Hart Family

Tyler the Pilot

2012-01-22T14:25:00.000-08:00

Tyler wrote a paper about how he wanted to be a pilot like his Grandpa :) It follows:

Imagine your right beside the pilot while you are flying. Suddenly he says, “You can take the controls now.” This dream came true for me. I was sitting in the co-pilot seat and my grandpa was the pilot. When I grow up I would love to be a pilot!

Flying is a blast! This is one of the reasons why I’d like to be a part of this profession. Cars are extremely slow compared to planes. My Grandpa flew the U-2 spy plane, which can go 410mph! The airplane I flew went 150mph, which is still pretty fast!

There are such cool things to see in an airplane. The cockpit has so many buttons and gauges it would be hard to remember what they all do. The science behind all the different gauges makes me shiver. The pressure gauge catches my attention the most. Knowing what the gadgets do would be so interesting.

Taking off makes your stomach lurch, this makes so it fun. I think lift off is the most exciting part of flying. It is so loud you have to talk through headphones to communicate. Landing also exciting, but it takes a lot of skill to do it right. To be a part of this profession I would have to go to college and aviation school.

You can never get bored of flying. To fully understand the joy of flying try flying yourself.

Happy Birthday Sam!

2012-01-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

We flew home from our Whicker family reunion/Christmas vacation on Sammy's first birthday. So we celebrated a few days late. She was so unsure of what to do with this, but as soon as we lit that candle she HAD to have it :)

She loves food, and is always such a happy little girl (except when she's not, ha!). Really she is a light in our family with such sweet, sunshine demeanor. Just a joy.

She has come a long way in her first year of life. From failure to thrive and barely hanging on to the first percentile, to being in the 99th and above percentile! She is one healthy and happy baby.

Love you Sammy girl!

Thanksgiving fun!

2011-12-03T10:32:00.000-08:00

We started off our Thanksgiving week with the arrival of the Grandparents! We had a lot of fun and enjoyed their company so much. Samantha particularly took to her Grandma and would go to her whenever she could! Wish I got a picture of that.

A little random, but we made homemade pasta one evening and I ALWAYS have so much fun making it!! It's like playing with play-dough, but as an adult. LOVE it.

All three of the children had "Thankful" parties at school. Tyler and Audrie and Kaylee basically had them all at the same time, so we had to get creative in our responsibilities. Whenever their are special events at school I always have the words run through my head, "if you're not there, for whatever reason, all they know is you're not there. So BE THERE, no matter what." So hopefully someday they will appreciate the effort it is to always be there for them even if it means juggling a baby while running from one classroom to the next :) Andy and his parents went to Kaylee's party and I had the camera, so thus no pictures of her.

Cute Audrie making her "Thankful" craft :)

Our special visitors, Grandpa and Grandma Hart. Love them.

Samantha in the Texas tradition for Thanksgiving week. Too bad that's about as much football that happened in our house! We just aren't football people, but man she looks cute!

We went to the park the day before Thanksgiving in order to get out of the house. The weather was GORGEOUS and the kids (and Mom) had a great time. I love that little Sammy's hair...

While making pies and getting the festivities together Samantha found something to entertain herself. She had SO much fun emptying that cupboard. She was completely inside of it once she was finished. She is so dang cute!!

It's no secret I can't seem to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving, so this year I delegated to Andrew. He immediately ordered an oil-less fryer. It turned out great! Little does he realize that this will forever be his job now ;)

This is our other special guest. Elder Lindsey, my cousin. Obviously my Whicker cousin. He is actually on his mission here in our ward and has been for almost 9 months! Samantha was only 3 months old when he got here and I was in the thick of baby craziness. It has been so much fun to have him here and he has been a great blessing to our ward, in fact our whole area! They just LOVE him here.

Thanksgiving dinner. I'm hungry just typing this, yum.

Elder Lindsey the comic relief!

We played some classic Whicker games. It really was fun and surprisingly we didn't have any tears! Hallelujah!

Clearly this was one of the funnest games we played. Everyone had such a good time. I can't help but giggle every time I look that this. It captures everyone in the BEST way. CLASSIC.

5x7 Folded Card

2011-11-07T12:42:00.001-08:00

With Love Christmas Card

Find unique and modern Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Family Pics 2011!

2011-11-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

We tried our hand at our annual amateur family photography session and I think we got some really cute ones :) Don't I have a handsome family? Goodness they are all so dang cute! Enjoy some of my favorite shots. Be aware you may see these again on our Christmas cards this year...

'Till we meet again Grandpa

2011-09-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet Grandpa Stones passed away yesterday. As I reflected on him and his life as I knew it I couldn't help but think about my very fond memories of him as a child. Whenever we went to visit it was always a very long road trip, but we would always look forward to the moment we pulled up to his Texaco gas station! He would always have treats in hand waiting to give us some of his yummy treats! He was a very hard working man which was clearly passed down to my mother who in turn taught us kids. He was always so pleasant to be around because his eyes always sparkled with happiness. Love you Grandpa, I can feel you smiling down on all of us!

1980, 31 years ago when my sister and I were born. (I'm on the left, Cami's on the right in case you were wondering)
2002, after my Tyler was born. Grandpa always wore this kind of work jumper. I can't remember him wearing anything different!

2006, Aunt Tamra, Grandma Stones and Grandpa Stones. Andy and I visited them on our 5 year anniversary trip :)

LOVE YOU Grandpa!!

Natural Bridge Caverns II

2011-09-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

These pictures kind of give you an idea of the MASSIVENESS of the caves. They were HUGE. I couldn't help but think about the time I went spelunking in college in the Nutty Putty caves. I kept telling my kids how I went through what they called the "birth canal" and we had to army crawl, (if you could call it that, it was SO tight it was more of a slither) through this terrible narrow opening. (Arit, if you are reading I'm sure you recall how claustrophobic it was! We had to talk her through a couple of almost panic moments). Then on the other side of the "canal" was an opening with a waterfall. It was very cool!! I would love to do it again sometime, assuming I would still fit through it!
My kids now think I am slightly cool :) I was once upon a time.

I guess they were a little tired because they ALL look spaced out in this picture. Hahahaha...

Natural Bridge Caverns

2011-09-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

Spontaneity seems to be the theme of our adventures as of late. We decided, last minute to drive to New Braunfels, TX to go visit some caves that had rave reviews. It was Awesome and very fun for us all! You can see the Natural Bridge above. Very Cool.

The entry in the ver dark cave, thus a lot of fuzzy pics as we havent figured out the night settings very well.

The baby was really good thanks to an awesome carrier borrowed by some friends! She even napped for a while!

But was also awake to enjoy the scenery :)

The kids loved it , despite their faces in this pic!

They got to "mine" for precious stones and metals. Very fun for ALL of them.

We rested for a minute or two and then went to go down into the second cave.

My Sweet Katie

2011-09-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here is Katie Sept 19th, a few days after her 8th surgery and the first picture we saw of her after the swelling had significantly decreased. She's had so much metal gear screwed to her head and sticking out of her face that we haven't been able to really see her face for months. This surgery was planned, but there was an unexpected addition. She recieved the first layer of cheekbone.
I can't adequetly express the feelings I had the moment I saw this picture. I saw Katie, but immediately recognized her as I have seen her before. Silently I said "I KNOW that girl! She looks so familiar!" Then it hit me. Like a ton of bricks. She was still the Katie I know and love, but she was begining to look the way her Spirit looked. I was floored that I recognized what was what I was seeing. The spirit works in mysterious ways, but my dear friends these are the moments I will carry with me into the eternities.

Katie Whicker, I love you now matter what you look like, but now I can SEE you my sweet sister!I love you Katie.

More Michigan Mischief

2011-08-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

9. We played hide and seek.

10. We helped with the chores. My attempt to help anyway.

11. Tyler's first driving experience. One word. AHHHHHH! The teenage years are gonna be fun.

12. We played outside A LOT. I don't think there could be a cuter picture. Can you say postcard?

13. We went to the beach without hitting 70 degrees. I was in love.

13. We smiled and laughed a lot.

14. We ate a lot. But man, we enjoyed it. Check out that satisfaction!

15. We cut hair. This pic needs to be in a pediatric office. Not sure why, but it does.

16. We camped in the backyard.

17. We wore out our hosts.

18. We did some "slipin' and slidin"

19. We went to the pier. Gorgeous.

21. We saw a lighthouse.

22. We celebrated mine and Cami's birthday TOGETHER for the first time in probably over 10 years.

23. We laughed a lot.

Ok, I know, I look like a dork in this picture. In fact Andy has always called me a pirate because I always kiss him with one eye opened...I guess it's just natural :)

Anyway, I included this because it captures the moment perfectly.

Thanks to the wonderful Ford family for enduring through the 3 weeks we took over their home. It was SO much fun, despite the strep throat and various viruses we all shared; they will be memories of a lifetime. LOVE YOU!

Impromptu Michigan

2011-08-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

So. We decided at 4pm on Thursday evening to take a very last minute, spontaneous trip to Michigan. The very next morning. I think it may be the most spontaneous thing I've done since my single days! It would be 3.5 long days of driving, but would create long lasting memories with our long lost family in Alpena. So we deemed it totally worth it. So the journey began.

We are standing in front of Andy's mother's house that she grew up in, Lafayette, IN. We just HAPPENED to drive right by it. Awesome to see those kinds of things and surely not coincidental.

BTW I LOVE this picture. If you look closely Sammy has some serious crazy hair, Audrie's pockets are hanging out as she shows off something by her face, Kaylee is doing something crazy with her hands and Tyler is holding a stick. One word. CLASSIC. Makes me giggle every time I look at it.

Along the highway in Indiana we stumbled across this amazing windmill farm. There were HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of these, across miles and miles. It was AWESOME. You can't even get the effect in the picture. You would need a panoramic lens and even then I'm not sure you could capture it. Stunning.

We dropped Andy off at the airport in Grand Rapids, MI so he could make it home in time for work on Monday. Yes. He drove 3 full days across the the United States and flew home, just because he is a wonderful husband like that. He's pretty amazing. Then the last 4.5 hours I drove to the Ford's little city of Alpena. When we got their they were in mid celebration of Independence Day, so we joined right in.

Mom, Dad, and Katie came up from Cincinnati, OH (where Katie was having all of her surgeries) and joined the festivities as well. It was really fun to have everyone there! Samantha needed a good lovey nap, which Grandma gladly obliged to :)

Samantha LOVES Katie. She doesn't like most people at this point in life. It's nothing personal just a little stranger anxiety, which is to be expected and totally developmentally appropriate. But she loves Katie. It's super cute and gives me a break!

After the fun picnic we went to a local museum. Clearly the kids had fun "saving" each other from the stormy seas.

Then of course fireworks were in order. Kaylee's face says it all. She was scared. The end.

Love this photo for two reasons. One, it's always cute to see Dad loving on my children. Two, because it captures Sammy's awesome, natural mohawk before we cut it. My only child who lost all their hair minus the front. Hilarious.

Kaylee and Mr. Cade dancing to the credits of Tangled, the movie we watched probably 25 times while we were in the Ford home. Loved by all. The funnest part of this was that Kaylee was SO SERIOUS while dancing. She literally did NOT take her eyes off of Cade as they twirled around. This was serious business after all :)

Sleeping Beauty. Such a sweetie.

All the cousin's minus Sam due to the prior engagement in the above picture.

So, one may ask ones self, "what does one do while in an extremely small town in northern Michigan?" Well we found lots to do:

1. We found bird eggs and nests. Lots of eggs, weird, but extremely adventurous for us Houston city folk.

2. Picked cherries.

Yes, that's me. I had to have a go at it too.

3. We sat and rocked a lot.

Yep this is me too with my terribly obese looking baby. She is fine. No obesity. Just a bad angle, just in case you were concerned.

4. We found local wild life.

5. We built huge bonfires...IN THE BACK YARD. I think we are a bit suburbanized.

6. We helped garden. Well mostly pick the harvest and ate it :) Awesome Garden Cam.

7. We did more fire. And of course Smores.

8. Cami got her baby fill and I got to have a second mom around. (I love being a twin!)

Ten Year Anniversary!

2011-08-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is a BIG deal! TEN flippin' years! I feel like that is a HUGE accomplishment...so I tried to be creative. Granted my creative juices are limited, but I think it turned out to be a very fun night. We have talked about going on a big trip, but since the baby is still so little (and breast feeding, sorry TMI) we are going to have to push it off for a while.

I created somewhat of a scavenger hunt, reenacting some things from our wedding day, or adventures from our honeymoon. Little fun memories! So enjoy my elementary level poetic abilities :)

On the front door he found:

Clue 1.

"This evening is going to begin,

Are you ready, ready for a spin?"

Next in the entry way:

Clue 2.

"First stop is a place where we rest,

After a good long day has put us to the test."

Clue 3.

"Here you will find a few things,

That will remind you of that special day we got our rings."

(I put out lots of notes, pictures, gifts, memorabilia that we have kept over the years...)

There are several 'toilet paper notes' that I have kept from our dating days. I think Andy either spent a lot of time on the toilet, or was too poor to buy paper...but they are CLASSIC.

Clue 4.

"Next stop will be fun so make sure you're ready,

Your next clue is under a pink teddy."

Struggled a little hear, obviously! But I made it work!

(Also, please note my super model daughter. I swear she looks 20 int hat picture...oh the teenage years will be fun! Why does she have to be so pretty?)

Clue 5.

"5000 Katy Mills Cir, Katy TX"

Clue 6.

"Does this bring back memories of old?

Come on hurry lets go, I don't want you to worry about things getting cold"

Anyone that came to our wedding reception will recall that our car was STUFFED with balloons. I wasn't about the blow up enough balloons to stuff our van (that would have taken years), but we did get the front two seats pretty crammed! The kids had a BLAST helping me!

Clue 7.

"When you go in I want you to think what you wore,

After our wedding as we walked out the door."

In those VERY poor days Andy bought himself an outfit from Banana Republic, in which he looked mighty fine and spent a mighty dollar. So I told him once he got in the store he was to find something similar to what he wore then. It was a black button up with white cargo type dress pants...

...this is the closest thing we could come up with. Um. Yea. Styles have changed and not to our liking, he could barely get those pants on the legs were so tight. So I let him pick something else out, thank heavens.

Little Sammy had to come with due to the limited babysitting resources, so we had a little fun while waiting!

I made him change in the bathroom into his new digs, handsome eh?

Clue 8.

"If you recall a place called Park City,

You might just remember some first nights of giddy!

But this was the place we went out to eat,

Because we were poor it couldn't be beat!"

In the meantime we had a few mishaps with the car doors, wind and balloons...sorry everyone, but I guess the celebration needed to be shared! Balloons EVERYWHERE!

Clue 9.

"5304 Bell Patina Dr, Katy TX"

Clue 10.

"I love you sweet man, more than you know,

Because each passing year our love continues to grow.

Please always be near and never let go.

I don't think I could ever live without you ya'know!"

The kids helped decorate the car similar to our 'get away' from the reception, minus the oreo's and gummy bears! Supposedly this is what Kaylee wanted written, but due to Tyler's misspelling it came out a bit different than intended. It's supposed to say "Parents Rock!" But we will take "parots" too...hahaha.

From Ty.

From Audrie.

Poolside FUN!

2011-06-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

As Mom, Dad and Katie were driving to Ohio they drove through Oklahoma City, so we met them there. It was quick, but oh so fun! Everyone had a lot of fun despite the quick turn around. I forgot my camera half the time so I didn't get many shots, but here are a few :)

Grandma and Audrie

G'ma and Kaylee...of course KK is being her "ham it up" self.

Then G'ma with little Samantha. I loved this shot!

This was actually a different day at the pool, but little Sammy looked so cute that I had to include it!

Tender Moments

2011-06-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Most of you know of my dear sweet sister Katie. She changed our lives 15.5 years ago; all of our lives, for the better. She has taught us and many untold lessons as she entered our family circle, lesson's I'm sure she doesn't even know she has taught. Well, today was yet another surgery for her...a repeat of a surgery attempted 7 years ago. The worst surgery I can think of anyone having. A lower jaw distraction. Horrible. Painful and heart wrenching to watch. I tell people that during the last attempt, it was the only time I was GLAD I didn't live close to home.

As I sit about a thousand miles away I have those same emotions, those same feelings of helplessness and complete sympathy for her. I YURN to take the pain away. I can't help but this of Heavenly Father knowingly letting his Son suffer because it needed to be done. The reality of that hit me pretty hard this time. Katie needs this done so she can eat and breath on her own, without medical intervention as she has her entire life.

The hardest part is knowing as they took her back she begged Mom and Dad not to go through with it. She knows what pain is like. She knows what this surgery is like and what person in their right mind would want to go through with something like that again? What courageous and valiant parents I have! My Dad mentioned how he could completely empathize this time, due to his own experience having to get his leg amputated. He could feel her fear and he couldn't contain his emotions.

This picture captures that tender moment as Katie clings onto our Daddy's arm. If you'd like to follow along her blog is here.

Please include her in your prayers. This is the first of several surgeries this one being the easier of the distractions. LOVE and prayers!!

Tie- dying Easter Eggs

2011-04-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Instead of doing the traditional dying of eggs we took a little bit more of a creative route this year. I've started following this blog. They had this GREAT idea and we thought we'd give it a try. I had Andy go to the thrift store and by some old, 100% silk ties. We cut them apart, wrapped them up with the right side of the fabric facing the eggs and then boiled them in some vinegar water. It was super fun and SO MUCH less messy!

We wrappped them up with the tie and the with a plain piece of fabric. Then the boiled for 20 minutes.

We opened them up after they cooled.

And voila! Very unique, beautiful eggs!

Easter Fun!

2011-04-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

I TRIED so hard to get some cute shots of my kiddos in their Easter attire before the camera died. These are the shots I got every single one of them showing their personality to a "T."

Mr. Tyler cool as a cucumber and quite handsome if you ask me!

Miss Samantha so sweet, all smiles as long as you're giving her the one on one attention she demands :)

Miss Kaylee, aka Drama Queen, dancing and singing in the wind with her sashes gracefully blowing behind her.

Miss Audrie, trying her hardest to be as cute as can be and pretty successful don't ya think?

Samantha's Surgery

2011-04-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

We survived the surgery! I'm tellin' ya that was one tough decision. Anything that has to do with my children (particularly when they are so small) I worry until I have a SURE answer that it is the right thing to do.

First off I felt like we were led to the decision we did regarding her surgery. But that didn't stop me from wondering if we were doing the right thing. So the day before the scheduled surgery I decided I better say one final prayer regarding the matter. I had been praying all along, but hadn't really put my heart and soul into it. I couldn't help but recall once in a Book of Mormon class at BYU I remember a teacher saying she had NEVER not received an answer when she asked for that answer to be given to her via the Book of Mormon. I can attest to that same thing, I've ALWAYS gotten direct, clear answers through those words. This moment was no different. I was told through the words of the scriptures that I had been guided to this decision, led to where we were at and that I knew it was the right way to go. Answer number one. End of fretting. Next issue. Part of Samantha's problems have included eating (nursing) ALL THE TIME. Literally around the clock, simply because she couldn't fill up her little tummy and with reflux it feels better to nurse so food is going down instead of up. After going through the motions of what was going to have to happen before surgery it dawned on me that from past experience you are not supposed to eat/drink anything after midnight the night before. With surgery scheduled for 8:15am I FREAKED. How in the world would this little baby going to handle that? I got right on the phone and asked if breast milk followed the same rules...they said it didn't, but she still had to go four hours without eating. I took a deep breath realizing how much better that would be than going all night, BUT was still concerned about the four hours looming ahead.

The night came with much anxiety. She went to bed as normal and slept really well. At four AM my alarm went off and I got up to feed her. She fed HORRIBLY. I started to get really anxious at that point because I knew that if she didn't eat well it was inevitably going to be the LONGEST four hours of my life! She went back to sleep, Andy and I got ready to go to the hospital. Once in the car she slept for a about 10 minutes and then woke up screaming as normal (she absolutely HATES the car). She cried for a good 20 minutes until we arrived at the hospital. One hour down 3 more to go. We parked the car, went into the hospital and got all situated in the room we were supposed to wait. Andy took Samantha because she was still crying and started walking her around. She fell asleep...and stayed asleep for the next 3 hours. Answer number two. Andy kept looking over at me and saying there must be an angel standing behind him because this was truly miraculous. And it was. She slept until we passed her over to the nurses to take her to the OR. (Note picture above)

There were several other small miracles but this one was a direct answer as it was my biggest concern. I know that we are watched over and I believe Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have a tender place for small children. I see prayers answered ALL the time regarding my children and I know it's because of His love for them.

Post surgery has to be the absolute WORST part. Any of you mothers that have experienced this know exactly what I mean. It's a feeling of absolute helplessness and as a mother that is Not fun.

So swollen with all those IV fluids in her little body.

She was so sleepy afterwards, which was a good thing.

Utah Trip

2011-04-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Katie showing Kaylee and I her new puppy that she is going to get after all her surgeries this summer.

Ali and Perris glowing with their happy baby bump. I believe she was 36 weeks here, she looks good huh?

As many of you know this new baby has kind of given me a run for my money. She's very needy and has been a bit of a challenge. I've had to do A LOT of sitting, nursing and just simply not going anywhere at all. It gets old fast. So one day I decided I needed to visit my sisters in Utah. Ali was having a baby shower for her soon to be first born and that seemed to be the perfect excuse. I found some straight through flights and off Kaylee, Samantha and I went. Going from 88 degrees to 32 degrees...I loved every second of it. I of course left my camera in the car as we hurried to get to the airport, so my phone was second best, thus the poor picture quality :0)

Tyler's Hottness

2011-03-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

At the Hart dinner table:

Audrie: "You know if girls saw you doing that they would totally fall in love with you."
Tyler: "I know."
Audrie: "Girls totally LOVE that kind of stuff!"

Apparently eating an entire muffin with chopsticks is super hot in Audrie's eyes ;) And to top it off Tyler was already in the know about it all...oh the minds of my children! Definitely keeps me rollin'!!

Spring Break

2011-03-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Our spring break was low key, but we did get to spend it with some wonderful people! We did a lot of baby holding and game playing, which was super fun. Audrie has been trying to help more with the baby and I just think she looks SO DANG CUTE holding the babe that I had to share. Isn't that darling?

Here are all the kids that we had in the house (actually minus 2 baby's). The Bush kids Brandon and Ammon...don't they fit right in?

And just to throw one more cute on of Samantha in. She's smiling so cute now and today I even got a couple of little giggles out of her!! It was SO CUTE! Those moments are just priceless.

Blessing Day

2011-03-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

The blessing circle was quite small. Andy said it was more like a square! But it included Jeff Bush and one of our hometeachers and one member of the bishopric. I guess that's what happens when you bless a baby on spring break weekend :)

This little girl is so loved. Our friends from Dallas came down to help bless her and stay with us for spring break. It was super fun, and we felt super loved! The blessing went well and I prayed she would hold out and not start screaming while being blessed. Anyway about half way through the blessing I started hearing a baby cry and I thought to my self, "Oh I'm so glad there is another baby crying, it won't be so bad if she cries now." It took a good few seconds but then it dawned on me that it was MY baby that was crying...HA! Had a good giggle about that :)

I struggled to get a good shot of her awake without her screaming. She just doesn't like to sit. It's eating or sleeping for this little gal, although she has gotten much better just in the last week!

The SWING SET!!

2011-03-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

We finally bought a swing set, and everyone couldn't be happier :) The children love to play on it, and I don't have to worry about the kids being loud and creating a mess. A win win. Kaylee is literally hugging the swing rope! Doesn't get much better than that.

Fans GLORIOUS Fans!

2011-03-06T15:21:00.001-08:00

The gameroom.

The girls room.

OK, for some this may seem slightly mundane, but to us it is very exciting. For anyone who has lived in Texas, or the South in general you know that fans are an absolute! Why they don't put them in houses as standard when built I will never understand. I don't know how the previous owners did it, but then again they didn't even have towel holders in ANY of the bathrooms, so who knows.

Andy installed FIVE ceiling fans in two days, and only ONE left to do due to a missing piece :) Now the heat my come full swing and we can be even happier with air circulating full force! Love coolness, now why do I live in Houston again?

More Samantha

2011-03-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Samantha in her sling that my dear sister Cami made for us :) One of the ONLY ways I can get anything done on really fussy days. Thank you CAM!

Bath time, which Kaylee absolutely LOVES to help with. Audrie loves helping too, but normally she's at school. Pretty cute little squirt eh?

Smiles :) This isn't her best, but it's still pretty dang cute!

Batting at the toys for the few seconds she was happy on the floor...that's a rare occasion. I think she's such a pretty baby, but I am slightly bias.

And a random shot of Tyler after coming home from a friends house. Talk about subtle messages. I guess I should be grateful he's expressing himself huh?

Jesus Is In Our Tummies?

2011-02-23T13:17:00.001-08:00

Kaylee must be really paying attention during FHE and her sunbeam lessons. She often comes home and tells us what she learns about. I think she has a wise old spirit because she continues to bring up topics throughout the week and really starts talking to me about them. For example, this Sunday while driving home from church she says (with her little lisp), “Mom, Jesus is in our tummies.” Me raising an eyebrow says, “Oh really?” “Yes, but when we do bad things or say bad things he can’t hear us.” Me putting it all together as quickly as I could, “Oh…I see…” She then continues and laughs as she says, “Actually, I mean Jesus in our hauwts (hearts).” I giggled and we ended there.

Then today as we were making bread she said again to me, very matter of factly, “You know Jesus is in our tummies.” She continued, “and He can talk in our tummies.” I giggled. She looked at me sternly and finished, “He CAN talk in our tummies!” Then in a very sing songy way she said, “but he says, ‘I can’t talk right now.’” It was as if you were supposed to leave a message on an answering machine. It was hilarious. I have tried to correct her because being one of the sunbeam teachers, I know the lesson was on the Holy Ghost. But she keeps going back to this Jesus in our tummies instead of the Spirit in our Hearts…which is what I think she is trying to say.

Then There's the FUN Part

2011-02-18T10:29:00.000-08:00

This is the fun part. The sweet cuddling and loving arms of the siblings and parents. This girl honestly doesn't get as much attention from the older kids as I thought she would, but Kaylee absolutely adores her. She is helping ALL the time with her and so, so sweet with her. When Tyler and Audrie do pay attention they are super sweet with her as well. The last shot is from today and she seemed to be ever so slightly smiling :) I haven't had a full blown grin yet, but we're clearly on our way!

What do the children do when your nursing 24/7?

2011-02-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

This...

And some of this...

And even more of this...

...That's what. They stay busy, sometimes good and other times bad. Audrie has been into this blanket phase...BLANKETS EVERYWHERE all the time. They are taped to the walls, covering tables, tied to rails and beds and chairs. I need to write a children's book about it. Unfortunately it's been driving me nuts, but they have been having a blast. Her most creative creation was tying a blanket to underside of her bed (she has a loft bed with a desk underneath). You can imagine how fun that was to get untied. Actually it never did, I had to cut it off. Bummer, a blanket bit the dust. But the point is they are having fun and getting into only a little bit of trouble. They have all had to step it up in the helping department as I have been nursing SO MUCH. Tyler and Audrie have both helped more in the kitchen. THANKS kids! They have no idea how much that really helps; someday they will. And then there is Kaylee coloring and getting carried away (note the breathright on her nose :)). Gotta love it!

Baby Samantha's Debut

2011-02-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

As many of you know Samantha ended up staying in the NICU for several days. She couldn't hold her temperature which can be a symptom of serious illnesses. So they hooked her up to IV antibiotics, stuck her in an isolette and waited forty eight hours. She maintained herself well, but with a breastfeeding mama that was discharged a couple of days before they let the baby go it wasn't exactly a cup of tea. Pumping at night and rushing over to the NICU every couple of hours. Two words: NOT FUN. But we eventually got to bring her home to a wonderfully decorated hallway (note the above pic!) :) The kids were so excited to have their baby sister home after waiting so long!

Samantha

2011-01-05T16:16:00.000-08:00

Samantha Hart was born at 7:50 AM on Tuesday morning, 1/4/2011. She weighed 6 lbs, and measured 17 3/4 inches long.

A Joyous Meeting... For Mom Anyway!

5 Minutes Old...

6 Minutes Old...

Mother and Daughter...

Proud Papa

Our 4 Kids

Her First Blessing

Guardian Angel

Sister or Mother?

Two Babies and Big Brother

Sleeping Beauties

Tara's Christmas Gift

2010-12-31T09:14:00.000-08:00

Tara asked me to paint the orange room for her Christmas present, to which I agreed. But like on Extreme Makeover Home Edition, I made it my secret room. I took a door handle from the office that had a lock on it, and Tara didn't get to see it until Christmas morning. She had no idea what was in store, only that I had a $50 budget which of course I didn't stick to. The grand finale wasn't done until a week later since it took two coats of primer-included paint to hide forever the orangeness, but here are the before and afters...

BEFORE - This picture (originally from the listing advertisement) doesn't really do justice for how bad the pumpkin Halloween orange room looked in person, at least to our tastes. In fact, when we were moving in I called Glenn and asked him how to say pumpkin in Spanish so I could direct the movers to get the right boxes to this room... it's calabasa if you were wondering...

AFTER - Someone asked when I told them I picked blue... "Is that Tara's favorite color?" And I said, "No actually, it's my favorite color." Who else would paint a baby girl's room blue but me? Well, it will only be her room for a little while, so the color scheme was intended to be a craft room. Tara actually painted on all of the stencils, and we love how it turned out.

Christmas Morning 2010

2010-12-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, and the break, were great fun this year. Gma and Gpa Hart were visiting, and the kids had fun. We played tennis, wiffle ball, and spent some time by the fire - it was a cold rainy week.

Tyler sitting by the fire, working on his Legos wrapped up in a blanked from Gma Whicker

Audrie with her doll

Kaylee with her doll

Dad helped me get some bagpipes that Gene gave me years ago mostly operational... be glad this is a still shot...

A few more

2010-12-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else see ME in this picture? I swear I see myself as a child somewhere in him here. If anyone ever wonders this picture somehow captures how I SEE Tyler...his sweetness, his compassion, his innocence and his wise soul.

Another family shot. Not sure what Kaylee is doing :) And Audrie inherited the chin tuck from my side of the family...I have MANY photos of me doing that as a child. Fortunately Audrie looks pretty even when she does it, I wasn't so lucky.

And one of my favorites, obviously because I put it as our main pic! This just makes me SMILE. Pure happiness.

Family Pictures

2010-12-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well after printing off our Christmas cards and sending them off (yesterday) we decided to try out some family shots after church. This was the end result. Some are cuter than others, but all in all for a 20 minute session by us amateurs, I don't think they turned out too shabby :) Not exactly the best timing for my bodily figure, but whatever, it's a family photo to document! In a few weeks we'll need another one!

Laser Beam

2010-12-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

Kaylee came up to me, put her hand next to my ear and whispered, "Mom, you've got to come and see my laser beam." She then grabbed my hand and took me to the shoe bench. Where does she get that kind of imagination from?

Anyone know what it actually is?? One of those silly bands streched across the knobs. Pretty creative for a 3 year old...especially when I had no idea she even knew what a laser beam was.

Christmas and Projects

2010-12-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

This year we quickly realized we made a terrible mistake when we moved...we left our only Christmas tree in the garage of our old house! We thought well, it may be time to graduate from our "Charlie Brown" tree and get a nicer one anyway. So the Sat after Thanksgiving I ventured out trying to find the perfect artificial tree. Little did I know that every artificial tree was going to be sold out from here to kingdom come...seriously, I couldn't find a tree...a fake tree. It was a bit frustrating and ridiculous at the same time. The last time I got a REAL tree I got some serious headaches, so I really didn't go that route. But that route we went and got a Douglas noble fir Christmas tree. Gorgeous tree and hasn't caused any headaches yet!

I even tried to decorate it this year with an actual "theme." Andy thought it turned out really pretty and I was very pleased with it. Kaylee was adamant about putting the start on, so here she is reaching with all her might!

Hopefully my sister in law won't look that this blog until after Christmas, but if she does I'm sorry I had to document and if I didn't do it now it wouldn't get done. I always like to make gifts for Christmas, I think it's something my mother instilled in me. I feel like I get to put a little of my love in each project and then hope that the love is felt when they receive it. Whether or not that is the case it's still fun for me to do :) Anyway, this year I made some pillowcases out of remnant pieces of fabric I found at the craft store. Then I monogrammed them and thought they turned out SUPER cute! Wish I took the time to make my kids these, but haven't found the time yet :) I'll have to see if there are any more remnants left at the store.

Also WAY back in October I made curtains for the kitchen. They were quite the project, despite their simplicity. I believe 22 yards of fabric was involved...LOTS of material, heavy, decorative material. This weekend we finally found time to put them up. I love the way they turned out and think they finish the kitchen quite nicely. So I had to share my accomplishment :)

Sickies, Geniuses and Bellies

2010-12-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

I think we have earned the title of the unhealthy Hart's here in Katy. I think Kaylee has attended 60% of her Sunday nursery classes due to illness in our home. Last week was strep and ear infection week and Kaylee started off Saturday night with throwing up. We are praying no one else gets it :) But take a look at what the dishwasher looks like with 3 kids on Tylenol and antibiotics! Now we're trying to figure out what to do when your kid is on antibiotics, but is throwing up...never had that happen before. Despite the continual health issues we seem to have here, we are enjoying our new lives here. Andy has been home more and I think it has made everyone much happier. He has passes 3 of his CPA exams and has one more left!! YAY! Can't wait for those to be done. Good job babe.

Random picture, but awfully cute. Tyler reads, reads and READS some more...all the time, but especially at nighttime. He has books all over his bed, floor and dresser CONSTANTLY (no matter how many times I ask him to pic them up!), but I try not to be too harsh as I LOVE that he reads so much. Audrie wants to read SO bad just like her brother, but hasn't quite got the hang of it yet. She CAN read, but still struggles a lot. In fact one of her teachers suggested she be tested for dyslexia. I haven't really seen the typical signs when we work together, but then again I don't know everything (as much as I'd like too). So we had her tested through the school and I have been very impressed with the early intervention programs they have here. Last Friday we sat down with the committee of teachers, education specialists, asst principal and discussed the findings from her testing. To quickly sum it all up Audrie scored too high in all the areas to be considered dyslexic, in fact her IQ test score was SOOO high they couldn't believe it. She scored a 146 and a 133, both of which are in the BRILLIANT category. So it was decided she just hasn't quite developmentally "hit" the milestone of being able to read at the level she should yet. Andy got a bit teary when I told him that and someday Audrie will understand what a smart cookie she is. Until then, I have PROOF :)

Belly shot. I have been SO LAX about this pregnancy...poor baby hasn't gotten the attention the other ones have (granted she's still in the womb but still). We haven't decided on a name for sure, don't know where her room is going to be and haven't even started pulling out the baby clothes. I think I'm just tired! There is something to having babies when your younger because this has been a "less than comfortable" pregnancy. I know I've gained more weight this time than the last couple of times, but maybe that's a good thing and this baby will cook longer!

Thanksgiving and Smiles

2010-11-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

So occasionally we will have a day where we feel like we could turn on the fireplace for a few minutes. They have been rare this "fall," in fact almost nonexistent, but we still pretend every now and then. This was one of those days, and it actually was a tad bit chilly. I find the kids doing this EVERY time we turn it on. They actually lay on the stone with a blanket and pillow...I'm thinking the stone underneath them keeps them cool enough to be able to be that close to the fire...but maybe I'm just hot these day due to maternal baking.

Kaylee is the coloring QUEEN. She is drawing all the time...I mean all the time. She has recently figured out where I keep the computer paper and has been drawing up a storm. The pictures usually involve a boat and some sort of bad guy. She will tell you ALL about it even if you don't think you have time to listen :) Also this is the smile she smiles that is trademark Kaylee. She has so much love in her!

Kaylee again, this time helping Daddy get that stubble off his face. Pretty cute!

Thanksgiving came and went. We bought a probe thermometer, watched Alton Brown several times and brined our turkey this year. You know I consider myself a pretty good cook, but for some reason turkeys have never been my forte! I just can't seem to get them right...I'm even considering trying again. Now, don't get me wrong, the turkey turned out "ok," but it wasn't YUMMY like it was supposed to be...I guess I've got plenty of chances to get it right! Obviously Andy was in on this too, he loves to cook and I love to have his help! Pride beaming :)

For our kid craft after our Thanksgiving Feast we put together some gingerbread houses. The kids had a wonderful time and even ate them within an hour of making them! Ty was the only one that didn't eat his :)

Tyler the Boy Scout

2010-11-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

Coming from a family full of girls I have A LOT to learn...about scouts. It's like a foreign language when they talk and I feel so DUMB when I have to ask over and over again what everything means. Anyway, I may be having a hard time understanding the lingo, but Tyler is having a BLAST participating in regular activities every week. He absolutely LOVES being with boys, and really who can blame him. This is going to be a female dominant house (already is...) :)

Andy got called to be a Weeblos assistant (yeah, one of those words I don't understand) and has been including Tyler on some of their adventures. A few weeks ago they went on a hike and Tyler got to come and enjoy the time with his dad and some older kids. They had a blast.

Audrie and Kaylee are supportive of the fun that Tyler gets to participate in, but Audrie does get a bit jealous at times. We went to a Pack Meeting (I think I get that one) and this is what the girls ended up doing to entertain themselves :) Audrie has no fear, albeit the microphone was not on she still sang her heart out.

After Church Snacks

2010-10-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is how Kaylee was found after church on Sunday. Mom said, "What cha doin' Kaylee?" Kaylee responded with juice dripping down her chin, "I'm just having a li'l bit Mom." Notice the entire pound of strawberries with ONE bite out of them on the place mat. I think there were 4 left by the time we got there...but it was just a li'l bit. And her face tells it all! She was INTO those strawberries and didn't even look up at us while eating them :)

Tyler looking so grown up. Eating his main staple...I'm hoping someday he will grow out of it, but for now PB and J is an absolute.

Kaylee lookin' all cute before she changed...what a knock out eh?

Audrie enjoying her homemade roll before she even got through the entryway :)

Me, all pregnant with numero quattro!

Crafting Itch

2010-10-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

I have had the WORST crafting itch lately. So I've been working on a few things, wreaths, chore charts, curtains, among other things. Anyway these chore charts turned out so cute that I had to post them. I found the tutorial here but had to change it up a little since I don't have wood cutting tools. I got everything at Hobby Lobby (I'm so sorry if you don't have one near you) and already had some really cute chore clip art that I used. Anyway, the idea is you do the chore and then you slide the magnet over to the done side. Hopefully they will be FUNCTIONAL as well as cute :)

My halloween wreath took more time then I would have liked, and it only turned out so-so, but it's not too bad :) Happy crafting!

Katy, TX

2010-10-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I think we're finally settling in. The kids seems to be getting into the routine of school and adjusting to the new school system. Kaylee's imagination is taking off since Ty and Aud are gone most of the day. I have more time on my hands then I know what to do with so have tried to get some very needed projects done. We have most of the house unpacked, there are a couple of things that still need some organization, but otherwise things are looking good. Andy hasn't been home as much as we hoped, but that's because he's still taking some classes twice a week, plus he has hit a busy season. Here are some pictures of our home! There are still things to do, such as the front yard, but I have to finish the inside first! Curtains in process :)

Rowan Canoe Trip

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

Every year Andy's company puts on this Extravaganza out in Louisiana. We've never been able to go as it always seems to fall on conference weekend, or we've had a small baby or something, but this year we decided to take advantage of the opportunity. So we drove 5 hours into the backwoods of Natchitoches, LA (don't ask me how to pronounce it!). Admittedly, I've never had a high opinion on Louisiana...but this trip was a pleasant surprise. While we were there Rowan had set up some fishing contests and golfing tournaments, both of which we weren't ready or really wanting to participate in. So we spontaneously found a little canoe rental place and went canoeing as a family for our Sat afternoon adventure. It was SO fun and so beautiful. I truly had no idea that there was such beauty in Louisiana. The rental place was very "hick" and the guy just dropped us off, gave us a map and said good luck. I was a little surprised, but we did fine and didn't even get lost :)

The river was so low that we could touch our oars to the bottom no problem, in fact we had several episodes of getting "beached." I guess they are having major drought issues, but it really made for a very calm river and a very laid back Mommy.

Tyler and I headed up one boat and to his dismay I wasn't as fast as Dad's boat, which was a hard pill for him to swallow. But it being my first canoeing trip I thought I did pretty good...AND lets not forget I'm almost 7 months pregnant! Hopefully Tyler will understand someday that I'm pretty tough :) Until then I'll just be known as the slow boat rower.

We stopped half way through our little adventure and "parked the canoes" and had some snacks. The kids mostly dug in the sand and seemed to enjoy that even more than the actual canoeing :)
At one point in our adventure we parked on a rock bed that was just gorgeous. Apparently we are amateurs at docking because at one point we looked back and saw one canoe floating away :) Andy is in mid run trying to rescue our rented boat! The kids thought that was pretty funny. I as a child would have started bawling at the thought, but my kids are so much more laid back then I ever was. Funny.

Andy has a picture from his mission where him and his companion are doing this near a beach. I am still unsure of the significance, but due to the BEAUTIFUL picture I just had to include it. Someday I might understand what it's all about, but then again maybe I won't :)

The kids and I all together.

Andy and the kids all together.

And cute Kaylee got the best seat in the house...a cushion! Pretty fun stuff. We're going to have to do this again someday soon :) Maybe we'll get the nerve up to camp near a lake and do the full blown outdoors adventure. We'll see.

Chocolate

2010-10-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

While in the grocery store getting a huge load of groceries I toss in a bag of chocolate chips, as you never know when you need to make an emergency batch of cookies. My three year old, Kaylee immediately asked to hold them and said, "Mom, chocolate makes me happy. It makes you happy too, huh." My thought was, "Why yes honey...yes it does." Out of the mouths of babes....

Baby Number FOUR!

2010-09-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

We found out on Thursday what baby #4 is going to be. It took quite some time as this little one was being quite modest and wouldn't let the technician see, but we are continuing the Whicker tradition in having lots of GIRLS!! Yep, another girl. Tyler literally burst into tears when I told him. It was heart breaking and humorous at the same time. It was like I had a choice and chose a girl, but at the same time he really, REALLY wanted a brother. There has to be purpose in those that come to our family though and this little girl surely has no smaller purpose. We are excited to say the least :) Oh, side note. While we were in the ultrasound office Kaylee began to understand what was on the screen (at least we think she did). After she found out she was a girl, and pointing to the ultrasound screen, she inquisitively asked, "Can I just jump in there?" The ultrasound tech replied, "I've never heard that one before." What a creative mind she has, but who could blame her? She wanted to meet her sister!

It has been very interesting to see how with each pregnancy the preceding child has known what the baby is going to be. When I was pregnant with Audrie, Tyler woke up from either a nap or in the morning (I can't remember which) and asked where the little girl was before we knew the gender. Audrie woke up one day and kept asking when the birthday party was going to begin. She kept saying, "when is she going to be here?" and continually checked the door all day long. Finally after some questioning as to who's birthday it was she said, "my sister's." Of course she didn't have any sisters at that point and none of us knew we were having a girl. Kaylee also came up to me recently, also waking up, and said, "where's Sammy?" to which I replied, "who's Sammy?" She responded, "Sammy, Mom. Where is she?" I got the same exact feeling as I did with the other two kids when they had their experiences, so I knew she knew and didn't doubt it. Obviously she was right and we are seriously considering the name Samantha and calling her Sammy. Pretty cute if you ask me.

New School!

2010-09-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

I know I am SO BEHIND. School started 3 weeks ago, we are beginning our forth week and I am JUST getting to this post. I'm sorry moving into a new home and area has been tedious :) Anyway, Tyler and Audrie have absolutely LOVED the fact that they get to ride a school bus and I am not about to complain either. I love it even if we have to get up a little earlier then normal, it is well worth not having to sit in a car line (yes that's how they do it in A LOT of places here in TX) forever.

We watch from a distance, usually hiding behind my sunglasses, in our morning attire and unbrushed hair...it's not pretty, but I guess I just don't care.

This is what Kaylee does while everyone is in school. She pretends ALL the time. She is my most imaginative child. It is so cute how she keeps herself busy. She's playing with one of our old phones calling Grandma and asking her to come over to play. Sometimes G'ma says yes and other times she says no. IF she says no, the call is abruptly ended and Kaylee slams the phone down, turns to me, scowls and says, "She can't come!" It really got me giggling.

Everyday when we go to pick the kids up from school Bella comes with us. She has begun to understand the schedule and anticipates her "walk." She waits all day to do this. On this particular day she found her leash and was getting out of the drawer. I thought it was pretty clever!

The Great Water Wall

2010-09-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

Now that we are much closer to Andy's work we have occasionally made it down to his building. This amazing structure is right outside the Williams Tower and is always very fascinating for the children (and us adults). I tried to capture it all, but it was very difficult. Basically the waterfal is in the shape of a horseshoe and there is water falling down the inside wall and the outside wall. Very pretty and quite spectacular.

Obviously I'm trying to take a picture of us, look a those strained neck muscles :)

"Sisters...Sisters...There were never such devoted sisters..."

2010-09-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

We had our FIRST sister get together! It was so fun, very short, but oh so fun to be with everyone. I enjoyed every second of it. From left to right, Ali, Jami, Cami, Lyndsey, Katie and myself. Don't I have gorgeous sisters?? Love you all!

One of the best times we ever had together as kids was playing games. I LOVED playing games with my family and would suggest doing it all the time. One of the favorites (minus Dad) was "Nuts." If you haven't played it, it's a fast paced, chaotic, crazy game that requires a lot of multitasking. It usually results in a little screaming, screeching and a lot of "dad-gum-ets" (on the latter don't ask me why). The sound effects are surely entertaining in and of themselves. Above I am in mid concentration trying to get as many of my cards out as possible. If anyone would like to start playing this game I would love to have some serious "nuts" nights.

More games, this time Catch Phrase and everyone getting into it. Cami above, Alison below.

"All kinds of weather We stick together The same in the rain or  sun Two diff'rent faces But in tight places We think and we act as  one"

Jame, I'm sorry I just had to post it.  She posed just for me :) LOVE YOU!

Moving Day is Fast Approaching!

2010-08-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

This is what our entire house looks like right now. BOXES everywhere. It's a big job to move, that is for sure. We have been so blessed through it all having so many tender mercies from the Lord. As difficult as it may be to leave memories and old friends behind, I know we are doing the right thing.

Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing funner than boxes...I have FOND memories of rolling down hills in boxes after moving, among many other box filled memories. My children are not letting it pass them by either, they are having a blast.

I know this is a little random, so bare with me. Being an Air force brat I have this mindset that hits right before we move. It's called, "who do I want to be when I move?" mindset. Weird. I know. But because we moved so much as a kid I would always wanted to make sure when I left one place I would do a self evaluation. Now this could be a physical, spiritual, fashion, style, etc evaluation, but I always had one that include some or all of the above. I would leave certain things behind and decide to add certain things to my life. So it's self evaluation time.

So this one is on a physical note. I recently had some highlights done in my hair. Too much upkeep, too same as everyone else (no offense to anyone), and just too blond. Thus going to a new place I wanted to go back to my natural color. It turned out really, really dark (darker than the picture shows)... but hopefully it will fade with time. Audrie's first reaction, "Wow Mom, your hair is black... I LOVE it. Can I have black hair? " Next came Kaylee. "Mom, your hair is black." As she ran her fingers through it, "I don't like it."

So who am I going to be at the new place?

I think it was decided for me:

Goth Girl.

Anyone have any big, clunky, black lace up boots I could borrow? And possibly some fishnet stockings, preferably with holes in them?

Kaylee's Birthday

2010-08-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Doesn't she look all grown up? She's 3, our little baby Kaylee is no longer our little baby. We had a great little family celebration after Daddy got home from work.

Obviously she made out like a bandit :) Very proud of her $20.

She also got this really cute game that happened to be on super clearance (yes, I'm super cheap). If any of you moms need a game to keep the kids busy that they can play by themselves, this is a great one. It's called Curious George Hide and Seek Zoo Game (http://www.icandothatgames.com/zoo/). I highly recommend. They have all been playing it none stop.

So cute, I didn't want her hair to catch on fire (am I little paranoid?) thus my hands holding her hair. Kaylee is such a sweet, sweet girl. She's always wanting to help, a super snuggler and just constantly wanting to be with me just because. LOVE you Kaylee girl.

What does 30 bring?

2010-08-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened. I turned THIRTY! My family was here for the celebration, so it was extra special. Unfortunately Andy has class that night, so I didn't even get to see him :( But as you can see we did have fun and Mom made my favorite cake, applesauce spice cake. YUM!

Tyler's Speical Day: Baptism Day

2010-07-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

It happened! Tyler was baptized and SO many people came to share that special day with him. Both sets of Grandparents were there, plus a couple of super fun Aunties, best friends from Dallas among other friends. It was a wonderfully special day and reconfirmed the feelings I've always had about this son of mine. He is destined for great things and this is only the beginning :)

Obviously some of these pictures are better than others. Kaylee was on her absolute WORST behavior during the program and clearly is posing her best for the family shot...and Audrie had just woken up before we started taking pictures.

This is the circle of Priesthood that gave the blessing to confer the Holy Ghost as a constant companion to Tyler. Pretty neat group of guys. From the left: Glenn Whicker (my Dad), Andy, Lachlan Hart (Andy's Dad), and Jeff Bush (our long lost brother and Uncle to Tyler).

This was right before they went into the water. Tyler was a bit nervous, but did fantastic. The spirit was strong and I truly felt that the feelings felt were a piece of Heaven. The eternities will feel like that, I'm sure of it. I'm so glad we were all able to take part in that wonderful spirit.

The Bush Family, some of our best friends from college.
The Hart family.
The Whicker Clan. (Notice Audrie's face...do you think she was a little bored?)

Thank you to all of those that made special efforts to be there. It was so neat to be able to have so many family members there (Jeff and Mel, you're included in that group!)

Here We GO...

2010-07-07T13:59:00.001-07:00

Well, it all paid off. Almost exactly four weeks on the market and we got two offers in two days. One was clearly the way to go, so as of right now we have a signed contract and a closing day. August 13th here we come....hopefully all will go through. Now to see if the home we've found will accept our offer :) Lets just say it's been a very long, news-less day. Say a little prayer for us...or should I say for the closing process? :)

Birthday Boy!

2010-07-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

For Tyler's birthday I forgot the camera....classic Tara. But fortunately a friend took a cool snapshot with their awesome underwater camera! Cool shot eh? [RANDOM insert: I have a question for all you mothers who have goggle wearing children. My kids don't seem to understand how to put the strap above their ears. They constantly look like elves (or something). Anyone else have this problem, or are my kids just, um, unique?]
For his 8th birthday celebration we rented out our little community pool. Very reasonable and we could have up to 40 people. Lots of little sibling came, so there were plenty of friends for Audrie and Kaylee.

He got lots of Lego star wars toys, which he is obviously proudly displaying by his cake. I'm getting either really lazy, or well...really lazy. I didn't want to cook this year, so I bought Tyler's and Audrie's cakes. But I mostly didn't want to cook because it's been SO HOT, plus food makes me cringe, but that may be the way to go in the future for me.

This is a special year for Tyler. His baptism is just around the corner and he will hit a major milestone in our church and become an official member as well as receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. He's a good kid and I know he will be a wonderful man and has great potential. I've always felt like this kid has places to go with great purpose. Love you kiddo. Please don't grow up too fast :)

And the Birthday's Begin!

2010-07-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

I admit it...I don't like birthday parties...I don't like having lots of kids running around in complete chaos. It goes against my calm, noiseless nature :) Anyway, this year is the FIRST year I paid to have birthday parties. Let me tell you it's the ONLY way to go. I loved not having to have the after mess, plus not having to plan, worry and dread. (I know I'm super lame, I know what you're thinking) It's worth every penny!
For Audrie's 6th birthday celebration she decided on a place called Mud Pie. You choose and paint your own pottery, and boy did everyone love it. They all decided on doing the same thing as the birthday girl, an ice cream bowl. Just darling.

Tyler, amidst all the females, had a wonderful time. In fact I think he likes these creative ventures just as much if not more than Audrie did. But who wouldn't like painting an ice cream bowl.

I helped Kaylee and she had a fantastic time getting hers covered. She's such a mess conscious little girl and couldn't stand anything on her hands, or she would start fussing. Should I be concerned?

This picture captures Audrie's personality to a "T". She is such a silly, vibrant, ready to have some fun kinda girl. Always bright eyed and full of love. I'm so glad she was able to come down to our family, it wouldn't be the same without her! Love you Audrie girl!

Schools OUT!

2010-07-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been a while since school ended, but it's been the busiest summer of my life...PLUS morning sickness on top of that. Something I've never experienced before, so cut me some slack k? Anyway this is Audrie during her EXTREMELY cute Kindergarten program. Cutest one I've ever seen, just darling AND the only time I DIDN'T bring the video camera :) She got the talented Artist award, and as you can see in the following photo she deserved that.

This is her and her teacher, Ms. Hildebrand. She adored her.

Audrie and some of her little friends. Notice how she TOWERS over her buddies. It was so funny to visit her classroom because they have these tiny chairs and tables and Audrie just looked like an adult trying to sit on those little chairs...she's either going to be tall or she is just going to grow early. But man, she's a knockout. A few hours after the last day of school ended this is what I heard, "Mom, I'm bored." K, this just might be a long summer...

Just to Clear Things Up....

2010-06-13T15:13:00.001-07:00

Sunday's are always quite busy for the Hart family, but this Sunday seems to be among the more memorable. Right after Sunday school let out, the fire alarm in our brand new building started going off. No one really thought anything of it, but after a minute or two the alarm became unbearable and and we started ushering people outside in the hot, humid Texas air. As they finally were able to locate the correct key to turn off the alarm everyone began coming back into the building. As they came in a kind sister told me my dear Tyler was sulking off in the corner...why you ask? Well apparently he was apart of this fire alarm fiasco. He was MORTIFIED, completely embarrassed....but for those of you why may be thinking, "what a stinker" let me educate you.

Little did I know that if you even budge the clear plastic covering on TOP of the alarm it will set off a building alarm. That is exactly what Tyler did. He was waiting to go into Primary and the alarm being at his shoulder level he accidentally bumped it. His teacher quickly responded and tried to get the alarm to go off, and accidentally pushed the REAL fire alarm trying to turn off the building alarm. FUTURE REFERENCE: just close the plastic covering and it will turn off the building alarm. I had no idea, and I'm sure 95% of people at church wouldn't know either.

Tyler never made it back to class. He was so embarrassed he went home in tears. Luckily after some serious consoling he has been convinced that it was a GOOD thing because we've never had a fire drill and no one knew where their kids were once they were outside. Consequently the ward is going to make an emergency plan for the building. So I say GOOD JOB TY! We needed a good fire drill :)

Mud, Girls and a lotta Love

2010-05-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some random photos. The first is of Kaylee one afternoon after a nice rain storm. I didn't even know she had gotten into the backyard (with only a diaper on her bottom half!) until she knocked on the back door looking like this. Mud EVERYWHERE. Her legs were covered with mud as well. She was clearly proud of herself and I'm sure had a wonderful time in the process.

This little neighbor girl has started coming to our house at 7:30am every morning to catch a ride to school. One afternoon she brought her Guinea pig to show to Tyler and the rest of the kids. Tyler would kill me if he knew I was writing this, but I think he has a little crush on this girl. I was online the other day and there was a picture of some famous brunette and Tyler chimed up and said, "is that Destiny?" I felt like that was a clue into his little heart, but maybe I'm reading into things.

This was the cutest moment I caught just the other night. Kaylee fell asleep on Andy and Tyler was snuggling up with him while Andy was smooshed between them both. It was pretty cute :)

Lots of Projects!

2010-05-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well we changed the faucet in our kitchen to a beautiful brushed bronze....

Changed the brass light fixtures in our entryway, hall and one bathroom (with a little help of course)....

Among MANY other projects, and I mean A LOT of little things here and there. Why so many projects you say?

....this is why. The house is officially listed as of yesterday. We have a few reasons behind our actions.

One, Andy's commute. I mean an hour to an hour and 45 minutes is WAY too long to be driving ONE WAY to work. But, why did we choose THIS summer?

Well, number FOUR is on it's way, and I am going to need Andy around more ;) Needless to say some people are a little upset with me. But really it comes down to what is right, and we feel now is better than later since we're expecting. And if anyone knows my pregnancies, the earlier we can get this moving stuff over with the better because when I'm expecting you never know what to expect!

Andy's Dreams Become a Reality

2010-05-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hopefully my husband won't kill me for posting this ;) But I HAD to document it. I don't know about the men in your life, but my man has an AMAZING imagination that is usually brought to life in his very vivid, lifesaving, heroic dreams. For example, when we were first married he had a dream about being spider man swinging from building to building. In this dream he had to save my dear mother who was stranded on the top of a sky rise...yes he is usually a ninja, a spy, or some other amazing heroic figure. Well recently (in real life) he was cleaning out the garage and instead of doing things the normal way he (as usual) came up with a "better" faster approach. When I came out to tell him something this is how I found him....he was finally the super hero he's always dreamt about. Or at least that's was the first thing he made me think of. ROCK ON BABE..

The Hart Brewery

2010-05-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to make beer, but Tyler seems to be well on his way. This (above) was found in the little kitchenette in Tyler's room...is there such a thing as apple beer? SERIOUSLY GROSS. For someone who knows absolutely NOTHING about anything alchohol related, this is as close as it gets in the Hart household. Kaylee was really sad when I dumped it in the sink because she wanted a sip :) Little did she know....

Kaylee's Big Girl Bed

2010-05-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

So the dreaded day has come. The crib has been put away and Kaylee spent her first night in her new bed. You know she'll be three in July and she had NEVER, not once, ever climbed out of the crib? Compared to my other children that was miraculous in and of itself. Well we are going to start potty training so I decided it was a good time to transition into a bigger bed before we got serious about the toilet. We have SUCH a good routine and she sleeps SO good in her crib I dreaded upsetting such a beautiful balance....but upset that we did.

If anyone knows me they know I NEED SLEEP, I mean unusual amounts of sleep. In college I would go to bed at 10:30pm with earplugs in because I could not function on less sleep than 8 hours. Well, last night I didn't get eight hours....and this is what Tara looks like on little sleep...a little on edge, or some may (heaven forbid) call "grouchy." Needless to say Kaylee didn't do so hot in her new bed. Despite the efforts with the side rail she fell off 4 times (I never knew the bottom of the bed was such an issue!) and cried and cried because of the shock. So after numerous consoling sessions and endless anxiety she still woke up at 7am. Andy, being a little more logical decided sleeping on the trundle may have been a better idea and thus (above) for nap time she did much better. (Granted it was the middle of the day when he was analyzing the situation) Did I mention she is still sleeping? It's been 3.5 hours. Yeah. Tonight is going to be fun too...but I'll try to be positive. It will be better :)

Strawberry Jam and Green Smoothies

2010-04-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get more veggies in my diet, so I've started having green smoothies every day. Fortunately the kids have really enjoyed them as well :) Kaylee helps me make them and clearly loves them! Little do they know there is like 3-4 cups of fresh spinach in each batch! It's the most simple recipe and seriously tastes great. I was skeptical at first, but I was pleasantly surprised. Recipe: 4 cups raw spinach, 6 oz of vanilla yogurt, 1 banana, and 3 Tbsp milk. Blend in blender for 3 mins or until spinach pureed.

When strawberries go on sale we like to make strawberry jam. Tyler was SO excited to help me that it made my heart pitter patter in excitement! That doesn't happen very often, so I wanted to take full advantage of it. We had a great time! It's hard to tell, but he's using the jar grippers (upside down) to hold the spatula to stir the jam....he had fun and that's all that mattered!

Random story: As all of my sisters will recall when Daddy got home it was a mad rush to see him. Well the story of our home is no different; no matter what we're doing everyone drops everything immediately to see Dad. Kaylee was so excited in this particular instant that she started being silly and sticking her hands in his back pockets. Unfortunately it was easier said than done to remove her hands once they were in there. It was hilarious! Look at that determination!

And finally just a cute picture of Andy reading to the kids before bedtime. They just adore their Daddy. I don't hold a candle next to him :)

Tyler's Tonsils

2010-04-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tyler got his tonsils out today, among other things (tubes put in adenoids taken out...again). He's been pretty grouchy, but all things considered he has done very well. Currently he has a notebook next to him and writes whatever it is he needs and shows it to me. Audrie's motherly nurturing has come our full swing and she is taking good care of her big brother. Awfully sweet if you ask me :)

While Tyler was in the recovery room he wanted his Dad, so we had one of the nurses entertain Kaylee for a few minutes so we could both be in the recovery room at the same time. The nurse did a great job entertaining her. And she looks pretty cute to boot!

Easter Morning

2010-04-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Easter (complete with bubbles) just with our little family and had a wonderful time. It was so fulfilling to be able to listen to the Prophet and leaders of our church during our semi annual General Conference. It completed the Easter experience with a renewed feeling of gratitude for my Savior.

So here's Kaylee as of late. She is SUCH a character lately! I mean one minute she is super shy and will hardly talk to the speech therapist and then the next she is acting like a CRAZY girl as hyperactive as can be. The Easter bunny came and left some goodies for the kiddos this morning. Because we are all battling strep...(yes I know) Andy and I took the opportunity to sleep in this morning very seriously. We SLEPT until 8:30am, I know someone may laugh at that but seriously I CAN'T sleep in anymore, 7:30am is usually my MAX, my body just won't let me. Anyway, by the time we rolled out of bed Kaylee had eaten all 15 pieces of candy that were in her basket. I'm kinda stingy when it comes to candy, so I don't think I've EVER seen one of my own children on a sugar high. Well, today that changed. KAYLEE was a psycho path! I mean full on crazy girl. She was literally bouncing off the walls. At one point Andy took her downstairs for a snack and gave her a bowl of yogurt. Literally 2 minutes later he came down to see THIS (above). Notice the shiny legs and toes...yeah, that yogurt (AND they are on my table!). All I can say is GOOD NIGHT Kaylee, it's time for bed and I'm glad you're in it. Love you, but a red flag will forever go up when there is chocolate near by. Sweet Kaylee.

Fossil Rim Safari

2010-04-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

Right next to the Dino State Park is a place called Fossil Rim. It is a driving safari, where you actually feed the animals as you drive. I don't think we realized how REAL the feeding part was :) Andy took out the middle seats of the van and everyone hung out the windows as we slowly drove for 4 hours through out the safari. It was a blast though! The only animal that we were disappointed in was the giraffe...they never came to our window; although we got pretty close.

Here is an example of how 'in your face' the animals were. I mean talk about a kids dream come true! Hello Zebra!

We had hand sanitizer readily available as these animals were not exactly clean eaters...SO FUN!

I mean...seriously...that's a little too close.

Dinosaur State Valley Park

2010-03-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Stake Park = SUPER FUN for all ages. We had a fabulous time and plan on going again sooner than later. We had never heard of the park and it is a bit of a drive (5 Hrs) in a small town called Glen Rose, TX.

Right before the state park is a museum that has a fossil dig and several other activities for the kids. A bit pricey, but worth every penny for the kids. They each got to find and take 3 fossils home. It doesn't get better than that.

Audrie inside a T-Rex. AHH! She doesn't look overly concerned though now does she?

Then my favorite part came. The actual Dinosaur Stake Valley Park was awesome. Above is the cute and wonderful Bush Family. Don't they look so happy? I wanted to show you the River we had to cross. It was so fun. But we had to cross it in order to see.....

....THESE! They are REAL Dinosaur tracks. Can you see it? There were lots, but this one was the most obvious. COOL HUH?!

Tyler was such a good sport. We almost cancelled the entire trip because he started getting sick the day before. He was sicker than a dog, but was putting on a really good face and trying SO very hard to have fun. This picture hurts me because his glands are so swollen here his face/jawline looks heavier. Audrie on the other hand was modeling in the mud :)

The Bush family. Our good friends from College. They are family to us!

All of us...a little muddy.

My feet were hurting a bit, so I sat on a rock and put my feet in the cold water. Kaylee thought it was a good idea and decided to join me.

And finally THE RESCUE. I told Audrie several times not to go past this area we were in because the rocks would be slippery and she would fall in. So what did she do? Exactly that, she fell in and completely FREAKED out. Here is Andy saving her; it was actually quite humorous.

Whicker's X2 Visit

2010-03-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

They CAME! They finally Came :) My family came to visit me AND they are coming AGAIN in JULY!!! It was so fun to have them. I loved every second of it even if I seemed tired and a bit under the weather. I wish it could have lasted longer...but so is the life of living far away. While they were here Great Grandpa and Grandpa (my Dad) fixed my kitchen light as well as a couple leaky faucets. Mom helped me cook, clean up and get the kids ready, she is always so helpful. She also made the kids some really cute outfits which Tyler wore the next day to school and the girls to church the following Sunday. They were very proud of their handsome new outfits! Thanks Mom for working so hard on them.

Kaylee was so dang cute with Great Grandma Whicker. She would go right up to her, hold her hand and say, "Play song Gama?" and then would pull her toward the piano. Then they would play together. That will go down in the history books

Katie of course loved the dog. And the dog loved her even more...The kids absolutely had a blast with Katie, I mean how fun is it to have an Auntie that is so young and into some of the very same things you are! They can't wait to see her again.

Great Grandma Whicker, Audrie Hart and Great Grandpa Whicker. Had to include this one :)

Why they called us the wacky Whicker's I'll never understand....

Projects

2010-03-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time and far away (Omaha, NE) Tara and Andy got murried....and were very poor. Upon their marriage they were given a very old bedroom set, which has been in their bedroom decor ever since. They fixed up rooms and bought countless things for their children, but never felt justified in purchasing furniture for themselves. Thus the brilliant and scary idea. Enough with the third person. So I came across this blog where this woman had almost EXACTLY the same bedroom furniture as us and she decided to refinish it. It was BEAUTIFUL. And I thought, 'I could do that'...so after several hours of sanding, a dozen spray cans later and few dollars spent I got the result I wanted.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

(To all my sisters: yes that is THE VERY same alarm clock that I've had since I was 10, I was able to update the furniture...still working on the clock.)

Next project: For a very long time I've wanted to do something in the front yard. I am not a horticulturist, or anything close...I'm just not very good at landscaping or the artistry of anything outdoors. So I tried. I bought rocks, dirt and mulch. I weeded, pruned and trimmed. Then I carried 2100 lbs of rock and strategically placed them around the front and back yards... (Andy took care of the other 1000 lbs of rock). Then I shoveled and wheel burrowed dirt and mulch to various parts of the yard. It may not look like much, but this was the end result:

Then I planted flowers...now On to my vegetable garden! Better late then never right?

Audrie the Teacher

2010-03-03T14:38:00.000-08:00

So normally we take baths Saturday night to avoid any extra chaos on Sunday Morning, but due to a busy evening that didn't happen. Audrie is the teacher in our house...she knows everything about anything...if you doubt her, just ask. Anyway, both girls had to blow dry their hair to be able to get all prettied up for Sunday meetings. The all knowing Audrie took it upon herself to show Kaylee just how things were done. I LOVE Kaylee's face in this. It's all too telling. Then Audrie decided to show her how blow drying was really supposed to take place....it involves singing at the top of your lungs while blowing into the very wide open mouth with only the excess air blowing the hair. Didn't you know?

Saturday Morning Pancakes

2010-03-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

So Saturday morning seems to be unofficially dubbed pancake day at our house. Well Tyler REALLY wanted to get things moving quicker than I was a couple of weeks ago, so I decided to let him. For some reason it's really, REALLY hard for me to let the kids do anything by themselves (I know, serious control freak), especially when there will inevitably be a mess involved. Well needless to say there was a big mess, but he the fact that he was so proud of his creations and had so much fun being left "in charge" of breakfast quickly replaced my anxiety of the mess with pride and happiness in my son. Here are the tasty pancakes; obviously he got very creative with their shapes :)

Horse Ridin' with Audrie

2010-02-21T06:06:00.000-08:00

Here she is awaiting her turn.

Here she is getting nervous, but still so dang cute.

She gained more confidence as she waited and had a blast! Look at those BLUE eyes :)

Audrie is privileged to be best buddies with a little girl name Nina Palmer. She loves horse and thus has a horse riding birthday party. It was very fun and Audrie was in complete Heaven.

Saturday Fun :)

2010-02-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

So Andy has this goal to help us have more FUN family time every Saturday...which is really awesome fore this kids. He's been doing things like bowling and hiking, etc, but last Sat we went to Denny's for breakfast (not our first choice, but it did the job!). The kids thought it was super fun and thought the food was divine, (obviously there is much to learn in that department). But whatever makes them happy right? Here we are at the restaurant.

Valentines 2010

2010-02-21T05:54:00.000-08:00

Andy gave me a single long stem rose this valentines as well as a hot date to a very high end restaurant. It was probably the funnest date I have been on in a very long time. Seriously had a blast. It was a very random location for such a highly reviewed restaurant, but the food was the best I have ever, EVER tasted. Andy kept making fun of what I was saying because I just couldn't get over the fabulous food. If any of the locals reading this are interested it was called Chez Nous.
http://cheznousfrenchrestaurant.com

Andy's Version:

I took Tara to Chez Nous for our Valentines Day dinner. The location is nestled quaintly in the old part of Humble, surrounded by charming run-down duplexes and apartment buildings. Tara was holding back when we walked up to the door, clutching her purse tightly and looking over her shoulder. Inside, the prestige of the restaurant still didn't sink in right away as Tara was seated next to a drafty window and had to put her coat up to block the breeze. But once the Blue Crab Mango Salad was delivered, Tara's taste buds were in heaven, and her physical location was forgotten as her mouth created memories to last a lifetime. We ate:

Blue Crab Mango, Avocado, Tomato and Basil Salad

Lamb with Rosemary and Thyme

Seafood Risotto of Main Lobster, Scallops and Shrimp

Red Delicious Apple Cheese Cake with a Gingersnap Crust

And to these dishes, Tara declared:

"I've never been so satisfied!"

"It's so smooth..."

"I don't think I've ever experienced food... I've been reborn."

And last but not least, 10 minutes after leaving the restaurant:

"I'm still wigging out that was so good [belch]."

(editors note: it was a very quiet, tight lipped burp...I am not that gross)

Sea World ~ San Antonio

2010-02-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

So better late than never right? Yeah, I know it's currently Feb. and this trip was taken in December. It was a Christmas present for the kids...and us. We had a great time in spite of the terribly cold weather. Our good friends Jeff and Melanie Bush met us there with their sweet family, so it was extra fun! Above is the best group shot we had. There were some goofy ones :)

Jeff and Mel

Ok, so obviously BOTH Kaylee and I were extremely excited about what was going down here. In my humble opinion, THIS is the coolest thing about Sea World. We were able to HAND feed dolphins, (for a small price of course)! I mean it doesn't get better than that does it? This shot is post Success in feeding a dolphin a very slimy fish :) We each got like 3 or 4, and yes we had those same silly grins our faces each time. Loads of fun.

Tyler was really good at it. They came right up to him and at one point jumped up into his face, missing him by a fraction of an inch. Super exciting though!

Gorgeous Audrie taking her turn to feed the dolphins

Sweet Kaylee admiring the beautiful fish.

Peyton Ricker and Ty

2009-12-31T06:56:00.000-08:00

Peyton Ricker and Tyler Hart friends forever.

One of Tyler's very best buds passed away just before Christmas due to a brain tumor. He was a sweet little boy that Tyler just adored. They played soccer together and were in the same preschool class as well as church classes and always were giggling together. This has been quite an emotional time for little Ty, but he has had some really special moments through it all.

The night we told him we sat him down and talked about how special it would be to be with Jesus for Christmas. As the words were coming out of Andy's mouth Tyler's face dropped and the tears began to flow, hard. He kept looking up at me with question and "just hold me mom" in his eyes. His nighttime prayer is one I will never forget. He said, "Dear Heavenly Father..." and then proceeded to share his utmost concern, which was "Please, please, please, let Peyton know how much I love him! Please, let him know I love him...." Over and over again. It was a special moment. I laid with him for a while that night as he slept with a picture of Peyton on one side and Jesus on the other.

Also he was invited to write a letter to Peyton that would be put in a bag next to him in his casket. That was quite the privilage and quite the task for Ty to get on paper. He did it and again, it was including his largest concern...to make sure he knew of his love for him.

The funeral was tough. He really wanted to SEE Peyton, so he could say goodbye, but couldn't make it all the way into the viewing room. He wanted to check out mentally, I could tell by the way he was asking to do certain things. He kept asking to play a game on my cell phone during the services...and I let him. During the removing of the casket I made him stop and pay attention. They came right by us and the closer they got the harder Tyler bawled, intermittently looking up at me with tears streaming down his face and his eyes penetrating me with a “why? Mom, WHY?” Then as we followed the crowd out to the hearse and watched as they drove Peyton away Tyler just lost it. The Bishop has taken special interest in Tyler due to his friendship with Peyton and saw him struggling. In the midst of this large crowd he walked over to Tyler and tried consoling him, got down on his knees and said, “Tyler the spirit is prompting me, as your Bishop, to you give you a promise. As you choose the right and strive to live your life in a righteous manner I promise you Peyton will be with you at any significant event in your life, especially in the temple.” The spirit was strong and Tyler felt it as did I and the Bishop. I felt the truthfulness of those words and explained later to Tyler how special that was and what kinds of events the Bishop was probably referring to. I will never forget that moment and hope that he won't either.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-31T06:26:00.000-08:00

We have this tradition that we each get to open a Christmas gift the day before Christmas Eve (we've call it Christmas Adam since my childhood), as well as Christmas Eve. Kaylee of course chose the largest and most unique shaped gift, but she sure had a blast opening it up! This year seems to be the first year she's TRULY enjoyed Christmas. It was really fun.

Tyler, Audrie and Kaylee before they came down the stairs. Everyone actually went to bed SUPER early and slept until about 8am...which never happens on a regular basis let alone on Christmas Eve. That was a gift in and of itself :)

I don't know how many of you have heard of these Zhu Zhu Pets, but they are HOT this year. Santa's wife had no idea how sought after they were until she started looking for them. She happened to be in Target when they had some in stock (they sell of the shelves within hours) and grabbed 5, making several trips due to the limit 2/customer rule. Mrs. Clause wasn't sure how they would go across or if all the hype they were getting was worth it, but on Christmas morning she was pleasantly surprised! They are actually super cute and the kids (and dog) think they are soo much fun. I've actually been caught playing with them for a minute, without realizing I was sitting there for that long (a little embarrassing). Anyway, these little electronic hamsters and their houses were a big hit.

Also in the background you can see a bit of the tent (teepee) I made for the kids. It's been really fun and will hopefully relieve the need to tear apart the couch and pull out all the blankets!

This was Tyler's Lego/Star Wars year. Everything he seemed to get was related one way or another. Needless to say he was in heaven. Lego RC car, star wars lego ship, star wars wii game, etc = one happy little boy! I've even enjoyed the wii game! Here he's playing with some star wars figures.

Dramatic Audrie...LOVE IT. She is so good at expressing herself (except when she's not :). She was so expressive every time she opened anything, it's was so funny. We happened to catch it when she opened Aunt Sarah's gift.

Side note about Audrie: She has been so happy for the most part lately, it's been wonderful. She and Kaylee have become best buds and play together so well. It's been a treat to see them blossom into the best friends they have become.

Peyton's Birthday Party

2009-12-12T06:21:00.000-08:00

Sweet Peyton and Tyler

Best friends forever

We were fortunate enough to be invited to Peyton's birthday party this past Saturday. It was so FUN! They had clowns to made all kinds of balloon swords, scepters, hats, you name it, it was super awesome. Tyler, Peyton and the boys had a blast playing swords with their balloons, in fact if they could I think they would have played through the night doing just that!

Audrie couldn't be prouder of her heart scepter. I think she thought it was a symbol of her girl power. Look at that face!

I told Kaylee to smile...this is what she did instead. She was eating her cupcake before this so I think she may be biting the air (?). A little glimpse into her little personality though. Silly girl!

Tyler made Peyton a photo album with pictures of them together from the past. I think he really liked it and I think Tyler really enjoyed putting it together and giving it to him. It was SO good to see him and his family. We know they are going through a lot and we pray for them daily. We thank Heavenly Father for the wonderful Plan he's set out for us to be able to see friends such as this again. WE LOVE YOU RICKERS!

Snow Day!

2009-12-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

Yes it happened...two years in a row it happened. SNOW! We couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present. Andy stayed home from work, the kids got out early so it was extra special. It was SO FUN and so incredibly cold. We aren't used to those cold temps anymore, but the kids got to make their first snowman ever so it was all worth it :)

It didn't last long and turned to ice that night causing a lot of black ice. Bella was hilarious in the snow thinking it was all food she went completely bazerk! She couldn't stop eating it like a crazy puppy.

Nothing like a little snow to get you in the Christmas spirit!

The Nutcracker Ballet

2009-11-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

Audrie and I were lucky enough to go and see The Nutcracker ballet in downtown Houston this afternoon. Last night we went to a little jewelry shop and let Audrie pick out her very own bracelet to wear! Nothing real, just a cheap little bracelet that sparkles :) I got to wear my dress that was supposed to be for Andy's annual Christmas party, and felt a bit overdressed, but it was super fun to play dress up. We got all dolled up and headed out to go downtown then ate at the Hardrock cafe. Audrie got a bit fidgety after the intermission, but all in all did MUCH better than I anticipated. We may have to make it an annual tradition. The best thing of all was the time I was able to spend just with Audrie. She's a sweet little girl and has a wonderful spirit and a very sensitive soul. I love her dearly!

Dress

2009-11-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

So every year it is a HUGE endevour to find a dress for Andy's companies Christmas party. It's nigh impossible to find a dress that will cover and that I like without having to alter, cover up or something...which in turn makes me feel very uncomfortable. So this year I made an effort to find a dress EARLY. And I did. And I loved it, and it fit perfectly, covered perfectly and felt so FUN to wear. I was actually excited to go to the Christmas party for once!Then Andy came home one day and told me due to budget cuts they had canceled the party. So my non-returnable, perfect dress is going to have to wait for next year (that is if I can still fit into it then!).

Kaylee's Personality

2009-11-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

Many of you who know Kaylee have see what a fussy, kind a unhappy little baby she was. Such a needy little girl and having a hard time about something most of the time. Well in the last six months she has turned into just a little doll! She is so sweet and lovey and so much HAPPIER! Here are a few random photos of her showing this side we always knew she had.

She decided to snuggle with Daddy while he was napping and gave him many sweet kisses while he was resting. I was only able to catch a mid-kiss, but still pretty cute eh?

So a week or so ago we were able to watch little baby Danny Hindmarsh. He was such a good baby, it actually made me baby hungry, Especially when I saw Kaylee interact with him. I was feeding him his bottle and Kaylee just watched intently talking about him in her own language the entire time. I could tell she REALLY wanted to help feed him, so this her attempting to do just that. Look at that cute smirk on her face!

You know those quiet moments? When you think for five second about where everyone is and WHY they are being so quiet...THEN you realize you have no idea what your little two year old is doing? Yeah, had one of those last week. Kaylee decided it would be fun to get in my makeup and this was the end result :) It may be hard to see but she has cover up just caked on her chin and lip. She was very proud of herself, I on the other hand learned it's time to move my makeup.

Halloween

2009-11-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a bit behind, but better late than never right? Here are my sweet children all in their costumes ready to hit the streets and go trick or treating. Audrie was a Cheetah Girl, whatever that is I still don't know (and honestly I'm not sure she does either), Tyler obviously Super Man and Kaylee girl a GIRL dragon (note the pink bow we put around the ear). It was the first year since we've lived here that we actually were cold while tracking around the neighborhood! What a nice alternative to sweating profusely! We only lasted about 30 minutes due to Kaylee having a meltdown, but they still got plenty of candy and had no complaints when we got home.

Camping 101

2009-11-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Well we survived…our first camping trip in 6+ years! The last time we went it was a complete disaster (Tyler was just a little baby) and all I remember is burnt tin foil dinners, uncooked pancake batter due to a faulty propane stove and sleep deprivation due to some partying neighbors. I swore I would never camp again. This time after doing some serious preparation (thanks to Cami for her instruction) we actually had a really good time..despite a few setbacks…BUT I think going with the expectation of a sleepless night was a contributing factor to the success.

Things were going great until it got really dark and Kaylee starting running FULL speed in the dark with no particular direction. She miraculously never hurt herself too bad, but it required some quick movement and coordination on Andy’s part. While he was chasing down Kaylee I was quite graceful myself. Because it gets dark so early now it was pitch black by 6pm and we were all stumbling here and there…well I stumbled right over this very large tree stump and did a full 360 landing on my back. I’m sure it was hilarious to see, but man it HURT! I couldn’t even talk for several minutes. Now my legs and elbow are quite purple and my knee is pretty sore still J Then once it was bedtime things went pretty smoothly, although everyone took forever to go to sleep, until around 12:30am. Kaylee started shrieking like a banshee. She would not stop crying and of course the ENTIRE camp could hear her…no pressure or anything right? So I took her to the car and thought she would calm down thinking she might be cold (it was REALLY cold). She didn’t’ stop crying, so I headed home. She threw up in the car. We got home I cleaned her up and looked at the clock and it was 2am. Slept in my own bed while the rest of the family toughed it out. Andy froze, but Ty and Audrie slept like logs.

Once morning arrived I got up to get ready as fast as I could to go and help everyone clean up camp and get home. Kaylee eventually woke up and off we went. The road on the way to the camp ground was closed by police. I had to really talk my way through, which eventually worked.

So needless to say it was an eventful camping trip, but I still am calling it a success. Some may say sleeping in your home may not be camping, but I simply don’t care. It was a success for the Hart family! Camping just might not be in our blood J

We didn’t get ANY pictures with the camera, but fortunately Andy took some while I was not there with his phone. They are of the children playing the FREEZING cold creek, fully clothed. Yeah, that wouldn’t have happened if I was around, but they had a blast while playing…it was the aftermath that wasn’t so fun.

As we were hauling the last load of camping gear to the van, with the biggest smile ever Audrie says, "Mom, can we do this every weekend?" I looked at her with my puffy eyes and said, "I'm gonna have to think about that one..."

Don't let the Distractions of Today Take Away Tomorrow's Memories

2009-10-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

"We know what matters most in life—the Light of Christ teaches this to everyone. We as faithful Latter-day Saints have the Holy Ghost as a “constant companion” to teach us the things of eternal value. I imagine that any [sister] listening to my voice today, if asked to prepare a talk on the subject “what matters most,” could and would do an excellent job. Our weakness is in failing to align our actions with our conscience.

Pause for a moment and check where your own heart and thoughts are. Are you focused on the things that matter most? How you spend your quiet time may provide a valuable clue. Where do your thoughts go when the pressure of deadlines is gone? Are your thoughts and heart focused on those short-lived fleeting things that matter only in the moment or on things that matter most?

What grudges do you bear? What excuses do you cling to that keep you from being the kind of [wife, mother, daughter, and visiting teacher] you know you should be? What are the things that distract you from your duties or hinder you from magnifying your calling more diligently?

Sometimes the things that distract us are not bad in and of themselves; often they even make us feel good...We need balance in life."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down,” Ensign, May 2009, *[changed for emphasis]

One BIG lesson learned from not having power for weeks caused by the aftermath of hurricane Ike was that I was VERY distracted in my everyday life. I have since made it a personal goal in my life is to not let these distractions get the better of me, to see around me and not wait another minute to just go and DO. I am weak and have struggled to change this weakness into a strength, but through the whisperings of the spirit I have decided to turn everything OFF for a while.

So please don't think I'm ignoring you or think you are of less importance I assure you that you are not. I am simply trying to create a better me and ultimately a better mother. If you need to get a hold of me just give me a call :)

The week of Changes

2009-10-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, amist all the chaos of this week I planned to color, highlight and cut my hair. This was a first for me...the coloring I mean, so I was a bit aprehensive. So I had a great friend/professional hairdresser do it all for me. I LOVE the cut, but unfortunatly I didn't like the results of the color too much. It ended up WAY too red and so yesterday when I found out about Andy's accident I was just overwhelmed with my red head and playing the "what if? game" with Andy's accident (plus, probably more than you want to know, the puppy has had bowel issues, leaving a less than solid mess EVERYWHERE!). Anyway, needless to say I have been a little uptight :) Here are the final results after getting it darkened. She kept the blong highlights and left enough red to make red lowlights, which are kind of hard to see, but I really like the way it turned out :)

Accident

2009-10-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

You know I always told Andy because of his commute it was only a matter of time before he got in an accident. Well that day came today around 8am this morning. It's really quite amazing he's ok because it was on a major interstate highway. He was hit once, spun around, got hit again and then one more time...kinda like a ping pong ball. He walked away with no injuries, well other than a sore neck, back and shoulder. Hopefully they won't turn into anything more. Now the question is if the appraiser will total it or not. I'd much rather that it got totaled. It would make me feel very unsure about driving a "repaired" vehicle that got hit so hard from so many directions. We'll find out tomorrow.

We were all reminded how precious life is and how quickly things COULD have changed for us and we thank a loving Heavenly Father for that.

Little Bella

2009-10-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well I am pleased to announce She's a KEEPER! We've been having so much fun with her, including me believe it or not. She is learning and progressing and just had her first grooming session today (look at those ears!). Anyway, all in all I'm really enjoying her. Here's a few pictures of her progression since that first picture after she was born.

Ok Two Weeks Are Up!

2009-10-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

Actually it's been three...let me explain. So I had the CRAZY idea that it would be fun to try a puppy again. I'm pretty sure that I am defining idiocy (trying something over and over again when getting the same results), but I am determined to get GOOD results. Anyway, about three weeks ago we found the cutest puppy ever, met the mom and found that she had the most calm, reserved temperament ever. So we took the plunge. Because of past experience we told the children we were "babysitting" her for two weeks and would talk about keeping her once the end of those two weeks were up. Well clearly I have had some reservations because it's been just over three now and I still haven't told the children we are able to keep her; although they have asked! As far as allergies go, I do think Andy is having some, although he will not admit to it. The good thing is I still like her and she listens to me. So ask me in two more weeks and see if I still like her then :) History may repeat itself.

Mommy and Daughter Dress up

2009-09-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

I had to write to document an outing Audrie and I went on. I had to go get some things from a store yesterday and I asked if anyone wanted to come with me. As soon as I said the word “shopping” she chimed right up and said she wanted to go. We’re not girly or anything are we?

Andy suggested that I should make it into and “Mommy Daughter date,” so I did. When we got there I did my stuff and then asked if Audrie wanted to go see if they had any fancy dresses that she could pick out and try on…just for fun. Her eyes lit up, and you could tell she was thinking that ‘THAT was the BEST IDEA Mom has ever had!’

She was hilarious. She would go through the racks of clothes and find something and giggle, while twirling, and do her princess voice saying something like, “look at this one mom!” After finding a couple of dresses for her to try on, she suggested that we had to find a couple for me to try on. So we headed on over to my section and she started looking for something. As we were picking something out she said, “Mom, look at this one…it’s SOO dramatic.” A little taken back by her use of words I snickered and said, “How old are you again??” She quickly responded very matter of factly, “Five Mom.”

Needless to say we had a great time J Attached are some pics I took with my phone while were playing dress up!

Tub Tub Time

2009-09-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know about most children, but mine LOVE LOVE LOVE getting in the tub. There is nothing better than pretending, for what could be hours if I let them, in the tub. Last night for whatever reason Kaylee didn't want to get in the tub with Audrie. I went downstairs to do something and in the meantime Kaylee changed her mind, managed to get her pants AND diaper off, and either forgot about her shirt or just couldn't get it off, and she hopped right in. So this is what I found when I came back up!

Side note: We are goggle addicts. These were Ty and Audrie's best discovery this summer and where ever there is water we have our goggles on :)

Bread Making Frenzy

2009-09-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Ok everyone, if you thought you knew how to make bread think again! We had an activity at church taught by a woman who really knows how to make amazing bread. It was SO interesting with A LOT of information, new information. It reminded me a lot of one of my food science classes that I took at BYU where we talked about the molecular level and the chemical reactions, changes and techniques to get the desired results. Anyway, it takes a lot more time than I thought, but I'm sure as I get more versed in it I will become faster.

Kaylee (yes she is shirtless due to an accident minutes prior to finishing my bread) wanted to help roll out the dough, so I let her. She is always wanting to help and be a "big girl" any way she can.
If you would like to know this woman's techniques just go to this website: http://kneadfulthingsnow.com, click on "Bread terms to know," read that and then click on "Making Yeast Breads." This bread is the most MOIST whole wheat bread I have ever, EVER tasted. There is only whole wheat flour in it no while flour at all. Anyway, if you do decide to try this out, make the Buttermilk Whole Wheat Recipe, it will take you through the final steps after combining your biga and soaker dough (weird huh...I don't know if it's Latin, but it was to me when I heard it the first time!).

Piano Recital

2009-09-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

Tyler and Audrie getting last minute practicing in before their first piano recital. Audrie making her "I'm so cute" face and Tyler making his, "I'm the coolest kid I know" face. Maybe we need to work on humility...

Can you say DRAMA? I mean this girl can't play the piano without being ULTRA dramatic...in addition to not being able to keep her skirt down. Humility....AND modesty...

Eva Armendariz is their piano teacher. She is fabulous and puts up with a lot of silliness! The kids adore her. Thanks Eva :)

We were the only attendees at the recital, so it was quick, but they did just great and celebrated by swimming in her pool afterwards. Fun piano teacher huh?

Moody Garden's

2009-08-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

Andy thought it was high time we went and did something fun outside of the house as a family, so he planned a trip to Moody Garden's in Galveston. I was a little worried about the destruction from the hurricane last year, but it seemed to have no lingering issues and we had a great time. It's definitely an older attraction and a bit overpriced, but it's the fun we had that really counts. We all had a great time and were very tired by the end of the day! Thanks Andy for making a fun day for us all :)

Moody Gardens: 3 AND 4-D

2009-08-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

There was a movie about dolphins and whales in 3-d that the kids semi enjoyed. They liked the first part and then it got a bit long for them, but it was definitely interesting. We tried to do a dinosaur 4-D movie experience, but it worked out about as good as the 'Honey I shrunk the Kids' one at Disney Land...they freaked. So we saw approximately 2.5 seconds of that one :)

Why do I have such a weird neck? It's very giraffe, or turtle like. Funny!

Moody Gardens: Boat Ride

2009-08-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone on the back deck looking at the paddle turning.

Andy trying to divvy out the lunches without losing Kaylee through the holes of the boat.

Inside the cabin portion of the boat there was a little dance floor where the kids had a great time. Tyler and Audrie started off by playing human checkers, but quickly realized two people weren't enough...so they moved on to chess...HA! Kaylee clearly understood the purpose of the floor and was dancing away.

Tyler and I in front of the great 'Colonel'. Very old, kind of gross, but still fun :)

Moody Garden's Aquarium

2009-08-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

We all loved the aquarium, especially Kaylee, Andy and I. It is always just so cool to see the underwater world to me. Kaylee made friends with one of the penguins, which I was informed by Tyler was called a macaroni penguin (Thanks Diego! Go Diego Go!). She was so good while we were touring the gardens and everything for that matter. She loved every bit of it.

Here's one of the coolest aquariums there.

Andy's Birthday

2009-08-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Andy's birthday on the 17th and had a great time. I loved this picture simply because Kaylee is so cute, but is clearly doing exactly NOT what we wanted her to. She's smiling alright, but not for me...for the soon to be tasted cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!! You're a fabulous father and husband. I love you :)

Best BUDS!

2009-08-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to be able to go down to Lake Jackson and visit the Ricker family. Tyler and Peyton have always been great friends ever since we moved here. They moved a while back and we have only seen them when they come and visit our area, so we thought it was time to go to see them. They had a FABULOUS time, indicative of their very sweaty faces.

Another side note: Tyler says the sweetest prayers for Peyton. No matter the future of Peyton I know that Tyler and him will continue to be friends forever!

Random Pictures

2009-08-19T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some very random pictures, but ones I wanted to capture. First off is a picture of Kaylee putting smiley stickers on my face and nose. There is a picture of Audrie doing this exact thing when she was about this age. Super cute.

The next picture captures a common game at our house. Audrie is the queen, but Kaylee takes a close second :) We are professional puppies quite often. We bark, we lick and we nuzzle...fortunately very few bites at this point. Training is still in progress.

You know we've been lucky never to have any major issues with any babysitters, any accidents, problems, etc. That ended a few weeks ago. Andy and I walked in after a date to find the babysitter wrapping her finger in toilet paper. In a very bubbly, excited way began explaining to me how she couldn't get the can opener to work, followed by reenacting exactly how she used a knife to STAB the entire can open....with my brand new knife set. Well needless to say she cut herself, with our very sharp brand new knives. Fortunately it wasn't bad, but the point is it could have been. It didn't end there. As we were cleaning up the spilled juice on the floor, with pieces of corn bread stuck to it we found shards of glass everywhere. I couldn't help but think of the babysitter that vacuumed up my sisters (Jami) vomit when we were little :)

The Moral of the Story: Never try to cut a can open with a knife. Clean up after yourself and please tell the parents when you make a mistake.

Col Whicker and the U-2 Spy plane

2009-08-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

I grew up as an Air Force brat and am proud to have a Dad that worked to protect our country. He was a pilot and flew many planes, but in my humble opinion this one was the coolest. I remember him coming home with his helmet, his space gloves and on occasion samples of tubed space food. YUM! We even were able to watch him get suited up once. Anyway, as I watched this video it brought all of those memories together with a fuller appreciation of what my father was able to do, see and feel.

Top pic is of my Dad via 1988 before venturing on another adventure. Also make sure to watch the video, it's awesome. I just find it very touching due to the fact that my dear ol' Dad was apart of that amazing experience many times over again. Take a Look :)