Name and a Blessing

Sunday was Preesley Jade Binnies Blessing. It was the cherry on top to a great weekend. (well actually I hate the cherry's they put on ice cream sundaes, so really it was like brownie batter, I love that!) She looked absolutely adorable and was just so happy the whole day. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, to all our of wonderful family who made the effort to be there. You all traveled so far to be there and we really appreciated it!!! The luncheon was so fun, all the cousins just ran and played, it was truly one special day. I didn't want it to end. The weather was perfect, the company was fantastic, and the baby was beautiful!!



Families are just the best, and Buck and I have both been blessed with great ones!

Camping

Last Monday I thought to myself, we should take the kids camping. But I didn't want it to be too fussy and stressful, so we live right next to Fools Hollow Campground, so we decided to go there for Friday night. We didn't tell the kids, Buck and I just secretly got things ready during the week. The girls were already excited because they had cousins coming this weekend (The Lees, and Genets, The Mortensens, and The Bentleys) So on Friday they really weren't wanting to go to school, so we said well maybe we will pull you of school early so you will have more time to play with your cousins. That made them happy and got them out the door to school. After we dropped them off, we went to Fools Hollow and picked out our campsite and set up our tents. Then Buck went to pick them up early from school and tell them about going camping. I wasn't there when he picked them up, but he said that they were like "seriously?" Way happy! When they came to pick up the rest of us, Paige and Marley both ran and gave me a big hug and said "thanks mom". I couldn't believe how happy and appreciative they were. They kept thanking me all night. So all you parents out there, cancel your trip to Disneyland, and just take your kids camping!!
We made foil dinners, roasted marshmallows, played Ghost in the Graveyard, the kids danced, they fished, they just had a ball. Oh, and Rob and Melissa told us they are pregnant with TWINS!!!! It was one memorable night!

Preesley Gets in on the action!


My Hunter Gatherer!


Couldn't keep these Girls out of the tent!


View of the Lake from our Tent.


Savannah and Preesley.


Everyone Lookin Grubby and Havn' a Great Time!





Marley had to borrow my sunglasses while she roasted her Marshmallow!!


Paigee-Poo

Baby Yoga!

Last night Buck was getting Preesley ready for bed, and he kept pulling her up by her arms to her feet. Getting her stretching in for the day I guess. It was so cute and she couldn't quit smiling about it. She is so much fun. I love it when Buck plays with the kids, he thinks of doing things with them that I never would. (example. He holds them up-side-down, even Preesley for few seconds, every so often, he thinks it gets the blood flowing to their brains and makes them smarter!) Maybe someone should have told my dad to do this!!

Yellow Shirts, Denim Skirts, Black boots and Press On Nails!

On Saturday Marley was begging me to go to Wal-mart and buy her some fake nails. (we do this every once in awhile) Anyway, I told her I would take her, but she needed to use her own money, so I helped her count out how much she would need and she put it into a ziploc and off we all went to the store. (taking all 4 of them to the store deserves its own posting) Well at the store there was of course to many choices! I had to steer her away from the long black ones, as well as other outrageous ones. But she did find some she was excited about and that I okayed. When we got back home she was ready of course to put them on. Ally always want to put some on when I do Marley's but there is never enough small ones left over to do hers, but for some reason in the packet we bought, there was plenty to do hers as well. When I told her that, she just about fell off her chair! So excited! The nails come with this adhesive stuff, that doesn't really stick good at all, so we peel it off and we super-glue them on! Safe I know. Anyway, as I was putting Ally's on, she was just beaming, and with each one I added she would yell and say "Marley look" Marley was so happy for her, they had already decided that morning to dress the same, yellow shirts, denium skirts and black boots!! So now that they had matching nails, it was just to much, they were so happy! That night we went to the football game, and as we were pulling up to the game Ally said, "what if one of my nails falls off at the game?" To which Marley says, "don't worry I packed the super-glue in my purse!" That Marley is always prepared for a fashion emergency!!

Spit Up!

So Preesley spits up, ALOT!! Notice the picture, this is already her second outfit of the day, notice the pool of spit up to the right of her coller, then the spit up running out of her mouth, with a slight grin I might add. (Not photographed is the stream of spit up running around the base of her neck and down her back!) I'm on my second shirt of the day as well. It's funny beacuse when I was pregnant with Preesley I kept bragging about how none of my babies were spitter uppers, dun dun dun DUN!! Okay as I"m typing and she is on my lap she has produced another need to change her clothes!!! See picture below!!! I also seemed to be getting alot of bibs as gifts and I thought oh I won't be needing these until she starts eating foods,dun, dun, dun, DUN, I use about 3-4 a day!

While I am on the subject of spit up and sour milk, I remembered something funny Buck said one morning. We were just starting to stir in the morning, and he leaned over to give me kiss and a hug, and I said "don't, I smell like a milk cow", to which he said "no, you smell like a farmers' daughter!" Leave it to Buck to spice it up a little bit!

Spit up number 3! This time on my duvet cover, sometimes I feel like Charlie's mom in Charlie and Chocolate factory!! Laundry! (truly though, it is small price to pay for having such a sweet, healthy baby) I love my life.

Inspired

I HAVE BEEN READING AND KEEPING UP TO DATE ON THE BLOG FOR STEPHANIE AND CHRISTIAN NIELSON. THE LINKS TO THEIR BLOG IS TO THE RIGHT OF THIS POSTING. ANYWAY, THEIR STORY IS ROMANTIC, INSPIRING AND TRAGIC. I FOUND A QUOTE IN ONE OF HER POSTINGS THAT REALLY HIT ME, AND IF YOU LOOK AT HER BLOG, YOU WILL SEE THAT SHE FOLLOWS THIS QUOTE TO THE "T"! BECAUSE OF HER, NIE NIE (THAT IS WHAT SHE GOES BY ON HER BLOG) I WANT TO BE A BETTER MOTHER, AND WIFE, SHE LIVES LIFE TO THE FULLEST!
THE QUOTE WAS THIS:
"The biggest mistake I made (as a parent) is the one that most of us make....I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone,captured only in photographs. There is one picture of (my three children) sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing; dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less" (Loud and Clear 2004 10-11)

I AM GOING TO DO THIS!!! AND NOW I HAVE IT IN WRITING, OR AT LEAST IN CYBER-SPACE, AS A REMINDER.

Ally Can Swing HERSELF!!!!

Okay so this is really a cool day for me, Ally can swing herself on the swing. Not just pump her legs, but she can get herself going from a complete stop!! I love this. I do not like to push my kids on a swing, don't know why, but I have never liked it. Sounds terrible I know, but that is just the way I am. On the rare occasion I do take my kids to the park, I try to go to ones that don't have swings. Wow I am sounding like a jerk, anyway. Today Ally came running in the house and said "Mom, I want to show you something down by the swingset" So we went down there and she hops on the swing and starts doing it! So I told Paige to run inside and get the camera. She was so proud of herself!! She is really good at it. Doesn't she look so proud in the pictures? (just a side note, alot of what I post is mundane and borning to most people I know, but the reason I blog is to keep a history for my family, each month I print my blog out and put it in a binder for a family journal.)

Full of Smiles

I don't have any pictures of me with Preesley except for the ones in the hospital. Gag!! (not Preesley, me!) Anyway, so I had Buck take one of us together yesterday after church. And what do you know, she smiled!! (Traci, she has on the dress you bought her, so cute, she wore it to church yesterday.)


Buck hates it when I take these snapshots of him, but I think everyone looked so cute I just had to post it.

10 YEARS AGO, TODAY.

Today is mine and Buck's 10th Anniversary. I just thougth I would write 10 things I love about him. There are more than ten, but I had to cut it off somewhere!

#1 He mops my floors without me asking. If I go on trip or just leave for a few hours in the evening he will surprise me with mopped floors, or some other area of the house is sparkling clean!

#2 He buys me diamonds! Seriously I never even cared, expected, or even thought about getting diamonds from my husband. (except for my wedding ring of course) But other than that I just didn't care. Then for our first Christmas he bought me a channel set diamond ring, I loved it! Then one Valentines day he got me circle diamond necklace, that I wear everyday, probably my favorite piece of jewelery. I didn't know I would love it so much, but I do. Then while we were on a cruise he bought me a diamond tennis bracelet and a ring. Then for our anniversary 2 years ago he designed me a new wedding ring. I never really liked my first one, and he knew it so he surprised me with a new one that I just love!! (I didn't ask, I promise.) Then last year for our anniversary he got me another diamond bracelet and earrings. I don't wear any jewelry except what he has given me. I'm not a real accessorizor, I'm pretty "Plain Jane" but thanks to my sweet husband I do have a little sparkle about me!

#3 These aren't in any particular order, just writing them as they come! He makes me feel better about myself than I should!! I tells me I look good just after I have had a baby! And we all know what that looks like!!! He is just so supportive and boost my self esteem.

#4 He is passionate! About everything, cleaning his truck, mowing and growing the prettiest lawn, hunting, me, his girls, baking a great chocolate chip cookie.

#5 I love how I instantly get happier when he walks in a room. Everything feels right when he is around. I have always felt that way about him.

#6 He is a awesome dad! I know everyone says that, and I know everyone means it, and I'm so glad that it can be true for alot of us. He is the perfect dad for my kids. He plays with them, he jumps on the trampoline with them, he plays guitar hero with them, he goes on bike rides with them, he takes them hunting and fishing and he doesn't care that they aren't boys. He paints the girls toenails and finger nails anytime they ask.

#7 He is funny! When we were just friends before we dated I would just crack up at him, I mean he isn't the boisterous kind of funny or the loud kind of funny. He is the...well, I guess he's my kind of funny! He just knows what to say. I love that about him.

#8 He doesn't watch baseball on tv. I don't know why I thought of that one, but I was just thinking about how he isn't a big sport watching fan. I mean he loves sports, but doesn't really get all hard core into watching it. Which I love becaues I can't stand to watch sports on tv, especially baseball!

#9 He loves my family. I love that he loves my famiy, mom, dad, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, it doesn't matter he loves to be around any of them, and gets along great with them. And he doesn't care where we hang out for holidays, his family, my family, it doesn't matter. And I am the same way. No in-laws are the out-laws around here.

#10 He brings me flowers! He is so sweet in everything he does, so thoughtful and kind. Always does sweet things to make me happy, washes my car, fills it with gas, brings me flowers for no reason at all, irons our clothes on Sunday, just whatever. If it helps me out he willingly does it!

#11 Okay so I thought of another one! He's my best friend! There is nothing I want to do without him. I'd rather be with him than with anyone else!

Ally's First Day of Preschool

Today Ally started pre-school. She was just giggling with excitement. And now that she is back from pre-school I am finding that 2 hours just isn't enough!! She keeps complaining about how Paige and Marley aren't home from school yet and how she is bored! (they won't be home for 3 more hours) Heaven help me!

Button Button Who's got the Button?

BUCK DOES!!! This weekend we went to my Grandpa's Cabin in Alpine, AZ. On Sunday afternoon after church Buck was changing Preesley out of her dress. From the kitchen I heard Buck yell "Trachel", we he didn't say anything else so I just kept doing what I was doing. Then I finally went in to see what he wanted. I get in there and Buck says "I pulled it off" He had just pulled Preesley's umbilical cord off!! She is almost 6 weeks old and it still hadn't fallen off, and apparently Buck was really sick of it. So he just pulled it off! I was all "you can't do that" and he says, she was smiling at me the whole time. He said he just tugged on it a little and she didn't care so he tugged a little more and then just finally got it off. When I got in there he was dabbing it with a kleenex because it was bleeding. I told him her insides were gonna start coming out. I have a cousins who is a labor and delivery nurse so I called her in to see what Buck had done, she assured me that it was fine. And it is! She took her first real bath last night, and hated it, screamed the whole time just about. Anyway, its gone and she has a cute little belly button in its place, so I guess I should thank Buck.