The Turtles

We are alive!

2010-12-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day in D.C. We are so Thankful for this country and our freedoms!

The Kids at the National Zoo

Our cute little family

Jack and his new girlfriend Lily...don't worry Emma he still claims you!

At Hershey PA...making some chocolate bars!

Wow! I haven't been on my blog for a long time. I am going to try to create a new post. Not sure if I remember how...let's try. We are now in Maryland! I absolutely love it here! I might not go in 3 years...Brandon is working in Bethesda at USUHS (military medical school) as a commander over the Air Force students. I am still at home with the kiddos and watching other kiddos part-time. Abby is 12, Katelyn is 9, Jordan is 7, and Jack is 4! Life is great!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

2010-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Brandon turned the BIG 35! Happy Birthday! I love you! And this is why:

You are a great Husband and Father,

You have good taste in college spirit,

You are kind and share with all,

And most important, you are older than me! (and much wiser too!) Happy Birthday!

Family Dinner Night

2010-02-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Brandon and Jordan grilling some ribs.

Abby and Jack water painting

Katelyn's Volcano Potatoes

So, I am trying to involve the girls a little more when I cook. It is hard because sometimes you don't have time to stop and teach, you just need to get it done. This night, Abby made the dessert, Katelyn made Volcano Potatoes from one of her cookbooks, and Jordan helped Brandon on the grill. It was an awesome dinner. We enjoyed it! Everyone helped...even Jack helped set the table.

Dance Recital

2010-02-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

Katelyn

Abby

Jordan with his friend Ezra and his sister Nadia

Beautiful Girls from the class with Nadia on the end.

Abby and Katelyn take dance from a girl in our church. They love it and they have learned so much. The night of the performance they danced to "Hot Chocolate" from Polar Express. It was a great dance and we had a fun night! Good job girls! Thanks Miss Megan!

Play-doh Fun

2010-02-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

So, Jack invited his girlfriend Emma to come play play-doh with him. They had a great time making hamburgers and fries! We love Emma!

Cousins...Mabey??

2009-12-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

Maryanne, Debra, Glenn, Catherine, Jenny, and me

So, my cousin Jenny turned 40 and decided she didn't want to spend her birthday in Utah. So, her and some of her siblings decided to take a trip. They first went to Dallas to pick up Debra and then head down to San Antonio to stop by Glenn's house. It was great to see them all! We went down to the riverwalk and looked at the lights and saw the Alamo. It was so much fun. Thanks guys for stopping by! Happy Birthday Jenny! ps...I am not slumping down, they are all TALL!

Naughty Elf

2009-12-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

Magic the Elf hiding in the bread basket.

He made a Fort for himself out of my baking sheets.

The Tea Party with the stuffed animals.

He colored some pictures for the kids.

Scattered the mail.

So, we have an Elf that has come to live with us until Santa picks him up on Christmas Eve. His name is Magic. He is watching the kids to make sure they are behaving and picking up their toys. He is very mischievous and gets into trouble. He also takes toys and laundry and other things that are not put away. He only is alive at night and gets into things then. He has scattered mail...my Christmas letters, scattered books, undecorated the tree, gotten into flour and baking pans, had tea parties with dolls, decorated the house in weird ways, and other things. He is definitely helping us get ready for Christmas. We hope he reports well to Santa:) Thanks... Amanda!

Seaworld Christmas

2009-12-22T19:42:00.000-08:00

Cami and Katelyn...after candycanes!

It is snowing!!! Wait...it is just bubbles:(

Jack...Am I tall enough?

We took the kiddos the other night to see Shamu and listen to the Christmas music. We had the our friends, the Christensen's, kiddos with us. We had a blast!

Chirstmas Decor and Kids

2009-12-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

The kids

Jack

Katelyn

The Chirstmas Tree

Jordan

Jack and his new ornament that Grandma Ruth gave him.

The front of our house.

Katelyn

So, once again we squeezed our 9 ft Christmas Tree in a 8 ft room! The kids were so excited to decorate. Jack had the most fun decorating it. We have a cluster of his ornaments at the bottom of the tree.

The Beach

2009-12-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

We decided to go to the beach on Wed. before Thanksgiving. The kids love to go play in the sand. Brandon and Jack built a sandcastle. The water was really cold, but we still had a great time.

Our trip to California

2009-12-08T09:12:00.001-08:00

Jordan

The Little Redwood Forest!

We are ready to go!

Jack in the plane.

Katelyn and Jack watching for our plane.

So these are pictures of the plane ride out to California. Jack was so scared to get on the plane. He shook the whole time the plane took off. We took 3 planes and one bus to get out there. Plus, 2 hrs waiting in the USO. But we made it safe and the kids were great!

The other pictures are from a hike my dad took us on. My dad loves to hike. The one hike he had planned was closed so we took another hike in this park that burnt down last year. It was pretty much burnt trees, weeds, and dirt. When we curved around the back we saw that the patch of Redwoods survived the fire! We had a great time.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

My parents with their grandchildren

Jackson

My sister Emily and her hubby Johnny

The Girls

My Brother Bryan and his family

The Boys

My Family

All the grandchildren

Our Family

We were so grateful we were able to go to California to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. We were also able to see my cute pregnant sister and her hubby, my brother and his wife and 3 kids came out from Utah. It was great to be together. We also were able to celebrate Jordan's

6th Birthday, which landed on Thanksgiving this year. We love you Jordan!

Happy 3rd Birthday Jack!

2009-10-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Mommy loves....he isn't thrilled!

Jack turned 3 on Sept. 7th. We sure love him. He has become quite the toddler. Some how we made it through the rough and tough, mad and never happy stage. Now we are able to communicate with him much better and he is a lot happier. He is so excited for Halloween. They have "Jack the Jack-o-latern" at Seaworld and Jack thinks that is great. He goes around mimicking him by say, "JACK is BACK!" He is all potty trained...which we are finally out of diapers after 10 years! Yes, that helps the budget. Jack is into anything that has to do with sports and pirates. Happy Birthday, little guy! We love you!

First Day of School YIPEE!

2009-08-25T21:12:00.001-07:00

Okay...I started this post a LONG time of go, but the computer was freezing on me and I didn't get it through. But better late than never, right?? First Day of School...Mom is in Heaven! JK. I do love my kids, but I was ready for school to start. It was a big year this year. I have 3 out of the 4 going to all day school. Jordan is 5 yrs. old and in Kindergarten. Katelyn is 8 yrs. old and is in 3rd grade. And Abby is in 6th grade (middle school) and is 11 yrs. old. The two younger kiddos are going to Murin Elem. and Abby is attending a charter school called Harmony Science Acedemy. They all have been real excited and have enjoyed the first couple of days. Let's see how long that last....

Pirates

2009-07-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

The kid's love playing pirates since watching the Pirate's Plunder at Seaworld last week. Jack gives his best impression of "Walking the Plank" in this video:)

Jordan's Soccer Goal

2009-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Jordan made 4 goals this soccer season. Brandon and I had to miss one game because Abby had a dance recital and he made 3 goals while we were gone that one game. This is the one goal that I was able to watch and get on video. As you can hear....his mommy was really proud!

Jack has a Girlfriend! What a Q. T.

2009-07-01T15:09:00.001-07:00

Emma and Katie

Emma after enjoying an ice cream treat with Jack and others!

So, this is Emma. Jack loves her! And the great thing about it is I think she actually likes him and puts up with him, which we all know is very difficult with it being Jack! We love Emma...we hope this last for awhile! :) Are there still such things as arranged marriages???

Major Select

2009-07-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Brandon did it!! The Board selected him for Major....we just have to wait our turn to pin it on and get the more $$$ :) Yes! It should be this next Spring. I am proud of you, officer! Good Job! You deserve it! ---kim

2009-05-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

Katelyn's Baptism

2009-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Katelyn was baptized on March 7th, 2009. We had a great day. She was baptized in the morning and then we went up and took pictures at the temple. My parents and my sister and her hubby were able to come out. It was great! We are so proud of Katelyn! We love you girl!

Baby Everett comes to visit

2009-03-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have Justin, Vanessa, and baby Everett come to visit us. We had a lot of fun with them. We went to the Alamo, Riverwalk, ate at the Riverwalk, and played at the house. Jack loved holding little Everett. As I was scrolling through the pictures the other day Jack was so excited. He said, "there's baby Everett, Nessa, and Justin!" He remembered all their names without me saying a word. He loved them coming to visit. Thanks for coming down Justin and Vanessa. We had a great time.

P.J. party with the kids!

Jack had lots of kisses to share!

Pictures at the Alamo! Make sure you remember it!

Katelyn and Jack eating on the Riverwalk.

Justin and Vanessa

Jordan and Abby loving a salad and putting it on their rolls to eat!

The Crew on the Riverwalk Boat ready for the tour!

Happy Birthday Vanessa...are we short one candle????

Two Jayhawk fans ready for the big game!

A Day at the Zoo

2009-02-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

So, Brandon decided to take leave and he checked the kiddos out of school and we all went to the zoo for the day. We had such a great time. At the end we decided to take a few funny pictures with different poses....so here they are:

Jack Attacks.......the Recycling Bin

2009-02-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

Are you thirsty Jack? Yes...that is Jack....seeing if there are a few drops left in an empty Soda Bottle that I had placed in the Recycling Bin. To bad mom had washed it out already...if you got any drops...they are drops of water! What a boy!

HAIL...to San Antonio

2009-02-22T16:22:00.001-08:00

So the other night...wow...scared the tar out of me. Brandon was off playing basketball at the church. I just had put Jack down and the girls were reading in the bed. Then all of a sudden I start hearing these noises...thought was Jack up playing....then thought "what in the world is he doing?"....then thought "oh my gosh, the house is crumbling down"....then finally was brave enough to open the door to witness a quick hail storm strollin' through town after a beautiful day of 80* weather. How fun was that!! Luckily the cars weren't damaged and it didn't effect "The Biggest Loser" (go blue team!) I had recording on T.V. All is well...but here is a little bit of hail from San Antonio!

Brrrrrrrrr....it is cold!

Katelyn's Birthday

2009-02-22T16:12:00.000-08:00

Happy 8th Birthday for Katelyn! We are so excited for this birthday. In a few weeks Katelyn will be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She is so excite to follow Christ's example and make that big step forward in life. Her birthday was on the 9th of Feb. Her dad woke her up and had breakfast tacos from the Cabana waiting for her. We ate those, opened presents, and sent her off to school. Next, Jack, Jordan, and mom met her for lunch at school and brought treats up for the class. Later that night she went to gymnastics, and then we went to Chuck-E-Cheese (mom's favorite place to be :), and then had birthday cheesecake. Yum, Yum....everyone loved! Great Day! We love you Katelyn and are so proud of your beauty and the choices you are making to become a Beautiful Daughter of God!

---love mom and dad

American Girl Dolls

2009-01-31T07:37:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Abby and Katelyn American Girl Dolls for Christmas. Abby got "Kit" and Katelyn got the girl of the 2008 "Mia." They have had lots of fun with their dolls. Apparently Mia is very flexible...wish I could do the splits!

Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve at Seaworld

2009-01-30T12:01:00.001-08:00

So...I have been really bad with the blog. So, my new goal is to do a post a day for a week. Hopefully I can get you all updated from a a few months ago. We were able to visit SeaWorld a few time before it closed until March. Abby's friend Kalei came to visit and we were able to go with her to SeaWorld. The one day we decided to feed the dolphins. The boys get scared so they just throw the food in the tank. The girls enjoy it a little more and try to pet them while they feed them. It is so nice to have SeaWorld so close. We can see it from the windows in our house!! It will be really fun in the summer...once it is warm...and the water park is open!

The girls are on this ride called the "Journey to Atlantis"

Jordan, Jack, Olivia, Teegan

Abby feeding the dolphin!

Katelyn feeding the dolphin!

They are STILL hungry???

A new friend in the neighborhood

2009-01-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

We saw a diamondback rattle snake just up the street from our house. Do you like it Grandma Brenda?

Jack and the Tree and Bye, Bye Binkie

2009-01-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

So, the night that Jordan and Brandon went to the Spurs game Jack misplaced his binkie. I looked all night for it and finally told him it was lost. I wasn't about to go out and buy a new one that night. So, Jack has been really good and has been without out a binkie for over a week. Yes!!! It is gone. Well, I was telling my sister two nights ago that he had been without the binkie for over a week and that it was still lost. I told her it would show up sometime and that we had to make sure Jack didn't see it because he had been without it so long. Well, exactly an hour after I talked to Emily (luv ya!) I started to take down our Christmas tree. Guess what I found??? You got it!!! I found the binkie high in the branches where Jack threw it. We also found an old cell phone, a ball, a crayon, and a dirty sock. I guess we will just let Jack decorate the tree next year!!! What a two year old!!! But, thank goodness the binkie went bye, bye!

Tim Duncan's citizenship award goes to.... Jordan Tourtillott

2009-01-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

So after being in school for three weeks Jordan's teacher awarded him with the Tim Duncan citizenship award. He won a ticket to the Spurs game. So, of course, Brandon had to get him the gear and take him to the game. We are real proud of Jordan and his kindness to others!! Good Job!!

I Spy

2009-01-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

I Spy Jack's dirty sock in the Christmas tree...do you see it??? He threw it in there!!!

Look really close!!!

Look at little closer!

Yep, there it is!!!

Christmas Day

2008-12-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

So...great mom I am...I didn't take any digital pictures on Christmas Day. But I caught the kids in bed Christmas night. They all curled up with the beautiful blankets that Grandma Ruth made them. The girls are sleeping with their new American Girl dolls. When I saw these pictures it made me think that this is what Christmas is all about. I love my children and my husband. We had a wonderful time with lots of fun!!! Merry Christmas to all!!

Griswold Family Chirstmas Tree 2008 Tourtillott Style

2008-12-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

So...I love our house, but our ceilings are too short. We had vaulted ceilings in our house in Olathe, KS so we bought a beautiful 9 ft. Christmas tree two years ago. Well, our house here in Texas has 8 ft. ceilings. So, here is our mushroom top Christmas tree squished into our house.

Thanksgiving 2008 "Playing in the Leaves"

2008-12-22T18:45:00.000-08:00

So thank you Uncle Kenny...he taught the kids to throw leaves in the air at Nanny's house on Thanksgiving. The older kids were able to run from the leaves but Jack thought it was great to have them fall in his hair. We bathe out leaves from his hair for over a week.

Yes, that is dirt, not food. This is what Jack looked like after he came in from playing outside at Nanny's. True boy!

And his hands were just as dirty as his face!!! Yuck!!!

Jordan's 5th Birthday

2008-12-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

Jordan turned 5 on Nov. 26, 2008. I can't believe that he is that old and will be in full day kindergarten next year. We were able to have a birthday party at Grandma Brenda's house and one with his friends in Olathe, KS. He met his friends at Chuck-E-Cheese! He sure had a blast. Aunt Linda made his cute Star Wars cake and Amanda Floyd picked up his cute basketball cake. He was pretty proud of his Super Mario shirt that grandma Brenda gave him. Happy Birthday Jordan....we love you!!!

Ellie helps make rolls

2008-12-17T20:18:00.001-08:00

So...I was making homemade rolls...yummy...with my last Christmas present...my super awewome powerful Bosch. (Thanks, honey-love the Bosch) Well, I had in melted butter and milk and two cups of flour in the Bosch. I thought...well....since I have in flour with the liquid I probably don't need the splashguard lid. So, I do a quick mix and out flies the butter onto the floor. Ellie runs over and starts to lick up the butter. So, then I thought well...I have done the quick mix and I am sure the flour is mixed in so I do another quick mix and turn it on. Out flies the flour. Whoops!!! Ellie is a big white snowball covered in flour with butter all over her lips! We all had to laugh at mom's great thoughts!! But the rolls were great!

Our trip down to Texas

2008-11-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally made it to San Antonio. We unpacked the last box today and situated the garage. It feels good to finally see a house and not boxes. The trip down was not the best, but we made it in one piece. Katelyn had the stomach bug the whole way. The traffic in Dallas was unreal!! And BYU lost at TCU bad!! But here are a few pictures of what was good. We got to stop at the American Girl Doll store in Dallas and have lunch with the dolls. The kids thought that was great, but the girls were sad not to be able to buy a doll. Jack was pretty good on the ride down. He even read the road map for me. Note: Do you all love the packed car? Check out all the junk in the back seat!!

Jack eating with his doll at the American Girl Doll Restaurant.

Jordan wanted to eat with a doll too!! He called her Pocahontas.

Katelyn eating with her doll that she borrowed too.

Is this the TCU sign??? Maybe that's what went wrong!

Abby with her doll that she borrowed! The food was yummy!

Katelyn driving in the car with a forced smile because she doesn't feel good.

Jack reading the map...hopefully it is the Texas one!

Halloween Oct 2008 San Antonio TX

2008-11-09T19:32:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween late. Here are a few pictures of the kiddos in their costumes. Katelyn was a snow princess, Abby was a Queen, Jack was Buzz, and Jordan was a Ninja Turtle. They had a great night. I believe Jack had the most fun. He was not scared to knock on the doors and get candy. In fact, a couple of days ago we were walking home from taking the kids to school and Jack was ahead of me and ran up to a random person's door and knocked on it. I think he thought he was going to trick-or-treat at their house. Lucky for me, no one was home at that house. But, they had a great night. Note: Do you love the weed garden in the front yard? It is now gone...I will have to send some more recent pictures.

45 days until Christmas!!!

2008-11-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry to say but the first picture of the new house is of the kids infront of the girls' room and the water heater door...but there are only 45 days until Christmas!!! The girls made a count down with links. They plan on cutting one off each night. Do you think anyone is excited???

Knee Boarding

2008-09-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Okay...love you Tammy...sorry Shannon but she is my new BFF!! Tammy invited me and the kiddos out on the boat the other night. The kids had a blast!!! Here is a few pictures from the lake!

Aren't these the cutest kiddos ever???

Are you smarter than a second grader???

2008-09-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

So Katelyn has made me laugh the last couple of days. I am sure it won't be as funny typed on a blog...but at least I will have the memory written down. So, the first one:

The other day I was looking over her homework. She had completed a full page on one story problem for math. The problem said: Sarah makes stuff bears and uses two button eyes for one bear. How many buttons will she need to make 6 bears? Simple multiplication problem right??? The whole sheet was over this problem. She had to fill out a chart and answer some basic questions about the problem. One of the questions said, "What do you do to figure out how many buttons she needs for 6 bears?" Katelyn's answer was, "I don't do anything...I just count!!" Had to laugh at that one.

A few days before that I was having a very bad mommy day and had put myself in timeout. Katelyn came in and asked if she could call her friend Paige and just talk to her. I told her that would be fine. She came back about 10 mins. later and looked a little discouraged. She said, "Mom, I can't find Paige in the dictionary!" We laughed for awhile on that...she meant directory!

I love you Katelyn!!! You make me smile and you have been so pleasant to be around!! Thanks---mom

First Day of School

2008-09-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, my kiddos started school August 15th 2008. It is so nice and I loving it. Abby is in the 5th grade. It has been very challenging to her, but she is doing great. Her teacher's name is Mr. Conner. She is also in the quest program and goes to 6th Math. We are so proud of her. She will be starting Band or Strings next week and also is in the chorus. Mrs. Richardson is Katelyn's teacher and Katelyn is in 2nd grade. She loves school. She is doing well and also goes to the quest (gifted) program. Jordan is having a blast with school this year. About ten o'clock he is ready for school. Mrs. Hite is his teacher and he has three paras in his class that help out. Their names are Ms. Egan, Mrs. Epperson, and Mrs. Smith. He is in the peer model preschool that is inside the girls school. It is great to have them all at the same place. His class has half peer models and half children with disabilities. Jordan is a great friend to all of his classmates and they LOVE him. We are so proud of him. He goes from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.(when the girls get out) and Jack takes a 3 hour nap during that time. It has been SO nice to have a little free time to get some things done...or just take a nap!! But things are going great and the kids are loving school.

Abby's first day of school-August 15th 2008

Katelyn's first day of school-Aug. 15th 2008

Jordan's first day of school in front of the kids school- Ravenwood Elem. 2008

Jordan and Madison Hermann on their first day of school laying on their preschool circle time mat.

Puppies

2008-09-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Uncle Jason brought over his dogs' new puppies. They are a week ago in these pictures and their eyes were still not open yet. They were so cute and mom thought about letting the kids keep one for about....hmmmm....ONE SECOND!! No more dogs!! One is enough!! But I thought these pictures were fun. I think the dogs are puggles???? (not sure on the spelling!) So cute!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jack!!!

2008-09-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

What a great day!! My baby is now 2! We had such a fun day. It started off with donuts for breakfast. Jack got candles in his that he had a great time blowing out. Then, we opened presents from the family on my bed. He has finally figured out how fun opening presents is and that there is something great inside. Every present he got he would say, "open, mom." It is hard for a 2 year old to have patience on twisty ties on all the toy boxes! He got a lot of fun Thomas the train toys.

Next, we went to Mi Rachitos for lunch. They sang to him in Spanish and he got to wear the sombrero. He thought that was great!!!

Then, we went to Grandma Brenda's for a dual birthday party with his cousin Brady that turned 10 a few weeks ago. We had so much fun seeing family and having Linda's great cake.

It is so fun to have a 2 year old. It is hard to believe he is already 2 and starting to talk and have lots of fun as a kid. Abby, Katie, and Jordan just love him. They think he is great and love to play and talk to him. Happy Birthday Jack!! We love you!!! ---mom

Happy 2nd Birthday Jackson!

Opening Birthday Presents!

Jack in his Mexican Hat! My cute boys at the Restaurant!

Jack loved his Train cake that Aunt Linda made. Not only was it cute it was very yummy!

Aunt Vanessa and Uncle Justin gave him Leo from Little Einsteins. His favorite!

The Birthday Boys in their Jayhawk shirts.

This is Jackson telling me that he is "2" but holding up 1 finger! Close but not quite!

Tailgate at the Royals

2008-09-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am really behind on my blog!! But I have been so busy keeping up on a blog that my friend Carolyn Maddox (she is another BFF!) showed me. We laugh all day at it. If you need a good laugh check it out: http://www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/

But back to the Royals...and Abby's Birthday! We decided to celebrate with family and friends by tailgating and watching a Royal's Game. We had so much fun. It was free Santa Royal Hats give way and so Aunt Linda made us a Royal's Santa cake....WOW...it was great!! Yummy! Brandon and his dad cooked hot dogs. We had lots of other yummy food!! We brought spray bottles and sidewalk chalk for the kiddos to play with in the parking lot. The spray bottles were a hit! Jack drank most of the water from them.

The game was the best...for those of you (Amanda Floyd!) that had to leave to get kids in bed????? What a game! The Royals hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th to win the game. I was sure that Amanda and Chris Tourtillott's good streak was over!!! (The Royals have won every game they have been to) But they pulled it out in the last inning.

Uncle Jason was picked for the Midwest question during one of the innings to have the chance to win two free airline tickets anywhere in the U.S. He won!! Good Job....but I found out later that Jason told Brandon he was going to look straight at him for the answer...shouldn't that mean that we get one of the tickets???? (Comment to let me know what YOU think!) Jason, I believe, is taking his wife to Hawaii. Lucky dogs!! But we all got to have free Midwest Airline cookies. Not as good as on the plane, but better than nothing. So, the question was something like this: "What is the dish in baseball?" Do you all know????

Well enough on that....here are some great pictures! Once again...Happy Birthday Abby, we love you! ---mom

The girls hangin'out eating some yummy dogs!

Sorry Brady...you can't escape this picture!! Hi Morgan!

Cool shades Shannon...my BFF!

Amanda and Clifton and George.

Jenny and Jay....they are way too happy to need a trip to Hawaii....hand them tickets over!

Uncle Chris is way to cool for this party!

Uncle Leon is ALWAYS cheering for the wrong team!!! Go Broncos!

What a cake...thanks Aunt Linda!

Jack and spray bottles...yummy water!

The whole clan...and Amanda on the phone...again!!!

Claire and Katelyn

Jack and Brandon

Avery...we love you!

Uncle Jason on the biggest HD screen in the world!

Wuz up, Nile??

Dan and Shanda and Family

Abby and Madie

Boys will be boys...Jordan, Brent and Jack.

Jordan and Uncle Justin

Royal's Stadium

Abby's 10th Birthday Party

2008-08-09T13:28:00.001-07:00

Abby turned 10 years old on July 12th, 2008. We had a "painting" theme party for her. She invited 8 of her friends from church and school. They had a great time. We had it at 9 a.m. in the morning and that was the best time to have a party. All the girls were kinda of tired and quiet, and that made things easy on my end! They painted little boards and then applied vinyl stickers that had their names on it. They also played a few games and we had palette cake and ice cream at the end. Abby helped in applying the "paints" to the palette for her cake. We had a great time. It is hard to believe that Abby is 10. We love her and we are so grateful to have her in our family. Happy Birthday Abby!!

The party with the friends!

Abby and her palette cake.

Make a wish!!

New Glasses for the Girls

2008-07-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

The girls each got new eye glasses this month. They look so cute in them. This is Katelyn's first pair of glasses and Abby's 3rd pair. Abby's eyes hadn't changed much, but we went ahead and got her a new pair. Katelyn is real proud of her new glasses. She is a lot like Aunt Em...and has been begging for glasses for MONTHS!! Finally her wish has come true. We will see how long she will love them. The poor girls got my bad eye sight. I was able to get Lasik this last November and I love it!!! It is a miracle. I wish I had done it a long time ago. It has been many years, if ever, that I have seen 20/15. I love it!! And to get up in the middle of the night and see the alarm clock is awesome. I think Brandon is grateful too because I don't ask him the time in the middle of the night, don't complain about dust in my eyes at the ballgames, and I am able to swim better with the kiddos. Brandon has always had 20/20 vision. Hopefully the boys will get his sight!!

Date Night on Lake Hillsdale

2008-07-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I were invited to go with Brian and Tammy Beck to Lake Hillsdale, just 30 minutes south of Olathe. We had a great time! Brandon was more successful on the lake than I was...for sure!! He really enjoyed wakeboarding, and was pretty good at it. Yes, that is my talented husband that is great at any sport. Johnny, check out these moves! I wasn't able to get up on the wakeboard, but the water was sure nice!:) We took a picnic out there and ate on the boat. It was great to watch the sun set! Thanks Becks!!

Brandon helping me put on my boots. Below is Brandon showing off his great tricks!

This is my success in the water!

Brandon in the water with the sun setting.

This is my friend Tammy. She is awesome in the water. The night we went out she got a hold of my camera and went camera crazy. She took lots of pictures...most of which we will throw out because they were of me. But, I was able to steal the camera and get a great picture of her!! Love ya Tammy! (this is the power of having a blog!)

The Berry Patch

2008-07-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

This morning my friend Carolyn and I took the kids to the Berry Patch. It was so much fun. It is just about 30 mins away from our home, located in Missouri. Each of the kids got to pick their own blueberries. The older kids pick a few blackberries, but they were not quite ready for picking. We might go back next week to get those. The girls had a lot of fun. They didn't want to leave, but the two young boys had dirty diapers. :( You didn't have to pay to get in, but just pay for the berries. After, the kids took a 5 min ride on the barrel train. They loved the ride. Then we ate fresh blueberry muffins straight from the oven. I bought some Triple berry jam that is supper yummy and it is sugar-free! We also got some honey made in the area. Those who live in the area I would highly recommend taking your kids there. Although, you want to go as early as possible to beat the pickers and the heat!

Abby has found some blueberries ready to pick.

Brent is showing me the infested bush of caterpillars. Yuck!

Claire and Jordan were the best little workers. Claire was up there for having picked the most!

Jack would pick a berry and then throw! (not in a bucket!)

Katie loved to pick the berries, but it not too fond of the taste!

Nile and Abby picking berries.

Jordan waiting for the train to take off!

Abby and Jack

Abby , Claire, Nile, Katie, Jack, Brent, and Jordan.

Our crazy kids!

The Muffin Man, Brent!

We didn't think there was anything as big as Jordan's head, but this muffin comes pretty close!

Jack's Haircut

2008-07-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided that Jack was due for a haircut. So, I got out the clippers and away we went. He did really well and likes to get his hair cut. I let him hold his hair and he just threw it. I think he looks like a little man now. This is actually his second hair cut. What a cutie!

Let's go mom....wait I am not so sure about this!!

Work in process.

Look what I have!!! Yes, this is my hair.

The finish product. Jack loves cars and trains. Sometimes he will sit in his room and play with them for an hour or so. A lot of the time he likes to line them all up. Then he will take them to a new location and line them all up again. This process will repeat several times throughout the house. He loves his Chevron cars the most. We don't go anywhere without them, especially when we are headed for church or to a restaurant.

Bike Ride

2008-07-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went on a bike ride with our friends the Youngs. We had a great time. The kids did really good. We took a bike trail in Overland Park. It was so pretty and shady so it wasn't that hot. We stopped and let the kids play at a park. After our bike ride we had a barbecue with the Youngs at their pool. It was lots of fun. Thanks Brad, Shannon, Bronson, Avery and baby Gavin!

The bike crew...do you think we could be in the summer Olympics next month???

In the pit...the bike mechanics...Brandon and Brad.

Abby and Jack

Avery, Abby, Gavin, Bronson, Katie, Jackson, and Jordan

Gavin and Shannon

Jedi in Training

2008-07-07T15:32:00.001-07:00

So, I love my children's imaginations! I find them doing the funniest things. I found Jordan one night in my room inside my laundry baskets. I heard, "beep, beep, beep." I asked him what he was doing and he simply said I am in my Star Wars ship. He stayed inside it singing the Star Wars theme song for about 30 mins. I think we might have a Jedi on hand!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July. We went to Rich Hill, MO to visit Grandma Tourtillott and to hang out with the rest of the family. The population in Rich Hill is about 2,000, but it is known for the 4th so there were lots of people there. They have a parade, a carnival, booths, and music in the town square. The kids thought it was so much fun.

When we first got to Grandma's house we were glad to see Grandma, Aunt Linda, Aunt Marilyn, and Uncle Leon. Jack had hugs for them all. Then Grandma Brenda and Papa showed up. They brought Amy and her 6 wk old twins, Jacob and Alexis with them. They are so cute and have grown a bunch. Jack loved the babies!!! He was so good with them and thought it was fun to hold them. We noticed that Jack and Jacob were wearing the same outfits. Of course we had to take lots of pictures of them together. You have great taste Amy!!!

The kids had lots of fun at the parade. They loved collecting all the candy. Jack thought he had to eat every piece he got. Boy, he was wired all day!

One of the booths by the carnival was to take a picture with the monkey Neiko. The kids loved the monkey. If you gave the monkey a quarter he would put it in his pocket and shake your hand. If you gave him a dollar you got a picture of him. If you gave him five dollars you got to hold him and take a picture with him. We thought it was worth it for the kids to be able to take a picture with him. The monkey loved Jordan. He hopped on his back. He was also kissing Jordan's cheek. The monkey was very protective of Jordan. It was really funny. Jack just kept pointing and making monkey sounds.

We are so grateful for the country we live in! How blessed we are to live in such a great place. It was so fun to see all our family!

We made a fruit flag for lunch! It was very yummy!

Jack telling Uncle Leon that the Broncos are the best!

Jack and Aunt Marilyn

Jack is a cookie lover so he had to give Aunt Linda lots of loves for cookies!

Jack and Grandma Tourtillott

Jack gives his mommy loves!

Jack loved holding baby Jacob. He also thought he was a baby too!! Jack do you remember you old car seat that you passed on to Jacob????

Uncle Jason has a lap full of turtles! We miss you Jason...you should come visit more often!

The kiddos collecting candy from the parade.

The parade made Abby hot and worn out!

Jack loved baby Alexis. He thought her toes were funny! Isn't she sweet?

The kids waiting to hold the monkey Neiko.

Here is Neiko, the monkey!!

Is Jordan allergic to monkeys????

Does Neiko want a piggyback ride?

Check this out!! What a cute picture!! Can you tell which monkey is Neiko?

The kids are in the green airplane waiting for take-off!

Jack is that a pink car you are in?? Yes-it was the only one left. Jack loved the ride and cried to get off.

Brandon bought a few firecrackers for the kids to light and watch. They all loved shooting them off with their daddy. Jack was so funny to watch. He would take the already let ones and put them out and pretend to light them. Then he would run from them and say, "Whoa, Whoa!" It was so funny to watch him. He did really good with the sparklers. Overall, it was a great day!

The smoke over took this picture of Katelyn.

Abby lighting the skies.

Jack, our little firecracker. I think he had the most fun!

Jordan

Katelyn has lost her first two teeth!

2008-07-05T08:42:00.001-07:00

Katelyn finally lost her first tooth a few weeks ago. Her primary teacher at church brought her to me with a tooth hanging down. I pulled Brandon out of Sunday School to help pull it out. The next tooth came out about a week later. Brandon helped to pull that one out while we were at the ball fields. Obviously they both were needing to come out because the other teeth were coming in!

Love Quilt

2008-06-29T16:18:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is Mom. This is the love quilt I finished this week. I got this awesome pattern book from my mom that has a different table runner for each month. I started this quilt a few months ago but with the house going up for sell I had to put it aside. This week I wanted to start a new quilt I saw but told myself I had to finish this love quilt and another love quilt in order to start the new one. This one is all done and the other one is waiting for binding...and then I can start on the Flag quilt I am so excited about. Thanks mom for the awesome patterns!

Jack Attack

2008-06-29T16:05:00.001-07:00

This is Jack, our wild child. Brandon and I were talking about how grow up he has seemed to be in the last week. I actually went to Sam's Club this week and he sat in the cart the whole time without throwing a fit. Today he said his first phrase, "I did it!" We were having corn on the cob for dinner and I was trying to teach him to bit off the cob. Finally after a few attempts he actually bit off some corn and yelled, "I did it!" We were all surprise to hear that come out of his mouth that we all started to laugh. Then, of course, it became a game. What a goof! Oh...and I got his sweater for $1.99 too!! What a bargain!

Sunday Morning

2008-06-29T16:01:00.001-07:00

I found these cute skirts at Children's Place Outlet for $1.99. The shirts were also the same price. I was very excited. The girls were also excited to wear them to church.

The Turtles

2008-06-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

Here are the four kiddos at Brandon's Graduation. Boy, they are a lot of fun!

2008-06-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Tourtillott Family

2008-06-28T18:52:00.001-07:00

Hello Friends and Family! Here it is....the Kim Tourtillott Blog. I will try my best to keep up with it. We are in the process of moving...we think...so life is a little busy. We don't have official orders yet, but we believe we are moving to San Antonio, TX. We haven't had much luck with selling the house, but we won't have to report until the end of Sept.

The kiddos are doing great. They grow so fast. Jackson is 21 months and a little fireball. He is finally starting to talk and his words consist of "Dora" "Boots" "Backpack" and "Map." Can you tell what he likes to watch? Jordan is 4 1/2 years old and is staying busy. Right now he loves to swim and play tee-ball. Katelyn is 7 and will be in the 2nd grade. She is an excellent swimmer and just finished up with golf lessons. Abby will be 10 years old in a few weeks. AHHHH! She is has been playing with her younger siblings and right now is working on a 9-patch quilt.

Brandon and I are staying real busy but are doing great. Brandon is working hard on his dissertation and hopefully will be close to being done in Sept. Live is pretty stressful for him, but he does great in his studies. I am staying pretty busy mostly just chasing kids and trying to keep a house spotless for showings.