Blah Blah Blah

I'm just going to do a quick recap of our comings and going as of late.

Since last I posted:


Tanner was promoted at work. FABULOUS news. Super excited about that.
Megan (baby girl niece) was in the hospital with RSV. Not fabulous. She's home good as new now.
I got sick. Therefore not allowed to hold baby girl niece.
I thought I was invincible, I was sure I was going to make it the whole school year without catching anything. I was wrong. On our 100th day I was sick, but I had promised those kiddos everyday for the past 100 (school) days that we would have a partay. They are the BEST class ever so I simply couldn't let them down. Finished the day...... went home and CRASHED.

Scored at some garage sales. Those pics will come soon. Stay tuned to be amazed.

My Aunt Virginia passed away. Sad. She was probably the sweetest kindest person ever. It was a really nice service. I was mostly happy for her. She isn't sick or in pain anymore. Seeing my cousins say goodbye to their mom? SAD. She was only 64 (I think) her oldest grandchild is only 17. She had a lot of living and loving left to do. She was a sweetheart. I really enjoyed seeing all my cousins and aunts and uncles. I really do have a great family. My dad has 13 siblings. My cousins are uncountable. But I was able to remember pretty much everyone's names. (applauds all around) It was a nice day. Except for the part at the cemetery when my sister and I went to visit Kamber's grave. As we were walking away my heal got stuck in some mud and I fell. Yep. All the way to the ground. Good think my sweet little sister was there to watch me fall and then walk around in circles laughing at me. And good thing the six workers lowering a casket were also there to watch.

Lana said SHASTA!!!! Jackson was 17 months when he said it. Lana, 12.5 months. FABULOUS. This picture is of Lana and myself out garagesale...ing?? (not really a word) just a few hours before it happened. Have a mentioned how much I love her?



I have work tomorrow and Parent Teacher Conferences till six. Then I have to come home and get completely packed and ready so Tanner can drop me off at the airport at 5am. I'm meeting my gal Emily in NYC!!! Just a little girls trip we've been planning. So excited! SOHO excited!

And that my friends is that. Loves to all!!!!!

Parent Night

We have finally picked a date for our "parent night". I apologize, I know I said February but things became a little crazy. It will be Friday, March 5, at 6:30 pm. If you would like to come please email me at blondedaisy3@yahoo.com. I will let you know where it is and send you directions. Remember husbands are invited to attend as well if you/they want. :) If you have friends that would like to attend they are welcome, just let me know so we know how many are coming. That could change where we have it. :) If you have any questions just ask! Can't wait to see everyone! Loves to all.

Happy Birthday Kamber

Kamber's 2nd Birthday



Today is Kamber's 4th birthday..... Would be her 4th... is her 4th... which one do you say? I believe that she lives on so I would say it IS her 4th birthday. But I know that Jen and Ethan will be able to raise her, so does that mean she's staying 2 1/2 until they're together again??? Something to think about I guess.

Tanner and I weren't able to go with everyone to the cemetery today. I wish we could have. It was so sweet last year to have the balloon release and watch them all float up into the sky. We all wrote a little message to Kamber and tied it to our balloon before we sent them off.


Jen I hope you don't mind if I share this next part.

After I wrote Kamber my note I was putting my pen back in the "pen can" and happened to glance over at Jen. She was kneeling down writing her message and I saw over her shoulder. (sorry Jen didn't mean to :))I think most of us were writing things like "we miss you, we love you, we think about you all the time" But Jen's note said (and I can't remember the exact words now but something to the affect of) "I'll see you soon" I just remember turning around and walking away. It was such a sweet and happy day I didn't want to be the one to ruin it by bursting into tears. But let me tell you.... it broke my heart. To think of Jen, who I adore, not even a year into this... this new life without her little girl, just focusing on that day when they'd be together again. When you think about it, it makes sense. That's ALL you would be focusing on. I think that's how you get through the day, just thinking that the sooner this day ends the sooner we'll be together.
I knew that Jen was probably just taking one day at a time at that point, but it really put it into perspective for me. It seemed so sad, but it was really very touching. So full of hope.



The good news is it's been a year since that day at the cemetery. Not a day, or a week or a month. But a year. And we're now on the down slide to July 25th for a second time. I realize it probably hasn't gone by very fast for Jen, Ethan and the girls. And I doubt it's at all that enjoyable to watch another year pass without Kamber, but it puts them a year closer to seeing her again. And there is nothing better than that.




Today Tanner and I dropped off Kamber's birthday card. I sat and talked to Jen while Ethan and Tanner (got WAY too excited) played a new video game. When we left I said "I really love them, it's been too long since we've seen them." Tanner agreed and said how cute and sweet the girls are. Because let me tell you, Jen and Ethan make girls right. They're beautiful. Although I do hope this next one is a boy :)

Anyway JEN if you are reading this, we are going to make it a point to get together with you guys more. And I say thank you to Kamber. If it wasn't her birthday we wouldn't have gone over and remembered how much we're missing out on. :)

Happy Birthday Kamber!!!!

Lana Turns One!!!!

It's crazy that it's been a year since Lana came along. We LOVE her. She is probably the happiest baby ever. She just plays and does her thing. She's always smiling. I could kiss her all day. And I usually do. It's been a fun year.













Yesterday we celebrated her first birthday. Since it was on Superbowl Sunday Janae decided that it would be a Superbowl Birthday. It was alot of fun, we ate and watched the game. The food was delish! Tanner grew up with James and I grew up with Janae so we always love seeing both their families. They are so lucky, both the Cranes and the Robinsons are fabulous people.

As you will see I'm sporting the Saints colors. Woohoo! Way to go Saints. Ok so I really didn't care that much. But I was going for the saints.





This was our gift to Lana. Isn't it fabulous?? Yes I did it myself.... I know I'm amazing. Hahahahah!! No but it did turn out super cute.









Um..... ya Janae made the cake. I know. AMAZING.


Happy Birthday Lana!!!! We love you so much. We can't wait to watch you grow another year older. Thanks Janae and James for letting us be apart of the kids lives. We're loving it.
Sorry no pics of Tanner on her birthday.... He was taking them. Love you baby.

P.S.
Lana, Jackson said my name when he was 1 year and 7 months. Get on that.
Love you!

Done... Now Get Out of My Garage

So I've had a few things living in my garage. Projects that I've been putting off for months. But now they are DONE!!! Woo Hoo for me. This first piece I don't have a before photo of. I bought it at a garage sale over 2 years ago. Lets just say it was a true tribute to 1994..... Mauve and gold framed picture of mauve flowers. I wanted something with a print to put in my guest room and after a lot of looking I got a bunch of this fabric for $1. Can't wait to hang it.



I found this cabinet at Goodwill....$12. I tried to convince my girlie Katie to get it but she just didn't have the vision. So I bought it and now she's pissed and wants it. Love you KT. It's going in my guest bathroom. Loving it.





Don't you love when you just randomly stop by Goodwill and totally score?? Janae and I were out and about picking out curtains for her house. (By the way they look fabulous) On our way from one store to the next we stopped decided to pop into Goodwill. I found this mirror, it was kind of broken so they gave it to me for 20% off. The fact that it's cracked makes it look even better. I threw the mirror away, I think it's way better as an empty frame. I'll probably put a little shelf inside it or something. Also it looks cream in this pic but it's really very white. Beautiful. Pretty sure it's like my favorite piece ever.




My last piece..... turned out amazing. I can't post a picture yet because It's Lana's birthday present and Janae can't see it till tomorrow!! So I will post the pics when I post about baby Lana's first birthday.
Loves to all!

Come One Come All

Hello ladies! People are always asking "what should I be teaching my kids to prepare them for school" Every year when school begins my mom has a parent night for those with that same question..... and many many more. Every year I go and listen. And every year I think to myself "I know my friends would LOVE to come and hear this." So I asked her and being as fabulous as she is, she has agreed to do a workshop for any of my friends that are interested. Yes she will be doing it for free. Because she loves me. Ok it's really because she loves children so much and wants them all to succeed.

My mom has been teaching since she was 17 years old. She has her own curriculum that she created with her mother. It is amazing. She has used it to teach countless children over the years. She's even used it with adults that were never able to read. It's easy to do and the kids LOVE it.

Even if your children are years away from school..... even if you don't have kids, I promise this is useful to know. If you have older children that have struggled with reading, this will help them. The most important thing, is that you build a strong foundation early on with your children. They do SO much better as they continue through school. I've been in the classroom for 8 years..... I've seen it.

Here is what she will be covering:

*The single most important thing you can do to help your child succeed in school
*What your child should know before entering kindergarten
*Simple ways to teach your child what he/she should know before going to school
*What your child's "learning style" is
*The basics of teaching your child to read
*How to choose the best literature for your child
*Poetry to teach your child.

I'm posting this so I can get an idea of how many people are interested in coming. We are planning on doing it sometime in February. So please leave a comment or email me at blondedaisy3@yahoo.com if you would like to join us. If you have any questions let me know.

ALSO, I think this would be very useful for fathers to learn as well. I deal with both parents during the school year and let me tell you..... It's nice to be on the same page when teaching your children. When you follow through and are consistent it's amazing what your children can do. But I'm sure you all know that already. :)

So bring your guys, we'll have snacks and drinks, and it will be a really fun/educational night.


Loves to all!!!

Baby Girl Has Arrived

Megan Ruth Stradling made her debut Wednesday, January 12 at 6:30 pm. She is absolutely precious. Every time I leave her I just crave to hold her again. She's the first niece on my side and we couldn't be more excited. Apparently my brother and sister-n-law are the only people in our family that are trying to carry on the family name, 3 boys and now 1 girl. Congrats Heather and Ty!!!!

Best Time of the Year!!!!

Last year I took a ton of pictures. This year, not so much. We took ONE on Christmas Day and that's it. And now I'm sad. Oh well here is a picture of our "Oh my gosh so fabulous" Christmas Tree. Our star was too small and wouldn't stay up straight, and I didn't have very many ornaments this year. Well there are over 100 bulbs on there but you can't tell because the tree is so big. But I loved it. It smells AMAZING! I'll be sad to see it go.

Notice all the gifts around the tree????? NONE of them were for us. They were our family gifts. This is what drawing names on both sides of our families looks like. AND the gifts for our parents weren't there either. Not sure how we end up with so many. But we loved it. Thanks to both our families for making Christmas so fun. We're so lucky to have every member of both our families here with us on Christmas!




I had a wonderful birthday! Slept in very late, went shopping and then Tanner and I went to the "Bamboo Club" and saw "Sherlock Homes". Fantastic! My gift was going to be tickets to Michael Buble when he comes in April.... But they are quite expensive. At least any seats worth having. So instead my girlfriend Emily and I are heading to New York City for Spring Break!!!! I can't even tell you how excited I am!

So far being 28 is like being 27 or 22 for that matter. I don't feel like I'm getting any older. Ok the wrinkles make me feel older. Next year's gift.... Botox!

Anywho, happy birthday to me! It was fabulous!



We decided to have a New Year's Eve Partay this year and let me just say.... it was FANTASTIC! At least I had a good time. We played "The NewlyWed Game"(thank you to Leah and my mom for coming up with the questions!) and "Never Have I Ever". It was HILARIOUS!!!! Both games had us laughing/crying. I would love to go into more detail but what happens at Chateau Wootan stays at Chateau Wootan. Here are the pics. I'm so sad I didn't get any of Sara and Corian! Thanks for coming you guys we love you!

Tanner and I are probably the most blessed people in the world. Not only do we have the best families, we have amazing friends. Thank you to Janae and James, Sara and Corian, Laci and Jared, Savanna and Cameron, Jenn and Cosmo, Cheryl and Travis and Jill and Shaun for coming and spending the evening with us! So much fun! We love you all!!!!!








The Cranes

The Elmers

The Krummenachers

The Wootans (obviously)

The Westovers

The Driggs







Savanna and Cameron



























Happy New Year!!!!!!!!