Oh The Places We Go!!!

I Scream, You Scream.....

2011-03-24T08:45:00.008-05:00

........WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

I am finally posting Mar's birthday........better late then never!

She had an ice cream party, insisted on only inviting girls and had loads of fun!

We colored, hunted for hidden candy, played musical cones & ate lots of sweets!

The ice cream cone cupcakes were a hit, but the ice cream bar was even better.

All the cute girls watching Strawberry Shortcake.

On Marlee's actually birthday, Jan. 21, we had to improvise a little. Daddy was suppose to be getting home from a trip and we had a fun night out planned. Instead, it snowed and snowed, Dad didn't make it home and Mom didn't want to take everyone out in the nasty weather.

Nana saved the day!

We got a giant package that day from Nana with presents from her and Uncle Jared. We also had a present from Grandpa Karl.

We set them out all pretty like, opened them when the big girls got home from school and had a special treat. Presents and treats always make for a good day if even if Dad's not there to celebrate.

Happy 4th Birthday Marlee!!!!!

Impromptu Tango

2011-02-08T12:18:00.002-06:00

Let it Snow!

2011-02-05T20:49:00.002-06:00

Let it snow & snow some more!

This is what we got from the huge snow storm that hit the country last week.

The girl's bedroom window the night of the storm.

They are on the second floor!

The snow on our front porch the next morning.

Digging out!

Cooper loves doing "man stuff."

My Brother

2011-01-28T20:18:00.007-06:00

I've been meaning to post this for a year now and finally got the kick in the pants I needed when I went to my mailbox today.

I got the best birthday card from my thoughtful brother.

How do I have a brother you ask? See this previous post: Season of Miracles

Recieving his card reminded me how much I love him and how grateful I am to have him in my life. I am so proud of him and all that he accomplishes everyday.

New Year's Eve 2009

In 2009, while in Utah, we attended a New Year's Eve Pow Wow with Tanner and his family. We all had a blast and enjoyed seeing Tanner in his element.

What a handsome guy!

This video was taken at the beginning of the Pow Wow. That is Maggie in the pink next to Tanner , my nephew Colby behind her in the black and my dad behind them all.

Tanner participating with the other grass dancers. He's the one taking it easy in his chair.

Happy Birthday Booch!

2011-01-22T16:52:00.003-06:00

What else is there to say about this adorable little boy other then we love him!

He gives his sisters goodnight kisses everynight, asks for T.V. and chocolate milk every morning and makes us laugh and smile all day long.

We had a little Toy Story get together with some friends on New Year's Day. (Cooper's B-day)

Cooper loved opening his gifts and playing with his friends.
The kids enjoyed pb&j, cheese, & grapes for lunch.

With delicious mint oreo cupcakes for dessert.

Happy 2nd Birthday Boochy Boy!

Bon Anniversaire Maggie!

2011-01-05T13:23:00.005-06:00

Maggie is all about Paris these days. So she picked a Paris theme for her 9th birthday party.

We both had fun planning and decorating for the party.

We sent out a Paris themed invite and told the girls to wear their freshest french fashions. Most of our party guests arrived in fancy dresses, or hats and scarves. One clever girl wore a darling mustache and had a smug little french laugh to go with it. She was a hoot.

(She's the back left in the picture)

Center pieces: Dipped Pretzels

Each girl had their own little cake.

With so many 9 & 10 year old girls in the house, things quickly got crazy! After the girls had their cake I tried to guide them through making this adorable craft.

In the end I sent the girls downstairs to watch the movie Maggie had chosen, "Passport to Paris," and I called them up one by one to put the finishing touches on their blocks.

After the party was over and everyone had gone home Maggie voiced her amazement/slight disappointment at the fact that the girls didn't quite get the sophisticated french cafe vibe we were going for. It was more like a fancy free for all!
But she was still happy.

We love you Maggie!

A Hijacking!

2011-01-03T14:30:00.006-06:00

Our Hijacking faces.

In November OU had their last home game. Kevin hadn't been feeling well and didn't want to make the trip. On Saturday morning I woke up and said, "Why don't I go. There's no reason to waste the tickets."

So Cora and I hopped in the car and drove 5 hours to the Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech game.

Along the way we came to the conclusion that we had hijacked man weekend and we liked it!

The game was freezing, so to keep warm we cuddled up, danced to all the fun music and cheered every cheer. It was a blast!

After the game and TONS of traffic we made it to the mall to use Cora's JUSTICE gift card. She bought herself funky erasers and a Justin Bieber CD, which quickly became our soundtrack for the rest of the trip. Then it was dinner at Olive Garden.

Mmmmm......breadsticks!

Thanks to Priceline.com Kev got us a good deal on a nice hotel and we crashed as soon as we got there. After sleeping in it was off to breakfast before we made the 5 hr. drive back to Missouri.

Of course we had to go to the finest establishment we could find that served pecan waffles.

Waffle House!!!!

Seriously, the best pecan waffle ever!

While at the Waffle House I had the best comment of my life!

Our cute waitress asked us if we were having a sisters day out. It took a second for the question to register before I asked, "Did you just say sister? I'm her mom!" She kept going on and on about how she would never have guessed I was old enough to be her mom. She must of secretly known I would be turning 30 in a few months and was fishing for a good tip. Well, she got one!

The Best Christmas

2010-12-27T02:18:00.004-06:00

This Christmas was one of the best for our family.

We always miss our family that is far away, but every now and then it is great to just focus on your own little family. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with absolutely no one but each other and nowhere to rush off to. It was so relaxing and we had so much fun!

The tree after Santa came about 1:30 am.

Our tree looked a little sad by the end of season. This year I didn't worry about keeping up with everything the little ones took off or put on. It was gorgeous on day one, but not nearly as loved.

Mags with her IPod on Christmas morning.

Chillin' with Dad, a candy cane, and a Lightning McQueen phone.
Cooper loved opening presents! The first present under the tree this year was for Cooper from his sisters. It was wrapped in tissue paper and then put in a cellophane bag. Also in the cellophane bag was candy! Cooper tried to get that candy out of the bag for 3 weeks. When we opened that gift (a baseball mitt & ball) he tossed it aside and started tearing into the candy. We were all laughing. What a cutie!

Mar, also with a candy cane and a phone. I'm assuming she's "calling" Nana. Calling Nana is always at the top of Marlee's list.

Marlee's favorite spot, Dad's lap.

Santa brought Marlee the Tinkerbell movie and Maggie & Cooper got her Fawn (the animal fairy) Barbie doll. I love watching the kids open their presents from each other. The one giving is always so excited to see the receiver's reaction. They just know they've given them the perfect gift.

Cora with her guitar that Mom & Dad have already busted. Oops!

Why is she dressed you ask? After trying to get us to open presents at 2:00 am & again at 4:30, as soon as she heard Cooper wake up at 6:30 she got up, got dressed and said "I'm ready to open presents now."

New jammie pants! She thinks the monkey on a cell phone is pretty cool.

Traditional Gadd family breakfast.

Aebleskivers!

This Christmas morning tradition was one of Grandma Neen's. (Kevin's mom)

This year we had Aeblskivers, a delicious egg casserole, and fruit.

It was so yummy! And the best part was everyone ate so much candy all morning we didn't have breakfast until noon!

Not pictured in this post - Mom!

I'm hoping now that Kevin bought me a new fancy camera he'll feel like taking a few pictures with it. I'm sure everyone is beginning to think the Gadd family consists of 4 children, a single dad, and a live-in picture taker!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-16T16:48:00.003-06:00

After sending 50 of these photos to the wrong store (Lindon, UT), I'm resorting to this post.

We hope all of our family and friends around the globe are happy and well.

We are grateful for the part each of you has played in our lives over the years and always look forward to times when our paths cross.

Our family has had an eventful and miraculous year.

Like most families we have stayed busy with school, work, church, sports, and music lessons, taken some exciting trips and weekend excursions.
However, the majority of the excitement & travel revolved around the newest addition to our family. At the beginning of 2010 we decided to adopt Marlee, a beautiful 3 yr. old little girl. The next few months were spent traveling to Arizona for visits as we were preparing for and anticipating bringing her home.

We were able to bring Marlee to Missouri in April. Although there were obvious adjustments to make Marlee fit right into our family dynamics. Maggie, Cora & Cooper were thrilled to have another sister and we all wonder what life was like without Marlee in it.

The adoption was finalized on November 4th. One month later we traveled to Rochester, NY and were sealed as an eternal family in the Palmyra, NY temple.

Needless to say, as our numbers increase so does the craziness, but our joy increases even more! What a wonderful blessing this entire experience has been for each member of our family.

Merry Christmas!

We love you!

The Gadd Family

Kevin, Molly, Maggie (9), Cora (7), Marlee (3), & Cooper (1)

p.s. if you would like a physical picture, please ask.

I am more then happy to order more (at the correct store) and send one to you.

Adoption Day!

2010-11-04T19:13:00.006-05:00

What a crazy wonderful day!

The little ones didn't wake up at the crack of dawn as usual, so we woke up at 8:00 am and needed to get six people ready and out the door by 8:30!

We made it out by 8:45 and in the doors of the court at exactly 9:30.

In all the craziness I forgot my camera. I was so upset. Luckily we had our phone. This is right after the judge approved the adoption and told us we were good to go. Our sweet adoption worker, Beth, did the best she could with our phone.

Afterwards we celebrated with breakfast at Cracker Barrell, our favorite.

We finished off the day with a little dance party in the kitchen and a great family home evening, since we missed it on Monday.

Marlee gave us a wonderful lesson about the Smith Family frame home & the sacred grove. We are getting ready to visit my parents on their mission in Rochester, NY, as well as preparing to take our family to the Palmyra temple to be sealed for time and eternity.

Our next great family adventure!

Thank you everyone for your love and support.

So many have worked hard for our family to make this adoption possible.

Others have loved and cared for Marlee until it was the right time for her to join our family.

While still more people helped and supported us while we went through the throws of the adoption process.

Not to mention the countless prayers we know were offered in our behalf.

THANK YOU!!!!

It's the Little Things

2010-11-02T16:11:00.006-05:00

It's the little things that make me realize how much my life has changed in one year.

Things like the number of pumpkins glowing on my porch this Halloween.

When I found this photo of last years pumpkins it served as a tangible reminder that I actually have four children now. You'd think the actual children wreaking havoc through the house would be reminder enough, but sometimes it truly is the seemingly insignificant things that hit me the hardest. I set the picture of the three pumpkins as our desktop background. When Cora came home from school even she said, "Oh ya! We didn't have four pumpkins last year."
Which served as more proof to me, that things are just as they should be. This sweet little girl who as rounded off our number of kids from 3 to 4 is right where she belongs and it feels like she has always been here.

We had a great Halloween, with a lot of celebrating.
We trunk-or-treated at the church, had Cora's birthday and passed out Candy on Halloween.
Cowgirl Maggie

Cora the Cheerleader & her biggest fan.

The cutest little witch.

(Marlee got yet another cast last week, so we made sure to color coordinate with her costume)

Littlest Fly Boy, Cooper J

Passing out candy on Halloween. The kids actually loved this, and I have to admit I was grateful not to have to get them all dressed up again and traipse around in the cold.

Mar was being such a nut. I took about 5 pictures and she pulled this face in every one!

Halloween Birthday Party

2010-10-31T20:01:00.009-05:00

Cora turned 7 yesterday and we had her much anticipated Halloween birthday party.

It turned out so fun!

We played games, had pizza & cake, opened presents, bobbed for apples & roasted marshmallows.

Fortunately it stayed warm enabling us to have the whole party outside. Unfortunately no one got to see my cute set up on the table. However, I'd rather not have 16 first grade girls running amok in my house with chocolate cake!

Party this way!

Bean Bag Toss Babes

Naomi getting mummified.

The final product!

Happy Birthday Cora!

The girls loved bobbing for apples. Most of them figured out how to grab the apples by the stems. Cora had a rough time since she has no front teeth!

The best part of the party: Impromptu Dance Party!

S'mores!

2010-10-25T21:07:00.002-05:00

We had a great night last Friday roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.

Not all these pics turned out great, but they show what a good time we had.

Thanks Hendricksons for letting us borrow your fire pit!

Notre Dame Fly Over

2010-10-21T10:28:00.002-05:00

Kevin's squadron did the flyover at a Notre Dame game a few weeks ago.

It was the chance of a lifetime, and Kevin had the time of his life!

The night before the game the pilots had the chance to tour parts of the campus and attend the pep rally.

On game day six pilots set off to fly the jets and Kevin and one other pilot headed to the field to work as the ground crew. The ground crew calls the planes in, trying to make sure they flyover right at the end of The National Anthem. Pretty sure that is my dumbed down explanation of what they do.
After the flyover the pilots were able to watch the game from the field.

Kevin is the one who didn't get the "blue shirt" memo.

When he emailed me this pic the caption was "I thought you'd enjoy this picture (maybe)."

He's always had a weakness for cheerleaders!

After the game they walked around the different tail gate parties and ended up hanging out with the Irish Leprechaun and his family. Kev thought they were pretty cool and had good time chillin' and watching more football.

God Bless the USA

and their Air Force

for giving our family such amazing opportunities and experiences.

Boo!

2010-10-15T21:44:00.002-05:00

Each year when October hits I feel as if a little ghost pops around the corner and says,

"Boo! It's here!"

And what is it that's here you might ask?

Every major event in a mother's life that causes her to work her tail off in the hopes that all attending have the most wonderful experience they can possibly imagine for each of these special days.

Including: 6 Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a Wedding Anniversary.

Starting off our marathon of celebration is Cora.

She's turning 7 this year and is having a Halloween party. These are the cute invites we made for her party.

As crazy as this time of year gets, I love it! There's so much excitement and so many reasons to think about each person in my family and what will make them happy.

However, to save my sanity we only do parties every other year. Now I'm re-thinking whether we should all be having parties on the same year!

Red River Rivalry

2010-10-09T08:29:00.005-05:00

The Red River Rivalry between OU & Texas is the biggest rivalry in college football and has been played for 105 years. Kevin had tickets this year and we took the whole family.

(Just so you don't think we are pathetic, it should be noted that Kevin bought extra tickets with the intent of selling them. When they wouldn't sale at the price we wanted we decided to use them instead)

This really is quite the event. The game is played at the Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas, TX. It is held on the grounds of the Texas State Fair. Your ticket to the game is also your ticket to the fair. So fun!

You can barely see it in this picture, but the stadium is split at the 50 yd line (arrow) with OU fans (red) on one side of the stadium, and Texas fans (orange) on the other.

We rode the train into the city, and took a bus to the stadium. Played at the fair, went to the game and played at the fair some more. Despite the obvious challenges that come with dragging four kids around in the heat, trying to do what everyone wants to do, and sitting through 4 quarters of a very loud football game where no one sits, execpt during time outs, we had a great time.

Maggie is hitting her parental defiance phase and refused to wear on OU shirt. She even goes as far as claiming to be a Texas Longhorns fan. We're going with it.

Another oddity of the OU experience is standing in a crowd of hundreds of people and having one person yell "Boomer," and those hundreds of people answer back with "Sooner!"

On a smaller scale, this is something that happens at our house quite frequently. This was Marlee's first OU experience and she was in the spirit of it all. While walking through a crowd a the fair, she was on Kevin's shoulders and yelled out "Boomer!" as loud as she could. She was thrilled when the crowd answered back, "Sooner!"

In the end Oklahoma won 28 - 20.

Go OU!

Texas State Fair

2010-10-09T07:09:00.007-05:00

We had a great time at the Texas State Fair. Ignoring the fact that there were so many people walking around it was like trying to get somewhere while everyone is waiting in line. Once we got to where we were going it was a blast!

Happy Helpers Farm.

The kids loved this little farm, where they got to walk through and be the farmers.

I love this pic of Cooper & Cora.

Little Farmer

Tractor Pull!

The Barnyard

This was the best petting Zoo I have ever been to!

Here's a list of some of the animals they had: Giraffe, Zebras, Yaks, Llamas, Cows, All kinds of Goats, Kangaroos, Camels, and the list goes on.

Kevin and I could barely keep track of the kids they were so excited to see, pet, and feed so many awesome animals.

Marlee was especially in her element. I couldn't even get a picture of her because she couldn't stand still for more then 10 seconds, literally.

Cora & Cooper petting the goats.

Marlee feeding a baby Llama

This was the highlight of the visit.

We watched these tiny baby piglets with their enormous mama for quite awhile.

Piglets are one of the cutest baby animals.

Yet, one day they will all look like this!

Here piggy, piggy!

Speaking of pigs. One of the funnest things we did was watch the pig races.

The little piglets race around a track into a cage that has a platter in it with one Oreo, and some crumbs for the losers. It was hilarious.

Unfortunately I couldn't get a good pic and this video didn't turn out too great either.

But we all loved it!

Suey!!!!

Morning Walk

2010-09-09T23:04:00.004-05:00

Things have finally cooled down, so the little one's and I decided to get out. We have a favorite trail we like to walk. It's gorgeous, and a great work out!

I had just found my camera and couldn't get enough of these two cuitie or the beautiful scenery.

This is a pic from before we left. I just loved the way it turned out.

First Day of School 2010

2010-08-18T08:12:00.003-05:00

This school year I've commited to being more organize.

Day 1 ~ Success!!!

Last night the girls set their clothes out, made their lunches (wahoo!), and put their bags together. Then, after a major family melt down, everyone got into bed on time.

Of course Cooper was up all night (why, oh why?). So when 6:30 am rolled around their were little people nudging me saying things like, "I need a belt, I think my new pants are too big," and "I don't want to tell you this, but I think these shoes are giving me blisters." To which I replied, "It's not time to get up leave me alone." To which they replied, "Ya it is!"

There's no rest for the weary!

But, they got out the door with a few minutes to spare. The best part of the morning ~ no yelling, fighting, or whining. Hooray!!!!

p.s. I know it's just the first day, but let's just pretend they'll all be this way, minus the baby up all night.

Cora working the 80's paint splatter top and lace edged leggings.

Maggie being her cute fashionable self and loving every minute of it.

Marlee sporting the "I don't have to do anything but play on the computer this morning" look.
Coupled with the, "I better put some shoes on quick so I can go see the school bus" look.
Little cutie!

Little Fly Boy

2010-08-15T18:59:00.002-05:00

Sunshine!

2010-07-16T17:36:00.007-05:00

We spent everyday this week at the pool playing in the Sunshine!

We went to the pool for Cora and Marlee to do lessons.

This is them with their cute teacher Kristen.

They both loved every minute of it and learned so much!

Cooper just wanted to eat the whole time!

When he did it get in the water he'd get quite the hair do.

(notice the chocolate on his mouth)

Maggie never got out of the water! Except, of course for this picture. She loves playing and swimming, and perfecting her skills.

Marlee surprised us all and absolutely loved her lessons. She was determined to do everything by herself and was so happy and confident with the kick board.

Goofy goggle eyed girls!

Cooper J

2010-05-05T13:03:00.003-05:00

While in Arizona we took the time to visit the cemetary where Kevin's grandparents, and his mother are buried. Most of the pictrues we took didn't turn out, but I loved this one of Cooper standing at the headstone of his namesake: Newell J Cooper

Spring has Sprung!

2010-05-01T12:37:00.006-05:00

Spring has sprung, the flowers are growing.........and so is our family!

Every spring the earth moves from one phase to another, changing from dull browns and grays to vibrant greens, and yellows. As these changes take place new life begins to surround us, and excitement fills the air.

This spring our home has been bursting with excitement and filled with change.

This change has brought many miracles and blessings to our family causing us to grow closer, love deeper, and all the while has helped us to recognize that the most important thing we have in this life is each other.

All of these life changing experiences can be attributed to one sweet little girl....

Marlee

The opportunity to add one more little girl to our family was first presented to us in January of this year. Within 24 hours we had made our decision. For Kevin the way was clear. A little girl needed a home and a family and we could provide that for her. I felt the same, but was more concerned about knowing that our home was the right home for her. Each day as we've worked our way through this slow process the reasons why she needs our family, and why we need her become more and more clear.

Although the legal process is far from over, it has simply been amazing how painlessly and miraculously everything has fallen into place. Unexpectedly we were able to bring Marlee to our home last week. The transfer of physical custody will be completed in the next 30 days, and the adoption should be finalized within six months.

There truly are no words to describe what an amazing experience this has been. I think the most amazing experience of all has been to watch the personal change of each member of our family. To see everyone love and accept this little girl and understand the changes it would bring into our family and then be willing to do all that it takes to make it a positive experience has been inspiring.

Marlee is an amazing three year old little girl with an unconquerable spirit. We are more then blessed and lucky to have her funny, happy little spirit in our forever family.

For more info on Marlee and how she's adjusting visit:

www.m-bug.blogspot.com

Picaboo

2010-02-22T08:39:00.005-06:00

This is for Grandma's & Grandpa's

We miss you!!!!

Cracklin' Rosie

2010-02-19T08:09:00.002-06:00

This post is for Kevin. He has been on a Neil Daimond kick for a few weeks. Now he is out of town and missed this iconic moment in Cora's life.

"There's two kinds of people in this world. Those who like Neil Daimond, and those who don't"

Skiing!!!!!

2010-02-17T10:06:00.004-06:00

I don't think I can convey the excitement that goes along with this post. I love to ski, and that love is enhanced by the fact that I only get to go skiing every few years.

Kevin gave me the biggest surprise on Christmas morning...new skis, boots and poles! Kevin had me so convinced he wasn't getting me anything for Christmas, (which didn't make me happy), that I kept asking my parents, "Did you do this? Tell me the truth? Who are these from?" It didn't even cross my mind that they could be from Kevin. When he finally fessed up I couldn't believe it! What a sweetie. His surprises are few and far between but they are always over the top and perfect!

So I had to break in my new skis, and luckily I had some of my favorite people to come with me. We went to Sundance, of course, on New Year's Eve. It was phenomenal! We went straight to the summit, and the powder was awesome! It was almost the perfect day. The only thing that would have made it better was to have Kevin there. After being scarred for life by his best friend Gus, who took him up triple chair and left at the top of the mountain to figure out how to get down, he vowed never to ski again. He has finally let me teach him how to ski, and we already have a trip planned next winter to Colorado. Yay!!!!

Dad, me Emily, and Rick

These is my new favorite photo. There's nothing better then spending time with my Dad on the slopes.

One of the best things about skiing is being in the mountains. Seeing the beauty of God's creations makes riding the lift just as enjoyable as skiing down the mountain.
I love to stop part way down and just look in all directions.

Christmas '09

2010-02-16T17:20:00.009-06:00

We had a fabulous Christmas in Utah.

It was the first time we had been back for Christmas in seven years. It was wonderful for to share the season with all of our family. I never take as many pictures as I'd like, but I'll post what I've got.

Christmas Eve

My beautiful sister Mandi and her little Cutie Josie

Me, Mandi, and Emily. We forgot to take another pic when Rebecca got there.

The Hay Ride!
After the food and festivities we all piled into to this trailer hooked to the back of Ricky's truck and drove around the neighborhood carrolling. It was freezing, and fun!

Christmas Morning!

Ahhh, lovely photos from Christmas Morning. Gotta love it!

The best picture from the whole trip!
After opening presents at my parents house we went over to the Gadds for a yummy breakfast. Unfortunately I was so into my breakfast I didn't take any pictures.

We love relaxing and hanging out at the Gadd's house. The kids can't get enough of their Uncle Wes, Stu and Aunt Callie.

Santa came to visit on Christmas Day!

Carroll Family
Brigham, Colby, Zack, Santa, Rebecca, & Savannah

Missing: Brian and Lily

The Ables Family

Ricky, Emily, Braxton, Bradley, Ellie, Santa, Ashton & Burke

Us!

Molly, Maggie, Santa, & Cora

Missing: Kevin & Cooper

The Heaps Family

Tyler, Mandi, Josie, Santa, and the Bun in the Oven

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-02-12T14:40:00.012-06:00

We had the best Thanksgiving weekend. My mom and dad came for the holiday and we had Maggie's baptism as well. Kevin's dad was able to come out the day after Thanksgiving for the baptism. One of the sweetest moments at the baptism was Maggie singing "My Eternal Family."

Grandpa Karl took care or Cooper during the program. What a great grandpa!

Cooper and I before church the next day.

Maggie had her Grandpa Jack baptize her. We love you Grandpa!

While my parents were in town we went to see Wicked. We all loved it, especially Maggie

Maggie after the show with Nessarose & Boq

The Season of Birthdays!

2010-02-11T18:43:00.005-06:00

The craziest time of year starts in October and ends in January. For our family we get the holidays and all of our birthdays rolled into one big crazy time of year.

Happy Birthday Gadd Family!

Cora kicks things off on October 30th. She turned six this birthday. We had yummy graveyard pudding cake, a Halloween party at school and a trunk-or-treat that night.
Fun! We love our "Crazy Cora!"

Maggie's birthday is November 21st. It was her eighth birthday and she got her first American Girl doll, Rebecca Rubin. This pic pretty much sums up how the whole week of Thanksgiving went. Funny girls! Love you Mags-n-Pags!

Kevin celebrated his 31st birthday on December 12th. Like any good dad he took us all downtown to the Crown Center and we had dinner at the Crayola Restaurant. We made him wear this cute hat and sang happy birthday. We love our Big-Daddy-O, or as he likes to be called "BDO."

Cooper is our New Year's baby, and turned 1 on January 1st. He wasn't feeling to good that day but we still had a good time. We were in Utah so we got to celebrate with all of our family. So fun! We can't get enough of our Boochy Boy!

Happy Birthday to me! I turned 29 this year. I'm almost middle aged!

My birthday is January 2nd and we spent the day driving home from Utah. Kevin has decided by Jan. 2nd we are partied out so we are now reversing the digits of my birthday and celebrating on 2/1 instead of 1/2. We did celebrate on Feb. 1 with mint brownies, but no pictures. Next time we make those delicious brownies I'll post a pic.

Oldies but Goodies

2010-02-06T12:14:00.004-06:00

I found these cute videos of the girls from when we lived in South Carolina. Cora is probably 2 and Maggie must be about 4. I really can't believe how much they've changed!

Cora "Feels Like a Woman"

Maggie, "The King of the Swingers"

Oh the People we Meet!

2010-01-29T10:08:00.004-06:00

Because we are a military family and have the chance to move around and travel I titled our blog "Oh the Places we Go!"

We have loved the opportunities that have come our way.

This morning I have been reminded of an even greater opportunity the Air Force has given us. The one that makes all the moving and traveling not only worth it, but exciting and rewarding. The people we meet!

As I look back over the last 7 years of our life it is scattered with faces of friends and families across the country that we have come to know and love. These individuals have blessed and enriched our lives. We have cried with some, served with others, shared our life experiences with all, and have had so much FUN!

This morning I recieved a link to a news story about one particular friend who has taught myself, and all she comes in contact with, innumerable lessons. Lessons on forgiveness, faith, charity, determination and the list could go on. Carol is an amazing woman with an unconquerable spirit. I am privileged to know her.

I love you Carol!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6009972n

For more stories about Carol search "Carol Armstrong, Charleston, SC"

Hooray for happy news!

2010-01-27T13:30:00.002-06:00

I am so grateful to Sugardoodle.net for posting this news story on Facebook today.

Maggie, my eight year old, has been consumed with the tragedy in Haiti and upset over the lives lost. We have watched next to nothing on the news about it, but they have been talking about it a great deal at school. Her school has set up a little "Haiti Relief" Fundraiser. She has taken in whatever coins she can get her hands on. I have loved watching her be so concerned and compassionate, but I don't like seeing how it upsets her. She woke up yesterday in tears because she had a dream that her best friend fell down a steep mountain and she couldn't wake her up. Through her tears she said, "Mom, she was dead."

I am so excited to share this bit of happy news with her!

www.meridianmagazine.com/churchupdate/100126primary.html

Mmmm.....Chocolate!

2010-01-26T19:08:00.002-06:00

Cooper discovering the finer things in life!

Happy Anniversary

2010-01-26T18:41:00.004-06:00

Kevin and I had our 9th anniversary on January 11th.

We were informed, by our children, a week before the date that if we wanted to go out to eat we had to go to lunch.

They were planning a "secret" dinner us.

This is the table at the "restaurant."

Dimmed lights and all.

Before Kevin came home with the flowers the girls got creative and made a center piece with ornaments from our tree.

The girls (and I) made a fabulous dinner, and they had so much fun serving us.

Here's some of the funny things they did:

-They made us leave the house, knock on the door and ask the hostess (Cora) if there was a table available.

-They refused to let Kevin drink his soda out of the can, "You have to use your goblet!"

-We thought the girls would like it if we got up and danced, nope. "Sit down! There's no dancing at restaurants!"

-They were very particular about acting like real waitresses and acting like we were customers they had never met. However, when Kevin asked if they wanted to share our appetizer there was no hesitation to sit at the table and eat with us.

At the end of the dinner I said to Kevin, "The food here is great, but the waitresses are a little high strung."

What a fun night!

The Season of Miracles!

2010-01-12T18:21:00.008-06:00

This is the face of our families Christmas miracle......Tanner Jack.

My parents attempted to adopt Tanner 20 years ago when he was a brand new baby. After three months of fighting in court to be able to make him a part of our family my parents lost the battle and he was taken from our home.

He returned to his biological family, and we had contact with them for the first year of Tanner's life. Much to our families disappointment contact was lost with Tanner's family and we no longer new where he was or who was taking care of him.

On Christmas Eve an incredible woman, LaRae, came to my parents home telling them that she was Tanner's mom (legal guardian/foster mom - whatever you want to call her, she's Tanner's mom!). I was lucky enough to be there as she told of how Tanner entered their lives 10 years ago and the miraculous circumstances through which she came to find out about my parents and their role in Tanner's life.

She told us story after story about Tanner and all about the amazing person that he has become.

Needless to say we were in utter shock and filled with gratitude for LaRae and her family.

A few days later Tanner came to my parents home to meet the family he never knew he had.

Tanner's biological family is Native American and they come from the Oneida and Navajo tribes. Tanner loves his culture and history! I learned more that evening about the Navajo culture then I ever thought I would and it was fascinating.

This is a photo of Tanner unwrapping his moccasins.
Although Tanner was born with cerebral palsy and does not have the full use of his legs he will walk when the incentive is good enough.
His mom promised him that if he would walk across the stage at his high school graduation she would make him moccasins. He had six months to prepare himself.
Like any teenager he told her no, and then changed his mind four days before graduation.

LaRae hand made these gorgeous moccasins in four days; tanning her own leather and sewing every bead by hand!

The moccasins represent Tanner's spirit animal, the wolf, with paws on the sides and wolf eyes on the tops.

He wore his moccasins on graduation day walked across the stage.
This experience, like no other, has reaffirmed to me that God has a hand in our lives, and he cares about our happiness. After twenty years of unrest our family was not only given peace and closure, but the chance to be reacquainted with the son and brother we thought we'd lost.

I will be forever grateful for the circumstances that brought me home for Christmas in 2009, and for the opportunity to partake of Tanner's unconditional love and courageous spirit.
We love you Tanner!

The Spirit of Thanksgiving

2009-11-20T10:23:00.004-06:00

This video has been popping up in emails and on facebook and I finally watched it.

I loved it.

Simple, realistic, and uplifting

I am thankful for so much!

This video made me thankful for the good people all around the world.

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who loves me and my children unconditionally and provides so well for us. I am thankful for my wonderful parents and in-laws and am even more thankful that they are coming to visit next week be a part of Maggie's baptism. I have a wonderful life, and I am grateful for all that is in it, good or bad.

Thankful for the Beauty of the Earth

2009-11-07T17:11:00.008-06:00

These are the gorgeous views from our back yard.

I love looking out the windows and seeing so much beauty. I don't know what it is about looking at a wide expanse of land, but for me it is somewhat of a calming experience. Hopefully seeing these views each day will bring a little more peace and calm into our lives.

We are loving our new home and neighborhood, and are so incredibly grateful to be here.

~Life is good~

The Wildlife!

Halloween Night

2009-10-31T21:27:00.001-05:00

Our Halloween Tree

(a new tradition)

The Carving of The Pumpkins!

2009-10-31T20:24:00.005-05:00

The Master Carver

The Designers

Pulling out the guts...her favorite part.

"The Evil Little Pumpkin"

Ready to design.
"Real Jack-O-Lantern Face"

Class Clown!

"The Cooper"

This little pumpkin is suppose to look like Cooper.

Big eyes, round nose, a little round patch of hair on top, and his teeth look exactly like this!

Go LSHS Tigers!

2009-10-29T12:50:00.004-05:00

Maggie our little cheerleader.

The varsity cheerleaders at Lees Summit HS held a mini cheercamp as a fundraiser. For $40 the girls got a cute "Tiger Cub" t-shirt, went to two practices and cheered during the whole first quarter at the Friday night football game.

The varsity girls did such a great job. They taught the kids six or seven cheers and even had them stunting!

Maggie had the time of her life and Kevin and I had so much fun watching her!

I think I enjoyed it a little more then Kevin.

Maggie and I were both in our element at the game.

Forty dollars well spent.

Before the game. It was so cold, they had the girls practicing in the gym.

Mags on the track, freezing, yet still smiling.

The mark of a true cheerleader!

This is the best pic I could get of her stunting. She loved being the flyer.

What a great night, and what a cute girl!

Stupid Human Tricks

2009-10-21T08:58:00.003-05:00

Stupid Human Tricks

Cooper J Gadd

The Ball

(this is the size of a golf ball, a golf ball is what he usually uses for this trick)

Shoving the ball into the mouth......

......Just about there.....

.....Done! Voila!

When he's not in the tub he will pop the golf ball in his mouth and crawl around that way until, I'm assuming, his cheeks get tired and he spits it out.

What a talented little boy!

Boomer Sooner!

2009-09-30T09:21:00.005-05:00

Our first OU experience as a family.....So much Fun!

We went to all the pre-game activities as a family and then sent the boys to the game while the girls went to a movie.

The fam in our Oklahoma gear. The girls started the day without OU Gear. Soon we all caught the fever and looking at them in their non-red clothes seemed unacceptable. So if was off to the face painting booth and the bookstore for shirts.

You may think this is a bit overboard, but if you are walking around without it you are the one standing out.

Our Past vs Our Future

2009-09-28T12:45:00.006-05:00

Our Past = BYU

Kevin and I both grew up in Orem, UT in the shadows of the mountains and down the street from BYU. We've always been BYU football fans, and though it's sad to say, during college football season Kevin's mood on a Saturday is determined by the success (or failure) of the BYU football team.

Our Future = OU

Kevin is receiving his masters degree online from The University of Oklahoma. When he enrolled his exact words were this: "BYU has been letting me down my whole life. It's time to move on. I'm going to become an OU football fan." He then proceeded to buy OU football tickets FOR THE WHOLE SEASON! (he's crazy)

This is our family divided at the OU/BYU game.

We had a blast, but in the end there was no denying our roots, even for Kevin.

We heartily cheered for BYU the whole game and rejoiced in their unexpected victory!

GO COUGARS!!!!!

The incredible Dallas Cowboys Stadium

Cora, Maggie, Cooper, Kevin, and Grandpa Jack

Disney World

2009-09-23T11:39:00.016-05:00

We took a trip to Disney World after Kevin finished pilot instructor training. We were there for a whole week and did Disney for 5 days! My mom and my sister and her husband came. Needless to say we had a blast!

I've posted a slide show for each park and one for Downtown Disney.

Magic Kingdom

Epcot

Animal Kingdom

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Downtown Disney

Locks of Love

2009-09-22T15:43:00.004-05:00

Cora decided about a year ago to grow her hair and donate it to the locks of love foundation. I explained to her that her hair would be used to make a wig for children who have lost their hair due to cancer and other illnesses.

Cora said she wanted to do this so she could help other kids. I thought she'd end up wanting to cut her hair before it was long enough; but she did it! The hair she cut had to be 10 - 12 inches from tip to tip. One day she asked me to measure her hair. It was just about 11 inches. She said, "Let's go get it cut." So we did.

What a great little girl!

A Summer of Firsts

2009-08-03T09:44:00.009-05:00

First Child With No Front Teeth

This was quite the event getting Maggie to pull her tooth out. I think we have about 16 takes on the video camera. We tried the old string on the tooth and slam the door trick, then Kevin tricked her and yanked on the string around her tooth. That almost did it. Then we all gathered in the bathroom trying to convince her to pull it out on her own. We gave up and left her in the bathroom alone. Two minutes later she emerged from the bathroom calmly saying, "I pulled it out."

First Child To Get Stitches

We always knew Cora would be the first child to send us to the ER. She decided, per her sisters instructions, to jump into the pool facing the wall. Her chin smacked the edge of the pool. Ouch!!! The thought just makes you shudder. We were at the ER for six hours, and Cora did great. (We spared you the gruesome pictures, of her opened wound. It looked like a second mouth)

Cooper's First Major League Baseball Game

(Houston Astros)

This is a big event for our family. Especially our little boy. As my friend Shelbi said it was his first game, "but certainly not his last!" Too true! This was a fun night, and a long drive. We drove three hours to the game and three hours back when it was over. We all had a good time and Cooper was pooped by the end. What a cutie!

Kevin the Pilot

2009-07-15T08:26:00.004-05:00

Here are some videos of Kevin flying the T-38.

They were taken by a military videographer (is that a word?).

Kevin is flying from the back seat, and being filmed from the back seat of another T-38.

Chillin' on the 4th of July

2009-07-05T09:00:00.006-05:00

We had a great Inedependance Day! We started the day off with a pancake breakfast put on by the Univeral City Ward, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. When we were done there we rushed over to Schertz to see the Schertz City 4th of July Parade. Growing up we always went to the Provo City Parade on the morning of the 4th. No parade can ever compare, but going to one is a must!

The very best part of the day was going up to Round Rock, TX to visit my friend Kat and her husband Don. Our friends from Mississippi, Kenny and Katielynn came as well. We barbecued, went to the pool and then watched some exciting firework displays. We were having so much fun I forgot to take pictures. It was a fabulous day!

San Antonio Children's Museum

2009-07-03T23:08:00.002-05:00

There is so much to do in San Antonio, and if it wasn’t blazing hot we’d be doing more. One of our favorite air conditioned pastimes is going to the San Antonio Children’s Museum. The girls favorite exhibit is the H-E-B marketplace in the basement. There’s also the giant puzzle of the United States, the bubble room, and the new ball exhibit, the fun never ends! And of course we must always stop at the bank to swipe our card and get money from the ATM (fake), and redeem it for a pencil at the font desk.

Home Videos - produced by the children

2009-06-26T22:52:00.005-05:00

The girls have been going nuts with the video option on our camera. Here is a few samples of their work.

Cora is saying, "This is the best video I've ever tooken. I love myself!"

Maggie filming Cooper

Yay for New Furniture!

2009-06-05T13:49:00.002-05:00

This post is mainly for my mom because she wants to see my new furniture, but I'm so rediculously excited about my new table and thought I'd share it with everyone.

Due to a really long story, when we got to San Antonio we had no furniture. So we had to go shopping. Dang it!

We got this beautiful table at a great discount becuase it has some nicks and scratches. It will get nicked and scratched at our house anyway so we bought it. If you've seen our old rickety table, our folding chairs, and buckets that we use to sit on, you are probably as excited as I am that I finally got a new table.

The rug we bought to go under the table is the best deal I've ever gotten to date. It was originally $350, I think, and we got it for $25 at the Pottery Barn outlet!

This is the couch we got, also an awesome deal. It was in the back discount warehouse at Sofa Mart. You just have to ask if they have a discount section and they'll take you back there. I think it is the most comfortable couch I have ever sat on. And for good measure a picture of Cooper on the couch.

My Favorite Books...and Then Some

2009-05-29T23:22:00.003-05:00

I have a big announcement............I'm not pregnant........but I am starting an online book club. I have created a blog where I will, hopefully, post one book a month and anyone and everyone is welcome to read it and share their thoughts, and comment on the thoughts of others. The first few books will be some of my favorites of all kinds. Novels, self help, parenting, religous, memoirs, anything really. Hopefully it will be a fun thing for a lot of people. I have had a good time putting the blog together and deciding on which books to use. I never knew how many books I really loved until I jotted them all down. Anyway, visit the blog and read a good book.

www.myfavoritebooksandthensome.blogspot.com

Chicken Tenders

2009-05-24T08:28:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the line from Kung-Fu Panda, "Oh my tenders," my girls now call certain parts of their bodies their tenders. When we got home from Costco the other day I had Cora carry in the bag of chicken tenders. She stopped and read, "ch..ick..en t..en..d..ers." Then in a startled voice, which she faked because she knew she was being funny, she said, "We're gonna eat CHICKEN BUMS?!" The girls laughed and laughed and kept asking me "Are we gonna eat chicken bums?" They couldn't get enough of Cora's little joke.

Billy Ray Cyrus Concert

2009-05-20T15:09:00.006-05:00

Billy Ray Cyrus Concert at Sea World

Okay, so the story: Maggie was psyched to go to this concert and was absolutely determined to get Billy Ray's autograph. We sat on the front row and she stood on her seat holding her notebook and pencil, Hannah Montana of course, in the air the entire time. Towards the end of the concert I tried to explain to her that she probably wouldn't get his signature, but should be happy that we got to sit so close. What a "mom" thing to say.

This broke her little heart so I did another "mom" thing and politely helped her push her way through the crowd to the front of the stage. She ended up on the speaker and after his last song he came over and signed her book. It was awesome!

Billy Ray giving Maggie her notebook back

Close up of Mags' book w/the signature
Mags beaming when she got her book back from him

Cooper J at 3 Months

2009-05-20T14:41:00.004-05:00

Cooper is now almost 5 months old, but these are the darling pictures we had taken at 3 months.

At the Ball Park

2009-05-13T15:59:00.006-05:00

UVU vs BYU

Cora with Kevin's brothers Weston & Stuart

Mags with my sister Mandi and her husband Tyler

Grandpa-The-Great

2009-05-12T23:46:00.004-05:00

I had to post this most precious moment that happened a few weeks ago.

My grandpa Jack, who we call Grandpa-The-Great so we don't get him confused with my dad who is also Grandpa Jack, has dementia. Most of the time he can barely express his thoughts through words. He knows what he wants to say but can't make the words come out. It is extremely frustrating and embarrassing for him.

Cora has developed a fascination for Grandpa-The-Great and all his oldness. It's quite funny, and he loves it.

Cora came home from preschool with a book all about spring. She read it to Grandpa-The-Great a few times, and then asked him to read it to her. He read that little book three times!!!! She coached him along and helped him with the words he stumbled on. It was truly a miracle and such a special moment. I'm so glad I made them start the book over so I could take a picture.

Mommy Daughter Dates

2009-05-12T23:06:00.010-05:00

Maggie loves sports, especially basketball, and since her grandpa has been working at UVU she loves the wolverines. So, naturally we went to dinner and a Wolverines basketball game. (It helped that Grandpa had free tickets) We both put on our best green shirts and headed out for a night of fun.

The highlights of the evening were: the oreo milk shake at Fudruckers, meeting Willy the Wolverine, dancing in the stands, and singing the UVU fight song.

"Go..Fight..U..V..U! Go Fight UVU!"

All the way down to her socks Maggie wore UVU green. Go Wolverines!!!Maggie is the greatest! Whatever she does, she does it with all her heart. I think this girl could do anything and do it well. She loves basketball, she loves to golf, she loves to sing, and oh the drama! What a talented and fun girl.

I promised Cora for months and months that we would go to Chuck-E-Cheese and we finally did. We got there early and they weren't open yet so we headed to ROSS, of course. Because ROSS is the coolest! After trying on hats and looking at beach bags we headed back to Chuck-E-Cheese for the real fun.

Cora rode the rides, we played games (especially skee-ball because that's where we got the most tickets). In the end we earned 56 tickets and Cora left with 4 incredible prizes.

What a blast!

I love being with Cora. She is crazy, and fun and loves to cuddle. Since the day she was born she has had the most expressive face. She still pulls crazy faces all the time and we all love it!

St. George, UT

2009-05-12T22:27:00.015-05:00

St. George, UT

LDS Temple

During our stay in Utah (Feb. '09 - May '09), my parents took a weekend trip to St. George, and invited our family to come with them. Since our children have never lived near their grandparents it was a special occasion to get to go on a mini vacation with Grandpa & Grandma!
While the men were golfing us girls, and Cooper, went shopping at the outlets and to see the beautiful St. George temple. We hiked around the red rocks and ate at In-N-Out..mmmm!
Needless to say, we had a blast and will cherish the memories forever.

At the Red Rocks.

Cora was the only one to make it up the narrows section. I'm too claustrophobic, Maggie must have inherited that from me because she turned around half way through. Kevin and his massive chest wouldn't fit so he had to turn around. Fearless Cora just kept on going and I met her at the top.

The picture of Cora smashed between two rocks is her emerging from the narrows. I like to call it "Cora in the Crack"

If you are curious about what a temple is visit this link:

http://www.lds.org/temples/faq/0,11264,1904-1,00.html

Assignment Night & Pilot Training Graduation

2009-05-10T22:39:00.011-05:00

On January 9, 2009 we attended assignment night for UPT class 09-04 at Columbus AFB, MS. After a year (or more) of pilot training each class member finally finds out which plane they will be flying and what air force base they will be going to.

Kevin’s first choice of plane was the B2 spirit, but receiving a B-2 straight out of pilot training is rare. So Kevin did what he does best and manipulated the system doing all he could to get a

B-2 in the drop for his class. After much drama of losing the #1 spot and finding out no fighters would be given to his class, on assignment night we walked away ecstatic.

B-2's at Whitman AFB, MO

Kevin recieving his roasting. Everything they said about him being cheap was just about true.

Why is he so happy? The B-2 does the Rose Bowl fly over every year!

If you want to learn more about the B-2:

http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/air/bombers/b2.html

I don't have many pictures of the actual graduation. The day was a blurr trying to wrangle a

7 & 5 year old and take care of a week old baby. But it was a great day and we were so proud of Kevin!

The traditional breaking of the wings andKevin holding Cooper at the graduation dinner.

Boochy Boy

2009-02-14T15:22:00.004-06:00

Cooper is now six weeks old and it feels like he was always a part of our family. He has already accumulated a list of nicknames lovingly bestowed upon him by various family members some of which include:

Coops

Coopsie Poopsie

Super Cooper

The Super Duper Stinky Pooper (Thanks Uncle Brian)

and my personal favorite from Cora,

BOOCHY BOY

Here a some of my favorite pics of him from the first few weeks of his life.

Look at that beautiful skin!

First Photo Shoot (2 weeks old)

Mags and Coops

Cora feeding her Boochy Boy

I love these funny crossed eyed pictures.

First pictures of my three kids together

Christams Dresses

2009-02-14T12:27:00.003-06:00

SISTERS!

GRUMPY FACES

FROGGY POSE

SILLY FACE

2009-02-14T10:14:00.003-06:00

It's time to catch up, and we'll start with the most important event.

Our New Year's Baby:

Cooper J Gadd

He was born on January 1st 2009, at 2:59 am in West Point, MS. He was 8lb 2oz, and 21" long. We were all so excited he was finally here and even more excited to have a little boy in the family.

He was the first baby of the year born in the "Golden Triangle." Everyone made a big deal about it. We were on the local news and interviewed by the newspaper. I think it's every woman's dream to be filmed for television six hours after giving birth. Luckily I had a heads up from the nurses and put a little make-up on. I can't find the clip of us on the news at the moment, but if I find it I'll post it. Here are some pics taken while the reporter was at the hospital.

Cora and her new favorite play thing. She is a big help, but also can't help herself. Without fail, if the Cooper is happy Cora can make him cry, just by giving him too much love.

Sweet Mags, ever the ideal big sister. She takes such good care of Cooper. Everday when she comes home from school she says, "How's my little Cooper?" and gives him a sweet little kiss.

The proud papa! Kevin couldn't possibly be more excited to have a son. He's already haveing grand visions of attending sporting events together, saturdays filled with college football, and of course watching Cooper play the many sports Kevin assumes he will be good at.

(I'm pretty excited for all this too, but don't tell)

Cooper, one day old. What a beautiful baby!

Daddy Daughter Extravaganza

2008-12-30T13:32:00.006-06:00

I am writting this blog at great personal risk. For the past year I have mercilessly mocked a few of my friends who are "bloggers." One in particular who is constantly taking pictures during pilot training for his blog, as if we were high schoolers at the prom. Therefore, let it be known that this will be my only blog, and I'm only doing it because Molly wasn't there.

This all started with a sweet deal on a car on eBay. I decided to buy the car and pick it up in New York City. Molly wanted me to take one of the girls, but we couldn't decide which. I wanted to take Maggie because Cora and I always do things together, but I wanted to take Cora because Cora and I always do things together. Molly thought I should take Maggie becasue Maggie is under the impression that Cora is my favorite, maybe that's because I keep saying Cora is my favorite. Anyway, I ended up taking both which was a great decision.

We got the term Daddy/Daughter extravaganza from Cora. When we started Daddy/Daughter dates, Cora decided that we needed to do three fun things for it to count as a Daddy/Daughter date. After some serious thought, Cora came up with the following system:

One fun thing: Daddy/Daughter Time

Two fun things: Daddy/Daughter Fun

Three fun things: Daddy/Daughter Date

Ten or more fun things: Daddy/Daughter Extravaganza

We haven't come up with anything for four through nine, we'll accept suggestions.

So as part of their Christmas gifts we told them that I was taking them to NYC to see the biggest Christmas tree in the world (maybe that's not true, but who cares, they're kids). We packed a small bag headed to Memphis for a flight to Charlotte then NYC. We took a taxi from the airport to Dunkin Donuts, which is actually the number one location to make an automobile transaction on Christmas Day. I thanked the guy for letting me pick up the car on Christmas and he replied "I'm Jewish!" I said "Sweet, I guess that worked out well."

We drove into the city, checked into the hotel and then hit the streets. Our first stop was Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree. The crowd was unbelievable, I had to fight to get through the people. I had a hand on each of the girls and a hand on my wallet.

After the Plaza we went to the ATM so the kids could get food from street vendors. I got a hundred bucks which to Cora was amazing. When we walked out of the bank, Cora announced to everyone going into the bank "MY DAD JUST GOT A HUNDRED DOLLARS!!"

Our next stop was Central Park, we took a carriage ride around the park, then went to see the ice skaters. Afterwards, I let the kids play in the snow for a while then we went back to the hotel.

The next day we woke up early and went to Toys R Us, the girls favorite store in NYC. Afterwards we began the long drive home. I planned on 15 hours to get home, that didn't work out. With the food stops, the sleep stops and because the girls could never coordinated their tinkling, we were on the road for 27 hours before we got home.

It was a great trip.

Carriage Ride aroun Central Park

Central Park

Rockefeller Plaza Christmas Tree

Rockefeller Plaza Fountain

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T15:27:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!

Good thing I'm not a goat!

2008-12-14T14:56:00.004-06:00

Well, I now have 3 weeks and 2 days left in this pregnancy, less if I have any say in the matter. (It is my body after all) I just had to share my thoughts on how amazed I am at people's ignorance and non-consideration for the delicate emotional state a woman is in during her last month of pregnancy. After almost a full nine months of having your body no longer just be hers, and having absolutely nothing physically, emotionally, or mentally function correctly she's bound to lose it at any moment. And still people feel it is okay to offer up unsolicited advice on very personal matters.

This week at my doctor's appointment I practiced self-control like I've never practiced it before. The doctor, who I know is one person who has the right to give me his oppinion, was discussing breast feeding my baby after he is born. I proceeded to tell him that I choose not to breast feed my babies due to the fact that I don't produce enough milk. I figure this is enough information to offer up on a personal matter and it should be left at that.

He proceeds to tell me that it would be beneficial for me to feed the baby as much I can and then supplement with bottle feeding. (Easy for him to say, for anyone who hasn't done this before, it literally takes hours. He also seems to have forgotten I have already done this twice and know what works for me). He then jumps into a shpeel about how important colostrum is for the baby, and informs me of a certain species of GOATS who's babies will die if they do not recieve the much needed colostrum from their mother right after birth.

It took every ounce of self control I had to not turn to him and say, "GOOD THING I'M NOT A GOAT!!!!"

Needless to say it was a rough day, and I am still not planning on breast feeding my baby!

Introducing Maggie's Step-Dad!

2008-11-10T15:47:00.003-06:00

Here he is....Maggie's Step-Dad.

AKA-Her real Dad

Let me explain....Kevin took the girls to their Nutcracker practice, which is usually my job. Maggie wanted to introduce Kevin to Miss Heather, one of her teachers. She turned to Miss Heather and said, "This is my step-dad."

Kevin was so shocked and amused, he didnt' even correct her! When he asked Maggie if she knew what a step-dad was she said, "Ya, it's your second dad. I was just playing a trick on Miss Heather."

Apparently, Maggie is feeling a little left out when it comes to her family dynamics!

The Black Bean Shop

2008-11-10T12:57:00.004-06:00

One of my friend's sisters just started this company.

Could these beanies be any cuter!?

I thought I'd share the link with everyone. These would make great holiday gifts, or stocking stuffers.

ENJOY!

I'm Such a Pilot's Wife!

2008-11-01T22:02:00.008-05:00

I never thought in a million years I'd be an Air Force wife, and what's more I never would have thought I'd like it!

We live on a training base for Air Force pilots. Once a year they have a career day for the student pilots. They bring in as many Air Force planes as they can and let you walk through them, or look into them, whatever the case may be, and the pilots answer any questions you may have.

I felt like such a loser pilot wife because I was so excited to see all the planes and get pictures. I am amazed that I have been sucked into this world of aviation and I actually find it interesting. I've become one of those wives whose husband's life has become her life. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, right?

Anyway, I am just amazed at my genuine interest and excitement over the world of aviation and grateful for the opportunity to learn and experience things I never thought I would. Who knew I would ever find myself explaining to a new student pilot what winglets are!

This is the T-38.

This is the plane Kevin is currently flying. The T-38 is a fighter/bomber training plane.

Mags and Cora were so excited to see the T-38 up close. Aren't they adorable!?

The F-16

F-16 is Kevin's second choice of assignment out of pilot training. His number one choice is the

B-2 Bomber

F-16 engine. I love the way the fighters and bombers look from the backside.

F-15D

B-1 Bomber

(front)

(back)

C-17 Globemaster

Aah the C-17. If it's possible to have sentimental feelings about an aircraft, then this is it for me. Kevin logged about 1500 hours as a loadmaster on the C-17 and I logged about 2 during a spouses flight. I take pride in the fact that on the spouse flight we flew with the back open which was something Kevin never got to do since he wasn't airdrop qualified.

P.S. Those little tips on the end of the wings are called winglets.

The girls on the ramp of the C-17.

Okay, so this doesn't have much plane in it, but the girls were cracking me up living it up inside this posh jet. It is the PC-12. .

PC-12

This is a special operations plane. Kevin will never be able to fly it. You can't weigh over 185 lbs.

KC-135

refueler/cargo carrier

C-130

Happy Halloween! '08

2008-11-01T21:43:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Cora the Witch!

Maggie the cheerleader.

Country Pumpkins '08

2008-11-01T21:26:00.007-05:00

We went to the local pumpkin patch, "Country Pumpkins," for family home evening and had so much fun. The girls each picked out a pumpkin and played in the hay maze, corn boxes, and cotton while Kevin and I played a rousing game of bags. I almost beat him!

What could be more fun than a trailer full of cotton!

Cora is almost 4" Tall

Mags is just over 4"

More Missouri

2008-10-26T18:22:00.002-05:00

A Gadd Family Trip wouldn't be complete without a trip or two to the ball park. We saw the Cardinals in St. Louis (pictures with lots of red), and the Royals in Kansas City (pictures with lots of blue).

2008-10-25T21:44:00.003-05:00

What can I say. It's a picture of Cora and Jesus.
Cute Maggie.

Crazy Cora!

Maggie loved this little cabin at the visitor's center. She wanted to play in there the whole time. I thought this was funny because it was totally dark in there because there was not light, but she didn't care.

Cora loved the statues at the Independence Visitor's Center. She wanted a picture with each one.

The fam at Liberty Jail. Just when you think the kids aren't paying attention they suprise you. They have talked about the jail again and again since we went. If it's ever mentioned in church their ears perk up and they say, "Hey, we've been there."

Mags at the St. Louis Arch.

Cora's windy model shot.

I make no promises, but I'm attempting to work on my blog again. So here are a few pics from a short trip we took to Kansas City and St. Louis, MO a few months ago.