Happy New Year!

Happy 2009 friends! I know some of you are dying for an update. Sorry it's been a while. I have lots of pictures to share and I plan on working on them in the morning. :) Off to bed to dream of all 2009 will bring to our family.

Christmas card pictures

(Scroll all the way down to where the red shirts stop and you will see the good picture we will use!)



So I have been working on our picture night. Last night we went and got the girls and I red shirts so we could all match. That went well, and then came tonight...Things started out okay and then when Dan came in with a girl from church to snap the pictures Anna and Jonah decided not to coopearate. Below I mention how they started out that way. As you can see from the pictures directly below it didn't go so well at first. Anna & Jonah wouldn't smile, my hair looks funny on one side and trying to get 6 people all smiling and looking at the same time is nearly impossible. Then while Leigh Ann (the girl from church who was helping us) was taking the pictures the camera batteries died. And of course she had to leave, I couldn't see the pictures she had taken and the clock was ticking closer to 9 pm with each passing tick! It's funny how in my mind I think things will be quick and easy but they never go that way in real life. It's a joyus thing to have our children in our lives but on nights like this when we want their cooperation all at once I question my sanity in wanting this family. I wouldn't trade them for the world but I was wondering what I was thinking as the sweat was begining to collect on my face. To finish about the pictures...Dan came to my recuse with some back up batteries and we were able to bribe cooperation out of them! The pictures at the end are the good ones we will actually use! (as a side note, you can obviously see that we were in front of our tree but notice how there are no lights or decorations on it yet! we've been so busy that we haven't been able to get our decorations out or up! I just thought it was funny that we were in front of an undecorated tree.)

Tonight was Christmas card picture night! It started out well. The kids were all happy, smiling and willing to cooperate. Dan was at church still so I thought I would take a few of just the kids. That went fine as you can see. Everyone looking, smiling and cooperating. And of course we had to do silly pictures so I've included those!

Not sure what Jonah was doing.

Decent picture but mommy is missing!

Elizabeth was done!

This is the one we will use!

Fishing Girls

A few weeks ago I picked up a "moses basket" for my sister's new baby. While it was here the girls decided to use it for a boat. I came in the room and they were telling me (Anna was since Elizabeth's vocabulary doesn't consist of more than grunts and giggles) that they were fishing. Just thought I would share pictures of their adventures. (they both got in by themselves!)

Friends

This past weekend my girlfriends and I went on a road trip to Illinois. For those of you who don't know, (left to right) Xenia, Cindy, myself, and Becky were roommates in college. We formed a bond during that year that has held up to a lot of life experiences. I am so thankful for these three friends of mine. They are some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Cindy had a baby on October 31st. And let me just say, he's beautiful! When Elias was born Cindy and I both lived in Lincoln and Becky & Xen came to see us. We had a roommate reunion. When we talked about Cindy's baby coming we thought it would be a great excuse to have another one. So Becky, Xenia and I drove about 16 hours to see them. We had a wonderful time. The drive was great therapy, we laughed, we cried, we told each other our secrets, sang, danced, and laughed some more. In Lincoln we got to love on Aiden and help take care of our friend. We had a great time. Thanks girls!! I love you so much!
And we did all this kid free. Which for me is a big deal, since I have 4. Dan kept the kids home with him. I am so proud to be married to a man willing to give up his time and freedom so that I could go with my friends on a fun trip. Thank you Dan!! You don't know how much I appreciate you and your willingness to make this trip happen for me. I don't know how you did it without going insane because I don't think I could have done it. You are the best. (Thanks Derek for sending Xenny with us!)

Soccer Games

Our soccer season is winding down and we have had a good season. We haven't won all of our games but we do have a GREAT team! The big kids on the team are great sports and do a good job teaching the younger kids about doing the same. Also I am quite proud of our coach. (i know i'm biased since he's my husband, but really...he's great!) I love how he works hard trying to teach the kids teamwork and sportsmanship. It's really neat to watch him instill these values in our kids & other people's kids too. And it's not just about winning! If I can talk him into coaching every year I will try. :) watch out honey, you better run when it's time to sign up for soccer! I also love how he puts his heart into making the things he does great. It's funny how I go out there each game to watch my kids when really it's my husband whom I am most proud of. That's not to say that I'm not proud of my boys for the job that they do and for watching how they've gone from being afraid to kick the ball in the crowd of kids to getting right in there and kicking it. And Elias is developing into a great little goalie. He gets so excited when the ball comes towards the net. And Jonah has gone from being disinterested in the game at all to running after it and kicking it when the ball comes near him. (yeah, that means he doesn't actually run after the ball, he just stands around in a certain spot and waits for the ball to come to him and then he gets excited about kicking it!) All in all, it's been a fun season. And now we just have our tournament games left...which brings me to the reason for this post...Leena here's the schedule for the rest of the season!!
















Thursday 11-06 Game 1--maroon vs. black
Monday 11-10 Game 2--Gold vs. loser of game 1
Tuesday11-11 Game 3--Gold vs. winner of game 1
The first 3 games will decide if further play is needed to determine a champion.
All games begin at 6pm!
See you out there! Thanks for lovin' on my girls even though you didn't know them before and for Cannon sharing all his snack! And for your willingness to bring drinks out there for our little players!! See you Thursday night!

These are pictures of the girls watching the boys play!

Girls Watching

Happy Halloween

Okay, so here are our sweet trick-or-treaters. Elias was a scuba diver, Jonah was a sheriff cowboy, Anna was a cowgirl, and Elizabeth was a UF cheerleader. (that's what Anna was a her first Halloween) They were all very cute and really had a fun time tonight. We had a fall fest with all of the local churches and the kids really had a good time running around, bouncing on bounce house stuff, eating popcorn & snow cones. Dan was busy working and running around like a mad-man so I enlisted the help of our trusty babysitter. And let me just say, she's awesome! She came with back up and helped me keep an eye on the kids. Anyway, I am proud of our cuties and their awesome costumes, if I do say so myself! Enjoy the pictures! :)

Cowboys, scuba gear, and cheerleaders

Here's what happens after a night at a "Fall Harvest Fest"! Of course we got loads of candy but we also got 3 new goldfish. And a naked baby!! After I took the picture Jonah told me he was hugging his fish.

Pretty Face

One Year Old

A year ago this is what was going on in our house. A pregnant mommy, I just had to show how big my tummy was, and then a beautiful new addition to our White house. Elizabeth Marie was born October 23rd. She was 3 weeks early and took us a little by surprize. As you can see in the pictures she was big and healthy and so loved. We have had a fun year getting to know her and had to work hard at learning how to be parents to 4 kids. I don't know who said it was the same as having 3 but I hate to tell them it's a whole lot harder. :)
Elizabeth is now 1, she's walking, babeling, eating table food, climbing, drinking whole milk, and does lots of exploring. I find her following me around the house just to see what's going on. She's still pretty quiet but will let you know when she's unhappy about some thing. All in all, she's been a great 4th baby and I am proud to have her as mine. I cannot wait to see how she turns out to be as she continues to grow and change. I have mixed feelings about her growing up, I am happy to see the changes and freedom that come in having your babies grow a little but sad to see these "baby" times pass us by not to be revisited.
Happy brithday sweet girl! We love you so!
(her stats for her 1 year check, 24lbs 8oz, 29.5 inches)

Aunt Becky bought both of these outfits for Elizabeth! She has good taste in clothes. :)
(hey heather ramsey, i know you want to edit my posts for me...send me an email and maybe i'll give you my username & password so you can)