The Jessup Jive

A camp out.

2011-08-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

The kids have been dying to go camping again. It just hasn't worked out so we decided to do one in the back yard. It was complete with tents, sleeping bags, campfire, and marshmallows. We even had my niece Keatley join the fun.

updates

2011-07-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

So I know it has been a while and you all thought Cari no longer blogs...... Well I haven't wanted to give it up but sometimes things just fall by the wayside. So here are the updates for the Jessups

Gordon is about to turn 3 and gets into everything!!! He loves sword fighting, running up to his dad on the stand on Sundays, Ninja Turtles, Cars, Skateboards (he has been asking for one for months for his birthday). He says funny things like the other day when we walked into my in-laws house and he promptly calls out "Ok where are the old people?" He thinks there are cars in his tummy and if he eats his boogers then it helps them come out. Gross I know..... He is just discovering that friends his age can be fun.

Lilly, has finished preschool and is eager to start Kindergarten. She is very excited to be going to a brand new school. We are trying to get her to stop sucking her thumb but things are not going well in that department. Lilly was a light bulb in her dance concert this year with the theme being inventions. She loves riding her bike without training wheels. Which she learned to do the same day as her big sister.

Easter Sunday

Lainey, finished 1st grade with flying colors. She is reading way above her grade and is loving chapter books. She devours them pretty quickly. She is not so sure about the new school because she is sad about the friends she is leaving behind at Oakcrest. She also started Piano lessons this spring and seems to have a natural affinity for it. In 2 months she breezed through her first book.

A ride in a stage coach

Cari , So I have been released as YW's president when Lance was called to the Bishopric. This has given me a lot more time to work on and develop some new skills and talents. Such as refinishing furniture and a little graphic design. I still got to go girls camp on the cooking crew. It was a different experience but I still had a blast. Last but not least I am expecting baby number 4. And once again I seem to be having a severe implantation bleed. I have been down for about 4 days and today we should hopefully find out more what is going on. I am about 7 weeks and the baby is the size of a blueberry.

Lance, is settling into his new church calling and trying his best to cover it all. He got to spend a week home with the kids while I was at girls camp. He is eagarly looking forward to scout camp and Youth Conference. I must say I am a little jealous :). Work is going well and there is talk about possibly sending him to Japan, although it is looking less and less. A couple of weeks before his birthday we found out he has a blood clot in his leg about the whole length of his leg. He said he wasn't having any trouble turning 30 but he did have a hard time turning 30 on blood thinners.

Daddy sick on Fathers Day

So that is our update, if we still have any readers left :)

Happy Birthday Lance!!!

2011-06-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

For Lance's 30th birthday I have compiled a list of 30 things you might not now about Lance. Here goes :)

1. He doesn’t like chunkies in his ice cream

2. He doesn’t usually use nicknames

3. He is very shy

4. He is an excellent defenseman in roller hockey

5. He doesn’t like chocolate (unless it’s the good Swiss stuff)

6. He loves rice crispy treats

7. He is 9 months younger than me.

8. He stuck his foot through his mom’s hutch glass while trying to use the hutch as a balance beam

9. When he was 3 his parents had to padlock the fridge door.

10. He broke the padlock on the fridge door.

11. He love cheese but if he eats a sharp or aged cheese his cheeks turn red.

12. He got his degree from Weber State but only went on campus to graduate.

13. Every night he is home he reads to Lilly at bedtime.

14. He takes the kids out on their birthdays for a Daddy Date.

15. I believe he is 18^th of 36 grandkids on his dad’s side.

16. His first name is Gordon

17. He doesn’t watch sports on TV.

18. He likes playing strategy games like: Settlers of Cattan, Carcassone and Ticket to Ride.

19. He still has all his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys.

20. He still has all his legos in their original boxes.

21. He talks in his sleep and says really funny things

22. He has traveled outside the US to: India, Singapore, Germany and England.

23. He has driven on the Autoban

24. When he was a kid he got to go back East with his grandmother for like 2 weeks.

25. He still likes watching G.I. Joe and Transformer Cartoons.

26. He went to Hawaii on a scout trip.

27. He is nervous to conduct his first sacrament meeting on Sunday.

28. He does the majority of the laundry.

29. He loves tunnels , caverns, anything underground that he can explore. He love to hike.

30. He is the best husband and father EVER!! He takes such good care of us.

I love you!! Happy Birthday Lance!!

(This is Lance touching the creepy stuffed Hyena at a museum in St. George)

Crazy Hair Day

2011-02-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

So Lainey came home from school earlier this week totally stoked that Friday was crazy hair and crazy sock day. I didn't think much of it, so this morning I proceeded to get a little crazy. So her hair is done, socks are on, when.... I check her backpack for any notes to make sure everything is set for the day. I pull out a note that says that Lainey's class earned this day. And it is for her class only and while we can do fun things with their hair it shouldn't be to crazy or distracting. OOPS!!! Oh well she was happy.
I didn't realize how blurry they were till after she left, we literally had like 10 seconds to get her out the door!

Baby Jaguar

2011-01-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

At one point in time when Lilly was trying to stop sucking her thumb, she gained a little friend, named Baby Jaguar. She is a right cute little kitty that has become a big source of comfort to Lilly. When I asked Lilly what she wanted to be for Halloween: Baby Jaguar. When I asked Lilly what kind of Birthday party she wanted this year: Baby Jaguar. I let the girls paint and decorate a picture frame for Valentines, when I asked Lilly what she wanted to put in her frame, can you guess what her response was? That is right!! BABY JAGUAR!!! She love this little cuddly kitty and you can see by the permenant dirt ground into her furr. So we did a photo shoot of BJ and here are some of the pics.

Vacation

2010-10-19T19:43:00.001-07:00

Lainey was off track so we decided to head down south for a few days. We left early Thursday morning. We stopped at Cove Fort. The kids liked seeing the old stuff. I think they liked going up the stair to the look out spot above.

We got back int he car and after a few more stops we made it to Grandma Sherelle's house. We spent the evening, hiking around her property meeting the animals and having dinner with Grandma and Roger.

We then got back in the car and headed into St. George to our hotel.

We got up Friday morning and got ready for the day. We went to the Rosenbrach Wildlife Museum. It was ok, but we were all a little creeped out by some of the animals.

Our favorite part was the bug display.

We then went back to the hotel and swam in the pool, that is what the kids had been begging to do since we got there. After swimming we went back to the room and got ready to head over to our friends house. Along the way we stopped and did a little shopping on our way. We had dinner with friends from our apartment days. They have 2 daughters the same age as ours and they had a blast together! Lance and I enjoyed visiting with our friends. Saturday morning we got up and got ready to go hiking in Kolob Canyon, unfortunately Gordie got a little sick on the way :( he threw up in the car and we decided that hiking wasn't a good idea. We hung out at Grandmas house and Gordie seemed to be better so we decided to go to the Apple Festival in New Harmony. The kids had a blast.

They made corn husk dolls and Lance even competed and won a pie eating contest.

We had an great day spending more time with Grandma and just being together as a family. Whe got back in the car and headed out, but we didnt make it very far before Gordie started throwing up again. Poor guy. The car ride home wasnt too bad the girls kept themselves occupied embroidering and Gordie managed not to throw up anymore :) All in all we had a great time and came to the conclusion that it isnt about what we do on vacation it is about being together as a family and making the journey part of the fun! Even with car troubles :)

Bubble Wrap and Confessions

2010-09-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

So I have to admit that I have been cheating on my blog with my new blog. There, that being said I am going to try to get at least one post on here for every post or two on Homemaker is not a "Dirty" word! So we have been watching my nephew a lot lately and he fits right into our routine and he is really easy to watch. Lance brought home a huge box filled with bubble wrap. The kids went nuts! Here is the video. Hopefully there will be more posts :)

Our World in a Minute :)

2010-08-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again in our household where we are just so busy! We have been out doing this and that, and trying to spend as much time together as possible! So here are a few pictures to show you whats been going on.......

Belgium Pancakes on the 4th of July

Cub Camp

Pioneer Trek

Stick Pulling

This is the Place on the 24th

First Day of School !st Grade

Black Eyes

Waterfalls/Hiking

And Family Reunions

Coming up this week we have Trevor's Birthday dinner,Trevor and Cedes Wedding, Gordie's 2nd birthday, and Girls Camp. Hopefully we survive it all!

Hola Senorita

2010-06-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Not all 22 month olds can grow one of these babies.

Yeah Yeah, I know...

2010-06-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since we posted and things have changed a lot around here lately. I was just called as Young Women President, and we are adjusting to that, Lilly graduated from preschool (we forgot the camera), the girls had their dance concert, Lainey had her school choir concert. Lainey still has about a month left of school, then 3 weeks off then it is back to 1st grade. So that in a nutshell is what is going on around here.

SCOUT-O-RAMA!!

2010-05-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

So many moons ago I was a little Cub Scout. Each year we would work in a booth at Scout-O-Rama for a little bit and then check out all the other booths with my family. To say I had a good time, or even a blast, would be an understatement.

When I was called as a Cubmaster two years ago I was reading and read about Scout-O-Rama. How could have forgotten this great momentous event that happens every year I thought. Well, I haven't missed one since. I even did a booth myself last year.

Now my children are hooked, they have been asking ever since last year's Scout-O-Rama when it would happen again. Last Saturday it came.

I didn't do a booth this year, because I was trying to get the boys in my pack to come and check this place out. I had planned on bringing them myself. Turned out those that could go actually went with their families, which is the best way to do this thing.

The Highway Patrol always comes and helps the kids learn the importance of seat belts. Lainey and Lilly were very excited to try it.

We were there for nearly the whole day. Cari actually sent a text near the end asking if we had all run away with the scouts.

The pictures just don't do it justice.

The girls loved the Haka dance performed by a Polynesian troop and a fire dance performed by a scout. The magician (also named Lance) was a big hit too. Lainey wanted to stop at every booth.

One of those Moments

2010-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

The more we shelter children from every disappointment, the more devastating future disappointments will be.

FRED G. GOSMAN, How to Be a Happy Parent ... In Spite of Your Children

I had a moment as a parent today, that not only broke my heart but made me glad also. My dear sweet Lainey loves to sing! She has been involved with her school's melody choir all year. It is a free after school program. To say she loves it is an understatement. She practices all the time singing her songs and working on the actions. We have been excitedly looking forward to her end of year performance. Lainey also loves to Dance! She has been taking classes since she was 3 and looks forward every week to dance day.

As we are ending the year with her dance concert coming we realized that her mandidtory dress rehearsal for dance was on the same night as her choir concert. I noticed this problem about 2 weeks ago, but hoped we could work something out. I didn't mention it to her because I was hoping we could make it to both on the same night. When I realized it just wasn't possible. I laid it out to her plainly. If she missed dress rehearsal she couldn't perform in her dance concert (which we do pay for), or she would have to miss her choir concert. I gave the decision to her. I expected tears, but was utterly amazed at her response. After thinking about it for a few minutes she made her decision. She has decided to do her dance performance. While she didn't cry I could hear the emotion in her voice about not singing. It broke my heart to make her have to choose, but she was brave and made the decision. She knows that she can still be in the choir next year and will hopefully get to perform there too. I

Sometimes life is hard, we are faced with decisions everyday, some are easy some are hard, but the hardest ones are the ones when we have to choose between to really good things. She has made her choice and I am so proud of her for her courage. WE LOVE YOU LAINEY! I am so pleased to be your mom.

Can you guess Who????

2010-04-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

These pictures are of all my babies at 4 months old. Can you tell which one is which? Maybe it is easier than I think but give it a guess.

HUH???????

2010-04-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

So normally we put ourselves in Doctors and pharmacists hands trusting that these people who have gone to school for nearly a decade, 1: are very smart, after all they had to make it through all that schooling. 2: That they have to use a lot of common sense. Majority of the time this is the case. While I trust my Doctor very much, and we all make mistakes sometimes I wonder......

Here is a true story that happened to me just this week:

I have been on some medication that totally dries out my skin for several months, this causes my eczema to go berserk! So I usually use a prescription strength Cortizone cream for this. I was out so I asked my Doc, to give me a new one. He said no problem and wrote out the rx. I went to fill the rx and the pharmacist looked at it and said, "There is a problem, the thing the doc wrote the rx for doesn't exist." They needed to check on it before they could fill it. I said ok. I left and came back 2 days later. They told me that they had it sorted out but they were out of stock, and it would be in later today. I left a little frustrated but ya know things like this happen...... Later tonight I went back to pick up the prescription. They had gotten it and it was ready. I got to the car and opened it. This is what I found.

Typically 0.5% is normal, 1.0% is extra strength and 2.5% is prescription strength.
So 3 trips to Target, and a 3 day wait to get minimum strength cortizone cream, that I paid more for than if I had just grabbed the Target brand sitting on the shelf 3 feet away from the pharmacy.

If you made it to the end of this, I thank you for listening to my rant!

What about Gordon?

2010-04-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

If you scroll down (if we have any readers left). You will see multiple posts about Lainey, Lilly, food and family activities but nothing about Gordie. So here is a post about our little man.

He has been getting back to back ear infections that seem to be resistant to the antibiotics. Not a fun thing. We were going to the Pediatrician office like once a month. Well this last time the doctor used the "tube" word. So off to the ENT on Tuesday we went. They looked in his ears and indeed he needed tubes. When we went to schedule the surgery they gave us 2 dates, 1 at the end of April and 1 in that was Thursday. Like as in 2 days. We decided that now was a good time and said go ahead and schedule it.

Thursday came very quickly and off we went to the hospital. We got checked in and taken to our room. Gordie wasn't happy about the hospital gown, but with distraction of a white board and marker we managed to keep it on him. They came in and gave him some meds that would make him a little loopy and forget what was going on. Before it kicked in he amazed the nurses with his fine motor skills.

They brought him back and told us the fluid in his ears was the consistancy of rubber cement. He didnt say that was unusual but the way he said it made it seem to me like it was. Any who, after about 10-15 minutes with us he was ready to go home and letting everyone in post-op know it.

By the time we got home you would have thought that nothing had happened and that it was just a normal day! He even got to go hunt Easter Eggs at his Aunt Ashley's house.

NOTHING SLOWS THIS BOY DOWN!!

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

They are multiplying like rabbits!!

Happy Easter to all, may you feel the love of our Savior and remember his atoning sacrifice today!

Love,
Lance, Cari, Lainey, Lilly, and Gordon.

Monday Monday

2010-03-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

It just occured to me why I have been cranky today. It is Monday! Well at least I can blame it on that right? We had a yummy dinner of Chicken Verde Burritos and Corn fritters. As mentioned before I am not a photographer.

Then for FHE we colored Easter eggs.

Please excuse the blurry photos the kids wouldn't hold still!

Easter Sunday?

2010-03-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

So because next week is General Conference, we had our Easter program in church this week. So we all got to wear our new Easter dress clothes. I must say I did pretty well this year. The kids looked great and Lance and I did too. Here are some pick of us all gussied up before church. Gordon wouldn't leave his hat on, but I kinda figured he wouldn't.

This was the only one where they were all somewhat looking at the camera.
Lance coordinated with the girls.

I coordinated with the Monkey.

Gordon deciding to heck with this I'm outta here!

MMMM ~~~Muffins~

2010-03-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

I know this is the second post in a row about food. But as I stated before I have been struggling with this diet because of lack of baking. I have searched the internet for recipes that would work for the Candida Diet I am on, but haven't really been able to find much. What I didn't realize was that I really didn't need to look further than my own kitchen. When Lance and I got married an old neighbor gave us a cook book with recipes that she had collected and perfected. In there was a recipe for plain muffins. It fit right into my diet. But who wants to eat plain muffins? So taking her base this is what I came up with. So really this is therapy for me and hopefully I am not boring you to death.

Wholegrain Cinnamon Peach Muffins

Gordie awaiting the muffins!

Just a note

2010-03-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

While the converted recipe below tastes great is is very crumbly while the origional holds together better. Just thought I would let you know.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

2010-03-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

So many of you know I LOVE to bake. So this whole diet thing has been has been super hard for me!! I found this recipe online and decided to convert it into something that falls in the boundaries of my diet. All I can say is YUM! I will give you the regular recipe and the one I converted to be a little healthier. I hope you enjoy.

PS these are not my pictures.

Regular:
3/4 cup brown sugar (I think this is way too much sugar!!!)
1/2 cup butter softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup rolled oats

mix all together, spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. They will flatten and get crispy.

Dipping Cream
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream
2tbsp sugar.
Whip all together until soft peaks form.

My adaptation

3 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cup rolled oats.

Follow same instructions as above

Dipping Cream
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp sugar

Follow same instructions as above.

My family couldn't get enough! And they were healthy! As I type Lance has informed me if I want anymore I had better do it quick. Plus they are a snap and fast! They taste great without the dipping cream as well!

Domestic Red

2010-03-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

I am Cari and this is Lilly and together we are Domestic Red!!!!

Sometimes, (ok all the time) Lilly gets a little bored when Lainey goes to school. Sometimes it is easy to distract her and give her something to do. It usually involves a friend or two. Today however I really needed Gordie to take his nap and sometimes friends aren't so conducive to naps. So this is what we did today!

Now I know if something goes wrong with staying at home, I can go on the road with these killer rock star faces!!

Don't you just love the smeared lipstick

A Very Fluffy 4th Birthday

2010-03-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

Since it is still less than 24 hours after the birth time, I am not technically late.
I seem to be having a much harder time with Lilly turning 4 than I did with Lainey turning 6. Lilly is doing so much changing right now. It is amazing to watch. I am thinking I missed this with Lainey because of being pregnant or something( very sorry sweet pea). But I am totally loving the new phases Lilly is starting into. She seems to not only be growing physically but emotionally as well. So without further ado here are 4 reasons we love this fantastic 4 year old

1. She makes us laugh, sometimes we have to leave the room because it was something naughty we shouldn't be laughing at.

2.She is a great at sharing. In recent days it seems that if she has anything she offers a some to anyone who wants some.

3. She is always good for a snuggle, and love to be affectionate.

4.She is Fluffy, about 1 year ago she decided one day that her name was Fluffy. Often times would not respond unless called Fluffy. She is a determined little girl who knows what she wants and once she has decided what she wants you better watch out! We hope that this trait is one that sticks with her through out her life, as long as it is good choices she has set her mind to.

Those are just 4 of the so many many reasons we love our Lilly. Happy Birthday! We love you so much!

Rapunzel

2010-03-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

It was dress up as your favorite book character for school today. Lainey did not decide until the day of that she wanted to be Rapunzel. I love a good challenge.

Fluffy

2010-03-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

So today we were supposed to go have pictures taken with Peter. But the weather and a few other things are not cooperating today. Lilly was not happy about this development. She demanded that Peter could come take them at our house or wait until after the storm. After about an hour of trying to help her understand we came to a compromise. We would do a practice hair and practice pictures. I think she still thinks he is going to take her picture today but...... So here are some of my bad pictures.

Happy Birthday Lainey

2010-02-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

This is a little late but here it is anyway! Happy Birthday to our sweet 6 year old. That's right 6! so here are 6 reasons we LOVE this 6 year old.

1. She has the most tender heart! If she knows someone is sad she will go out of her way to make that person happy!

2. "She tells the best stories"

3. She is a beautiful dancer and I love the way her eyes light up when she is performing!

4. She loves to sing just like her Momma! She is very diligent in practicing for Melody Choir.

5. She has the sweetest smile, and it will brighten anybody's day!

6. She often goes out of her way to make sure her little sister isn't left out.

The list could go on and on.....

WE LOVE YOU!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Brussel Sprouts?

2010-02-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

Recently while in the grocery store I had the grand idea of letting the girls each pick a vegetable. I was a little nervous about what we would come home with. On our first round we ended up with yellow squash and purple cauliflower. The squash didn't go over so well.

On our next trip we ended up with brussel sprouts and turnips. We tried the sprouts tonight and I must say I liked them (even Lance liked them). Of course after steaming them for a couple of minutes I lightly sauted them in butter, salt and pepper. All in all it has been a great way to mix some variety into our dinners and a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies.

(Can you guess who keeps picking the purple ones?)

I wonder what next weeks grocery trip will bring to our house.....

Princess Tea Party

2010-01-22T15:39:00.001-08:00

Lainey & Lilly like many little girls love to have "princess tea parties." Well a recent one was pretty special for them.

They even had their own personal waitress who attended to their every need.

They just kept smiling and giggling.

One of those priceless moments that are brief, but so much fun.

My new favorite Blog

2010-01-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

So my friend Jane posted a link on her blog for some Corn Bread. That was all it took I am hooked on this wonderful stuff. Since then I have started making all sorts of things from her blog. Tonight I made her Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin. All I can say is YUM YUM YUM YUM!! We have also tried her Baked Chicken Taquitos, Lime Cilantro rice, also the Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls. If you like new recipes check this blog out!!! We have really liked everything we have tried from here.

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

Craft it Forward

2009-12-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

My friend Heather is doing this and I thought it would be fun. So here it it...

It's based on the movie "Pay It Forward". I will send a handmade gift to the first 5, that's right, only the first FIVE people who leave a comment on this post! All of the gifts will be made and delivered sometime within the next year. What you need to do in return is craft it forward yourself by posting this on your blog (or Facebook), and promising to make something for 5 other people within the next year. It doesn't need to be anything elaborate - even something as simple as a plate of cookies will suffice!

Now that you know how it works, if you'd like to participate please leave a comment below. I will will even let you choose your item from the following list:
Hooded Bath Towel
Necklace
Earrings and a Bracelet
Hair Bow
Hair Flower
Receiving Blanket
A home made treat by Me :0)

So leave your comment and craft if forward.

2009-12-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

It seems every year around Christmas time I decide that I need to make someone a quilt. I never intended it to become a yearly thing but I really enjoy it. It got a little better this year when my mom let me borrow her fancy quilting frames. She told me I could just keep them at my house because I quilt more than she does. They sure make things easier. This quilt was put up for an activity day service project. We didn't get it done so I started working on it. Lainey and Lilly kept begging to try. So I showed Lainey what to do and to my utter amazement she picked it up immediately. Lilly cannot be left out and had to give it a try as well. Lilly didn't do quite as well but what can you expect she is 3. I think this will become something I will treasure and love to do with my girls in years to come. I am excited I have some material left over and will be making 1-2 more quilts this year.

P.S. This picture cracks me up so I thought I would throw it in there. Yes this is Gordie

So Long!!!

2009-11-30T12:33:00.000-08:00

Hello All followers of our blog, (if we have any left),
Sorry we have been absent from our blog for a while.
We are still here and breathing. We have been so busy lately and I was wanting to do some posts but it seems a little silly to post about Halloween now.
We had a friend visiting from India for about 3 weeks so we were able to go and do some fun things as a family with him. It was a lot of fun to have him and we were sad to have him leave. Here are a few pictures of the things we did while he was here.

Okay just kidding these are of Lance and Kumaravel in Moab by themselves.

Just Kidding again here are the pictures...

First Father & Son's camp

2009-09-12T13:58:00.000-07:00

We just had our first Father & Son's camp out last night. The little guy did great. I think he was the youngest one there.

I'm excited for many more. I was bummed I have not done anything like this with the girls yet. At least we are going camping with the family next week so they can enjoy camping again too.

Happy Birthday Cari!!!

2009-09-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to a wonderful women, friend and mother.

You are not just a lady that buys our clothes and mends our clothes.
You are not just a full time cook who makes sure your family is fed.
You are more then a police officer and judge for fights each and every day.
You are not just an amateur nurse who tends to all our wounds and needs.
You are not just a taxi driver for everywhere we need to be.

You are much more then that...

You teach us how to love and guide us to be better.
You show us how to delight in chubby little baby legs.
You show us how a simple treat can brighten someone's day.
Your hugs fill our souls with the warmth only an Angel could provide.
Your smile is like a thousand rays of sunshine on a dark and dreary day.
You teach us to have fun in a puddle of rain.
You show us that growing up means more fun in more places.
You show us that a listening ear is better then any advice.
Your heart is bigger then life itself and makes our home the best.
Your soul is truly special and an inspiration to all you met.

You truly are an inspiration to us. Happy Birthday from me and the kids to you.
I take great delight in knowing that our girls will grow up to be like their mom and that they will be okay.

I usually post lot of pictures on a day like this. All the best ones of Cari from when she was a kid were posted last year if you want some fun pics. :-)

Lainey's first day of school

2009-08-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Lainey started her first day of Kindergarten today!!! Excited does not even cover it (for both her and her mother).

Cari tried to talk her into riding with Dad to the school for her first day, but she would have none of that! On the bus to AND from school was her wish!

The first thing she said after getting off the bus "Dad, the bus has NO SEAT BELTS." Lets just hope that does not cause any problems for riding in the car.

She was so excited to go in. Have fun sweetie!!
Oh ya, and Lance managed not to cry either. Not bad for the fact he was the one freaking out the most about this new stage in life...

Our World in a Minute

2009-07-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

Lance informed me of the need to update the blog, and gave me a list of events that I could blog about. BLAH BLAH BLAH. We have been having fun and being busy here are some picture updates.

Mom Went to GIRLS CAMP!!!

Lance went to CUB CAMP

The girls go hair cuts once again we chopped about 4 inches off Lainey's hair, and we went to the temple open house.

We went to This is the Place Heritage Park the weekend of the 24th

Lance won a pie eating contest

Lance won a watermelon eating contest.
We have a busy next couple of weeks so stay tuned for other exciting new in the Jessup world
AND THIS IS YOUR WORLD IN A MINUTE!!

When Mom is away the family will play!!!

2009-07-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone keeps asking if we are doing okay, since Cari has been gone for 4 days now. Well we are doing great!!!

We played out in the pool earlier in the week. Gordon even got in and was having fun with the girls.

While the kids were napping the other day I even got to go and help put out a field fire behind some of the homes in our neighborhood. Don't play with fireworks. :-)

The highlight has to be dressing up like cows and going to Chick-fil-A for FREE FOOD. Thanks again Jane for posting about it on your blog.

I did dress up as well. Cari has our good camera and our old one died before Lainey could take a picture of me. At least the guy at Chick-fil-A took a picture of me, maybe it will be up on their community board. :-) All the ladies in the neighborhood that were there can be my witnesses. :-)

Lilly's picnic

2009-07-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Lilly decided to do a family picnic the other day. She is just like her mommy, a true hostess.

The best part was that Gordon came over and sat right down and played right along. He waited his turn for a plate and didn't cause a single problem. It was priceless.

Gordon loved to eat the food that Lilly prepared for us. He even tried to use his forks.

Late Birthday Presents

2009-07-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

The girls finally spent their birthday money that they got from Grandpa Zulliger . So thank you Grandpa!!

Lainey's bike was much to small for her and with the help of some free gift cards from Target (with every new prescription) she was able to buy it herself.

Lilly of course now gets Lainey's old bike. She bought a basket for her bike (she didn't spend all her money yet) to make it her own.

With all the bike riding Gordon had to get in on the fun. You can't keep this one still for long. :-)

Fathers Day, Copperton Park, and Carrots

2009-06-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to Jessup's for father's day and had a wonderful dinner and a fun time with family. We forgot the camera so there weren't any pictures. But I would have killed for it. Gordon kept reaching for Lance's cousin Damon, and giving him loves it was so cute!!!
We went to Copperton Park yesterday with Cari's family to celebrate fathers day. We ate dinner played and had s'mores. We love our fire pit.

This morning I went out and picked some Carrots, Lettuce and peas from our garden. We also have strawberries, tomatoes, pumpkins and watermelon going. Here are the carrots.

Lainey & Lilly's dance recital

2009-06-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday Lainey & Lilly had their dance recital. They were so excited and did so well.

Sorry our camera is woefully inadequate for indoor events with the lights out. I did steal some pictures from the Rudys who have a much better camera. :-)
Lainey's dance was "Marbles
Lilly's dance was "Chutes & Ladders"

Lainey & Peyton striking poses (trying to find their parents in the crowd).

Here is Lainey & Lilly with their friend Peyton after everything was over. If our girls look like they have been crying it is because they were. Lainey got lost on the way out and was afraid she wouldn't be able to find us. When we went over to get here the same thing happened to Lilly - good times.

P.S. I just need to say thanks to my friend Kumaravel in India who kept reminding us to post pictures of our girl's dance recital. We appreciate your friendship and interest in our family's life.

Lots of flags

2009-06-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I have been the one spear heading and coordinating the flag fundraiser with our scouts. Well last Saturday was out second time putting flags out and they got quite wet. So what do you do with 58 wet flags????

Doesn't my garage look patriotic? (except for the complete mess part). Of course it started to bend my hooks holding the ladder up and everything almost came down. A few 2x4s and some rope is holding it up nicely.

Of course Lainey had to be part of this too. My little helper.

Fruits of our labor

2009-06-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, for the first time, we were able to eat a salad with everything from our Garden.

Not whole lot of color, but lettuce, carrots and peas - all home grown. Yeah!

Crazy!!

2009-06-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here has been our crazy busy lives lately.
Monday:
Palisades by Manti for the Cari's family reunion. (forgot the camera)
Tuesday:
Dress rehearsal in SLC for Lainey and Lilly's dance concert
Bowling with Rudy's
Wednesday:
I had my Presidents Club recognition lunch at La Caille. It lasted about 4 hours!!!
Lainey and Lilly's dance recital in Downtown SLC.
Thursday:
I worked at my sister's store Insight Eyecare. Left here at 8:30am and returned at 6:30 pm
Girls spent the day with Aunt Ashley and Grandma Jessup
7:30 Lance has a scout meeting
Friday:
Playgroup in the morning
Activity days in the afternoon
Keatley's Birthday Party in Tooele
Megan's (one of my YW from our last ward) Wedding in Sandy
Saturday:
Lance does flags at 8:00 am
at 8:30 Cari goes for Doughnuts because there is no food in the house because it has been to crazy to grocery shop.
I go grocery shopping, but in such a hurry forgot lots of things
4:30 leave to drop the girls off at my parents house.
5:00 head to Heber to ride the train and have dinner and enjoy bluegrass music, to celebrate one of my best friends birthdays! Happy Birthday Caroline!!!!
10:00 pick up girls and head home
Sunday
Church at 11
and parents over for dinner at 4:00
8:15 collapse into bed!! And get ready to start all over again!!!
You will have to excuse that there are no pics I haven't haven't had time to upload them! lol

Happiest of Birthdays to the Bestest of Husbands!!

2009-06-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Lance!!

Not everyone in this world is lucky enough to marry their best friend, but I am one of the lucky ones. We have known each other for 11 years now, and I still remember the night I met you. I remember one night my mom came in my room and I was talking to you on the phone. She asked "is he a friend or more than a friend". My response was that I hoped that you would be more than just a friend. Little did I know then that you would become my eternal sweetheart. When we were seniors in High School, I had to change a class and purposely choose the one you were in. We have seen some very happy times, and some not so happy times (not in our marriage :0)). You joke that I chose you, but you chose me back and for that I am truly thankful. I hope you have a wonderful day!!

P.S. Please ignore the labels on the photos, I'm not sure how to get them off, nor can I figure out why they all got labeled Lainey broken arm!! LOL

P.P.S With a little help from my more technologically advanced husband we got the labels of. I am such a dork!!

Welcome home Cameron!!!!

2009-05-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Cari's brother Cameron came home from his Mission last Friday!!!

Cameron has been serving in the Dublin Ireland Mission. On the way to the Airport Cari said she felt like it was Christmas.

(click the picture for a larger image)

Cameron got to meet his two new nephews and a niece. We were excited to have him back, but sad because we know how much he loves the people of Ireland and how hard it was for him to leave.

Preschool Graduation & Giving Blood

2009-05-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Better late then never...

Lainey Graduated from Preschool last week! Good job sweetie. She loves school so much and is SOOOOOOO excited to start Kindergarten this fall.

I also want to show this off. I went and donated blood last week. Before I left I asked the girls what color I should get when they wrap my arm (I usually just get pink because as the time I only had girls). Lainey wanted pink. Lilly wanted purple. Tears were involved and decided to end the discussion. I told the lady that drew my blood and this is what she came up with.

I love the bow!I wore it to my meeting that night and showed it off to everyone I saw.

Raingutter Regatta

2009-05-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

We just did the Raingutter Regatta for Scouts tonight. Hopefully, all the boys had fun. I vastly underestimated the effort involved in coordinating races for 22 boys, I should have built some extra gutters. I was too busy to take pictures so I don't have any. Hopefully, the parents got enough shots.

If all else fail, the girls and I enjoyed making some boats that we raced after everything was done. Lainey is planning a race between her and her friends for tomorrow during playgroup.

Happy Anniversary

2009-05-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Today is our 7th anniversary. Time sure flies when you are having fun!

Wednesday May 15, 2002. A beautiful day.
For those like of you that are like us. We love looking at pictures.

First date - Saturday, April 25, 1998. Cari asked Lance out so he would lose a bet to her friend Ashley (wearing blue).
It took Lance a while to get things figured out. For some reason Cari stuck with Lance who definitely didn't deserve it. Lance was (and in some ways still is) a grumpy, temperamental, unrefined, misguided, miscreant who didn't deserve anyone half as good as Cari - something Melissa Combs has pointed out a few times. :-) It took a while, but he finally got his act together in 2001 and proposed during Cari's College French class trip to La Caille

Definitely a bit nervous.

Its official, finally engaged - Wednesday, November 14, 2001To bad the engagement ring was too small - doh!

Engagement picture

One of Cari's bridals

Isn't she just beautiful! She's more beautiful today!

So what has happened to us in the last year of our marriage. Lets just point out a few of the more note worry ones. Feel free to bail out and stop reading now.

Lance finishes his first wood working project - bunkbeds for the girls.
Finally paint & decorate the kids rooms
Lainey gets wood embedded in her cheek which ends up basically tattoos the skin!
Lilly decides not to walk for a couple days and freak us out - then all of a sudden is fine.
Cari's pregnancy resulted in a lot of weird symptoms in Lance - he had a lot of uncontrollable cravings, experienced heartburn, and developed allergies to everything after a life of no allergies.
We welcomed our third child into the World, Gordon Hans Jessup, and are officially outnumbered.
Lilly gives all her diapers to Gordon and potty trains herself
Lainey started Pre-school
Finally put in a patio & got a patio set for the back yard
Cari had her gallbladder removed
Lainey broke her arm for a third time (she was only 4 at the time!) - "No more broken arms!" is said a lot at our home.
Lance catches up to Cari in callings for 24 hours (we each had 2) until she was extended a third calling and took the lead yet again. As she says: "I just can't focus on one thing at a time, otherwise I get bored."
Lance: Cubmaster, Primary teacher
Cari: Activity Days, Primary teacher, YW Stake Camp Committee
Lainey thinks that she is just as capable of being in charge as Cari - the expression "Lainey you aren't the mom" is said a lot.
Lance and Cari found out that Lance is a total Scout geek! "Scout geek Lance" is comparable to "Camp Cari", however Camp Cari only comes out once a year and not at home. "Scout geek Lance" has come out and won't go away. :-)
Cari finally finds a pair of jeans she loves - Lance rips them - sorry :-(
Lance's turtle of 19.5 years died. We organized our first funeral.
Lance in his laundry tasks accidentally changes the color of a new shirt Cari loves (may have happened a couple times) - the phrase "Why do you always have to ruin the things I love?" becomes a common expression in our home.
Lilly started dance
We have cleaned up more pee around the house then ever before (not Gordon)
Started our first garden
Cari really starts to worry about turning 30, although she has some time still
Lance goes a full year without any trips for work and can now donate blood after being banned for a year after his last trip to India & Signapore in April 2008.
Lance & Cari finally join the facebook action. Cari of course is much more popular then Lance - no surprise.
many, many, more...

Here's to another year of many more to come!

Gordon - the happiest baby there is!

2009-05-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

This little guy gets forgot about all to often because his sisters demand so much attention. Just some random samplings of the cute guy!

I do have to tell a story about the picture in the middle on the right. He is clutching a chunk of cheese. Some how it disappeared while Cari was making dinner and ended up in his hands. We found him having a grand old time sucking on it. When I came over to see what he was doing that is the smile I got.

Scout-O-Rama

2009-05-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

Again, another delayed post due to problems. My unit (well me and our Committee Chairman) did a booth at the Scout-O-Rama last weekend. We did catapults. It was a tun of fun.
I did have one boy in our unit actually come and help out of a bit. Thanks Jacob! You did great.

Cari brought the kids for a bit so I was able take them around and play for an hour or so.

The pictures I was able to get of them don't really show off half of what was there. Lainey keeps asking when we get to go again. She is excited it happens every year.

For those that are Lego lovers like me (and some of my scouts - Scott, Mason, Ethan, & Jordan) this is for you!

Trip to the Zoo

2009-05-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

I tried to post this a while ago, but our connection was having problems.

Lainey's preschool went to the Zoo. We had a ton of fun. I'm just glad I have a flexible job so I could take the day off and go play with the kids.

Lets not forget the playground....

New Do's

2009-05-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

(Sorry the pictures are dark)

I took the girls today for some long overdue haircuts. The girls were very excited to go with their friends. Lilly said she wanted the same hair cut as D. and Lainey was still deciding what she wanted. Lilly went first and had hers A-lined again, it is just so cute.

Lainey got in the chair and said she wanted hers the same length as mine. I want them to have the length of hair they want, but it took me by surprise I didn't want her golden locks chopped. We compromised and here is what we got. Lainey said afterward " I think Daddy might call me the wrong name." I asked her "What name will he call you?" She said "Julia" Silly kids!

We took off about 5 inches!!!

Who says the boys get all the fun...

2009-04-24T23:52:00.000-07:00

So I (Lance) have spent the last two weekends at Woodbadge. It is a training for Scout Leaders, but basically it is a place where an adult can be a kid. All I got to say is awesome!

The course I attended was located at Camp Tracy in Millcreek canyon. We ended up with a winter weekend, but it was still great.

The training runs just like a scout unit. I was put into the Bobwhite Patrol. We may seem weak, but as the Beavers found out we put up a good fight!

Here is some shots of all the participants and some shots of our patrol along with Susan our Troop Guide.
We learn many of the skills that one would learn at a management class that large companies spend lots of money on. The beauty of this training is that it is geared towards working with youth. The other best part is that we got to do some awesome activities that you could easily take home to scouts that are a ton of fun and teach valuable lessons.

The staff on course put on a campfire program and an interfaith service for us the first weekend. On the second weekend the attendants got to put together and do a campfire program and interfaith service. Thanks to my friend Kumaravel for the great story I was able to share. Just another example of how we get to experience hands on with something we can take back to our units.
One of the best parts of the campfire program we put on is that we got to do a flag retirement ceremony.

The retirement ceremony was very moving. Not only that, but the staff let us in on a little tradition with some camp fires that they did with the retirement fire. They had ashes that have been carried from fire to fire since 1930 and added it to the fire. The ashes have been all over the world. The next morning we all got to take a little bit of ash and a paper listing all the events where the ashes have traveled - couple columns front and back of the paper - amazing!

I mentioned the Beaver patrol, our rivals. The last morning we woke up and found that the beavers had gotten hungry. They ate our flag pole and table. Not to worry, I was a good substitute for the flag pole during our opening ceremony. :-)

I just can't express how much fun and worth while this training was. I've been singing camp songs for a week. I know everyone says I am a Scout Geek, that is fine with me. Words can't even express the love that burns for helping boys become the leaders of tomorrow. It is amazing how the Lord can put you into a position that you have stewardship over complete strangers and your heart just opens up to them. If it means wearing a uniform that isn't the most popular and singing crazy songs - so be it - I get to have just as much fun as them.

Seeing Green

2009-04-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

So it is really amazing the blessings that come from doing what you are asked. We are asked to prepare for rainy days. The fact that I was emergency preparedness specialist in my ward for 2 years I think helped, but Lance and I have started to do a few of those things, such as food storage. When we first put in our yard we left a space for our garden. Every year I mean to get out there and plant one. This is the first year that I have done it. Who knew that I could be so excited about some dirt and little plants, but I totally am!! I go out an check on them every day and when I know it will be cold I make them each their own little green house. I just feel truly blessed that something is actually growing!!! When we do the best that we can Heavenly Father gives us the blessings he has promised! Here are my little sproutlings!! I'm so pleased!

Peas

Carrots

Lettuce, and inside I have tomatoes and strawberries going. And when it is warmer, watermelons and pumpkins!!

So when you see the firetrucks, cops, and paramedics....

2009-04-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

A day Late and a Dollar short.

2009-04-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

So I said we would post the winner yesterday, but I am always late so this should be no different!!
We had the the girls pick a number and they said "7" so that makes Jen the Winner!!
Yeah Jen, I will get myself together and deliver it to you in a day or two or three (Lance will be out of town this weekend)

101 Posts

2009-03-31T10:18:00.001-07:00

So I know it usually customary to do a give away for your 100th post, but I have always liked to do things my own way. In these times of economic woe, who could use a pamper me package. So here is one that I have put together for your enjoyment. Included in this package is:
2 decks of playing cards (cheap entertainment)
2 bags of popcorn for a snack for above entertainment
1 batch of my Better than Bisquick Buttermilk Pancakes ( the recipe has been in my family for 4 generations)
1 bottle of my home made maple syrup (no fake stuff)
1 Bottle of my home made raspberry jam
1 Bottle of Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bubble Bath
1 Bottle of Avon's Great Eye makeup remover
4 bottles of Avon's kids bath paints (fun for you or the kids)
1 coupon for a Family Home Evening Treat

Here it is, my pamper package. To win this package I would like to hear, a memory of our family the winner will be picked next Tuesday, so all you silent blog stalkers lets hear from you!!

Happy Birthday Lilly

2009-03-12T22:44:00.001-07:00

3 Years old today!!!

Our little red head is determined to grow up, go to school, do some dancing and get married.
Lilly has always wanted to do things her way. She started out by coming late, much to Mom's dismay. Mom even tried to force her our on her due date, by shoveling snow.

Of course if she didn't come late we wouldn't have this picture. Lilly was born 8 days before her cousin.

Mommy was induced to bring Lilly here, because she didn't want to come out. We knew from the moment Lilly's head started to poke out she had red hair.

Everything has to go into Lilly's mouth.

Lilly always has a fun time. Don't stop her from trying to do what she wants to do.

She has also perfected the "Jessup scowl."

Lilly is one brave "cupcake." For her birthday she got her ears pierced. She has been begging to do it since her sister got hers pieced (last month for her birthday). A 2-year old girl went before us. Lets just say it didn't go well. The girl ended up ripping the gun out of the ladies hand while piercing the first ear. After that the girl was a wreck the rest of the time. Lilly just stood there asking "is it my turn now." She was not going to be stopped. As soon as the girl got out of the chair Lilly was in it and waited patiently for 5-10 minutes until the lady helped some other customers. She just kept grinning (see below). When it was her turn she did cry, but even through the tears she sat still and kept moving her head so we could check the ears and do the next one.

Lilly has had a good run for the "terrible twos" (just see our previous posts). Lets just hope she is like her dad and mellows out at 3.......

Dear, Grandpa Bill, Grandma Call, and Grandma Leona

2009-03-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

To my very loving and dearly departed Grandparents
You all wanted redheaded children of your own but alas as the redheaded gene is ressesive you were not blessed to have such a child. As you have all moved on to the other side and are viewing your posterity from heaven, you have decided that there needs to be a few more redheads in the family. This blessing has skipped a few generations with the exception of one, till now.
I have been one the grandchildren blessed with one of the redheads you are dishing out. Her name is Lilly after her Grandma Call who was also a redhead.

Her daddy calls her fireball,
her Momma calls her fiesty,
and so her temper flares at will
our little red head imp master.

Yet to trade her would her
would be our hearts disaster.

And to you my Grandparents I say "Thank you, may I have another"

Love you, and Miss you
Love
Cari

PS, these are some of the things you missed out on;
shampoo in the toilet, (yes it makes bubbles when you flush)
stickers on the new TV
gift cards in the disk drive
giving baby brother blue icee
etc, and that is in just 2 days

I'm a Guest Blogger

2009-03-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

I got to be a guest blogger. My good friend Shannon, has had a interesting and rough year. Her husband lost his job last June/July. It took him a long time for him to find a job, and when he did they do not offer benefits, which is scary for a family of 5. After halloween, their 4 year old daughter started having a lot of accidents and wetting the bed. Her mom noticed she was drinking tons of water and other liquids. She took her in and ended up at Primary Children's Hospital, for a 4 day diabetic boot camp. Needless to say 4 days at PCH with no insurance is an expensive exploit. This family has been through a lot and through her blog she is trying to earn a little extra income. So take a few minutes and check out her blog as well as my post.

http://mommygoingcrazy.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Lainey

2009-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

5 years ago today at about 9:00pm it was time to go to the hospital. I had been in labor for 14 hours at home, where I sat in my rocking chair and wrote down every contraction I had and how long it lasted. We got to the hospital and after observing me for a while they decided I was in real labor. At 4:00am it was time to push and at 6:30 you were born. We knew immediatly that you belonged to us. For a few hours you looked just like mom (that ended quickly). After that you were all Daddy, and a Daddy's girl. We are so happy that you are here in our home and the happiness and joy that you bring to it. We love you so very much Happy Birthday Lainey!!!

Lainey with Her Great Great Grandmother 100 years apart

Lainey talking on the phone and checking her "E-bail"

A Wonderful Evening

2009-02-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

This afternoon and evening we had the wonderful oppourtunity to visit the open house for the Draper Temple. What a beautiful building. Our church sure knows how to make a simple yet elegant. I don't think the girls really understood what was going on. Our good friends Jeff and Lorraine (who aren't members) came and went with us. We had the wonderful oppoutunity to share a little more about our church with them. Then we went out to Applebees where Jeff encouraged our kids to do naughty things but we forgive him.
Check out the temples blog drapertemple.blogspot.com

There is also some pictures of the font and ordinance room here.

So Cute

2009-01-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

Lilly: "Mommy my pants have pockets on them."
Me: "Yes they do."
Lilly: "I got them at the store"
Me: "Oh really how muck did they cost?"
Lilly "Four dollars!"

She is so cute! I think I might just forgive her for breaking the TV. LOL

Pigs of Shame

2009-01-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

PIGS OF SHAME

(Sorry the pics aren't very good)

We had our annual Uno Tournament with my (Cari's) family. The trophies are the Pigs of Fame and the Pigs of Shame. Both sets have been at our house for the last couple of years, as I have won the Pigs of Fame both years and Lance has won the Pigs of Shame for the last 2 years. This year my winning streak ended to my sister Rachel. I was in first place until I moved spots and that is why I lost. Lance however continued his streak of being the first one out and won the Pigs of Shame for the third year in a row. Both sets of pigs are salt and pepper shakers. The Pigs of Fame being purchased years ago by my father or a white elephant gift, I don't think anyone really remembers. The pigs of Shame also purchased by my father specifically for my mom, (who kindly suggested we use them as trophies as well). We had a wonderful time at Nate and Jana's with lots of yummy food. Happy New Years to all!!

PIGS OF FAME

Us playing, doesn't that look exciting!!

Move Over Gingy and Make Room for Frosty

2008-12-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

I think we started a new family tradition tonight, instead of decorating Gingerbread houses/men we made snowmen out of rice crispy treats. We had a great time, and it was one of those moments where I let go and let them make a mess and have fun (after all it is Christmas). Lance was having a hard time refraining from eating the girls snowmen, oh wait he didn't! Merry Christmas to all!!

I'm thinking Nice

2008-12-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

We had Lainey's Christmas dance concert/performance last night. At the end Santa comes and lets all the kids sit on his lap. At the very end I snuck Gordon in and this is what we got. Needless to say Santa was very taken with him.

Raph's funeral

2008-12-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

Raph had a good funeral we wanted to share the pics...

Thanks to Cari for the great idea for the tombstone.

Farwell Raph!!

2008-12-12T22:42:00.000-08:00

Raphael 198? - 2008

Today I found my pet turtle of almost 20 years had died. It is really a bittersweet moment really. Taking care of a turtle is a messy dirty job, but I can't think of any moment in my life with out him.

Of course, Raph is named after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael. the name, course was an obvious choice because he was a red-ear slider and Raphael has a red mask. He came into my life when I was 8 years old and my TMNT obsession was in its infancy. We have had many ups and downs over the years

sunken lego ships in his tank
being used for show & tell lots of times (school & Home Teaching)
annoying the Life Science teacher all day long because you were so noisy because you didn't have enough water in the tank
escaping and getting stuck behind the tank for an undetermined amount of time (right in all the wires)
basking in the sun and getting lost in the back yard
getting a little love sick with a big rock in your tank (and everyone wonders why his tank was empty)
swimming in the full size pool in the backyard when it was too dirty for the kids
biting and scratching me lots of times
splashing us with dirty gross turtle water when we would feed you
swimming/living in the tank when it had an electric current in it (one of the heaters - and no this is NOT what lead to his death - I on the other hand got a nice little jolt)
entertaining my kids and neighbors

Lainey of course is trying to talk me into getting another one. Although, I very much LOVE turtles that is NOT going to happen. It was pretty cute as she tried though.

Funeral Services

Funeral services will be held grave side Saturday December 12, 2008. Raphael will be interned on the side of our house.

In lue of gifts or flowers the family has asked that you never purchase a red-ear slider turtle for a pet unless you can fully commit the needed time and money to give them a proper home. If you can then great, do it an enjoy every minute of it. :-)

Third one down....

2008-12-10T18:33:00.000-08:00

Lainey got her cast off today. Hurrrrraaaayyyy!!! She celebrated with a good long bath. :-)

We all signed this cast. I don't know if you can read Mom's:
"No More Broken Arms"

Winter Wonerland Boutique

2008-12-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

I have already spammed most of you about this but this is the Boutique I am doing this month. With other Vendors such as
Close to My Heart
Scentsy
Vinyl Lettering
and Arbonne!

Here are some pictures of some of the things I am offering. One of the door prizes will be one of these adorable hats, functional and cute!!
I have a lot of other things available as well as some finished jewelry or make your own!!

Isn't painting fun

2008-11-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

My brother just bought his first home. The walls in the Living Room and hallway were pink. That of course had to go for this new bachelor pad. The girls were very excited to help out.

Lilly won the award for the messiest kid.The happy homeowner. We made him do the hard part. :-)

Lets not forget my sister was there too. Now we only needed Trevor to have all the siblings there - slacker!

So it begins...

2008-11-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome home Will

2008-11-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today my (Lance) Brother-in-law came home from Saudi Arabia. He is in the Air Force and has been there for 6 months. We asked the girls if they wanted to go and be there to welcome them. We are so glad they did. It was wonderful.

We got to stand out on the tarmac and watch the plane fly in and land. They gave the plane an escort with sirens and it drove through an arch made by water guns from some firetrucks right over to us. I felt bad for all the families (especially the wives), it seemed to take them forever until they were able to get off the plane.The happy family is reunited. Will hasn't seen Kailee for half of her life.

Will finally gets to meet his new nephew.

I must point out. Since I have been in Cub Scouts (which rocks) my patriotism level has gone through the roof. We were all crying or holding them back. Seeing those boys in uniform and being a part of the sacrifice they go through is priceless, absolutely priceless!

"God bless the USA" and those that serve for our freedom. Thank you! We love you! We love you Will, welcome home!

Update

2008-11-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

We took Lainey to get her cast today. They took more x-rays they think they found another fracture. They didn't give me any specifics but they said they going to treat for both. (Same course of treatment). She has her armed casted in pretty hot pink. She did great at the office she didn't cry at all. A big accomplishment because the kid in the room next to us was screaming hysterically. She is a trooper!!

RADIAL NECK FRACTURE

2008-11-13T20:52:00.001-08:00

Our dear sweet Lainey has done it again. Another broken bone. This time it is a "Radial neck fracture." Don't worry it is her arm, I don't know why they call it that. She was climbing down the ladder of the bunk bed and fell. Were we afraid she might have to have surgery again, because her elbow hurt. Luckily it is only the radius.

The scanned image you can't really see the break unless you know where to look. This close up I have traced the break.

Let us review the history of Lainey and her broken bones.

Summer 2005 (1.25 years old)
Fell off dining room chair
Buckle Fracture (ulna & radius - left arm)

September 2007 (3.5 years old)
Fell down Grandma Jessup's stairs
Supercondrial ???? (humerous - left elbow - surgery & pins)

November 2008 (4.5 years old)
Fell off bunk bed ladder
Radial Neck Fracture (ulna - left elbow)

Notice that they have all been her left arm. This child of ours.....

We won't even mention the fact her cousin broke his arm at out our house on Sunday, click here for details.

Rub a Dub Dub a Gordon in the Tub!!

2008-11-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

This morning I gave Gordon his first bath in the big tub because he is out growing the little blue one. He had a splash!! (get it;0)) He is growing so quickly I can't believe it!!

Its almost been 10 years!!!

2008-11-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

So as many of you know, Cari and I were high school sweethearts. We are approaching our 10 year reunion next year. I just found our reunion site and wanted to post it if anyone else in our class hasn't seen it yet.

http://www.wjhs1999.myevent.com/

Also, thinking about high school means we should post some of those pics. Feel free to laugh to your hearts desire. :-)

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Cari shaved my head the summer before - hadn't grown back yet. :-)

Graduation

On to college....

Happy Birthday Elder Crumpy!!

2008-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

So many of you have heard me say that I have a little brother serving in Ireland on a mission right now. It was his birthday on the 3rd and I forgot to email him and wish him a Happy Birthday. Bad sister Bad!! So Happy Birthday Camby!!

Happy Birthday Shannon!

2008-10-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

It is my dear sweet and like oldest friend Shannon's Birthday. I have been thinking about her all day and remembering so many things about her and things we have done together.
We have shared so much over the last 16 years.
Slurpees
Watertowers
Graveyards
lots of walking
speeding home to make sure you got there on time
Almost jumping out of bedroom windows,
fruit loop sandwiches (potato chip ones too!)
Droping pennies on peoples heads through holes in floors,
breakups with boyfriends
getting married
baby showers
having kids
having more kids
phone calls in the middle of the afternoon to insure that one of the above mentioned kids survives the day.
I love my friend Shannon and know that our friendship will last into the eternities, so today I will wish her a Happy Birthday and a year better than the last!!

I truly believe that some friendships will last into the eternities and ours is one of them.

Ode to a Gal Bladder

2008-10-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since a post, and I wanted to write some extremely clever post, to let you know I had my gall bladder out. While laying in bed I have come up with some clever rhymes but alas as I have fallen asleep they have left my mind. So update, the attacks that I was having that we thought were kidney stones, weren't they were gal stones. I had sugery on Monday to have it out. While it is a laproscopic surgery, it is still very painful surgery. I won't gross you out with the gory details of my four incisions and so forth. But I am healing well and hope to be back to normal activities in a few more days. Thanks to those who have called or come by and brought dinner. A very big THANK YOU to those who have helped out with the kids!!

Tag You're it!

2008-10-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ruthanne tagged me so here goes.
6 Quirky things about me.

1 I always correct people if they say "SHER BERT", there is only one r it is "SHERBET"!!

2- If I'm talking to you and your glasses are crooked I am mentally adjusting them in my head, and sometimes I will ask you if I can fix them because it drives me crazy.

3- I love to pop peoples toes. Lance HATES this and gets cranky when I try to pop his.

4- When I go to girls camp I morph into my alter ego "Camp Cari", Lance is afraid of her and is glad she only comes out once a year and he is not there to witness it.

5- You can give me just about any topic and I could sing you a song somehow related to it.

6- I am a very disorganized person, if you have seen my living room you know this. However my beads have to be organized according to color. Having them disorganized totally bugs!!

I'm sure there are so many quirks that I have that I'm not aware of or can't think of right now, so if you can think of one please feel free to comment.

I tag:
Shannon, Nadja, Lisa, and Kristi

Pictures

2008-10-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

You know you have a good photographer when he can make me look good. Thanks Peter!! Take a look at a few of our pictures by clicking here!!
http://looslitaken.blogspot.com/2008/10/we-went-jess-up-mountains.html

The Girls Get a Turn

2008-10-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Every night we brush and floss the girls teeth. On this particular night they were having issues and didn't want Lance to do it. Lance talked them into it with a promise that they could floss his teeth. Now every night they request it again!!

Peter Pictures

2008-09-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well it if finally my turn to have some Peter Loosli pictures. After being jealous of all of yours we are having some taken. I have outfits for everyone but me. The girls will be wearing pink and brown, Gordon will be wearing brown and blue, and Lance and I will be in brown. I have a slight problem though, I can't find a shirt for me. For all of my fashion forward friends out there any advice on where to look would be great!! I can't wait to post the actual pics!!!!!!!

Mother thy name is Stick in the Mud

2008-09-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Lilly didn't really eat hers until the next morning.

I'm kind of a mean mom, there are many wonderful things to be discovered in childhood, that have to do with making messes. I usually avoid most of the things like, paints, playdough and etc, mostly because I really don't want to deal with the mess. I have decided that it is time that I over come this problem, well at least a little. I decided it would be a fun thing to make caramel apples, and I mean traditional caramel apples. I know, I know a big mess waiting to happen, but I was pleasantly suprised when this wasn't completely the case. Here are a few pictures of the Jessup's enjoying their apples.

This is Fun!

2008-09-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Kristi's blog and just had to copy

First Name

Middle Name: Marie (Marie Curie)

Last Name

My Age

Place I'd like to Visit: Ireland

Favorite Place: The Mountains

My College Degree

Grandmas Names
Elaine Castle

Joyce Hostpital

Where I Grew Up

Pets I've owned, No this is not my cat but wouldn't that be the coolest cat ever!!

Nick Name of Best Friend: Sweets (ask Lance, he he he)

First Job: Kara Chocolates

Favorite Food

Favorite Color

What I am doing right now

Bad Habbit, I always leave the cupboard doors open

We have a patio

2008-09-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Lets see we've been in our house for over 3 years. For all that time we have had a big pile of dirt and rocks in the backyard where we hoped to one day put a patio. Last week I was off of work the whole week and actually got something done. Hopefully, it works out. :-)
We were able to get all the flag stone for free from my parents (long story). Thanks Mom and Dad!
As you can see we even put in a sandbox for the girls. They are pretty excited. Just ignore the dirt in the bottom corner. That is the transition to the side of the house another story....
My plans worked out better then I thought and I was able to finish in time for Gordon's baby blessing last Sunday. The girls and I were able to give Cari her birthday present early so we were able to use it when all our friends and family came over.
I fear the sandbox maybe a bit too small when all the friends come over. Oh well, it worked out.
The girls made me put this one on the blog. They love "the flag of our country!"
For anyone like me that loves some in progress shots here is a slide show. Nothing fancy. I didn't get any before pictures like I was hoping too.

Happy Birthday Will

2008-09-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

For those that don't know, my (Lance) Brother-in-law is serving in the Air Force. He is on his third tour to the middle east and is currently stationed in Saudi Arabia. His birthday was September 10th. We sent him a happy birthday video, but unfortunately "the format used is not secure for government computers." So, we are trying this format instead.

He also sent us this picture which is cool for all us guys that like big guns.
In Will's own words: "This is a 240B Machine gun. I like Machine guns, you don’t even have to aim."

Thanks to Will and all those who serve our country by sacrificing of themselves to keep us safe and keep this country the best in the world!

We love you, stay safe and we will see you shortly (relatively)!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARI!!!

2008-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Cari - a loving wife, mother, sister, friend, and wonderful woman!

Long before today was Patriot's Day it was Cari's birthday. A day just for her.

Birthdays are a fun time to reflect on the life of someone. Besides it allows us to pull out fun pictures. :-)

Cari was the fourth of six kids in her family and the youngest of three girls.

Cari was the only red-head, although it is more auburn now, in her family. Her Grandpa Bill had a special place in his heart for Cari. In high school she put streaks in her hair and she thought Grandpa Bill was going to lose his top.
Anyone else see a little bit of Lilly in this picture?

Ask anyone and they will tell you that Cari is a well of knowledge on just about anything. She learned tons from her mom on working in the kitchen. We love to make homemade jam together. Something she has been doing for years. She had gotten better at not being as messy though.

Cari has said she wanted to be dancer. Unfortunately, things just didn't work out. That's okay, because her girls love dance and she is a delight as she talks about how cute they are dancing.
Cari is an absolutely wonderful mother. She has sacrificed a career to devote herself fully to her family. Without her we wouldn't be even remotely happy as we are each day. She has been ready to be a mom her whole life, something her oldest daughter inherited quite nicely.
Cari has always been a free spirited individual. You don't tell Cari what to do. :-) She'll do things her way. One time when she was in Kindergarten she couldn't find her shoes for school. Her mom worked graveyards and asked Cari to wait a moment so she could sleep a bit and then she would find them and take Cari to school later. Cari's mom awoke to find an empty house. She had to call the school to ask if her daughter was there. Sure enough Cari had gone to school anyway. She found her snow boots (it definitely wasn't winter) and walked to school by herself! She even crossed a very, very busy road. Any wonder our girls are as independent as they are. :-)

Our kids just love and adore their mother. The especially love when she takes them out places, plays with them, or just takes time to "snuggle" with them.

Anyone who knows Cari knows she loves to camp. Cari has been the Young Women Camp Director in our ward for the last 2 years. I think they may have to wrestle the calling away from her. There is a different kind of Cari that goes camping. We call her "Camp Cari." I love Cari, but I am afraid of "Camp Cari." When "Camp Cari" comes out even the Young Women are shocked. Here are some pictures of a talent show that "Camp Cari" (although a reserved version) participated in.

Cari is the most kind, loving, sweet person I know. For a time Cari and I were just friends in high school. Unconsciously, Cari became the standard that all other girls I met were judged by. Needless to say, none of the other girls could compete with Cari. Somehow Cari saw past the mean line cook with a chip on his shoulder, past the heathen of a teenager I was and gave me a chance. I don't know why, but I can't thank her enough. Without her I would be nothing. Our family would be nothing.

We love you sweet heart! Have a happy birthday!

Lainey Starts Preschool!!

2008-09-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

I am a little slow in posting this, but Lainey started school this week. She has been waiting for a very long time. She was very anxious to get inside and have us leave. She is so BIG!!

Lilly was very disappointed not to be going with her sister.

Lainey and Katie were so excited to go in we couldn't get them to look at the camera. We were just sad that Mari wasn't there for the first day photo.

Baby Gordon

2008-08-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

There has been a request for less talking and more pictures. So here are some of our handsome baby boy. He is sleeping and eating well. We are so very excited to have him be part of our family.

Lainey thinks that she is the mom,

and while Lilly loves him to she likes that she can get into things while mommy is nursing.

Daddy is getting used to not being the only boy and really likes saying "My Son".

Mommy is still just trying to recover and figure out what to do with Lainey and Lilly until she is confident enough to go out with 3 kids!!

We have a name

2008-08-13T19:18:00.001-07:00

We are pleased to announce the name of our son as:

Gordon Hans Jessup

He is named after his Grandpa Gordon Jessup and Great-grand father Hans Zulliger. We should also mention that Lance's first name is also Gordon, but his namesakes are his Grandfathers. We will be calling him Gordon.

Here is a little history on the meanings of these names that we looked up after we selected them.

Gordon

Meaning: Its source is a Gaelic expression meaning "Large fortification."

Languages: This boy's name is used in English.

Popularity: The name Gordon ranked 700th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 172nd in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: Possible alternate sources include the Latin nickname Gordus (fat), the Irish Gaelic surname Mhuirneachain (beloved), and a Russian Jewish designation for a person from the town of Grodno.

Hans

Languages: This boy's name is used in German, Dutch, Hindi, Norwegian and Danish.

Popularity: The name Hans ranked 557th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Narrative: In Dutch and German, it is a nickname of Johannes. In Hindi, it comes from a Sanskrit expression meaning ''Swan.''

Meaning (Johannes): Its source is Yochanan, a Hebrew name meaning "God's grace."

Please welcome the newest addition to our family

2008-08-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Today we welcomed a new baby to our family. "Peanut Strawberry Jessup" was born at 1:30 pm today weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounces and 20.5 inches long

The baby has been doing very well and seems to be a very good natured little one. We have only heard a little bit of crying all day. This picture is only minutes after the birth. Look at how calm the little one is.
Cari and the baby are both doing very well. The hardest part of the day was drawing some blood from Cari. After that it was all down hill from there. We watched August Rush and by then it was time to push. After about 4 contractions we had a new baby.
Lainey is very excited about the new baby. She is also very excited to point out we are now a family of 5. Lilly is still a little unsure about this, but she seems to like the baby.

The girls were actually able to be present during the baby's first bath. They did it in the room so Cari was able to watch it this time. Lainey liked holding the baby's hand during the bath. I was doing the bath so I don't have any pictures of that.

Gotta kiss the baby...

Lilly of course needed some time with mom. :-)

We had a lot of friends and family come and visit and call us on the phone. It is so great to have so much support. Thanks everyone, we really enjoyed your company and love today.

Grandpa Renn (Cari's dad)

Grandma Cindy (Cari's mom)

Grandpa Jessup (Lance's dad)

Grandma Jessup (Lance's mom)

Aunt Jana (Cari's sister-in-law), who took the girls last night and today. Thanks Jana!

Cousin Keatley
Cousin Cael

Aunt Ashley (Lance's sister) and her daughter Kaylee

Our friends, the Kingsleys and Combs visited us, Caroline and Melissa are pictured. Sorry Mike and Dan no pictures of you. You know how it is; we aren't really important when it comes to this kind of thing. :-) Thanks for coming guys.

Sorry Caroline, not the best picture, but it is with the baby and that is what counts!

Oh I guess I should also say that the baby is a boy for all those who were wondering. :-) We thought we had a name picked out when the baby came, but we have had some impressions that it may need to be different. We are still trying to figure everything out. Hopefully, we can nail it down soon. :-)

Here we go...

2008-08-11T05:41:00.001-07:00

We are leaving to the hospital right now! :-) Stay tuned....

Update on the baby, baby's room, and allergies

2008-08-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

First thing is first, no update. Cari is still very much pregnant and still scheduled for induction on Monday. My brother's birthday is today and he really wants the baby to born today (8/8/08). We are going over there for dinner and he is ordering the Cafe Trio Labor pizza in hopes it will help things along. :-)

Cari wanted me to post some pictures of the baby's room. We painted it and did a strip around the room that will match the crib set. We have done as much as we can at this point until the baby comes. Once the baby comes we can break out the baby stuff Cari has bought (crib & cradle set, vinyl saying for the wall, etc).

As you can see no crib set yet (would give away what the baby is). Also a vinyl saying will go on the wall in the window frame.

There is actually a poem in the picture frame on the wall that would give away what the baby is (don't worry I haven't read it). Good luck trying to read it :-) The other picture frame will have a picture of the baby in it.

Lastly, I just wanted to let everyone know about my great visit to the Allergist today. For those that don't know my eyes have been itching and burning for about a month. I have also been very congested, sneezing, and have had a runny nose during the entire time as well. I have never had any problems with allergies in the past. Cari sent me to the Allergist to find out what is going on. Anyway, they did the scratch test on my back and apparently I showed reactions to everything: trees, grass, weeds, mold, animals (he specifically mentioned cats, dogs, cows), and dust. I blame all of this on the baby, I have been having all sorts of sympathy problems this pregnancy: cravings, onset allergies, etc. I am so ready for this pregnancy to be over. :-) I am now on a strict regimen of 4 different medications and have to go back in a month. Cari thinks this is absolutely hilarious. Most unfortunate!!!!! ARRRGGHHH!!!!!

Another Update

2008-08-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

It is Wednesday and still no baby. I go to the doctor today (I will see his nurse, he is still out of town). I hope that there has been some progress. But my toes look great(Thanks Jana) and I'm ready to go.

I can't believe I'm posting these but here goes. Lance and I realized we hadn't really taken any pictures of belly shots, so try not to be to grossed out!!

The day before Lainey was born

Right before Lilly was born

Baby Number 3
I have carried this baby so much further out than the other 2. What does that mean??

Update

2008-08-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you wondering today is my original due date, with no baby. After the doctor promised to induce a week early, then informed me my due date was 12 days later than I was told, is leaving town today and will not be back until the 11th. So that is when I am scheduled. I really hope that I will have this baby before then, but I have to trust in the Lord and my body to know what to do and when to do it. In the mean time I'm headed to my sister in laws to have my toenails done so that I can be pretty when the day finally comes. Wish me luck, and any suggestions for putting myself into labor are welcome.

Why Lainey????

2008-07-29T10:56:00.000-07:00

Last night we once again went up Millcreek Canyon for dinner and family home evening. We invited some friends and the Kingsleys joined us. We had an awesome dutch oven dinner of chicken and rice and raspberry cobbler.

The kids had a very fun time playing and were eagerly collecting firewood so we could roast some marshmallows. The kids were playing and having fun when I heard Lainey start to cry, I saw that she was walking towards us but not breathing (as my children like to do). I called to Lance to tell her she was not breathing because I knew he could get to her faster. I yelled to Lainey stop walking, as she was headed for a short but steep hill. Lance got to her just as she fell over backwards just like a tree. What was wrong you ask?? She had walked into a tree and got a very nice scrape and 3 gauges in her cheek for her troubles.

We then decided to clean up camp and head home. Lainey seemed just as upset about leaving before family home evening and marshmallows than being hurt.

She had some dirt and bark in the gauges that needed to be cleaned out and we didn't have anything up there to do it with. When we got home we showed to to Brandie my wonderful next door neighbor and friend who also works as a nurse. She gave us some ideas about how to get it cleaned out. Thanks Brandie!!! After a blessing to calm her down and some Ibuprofen she slept all night.
Before Lainey's accident the kids also had a great time wading in the creek.

Gardner Village

2008-07-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

The girls and I got together with some friends from Settlers Point, the apartment complex we lived in before we built our house. We started off by waiting for the petting zoo to open, in the mean time the kids got reaquainted. We then went into the petting zoo for a little bit.

While in the petting zoo Lilly was trying to examine a goose a little more closely. When she got a little to close the goose reached through and bit her nose. What I would give to have caught that on video.

The Goose that got Lilly's nose

We then went and tried to feed the ducks. There were only 2 ducks in the water and they didn't really seem interested in the bread we were trying to feed them. I was so paranoid about the girls falling in the water I didn't take any pictures.

We then decided to go over to Archibalds for lunch. A little scary.
3 (2 year olds)
+
3 (4 year olds)
+
3 moms ( 2 being pregnant)
__________________
9 Hungry people at one table.

I must say my kids did great, they have never behaved so well in any restaurant. They also ate all their food!

We had a wonderful time even though it was really hot and my feet got really really swollen!!
Lainey and Jake holding hands (they did that completely on their own much to daddy's dismay!)

The Jessup Jive

A camp out.

updates

Happy Birthday Lance!!!

Crazy Hair Day

Baby Jaguar

Vacation

Bubble Wrap and Confessions

Our World in a Minute :)

Hola Senorita

Yeah Yeah, I know...

SCOUT-O-RAMA!!

One of those Moments

Can you guess Who????

HUH???????

What about Gordon?

Happy Easter

Monday Monday

Easter Sunday?

MMMM ~~~~~Muffins~~~

Just a note

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Domestic Red

A Very Fluffy 4th Birthday

Rapunzel

Fluffy

Happy Birthday Lainey

Brussel Sprouts?

Princess Tea Party

My new favorite Blog

Craft it Forward

So Long!!!

First Father & Son's camp

Happy Birthday Cari!!!

Lainey's first day of school

Our World in a Minute

When Mom is away the family will play!!!

Lilly's picnic

Late Birthday Presents

Fathers Day, Copperton Park, and Carrots

Lainey & Lilly's dance recital

Lots of flags

Fruits of our labor

Crazy!!

Happiest of Birthdays to the Bestest of Husbands!!

Welcome home Cameron!!!!

Preschool Graduation & Giving Blood

Raingutter Regatta

Happy Anniversary

Gordon - the happiest baby there is!

Scout-O-Rama

Trip to the Zoo

New Do's

Who says the boys get all the fun...

Seeing Green

So when you see the firetrucks, cops, and paramedics....

A day Late and a Dollar short.

101 Posts

Happy Birthday Lilly

Dear, Grandpa Bill, Grandma Call, and Grandma Leona

I'm a Guest Blogger

Happy Birthday Lainey

A Wonderful Evening

So Cute

Pigs of Shame

Move Over Gingy and Make Room for Frosty

I'm thinking Nice

Raph's funeral

Farwell Raph!!

Third one down....

Winter Wonerland Boutique

Isn't painting fun

So it begins...

Welcome home Will

Update

RADIAL NECK FRACTURE

Rub a Dub Dub a Gordon in the Tub!!

Its almost been 10 years!!!

Happy Birthday Elder Crumpy!!

Happy Birthday Shannon!

MMMM ~~~Muffins~