Life is a Journey, not a race

Visiting Great Grandma

2008-10-28T21:15:00.001-07:00

Spending the afternoon down by Great gran's pond.

August review

2008-10-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

The boys sure are getting to see more family now. A week after we moved into our house we had a family get together at our home. That sure helped us in going through the boxes and cleaning up. Some one else took a nice group shot. I'm still waiting to get it.

Bryson and Miles with Grandma and Grandpa

Cousins Abri, and Miles just a few months apart

Quin, Abri, Cole, Bryson, and Miles

The Edwards were in town and the boys and I got to hang out with them for a little while.

Could our kids be related? Look at all the blond hair.

Having Fun

2008-10-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

We stayed with my parents for a few days until we could get into our house. My mom the kids and I took a trip to the Children's Museum. It was a lot of fun for the kids.

We rode the Frontrunner into town. Bryson loved it!

Bryson loves the llamas at grandma and grandpa's.

Good bye

2008-10-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

We've loved it in Modesto. We will forever hold fond memories of this place and the many wonderful people. We were blessed to live here.

Last time at the house

My good friend Erica took pictures of my house for me while I was doing the last walk over of the house. We both weren't happy about me leaving. Erica was amazing she not only offered to help watch my kids while I dealt with the stress of moving, but she also arranged for a sitter and came over and helped me clean my house. She let us stay the night at her home and then took us to the airport! She went over and beyond. What a great friend.

Sr. Primary

Jr. Primary. I will miss the Primary children enormously. I learned so much serving in Primary. I grew to know and love each child and knew the wonderful spirit each had within.

Bryson's wonderful primary teacher Sister Yosh!

Our Beautiful Chapel

Bryson's best friend Caleb

The boys and I flew out of San Fran.

One last hurrah

2008-10-28T17:52:00.001-07:00

Funworks was the last place we went to as a family in Modesto.

Future Batman

Oh boy

Those smiles are priceless

I have a little bit of a led foot at times. This is one place to put that to good use.

The 4th of July in my neighborhood

2008-10-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood sure threw a fun 4th of July Party

Bryson with his buds Caleb and Seth

Entertainment! All the neighborhood garage bands played throughout the day.

Friends, staying a safe distance from the madness

Fire truck tour. Our local fire fighters brought out the big trucks to our party.

The boys got to meet the firemen and received a complementary hat

Does your neighborhood do this?

Bryson loved this water slide

Miguel (Mike) and Amber two of our favorite people at the Second ward 4th of July Breakfast.

Dave one dedicated Scout master

Catching up on July

2008-10-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

We spent two wonderful days in the Monterey area. We all had a nice relaxing time. We will sure miss the beach!

Big Sur has very scenic beaches, that are difficult to get to

Bryson loves racing the waves

The only thing bad about the beach is the cold water.

Carmel is another beautiful spot to just hang out

Down by the dock in Monterey, checking out all the interesting types of boats

The place we stayed at

Brian is a professional sand castle builder.

Facinating! The Monterey Aquarium has the best exhibits I've ever seen!

Wild clam creatures from the deep. Watch out they bite!

I'd love to have a fish tank like this

The Jellies! Dude! This is the most amazing exhibit there!

Catching up

2008-10-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

Four months ago I stopped blogging. I got a little side tracked...we moved. So I will do my best to capture all that happened during that time up to now.

Things we did during the end of June

Cameron's Chuck E Cheese Party

Corvette at Modesto Car show

Sweet Ride!

Lavender Hollow

Lavender Hollow, Harvest time

Preschool graduation

2008-06-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Bryson's Joy school graduation was so cute. Obviously not the traditional ceremony, or dress apparel occurred, but they all had fun. The mom's all got together and tie dyed shirts for grad day. We had a short program where they sang one of their songs and then received their certificate. I still need to download the video to You tube. So you need to check out my friend Tricia's blog. Watch the video of them singing. You will get a good laugh.

Mmmm Blackberries!

2008-06-16T21:45:00.001-07:00

Here's the view I had when I stepped outside. We have a blackberry bush in the backyard. Every year I've tried to make good use of the berries. Does smashing berries all over your face count? I bet it makes a great facial. I had to soak the shirt for a while to get the stains out. But, seeing the smile on his face was worth it.

Trains

2008-06-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

We got together with the Edwards over Memorial Weekend and visited Old Town Sacramento and the famous Railroad Museum.
We had a little trouble getting every one to look at the camera and sit still.

Cute Couple

Waving high to the Engine as it passes by our passenger car.

Fun with Grandpa

2008-06-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa took us to Yosemite. We took a short hike and enjoyed the beautiful valley .

Bryson thought it was funny that they made a bench out of a tree.

Grandma visit

2008-06-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the Oakland Temple after picking up Grandma from the airport. The grounds here are always beautiful.

Gotta touch that water

Picnic at the Farm

2008-06-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

My friend Erica took us to a fun place called Lavender Hollow. Its a Lavender farm.

We had fun looking at the chickens. They are named after the five daughters in the novel Pride and Prejudice and the Rooster is Mr. Darcy.

Bryson really liked this old car.

The family that runs the farm restored/remodeled an old Farm home and made it gorgeous. They have all sorts of fun activities. Check out their website. http://www.lavenderhollowfarm.com/

Easter

2008-06-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

I know I know it's already past Easter but I'm trying to catch up. These pictures are Easter at a the Hammer's house.

Miles really enjoyed shaking the eggs and then eating the candy. Some of the eggs had cars or planes in them and Bryson enjoyed playing with those.

Flowers

2008-03-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

If anyone truly knows me they will know I love flowers. So much so that I convinced my boys to take me to a Camellia Flower show. The flowers were brought in from all over the state and were judged and given awards. We have a few Camellias that are currently blooming. But these were really neat to see.

Bryson's favorite part was the fish in the building and the peacocks and Canadian geese outside.

Piano

2008-03-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

We have a new arrival. Our neighbors across the street decided they wanted to get rid of their piano and wondered if we were interested. UM... Ya! and they didn't want anything for it. So now I need to make use of this and start practicing. Not that I was ever any good. But since we have no pianist in Primary currently, and since I often have to sub for the chorister ( Ya, like 3 out of 4 weeks!), I might as well learn the songs on the piano also. The kids of course love it. I want to try and teach Bryson some basics, but again I'm no pro.

Skateboarding?

2008-03-19T23:29:00.000-07:00

One weekend we decided to go to the park for a stroll. Brian brought his skate board and Bryson had his bike, and Miles had the luxury of riding in a stroller. So who got the best work out? And who had the most fun? Well I thought I would be on the blah side, but something different happened. Brian, offered me to ride on his long board (long skate board). Now, for those of you thinking oh, no big deal she probably does this all the time. NO, I have never ridden a skate board in my life, and I rarely do things that will humiliate me on purpose. But after some convincing, and especially since no one was around really, I decided to try. I was definetly out of my element, but eventually I got the hang of it. Not to say I'm going to do tricks or anything, but I started to like it, that's all. Also Brian tells me the long board is much easier than the regular skate board.

Shopping with kids

2008-03-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

Since I don't live near family, and probably even if I did, I take my kids shopping. To some it may seem like insanity, and sometimes it feels insane, but mostly I just do it and deal with it and am not bothered by it. I now know to tell Bryson a head of time we aren't buying any toys or treats and so far it works. The thing that is often difficult to foresee and minimize is what my child says.
Just last week while shopping I picked up a box of wipes for Bryson. Bryson has been potty trained for a year now, thank heaven, and we're trying to help him learn to take care of his toilet needs by himself, thus the purchasing of happy (flushable) wipes. I got near the end of my shopping and thought these are not worth the extra cost and put them back on the shelf. Bryson alarmed asked in his loudest voice, "But mommie how will we wipe our bottoms?" I quietly said we have toilet paper at home and tried to hurry away from the clerk laughing at us. He was quite distressed so I got the wipes to reassure him all would be well.

Blogging

2008-03-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Well after much time, deliberation, and regret, I have decided to start up my blog again. Why the long pause? I feel it is due to lack of time, interest, and feeling like I couldn't make my blog cool enough or interesting enough to keep my readers attention. But like anything in life one must keep trying and keep hoping for something better, to reach greater heights. So for those of you who make wonderful blogs please be kind, and maybe offer assistance or suggestions.
What has our family been up to? Well as you can tell from last years post we had an addition to our family. As a mom of only two, I sometimes ponder -How in the heck do moms with more than two do it?- Not to say my kids are a handful, but life is definitely different. Like dealing with two grumpy kids who are both crying an trying to get them to stop through a method of trial and error. Is it hunger? are they tired? are they sick? do they have a temperature? are they teething, do they have gas or did they eat something gross from the floor, again, or are they fighting over the same toy? The list goes on. And for those of you without kids, there's more! It can become a vicious cycle. If you miss the time for nap then they get soo tired that they won't take a nap and the whole day is ruined because they are cranky and really need a nap and only finally sleep due to exhaustion. Then there is the issue of sleep. I'm sure I'm the only one who struggles with this, but the lack thereof can make a woman loose her mind. (So what am I implying?) Not only are you sleep walking to go soothe a crying child, which would be cake, if it wasn't all------ through the night. Then you're expected (by an unknown group of rule keepers) to wake up refreshed and beautiful and have the house in pristine condition at all hours, ready for company, and then have a delicious meal ready for dinner, in time! I for one cannot meet those demands. I do know several woman shall we call them Celestial beings, Superwomen, or just plain crazy, who do it all and maintain complete sanity. I have yet to grasp their mighty powers. I have devised a plan to find their secret. It will include, but not be limited to spying, questioning and experimentation. How do they do it all, and have time to make cute little hand made crafty things, and go to the gym, scrapbook, and do community service? They often claim to be bored, I've heard some say. Which completely astounds me because I'm so overwhelmed and in over my head I don't even have the time or the ability to be bored. Maybe they have made a secret pact with aliens that if they give them their eldest child, the aliens will keep all things in order and perfect.
Well I guess I should stop my complaining, it's always easier to see the bad stuff. What gets me through the blah is when they (my kids) look up at me and say "I love you". Or when they do something hilarious that you laugh until you have tears in your eyes, or when you realize how fast they grow up and that they aren't babies anymore and that time is so precious. So sometimes I just throw cleaning and all that jazz out the window and just play and watch my children be kids and enjoy the moment. I believe more and more that the small and simple things bring true joy.

NICU

2007-04-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

Miles stayed in the NICU for a week. Jamilah drove to the hospital, 30 min. away, every day. It was very difficult to leave the baby at the hospital.

Miles in the incubator

Before you can go in and see your baby you have to scrub your hands and arms for 3 min. and then you put a hospital gown over your clothes.

Children under 16 yrs. were not allowed in, so Bryson got to see his baby brother for the first time through the window.

Miles doing his car seat test. Testing to make sure he could breath okay for an extended period sitting in a car seat.

Miles in his going home outfit.

Miles celebrating being able to leave.

Our new arrival

2007-04-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

Our little guy just couldn't wait any longer. He arrived 6 weeks early. Jamilah's water broke at 33 weeks and was kept in the hospital, on bed rest, for a week. Then at 34 weeks labor was induced and Miles was born.

Bryson's birthday

2007-01-11T23:40:00.000-08:00

Bryson had quite the celebration. We chose race cars as a theme and he loved it! Here is a cake mom made. Bryson drove his cars on the track several times before we could cut it up.

Here's the cool race car dad made for Bryson's party.

Here's the race track for the party

Bryson

2007-01-11T22:59:00.000-08:00

Bryson has had a wonderful year. So many new adventures. Bryson is similar to his dad in his taste of vehicles and projects he likes to work on. They both love fixing things up especially Land Cruisers. Bryson also loves music and singing. He learns songs quickly and has favorites that only he can sing. (We get introuble if we try and sing along.) He is very eager to see his new little brother. He asked me one day "when is daddy coming home?" then he asked " when is the baby coming home?" He has become very interested in our preparations for our new little arival.

Bryson can be quite charming

Bryson loves playing at the park.

Bryson loves the movie cars

Camping

2006-12-19T12:26:00.000-08:00

We took some friends camping with us in the Sierras. They had a two month old baby with them, and she did amazingly well. Bryson was a little nervous of the dark and the new surroundings. Once morning came he was happy.

Here Bryson is roasting, or rather burning a marshmallow for the first time on his own. He really got a kick out of this.

At the end of our adventure we went out to eat at the Pizza in the Sky restaurant.

Reno air show

2006-12-19T11:39:00.000-08:00

One of my friends from college, her dad races in the Reno air show. We decided it would be a treat to see the races and all the neat planes.

Sunday

2006-12-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Just a nice day to take a photo.

Oldies

2006-12-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

Our area is famous for fixing up old cars. Often people will just get together on a weekend and display their cars for fun. We drove by and found a bunch of beauties.

Encampment

2006-12-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Brian was a leader during the Young men's high adventure week long camp-out. He thoroughly enjoyed his time up in the wilderness.

Carmel

2006-09-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

Brian's sister Janeen came and visited us one weekend. We decided it would be fun to take her to the beach. We had a wonderful time playing in the sand and water.

The constructin zone

Bryson and his cousin Decker catching some shade at the beach.

The Ranch

2006-09-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

Every year our family heads to the ranch. Its our all time favorite get away. The pace of life just slows down. The closest neighbor is about a 20 min. drive away. No one is going to bother you here.

Brian always enjoys fishing at the ranch and decided to teach Bryson some of the finer points of fly fishing.

The fam out for an evening stroll

The "look" Bryson gives when mom asks him to come

Aaron is quite the pro fisher man.

The rule of fishing, you catch it, you gut it and eat it. Bri and Aaron scarffed up their catch of the day.

Bryson enjoyed a short ride with dad

This is for our gourmet, Zagat rating restaurant going, posh eating friends. This is one of our top rated restaurants in the area. They had fresh buffalo ready on the grill that day.

Brian and Bryson drove the little tractor.

Here's the latest scoop, Bryson loves machines

Bryson's dream, to drive the big swather
One of the best methods of getting water, making your kid pump it out.

Bryson was very excited to see the big John Deer Tractor

Getting ready for the ride

We miss the ranch and hope to be back soon!

Grandma's house

2006-08-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

First on the itinerary was to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Their place is always so peaceful and serene. Grandma always takes us on little adventures to discover something fun at her place.

Helping water the plants
Blowing dandelion seeds

Grandma's lovely garden

Playing in the pond

The Zoo

2006-08-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

Visiting the zoo is always fun. Here Bryson is invesitgating the butterflies.

riding the train is always Bryson's favorite

Just chillin'

One must always visit the Lion drinking fountain. Every little kid seems to get a kick out of drinking water out of the lions mouth.

auntie Chan

Starting summer out right

2006-08-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

The beginning of summer means blackberry picking for our family. We have several blackberry bushes and this year we made lots of jam. The berries were perfect. We hope to do the same next year. Bryson was always willing to help pick berries. He ate most, but allowed mom to have a few.

Happy Birthday Brian!

2006-05-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

For Brian's birthday we stayed the night in Santa Cruz. Then in the morning we went to the beach. After lunch we went to the Laguna Seca Raceway, and watched a race. It was a blast!

The big down hill turn.

True race car drivers!

The Boardwalk

Santa Cruz beach

We love it when family visit

2006-05-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

The Read Family came during April. We kept their week full of nonstop sightseeing. Here are some pictures from our trip down to Carmel and Big Sur. The seascapes were breathtaking. We truly enjoyed this area!

Love that cute little smile!

Mom, dad, liz, me, and little B

Carmel beach

Playing in the sand at Carmel

Big Sur, sunset

Rain gear

Beautiful beach, in Big Sur Park

knarly tree!

Elephant Seal that was released while we were at the beach

CDM

2006-04-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose.

Water Ways area. Bryson putting balls down the whirl pool. Luckily they had these little coveralls, water was splashing everywhere. Bryson's shoes got pretty wet.
There were several zones with interactive Dr. Seuss activities.

Fireman Bryson

Stacking blocks

Bubble zone. Bryson and Brian made several large bubbles. I need to get their bubble recipe, these things were quite strong, for bubbles that is.

Children's Museum

2006-04-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday the 1st. We visited the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum. It was a blast. We spent a good 3+ hours there.

Bryson to the rescue! He just loves fire engines

Bryson the artist!

Bryson the chef

Ya need a lift?

C is for Caterpillar

2006-04-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Bryson with his caterpillar he made at play group. Our play group has one letter it focuses on. We read stories, sing, look at pictures, do a craft, and have a snack.

Bryson liked his caterpillar so much that he took it everywhere he went for a couple of days!

Snowboarding

2006-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

Brian and I went snowboarding Presidents day at a resort nearby. It actually wasn't as crowded as we thought it'd be. We had fun. I had a few good spills to make my body remember the trip for days!

What we've been up to

2006-03-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Fairy Tale Land, across the street from the Zoo. Fun place for a kid to play! Notice the short entrance. There's a warning to duck or you'll bang your nogin.

Rachel, Bryson, and Blake all having a good time together.

Brian made me a home made carrot cake with cream cheese frosting! Yummy

For Jamilah's birthday we had the Edwards family over.

Another highlight for Bryson, pushing his stroller. Mom has to assist steering, for the safety of passing strangers, plants and to maintain sanity.

Just chillin. What are those pants doing in there?

The dump truck was Bryson's favorite thing

February- We visited the Sacramento Zoo

January- Brian went with a friend body surfing in Santa Cruz. He said that with a body suit he was plenty warm.

The end of December we visited the Jamestown Train Museum. Bryson was thrilled to see so many trains. This place actually has a pretty big outdoor collection you can walk around and see. We had the whole place to ourselves, it was very nice. Oh and the temperature was 70 degrees! Lovely December weather

Bryson's Birthday

2006-01-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

December 9th Bryson turnned two and boy does he ever fill those shoes. This year he was spoiled by cellebrating two birthdays one in Utah and one in Modesto.

Here Bryson is riding the "car" roller coaster. We took Bryson to this place that had all you can eat food, movies, rides and games. This ride was his favorite. He rode almost 10 times. They required a parent to ride along so that's why I'm in there.

Beautiful San Diego

2006-01-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Here we are enjoying a lovely stay at Pala Mesa. While in SanDiego we went to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

New Year's Resolutions

2006-01-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

Yes! We are finally going to post our comings and goings. We regret that we haven't kept up with some of our more advanced family and friends, but are taking new strides in their direction. We hope to keep this updated monthly and possibly weekly. We'll see, I guess actions speak louder than words.

Today Jamilah was completly incharge of Primary and the beginning of a new primary year for the children. The primary president, a counselor, a teacher were all missing. To put it mildly Jamilah was a little anxious. She had letters, schedules, class lists, classroom assignments, photocopies, a new primary song to learn, set up all the primary chairs, new sunbeams to worry about, and plan sharing time. To top it all off church starts early! Jamilah is not the early bird. Yet somehow it all went fairly well and the kids seemed to enjoy sharing time.

2005-10-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

Bryson

2005-10-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Family @ Jims