I Scream, You Scream.....

........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

Let it Snow!

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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!!!

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!

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

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!