FOOTBALL!!!

GO WYOMING CALVARY!!

GO BLUE!!

Kyle has been playing flag football with the YMCA for the last month. He loves it! It is so fun to see how much better the kids get each week. His coaches are great and are really good at teaching the boys to play well. Kyle has made at least one touchdown per game. Their uniforms are blue and they named their team the Wyoming Calvary. I wanted to post a few pictures of him in action. We are so proud of him and how well he is doing!! Now he just needs to gain 10 pounds before next year so he can play in pads. (I have a hunch he will just continue to get taller:))

Kyle is the player in the blue shirt and black pants. He doesn't let anything get in his way!

(Look close - Kyle is catching the ball behind the other blue player.)

Running for the touchdown!

TOUCHDOWN!!

Kolbi is a trooper and braves the cool weather with a smile!!

Kambria takes football as her opportunity to socialize! She makes a new friend every week!! (Notice the wonderful way the Wyoming wind styles everyones hair ;))

Of course, every week we are introduced to a new grasshopper! My kids love catching them and since grasshoppers are all over the place here...they get to catch them often!

Love this video!

The West

We had a long weekend of our family being sick. It started on Friday night and by Saturday night, EVERYONE in our family was sick. We took is really easy on Sunday and by Monday we felt a little better and definetly cooped up. Kevin didn't have to work on Monday and it seemed like such a waste to not do anything. So we did something we love about living here. Drive around and look at the scenery!!

Our final destination was to Shoshoni Wyoming to a rodeo. It was a small town rodeo, but we loved it all the same. They had "mutton busting" (where little kids ride sheep for as long as they can). We thought the girls would want to join the fun, but they were both still feeling a little queasy so we opted out. It was such a fun little rodeo. I didn't realize how much I miss this time of year in the west. Rodeos and state fairs are the absolutely best!!

When we left we had the best lightning show ever. It seemed like the lightning was just dancing across the sky all the way around us. There wasn't any rain, so that made it even more cool. As always there were a ton of antelope and deer eating in the fields by the roads. I love seeing them all the time here. Yes, we have to be careful and not run them over, but I don't mind driving a little more cautious to see them roam freely. Of course, Kevin is always gauging how far off the road they are and if he would be able to get a clean shot if he was hunting. (Funny guy!)

Well, anyway, I just wanted to share our weekend because it has some of the things I LOVE about living in Wyoming and being in THE WEST!!

Birthdays, Start of School and Everything In Between

What a wonderful whirlwind this summer has been. To start off we were off to New York for Kevin's graduation. It was so exciting!! Good job Kev!! We are all so proud of you!!

Then we were off to Casper. We got into our WONDERFUL house and have been loving it. The kids have been enjoying a bigger yard and getting to know some new friends. We had a small inflatable pool in the back yard and the kids spent almost everyday in it. What could be better in summer?!

We were able to take a quick family vacation on one of Kevin's rare days off. We went to Thermopolis Wyoming. It is known for the famous Dinosaur Museum, Wax Museum and Largest Mineral Hot Springs. On the way home we stopped at a few pioneer historical sites. It was really neat and humbling to see the amount of sacrifice the pioneers went through.

On the 14th of August was Kyle's 10th birthday!! He got some great presents including an Air Soft BB Gun. He was so excited. We celebrated his birthday by going to the Ayres Natural Bridge park. It was nice to celebrate his birthday as a family!

School started on the 17th of August. The kids were very excited and also nervous to meet new friends and teachers. So far I think it is going to be a good school year!

Kolbi turned 1 year old on the 21st. She was very patient as I dressed her up and took her outside for some pictures. We tried a few different locations and outfits and she was a trooper through them all. Unfortunately, I am not the best photographer and am still learning my new camera, but here a few that I am hoping to edit and make look a better. Of course, I cannot improve Kolbi, just the backgrounds. :)
After a long day of playing and pictures, I brought Kolbi home to feed her and she was so tired she fell asleep before I could get any food in her. She is such a cutie!! We all adore her!!

We celebrated Kolbi's birthday a few days late because of Kevin's work schedule. I don't think she was too upset about it though, especially when she got to dig into her presents and cake.

All in all, we have had a great summer! We are happy to be in this next chapter of life called "Residency".

More to come.....

Okay- so once again this is gonna be a really quick catch up. We closed and moved into our house FINALLY. My Mom and Dad came up to help unpack a few boxes and then the kids and I hoped into the car with them and drove to their house for a visit.

Kevin is working hard and long hours at the hospital. He is currently working on In-patient OB/Gyn, so he has delivered some babes and has done a few nights of overnight call. Needless to say, he is exhausted, but happy!

The kids are loving playing with cousins and being to play with old friends in Idaho. We will meet up with Kevin at the end of the week and then real life will start. :)

I will try to post pictures of the new house as soon as possible. We really miss our friends in Detroit and medical school friends, but looking forward to our new adventure! We will post more when there is more to post.

Homeless!!

Yes, unfortunately it is true! We are homeless! It is a long story and I will try to update more later, but we did not close on our house when we expected and so for a few weeks it looks like we will be living in an extended stay hotel. We were blessed to travel safely from Michigan to New York and then to Wyoming. Kevin graduated and is now officially a doctor! Yippee!! We are so proud of him. Hopefully pictures will follow shortly.

This is a fast and furious post, but wanted to let everyone know we arrived in Wyoming safely. We will let you know how things progress...but the Skyler Inn looks like it will be our dwelling place for a few weeks. The kids are very excited to be living in a hotel. We will see how long that excitement lasts.:)

New Hairdos!!

Kaylee has been asking for a long time to get her hair cut. I have been putting it off, telling her she had to wait until baseball season is over. We think it is so cute to see her ponytail hang out of the back of her hat and swish back and forth when she is running the bases.

Saturday morning I went to some garage sales and before leaving the house asked Kaylee is she would please help Kevin while I was gone. She said, "if I am good, will you please take me to get my hair cut?" How could I resist. Long story short...she was excellent for Kevin. :)

Kambria also wanted her hair cut. So we went on a girl outing to get hair cuts. Here are the pics before we left the house...

Both of the girls knew exactly how they wanted their hair to look. When we got to the salon, they both looked at a book to show the stylist how they wanted it to look. I was so impressed with how well they could explain what they wanted and that I didn't have to try and talk them into something different.

When the stylist was asking Kambria how long she wanted the front of her hair, she said, "long enough to do this" and tucked her hair behind her ears. She said, "I always put my hair behind my ears." It was so cute.

I kept teasing them that I walked into the salon with my girls and found two different girls to bring home. They were both so pleased with how their hair looks. Here are the girls I took out of the salon with me.

Preschool Graduation

Wednesday, May 20th was Kambria's preschool graduation. Since Kevin is done with work until June he was also able to go see the program. The teachers and the kids did a great job on the program. Kambria dressed up as a ballerina, cowgirl, frog and other fun things throughout the play. She never took her eyes off of us. Everytime I have helped in class or have gone to programs at school, she keeps constant eye contact with me. Her teachers always say what a great girl she is and how much enthusiasm she has for life. They appreciated the joy she brought with her and how well she was behaved. She is so cute and always smiling. She is really looking forward to Kindergarten in the fall. She will be going all day, which will be quite an adjustment for her and for mom. :)

Kambria with Mrs. Walton and Mrs. Shapiro

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was a great one around here. I was surprised by a new camera to help me document our crazy and fun life around here. Kevin had been dropping hints all week. He was saying things like, "We are missing our kids lives by not taking pictures of them and not having a good camera." I didn't get the hint, just kept feeling guilty for not being able to take good pics. So anyway, the kids were very excited to have me open up my wonderful camera. I had a great time taking pics yesterday. So here are a few of my favorites.

Kolbi has finally mastered sitting up and being happy about it. She is always so busy that it took her a long time to sit up without falling over. Now I think she understands that if she swings her arms around, she is gonna fall.

Kaylee has lost two teeth. Because she is one of the youngest in her class she is one of the last to lose a tooth. She was very excited! Kaylee is so fun! She is a good girl. She is always wanting to please others and make them feel good. It is so hard to believe she is almost done with 1st grade.

This is the pose Kambria gave me today. She is so funny and always has a joke. She is our most active personality. She has become such a great helper. Kolbi smiles and gets so excited when we pick Kambria up from preschool. They are great friends and Kambria loves making Kolbi laugh. We love her funny faces and funny stories.

Here is Kyle holding our cheesecake dessert we had for Mother's Day! Kyle was a great helper in the kitchen for Mother's Day. Kyle is so smart and has a great memory. He remembers things about places we have lived that I have forgotten. He is always bringing up things we did with him when he was younger. He is a great big brother and his sisters love him so much!!

Kolbi is eating baby food now! It took her quite some time to develop the appetite for food, but she is finally liking it. It has to be chunky though. She doesn't like things that are pureed too much. I love baby food faces!!

This is a pretty pathetic picture of an absolutely delicious dinner!!! Kevin made Lemon Broccoli Chicken for Mother's Day. It was very special and brought back wonderful memories.

When Kevin and I were engaged, he surprised me by making me a candle light dinner. He made Lemon Broccoli Chicken. The meal was so wonderful and I remember thinking I had a good catch. Not only was he nice and fun to be with, but he could cook too!! I am so fortunate that he loves cooking. What a great guy!! Thank you for a great Mother's Day and for bringing back great memories!!

Couldn't resist including this angelic picture! I love sleeping babies! It makes me feel so close to heaven and how peaceful it will be there!

Also couldn't resist this picture. Kevin and Kolbi fell asleep while I was talking to a friend on the phone. Aren't they cute?! Kevin is such a great dad and loves his kids so much. My kids have all looked so much like Kevin when they were babies and then as they have gotten older they each got their own look. It will be fun to see how Kolbi changes.

One more picture of our little china doll. This is her Mother's Day outfit. She looked so cute! We all love our happy little girl!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you mothers!!

Who will the lucky people be??

This is such a fun idea. I signed up on a friends blog for her giveaway and am now "paying it forward". Hopefully I will think of some fun things and hopefully they will turn out, but I am really excited for an excuse to do something for someone else!! So if you dare....respond!!

The first five people to respond to this post will receive something made by me. HOMEMADE! The item will be my choice made just for you!

Restrictions and Limitations:
1. I have complete creative freedom
2. What I create will be just for you
3. It will be done within the next 6 months (as long as moving goes smoothly:))
4. You have no clue what it will be.

The catch? You must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same giveaway to 5 people who comment. The first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in, will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift from me!

APRIL FOOLS

Being the Sushi Chef I am, I made homemade sushi for dinner tonight!! HAHA- April Fools. Last year, I ran across this really cute idea for an April Fools dinner and to my utter amazement, it worked out. So this year, I was gonna take dinner to some friends and couldn't quite decide what to take. I still hadn't decided on anything for sure as of this morning when I went to work at Kambria's preschool. While I was there, someone mentioned it being April Fools. I decided a repeat of last year's April Fools dinner would be fun.

For the main course I made sushi. It is actually dessert, being made out of Rice Krispie treats rolled around Gummy Worms and wrapped in Fruit by the Foot. It really does look realistic. Last year Kyle was in tears when we tried to get him to eat it. He hates fish and anything to do with it and thought we were the most horrible parents for making him eat sushi. This year he wasn't fooled at all and was excited at the prospect of eating Sushi. :)


The dessert is actually the main course. It is meatloaf with mashed potatoes on top. Of course the mashed potatoes have food coloring in them to make them look like frosting on a cake. Last year I made cupcakes, but this year I didn't have as much time...so therefore made it look like a cake.

The kids asked if we are gonna do this every year. I said maybe it would be fun for me to think of something new each year and see if I can fool them. :) It was a fun day and fun to see the kids eat their "dessert" first! Happy April Fools!!

New Members of the Family

Today was the long-awaited Maire Fair! It was a fundraising carnival at the elementary school that Kyle and Kaylee go to. Each of the classrooms had a game that had to do with recycling and then prizes. It was a really fun time had by all.

The best time of all was in the classroom where each kid got to fish for a paper fish. Then answer a question on the back of the fish about recycling. If they got the answer right then they got a REAL goldfish. So needless to say, we came home with three new members of the Ross Family. Their names are "Smiley Face Girl" (Kambria's), "CutiePaTootie" (Kaylee's) and "Chicken Joe" (Kyle's). Without further wait, let me introduce the Ross Family Goldfish.

New Pics of Kolbi

My good friend Bethany took some really cute pictures of Kolbi last night. THANK YOU!!!

So I am sharing a link to her gallery. I can't believe my little baby girl is already 7 months old!! She is so much fun. I want her to stay little forever! :)

http://storybook.smugmug.com/photos/swfpopup.mg?swfPop=true&noClickURL=true&url=http://storybook.smugmug.com/gallery/7717082_r48BC#498709041_rnsyY

WYOMING BOUND!!

YEEHAW!!! We are heading to Casper, Wyoming for our residency. We found out yesterday the great news. Sorry for not posting sooner...we had a great party here last night to celebrate everyone getting their residency spots!

We are so excited! The kids each had wonderful responses.

Kyle said, "This is the best day ever! Casper is so awesome! We will be close to Yellowstone National Park and Mt. Rushmore!"

Kaylee said, "Wahoo! So when do we go? I wanna get a house with a big yard!"

Kambria said, "I knew it! I just knew we were going to Casper! Good job Dad!!"

So as you can see, we are all excited! Now we just have to wait until June to actually move!

We are all so proud of Kevin for working so hard to give us this opportunity! He has had the dream of rural family medicine forever and he has done a great job of accomplishing it!

Things I LOVE

It has been such a long time since I have updated our blog, I thought I would just write a few thoughts and then hopefully very soon post some pics and more updates.

I woke up today with a sense of gratitude for some reason. You know how there are just days when you see God in your life and everything seems right. Well today is one of those days for me. So I thought I would share some of the things I love!

I LOVE my HAPPY, snuggly, smiley, giggly, chubby 6 month old Kolbi!! She makes everything right in the world. I love how she is always excited to see me and flaps her arms so fast she looks like she will take flight! She is the BEST baby ever!!

I LOVE how Kambria closes her eyes when her preschool teachers lead her out the door to me. She loves having them lead her and then not open her eyes until I grab her hand. It reminds me how the Lord takes our hands and leads us through the mazes in our life if we let Him.

I LOVE that my husband kisses me goodbye every morning even though I may still be sleeping in bed or have just gotten up and have horrible morning breath.

I LOVE when Kyle and Kaylee come home from school and BOUND in the door with all the energy in the world. I have to remind myself that is their way of showing me how excited they are to be home! :)

I LOVE having people over whether it is friends of the kids or whoever. I love being a hub of fun and entertainment. I am not the best at just relaxing when others are here because I want everyone to have a good time, but I have a good time if everyone else is happy and relaxed.

I LOVE music. I am not picky about what kind of music I listen to really. My ipod has anything from Led Zeppelin and Metallica to Frank Sinatra to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to George Strait to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Today on the way home from preschool I had a 70's CD in the car and I just had to laugh when Kambria was singing along to "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Stayin' Alive".

I LOVE parent/teacher conferences. We had Kyle and Kaylee's conferences last night and it was wonderful!! They are so smart and such great kids!! We are so proud of them!!

Well this post has been longer than I intended, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts and jot them down for myself!!