May 2009

My three helpers - Daniel Embry, Celia Autry, and Destiny Campbell. Daniel's apron I made for him, he's a huge Blues Clues fan, I think it turned out pretty good. Celia, well I tried to help her, but in the end she made her own apron and Destiny's is just one someone gave me. It is a fun project if you are looking for one to do. They are pretty cheap at Hobby Lobby. We've been crafting lately.

Celia holding little Serenity Campbell. She loves babies and is always excited at the thought of holding them. She doesn't have a very long attention span, but she does pretty good. She wants a baby brother lately.

Destiny (the big sister) and Serenity. Just before Serenity was born, Destiny kept telling me she could do things by herself because she is the big sister. She really is a great big sister.


You have to enjoy the sequence of events in these pictures from Rebecka Duggan and Isabelle Riddling's joint birthday party at my parents (they are only a day and 4 years apart).

Looking at the cake.Lighting the cake.

Hey wait, don't blow the candles out yet.
Too late, Let's try this again.

Adam Duggan at the park enjoying a favorite past time of mine as a kid. Who doesn't secretly dream of being a monkey when they are younger...before you remember the part of monkeys throwing their own poo at people.

Mass Update - April 2009

I just knew I needed to do this mass update. This week John graduates from his nursing program in the army and then we go to Disneyworld for 10 days or so and I know the pictures will pile up this week. At any rate, I love this picture of Celia (miss independent) making a pb and j sandwich and Daniel (little man) helping out in his funny clothes. He always makes me laugh, such a funny kid. The only just 3 year old I have ever heard tell a knock knock joke.

I love this picture. Celia had her face painted like a butterfly. I wish we had more pictures from this day. We went and did a 10k in my parents neighborhood. It was to support the Fallen Heroes of Georgia. Only appropriate that it rained on us the whole time and it was a very hard and trying run. There is nothing but hills in my parents neighborhood and none of those nice soft rolling kind, more like straight up and kill yourself kind. Yet we made it through and it was somehow a sobering experience to pass by all those names most of them really boys. You couldn't complain too much because they gave their life to support us and our country...what's a little pain, sweat and rain.

Our beautiful niece Emily turned 8 this year and had the privelege of being baptised. We always love it when we get a chance to get together with our family and especially love these momentous occasions. Yeah Emily.

At the very beginning of April we had the privelege of going to Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was fun. It was Celia's first time going to the beach and she loved it. The water was still cold and unfortunately it was not hot enough to make that ok. We still had a good time though....Here Celia is with her new friend. The girl seems to make them wherever she goes :)

Celia attempting a sandcastle. I have to admit I was less than impressed with the sand at Hilton Head, it was impossible to make a sandcastle. Oh well, maybe next time we'll go to Destin and enjoy that good sand.

At a park in Hilton head, they had this really cool thing...it kept moving and there was only water underneath. It was fun.

Even John took a turn in the fun. I love this picture of my husband, it truly displays his fun playful side. One of the reasons I love him so much.

Don't you love our tree lizard. I did.

Easter kisses. Ben and Amy on Easter. I used to have a tradition that I tried for a few years of taking pictures of family on Easter. I don't really press my family to do this anymore..But if they show up dressed up, I can't help but take a few shots....maybe someday I will get better.

Tabitha - Isn't she beautiful. I wish I could show her cute dress, but I am too lazy to load the picture onto the computer and flip it the right way, so you'll have love her face.

Celia (4), Izzy (almost 2), Kyla (2 1/2), and Becka (almost 6). They are all making such interesting faces. They were loving the picture taking though.

Kyla and Rebecka Duggan are just too cute. I love their easter dresses and them.

The newest Duggan edition - Lena. She is also so stinking cute... I can hardly believe she is crawling already. I saw it yesterday though.

Our Easter eggs that we dyed and stickered. I think they turned out decent this year. We did have some help though.

Celia hunted easter eggs with the Carter family and then with my family at my parents. She had so much fun hunting easter eggs. The Carter's did something I think is kind of fun, she didn't put stuff in all the eggs. It certainly makes for a more interesting hunt.

Isabelle Riddling loved the chocolate on Easter. She really was so cute.

Celia and Izzy both beautiful blondes. I love how unique we all are from birth. No one comes out a carbon copy of anything and I really believe they come out with their own personalities. The goal is to guide the personality to the best possible choices.

Isaac waited so long for his sister Isabelle. I think he would agree that she was worth the wait.

Hello Pain!

For those interested, this last week I underwent laproscopic surgery. On Thursday in the early morning. It was an exploratory surgery to see if I have endemetriosis and to see if everything looks good. I thought I would hurt a little and be a little out of it that day, but good soon after. I think I am slightly delusional. It is crazy the lengths that we will go to in order to have children. To be honest I would not have gone after this at all had it not been for my sister Rachel and Heavenly Father. My sister thought she might have had it and brought over a pamphlet on it. Yeah surprise surprise I had a few symptoms. At any rate I was praying about whether or not to start college next year when my dear sweet daughter goes to pre-k all day. I always told myself when my kids went to school I would go to school. My answer was wait and see, probably not, and I was praying about the wrong thing. The next day, I got the distinct impression I needed to have surgery. Since it was not at all something I wanted I had a slight disagreement for a week or so, until I read scriptures having to do with slothful people and heard a talk on revelation that said similar...Thanks Bishop. At any rate I went through the process of getting it all taken care of, the first doctors appointment was frustrating and I cried the whole way home. The doctor was nice and called later to talk to me and it made me feel better, although it is still rather embarrassing to cry at a doctors office and not be able to stop. At any rate a few months later due to surgery rules and doctors schedules I have now had the surgery. As always, Heavenly Father was right (there was a chance I would have surgery and they would find nothing). The doctor not only found stuff, she found quite a bit and even took care of some of the scar tissue I had from my c-section with Celia. There is a chance that one of my tubes is blocked, they did a dye test. However, I could have just reacted to the dye. Now it is just a matter of dealing with the pain, it reminds me of the c-section pain....why oh why do I want to do this....No pain no kids. So hopefully in a few months you will see a nice post saying that I am expecting a beautiful baby.

Friends

In Case you are wondering why the massive posting. Well I have a feeling that is the way I will do this blogging thing. Not to mention I finally I have my computer functioning enough to stand trying to update and I have had a chance to upload the digital prints. At any rate I am picking up more film later this week and hope that it won't take quite so long to add them.


This is Celia's BFF Destiny Campbell. Isn't she so stinking cute. They are a really good match for each other. Destiny can hold her own, but she is pretty calm and obliging.

Garrett Taylor, 3, at the park for playgroup.

All the kids getting their exercise on the outdoor treadmill at the park.....why they must all get on there at the same time ...their kids.

Peyton Jordan at the Valentines Day play group.

Celia and Daniel writing in their blues clues notebooks....Isn't the shower a great place to do that?

Celia loves to read and it is not uncommon for me to wake up to her on the couch reading books. This morning she chose to read to her dolls, Sophie and Nancy.

Celia with her good friends Destiny and Charity Campbell playing dress up. I love that I made that costume for her a few years ago and though it is far from perfect she still likes to wear it and dress up.

Hopefully a better picture of Rachel's quilt she made for our friend Joanie Campbell's baby Serendity. She is so awesome at quilting and so giving of her talent. She really blesses so many people with such beautiful quilts.

The Campbell (Landon, Destiny, Joanie, and Charity) family and their relatives at Charity's baptism. I am so lucky to live so close to such an awesome person and have such a good friend in my life. Joanie is the best.

Fort Gordon

Army Strong

Celia is ready to ride.......

It is crazy to think that my daughter is that small and that this tank is that big.

Celia absolutely loves planes and helicopters. She knows that planes have wings and helicopters have rotors. She can spot them when they are a speck in the sky and is just fascinated by them.

Memorial to the POWS and MIA soldiers. Always good to remember those who have sacrificed so much to help keep freedom alive.

I loved visiting John and getting the awesome opportunity to play the best sport ever invented. Volleyball...oh, I didn't realize I was in the picture, but anyways loved it and had fun.

This is a pretty old picture as you can tell from the Halloween candy in the room. I just thought some people might be interested in where John stays. That is his half and there is a bathroom and a sink, microwave, small cabinet space, and a fridge all in one little room.

A daddy-daughter moment. John is a loving father and just loves his little girl.

The weekends John is not able to come home, he is usually on Flag detail. Which means he wakes up and helps put this flag up and then takes it down every night. Since we live 2 hours away it doesn't make sense to try to come home in between.

It is not easy to live seperate like this and we are not sure what the future holds. All I know is that I love my husband and I am willing to do what it takes to make it last for eternity. I am a lucky woman.

Family

I love close ups on baby hands and stuff...so cute. This is Lena Duggan. She's a cutie and really pretty sweet. I love to get to see her.

Look at that face...so cute.

Aunt Amy is loving on her.

Don't you just love that hair....ok, so it is a weird picture, but sometimes those are fun.

Becka and Celia eating next to each other at the table and on the table. One of those silly things. My parents have since taken one of the tables down.

Celia and Becka had the digital camera for a little bit in the back seat while I was driving. These are the lovely pictures they took of each other. They also did a lovely video, but seeing as that camera no longer works I can't get it off.