Hallmark is lame.

When Anna found out it was our friend Jamie's birthday this week,

she came back 10 minutes later with her very own creation...

Blake Wins Gold In His 1st Toddler Olympics

Competitor Blake was the favorite coming in to his first Toddler Olympic Games this morning. The Toddler Olympic Games take place whenever his mom decides to attempt her spring cleaning and the house becomes free reign...yeah even more than it usually is.
Blake comes from Arizona where he trains daily in his home. His mom noticed his talent for destruction when he first became mobile. She says, "It's his curiousity that drives him, his energy that keeps him going and his courage that keeps him from stopping."
At this morning's games, this fifteen month old showed off his natural talent and it was obvious that his hours of training paid off.
In the first round, Blake got on his tip toes and edged around the kitchen table until he found a bowl of cheerios AND milk from morning breakfast. He proceeded to sprint around the house at amazing speed, but his agility and balance were off resulting in the spilling of the contents of the bowl. But remember what kind of Olympics we're talking about...so points for sticking that ending.

In the second round, he removed his diaper and ran around for a while without his mom noticing because his unbuttoned onesie covered up his bare cheeks. It wasn't until she changed his milk-soaked onesie that she discovered his nakedness. Big points for getting away with this one for as long as he did.
In the third round, he used his problem solving skills to teach himself how to open the dishwasher. He climbed in and was able to use his height to his advantage (and those tip toes again) to reach for a box of Raisin Bran. It was a spectacular display of flakes flying in the air to the kitchen floor and he used his creativeness to shake out the rest of the bag into the dishwasher. In the lead.
In the fourth round, Blake found an open bathroom. He again used his height and tip toe skills to get down the baby wipes and pull them all out one at a time. One of his favorite events of the morning.
In the fifth round he used his talent for sneakiness to reach his hand into the child-locked cupboard and to mom's purse. Through this small opening he found a mini-bottle of hand sanitzer and emptied it onto his hands and legs. Some points were docked because it was not a full bottle.
In the sixth round, he found the bathroom door open yet again (when will his mom ever learn), got the toilet plunger and proceeded to plunge an unclogged toilet. Classic Toddler move. Big points again.

In the seventh round his mom ran in slow motion when she saw him. He used his signature tip toe move to get the cinnamon sugar shaker from the kitchen counter and found the perfect spot on the carpet to remove the contents.
The eighth and final round never happened (a box of clorox wipes were in hand), but Blake still won the Gold. His mom put a stop to his Toddler Olympic dreams and removed all known temptations from around the house. But who is she kidding, ridiculous woman. Blake is a determined boy. He will never stop training and will probably continue to participate in the Games in the months to come.

In her final statement his flustered mom said, "And I wonder why I ever attempt some sort of spring cleaning. It's always one step forward and seven steps back when you have a Toddler Olympic Gold Medalist roaming the house."

My newest nephew

William Wells Gibbens
Grandchild #26 (or 27?)
...and he heaviest out of all of them at 9 lbs--2 weeks early!
Seriously this sister of mine is superwoman (and gorgeous).

This brother in law of mine is one special daddy.

And these little neices of mine are so adorable and spunkalicious.

I have loved these two days we have spent together so far.
We are so excited to finally have a boy join their cute family!
Oh and...I LOVE THIS BABY!

(check out those already chunky thighs)

Happy 10 Years

May 13th, 2000

[engagement picture]

[unforgettable honeymoon at my uncle's beach house]

[10 years later...some extra family members with the same two people still in love]

One Fine Saturday in the Middle of April...

...We took a day trip to Tonto Basin...

We ate lunch in the back of the car in a busy grocery store parking lot...

We waited for Dad while he did some work at a church being built there...

(Mom got strange looks when we yelled "Daddy! Where are you?" -- the church building was right across the road from us)

We played in a creek after Dad was done...

We hunted for lizards (with no success)...

We got to do what we only dream about...

We did a little bit of this...

We did a little bit of that...

We took a lot of pictures...

But what's new about that?...

Mom was armed with her camera...

...and mom rarely changes her ways...

This day was no different...

...hence all the pictures...

We enjoyed Tonto Basin and thought that we may just go back every spring...

...but with swimsuits and water sandals next time.

One Fine Saturday in the Middle of April (part II)...

We continued our day trip by stopping by Fountain Hills on the way home...

We overfed the ducks with lots of carbs...

We loved watching the ducks swim through the water...

We enjoyed the green grass...

We enjoyed the climbing trees...

We enjoyed the blue skies...

We enjoyed the beautiful weather...

There was a little boy...

He was naturally curious and very excited about this new place...

So we ALL chipped in to keep a watchful eye on him...

There was a lot of yelling and close calls...

That little boy became more frustrated with us...

So we walked down a way and fed that boy (and ourselves) some cotton candy and skittles...

We had a sweet ending to an even sweeter day.

The End