Blair turned 3 years old

We worked with those fingers for weeks so that she could hold up 3 fingers. Good Job!

Tangled

How can anyone resist that smile!

Can you tell she is pretty excited about being 3 years old.

Blair in the outfit that Grammy & Pop Pop got for her!

Our granddaughter Blair turned 3 years old on May 25th of this year. Of course because my grandchildren mean so much to me I just had to make her a cake, and not just any cake it had to be Tangled, one of her favorite movies. By the way, she had one requirement for the cake it had to be PURPLE! She just love coming over to Grammy and Pop Pops house.

My Heart Breaks

Last week as I was sitting at work and a random thought went through my head to check my hotmail account. I only ever check it a few times a year and the only person who emails me there is Nicole, she is my grandson Sam's mommy. You see a little over 4 years ago my daughter was pregnant and her boyfriend at the time was not supportive and she felt like she could give her son so much more by placing him with a family that couldn't have a baby/child. She found an adoption agency and started the search for the perfect family. She really wanted a Non-Mormon couple with no kids (having grown up around some very hypocritical Mormons that was one of her main request). The search was on, the agency brought over some bio's of some very wonderful families, my daughter had already read through them by the time I got home from work, but didn't make a final decision because she wanted me to read them and to get my opinion. Keep in mind, I wasn't too keen on the idea of adoption in the first place, but my daughter insisted I understand her decision. As I read through these biography's of these people who wanted a child in their lives I realized that I always took it for granted that I was able to give birth and I wasn't looking at it from the adoptive parents perspective, nor did I ever think of adoption as a selfless act by the birth mother until I had to live it. Back to the story!
I read through 4 profiles, but none touched me in the way this family did. I sat there crying and reading and when I was done I looked at my daughter and handed her the profile that made me cry and I said "This is it...this is your babies Mommy and Daddy, but how do you feel about it because they already have a daughter that is almost 4 years old"?, she hugged me and said that is the one I picked too Mom, and I am alright with my child having an older sister. So for the next couple of months my daughter planned to meet this family and spent time talking on the phone with them, getting to know them. Finally the day came when they flew to Utah to meet us and my daughter was going to be induced. I have to say that this was my first adoption experience and it was the greatest experience EVER.
Jeff & Nicole were amazing. It was a very happy time for all. I know Tiffany felt GREAT about her decision, because I know that Jeff & Nicole were the type of people and had the kind of family she would have picked for her parents growing up if she would of gotten a choice. She kept telling me, this isn't my baby, this is Nicole's baby, God wanted me to have it for her.
Every year on Sam's birthday in January I send an email to Nicole and every year she writes me back and sends me pictures. Last week while checking my Hotmail a random thought got inside my head and I though I wonder if Nicole has a blog or anything, I would love to know how they are doing since I hadn't heard back from the email I sent her on February 16th. So I got on Google and searched her by name and when the search results came back my heart began to race, it brought back several obituary results, no that couldn't be. So I opened up one of the results and it said that she left behind her husband Jeff, her daughter Gabrelle age 8 and her son Sam age 4. OMG was this really true? NO! My eyes filled with tears, I had to call Tiffany right away, she took the news very hard. Although we haven't seen Nicole in 4 years, the loss is great to our entire family. This is my grandson's Mommy, my heart breaks for the entire family although I can't tell them that though. Nicole was my only link to Sam and their family and now she is gone :'(

A Family Bound by Love

Jeff, Gabby, Nicole, Tiffany holding Sam for the last time and Josh

Photography 101

I would love to thank my darling daughter Kaitlyn for posing for pictures so that her Mommalady could take lots of pictures of her and practice my photography. And I need to thank my husband who supports my love of  the Arts...he got me the new lens and the classes for Christmas, however he has stood behind my several adventures. Of course Kaitlyn loves to be the center of attention and really loves to have her picture taken and to feel like a model. Here are some of the results of that Photo Shoot. 

And although Dakota wanted nothing to do with me taking photo's of him he was a sport and posed for me a couple of times. 

About a month ago I sent something out on Facebook telling my friends and family that I would love to take their family pictures for free, I just needed the practice. My co-worker Jayci replied and so I met her and her family at Wheeler Farms last weekend. Here are some of the results....

The end of another school year

Well, last Friday was the end of yet another glorious school year. Do you realize I have had a child in school (or should I say children) since 1990, that is 21 years of homework, awards, parties, struggles and everything else that parents of school age children go through. And I still have 8 more years of regular school and then who knows how many more years of college for Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn is now officially entering 5th grade and Dakota will be a Junior in the fall. Just think only 2 more years and my son will be graduating and then Kaitlyn will be entering in Junior High School.
Dakota is looking for a job, I guess he thinks a job will be so much easier then doing chores, hahaha! I am really excited for the day he gets his first job and thanks me for teaching him how to work.
Kaitlyn loves our new neighborhood and is having a great time "hanging" out with her new friends, soccer starts in a couple of weeks and that is something she looks so forward to.
My Mom is coming this summer to spend sometime with us, I know the kids totally enjoy having her around. I am hoping that sometime this summer we will be taking a camping trip, because Michael and I both must work we try to stick close to home and summer vacations aren't as much fun as off season vacations.

A Day at the Beach

On Saturday of our trip we decided to fore go Disneyland and see what California Beaches are like. I have been to the Pacific Ocean before, but never to the California part of the Pacific so this was a new adventure. We had so much fun. Quynn is the only one of the grandchildren who has been to the ocean, because she went with us to Oregon a couple of years ago. Ollie and Blair had a blast and makes me wish we lived much closer to the ocean!

I love these kids!

Tiff and Josh walking along the Huntington Beach the day started out gloomy but cleared quickly.

The Pier at Huntington Beach, I loved the way it looked.

My Kaity having fun in the sun and sand.

Blair

Quynn and Kaity

Quynnie sure was having fun!

Oh the treasures Blair was finding.

Mr. Oliver was having a great time!

I love this picture of the girls!

Family Vacation to Disneyland

We got back on Monday night from spending 4 days in California, 3 of those days were spent in Disneyland and the other day was spent playing on the beach. It was a great time. None of my Grandchildren have ever been to Disneyland so this was a very exciting trip.

Kaitlyn ready to go to the Character Breakfast!

Blair and Quynn excited to go eat Breakfast with the characters.

Pop Pop and the Kids

Tigger was the first character we saw! Oh the excitement!

Tiffany met someone too!

Kaitlyn and Captain Hook

This made Quynn's day

All the Grandchildren with Minnie!

Kaity with Minnie Mouse

Michael found someone New!

The girls with Geppetto

Blair was so excited to meet Chip

Kaitlyn and Chip

4 of my Princesses in front of the Castle

Daddy and Kaity having a great time!

They were bad so they had to go to Toon

This was the first day in Toontown, as you can tell the kids and adults enjoyed it!

Dakota's 16 now

Last weekend Dakota finally hit that milestone on March 12th, 2011!

I started out the day by waking him up very early and taking him to breakfast just the two of us to the Blue Plate Diner. I saw it on Food Networks Diners, Drive In's and Dives so I thought it would be fun to try it out. 

We had a great time eating and visiting. 

Dakota is a great kids who stays out of trouble and doesn't really ask for much and is always so grateful for what he has. He's the boy at 16 years old that is not afraid to tell me he loves me on the phone each and every time we talk. He thanks us each time we give him a ride to the skate park or over to a friends house. He's just a good kid. And Michael and I are both so proud of the young man he is becoming. 

After breakfast we came home and I gave him his gift $100 in $1 bills. He was very excited because he knew what he wanted to buy...Yes a new skateboard! 

On Sunday we had a party for him, with his friends and family! 

Sunday night he told me "This was the best Birthday ever"!

I sure do love this kid!

Dakota and I

This is my handsome 16 year old son!

He's the favorite Uncle!

The cake, the Tech Decks were my husbands idea and his added touch!

 

He really felt RICH!