this could take all day

my girls on Easter

I wanted to get a picture of the family on Easter, what with how cute we were looking  (I'd actually changed into my outfit after church, since the musical I was participating in included "Biblical" costumes) and my goal of a family-photo-a-month. So after Easter lunch and before lollipops, we headed out to the backyard and I talked our friends into taking a couple of pictures for me.

I'm really happy with this one of the 5 (5!) of us.

And before I let the girls loose , I grabbed my camera back and told them they had to smile for me (well, at least the bigs, Leyla was a bit fussy).

A little hugging, a few of Papa's silly faces, and I am in love with these gems.

And with these girls.

Happy Mother's Day!

It was a very busy and sunny and fulfilling weekend. I am so thankful for my family and for friends and for fun adventures.

And I am so thankful for these three little girls. Mom asked me recently for a picture of the three of them, but I didn't have one! Thankfully just a few days later we were hanging out in the nursery and I was able to grab my camera and snag a few. With the natural light from the window and the tungsten light from the bulb, and the many-colored outfits the girls were wearing, I couldn't figure out how to edit the color correctly. Thankfully, a little black and white conversion always does the trick!

So Gran, Gram, Momma Too, and all those Aunties...thanks for loving me and loving my ladies too. 

 

 

Project 365 (+1) - March 2012

This month has been quite the eventful one, seeing our family grow from four to five. Our family picture was taken on the very last day of the month, in our Saturday afternoon finest. Good thing Darin's dad stopped by for a visit and was able to snap this one for us!

Now on to the rest of the month.

The baby's room is ready for a baby. And the equipment is sitting here, ready to be spread all over the house.

We were able to provide respite care (where you give a foster family a day/night off) for some friends of ours. Here our Miss Daisy is happily feeding Baby E.

We had so much fun at Xander's reptile birthday party and I was pretty proud of my girls for being brave and petting some cool reptiles.

Dani found a good use for some of the baby equipment hanging around! Here she is playing on my kindle curled up on the boppy pillow.

I am so thankful for this baby to love, and my husband who is right in the thick of it with me.

The girls spend some time in the morning reading to Baby L. They are so good with her.

Daisy would hold this little bundle of sweetness all day long and I am so thankful for her help. She will give her a bottle while I'm finishing our morning prep and will run for a pacifier whenever she is fussy.

Dani wanted to help with the laundry but she can't quite reach the top of the washer. So she chucks the items in one by one. It's pretty awesome.

Our neighbors brought over some amazing chocolates, and as you can see, my husband really loves me. I felt really special.

 

We had a free Saturday afternoon so Darin and I decided to take the girls on dates. Daisy was my date, with Miss L tagging along. Apparently the little Miss decided she needed a bottle RIGHT NOW so halfway to our destination (the toy store!) we pulled over in a parking lot and Daisy hopped out of her seat and fed Miss L her bottle. Love my little helper. (cell pic)

She looks so small in this swing. 

This kid loves to sleep. I layed her on a playmat for a little awake time, but it didn't take her long to doze off. And that's Daisy's special snowman next to  her. Daisy and Dani both love to share their toys and animals with their sister.

Daisy playing school and teaching us our letters.

Since the day she weaned off breastmilk this kid has hated cow's milk, prefering water instead. And on this humble day in March she declared out of the blue "I yike milk now!" and requested some with her lunch.

Bathing a baby is pretty darn fascinating.

So thankful for a sunny afternoon and a visit from family.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Uncle Madison and Aunt Dakota stopped by on their way home from a volleyball tournament in Port Angeles. We were lucky to have their company for dinner and stories, and they were happy to entertain all three girls.

 "Hey Mom, look what I can do!"

The Easter Bunny came to our house a little early to celebrate the first day of spring. Dani's basket on the left, then Leyla's, then Daisy's. And Daisy insisited on leaving a carrot for the bunny, so there are some remnants on the plate.

Here's a little article I wrote for the church newsletter where we attend Mops:

 

     We have some friends who's dad is a pilot for Alaska Airlines. Last year he was gone at Christmas, so they made special arrangements with Santa Claus to come to their house early. This was a win-win since it gave Santa one less house on Christmas Eve, and allowed the family to celebrate together early. So when I made the suggestion to our girls that I'd been in contact with the Easter Bunny and he wanted to bring a few gifts by to celebrate the first day of spring, the girls were totally on board.

     So last Monday night we dusted off the Easter baskets and set them out on the coffee table for the Easter Bunny to fill overnight. Daisy, my oldest, insisted that we also leave out a few carrots for Mr Bunny. They were thrilled the next morning to find books, a treat, and a small toy in each basket. I was able to include some books with the real Easter story and we've been enjoying reading them ever since. We also made a set of Resurrection Eggs last year at Mops, and open one egg each night leading up to Easter. This has been a sort of "holy week advent calendar" for us, and it is so great to tell the story over and over as we open the previous night's eggs first.

     Resurrection Sunday is an amazing and central part of our Christian story, and now when that day arrives, we won't have to share it with that darn bunny!

 

 

All the daffodils outside Daisy's school are starting to bloom! (cell pic)

Daisy spotted this snack when I was scrolling through my Pinterest kids board the other day and insisted we make it for her next class snack day. So this afternoon the girls were busy painting clothespins.

Darin took the girls to the park when he got home from work and I sent the camera with him. I love seeing what he comes home with, and this one is absolutely perfect in my opinion.

A sunny afternoon = time for a bike ride. Daisy isn't so thrilled about learning to ride her two (four) wheeler so we have to strongly encourage her to make it to the stop sign and back. Dani is pretty happy about the whole Papa steers and pushes arrangment though.

My friend Natalie and I had planned to take our older daughters to a local production of the Sleeping Beauty Ballet but Natalie woke up this morning with a horrible stomach flu (so bad that later this evening I would take her to the ER for some fluids). So I ventured to the ballet with the girls by myself and it was a lovely afternoon. They were so well behaved and enjoyed watching the dancing tremendously. Here they are at intermission gobbling up a few cookies and some delicious red punch. (cell pic)

Early morning, feeding the babies.

Last fall we moved our weekly library visits to the downtown Bremerton branch since it is the branch with Tuesday storytimes (our only free morning during the week). Last month after storytime we ventured a few blocks away to a nearby office to pick up some baby blankets a friend had sent to work with her husband for us. The girls loved all the cool statues about town and every week since they ask to go see them. This time it wasn't raining and we didn't have anywhere to be so I said yes. Here they are with the "umbrella girl". (cell pic)

About every third naptime this girls asks to sleep on the floor. Not sure what the appeal is, but as long as she still naps I'm happy. 

I cannot seem to stop taking pictures of this cutie pie when she is sleeping!

A little display for Easter.

More signs of spring! Tulips and Hyacinth are blooming in my front yard. 

a lovely day for a visit

A few weeks ago we had some wonderful visitors who wanted to come and play and meet Baby Leyla: Gran and her beau Jeff, along with Darin's sister Sierra and her son Caleb. Darin was able to take the afternoon off and we all enjoyed spending time together.

Jeff is a pretty serious baby lover, and was happy as a clam to snuggle Miss L.

(I think both these ladies might like him?!)

Lucky for us the afternoon weather was brilliant so we decided to take Isha to the local dog park and then take all of us on a stroll through some nearby trails.

Darin ran ahead to take some shots of the group, which prompted Sierra to comment on how people walk slower when their picture is being taken, which prompted me to walk in slow motion like a goob. Ah...good times...

This way, Mama?

Too bright! Too bright!

This trail system has two giant wooden animals which was a great motivator to get the kids to walk a bit further. They were nervous about the elephant at first, but we decided to traipse through the rather wet grass to say hello and they were happy to discover they were just made of wood. But pretty impressively painted I might say.

Checking out the giraffe too.

And then we made our way back out of the jungle!

We walked a bit further before heading home to play a bit more, eat dinner, and snuggle one super sweet baby. Thanks for making the trek out here guys. You are welcome back anytime!

November 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

Weekday lunch. Trying to make things a little fun.

I left some socks outside the girls' room while they were sleeping, so I could put them away in the morning. This is what I found in the morning. I love it when my girls are creative!

Dani was playing with toilet paper tubes. Made me laugh so hard when she put them on her arms. I thought she looked like Kristen Wiig's character on the Lawrence Welk sketches.

On Thanksgiving Dani was really excited about the jumping off the ledge game. She recruited everyone to join her too. (This was my first time capturing a picture from a video I shot, and I think it's pretty ok.)

Crafting it up with Gran.

Christmas Morning 2011

I didn't take too many photos on Christmas morning, I was busy soaking it all up and reveling in the joy. But here are a few, along with a few memories I don't want to forget.

Darin and I woke up at about 7:30, looked at each other, and wondered aloud when our girls would be awaking. Didn't take long for Daisy to stumble in our room, and then quickly to the bathroom. Turned out she'd had to go for a while, but was worried about the whole getting-up-with-Santa-around thing. Too sweet.

Growing up I was always allowed to open my stocking first, and didn't have to wait for anyone to be around to open it, and I am happy to pass along this tradition to my kids. So Daisy dug into her stocking while Gran walked the dog and Darin brewed coffee and made breakfast rolls. Me? I sat and watched her open. I love finding little things all year long to inlude in stockings, and had fun watching her open it all. Little toys and socks and bows and toothbrushes and bandaids and a new hat. 

I finally gave in and let Darin wake up Miss Dani at 8:30. She was kind of out-of-it for a bit, so we settled in for morning rolls and she was pretty happy about that. Then it was time to let her attack her stocking. Similar things to Daisy, except that Dani also received some Yo Gabba Gabba underpants that she is very excited to start using. Here's to hoping that potty training in the new year goes well!

On Christmas Eve we moved TJ's box (he lives in front of the fireplace that we never use) and left some arrows on the floor so Santa would know where to find the stockings and his treats. Daisy had looked up in the chimney and was concerned that there was something in the way. I told her not to worry and mentioned to Darin that his bag of rags that kept the air flow down was worrysome to Daisy. So the great guy pulled out the bag and hid it away.

Here they are the next morning doing an inspection.

Santa even left a bootprint or two.

Gran gave the girls several new dress up outfits and they were happy to try them on right away.

We had planned to go to church on Christmas morning, but with Dani sleeping in and us taking our time, I looked at the clock at about 9:45 and realized there was no way we were going to make the 11:00 service. So we settled in and enjoyed even more time together at home.

After the presents had been opened we had our morning "brunch" of eggs and hashbrowns and toast and oranges. Daisy was really confused about why we were having breakfast so late, and it was fun to explain the concept of "brunch" to her. 

Eventually we decided to get dressed and brush our teeth and generally prepare to leave the house and head out on another Christmas adventure. More to come... 

 

Frightening?

Who knew that Madeline was such a scary tale?

Christmas Eve

Christmas eve started out with lots of lounging in our pajamas. The girls weren't eager to get dressed, and neither were we. So we hung out and baked and wrapped presents, until Darin declared he couldn't take his caffeine headache anymore and we hopped in the van for a drive-through run to Starbucks. (New tradition maybe?)

That afternoon Gran arrived and the girls were able to open one present early. Like many families we know, the girls got new pajamas to wear. Daisy requested a red nightgown, and Dani wanted blue pajamas. The blue was a little tricky, since no one wants to make girl pajamas in blue anymore. I thought about just buying her the boy pair, but they had trucks and balls all over them and I knew she would have noticed. So, enter pale blue flower pajams and call it good.

We played with Gran and Isha for a bit (at one point Daisy asked me to help her write a card for Gran, in which she wanted to write "I love your son Darin") and then got ready for church and work. (Darin went to Juvi to hold a chapel service for the kids, and he said it was a great evening.)

And Mama tried to get a picture of her girls in front of the tree. Thankfully, I had some good helpers!

Us ladies said goodbye to Darin and went to the 5pm service at Peninsula Bible Fellowship (Our church's services weren't until 7pm or 11pm, not so friendly for the preschool-set.) where the girls were pretty well behaved and Linda and I enjoyed singing some classic Christmas hymns and hearing the old-old story once again.

Dinner was ready in the crock pot upon our return, and then it was time for the preparations.

First up, sprinkling the lawn with reindeer food.

Then notes to Santa. (Daisy is drawing a picture of the radio she hoped to receive.)

Then stories and songs. Mama had to fill in for Papa this year in reading "The Night Before Christmas", and I think I did a pretty good job. I had my dad's voice in my ear reading along with me.

The girls were a little too excited to sleep and were up from their beds a few times before finally succumbing. Cups of cocoa with bailey's for the parents, final preparations made, Santa cookies crumbled and tossed (they were a bit stale), and off to bed we went.

Eager for the morning...

trip to Idaho - part 6

On our way home from Idaho we decided to take the shorter, wind-ier (that's wind, as in lots of stomach-churning turns, not wind as in the stuff that blows your hair all over the place), and desolate southern root through amazing towns like Starbuck and Connell. We also pulled over to stretch our legs and enjoy the view of Palouse Falls.

While Daisy and I wandered closer to the edge than I liked (I finally get it mom!) and farther than she liked (yes, I'm sorry I've got a death grip on your hand kid, but you're making me nervous), Darin and Dani set up the tripod to take a family photo. Yes, the state park was pretty deserted on this Monday morning.

We have a great little remote (which I think everyone should invest in for their camera) but you had to stand in just the right spot to get it to communicate with the camera perched on a ledge above us.

But when Darin finally found the sweet spot and used the 2-second delay on the remote to get back to us in time, Miss Daisy was missing from the shot.

So we decided to switch it up, but it took me a few shots to catch up with the learning curve.

And look! I'm good at hiding Daisy too.

But us Gemmers, we don't quit. And we were rewarded with the next shot. Success!

Time to pack it in kids and finish the long trek home.

Palouse Falls, you are a beautiful wonder to behold.

September Adventure: meeting puppy Isha

Darin's mom got a puppy this summer and they came for a visit.

She is pretty darn cute.

Dani loved meeting her, petting and playing with her right away.

Daisy, on the other hand, not so much. She was pretty freaked out and had to be coaxed into even petting the sweet puppy. The girl is not such a fan of little things wanting to jump on her.

Later in the day, after puppy Isha had calmed a bit, Daisy was much friendlier towards her. This little puppy is so good for Linda, and I think it'll be good for my girls too.

trip to Idaho - part 3

My uncle recently retired to Clarkston so I figured while we were in the area with the whole clan, we should meet up with him. He suggested lunch at Roosters and that sounded great to me. When we arrived we were surprised to find my cousin, his wife, and their 4 kids there too. Such fun to catch up.

My cousin's son really likes the wings.

Thanks Uncle Rick for treating us to a great meal and a great time!

I love my family.

Looking through the batch of family pictures from our recent photo session with Jeniffer Bayard Photography, I was struck by this image (which I love),

and reminded of this one from April 2010 shot by Josh Durias.

Man, how time flies.

(Also, you'll get to see more pictures from our session once I get my Christmas card figured out. Don't want to give away too much.)

August Adventures: Seattle Kid's Concert

Did y'all know that Seattle has one amazing "Kindie Rock" scene? There are so many awesome kids bands around these parts, most notably Caspar Babypants and Recess Monkey. Now, I am not one of those snobby parents when it comes to kids music and will happily belt out Baa Baa Black Sheep with the best of 'em. But the preschool music tends to grate on my husband a bit. So we're thankful for bands like these (and Mr Steve Songs and Justin Roberts too, they're just not local) that we all can enjoy.

As we were planning a trip to Marysville for a family day, I happened to receive a random email about a Kindie Rock benefit concert that very weekend. So I snagged us a couple tickets (kiddos were free, but us adults had to pay) and we planned to leave in time on Sunday to spend a few hours on a lawn at the Seattle Center.

Mr Roberts even made an appearance at the festival!

Darin was such a trooper. It was so hot that afternoon, but when the Mariner Moose made an appearance Miss Daisy was sent into a massive panic and the only way to distract her was shoulder dancing. Of course, Miss Dani wanted in too!

The festival was a little long for us Gemmers who still had a ways to go to get home, so we decided to call it a day after the 5th band and head for a cool off at the Seattle Center fountain. Being the awesome mom I am, I packed the girls towels and extra outfits so they could have fun running around and getting wet.

Guess this awesome mom needs to know her kids a little better. Neither wanted to have anything to do with the giant gushing of water coming at them. Darin took them down the hill but couldn't even get them close enough to feel the spray!

It's days like this one that make me thankful for where we live for sure.

 

August 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Yummy yellow plums from our backyard tree. Ahh...summer...

Ice cream cones on the park bench. Ahhh....summer...

Darin's sister Carerra is a pretty good babysitter! And it's handy to have her living just a few minutes away.

Gran set up the pool when we came to visit her. 

Family fun hike!

August Adventures: water balloon contest

When we got back from our hike we all entered into various activities: photo taking, laundry, chores, hanging out, kid minding. The little ones were hanging out outside with Sierra for a bit, and found a batch of dollar store water balloons they were begging to play with. So some of us meandered outside and sat at the water spout filling balloons for the little ones as they happily splashed them on the driveway. 

Then someone suggested the brilliant idea of a water balloon toss.

Couples version.

Man, I love this family.

Guys tossed to girls. Step backward.

Girls toss to guys and repeat. 

Sometimes there were awesome saves.

And sometimes you got wet.

Yep, it even happens to the best of 'em.

Thanks to Linda for shooting some pictures of the action. And thanks to the kiddos for letting the grown ups play with the rest of the balloons!

August Adventures: family day hike

It was a wonderful weekend in August when Darin, his 5 siblings, the 4 in-laws, the girlfriend, and the 3 cousins gathered with Gran at her home in Lakewood. Gran is putting her home up for sale, so every time we get together there lately feels extra special.

This time, though, we ventured away from the house for a bit of a "hike". This was a hike to the ice caves that Linda had taken the kids on many times over the years, and it was so fun to join in and add the gran-kids to the tradition as well.

Although we got a later start than we wanted, the weather was warm and perfect when we arrived.

Daisy had a hold of her Aunt Dakota's hand for a bit.

Until she convinced Uncle Madison she needed a shoulder ride. (Can you see her there?) 

And Uncle Skylar got the pleasure of lugging Miss Dani around. Don't you just love it when family loves on your kiddos in ways like this? I sure do!

Trevor was pretty obsessed with collecting every kind of berry he could find.

Reaching the ice caves!

We even managed to get a family shot! (Although Aunt Tiffany didn't join us on the hike, so we'll have to photoshop her head in somewhere!)

Dani conked out on the way back down and slept all the way through our picnic lunch too.

What a fun day. I can't wait to do it again!

August 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

S'mores fun!

We love camping.

She does love him!

Fountain park fun with the Kaufmans!

Yea for morning cuddles.

July 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

Can you believe these beauties are growing in my backyard?

Making lunch all by herself.

Happy Birthday Dani Lou!

I took the girls to Silverdale for a couple of errands and we ran into a parade! Lucky for us there were a few parking spots at the United Methodist Church and some really nice people willing to share their sidewalk space (and candy!) with us. Great morning.

Camping and making new friends!

camping with the 'rents

Darin was gone taking kids to camp with YFC during the first week of August, so the girls and I packed up and drove to Chehalis to camp with my parents. I have to say, I was very impressed with my packing skills for this adventure (as was my dad, who was pretty sure I had brought the whole house with us) and getting us out of the house on time Sunday morning to make it to church before our drive south.

The girls and I had an amazing time camping with my parents. While they set up a tent in a site across the street from theirs, it was just for our stuff. We ate and slept and played in and around their motorhome, enjoying all the luxuries that come with full-time RV'ers.

There was a little play area just a short walk from the campsite, so upon arrival we quickly made our way down there. (Notice the girls are still in their church dresses!)

My ladies could swing for hours if you kept pushing them!

But they also enjoyed playing in the gravel,

decorating CC,

and making new friends. I think Daisy is just like her mama, looking for a new friend wherever she goes. That is one of the great things about camping: usually the place is full of kids!

Day 2 started with a yummy breakfast.

And then more playing at the playground with friends. We brought a bunch of little Mcdonalds toys I'd gotten at the thrift store, so we made a game of digging for buried treasure.

Then we did some crafts, but I'm gonna save that for another post. Lunch and naps.

Then time to swim! No pictures of actual swimming since mom and I had to both be in the pool with the girls. There was no shallow end so they played a lot in the floaty toys and did some jumping off the edge into mama's arms. And only once did Dani jump off the edge when no one was there (Daisy & I had gone to the bathroom and my mom had turned her back for .01 seconds and Dani jumped herself on in) but we don't need to talk about that.

How about snack time in swimsuits?!

Auntie Debbie came for a visit! And she brought Murphy pup with her too.

The girls ate an early dinner so they could do s'mores before bed.

BEFORE:

DURING: (Daisy's new friend came to join us!)

AFTER:

Dani took a couple bites and then was done. Lucky for Mama I got to finish it off!

One bonus of an Auntie Debbie visit, she loves to read. And she loves to read to her nieces. So, of course, she was given bedtime story duty.

The camera didn't make it out too much on our next day...too much fun to be had! But I did snag this cute one of Miss Dani on a break from bike riding.

On our last morning (day 4) Mom & Dad took the girls down to play one last time while I cleaned and packed up. When they got back to camp I gave them their snack in the tent, which they thought was about the coolest thing ever.

If you know Dani, you know she is a lot slower to warm up to people than her gregarious big sister. This was especially true in the case of my dad. Even though he was around nearly every day for 3+ weeks this summer, she was still cautious around him. I wonder if it's the beard?

Anyway, to capture this moment between the two of them as we were preparing to leave made my heart happy. She does love her Grampa!

 Thanks so much for a great vacation Mom & Dad. You sure know how to take care of us. Come back soon, please.

last summer hurrah

I'm loving that our new church has a Sunday night service. It served us well a few weeks ago when we spent the weekend at Gran's and were able to drive right to church Sunday evening after getting off the ferry.

And it served us well this weekend when Darin had to work on Saturday and I was eager for a fun family outing on Sunday. The weather was perfect for one last summer hurrah before our fall schedules begin this week.

We were on the road by 9:15 to the beautiful Ft Flagler. Neither of us had been before, but we were eager to check it out.

Although this park is HUGE, most of our day was spent on the beach. First, we settled in a spot near the boat launch for lunch and playing.

But this side of the beach was pretty cold and rocky, so when I walked to the bathroom I explored a little and found us an even better stretch of sand to play on. It was warmer and sandier for sure. Plus, there were more kids around.

The girls agreed to travel to the "new" beach and were thrilled to surrender their sweatshirts in favor of swimsuits. They were brave, that water was still C-O-L-D.

As you can see in the video above, Dani got a bit freaked out by the waves. So her next turn with the boat she decided to stay on the beach!

Once they tired of the water, it was time to play in the sand. Daisy was trying to use this tool to draw.

I love those dirty legs!

I retreated to the comfort of my chair and my book for a bit, and Darin supervised a construction project. Started as a castle with a very large moat. The girls quickly turned it into a bathtub.

Dani was putting "owies" on her leg.

But then the tide came in...

So Daisy joined up with some big kids (who were amazingly so kind to her) and joined in their efforts as well.

Dani and Darin ditched us at the beach soon after and played a bit on the park's play structure. When it was time to go we drove around and explored this amazing park a bit more. Lots of cool structures we want to come back

Darin and I couldn't stop smiling at each other on the drive home. It was a perfect end-of-summer day and we can't wait to do it again next year!