Random Pictures

Found these on my camera!  I know the blocks are from Lincoln hiding in his room so Riggins' wouldn't wreck his tower.  Clueless about the other pictures!

Riggins' Hair

After a nap!

 Early in the morning!

Riggin's hair is LONG!  Until this weekend, Nathan has not allowed me to cut it.  I have started giving him a funny looking front ponytail to keep his hair out of his eyes.  On Saturday, the kids and the neighbor had some fun with his hair and added lots more pony tails.  We kept his hair like this all weekend.  I think it has matched his personality as he is angry due to teeth, a cold, and not breathing.  It has been horrible listening to him yell at us all weekend but the pony tails have helped make me smile a couple of times.

Lincoln's Birthday, Baptism, and Cub Scouts

 Lincoln's cake!

 Lincoln's awesome smile!  This picture was actually taken in the dark because the candles put on a "colored light show".

 Nathan and Lincoln before the baptism.

 The baptism boys checking out Grandma's costume box.  Then the old lady battled a clown.

Lincoln is doing awesome in cub scouts and already has his Bobcat.

Avalee's Birthday Party

Yes, it was a long time ago but look at these fun pictures. The girls pampered themselves and enjoyed eating fruit.

Six Months Old

Rambling thoughts on Riggins.....

Riggins has hit the six month mark. He weighs 20 pounds and is 27.4 inches long. Very impressive for a boy that was born four weeks early.

The doctor has still nicknamed him trouble but has referred us to many place for all his minor problems (asthma, acid reflux, etc). Hopefully, they can figure it all out.

Riggins is still not sleeping through the night but we also can't let him cry it out until they make sure he is breathing and not choking on his spit up.

He currently enjoys rolling. He rolls very fast but will only roll left so he gets pretty angry when he hits the walls. He has learned that he has to roll his big head carefully or it hurts. He even does good downstairs on the hardwood floors.

He enjoys people and will smile at anyone that will smile at him. You could say he seems to know how to "turn it on" so people call him things like "adorable" and "cute".

He is not shy and will let anyone hold him. This is good because last week when he was on steriods and would not let us sit down he got passed around a lot. We were thankful for good friends that were willing to hold him. We were also thankful that we could afford gas to drive all over the area around us so Riggins would sleep.

He wants to be big like his sibling but can't seem to figure out how to keep up with them. He gives Avalee a nice smile every day when she comes home from school. The day he didn't smile at her we took him to the doctor to find out he had bronchitis.

Even though he needs to learn to walk because he is SO heavy, we love having him in our home.

East Coast habbits die hard!

There is news of a big snow storm heading our way. Although I never believe our weather man, I always take it seriously. In the east coast, I would look at bread, milk, and toilet paper, and make sure I had plenty. You would go to the store and the shelves would be mostly bare of these items and would probably not refill themselves for days after the storm. So I did my checklist today.

Bread-Check
Toilet paper-Check (probably enough for three months)
Milk-Running low

So I head to the store and what do I find, lots of milk. Then I remember that I do not need to stress over these things were I live. So funny that my old habits are still in place.

If this storm is anything like they are predicting, pictures will come soon.

Merry Christmas!

This is not a professional picture but it is how we will remember Christmas!

It has been so fun getting Christmas cards in the mail but I have just not had the energy to return the favor so I thought I would send an electronic version.

This year has been unique. We usually have lot of fun vacations and adventures as a family throughout the year. This year we have nothing fun to talk about. It has been one year since Nathan or I left the Boise area to go on a vacation. This year has brought an unexpected new bundle of joy to our family. After a long eight months of laying in bed and my gall bladder coming out, Riggins was born on August 19 at 36 weeks. He spent a short time in the NICU. Most people would never guess he was a NICU baby as he was 16 pounds 7 ounces (7lbs 8 oz at birth) and is 26 inches long (19 1/4 in at birth) at his four month old checkup on Tuesday. He is healthy and thriving.

So our adventures include: Our family watching TV and living through the shows (not something we normally used to do). Biggest Loser, Pawn Shop, Cake Boss, Cosby Show, game shows, and other random TV shows have brought many learning moments. For a long while, we also enjoy a night card or board game which was the highlight of my day.

Nathan still enjoys working at BSU. He has managed to continue to excel at work even though emotions were high this year. He recently finished a huge project the day before Christmas and will able to relax for the next week and half. And since I am writing this, I can say that he is the best husband and dad ever. We are all truly blessed to have him in our lives.

I was so close to be done with my Master's in Accounting and should have graduated last week (yes, I took a moment to shed a tear). I have nine credits left and have yet to be brave enough to enroll for even three credits. I still struggle daily from muscle atrophy and do not know how I could sit through class. Monday marks four months and the day that my good friend has committed me to get back in shape. I am going to take it slow but know that I have to start somewhere. I am thankful that I am able to stay home with my children and watch them grow. If Riggins would not have been born, I would have probably been looking for a full-time teaching job.

Avalee is loving 3rd grade. She is doing well in all her classes. She is enjoying dance were she learns ballet, tap, and jazz. She has become a master on her violin and will probably finish the first Suzuki book this year. She is my best Riggins' helper and I could not survive without her.

Lincoln enjoys 1st grade. He currently has 122% in math. I think the teacher might need to make his extra credit harder :) He is learning to play the piano and played Scooby Doo and Jolly Old St. Nicholas for his first piano recital. He also enjoys playing baseball and flag football. He really understands what is going on in these games but sometimes forgets to join in the play because he is analyzing. He is my best Riggins' entertainer as he enjoys playing imaginary "games" where Riggins can watch.

Riggins is four months. He enjoys eating (never had a kid that takes eating so seriously), enjoys spitting (but not as bad as Lincoln), smiling at himself in the mirror, talking to us, and loves attention for Avalee and Lincoln. His head is so big that he is not rolling yet but he is starting to move by pushing with his feet.

I feel blessed for all this year has brought to our family. It was a rough year and many people had to help us get through it but I cannot be more thankful for where I am in life and the happiness I feel.

Merry Christmas,
JoAnn

Chubby Cheeks

Riggins in glasses!

Chubby cheeks! Yes, he weighs a lot and is heavy to hold. We will get the four month stats on Wednesday. He might have started out as our smallest but I think he will end up as our biggest.
I love the pictures I find on my camera :)

Leaves

This picture was taken on Wednesday. If you look hard, our garden is still growing in the background which is not normal for Idaho. The kids got home from school, saw the leaves had fallen, and found the rakes. I wasn't even paying attention and soon saw them outside.


Then they buried Avalee.


Then they buried Lincoln.


If you have leaves, they will hire out for free because they love to play in them. They think our leaves piles are huge but they really have no idea what they are missing.