pictures of us growing up, pictures of us with our spouse and a page of pictures for each of our kids. The scrapbook turned out really nice and dad loved it. I will post pictures of the scrapbook itself soon.

Suprise!

2008-08-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Dave suprising Dad with a visit for his 60th Birthday.

Dad's Scrapbook

2008-08-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

Dad looking through his scrapbook.

John's Letter To Dad

2008-08-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

Zanny- I thought you would enjoy listening to the letter John wrote Dad for the scrapbook. We all got quite a kick out of it.

Biker Babe

2008-08-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hannah on Uncle Bruce's bike.

Biker Boy

2008-08-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Tanner on Uncle Bruce's hog.

Tanner & Hannah's Utah Trip

2008-07-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Tanner & Hannah got to go on vacation with Grandma & Grandpa Tanner this summer! They went with Uncle Dylan and his family first to Utah for their cousin Ciera's baptism and then to Yellowstone National Park. Here are a few pictures of their adventure.

Elder Dockstader

2008-07-27T09:29:00.001-07:00

I never did blog about my brother-in-law Jeff, who is also serving a mission. He left in May for Geneva Switzerland. It is a German speaking mission so hopefully those years of high school german will be of help to him. The kids miss him terribly but we are so proud of him! Tanner has a very special relationship with his Uncle Jeff and I watched him closely when we went to Jeff's farewell back in May. I could see tears in Tanner's eyes as Jeff bore his testimony and I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for the example that Jeff is setting for my children.

My Girls! - Erika, Jaimee, & Corinne

2008-07-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to an open house for Erika Wipfler who is leaving on her mission this week. She has been called to serve in Florida. The Wipfler girls were one of my first babysitting jobs. Well, actually Erika was. Corinne & Jaimee weren't even born yet! I am way to young for these girls to be turning into such beautiful women!!! Aren't they gorgeous?! The girls have all babysat for me at some time or another. Jaimee is my current babysitter. She has promised to stay here for college so that she can continue to babysit for us. Before I know it Hannah will be old enough to babysit for them!

Saturday

2008-07-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

Saturdays seem to be jammed packed ever since Maclynn was called to be Bishop. It's our one day to be together as a family and get everything done that needs to be done around the house. Yesterday we started work on some siding that needed to be replaced around the bay window. The kids played on the slip & slide out in the front while we worked.

Sack Races

2008-07-24T17:43:00.001-07:00

I was folding laundry today and the kids found the freshly laundered pillowcases. Of course, I have to wash them again now (Hannah's ended up with blood spots one it. Sack races are a risky sport!). Sorry, I know this video is sideways, but I haven't figured out how to fix it yet. Just tilt your head sideways to watch!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2008-07-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while. This is a book Jack made in preschool. He loves to entertain everyone by reading it to us.

"Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens."

2008-07-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else heard this saying before? My mom shared it with me a couple of months ago and I swear I think about it everyday. Last week I was in Target at the checkout line and all three of my kids were "pecking" at me, "Mom, can I have this candy?", "Mom, can you take the tag off my new toy?", "Mom!, Mom!, Mommy!" You get the idea, I know you've all been there before. Anyway, the girl that was checking me out said, "Man, you've got your hands full!" I smiled and shared that quote with her. Every mom within a three isle checkout radius honed in on that comment and started laughing. So, for all the moms out there, I hope you have "peck-free" day!

Happy Birthday?

2008-07-11T16:01:00.001-07:00

Okay, so whenever Jack spots a candle he wants to blow it out, which is normal enough for a little boy, but he has to sing "happy to you" first. It doesn't matter if it's a candle or a match. He even tried to blow out fires in the fireplace last winter!

Potty Trained!!!

2008-07-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

That's right, he's a big boy now! He took his sweet time, but was by far the easiest to train. No more diapers at this house!

4th of July

2008-07-11T15:05:00.001-07:00

4th of July

2008-07-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

We had a jam packed day of fun on the 4th! It started with the annual Clovis 2nd Ward 4th of July Pancake Breakfast. The kids participated in the annual Primary Parade. Maclynn even played the drums in Bro. Websters patriotic band! We ended the day at Uncle John & Aunt Janice's new house for swimming, a table tennis tournament & fireworks. It was a blast!

Kung Fu Panda

2008-07-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda a couple of weeks ago. They loved it. This was Jack's first movie. He did very well and really loved the movie. When he got bored he played his Nintendo DS. it was a fun day!

I'm a Blogger!

2008-06-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, the time has come thanks to a good friend and my sister I have been brought into the age of the bloggers! Come and see what we've been up to...

All Tuckered Out

2008-06-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

After a hard day of swimming and play a boy needs a rest!