My Dad

We had the memorial service for my Dad on Tuesday, December 23rd. I don't know what more to say, so I thought I would post my speech from the service.

My Mom and Dad met when I was 11 months old. He introduced me to sugar...and I knew from that moment that he was a good man. :)

I've struggled with what to say today. I was with my mom when the doctor said that Dad didn't make it. I feel like that moment is all that I can remember lately and the rest of our memories are just gone.

Through this planning process we've looked at pictures and relived so many memories. My Dad lived a good life and he had a shining smile (and REALLY good hair). I saw pictures of him teaching me to count circle money and how to change the oil in my car. I was reminded of his pride on my wedding day and the days that his grandchildren were born. I saw his smile in so many pictures and was reminded of his love for the people in his family. And his love for me.

The more we look at pictures and share stories the more I remember my Daddy and how proud he was of me and the person I had become...and less about that one moment in time. My Dad was my hero and I will miss him and honor him every day of my life.

Santa Picture

I don't normally do a formal Santa photo. Our local scrapbook store had Santa in one day for a few hours and we would go take some snapshots and be done, but they went out of business. I don't want to wait in a mall or go to the North Pole or any of that. So, when I saw this opportunity to make an appointment with Santa to have some pictures taken at the Little People Gym in Folsom I thought it was perfect. But, I guess it can only be considered perfect if your child is not deathly afraid of Santa Claus and screaming bloody murder when she sits on his lap. That would be how Lucy reacted to having her picture taken with Santa. They tried to have the kids sit alone and Santa would sneak in, but I don't think he could hear well and didn't come out in time. The kids figured him out and Lucy was off and running. Luckily I had planned ahead and wore something that matched the kids because I had a tiny inkling that I would have to be in the picture too. Oh well...memories, right?

Joey did a great job sitting on Old St. Nick's lap, though. I think he even told him that he wanted a new baby brother or sister for Christmas. :)

November In A Nutshell

I didn't realize how behind I was on our family blog. I knew I had things to add and hadn't found the time to do it, but my goodness. I'm sorry that you had to keep hanging on for information about the family. :) I doubt we are that exciting...but I'll try to keep it interesting.

On November 1st Jenn took the kids to see Disney on Ice. We went with Jeddi, Austin, Hannah & Megan. Lucy has never had to sit through a performance before, so this was a new experience...but she did really well. Tyler was the one that got impatient! But, a few small bags of Halloween candy from Halloween the night before, a box of popcorn, and two $20 (each) princess toys (yes, I said princess for each of them...don't ask) and they sat through the whole show.

After Disney on Ice was over we ran (through the rain) to the car and drove up to Lakehills Church. They were having their annual Harvest Festival, so we met Grandma Karla at the church for some ho-down good times. They were serving chili, cornbread, and lots of dessert. They had pony rides for the kids and line dancing for the old folks and kids.

While reading a Parent's Magazine I saw an article on how to make the cutest turkeys out of Oreo cookies. I thought it would be fun to take them into Tyler's class for snack one day. It was so much fun and Tyler seemed really happy to have me there. I guess I'd better enjoy that while I can!

This next picture just makes me laugh. The Saturday after Thanksgiving we went to play tennis with the Guthmiller's. Lucy didn't want to be set down, so she and I made a compromise. Or did we?

Later that same Saturday we hosted a first birthday party our nephew, Joey, at our house. It was so much fun to watch him get excited over his cupcake and to smash it to bits. He would get some in his hands and then CLAP, CLAP, CLAP and send cupcake everywhere. It was awesome. Tyler gave Joey the thumbs up on a job well done with the cupcake. Lucy enjoyed the show!

And last but not least (in December actually) we went to see Sesame Street Live. We got awesome seats in the front row...right next to Elmo and the Gang. Brooke, Aria, and Matea went with us and I'm not sure who had more fun...the kids or Brooke and I! It was a great show.

Tyler is Rockin' the Preschool Thing...

Tyler has been doing so well in preschool and he just loves it! In October he was picked to be student of the week. We got to make a poster talking about Tyler's favorite things and his family. He drew pictures of dinosaurs and our trip to Oregon. He also got his picture take for school and it is JUST THE CUTEST THING EVER!

Dear Jesus, Who Art In Keaven...

Every night before bed we read a story (or tell one...if Mommy's on top of her game), sing two songs (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Jesus Loves Me), and then we say thank you to Jesus. Tyler knows that Jesus lives in Heaven...or Keaven as he calls it...and thanks him for the things that are important to him that day. Just last night Tyler was thankful for cookies, Cheetos, and all the things that are bad for his body. Lucy thanked Jesus for Grandma...

Happy Halloween!

I'm a little behind in posting our Halloween pictures, but life is insane! We went to a new pumpkin patch this year (so sad...no Apple Hill...Daddy won't do it), and the kids had a lot of fun. We picked out pumpkins and played and got really dirty. Here are some pictures from that day:

Lucy is ready to pick her pumpkin

Tyler is STRONG!

Me and My Pumpkins

They Climbed the Hay Bale for a Better View

She is SO Sassy

I tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to holidays (what I can say...I love them), so the kids had something to wear during the day on Halloween, their costume, and then cute little pajamas. It was an all day affair! Tyler was really into trick or treating this year and he ran from house to house...leading the pack. Lucy was a bit more apprehensive, but she really loved the candy. She wanted to eat each piece that was given to her. Luckily she didn't have too much sugar overload at the end of the night.

Lucy's Song and Dance

It is amazing how a little thing like Lucy can remember the words to nursery rhymes and ABC's. I can barely remember them all! At this age Tyler wanted NOTHING to do with singing or dancing, but Lucy must be somewhat musically minded. She loves to sing and dance. Here are videos showing off her "talents".

Potty Time!

We are not officially potty training Lucy, but she's in the mode to learn about the potty. We pulled out Tyler's old toilet and she uses it right before bath time every night. Tyler will stand and do his thing and Lucy will sit on the potty until she goes. We cheer loudly (Tyler is her biggest fan) and then she gets in the tub. The other night she didn't seem to have to go and finally got tired of sitting there. She got in the tub and then 20 minutes later stood up and said, "Need to go potty." She climbed out, sat on the potty, and peed! She definitely got a pee pee dance for that! Hopefully we will start with the training soon.

Soccer Season

The t-ball clinic ended and we moved on to the next sport...SOCCER. Tyler practices dribbling the soccer ball around cones with Grandpa Gary and they dribble all over the house, so Tyler was excited to get outside and play on the field. He's really good and he's having fun at the clinic. We have a few pictures of his first night on the field. His friend Payton from school is also at the clinic, so Tyler has been having fun with him too.

Here he is showing off his moves:

Scoring a goal

Hanging out with Payton

New Kids on the Block!

I figure this is a FAMILY website, so I can post a little news of my own. Right? Okay...well, I'm going to anyways. On October 9th the New Kids on the Block came back to Sacramento for a concert. It was a dream come true for someone who has been a HUGE fan and ain't ashamed to admit it. :) Much to Zach's chagrin. My friend Becky and I went and screamed and screamed and screamed. It was such fun. I just thought I'd post a little video of the good times we had. You can scream too if you want. :)

Tumble Time

When Tyler and Aria were little we had them in Gymboree classes and they LOVED them. Unfortunately, they got to be a little expensive and a long drive for a Saturday morning. Not to mention Brooke had just had Matea and we just had Lucy and getting up early was so, so hard! When they got a little older we took them to Tumble Time in Cameron Park for their weekly fix of "gymnastics". Tyler tired of it and we stopped going, but now that Lucy and Matea are of age we decided to sign them up for the toddler class. Oh my gosh...it is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Lucy is loving her gymnastics class and loves the trampoline. She tries to sneak off and jump on it! Tyler decided that he MUST take a class now too, so we put him in one and he's having a great time as well. Here are some recent pictures:

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I just wanted to post two funny things that the kids said recently.

We were at a friend's house for dinner and they served spaghetti and meatballs. Lucy picked up her meatball (which wasn't a ball shape...more like a mound) and said, "Poop!" Mortifying...

Tyler has been resistant to going to preschool this past week. I told him he needed to go so that he would be ready for kindergarten and that there were things he needed to learn. He told me, "I know it ALL already Mom!" Okay...

Sweet, Sweet (Not So Sweet) Lucy

Lucy is getting to be such a big girl! Although, sometimes she tends to act older than her 19 months. I think she's trying to catch up to Mommy! She really enjoys trying to walk around in those heels.

She's also a girl who knows what she wants RIGHT NOW! As illustrated below she knows she wants french fries and she knows right where to go to get them.

Lucy just won't settle for being the "baby" or the youngest. She's got to do what Tyler does all the time. It drives him insane, I'm sure. Here she is trying to play t-ball...because Bobo got to do it too.

Lucy really is growing up so fast. She speaks in pretty full sentences, she comprehends EVERYTHING (except maybe NO!) and she acts like a terrible two year old some of the time. Lately she has been learning the art of manipulation. If she gets in trouble for something and we say, "No Lucy!", she will look at you and smile and say, "Hi Mommy" or "Mommy's eyes" and try and detract from the trouble she was getting in. Oy!

The sweetest thing that lil' Miss Goose does is say thank you all the time. She's very polite and thanks you for everything...when you clean her diaper, when you wipe her nose, and when you hand her milk. She always says, "Thank you Mommy" and then sometimes follows with "welcome" too. But then the not so sweet thing...she interprets the song Skip To My Lou My Darling to be Poo, Poo Darling. :( And wouldn't you know...Tyler encourages her to say that.

Tonight we wish we had the video camera on. Lucy wasn't really diggin' on Mom's spaghetti and she thew it all over the floor. Zach got upset and told her to stop throwing her food on the floor or she would have to clean it up. She said, "NO!" and he asked who would clean it up then? She said, "Mommy"...with a smile. I guess she knows how it goes around our house...

T-Ball Time!

Tyler started a t-ball clinic this past Thursday. He was VERY excited to go play. He couldn't wait to hit the ball the farthest! First they had the kids do stretches, then they ran the bases, and then they got to learn how to throw and learn how to hit. Tyler's favorites were...

1. Hitting the Ball

2. Running the Bases

3. Throwing the Ball

4. Stretching was His LEAST Favorite Part

Guffmiller and Gatorade

We've been working with Lucy to say her name. The first video is of her saying Lucy Guthmiller. Sort of...

The next video is just something funny. We don't know why Lucy does this or where she got the idea, but she's saying "Daddy's Gatorade". She just says it like she's pooping...

One More Try...

Okay, so we (well, Zach) decided to give this dog thing one more try. Zach and Tyler were both ready for a new dog to help heal their hearts over the tragic losses of Belle and Bleu. Jenn, on the other hand, was not so sure if she could ever love another dog again. (Yeah, a bit dramatic...I know!) On Sunday we decided to go see some dogs that were 11 weeks old and try to find a new family member. We drove to Sheridan (just past Lincoln) and saw these HUGE puppies running around and being CRAZY! We picked a little girl (not so little...she's the same size as Bleu was and she's 4 weeks YOUNGER) and brought her home to meet the kids. The reception went over fairly well, but based on how she looks and her size I'm not sure if Tyler and Lucy knew that it was a new dog or if they thought we just brought Bleu back home. Tyler is calling her the correct name, but Lucy still calls her Bleu every time she sees her and then corrects herself after we say the name. She's a love of a dog and she's fitting in nicely, so hopefully this new addition will be in our lives for a long, long time.

We decided to name her B.B. in honor of Belle and Bleu.

Tyler's Birthday Party

We had Tyler's birthday party in our backyard on August 9th. We've done parks and we did Funtastic last year, but this year we wanted to keep it close to home. And avoid Zach having to barbecue! He gets so hot and sweaty and nobody needs to see that. We decided it would be fun to get this waterslide and just let the kids go wild for a few hours...and boy did they go wild. From the looks of the kids faces in these pictures it would appear that they had a good time. Especially Aria! I don't think she stopped going down that slide from the moment she got there until the moment the party ended. She loves that thing!

Tyler's theme this year was dinosaurs. He's REALLY, REALLY into them! Safeway made a really neat (and yummy) cake and it looked spectacular...before Mommy dropped it anyways. Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa (the cake experts that they are) came over and saved the day...and Mommy's sanity. But, Tyler blew out four candles on the cake and then got excited to open his presents. He would tell you it was the BEST DAY EVER! And I sure hope it was...until next year.

We thought Tyler might be ready for a big boy bike, so that's what he got for his birthday present from Mom & Dad. And boy was he ready! He hopped right on and rode all over the house on his new bike. He's a pro already....well, minus a few spills here and there. He rode all the way to Grandma Karla's house last night!

Lucy was NOT excited for Tyler to get his bike, though. She started crying and screaming, "Mine, mine!" It was the first time she's thrown a legitimate fit. She really wanted that bike and wasn't going to relent until someone told her it was for her. And Tyler certainly wasn't going to tell her that. She told Bobo that he needed to share. Silly girl!

Happy Birthday Tyler James!

Tyler turns 4! Mommy is having such a hard time with that age for some reason. But, let's be honest, I think Mommy has a hard time every year Tyler gets older. On his actual birthday we had doctor's appointments for both kids (hence the bandaid showing in the picture...shots, ick!) and we had pictures done. We also went to John's Incredible Pizza for some lunch and some games. We tried to make the day special for the little guy, so I hope he had a good time (well, other than the shots).

Another Sad Day

Rest in Peace Bleubelle

We love you with all our hearts

It was only a month and a half ago that I was announcing the new addition to our family. And now, sadly, I have to post that she has gone to heaven. Our little Bleu contracted a disease called HOD that is very serious in Weimeraners and she couldn't cope with the pain it was causing. Our poor little puppy was suffering and needed to be on a morphine drip. Zach and I couldn't handle knowing that she was in so much pain and we made the difficult decision to put her to sleep. Our family is in so much pain and our hearts our broken. We pray that Bleu will know how much we loved her.

We hope she's up in heaven running around with her big (and bossy) sister Belle.