MONTGOMERY MOMENTS

Spring Piano Recital . . .

2011-05-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

Jordan and Kate have the greatest piano teacher EVER! We love Heidi. She does such a great job with the kids. They learn so much and have a blast doing it. It's fun watching their talent with the piano grow and expand. Here are some pictures of their most recent recital.

Jordan played Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter. When he first tried to play that song, he said that he'd NEVER be able to play it and it was too hard. If you would have heard him tonight, you would have heard him play it perfectly. I guess persistence pays off!

Kate played Tarantella. She did a brilliant job! I'm so proud of her. She tries her best every time she sits down to play. She's competitive, so on top of her own assigned piano songs to learn, she likes to try and learn Jordan's songs, too! (And they're WAY too hard for her, but that doesn't stop her!)

(And her feet STILL don't touch the ground or reach the pedals!)

I think I'll be sad the day they can reach the pedals. It's just so cute to watch them swing and dangle there.

Easter 2011

2011-05-29T13:38:00.001-07:00

Easter was at Uncle Scott and Aunt Tera's house again this year. Thank you guys for always being such wonderful sports about us using your house for EVERY family get together! We love you!!

Our tradition is to let the older grandchildren hide the eggs, then the youngest group of grandchildren go first to look for eggs, then the next youngest group get to go, and so on. Here are the youngest 4 that went first ( all 5-yr. olds!)

(Nate, Emma, Ethan and Jake)

Ethan can NOT move fast enough on his hunt for cand-filled eggs!

Emma moving almost as fast as Ethan.

Jordan found the coveted gold egg filled with money!!

NBA Finals for Middle-Aged Men . . .

2011-05-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Tom loves basketball. He can watch it, listen to it, or play it for countless hours on end. And he does. Since it is something he enjoys so much, I thought it would be fun to post some fun and exciting shots here.

This is a church game with a neighboring ward. I really like to go watch him play. I like watching him do something he is good at and that he enjoys so much. And it also helps to have seen the game - so when he talks about it OVER AND OVER, dissecting each play of the game - I know what he's actually talking about.

These guys play SO hard. They leave it all on the court, playing their hearts out. To watch them, you would almost think it was the NBA Finals! Sometimes I wonder if these men realize they've aged? In their minds, they think their bodies can still do all the things they could do when they were 18. And because of this, they inevitably come home with injuries - jammed fingers, bloody noses, sprained ankles, broken hands, torn ACLs. (All real injuries that have occurred in our ward!)

It must still be worth it though since they all still show up every Wednesday night.

My Mom's Apple Pie (AKA - heaven on earth!)

2011-05-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has ever had my mom's apple pie knows it is the best in the world. Honestly. In the back of my mind I've always wanted to be able to learn how to make her pie, but have felt slightly (okay, really) intimidated by how yummy it is and not wanting to fall short and thus be known as the 'sub-par pie baker'. But I finally decided it was worth the risk! So I went down to visit my parents for a few days and while there, my amazing mom taught me how to make her amazing pie (and her amazing orange rolls). Are you getting the picture?

My mom is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

And guess what? My pie was exactly like hers! It smelled like hers, looked like hers, and even better - tasted like hers! Here is the finished product:

(I'm only a little bit proud - okay, I'm actually A LOT proud!)

I've yet to try to make another one. Why tempt fate?

Time Out For Women . . .

2011-04-16T12:33:00.001-07:00

What an awesome experience! I was able to go up to Fresno to a Time Out For Women Conference with some of my favorite women - my mom, my sister Jaimee, my sisters-in-law Tera and Esther, and my Aunt Melanie. It was a MUCH needed break with lots of girl time, and even more positive motivation and uplifting moments. I felt like there was too much to digest all at once. I took pages of notes and still missed so much. I need to go through my notes and break it all down so I can digest it all in smaller doses. How wonderful this weekend was. It's so nice to hear about other people who have had challenges in their life and are still happy, hopeful and have had their faith strengthened. I would do well to learn from their experiences.

One of my favorite moments was when my sister and I got to meet John Bytheway, have our picture taken with him and have him sign a book he wrote that I had just bought. (I think I have EVERY book, talk on cd, and dvd he has made!)

He is one of my favorite speakers, and has been since I was a teenager and first heard him at EFY in Provo, Utah. I actually have a picture of him from my first EFY when I was 14, 21 years ago. (Sheesh, that makes me sound really old!)

John Bytheway and I at EFY in Provo, UT in July, 1990.)

Here is Tera, Esther and Aunt Mel with John Bytheway, too.

This was taken by the staff of Time Out For Women right after they gave us our free bags. They put this picture on their TOFW website. I thought it was fun of all us, so I thought I'd include it here. (The woman next to Tera is her mom who met us up there. I'm not sure who the woman on the far right is, she wasn't part of our group.)

Some of the other presenters that were there were Michael McLean, Hilary Weeks, Laurel Christiansen, Mariama Kallon, Kris Belcher, DeAnn Flynn, Wendy Ulrich, and Mary Ellen Edmunds. Each one had beautiful, powerful, hopeful messages they shared with us, whether it was in word or music.

I'm really grateful for this experience. I've been to BYU Women's Conference and Time Out For Women several times now. Each time I leave with a renewed desire to do better, be better, and with a greater appreciation for my blessings. And now, I hope I've finally convinced the great women in my family how awesome these conferences are! I was so glad to share this time with all of you!! I love you so much.

23 new posts!

2011-03-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, I realize I've been a HUGE blog slacker. So in the past 2 days, I've caught up over the past year or so that I've been behind.

There are 23 NEW POSTS!

I was able to get pictures off my broken camera through the genius of my husband. I was so grateful for that, I was afraid I'd lost some priceless moments. Now I can say my journal is completely current and will be ready to be put in a book in a few more months.

Kate . . . Angry Eyes!

2011-03-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Kate had a great basketball season, despite a coach who wasn't great. (Why do we keep getting these teenage girls that don't know what they're doing??) Kate scored in every game, most games she was the high scorer with as many as HALF the team's points coming from her.

SHE IS SO FUN TO WATCH!! I am amzed how little fear she has. She will take on anyone - no matter what the size or skill level. She was always the first one up and down the court using her "hustle muscle", what she calls it when she runs fast. Being one of the shorter girls playing, you would think she'd be at a disadvantage. Not this little girl! She had countless rebounds, blocks, assists, and was really good at stealing the ball from the other team; resulting in a fast break and score for her.

Other parents have made comments to us about her, like: "She's really intense when she plays", "She has angry eyes!" (Hence her nickname.), "She's awesome, a little fireball!", "She has no fear!", and so on. Her teammates even made comments about her skill, like: "You're on fire, Kate!", "I'm sure glad you're on our team!", etc.

She LOVES to play basketball. On top of her own team's practice, she would go to practice with Susannah's 6th grade team that Tom was coaching (to make the numbers even) and scrimmage with them. She routinely scored on the bigger girls and when the 6th grade boys team scrimmaged against the 6th grade girls team, Kate even scored on a 6th grade boy! This boy promptly was teased by the other boys. Tom heard one say to the boy Kate beat, "Dude! That little girl just scored on you!" That was a proud moment for Daddy!

Susannah . . . Best Forward!

2011-03-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

This year was a really fun year for Susannah playing basketball. Her dad was her coach, and they won most of their games. Last year, they had a LAME coach (who was like 16) and they didn't win any games. Despite her knee hurting at times from her Osgood-Schlotter syndrome, she had a blast and improved quite a bit. She was one of the best defenders on her team, scored several times, and had many, many steals, blocks, assists and rebounds. She played against so many girls that were bigger and broader than her, but I was proud of how well she held her own. After the last game, Tom gave out awards to every girl along with a LIVESTRONG bracelet. The girls all loved it. Susannah was awarded "Best Forward" which is perfect for her. It's so much fun to watch my kids play a sport I love so much. Way to go, Susie! You're awesome!!

16th Anniversary . . .

2011-03-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

We spent our 16th anniversary in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. We had a blast! 4 days with no kids and sleeping in -aaaahhh, blessed, uninterrupted sleep. When the hotel staff found out it was our anniversary, they upgraded our room to a suite! So cool!

While we were there we went outlet shopping (thank you Tom!), we saw The Lion King (awesome!), went to Shark Reef (the jellyfish were my favorite), had a cartoon drawn of us (our Vegas tradition - we now have 3. Few couples grow old in cartoons, but we do. Haha!), saw The Titanic exhibit at The Luxor (overpriced, but really interesting), visited some other hotels (my favorite was The Wynn - they had a Ferrari & Maserati dealership, museum and display that was incredible! I even got to sit in a red Ferrari and have my picture taken!! This was definitely my highlight of the trip.) We also got to spend a day with Tom's sister and family in Las Vegas. While we were there, we found out Tom's sister, Marie, had her first baby! A beautiful boy named Samuel. That was a lot of fun. There's never a dull moment at the Rasmussen's! We even got to Skype with Jacqueline at BYU-H.

I have to give credit where it's due . . . Tom planned this whole anniversary trip! It's the first time in 16 years he's ever done that. Can I just say how shocked I was? And how sweet, thoughtful, and sexy it was they he did it himself? It made me love him all the more! Thanks for a great getaway weekend, babe. I loved all of it, but being with you was the BEST part.

New Beginnings . . .

2011-03-08T10:04:00.001-08:00

"Is she really so grown-up?" This was the thought running through my head all evening. Susannah and I went to New Beginnings for the Young Women tonight. This is for all the girls turning 12 this year. Susannah will be 12 in August. It was a great program. Each girl was spotlighted by one of the Laurels. Then they talked about the Young Women's program, Personal Progress, and Girls Camp. Susannah loved it all, felt very grown up and had a smile on her cute face all night. I, on the other hand, could feel the gray hairs and wrinkles sprouting as my age started to creep up on me. Despite this, it was a fun night with my oldest daughter, who is growing into the most beautiful, talented, sweet, thoughtful, perfect girl I know. She is the dream daughter that other moms wish they had. She's a great cook, fabulous big sister and babysitter, has the funniest sense of humor, is amazingly talented with drawing and making things, and has the most tender heart I have ever seen. I've had school teachers tell me they see her going all the time to the kids who are alone during lunch or recess and playing with them. She has made friends with most of the special needs students at her school. I've had parents thank me for her being their lonely child's friend. I didn't teach her that. This is just Susannah's nature. I take no credit. She just came to us good. It has been my greatest joy being her mother - and the mother of her 4 siblings. It's moments like this that make it all worth it.

Mommy, I want to help!

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

Christmas Morning 2010 . . .

2011-03-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

It's here! The BEST day of the whole year! This is the one day I look forward to all year; the day I anxiously plan, prepare, plot and scheme for. My favorite moment of the day is the kids' faces when they come out (one at a time, youngest to oldest) and see what Santa brought for them.

And YES - we still believe in Santa in our house. Because when you stop believing you get underwear for Christmas. How un-FUN is that??

Some of the highlights this year were: Susannah getting a TON of yarn and a crochet book (on how to crochet animals) from Grandma Beverly, the twins getting Harry Potter wands and pillow pets, Kate getting THREE Webkinz (all baby fish - adorable!), Jordan getting many, many books (that he'll probably have finished in a week!), the three older kids getting new bedding for their new bedrooms, Susannah's tetherball pole, the family's basketball arcade game, Mom's electric blanket from Dad (BEST gift ever!), and a very special gift from my mom and dad - a beautiful book of some of my Grandpa's paintings. Absolutely priceless.

It was a beautiful Christmas morning in our new home. It's days like this that turn into wonderful memories, and make this new house of ours start to feel like a home.

SANTA!!

2011-03-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Snow Day 2010 . . .

2011-03-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

(I love Jordan's face in the b/w pic. Can you tell the sun is in his eyes? Hee hee!)

This is one of my family's favorite days of the year, thanks to Uncle Scott and Aunt Tera. They bring in tons (literally) of snow and have it sprayed all over their front yard, and even build a little hill for the kids to go sledding on. Do you have any idea how fun it is to play in the snow without freezing? Usually in weather around mid-70's? It's such a blast! We love being there to play in the snow, play with cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, and grandparents. Thank you so much to Scott and Tera! You are so generous and so much fun!

Empty Cupboards . . .

2011-03-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

Kids can find fun anywhere! These are our poor, sad empty kitchen cupboards as we were getting ready to move. Hide & seek, anyone?

Apple Picking . . .

2011-03-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

Every fall, we drive up to Tehachapi to go apple picking. Our whole family really looks forward to it for a number of reasons - hide & seek in the never-ending orchards, searching for only the BEST apples on the trees, each child getting to fill their own bag of apples, the yummy apple treats for sale at the farm stores, sampling dozens of different types of apples (who knew there were so many?), and the boxes and bags of the YUMMIEST apples that come home with us!

The apples we buy in the boxes are some of the best I've ever had, and as big as grapefruits. The apples we pick from the trees are small and perfect for school lunches and snacks. It's such a fun family tradition, one that will continue for many more years!

Tahoe Favorites . . .

2011-03-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

These are a few of my favorite pictures from our Thanksgiving in Lake Tahoe this year (2010). In years past, we've gone to Big Bear for our annual Williams Thanksgiving Vacation. But this year, we thought a change of scenery would be nice. It was wonderful! The week we were there, Tahoe got a record amount of snow, almost 8 feet in a week! The kids spent almost all day out in the snow and had so much fun. We went skiing, tubing, saw Harry Potter, played games, watched movies, ate great food, had an epic snowball fight, and laughed a whole lot. It was a GREAT trip. I can't wait for next year!

Grant Vs. Wendy . . .

2011-03-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

Here is proof that I can still take down my nephews! I know this will not always be the case, so I had to document it. I love you, Grant. Thanks for being such a good sport, and taking it as well as you give it!

Snowball Command Central . . .

2011-03-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

Epic Snowball Fight . . .

2011-03-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

This was the snowball fight to end all snowball fights! I think at some point every person there was involved - whether they wanted to be or not! And thanks to Jaimee and Tera's awesome cameras, we got some way cool shots.

Skiing in Tahoe . . .

2011-03-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

Jordan and Kate tried skiing for the first time when we were in Lake Tahoe for Thanksgiving. (Susannah was having trouble with her knee, so she opted out this time.) They both LOVED it. It was a long day of lessons, but they were troopers and both went down a big run on the ski lift before the end of the day. They were pretty beat by the end of the day and ready to go home, but they were AWESOME! I was really proud of both of them.

Some Of My Favorites . . .

2011-03-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

Tubing in Tahoe . . .

2011-03-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving morning, we took the kids tubing. Even though the runs weren't quite as big and exciting as we were hoping, we still had a GREAT time. The younger kids especially loved this. And we loved watching them having so much fun!

Views of Tahoe . . .

2011-03-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Winter in Lake Tahoe is absolutely breathtaking. The pictures just don't do it justice, but it's all we have left of this trip. And the memories they bring back are so sweet.

Lake Almanor . . .

2011-03-07T20:23:00.001-08:00

Do we have the greatest friends, or what?? Steve and Susie Deason invited us to spend a week at the lake house of Susie's mom in Lake Almanor. She has 2 wave runners that we were able to use, as well. We didn't take the kids on this trip. They were spending the week in Las Vegas at the Rasmussens, having their own little vacation.

In the past when we've been on wave runners, we've always rented them and only get them for an hour or so at a time. Having them for a week straight, all day every day, was a totally new experience for me. I don't know if I'll ever be satisfied with just an hour again!

Thank you so much, Deasons! We had an absolute blast with you.

Jet Skiing on Lake Almanor

2011-03-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures of the fun we had at Lake Almanor. Jet skiing is one of my most FAVORITE things to do - in case you couldn't tell. :-)

The Soaking of my Husband . . .

2011-03-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

This sequence of pictures was taken by Steve Deason, my accomplice. We thought it would be fun to set Tom up. Steve stayed on shore with his camera and told me to soak Tom. I happily obliged. I told Tom that Steve wanted a picture of one of us not moving and the other zooming by so he could get a good action shot. This was the reason Tom didn't move, even after seeing me flying towards him. The funniest part is that he was so shocked by being so completely doused, that he didn't move and I did it to him AGAIN! As mean as this makes me sound, it was the highlight of the trip for me! I got as close to him as I could, then banked hard and sent a big wave that went completely over him - TWICE! It still makes me smile to think about it.

Twins Birthday (really late)

2011-03-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

Our lives got a little nutty when we moved a few months back, so I'm just getting around to posting about these two cute little kids and their 5th birthday, which was all the way back in October. (I know, I'm a total slacker mom).

They had a super fun day and both got Nintendo DSs.

(Thank you to Jordan and Kate for giving them your old DSs. You made their birthday great!)

I look at my twins and have a hard time believing they are 5. Their life has seemed like a blur, it's moving so fast. Since they are my youngest, I'm having a much harder time with their growing up than I remember having with the older 3 kids. They will be in kindergarten this year and I will have to let go of one more thing that will keep them babies and still at home with me. Bittersweet moments.

Kate's Armor . . .

2011-03-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

At church, Kate had a lesson on "Putting On The Armor Of God." She took it literally and came home from church and made this:

I just loved it. (My favorite is the nose piece on her "helmet") Thank you to all those WONDERFUL Primary teachers out there who work so hard to help our kids. You may not think you're getting through and that they're not listening. But here is proof that they are listening.

Lesson Learned . . .

2011-02-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

The reason for my major lack of posts lately is that my (not-so-wonderful) camera broke when we were in Las Vegas for our anniversary. It had a bunch of pictures on it that I have now lost. So because I procrastinated and didn't download the pictures I had on my camera, I have lost them. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, our anniversary, and so on - ALL LOST! I'm fairly upset about it.

So . . . I have learned my lessons. #1 - don't buy a piece of junk camera next time, #2 - download your pictures soon after taking them and #3 - don't use your camera as a picture storage device, like I was doing!

Moving . . .

2010-11-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

(Our new home!)

We're moving! We only have 3 more days in the house we've lived in for 7 years and the only home my kids remember, or have ever known. It's a very bittersweet thought. Exciting, yet sad. There is so much we will miss about living in this house, on Kickapoo Ct. (Although not the street name!)

And let me I just say that I AM FLAT OUT EXHAUSTED!!!

Moving is SO tiring. We've had a super short escrow - only 2 weeks; so we've had to be quick about getting everything sorted, packed and the old stuff thrown away. I will be glad when we're moved in and the painting is done. But then, I'm sure there will be many new and fun projects that accompany a new home that will take more of my ever-dwindling time, energy and motivation. Looking forward to it, though!

Kate's Baptism

2010-10-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Kate's special day is finally here! She has wanted to get baptized for-EVER! She even wanted to write to the prophet and ask if they'd make an exception and allow her to be baptized when she was 7. I love her excitement and enthusiasm for this wonderful ordinance. She looked beautiful, of course. The whole Williams family was there (with the exception of Jason, Janna and their kids), and also Grandma & Grandpa Montgomery, Aunt Liz, Tim, Steven, and Michelle Rasmussen. We're so grateful for our super-awesome family that traveled so far to make Kate's day even better. Morgan Polston & Jordan sang "Somewhere There's A Mountain" which is one of Kate's favorite songs. They did a fantastic job.

It's so fun having a daughter baptized because I get to be back there and help her out of the font and see that look on her face. Kate could have lit up the night sky with her glowing smile when she came out of the font. She immediately said, "That was AWESOME! I want to do that again!!"

It was a perfect moment; one I will remember forever. I'm sure Kate will as well.

Kate is 8!

2010-10-19T15:11:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe our little "Boo" is now eight years old. This girl is so much fun! She's athletic, a tom-boy, competitive, friend to all the neighborhood boys, and can usually beat them in most games. But on the other hand, no one has a laugh like Kate's. Her dimples are adorable, she loves to look pretty, wear high heals, and tell jokes. She's REALLY good at telling jokes. Ask her one sometime and you'll see what I mean. There is very little drama, whining or crying with Kate. She is tough, funny, affectionate, and a wonderful sister. The two best words to describe Kate are - SASSY & SWEET!

For her birthday, Kate asked for a bow & arrow, a Hermione wand from Harry Potter, and a box with a lock on it so Emma can't get into her special things (I don't blame her for wanting that!)

Happy birthday, sweet Kate. We love you so much. Our family wouldn't be the same without you. ♥ ♥ ♥

Sleeping Twins . . .

2010-10-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

While spending the night at Grandma & Grandpa Williams' house, this is how I found the twins asleep on the floor when I checked on them.

I guess Emma doesn't mind being used as a pillow by her twin brother, Ethan.

I have to say, it was so cute finding them like this.

Carrie Underwood Concert

2010-10-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Recently Jaimee, Brooke, Susannah, Kate and I all went to the Carrie Underwood concert. It was so much fun! We went to Tahoe Joe's for dinner and pigged out, then headed over to the place the concert was being held. There were two opening bands - Sons of Sylvia (really good) and Billy Currington (not so good). Before Carrie started, Kate & Brooke started feeling sick (probably because the lady next to us threw up from having too much to drink), so Tom came and picked them up. It was heartbreaking that they couldn't see Carrie. It was hard to enjoy it without them. Hopefully, the cute concert t-shirts we got for them partly made up for missing it.

Despite all this, Carrie was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Probably one of the best concerts I've been to. She had set and wardrobe changes between most songs, has incredible vocals and was awesome live and seemed like such a genuine, kind and religious person. My favorite part was when she was singing, "Jesus, Take the Wheel". Halfway through it, she started singing, "How Great Thou Art" - one of my favorite hymns. It was really touching.

The night was great, marred only by Kate and Brooke missing it. I always love chances to be with my super-cool sis, Jaimee, too!

First Day of Pre-School . . .

2010-10-19T14:27:00.001-07:00

Emma & Ethan were SO ready to start pre-school! (And I was SO ready for them to start!) They feel like big kids now that they go to school, too. This was a bittersweet moment for me. It's fun watching them growing up, but at the same time I know these two are my last babies so I seem to be holding on extra tight to them. They may not like that in a few years, but right now they seem to enjoy all the extra hugs and sappiness from mom!

Ethan & Emma with their teacher, Miss Michele. They ADORE her, and so do I. She's wonderful with her students.

Twins at the park . . .

2010-10-19T14:20:00.001-07:00

Having held the twins back this year because of their late October birthdays, it's hard keeping them entertained all day when the older 3 kids are in school. Pre-school is only a couple days a week, so we're always on the lookout for fun things to do. The park is one of their favorites!

Susannah's Paper Spaceship

2010-10-19T14:04:00.001-07:00

If I haven't mentioned it before, Susannah is a MASTER with paper and tape. She refuses to use glue - too messy. Most years, her Christmas stocking is stuffed with rolls of tape. Sometimes those dozens of rolls make it to February, sometimes not.

This is her latest creation - a Spaceship, complete with a map of the solar system so they know to what planet they are traveling.

The kids all fought over who got to go into space with Susannah first. Then we had to break out the timer so no one had a longer turn than the others.

This is the triple engine burner - WITH flames shooting out the back!

Don't forget your spacesuit and protective eyewear - absolute necessities in space!

Susannah makes even simple things so much fun! Her brothers and sisters are lucky to have her to play with them. And her mom and dad are lucky to have her for their daughter. She's truly a delight!

1st Day of School . . .

2010-08-27T11:54:00.001-07:00

Like everyone else, I can't believe summer is over and school is here again. Part of me is excited for it, while the rest of me dreads it. No more playtime, no more long days by the pool, no more sleeping in. Back to homework, tedious school projects, a child's frustration at not understanding a math concept, packing lunches, early mornings, etc. But on the flip side there is relative quiet and peace in my house for a few hours, beginning the day earlier gives me more time in my day, & watching my kids come home after a good day at school with wonderful friends and teachers is great.

Jordan started Junior High (7th grade) this year. He LOVES it! He has really great teachers and got all the classes he wanted. I hope he is prepared for a lot of homework from 5 GATE teachers! (Doesn't he look SO old??) I can't possibly be old enough to have a junior high student.

Susannah started 6th grade this year and has Jordan's teacher from last year and LOVES him! He's really funny, but also pushes the kids hard. She's already come home with some pretty tough homework. But she'll do great, she's a very hard worker. (And notice her first day of school outfit - it was a gift from Grandma Beverly with handmade crocheted circles on the shorts since Susannah is so into crocheting now. It's Susannah's most favorite outfit now. Thanks again, Grandma B!)

Kate started 3rd grade is feeling pretty grown up. She has such a great personality - awesome dimples and giggle; and one heck of a joke teller. (Ask her one sometime, I promise she'll make you laugh!) She's going to do great this year, too.

And it wouldn't be the first day of school without the traditional BUS CAKE! (I must have been reminded about 247 times to make the bus cake. Like I would ever forget to do that!

P.S. The twins are going to pre-school this year, but it doesn't start for a couple more weeks. There will be a post about it when it happens.

Before . . . During . . . After

2010-08-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Kate got her cute little ears pierced! Since big sister, Susannah, got her ears pierced when she was 8, we let Kate do the same. She had great "piercers" because they did both ears at the same time so it was over fast. She can't stop looking at her ears. She's totally in love with them . . . and we're totally in love with HER!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

And this makes 20 . . .

2010-07-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

I've spent all night bringing my sorely outdated blog up to date. This will be 20 posts in one day! Is that some sort of record? I'm not sure. But at least I'm current, right? Hopefully you will all forgive me. I've had a rough 7 months with all the craziness going on due to my health. But on a good note, things are MUCH improved. That might be my next blog - the story of my illness & recovery. But for now, good night . . .

Susannah & Grace . . .

2010-07-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

These two were almost inseparable at Jordan's Beach Party. Wherever one was, the other was usually there. They're so cute and have so much fun together. (And yes, they were playing jump rope with seaweed.)

Eww. . .

Still more beach photos . . .

2010-07-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

More Birthday Beach Photos . . .

2010-07-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 12th Birthday, Jordan!

2010-07-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

We spent Jordan's 12th birthday at Zuma Beach - his favorite place to go. Most of the Williams clan was there to celebrate with us. It was perfect beach weather and we loved every minute of it! (Until the wind picked up in the afternoon & it got cold) I thought the water was FREEZING, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

They spent most of the time in the water.

Thanks to everyone who came to be with Jordan. He loved being with you and playing in the sand and surf!

(And Emma loved playing with you in sand, too!)

Independence Day . . .

2010-07-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

This is one of my two favorite holidays. I love, love, love the 4th of July!

We always have a barbecue and swim party, then do fireworks in our cul-de-sac when it gets dark. It's so much fun! We invited some families over to celebrate with us and we all had a great time. Susannah made a very patriotic cake for us, too.

This is the one day we remember to be grateful for the tremendous blessing of FREEDOM. Why do we take it for granted every other day? Maybe because we've never known what it's like to not be free. Let's hope we never know. Heaven help us to preserve our freedom, our rights as Americans and our national pride. God bless this beautiful country; this promised land.

My Role Model . . .

2010-07-26T21:43:00.001-07:00

This was one of those moments that literally took my breath away and brought instant tears to my eyes. We received a letter telling us to attend the awards assembly at school because Jordan would be receiving an award. It didn't say what award. They gave out lots of awards to many deserving kids. Then came the last award. The principal got up and said, "We have one final award - the Role Model Award. This is going to an especially great kid. This person is the epitome of hard work, the epitome of kindness, the epitome of happiness. You will never find him without a smile. He is one of the best examples in the school of what a student should be; and what a friend should be. It has been a privilege to get to know him. He is exemplary in every way, which is the whole purpose of the Role Model Award. It is my honor to present this award to a boy who has earned every bit of it . . . JORDAN MONTGOMERY!

Jordan had no idea he was getting this award. You should have seen his face! He could not have been smiling any bigger. And as for me, I was caught completely off-guard. I was literally bursting at the seams with pride for this amazing boy of mine. I've always known how remarkable he is, but it is really special to have others recognize that as well, and reward him for it. To hear others say such wonderful things about MY son was so, so neat. I fighting back tears, and losing the battle. This was one of those unforgettable "mom" moments.

School Awards . . .

2010-07-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Allow me to brag for a moment . . . I HAVE THE SMARTEST, MOST AMAZING, PERFECT, WONDERFUL KIDS EVER! Jordan and Susannah were both on Honor Roll all 4 quarters this year (2009-2010). Because of that, they were both invited to attend the Honor Roll Banquet. This a big deal because of how much work it requires. I went with Jordan to his banquet and Dad went with Susannah to her banquet (he forgot to take pictures of her at her banquet. :-(

This is Jordan's 6th grade teacher, Mr. Kramer. Jordan loved him. He was a fun, energetic, quirky guy. I can imagine him being a lot like Jordan when he was a boy.

Susannah also got her school letter. To get your letter, you have to be on Honor Roll for at least 2 years, be a model student and a good example. All these things describe Susannah. She's a terrific girl!

This award was a surprise to Susannah, and us! She got the "Science Award" for her 5th grade class! She LOVES science. In fact, she did a whole Science Fair Project that was OPTIONAL because she loves it so much. Some of the other awards given to the other kids in this picture are "Math Award", "Reading Award", "Writing Award", "History Award", etc.

So proud of my kids!

♥ ♥ ♥

Mother's Day

2010-07-26T21:15:00.000-07:00

Tom asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day. My answer? What every mom wants . . . A DAY OFF! So we left all our responsibilities behind for a day and went to the beach! One of my favorite places to be.

We had beautiful, sunny weather and just really enjoyed ourselves. We played, relaxed, swam & built sand castles.

My favorite part was just sitting back and watching my family play together; and feeling completely content. Thank you for this perfect "day off", Tom!

Easter 2010

2010-07-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

This year, we had Easter at Scott & Tera's home. They have such a great yard for hiding Easter eggs. The whole Williams family was together today, which makes it all the better! The cousins love playing with each other and get along so well. And the adults have a great time together, too; usually with much teasing and laughter. The evening before Easter, we were all at Jaimee & Mike's home and we had a visit from a very special friend . . . the Easter Bunny!

Here's my cute kids with our fuzzy friend.

And here's all the Williams grandchildren with the Easter Bunny. 17 of the most beautiful children around! We have the BEST family out there.

Growing up . . .

2010-07-26T20:54:00.001-07:00

There were so many days that I couldn't wait for these babies to grow up . . . no more diapers, no more bottles, no more late-night feedings, and so on. I was anxious to be past the stages of crawling and getting into everything, walking and getting into MORE, potty training, etc. They were SO MUCH WORK! Exhausting, unending, tedious, bone-tiring work.

But now that I'm past all those stages, there are moments when I'm sad to see how big these twins are getting. Did I wish too much of their baby-hood away? Knowing they are my last children, I seem more anxious to hold onto their "littleness". Each new milestone is bitter-sweet. But I'm really enjoying these two, and all their funny little antics. There's never a dull moment around our house. These sweet twins are the perfect ending to our full and wonderful family. I love you so much Emma & Ethan!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Making Beautiful Music . . .

2010-07-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Jordan & Kate had their bi-annual piano recital recently. As always, they played beautifully. Jordan played "In Dreams" (the theme song to "The Lord of the Rings") and "Dragon's Lair".

Kate played "Ode to Joy" and "Spring".

At each recital, their awesome piano teacher puts together a beautiful evening. Thank you, Heidi. We love you!

(Emma is impatient for the recital to start . . .)

Scouting - Part 3

2010-07-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

This was Jordan's first year going to Camp Kern for Scout Camp. He turned 12 the week after they got home from camp, so they let him go. The camp is up at Lake Huntington. You have to take a barge across the lake to get to the campsite.

Jordan LOVED it. They were gone from Saturday to Saturday. 7 days is a LONG time for a clingy, over-protective mom! He passed off 8 merit badges, they swam, fished and went canoeing in the lake, had fun campfire activities at night and even had Sacrament Meeting in a beautiful outdoor setting.

This was the first time Jordan caught a fish! By the end of the week, he had caught several.

Needless to say, he came home with tons of things to tell us . . . but before he could say too much I made him take a long and very thorough shower! Wow, talk about a dirty kid! But I guess that's perfect for a boy, right? This is what he looked like as he was getting ready to leave . . . still clean!

Scouting - Part 2

2010-07-26T20:23:00.001-07:00

This is another campout Jordan took with his troop. He passed off several more merit badges with the help of his awesome Scout leaders, Daymon & Johnny.

He's a pro at setting up his own tent, and was also helping some other boys get theirs up, too.

One of the merit badges he passed off was plumbing. It made me laugh that the boys go up to the mountains and learn to tear apart and rebuild toilets! I guess it's better than Andy Gumps!

We have a great group of boys in this Scout troop. Jordan is having a blast, learning a lot and making good friends.

Scouting - Part 1

2010-07-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jordan has taken to Scouts like a fish to water. He LOVES it all. One of his favorite things he's learned so far is archery. His aim is actually quite good.

He came home from this campout teaching me all sorts of knots that I will never be able to do!

I'm not sure what this was supposed to be, but they had to lash these poles together. To pass it off, it had to be able to support one person. I guess it worked!

Family Moments

2010-07-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is a common scene in our home. Kate has a Nintendo DS, and Ethan and Emma are always begging her to play it. But when she's playing it, they're usually watching over her shoulder. She's a pretty good sport about it.

Susannah amazes me with her creativity and talent. She worked for 2 days to get her "Indian Day" ready for the younger kids (Mia Polston joined the fun, too). She put together an entire day of fun and educational activities that taught them about Native Americans - their way of life, what they ate (including Indian snacks), how they hunted (with target practice in the backyard) and fished, their music, their clothes and headdresses, ceremonies, and a "cave wall" to draw their life stories on! Too, too cute!

Emma was just sitting here looking adorable, so I had to take her picture.

This is also a common sight in our house, especially Sunday afternoons after church. I have a thing for sleeping pictures. They are just so sweet and peaceful. And capturing Ethan holding still is quite a challenge!

Kate meets "Honest Abe"

2010-07-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

While in 2nd grade, Kate did a report on Abraham Lincoln. It was fun for her to learn more about this amazing president of our great country. Some of her favorite things she learned about him were: 1) that he kept his important papers in his tall hat, 2) he freed the slaves, and 3) he fought hard to keep our country unified. It took her most of the year to sculpt the bust of Abraham Lincoln that she's holding in the picture. This was also her first time giving an oral report in front of her whole class, and their parents. She had a powerpoint slideshow presentation and a microphone headset. It was all very professional and impressive.

She did a beautiful job and I'm really happy she had a chance to learn more about this wonderful man to whom we owe so much.

She shoots . . . She scores!

2010-07-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

Kate's favorite sport is basketball, which makes us happy since that is our favorite as well. This season, her dad got to be her coach, and she LOVED it!

They technically don't keep score, but we kept track . . . and we didn't lose one game! Tom's an excellent coach; very patient and good with the kids. Kate had some friends on her team, which made it extra fun. She can't wait for next season, and neither can we. Then we can see her "angry eyes" again! (That phrase came from one of the other parents who said she had angry eyes when she played because she was so focused.)

Look Ma . . . No Training Wheels!

2010-07-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

Even though he's only 4, Ethan is riding a 2-wheeler bike with no training wheels! This boy has amazed us with his balance and coordination for years. At 2, he was riding a Razor scooter and doing a pretty good job of keeping up with his brother (who is 7 years older than him). After 3 days on his 2-wheeler, he was already jumping curbs, racing his siblings and being a crazy boy! It's official - I can no longer keep up with him!

Maximum Marketing's New Home

2010-07-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

After working from home for 11 years, Tom has moved his company out of our 3rd car garage/office and into a "real" office building! The move took place in April.

It's been quite an adjustment for both of us to get used to this new arrangement. But he absolutely loves it. Seeing his name on his office door makes him feel a little more legitimate. His new address is on Mohawk Ave. Tom likes to say that his new work address can "kick the Indian butt of his old work address!" (which was on Kickapoo Ct.) One of the benefits of having him work away from home is that we have had many opportunities to meet for lunch dates. It's fun to watch him grow and expand his business, and have so much fun doing it!

Helping to get the word out . . .

2010-06-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to help two people that I love dearly in my life, by introducing them to you. Ben is my brother and he is married to Esther and would love to start a family. They are wanting to adopt a sweet spirit and need to get the word out. Click here so you can learn all about them, or copy and paste this link:

https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/24263672/ourMessage.jsf

And here they are:

Aren't they the cutest ever? They are simply just fantastic people and will be amazing parents. They are already really great with all of their nieces and nephews, who adore them and beg to spend time with them. Ben and Esther take the time out of their busy lives to do special things with all 17 of their nieces and nephews and have made some great memories with them, because they are both just really great with kids and genuinely love them. They are hard working and very passionate about the things they care about in their life. And most of all, they are truly in love with each other. I can't wait for them to start their cute family and I hope you can spread the word and let anyone and everyone know, because you can never know when the opportunity will come.

Chinese Music

2010-06-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

And now for something completely different....Chinese Music.

Flower Fun . . .

2010-04-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

This picture just makes my heart smile. I love my little Ethan. He is a joy, and finds fun everywhere - even in the flower petals!

SoCal Spring Snow . . .

2010-04-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

This is what "snow" looks like in our neck of the woods, or at least our front yard. For a couple weeks each year, the tree in our front yard blooms like this and it's the most beautiful thing ever. When the breeze blows, the petals float down onto the lawn and our kids spend hours a day playing in them. I caught them making "snow angels" in the petals. And yes, it actually works! Happy Spring everyone!

More Zoo Pictures . . .

2010-03-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Can you tell we had a good time??

Santa Barbara Zoo with the Polston Girls . . .

2010-03-05T10:47:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun the last time we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo that we decided to go back on President's Day and bring some friends - the Polstons! Marlana, Morgan and Mia. We LOVE these girls! We had a great time, as you can see from our pictures.

Santa Barbara Zoo . . .

2010-03-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

Our family just LOVES this zoo. We got season passes in January (since it was only $4.00 more to get season passes than what it would have been to take our family for just ONE day! One of the benefits of having a big family!!) It's a smaller zoo so we can get through the whole thing in a few hours and then have some extra time to play on the beach. And it's just so beautiful in Santa Barbara, with near perfect weather every day. Mom and Dad's favorite animals are the Gibbon Apes. Jordan and the twins' favorite are the elephants. Susannah and Kate's favorite was the penguins. I'm sure we will make many more trips here now that we have passes. Any excuse to go to Santa Barbara!

My 15th Anniversary Present . . .

2010-01-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

Of all the wonderful, deep and poignant scripture stories we have in our standard works, the one that has the most meaning for me is the story of Mary and Martha. It has been my favorite for as long as I can remember.

I am, in most ways, a "Martha" type person, but have always wanted to be a "Mary." I'm always busy, going, rushing, working, stressing; on and on and on. So how do you stop all that? How do you just STOP, be still, and listen? To focus on important things? To re-center your priorities? This is my #1 personal struggle.

My sweet husband knows what this story means to me; how much it touches me. So for our 15th anniversary, he took this picture of Mary and Martha (once again, my favorite), photoshopped my face onto Mary and wrote this poem - comparing me to Mary. What he wrote is who I want to be, yet feel so far away from. But what he wrote is how he sees me.

I don't think I can express to you what it meant to see MY FACE as Mary, smiling up at my Savior - for once being the one who stopped . . . who was still . . . WHO LISTENED. Every time I look at it, I get emotional all over again.

This gift is one of the most thoughtful, beautiful and meaningful gifts he could have given me.

I love you, Tom. You know me so well.

(If you click on the picture, it will open up bigger so you can read the poem)

Balloon Art . . .

2009-12-31T15:00:00.001-08:00

Over Christmas break, we did a kid swap. Jordan went down to my sister Jaimee's house and we took two of her kids - Brooke and Tyler - up to our house. The kids had a BLAST! Here's some shots of their balloon "creations". (Insert giggling here . . .)

(Brooke's flower hat)

(Susannah's shark hat)

(More craziness . . .)

(And a whole lot of static!)

Presents in Action . . .

2009-12-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

Ethan got Stomp Rockets for Christmas. He was really nice to share with everyone. Daddy will be spending a lot of time retrieving the rockets out of trees and off of rooftops. This picture was great timing on my part, if I do say so myself! Check out the rocket just leaving the launcher . . .

Kate's about ready to launch that rocket high! (Another great timing shot!)

Jordan's new bike is SWEET!! He loves it and says it's the fastest, coolest bike around.

Can you tell Emma got some dress-up clothes? Can you tell how much she loves them?

Christmas Day . . . (AFTER)

2009-12-31T14:28:00.001-08:00

I think Kate likes her fort kit. What do you think?

Jordan seems pretty excited about his new bike, and the all-day computer pass!

Emma could barely stop playing with her new doll house long enough to pose for this picture. She couldn't even be bothered to look at me - too many other exciting things to see!

Ethan really only needed one present. Susannah gave him her old GameBoy and we had to almost force him to open other presents after he opened that one. He kept saying, "No, I'm done now." He's pretty easy to please!

Susannah got this hat and scarf (just ignore her goofy, half-crazed expression here) and looks so cute in it! She also got a blue microscope (I didn't get a picture of that) and an iHome for new iPod she bought herself with the money she earned from the craft fair we participated in.)

This is the only picture of me on Christmas (since I'm usually behind the camera), so ignore my lame expression. I got a new bookcase and gift card to Barnes & Noble. This will be the 7th bookcase in our house and this new one is already full! But my favorite present is a poem from Tom. He has consistently made my cry every Christmas for 15 years now. He's just fantastic, I love that man!

Tom got his 2 main presents early - a new cell phone and glasses (both necessities for him.) He also got a new hoody-sweatshirt that he got early so he could have it when we were in Big Bear for Thanksgiving. But he also had a few little things to open on Christmas as well.

Grandma Sue and Papa Dennis were so GREAT to wake up in the middle of the night to drive up here and be here when the kids woke up (about 7:00am) and have Christmas morning with us. I have to say that my dad has amazing sleeping skills - he slept through most of the chaos, squealing and ripping of wrapping paper! Poor guy was so tired after such an early morning and long drive! Grandma saved a gift for him to open up at our house. It was fun for us to see him open it. She made him a Shutterfly book of his Rabbi trip to Salt Lake City. It turned out beautifully. And he LOVED it!

Christmas Day . . . (BEFORE)

2009-12-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

Before the mass chaos and Christmas morning craziness that are some of the best moments of the year and become some of my favorite memories . . .

Santa Presents:

Kate's present from Santa (fort-building kit)

Waiting to go down the hall to the family room to see what Santa brought:

Christmas Eve . . .

2009-12-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that Christmas is my absolute FAVORITE time of year. I kind of go a little nuts about it. We have so many fun traditions that we play, smile and laugh a lot. But this tradition is a little more serious and it's one of my favorites that we do every year - and just one more reason having lots of kids is GREAT! After reading Luke 2, our kids dress up and act out the Nativity Story each Christmas Eve. This year, Ethan was Joseph and Emma was Mary. (One of her dolls was baby Jesus.) Jordan was a Wise Man bearing gifts (or in his case, a wise guy)

Kate was the angel and Susannah wanted to be a shepherd so Peyton could be the sheep-dog. They're so sweet to watch as they act out this sacred scene. After years of doing this, the older three kids have the lines pretty well memorized.

As our children grow up, I hope when they look back at how our family celebrated Christmas, they will remember moments like this and know why this is my favorite holiday.

Moon River . . .

2009-12-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is one moment I want recorded, which is why I chose to share it on our blog/family journal. Susannah has spent the past 6 months learning "Moon River" on the harp as a Christmas present to Grandma Sue and Papa Dennis. This is their song. It's the first song they ever danced to together and the moment when my dad knew he was going to marry my mom.

It was quite a bit above her level and was really frustrating for her at times. But she not only learned it perfectly, but memorized the whole song as well. We took her harp down to Grandma and Papa's the weekend before Christmas so she could surprise them. She didn't tell them what song she was going to play for them; she just sat them down and started playing. You knew the minute they recognized the song because they both had tears in their eyes. That song is really special to them and has a lot of emotion and sentiment attached to it. So to hear their granddaughter playing it for them on such a beautiful instrument really touched them.

It was one of those moments where I could barely contain my pride for my daughter. I KNEW how hard she worked to give my parents this gift and to see how much they loved it made me tear up, too! Susannah is one special girl. She loves to give and help others and has such a genuine, beautiful heart. She shared her heart with her grandma and grandpa today. I hope they know how much she loves them, as we all do! ♥♥♥

L.A. Temple at Christmas . . .

2009-12-24T15:23:00.001-08:00

Every Christmas, we drive down to the Los Angeles Temple to look at the Christmas lights. It's a fun tradition that we all enjoy. And they do such a fabulous job with their decorations. It's totally worth the drive. It also gives our kids a chance to be at the temple, feel the spirit that's there and ask us questions about it and learn more about why it is such an important place.

(The kids by the big oak tree - the lights on this tree were incredible, but you can't really tell from this picture.)

(The new nativity)

(Kate LOVED the lights!)

(Dad and Ethan)

(I guess it's just too much to ask for that our family could be reverent the WHOLE time we were there.)

(The kids and mom on the front lawn of the temple)

One Tough Chick . . .

2009-12-22T20:45:00.001-08:00

Check this little girl out!! It may look like she's kneeling in the snow, but she's actually completely AIRBORNE after hitting the jump on the sledding hill Uncle Mike made. Kate had such a blast on this hill. She didn't stop for HOURS. (These fantastic pictures are thanks to Uncle Jason, his sweet camera, and his great timing!)

(Catching some more air)

(Love her facial expressions!)

(Check out the veins sticking out in her neck; she's totally hard core!)

SNOW DAY 2009 . . .

2009-12-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 19th, was Scott & Tera's 9th annual SNOW DAY at their house. It seems like it gets more fun each year, maybe because they get more snow every year! This year set a new record in the quantity of snow brought in - 35 tons; which came in 2 18-wheeler semi trucks!

Hard to imagine that much snow (at least for us Californians). But we sure made good use of it! There were several snowmen of various sizes, including a Winnie The Pooh snowman by Grace that was AWESOME:

and Emma's mini snowman. There was the sledding hill that was in constant demand:

and the ever-present barrage of snow balls flying from everywhere and anywhere. NO ONE was safe!

It was around 80 degrees in Agoura that day - perfect snow weather, if you ask me. There was a long table full of treats, breads, muffins, cakes, snacks, juices and hot chocolate. Ethan, especially, was in snack utopia.

We had so, so much fun. I'm so grateful to Scott and Tera, and their generosity in sharing their awesome family tradition with us. It's become a much anticipated part of our own Christmas season celebration.

Christmas Piano Recital . . .

2009-12-14T14:59:00.000-08:00

December 8th was the Christmas Piano Recital for Jordan and Kate. It was held at Glenwood Gardens here in Bakersfield. I was so, very proud of these two talented kids of mine. They've both worked really hard to improve their piano skills this year. And it showed during their recital.

Jordan was awesome! He picked two songs to play that were quite a bit above his level, but he learned them and wowed us all. He played "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

Kate still can't touch the floor (so no pedal use yet!) and it's just so cute to watch her swing her feet while she plays - like she hasn't a care in the world and doesn't mind playing in front of a large group of people. She has NO FEAR!! She played "Sonatina" and "Jingle Bells."

Their piano teacher, Heidi Toomer, is fantastic. They adore her and she's done such a wonderful job teaching them. They're excited to go to their lessons each week. Thanks for all your hard work with Jordan and Kate, Heidi! You're awesome and we love you.

My Beautiful Harpist . . .

2009-12-14T14:49:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Susannah played her harp in church during Sacrament Meeting. She played "What Child Is This?" with 3 other harpists in a quartet. It was just beautiful. They also played for the ward that meets after ours - the Rosedale Ward. I didn't hear any mistakes; and that's impressive when you consider how hard it is to play with other instruments and keep the same timing and pace as the other musicians. Susannah was the youngest harpist. The other 3 were Megan Okerlund - her harp teacher, and two teenage girls - Sara Lard and Nicole Despain. She was pretty nervous, but excited too. She was awesome, and so fun to watch. She smiled through the whole performance. I was so, so proud of her! ♥ ♥ ♥

Cuteness . . .

2009-12-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

Grandma Sue was visiting us this past week. True to form, Kate said something that had us all laughing out loud. She was laying on the couch wrapped in a blanket and snuggling with Grandma. Kate threw the blanket over her head.

Grandma said, "You can't hide from me!"

Kate said, "I know; because you can smell my cuteness." (Exactly what does cuteness smell like??)

Then Kate said, "Grandma, you can't hide from me either cuz you smell like old people!"

(OUCH!) I tried really hard not to laugh at this, but was completely unsuccessful. We were all dying, it was so funny! I hope this brought a smile to your face like it did to ours.

Big Bear Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-06T20:23:00.001-08:00

Because of the plethora (yes, I used the word "plethora." Can anyone guess my favorite comedy??) of awesome pictures, I have resorted to doing photo collages to include some of my favorites here.

This Thanksgiving was such a blast in Big Bear. No one was sick, the cabin was beautiful, and the company couldn't have been better. Here's a big, ginormous "thank you" to Scott and Tera for including us in their Thanksgiving family tradition and letting us share in the fun. We love you guys so much!

Having fun at the lake

We love Big Bear Lake

Tom and I

Tom, Jordan and Kate at the Alpine Slides

Emma - Belle

2009-11-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

Last night as we're all sitting around the family room, Emma looks over at me and says (in all seriousness), "Mom, why didn't you name me Tinker Bell?" We all burst out laughing. What a funny, random thing to say! For those of you who don't know Emma well, she has a MAJOR princess complex. She honestly believes she is a princess. So why doesn't she have a princess name??

It's interesting to note that her favorite princess is Tinker Bell - the sassiest and most opinionated of all the princesses! Fitting for Emma, isn't it? Or should I say, "her royal highness"?

So now Emma's new nickname is "Emma-Belle". We'll see how long it lasts, but right now, she's loving it. And I love that sweet, sassy little girl. ♥♥♥

Jordan is at Camp KEEP!

2009-11-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Jordan left this morning for Camp KEEP. He will be gone until Friday afternoon. He was so, so excited and I know will have a great time. But I'm sure going to miss him!

The times he's been away from home before, he's always been with family. I could call and talk to him. I won't hear from him until I pick him up on Friday.

For those of you who don't have Camp KEEP or know what it is, it's a week long school sponsored field trip where they go to the beach in Cambria, stay in cabins and basically have outdoor school - learning all about nature, the ocean, etc. They go to the mud flats in Morro Bay, the tide pools in Cayucas, the sea lions in Cambria and a bunch of other stuff.

So check back this weekend and I'll hopefully have his pictures to post and some fun things to share about what he did.

It was worth it . . . barely!

2009-11-13T22:12:00.000-08:00

So I went to visit my parents, sister and brothers over Veteran's Day and stayed an extra day to visit with my cousin, Ryan and his sweet wife, Jodi, who were in California on vacation. Scott took us out to Mastro's, a super-yummy, super-fancy steak house in Thousand Oaks. As I was getting ready to drive back to Bakersfield that night, I got all the kids loaded up and started to drive away, only to realize I was driving on a rim and not a tire! I had a completely flat tire. And as much as I love cars, I HATE car problems.

That's Tom's job to deal with - not mine!

But he wasn't there and I had to handle it, all with 5 very tired and hungry kids (they didn't go to dinner with the adults). I was NOT happy!

Needless to say, we got the spare put on (thank you to Esther and AAA!), drove to Grandma's and stayed another night, bought 2 new tires in the morning and FINALLY got home - 2 1/2 days longer than I thought we'd be there! The car problems were so not fun , but it was so fun to see everyone and have a great dinner. It was worth it . . . barely!

Puppy Love & Doggie Kisses . . .

2009-11-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

So we've had a dog now for about 6 months. His name is Peyton and everyone of us adore him. He's a total mutt - we still don't know all the different breeds of dog in him. It's possible he could be part coyote as well. Doesn't matter to us - he's a perfect fit for our family. What has surprised me the most about Peyton is how quickly and thoroughly he's won over Tom. Having never had a pet growing up, I don't think he expected to get very attached to him. He agreed to us keeping Peyton primarily because his daughter batted her eyes at him and said please. Being the marshmallow that he is, of course Tom said yes. It's been so fun to watch how much Tom enjoys our puppy. He worries over him and plays with him almost as much as Susannah! You can see that the feeling is mutual by these pictures. Peyton loves Tom, too.

Peyton just licked Tom's face. Doggie Kisses!

It's fun to watch these two play.

Backyard Campout . . .

2009-11-13T21:50:00.001-08:00

Ethan is our newest pyromaniac and marshmallow enthusiast. All I can say is "UH-OH!"

For the twins' 4th birthday, all they wanted to do was go camping. So we faked a camp-out in our backyard. (That's my idea of camping - my own bathroom, shower, kitchen and if I'm really lucky - my own bed!) They had such a blast for such a simple and inexpensive thing. We roasted marshmallows in our fireplace and the kids all bundled up and slept outside in the tent. But by early morning, they were all back in the house because it was so cold outside.

Kate looks pretty excited, doesn't she?

Cute boys (of course Jordan has a book! He's too much like his mom that way.)

There's a lot of cheese in this smile!

Our enormous and awesome 10-man tent.

Halloween 2009 (and 2008)

2009-11-13T17:08:00.000-08:00

Last year's picture of their Halloween costumes

Picture collage of the cutest kids ever at Halloween!

My "Things" (Thing 1 is Emma and Thing 2 is Ethan)

We didn't take a lot of pictures from this Halloween since we used the same costumes as last year (because they were SO DARN CUTE!) But I thought I should put a post about it, in case you haven't seen the pictures from last year and to document this year's Halloween.

This picture is from this Halloween

Tom and I (sort-of dressed up)

Susannah wanted to take a close-up of my crazy make-up

My Babies are 4 . . . (sniff, sniff)

2009-10-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

I'm still having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that the twins are 4. I will never have another baby or another toddler; and all the headaches and joys that go with them. Some days I'm happy about it; some days I'm sad about it. But there's nothing like a birthday to remind you of the passing of time.

Emma and Ethan had a GREAT birthday - filled with some fun presents, a super-cool visit from Grandma Sue (complete with her should-be-world-famous apple pie!), cupcake decorating, and "wapples" (waffles) for dinner. Since Jordan and Tom's camp-out a couple weeks ago, the twins have talked constantly about wanting to go camping; so on Friday, we're pitching a tent in our backyard for a camp-out at home (it's the perfect way to camp - I can still use my bathroom, my kitchen and if I'm lucky, maybe even my own bed!) All the kids are SO EXCITED. I just hope it warms up a bit, or we may be pitching the tent in the family room!

Here's a look at a few of their presents:

The second Ethan was on his bike, he just took off! I had to wait for him to circle around again to get a picture of him up closer!)

Emma loves her "princess" bike, especially the little purse on the front.

Ethan now has more power tools than his dad!

Emma calls this little music thing that came with this book her "IPOD." How quick they learn!

My Birthday . . .

2009-10-29T12:13:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to me!

Besides my trip to Utah and attending General Conference, I got some great gifts. Tom and the twins bought me a Belgian Waffle Maker (been wanting one for a while)

Jordan bought me a Snuggie (a blanket with sleeves to "wear" while I'm reading - he sure knows what his mom likes!)

Susannah and Kate bought me new work-out gloves and a knee brace (they definitely know me, too!) I love how they all thought about what I'd like and looked for just the right thing. Such thoughtful kids! Tom also wrote me a poem (loved it, made me cry, completely spilling over with SAP!) and gave me an AWESOME birthday card.

The front cover said, "I LOVE YOU."

The inside said, "LIKE A FAT KID LOVES CAKE."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY."

Okay - is that not the funniest card? I'm still laughing about it. My amazing friends brought over some great things, too. Thank you to all of you that called, texted, Face-booked, or stopped by to say happy birthday to me. I love you guys, thanks for making me feel so special.

Bedtime In Our Home . . .

2009-10-24T12:12:00.001-07:00

So this is what bedtime looks like in our home. Does this look familiar to any of you?

(They're playing dead - tongues hanging out and all! Kate just couldn't stop giggling!)

Apparently, this is Tom's idea of calming the kids down and quietly laying them down for the night. (I wasn't helping because I had a hair client.)

(Jordan says, "BOO!")

When I heard all the squeals and giggling, I had to see what was going on and snap a few pictures. As annoying as it is to have to put them all BACK in bed several times when dad lays them down (because now they just want to play) - it's so great to see them all having so much fun together; and what a great dad Tom is. He parents SO differently than I do, but that's probably a good thing. I think our kids need both of us together to make a good, stable and happy life for them. (I guess we got the "good cop / bad cop" routine down well!)

Scout Camp for Jordan

2009-10-22T15:56:00.001-07:00

(I LOVE THIS PICTURE!)

This past weekend was Jordan's first official Boy Scout Camp-out. He had a BLAST! Tom went with him and they brought our BIG 10-man tent (because for some reason the 2-man tent we have isn't big enough for 1 man and 1 boy . . . ?), air-mattresses, several pillows, blankets and sleeping bags. They sure know how to "rough it", huh?

(The boys lashed this box frame together themselves)

They had a fun night of dinner, s'mores, and burning things in the fire. (Few things say "male bonding" like being a pyromaniac; and then passing that skill on to the younger generation.)

The next day, they had many activities planned for the boys to pass off some merit badges. They did lashing, knot tying, orienteering, archery, and hatchet throwing (is that seriously a merit badge??)

Both Tom and Jordan loved it. The scout leaders did a fantastic job. Jordan surprised them with his natural ability with a bow and arrow. He hit several bull's eyes and all his others were in the inner rings on the target. (It must be all the "Lord of the Rings" he likes to watch!)

When they arrived home, I hardly recognized either one of them under all the layers of dirt, grime and campfire smoke. I was tempted to just throw away their clothes and not even try to get them clean! But isn't that the fun of camping for boys and their dads??

General Conference

2009-10-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to ME! For my birthday this year, I told Tom I wanted to go up to General Conference and see a session in the Conference Center in Salt Lake.

It was a super-fast trip filled with insane amounts of driving (hours of it everyday!) but it was so, so worth it. I wish we would have been able to spend more time up there and see more family and friends, but we just didn't have enough time. As it was, we were only in Salt Lake for a few hours.

My father-in-law was able to get 4 tickets to the Sunday afternoon session, and a parking pass! Tom's sister and her husband, Marie and Mike, came with us. Having Marie with us was so fantastic, especially since she served her mission at Temple Square, so she knew every place to go for parking, the best picture spots, cool "insider" information about certain locations, etc. She was just awesome to have with us.

(We enjoyed you too, Mike!)

I feel incredibly fortunate to have been in the Sunday afternoon session to hear Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk and testimony of the Book of Mormon. It was an awe-inspiring, incredibly spiritual, electrifying moment in that building as he spoke to us. I hope I never forget what he said and how I felt then.

The music from the Choir was so beautiful. It's amazing how much better it sounds in person than coming through my TV! I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be here - to feel the spirit of the Prophet, President Monson, as he walked into the Conference Center, to hear 22,000 Saints singing together (there is so much power in that!), to hear inspired words from inspired leaders, to be in a place that is so completely filled with the Spirit of the Lord - why haven't I done this more often??!!

Really, what could be better? Thank you, Tom, for this wonderful birthday present.

St. George Temple

2009-10-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a trip up to Utah to go to General Conference. We stayed a night with Tom's parents in St. George and while there did a session in the St. George temple. I have wanted to go to that temple for such a long time.

(we went back the next morning to take some pictures because it was too dark the night before)

One of my favorite church history stories is the one in which the founding fathers of our country, the deceased presidents of our country (except 2) and other eminent men appeared to Wilford Woodruff (who was then the temple president there) and asked why, after all they had done in laying the foundation of our country and bestowing upon us the religious freedom we enjoy, has their temple work not been done? They appeared to him two nights in a row. There is an original painting in the St. George temple depicting that scene.

It was so neat to go through that temple - to see the beauty that those early saints created (all by hand, no power tools or electricity!) and to know what took place there, so many years before. It was a testimony to me of the truthfulness of this gospel and the importance of the work done in the temples. And also of the caliber and integrity of the men responsible for our amazing country.

Kate's Birthday Party

2009-09-22T10:49:00.001-07:00

For Kate's 7th birthday, she wanted a "Night Swimming" party. Several people she invited couldn't make it, but everyone there still had a great time. The problem with night swimming is the kids get cold pretty quick.

So they all swam for about 1/2 hour, then we all went in the house for a super yummy Cold Stone ice cream cake (bringing more shivers), presents and games.

Kate got some really fun and thoughtful gifts from her friends.

We got her a skateboard, a hysterical game called Snorta. (If you like Apples to Apples, you like this game!), and a fort-building kit they've slept in for several nights in a row now.

She loved her party and enjoyed all the attention for her night!

Happy birthday, Kate!

2009-09-22T10:29:00.001-07:00

Kate's 7th birthday was September 13th. From the minute she arrived, Kate has been a joy. We didn't find out what I was having when I was pregnant with her, so it was an exciting and much-anticipated delivery.

She was a great baby, happy most the time.

And she's grown up into a great girl, still happy most the time.

She continually excels beyond her age and normal ability as she tries to keep up with her older brother and sister. She's probably our most athletically-inclined child, and is a real whiz at school. Kate makes us laugh all the time with her funny little sayings and antics. Her nickname since she was a toddler is 'Boo' (notice her shirt in the 1st picture?). She is an absolute delight in our family. I just love being with her.

Life is fun to her; that's a good reminder to me to find life fun - not so hard. Happy Birthday, Boo! We all love you so much. ♥♥♥

Runner Up . . .

2009-09-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Susannah was not elected as Vice-President this year, despite running a ROCKIN' campaign and doing a fantastic job on her speech - in front of the whole school and parents! She's a brave one. She took Tom's electric bass guitar up with her as a prop for her "rockin'" slogan. She had everyone's attention and kids all over were pointing and saying how awesome the guitar was. (This was another reason I was surprised she didn't win; I thought the kids would vote for the guitar, if not for the girl!) Here is her speech:

"My name is Susannah Montgomery. I’m in 5th grade and I’m running for Vice-President. Now I’ll tell you why I want to ROCK THE VOTE! Last year, I was the Fire Marshal and was successful in helping to ensure our school’s safety and increase our fire drill speed. I enjoy holding leadership positions and helping make our school a ROCKIN' place to be! I’ve played the harp for 2 years now, so I know something of music, discipline and hard work. I’m willing to work hard for you so this year will be music to your ears! Thank you for listening and hearing my beat. Once again, my name is Susannah Montgomery and I’m running for Vice-President. So help me to ROCK THE VOTE!"

It's supposed to be a short speech, and she was AWESOME! I was so proud of her; for sure the cutest candidate up there. I was even more proud of her when she came home and said she didn't win; but was still smiling and not too sad. She's definitely a more graceful loser than her mom is! ♥♥♥

Vice - President ???

2009-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

After loving her experience as Fire Marshal last year, Susannah has decided to run for Vice-President this year. She is in 5th grade, so the positions open to her to campaign for are Vice-President and Treasurer. She loves being involved and the extra attention that comes with all of this. Her slogan is

"I WILL ROCK THE VOTE!"

She's excited to pass out all these cool stickers Dad printed up for her. (But Mom designed them!) Good luck, Susannah! I hope you do rock the vote.

Funny . . .

2009-08-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

My favorite line from yesterday, our first day back at school was from Jordan. (Is anyone surprised by that?) After he was dressed and ready to leave for school, he was telling me how much he loved his new shoes. So he says to me, "I can probably outrun a buffalo in these babies!"

Huh?? Why a buffalo? Are they particularly fast, or just big? And do new shoes make you physically able to run faster and farther?

Obviously, they do. Don't YOU wish you all had a pair of his new shoes?

I just love this boy. He makes me laugh out loud every day.

Back To School . . . And Lookin' So Cool!

2009-08-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here they are - all ready for their first day! They're rockin' their new outfits (no, we didn't plan Susannah's shoelaces to match so perfectly. It was just one of those happy coincidences!) and chomping at the bit to leave for school. I got home from the gym at 6:00am and they were all awake, had eaten breakfast and were almost ready! It was a LONG morning before it was time to leave for school. The twins were really excited this morning, too, until they realized they were getting left behind and didn't get to tag along with their older brother and sisters.

Mom, Kate & Dad

Mom, Susannah & Dad

Mom, Jordan & Dad

Emma, Dad & Ethan

Jordan - starting 6th grade

Susannah - starting 5th grade

Kate - starting 2nd grade

Jordan & his teacher - Mr. Kramer

Susannah in her new classroom

Kate & her new teacher - Mrs. Pafford

Our annual tradition - the BUS CAKE!

Susannah's Birthday Party . . .

2009-08-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

(They look like synchronized swimmers, don't they?)

For her 10th birthday party, Susannah wanted to have an ALL-GIRL swim party (Ethan and Jordan were the exceptions). She invited Madison Toomer, Sydney Sirman, Morgan & Mia Polston, Kiana Elliott, and of course her 2 sisters - Kate and Emma. They all had a blast swimming . . .

. . . munching on snacks, chicken - fighting (Morgan and Susannah were the reigning champions; NO ONE could beat them!) . . .

. . . eating some super-yummy birthday ice cream cake . . .

. . . giggling, and tormenting Jordan - who incidentally didn't seem to mind ONE BIT!

Susannah got some fun gifts from her sweet friends and really seemed to enjoy all the attention.