THE SUNDQUIST FAMILY

Missing Shawn

2012-02-03T20:24:00.001-08:00

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since Shawn left for 29 Palms. With very little cell service, calls to and from him have been difficult. We get to talk about 2 times per week. But emails are a bit more frequent.
Kiley's having a rough time and I'm very nervous for his 6 months in afghanistan coming soon. She reminds me every day that she misses her daddy.
We're trying to keep busy and making new friends. Shawn will hopefully be home by february 22nd. We are getting lonely. :(

Just the beginning

2012-01-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

Because the only people who read this blog are family and friends (hopefully), I feel comfortable sharing some personal information with everyone.

We are beginning the process of adopting a child. We are adopting for a few reasons. One reason being that we want to expand our family. Another reason that we want to help change a child's life for the better, to provide the child with opportunities that he/she might not have otherwise, we want to be a family to a child who does not have one.

We are interested in adopting a child from the foster care system here in North Carolina. We are specifically looking for a child anywhere from the age of 2-5ish. We would love a little boy, but we would be just as happy with a little girl.

This process is going to be a long and very emotion process...I'm already emotional and we've only just begun.

Since Shawn is out of town in 29 Palms for the next few weeks, I've decided to get the ball rolling and talk to the Department of Social Services in our county. The Department is in New Bern, NC (about 30 minutes away from us). I left a message for my contact person Pam on Tuesday and she called me back today (Thursday) to discuss our interest in adoption. I had a lengthy phone conversation with her and I'll share some of the pros and cons regarding our chances for adoption. (all this information was given by the DSS today by phone)

- Because we already have a child, most private agencies in the state feel we have already been "blessed" with a child and we will be put low on the list of potential parents. However, if we are able to adopt though the state foster care, their opinion is different. They feel that if we have a child already, we have more experience raising children and it will not affect our application.

- Being a military family is good because the state feels we are more open to diversity.

- Having a parent in the home full time (stay at home mom) is extremely important. It would be harder to get a child placed in the home if both parents worked full time.

- Most children in the foster care system up for adoption are over the age of 6. Currently in our county, there are 0 children available for adoption under the age of 6.

(all children in the system are available for fostering, but not all foster children are available for adoption). Most children under the age of 6 are already with foster families. If the child becomes available for adoption, 9 times out of 10 the foster family the child is already with will adopt the child.

- If we become foster parents in the hope that the child will become adoptable in the future, there is no guarantee that the child's parent will not come to claim the child. One day we could have the child in our home, the next the child could be gone.

- The county has mandatory classes that prospective adoptive parents need to attend. (30 hours total). The classes have already started for this season and the next set of classes don't start until August. (Shawn will be deployed). We will not be able to attend the classes until he returns. The classes begin again in Jan 2013.

- If we choose to go with a private agency, we might be able to get around the class schedule and hopefully complete our classes before Shawn leaves for Afghanistan. However, a private agency can be very pricey. If we adopt through the state's foster care system, the military will reimburse us up to $5k of the cost of the adoption. They will not reimburse us if we use a private agency.

- Because we are not from here, and might not stay here permanently, we will only have the option of children with no family ties in the area. Many children in the system have other siblings or family that they need or hope to stay in contact with over the years. (We do not plan to stay in N Carolina permanently).

My contact person at the DSS is sending me some information by mail to read over with Shawn when he returns home. Once we have read it, we need to set up a face to face meeting with the DSS. We will get a better understanding of our options our chances of adoption.

I also have a phone number for a private agency who deals with not only babies, but also children of all ages. We will be making contact with them as well to increase our chances of finding a child.

I'm going to be keeping this blog updated with information and updates on our road to adoption. This blog can keep all our family and friends updated, but it will also be a way for me to keep a journal of our experiences while we go through this journey.

So Much Has Happened

2012-01-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a very long time since my last blog update. In a nutshell, life has changed dramatically for our family.

-Shawn was transferred to N. Carolina

-I quit my job, I'm a stay at home mom now

-We moved across the country

-We rent a house in the small town of Havelock, NC (google it...it's teeny)

-Kiley started pre-school

-Shawn is in 29 palms (without cell services) making preparations to deploy to Afghanistan in April or May

-I am getting ready for a trip to Europe with my mom to pick up little brother Joe in France

Things for us are a lot different then they used to be. It's been a bit of an adjustment living here, but I think we're finally getting into the grove of things.

Here's a few pictures to get you caught up on our lives:

The house we're renting

Kiley's 1st day of Pre-school

Kiley at an Aquarium

Kiley at the beach (we're about a 10 minute drive to this beach)

Kiley and Shawn ice skating in UT

I can't making any promises, but I will make a better effort to keep this blog updated more regularly.

About Time

2011-04-22T12:44:00.001-07:00

So, It's been a long time since I last updated this stupid blog. I'm quite sick of it, but I guess I should update it to keep up my 'journaling' of our lives.

I left off my last blog post in October when we carved pumpkins. We had a fun Halloween in St. George UT with Shawn's family. Kiley was a Butterfly.

Shawn also had his birthday in October. Happy belated 28th B-day Shawn :)

We went to a couple hockey games. One was Military appreciation and all military kids got free stuff including this "kid's size" shirt.

We had christmas at home this year. Kiley as always got way too much stuff.

We went to an aquarium in San Diego with the Shawn's family.

We continued our New Years tradition spending it with my G-ma and my parents at G-ma's house playing scrabble

Kiley still has crazy hair in the morning.

Kiley and Shawn showing off their muscles.

We went to Washington DC with my family.

Kiley started a gymnastics class.

http://www.youtube.com/user/utubefan0584?feature=fupldc&email=first_upload

We did some swimming in our backyard in a blow up pool. (white trash I know, but deal with it)

Kiley and I died Easter Eggs today.

So that's about everything that we've done since October (or everything that I have a picture of since last october)

Carving Pumpkins

2010-10-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

We carved our Halloween pumpkins last night. Even though Kiley didnt get to do much with the "carving" part, she still had a ton of fun.

Shawn's pumkin is on the left, mine is in the middle. It's hard to see, but my pumpkin says "one love" We didn't carve Kiley's small pumpkin.

Kiley's 3rd Birthday

2010-10-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Kiley had her 3rd Birthday on October 11. We celebrated with dinner over at Mom and Dads. We had Kiley's favorite, Spaghetti! She wanted cupcakes instead of cake. She ate 2 cupcakes (well, she ate the frosting off 2 cupcakes)

Dinner Guests: Mom, Dad, Me, Shawn, Kiley, Grandma Ford, Stephanie, Vic and Troy

Kiley got a whole bunch of gifts: V-tech reader, clothes, dress-up clothes and shoes, bath toys, movies, a homemade princess blanket (from Teri) and even a gift from Uncle Ryan...an alien from Toy Story. She also got a princess castle for her room.

I love this picture of Kiley kissing Grandma Ford to thank her for the Barnes and Noble gift card.

Thank you everyone for all the gifts and for celebrating with Kiley on her birthday.

Bates Nut Farm

2010-10-16T21:33:00.001-07:00

We had such a good time last year at Bates Nut Farm that we decided to go again. We had Shawn's parents, Stephanie and Vic, and his brother Troy in town. It was pretty fun, but it got kinda hot.

Kiley searched and searched and finally found a pumpkin she could carry.

We went on a hayride and Kiley road a pony named "Cowboy" The whole ride she kept saying "you-ha" (supposed to be yee-ha). Kiley also painted a ceramic pumpkin.

I realized I haven't seen a picture of just Stephanie and her two sons. I suggested taking a picture of the 3 of them and the boys thought they were some sort of comedians...so I made them take a nice picture also.

Disneyland

2010-10-16T20:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry this post is so late, I'm just trying to get caught up on blogging.
When Melissa, Mark and Ashton were in town, we went to Disneyland. Kiley and Ashton had a blast.

We went on a Wednesday and Thursday and basically walked on every ride. Practically no lines! It was a whole new experience taking kids to Disneyland. I'm used to going with adults/teenagers so I wasn't expecting to have to wait in line to meet all the characters, but Kiley and Ashton loved it.

We met Mickey Mouse!

Dad took Kiley and Ashton on Dumbo. not too sure Ashton enjoyed it, but Kiley loved it.

We got to meet Tinkerbell! We had to wait in line for 30 minutes, but Kiley was so happy. This was the only time she was comfortable enough with a character to get out of her stroller. She made me hold her, but at least she got out of the stroller.

Kiley's favorite thing to do was ride the carousel. She rode it 3 times while we were there.
She also got her face painted...just a little something to cheer her up when she found out she was 1/4 inch too short to ride the Matterhorn.
Thanks to Melissa and Mark for letting us crash your Disneyland adventure.

Bombs Away

2010-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Some people may not find this funny, and those people are probably calling CPS right now, but seriously, this IS funny. This is a game invented by my dad called "Bombs Away" Ashton hates the game, but for some reason, Kiley likes to play it.

I'm posting this video due to popular demand.

Kiley Jumping Rope....sort of

2010-10-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is Kiley and her new jump rope. This is so funny it makes me laugh.

Photoshoot

2010-09-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

Since Ashton's in town, we decided to do a photoshoot of Kiley and Ashton. The pictures turned out great. Here's some of my favorites. I don't have any singles of Ashton on my computer here, but there's some super cute ones of him too.

In case you're wondering, the talented photographer is my dad!

Funny Stuff

2010-09-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

Family Day

2010-08-07T19:09:00.001-07:00

Shawn had today off work...the 1st Saturday in a LONG time. So, we had a family day. We woke up around 8:30am (all of us in the same bed because Kiley joined us around 5:30am...fun.)

We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. It was our first time going and I think I would really enjoy this place more if we went on a week day instead of a Saturday. It was just crowded and I'm not good with crowds. Kiley had a good time. Any time we saw an orange fish, she called it Nemo. In the picture below with Kiley and Shawn petting the shark, it took Kiley a LONG time before she felt safe enough to pet this shark. She really thought the shark was going to get her.

When we got home, we did some chalk art. She's such a super artist.

Then, we had a water fight. Kiley lost...big time.

It was SO nice to have this much needed family time.

Happy Birthday Grandma Neener

2010-07-31T09:36:00.001-07:00

Wish we could be with you to celebrate. Love you.

2010-07-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got a dozen long stem white roses (my favorite) delivered to my office from Shawn. Getting flowers for no reason is quite possibly the best thing ever.

I took them home and put them on the counter, but all night Kiley insisted the flowers were hers. She wanted to hold them on the couch ??? Weird child, I know.

Thanks Shawn, I LOVE YOU!

2010-07-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

My sister recommended I write a book blog...mostly because I read a lot, and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. After thinking about the whole book blog idea, I decided I don't have time to write one. BUT, for anyone interested, I have an account on GoodReads.com. (my name on the website is Mickolus) OR you can search for me with my email address: mmsundquist@yahoo.com
On GoodReads.com, I list all the books I read, and a short book review.
If anyone has any book recommendations, let me know. I like reading just about anything, mostly fiction books. I especially like reading books in a series. Not a fan of religious or motivational/self-help books.
My favorite books are: The Host by Stephenie Meyer, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, and Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris.

Thanks Grandma Neener

2010-07-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks Grandma Neener! Kiley Loves the package you sent.

My 26th Birthday!

2010-05-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my 26th Birthday. Thanks everyone for all the birthday calls/texts/emails/facebook shout-outs and especially thanks for all the birthday GIFTS!

I hate getting older, but I love presents.

I had a really great day yesterday. I went out to lunch with Michelle Milne (from work), Catherine Lara (from work), Aunt Sue, Aunt Teri, Brittney (cousin), Aunt Nancy, & Uncle Robert. We had Chipotle...YUM.

After work I went out for dinner with Shawn, Kiley, Mom, Dad and G-ma Ford. We went to the Claim Jumper because I love the salad bar there. After dinner, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for cake and present opening!

I was SO SPOILED this year. Shawn and Kiley got me a new Zune (its a touch screen), Love it. They also got me a case for it and a car charger (much needed). It seems like my battery always dies when I'm going to be in the car for a long time. They also got me the movies "Couple's Retreat" and "Pirate Radio". Mom and Dad got me a few shirts/sweaters, some victoria's secret lotions/lip glosses/ and body mist. They also got me a hotel night stay and 1 night babysitting. LOVE IT! Melissa, Mark and Ashton got me 3 shirts (one of which I'm wearing today!) I also got LOTS and LOTS of gift cards from people. I have money now to go to Barnes and Noble, Jamba Juice, Chilis, Pac Sun, and more! I also got some cash from my parents-in-law. I'm going to be using that money to get myself some skins for my kindle and my flip video camera.

SERIOUSLY, I got spoiled. I love my birthday, but not the aging process. Thanks everyone for making my birthday so Special!

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I had such a great Mother's Day. Shawn always spoils me and mother's day was no exception. We had breakfast at Mom and Dad's and were able to talk to Joe in France. :)

We opened gifts over there too. Shawn got me a Flip Video Camera. I LOVE IT. I have been thinking about getting one for a long time and now, I have one! He also got me a DC Sweatshirt.

Later that night, we had a Mother's Day celebration at Mom and Dads. I decided to take some video of the night just because it's fun to look back 10 years later and see how much everyone has changed.

Annie was taking a picture of G-ma, Dad and Uncle Jim. I decided it was best if I got this on video, and I was right. G-ma's face is priceless.

2010-04-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Love this little girl!

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

For the past 2 weeks, I've been teaching Kiley about the Easter Bunny so that she might understand why there were Easter eggs hidden all over the house. I think she understands pretty well.

Last night, Shawn and I hid all the eggs in the house and we figured we should hide them in plain sight because she's only 2 years old and not the most observant child. Boy were we wrong. When she got up, she started collecting the eggs so fast. She had no problem at all finding all the eggs in a matter of minutes. She clearly needed more of a challenge!

She loved getting candy and we actually think she acts like the Lord of the Rings character "Golem" with her candy. She takes such good care of it and doesn't let it out of her sight.

Troy came over in the morning for a while and then we headed to Aunt Nancy and Uncle Robert's house for dinner. It's nice living so close to family.

(yes, this is a very scary face)

2010-04-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

She was supposed to be napping, but had a little too much fun instead. When I went in to check on her, she said "Morning Mama".

Circus Vargas

2010-03-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

Me, Shawn, Kiley and my mom went to Circus Vargas tonight. (Dad wouldn't go because there were no animals in the show). It was in the promenade mall parking lot. I got the cheapest tickets they sold ($20.00 each) but I'm glad I was cheap because our seats were amazing. There really were no bad seats.

Kiley's been so excited about going to the circus since we bought our tickets on Thursday. She seemed to enjoy it, but mostly enjoyed running up and down the aisle while the show was going on.

I thought it was a pretty fun show. Hot inside the tent, but a fun show to watch.

Kiley and Grandma playing with their matching glow sticks.

2010-03-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted any pictures of Kiley. She's already 2 1/2 years old!

It's Fantastic!

2010-03-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably already know, Michelle's little brother Joe left for his Paris, France mission about 6 weeks ago. When he left, he handed over the responsibilities for his fantasy hockey team to Michelle. Joe definitely took his fantasy team pretty seriously, and I'm sure he couldn't be more proud of how team 'Paris France' has been doing. Michelle has beaten almost everybody she has played since taking over (except me I think. . .) and is currently in the semifinals of our playoffs and winning so far this week. She has gotten pretty intense into this league, and is very excited that they boys have decided to allow her to play in the league as a full time member next season. I love the fantasy hockey stuff, but I can honestly say I've never lost sleep over wanting to win as badly as she does. Everyone be sure to wish her luck!

2010-03-23T11:05:00.001-07:00

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change we seek."

- President Barack Obama

Weekend with the Sundquist Family!

2010-02-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

This weekend Stephanie, Vic, Lisa and Leila came down from Utah for a visit. Troy drove from San Diego and stayed the weekend too. Vic was able to fix my bathtub problem the first night they were here and then Saturday and Sunday Vic and Troy worked on Troy's car. (just during the day)

While the guys were working outside on the car, we played with bubbles and sidewalk chalk on the patio. Kiley had tons of fun.

We played games at night while watching the olympics. And on Sunday, we went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. There was a 12 hour old baby elephant. Born on Feb 14, Valentine's Day! We got to see her. She is only about a person's waist high right now, but weighed something like 200lbs when she was born.

Here's Kiley and Troy at the Wild Animal Park. We had to bribe Kiley with a cookie to get her to sit there for the picture.

Kiley looking through the telescope at the Giraffes
After the Wild Animal Park, we went to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner. YUM.

Lisa reading to Kiley and Leila

Me and the Leila Bug

Books

2010-01-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

I need some good book suggestions.

Ps: just finished reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks and i really liked it. I'm excited for the movie next month!

2010-01-11T15:44:00.000-08:00

My grandpa Ford passed away on December 30, 2009.

Grandpa was 88 years old and had been married to my Grandma for 64 wonderful years.

The last year of Grandpa's life was hard for him and hard for me to watch, but some of my favorite memories of Grandpa came during this year, mostly because Kiley was able to really get to know Grandpa. Kiley loved Grandpa so much. She really loved going to visit him at his home. I never even had to ask her to give Grandpa a kiss and hug, she did that on her own.

I feel so fortunate to have had 25 years with Grandpa Ford. He is the kind of person I could only hope to become.

The memorial service was held on Saturday, January 9, 2010 at the Hope Lutheran Church in Temecula, CA. I could not believe how many people came to pay their respects to Grandpa. The church was packed and rows and rows of people stood up in the back as well.

Grandpa has been such an amazing example in my life. My family has been so blessed because of Grandpa. He will forever be in our hearts and in our memories.

Merry Christmas

2010-01-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

This year we went up to Utah for Christmas. I've never been much of a fan of the snow, but Shawn and Kiley are. Kiley loved going outside and thanks to mom and dad, she had appropriate clothes to wear out in the snow.

- After Christmas morning, Shawn and Kiley were pretty exhausted so they took a little nap on the couch together.
- Gus and Shawn have gotten a lot closer over the years. Close enough to share a snuggie and hot chocolate.

- Kiley got a lot of Elmo things for Christmas this year. Her favorite Elmo is probably "Baby Elmo" from Auntie Lisa and Uncle Gus.
- The dogs enjoyed Christmas this year also, they got a couple bones in their stockings. I think Darla liked the snow more then Hank.

- We went up to the Ford cabin in Heber for a quick visit on Thursday (Christmas Eve). Kiley and Ashton played so well together. And mom read them a book, notice Kiley's face! We started watching The Little Mermaid while the boys were off on the snowmobiles.
- Both Kiley and Ashton wanted to sit with Auntie Melissa during the movie.

- We were fortunate to get to see "Touchdown" in action this year.
- Kiley was not too fond of Leila at first, but as the days progressed, she was more friendly with her.

White Stars in Murrieta

2009-12-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

So, we've lived in Murrieta for about 4 years now and I have always noticed these white stars painted on the residential streets. They are about 3 feet by 3 feet solid white stars painted on different streets around our neighborhood and other residential neighborhoods in Murrieta. I've asked people about the stars, but no one seems to know what they're for and no one even realized there were painted stars on the ground. It's just been a big mystery for the last few years for me.

THEN, last night, I thought the cops were outside the house because I heard sirens and someone talking on a loud speaker. It turns out it wasnt the cops, but a city organization that brings Santa and his sleigh out to the neighborhoods all around Murrieta. They announced on the loud speaker to "GO TO THE STAR" and meet up with Santa, his reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

The organization trys to collect canned goods while they have Santa go around the town. It's a pretty cool thing that the city does every year.

So, when I heard the announcement to "Go to the Star," I threw on some shoes and put a jacket on Kiley and we walked down our street to the white star painted on the road. And sure enough, Santa was there!

Kiley was so scared of him so I sat with her and took a picture with Santa. She was still nervous and crying, but she did OK. My neighbor, the dirt head (self titled) took our picture...he reeked of beer, but he's a nice guy. Kiley was really interested in Santa, his reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, but only wanted to see them from a distance. She keep saying "looka mama" and pointing to the snowman.

Just to let you know, I asked one of Santa's helpers about the white stars on the ground. The white stars were painted for this event and nothing more. There is NO other reason for the white stars all around Murrieta.

Kiley Pictures

2009-12-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

Kiley just had her pictures taken, so I thought I would post a couple. Sorry about the quality...I scanned a copy of the picture into the computer and it didnt work so well.

Ducks Game

2009-11-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

Me, Ryan, Joe and Dad went to the Ducks vs Flames game last night. Ducks won in a shoot out.

This was my first invite to a Ducks game in a long time, but Dad said if I wanted, we could make this a tradition, every 5 years, they invite me to a game! Sad. But I had fun. Thanks for inviting me.

Happy Birthday Troy

2009-11-17T21:56:00.000-08:00

Since it's Troy's birthday, we went to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in San Marcos on Saturday night. We're so glad we live so close to each other so that we could celebrate his 33rd Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TROY!

Here's Kiley eating her ice cream.

Marine Ball

2009-11-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

Shawn and I attended the Marine Corps Ball on Monday, November 9, 2009. It was held on the Midway ship in San Diego.

Joe's Mission Call

2009-11-10T21:36:00.001-08:00

My youngest brother Joey just got his mission call. He is going to Paris, France!
Mom and Dad were out of town, so I took pictures for them and Joe's friend took video.

This picture shows it all. Joe's face is excited and shocked. I love this picture mostly because he looks SO happy.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

Kiley was a skeleton for Halloween this year. This was my first year dressing her up and going out with her. (last year Shawn and Kiley went to UT for Halloween)

Kiley went with my mom and dad to their ward Trunk or Treat a week before Halloween so she already understood that she was going to get candy if she held out her pumpkin bucket.

We went to visit my Grandpa Ford at the Murrieta Gardens and showed off the costume to all the old folks. They thought she was a boy (oh well).

At night, we went to my aunt Nancy's house and did some trick or treating. My aunt and uncle do this thing where they invite TONS of families to come to their house on Halloween and sit out on the driveway and in the garage and hang out passing out candy and eating food. They had a bouncy jumpy thing in the front yard and friends and neighbors sat in lawn chairs on the driveway passing out candy. It was perfect because we hit up about 7 people for candy right there in the driveway.

People are funny. They see Kiley all cute and small and give her the biggest handful of candy possible, but then older kids never get as much as her. What are they thinking? They seriously dont know me because Kiley got to eat maybe one or two things out of the candy stash. The rest is still somewhere around the house. I'm not much of a candy eater and Shawn doesnt seem to be eating it either. Candy is going in the trash this week if its still hanging around.

Shawn's Birthday!

2009-11-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

Shawn had his 27th Birthday on Oct 30, 2009. We opened presents after work and then Troy joined us for dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. It's been so nice having Troy live so close.

We did cupcakes instead of cake...mostly because cupcakes are SO good.

And Shawn's big gift/almost only gift, was the Wii.

So far he's been playing it a lot, but recently he's put the Wii down to read a Dan Brown book that he also got for his birthday.

(Shawn thinks I'm stupid for making him pose for a picture with his Wii. I don't care...I spent a lot of money on it and if i want a picture, i should get a picture)

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today, we went to Bates Nut Farm for the pumpkin patch. The parking lot was packed, but it was surprisingly not too bad walking around the farm. We got there around 1pm and spent about 1 1/2 hours there. SUPER FUN. We will for sure go back next year.

Kiley had a blast at the petting zoo area. She was so brave. She walked right up to a goat and tried to pick him up! She just wanted to be their friends so badly. One of the goats went into his dog house and she just stayed at the front of the dog house petting him and loving him.

We went through the hay maze...not so much fun, but Kiley liked the freedom to walk where ever she wanted.

When we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin, Kiley was SO excited. She wanted to get a pumpkin so bad. She even says "pumpkin" now. All the pumpkins were too big for her to carry and she really wanted to pick one up herself. We found the perfect pumpkin for her....just her size. She loves this pumpkin. She even wanted to hold the pumpkin at bedtime. I think she wanted to sleep with her pumpkin!

In the evening, Kiley went with Mom and Dad to their ward Trunk or Treat. She is a skeleton this year. No pictures yet, but hopefully mom will email me some of the ones she took.

WHY DO I LAUGH EVERYTIME I LOOK AT THIS PICTURE?

2009-10-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY KILEY

2009-10-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today was Kiley's 2nd Birthday.

For Kiley's birthday, Shawn and I had decided to get her a "big girl bed." I also found on craigslist a table and chairs that I painted to match her room. She's a little young for a bed, but we figure she needs to learn to sleep in a bed at some point, so why not now?

Here's a picture of her NEW ROOM!

She took a little nap in her bed - no problems!

We went over to my Mom and Dad's for dinner, cake and the opening of presents. Kiley was SO spoiled. She got books, movies, dress up shoes and jewlery, clothes, bowling and soccer stuff, a backpack, and a stroller for her dolls. Im sure there's some things I'm forgetting, but this is the gist of it. She was opening presents for what seemed like an hour. Thanks for all the gifts everyone, it was WAY too much, but she loved it all.

I made her birthday cake this year. It was the birthday cake from HELL. It took 4 trips to the grocery store before I had all the ingredients. It was HORRIBLE. I don't know what was wrong with me, but I would forget things, or I would swear I had something at home, but when I got home, I didnt have the ingredient. It was not a good experience. And to top it all off, the cake turned out lopsided. I guess this should teach me a lesson....always use store bought cakes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAR!

Kiley almost 2 years old

2009-10-02T19:09:00.001-07:00

I want to write this stuff down because I know in the future I'll want to look back to see what Kiley was going on with Kiley at almost 2 years old.

These are the things she says:
Actual Word: Blanket / Kiley says: Gankie
Actual Word: Yes / Kiley says: Yesh
Actual Word: Darla (our dog) / Kiley says: Darda
Actual Word: Please / Kiley says: Peez
Actual Words: I want / Kiley says: I yant
Actual Word: Yucky / Kiley says: Ucky
Actual Words: Thank you / Kiley says: Tank you
Actual Word: Grandpa / Kiley says: gampa
Actual Words: Here you go / Kiley says: Un go
Actual Words: Good night / Kiley says: nigh nigh
Actual Word: Book / Kiley says: Gook
Actual Word: Sorry / Kiley says: Shorry
Actual Words: I love you / Kiley says: le you
ALSO: If you ask "what's your name", she says "Kiley"

She loves to color, sing and dance. She is a girly girl! She loves dolls, shopping carts, hair bows, and hair brushes. She loves taking a bath. She loves reading. We read so many books each day. If she had her way, we would read for hours and hours. Her favorite TV show is the Backyardigans. She doesnt really watch too much TV, but its usually the Backyardigans.
Above all those things, her most favorite thing in this world are SHOES. She LOVES shoes. no joke, she wants to wear shoes at all times. in the morning, i let her pick what shoes to wear. Grandma Neener got her some PJ's that have the feets on them, and these are probably her most favorite pair of "shoes" that she has.
Kiley still can't sleep without her "gankie." She goes to bed without a fuss (occasionally we have a rough night, but most nights she goes right to bed). She always wakes up early. Well, early for me (7am)
Kiley's still small for her age. She wears size 12 month - 18 months. Size 4 shoes. She actually has a pair of jean shorts that still fit her, size 3 months! (shown in the picture above with the pink heart shirt).
Kiley eats more then a normal adult. She eats everything and almost anything. She loves fruit, bananas, strawberrys and peaches especially. She always says "I wanna cookie", but that just means she wants something to eat. She doesnt know the difference between the word: cookie and the word: food.
Shawn is determined to have her play soccer when she's older. They are working on kicking the ball and she's getting quite good. She uses her feet to kick instead of her hands now!
Kiley loves to get me the diapers and wipes to change her diaper, but after she brings me the stuff, she makes a run for it. She HATES getting her diaper changed almost as much as I hate changing it. I NEED potty training to begin, but she does not understand the concept of "going to the bathroom."
Time-out has become a daily thing for her. She likes to hit me and Hank (the dog). She used to get upset about sitting in the corner and would cry until she could come out, but now she sits in timeout and doesnt complain. She acts like she enjoys a little quiet time in the corner. Not sure she understands why she's sitting there.
One of my favorite things about Kiley is how loveable she is. She loves to hug and loves to give kisses. She'll just come up and give me a huge hug for no reason. I love it.
Kiley's birthday is next Sunday (Oct 11) and she'll be 2 years old!

Everything's Going Missing

2009-09-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

I feel like Shawn and I have become detectives lately. We are always on the look-out for things she's taken. Kiley is constantly picking up things and hiding them. I know she doesn't mean to hide them, but she puts them places where we never think to look.

A couple days ago I went into the hall closet to get some toilet paper and instead of toilet paper, I found toys. Kiley had moved the toilet paper to make room for some stuffed animals and her doll!

Troy was over at the house on Sunday and I spot Kiley pushing her shopping cart toy down the hall. I stopped her once I realized that inside the cart were Troy's cell phone and the TV and DVD remotes. I'm sure Troy would have been looking everywhere for that phone and I'm not sure we would ever have found it.

Then, last night Shawn couldn't find his cell phone chargers (plural). We looked for a few minutes last night, but decided Kiley must have put them in her room. We didn't want to wake her up, so we waited until this morning to go look in her room for the cell chargers. They were no where to be found. We looked everywhere in the house, the kitchen drawers, the trash can, the toy box, under the bed, under the couch, inside her dresser drawers, inside our closet. NOTHING. I kept walking around the house thinking "If I were Kiley, where would I hide these." We pretty much gave up. Then, as I'm waking in the bathroom, I tripped over a shoe and fell on top of a clothes hamper (with a lid). I probably broke the lid, but that's not what caught my attention. Inside the clothes hamper were the cell phone chargers!

I honestly dont know why she decided to put the chargers into the hamper. SO WEIRD.

Weekend in SLC

2009-08-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend Kiley and I went to Salt Lake City to visit Vic, Stephanie, Lisa and Gus. Kiley had a blast like always. She loves her grandpa and grandma.

Kiley loved playing outside and feeding the fish. Uncle Gus helped her clean out the pond.

Sunday morning, Stephanie and Vic took Kiley to church while I went with Melissa, Mark, Ashton, Teri and James to see Dad's new cabin in Heber, UT. We all like it a lot. Melissa has a weird idea about the downstairs bedroom/bathroom. She calls it "the Glodowski room" Not sure where she got the idea because when i talked to dad, he said that he got the house because he thought the downstairs bedroom/bath would be a perfect room for me, shawn, kiley, hank and darla.

Melissa and Teri made Kiley a tutu. She was unsure about it at first, but once I put it on her, she had a ton of fun. She was dancing and twirling!

We spent most of Sunday night hanging out. Gus was determined to make kiley love him. He was so good with her. She thought he was so funny.

Wish we could have stayed longer. Weekend trips just seem to go by so quickly. We are hoping to have some visitors in California in a couple months (hint hint Lisa, Leila and Stephanie)

Funny Stuff

2009-08-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

So, when Shawn is really tired and laying in bed trying to fall asleep, he sometimes says things that make no sense. He's 1/2 asleep and talking at the same time. After a while, I decided it might be funny to write down the things he says.

These are my favorite "Shawn" quotes from the past month.

"I miss my 'best of both worlds' hat. It was so pretty in all its bedazzled gloriousness."

"Hunny, butlers don't just build bridges on their own, we have to pay for stuff like that"

Someday, Im gonna be knighted by the queen of England. It's gonna be a happy day"

Taylor Family Reunion

2009-07-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the annual Taylor Family Reunion Camping Trip. This year the camping trip was at Cedar Mountain in Utah. We really liked the location mostly because its only an 8 hour drive for us!

Kiley had such a good time, but I think the excitement of camping and 4-wheelers made her a bit cranky sometimes. She didn't really want to do anything else except ride the 4-wheelers or play on the 4-wheelers.

I think Kiley's favorite part of the trip was being with her grandpa and grandma. She LOVED playing with them this weekend and Shawn and I really enjoyed having some down time. THANKS STEPHANIE AND VIC!!!

Grandma Neener, Grandpa Vic and Kiley

It was DIRTY and DUSTY there. Kiley just could NOT stay clean. She went through every outfit I packed for her.

Auntie Lisa, Leila and Kiley

Oh yeah, and Shawn won some sort of contest.

4th of July

2009-07-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Shawn Kiley and I went to Kanab UT for the 4th of July. It was Grandma Fleckner's family reunion. Melissa, Ryan, Mr. Ashton, Mom and Dad were all there. It was really great to see everyone, but we wished Joe, Mark, Teri and James could have been there too.

We spent a lot of time hanging outside of Great-Aunt Zelma's house. Kiley and Ashton had so much fun playing outside.

We went to the Kanab parade in the morning.

Mom rode in a corvette in the parade. No one really knows why. Weird.

Kiley enjoying her candy that she collected from the parade. She never ate any of it, but she loved putting the candy in her bag and taking it out and then putting it back in her bag.

Kiley getting ready to leave the hotel. She looks so happy because she had no idea what was in store for her....an 11 hour car ride home. Ridiculous.

Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Shawn had to work on Father's day from 12pm - 5pm, so we decided to celebrate a little bit on Saturday by going to the Wild Animal Park together. Kiley had such a good time. She really loved the gorillas AND since she's learning how to say the word Gorilla it was perfect. The funny thing is, she called the gorillas "Darla". I guess the gorillas reminded her of our bull mastiff Darla!

Sunday (Father's Day), Kiley and I got up around 7:30 and made breakfast for Shawn. Actually, I made breakfast and Kiley just sat there eating a banana. Shawn asked for French Toast. So, he got French Toast, Sausage and Cinnamon rolls.

Shawn watched sports on his new 40inch TV all morning and then went to work. After work he met me over at my mom and dad's for the Father's Day Party. Shawn is the such an amazing dad. Kiley and I are so lucky to have him.

Home Improvement

2009-06-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

We finally cleaned out our front planter and it looks great! We forgot to take BEFORE pictures, but i found a picture online from google.maps. Plus, look how much greener our grass looks now.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Reading to Hank

2009-05-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

I caught Kiley reading books to Hank today. It was so stinking cute!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today was such a great day. Kiley and Shawn brought me breakfast in bed! I didnt have to do anything today! Shawn is always the best husband.
We went to mom and dad's for dinner and Kiley wanted so bad to play in the pool, so we let her. How cute is this? She had so much fun spashing around. She is going to LOVE playing in the pool this summer.

PS: I know she doesn't have her bathing suit on, but that's because we didn't plan on her swimming today. Don't judge me.

Loving the Swing

2009-05-01T09:27:00.002-07:00

Here's some pics of Kiley swinging at the park last weekend.

More Easter

2009-04-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Troy's new girlfriend April also met the whole family for the first time, and seemed to adjust well to the mayhem.

Grandma Stephanie had already sent our Easter baskets to our house so Kiley got to see all of her goodies today for the first time, and loved everything in there.

Friday night we went to my cousin Amber's soft ball game, Kiley went nuts running around and playing.

After the RockBand Concert was finished Troy and I decided there was something that needed to be done with all those leftover Easter eggs.

Easter

2009-04-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Kiley and I went up to St George to see my family and celebrate Easter.
On Saturday night, we played RockBand, with special appearances from the Taylor Girls. . .

And Butt Rock Troy.

Saturday there was the Easter egg hunt, Kiley was more worried about finding out what was in her eggs than finding eggs.

This is Kiley playing with "Carla" THE WORLDS MOST UNFORTUNATE LOOKING DOLL!

STAFF SERGEANT

2009-04-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Shawn! Today Shawn was promoted to Staff Sergeant in the USMC. I was able to go and watch the ceremony. He was given a framed "promotion warrant" and even got to go home early from work.
We went out to dinner to celebrate the promotion. Shawn, me, Kiley, My mom and Dad, and Troy went to Lucille's BBQ.
Shawn said it felt like his birthday today!

2009-03-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

Shawn has Saturday off of work this week!!! This is his first Saturday off since he started recruiting duty. Shawn reached his recruiting objective in the month of March so he got a day off in March!

She Hates Pictures

2009-03-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Kiley used to be so much fun to photograph. She would always smile for the pictures, NOW, she wont even look at me. Today, I tried to take her picture and she started to cry and throw a HUGE fit. She can be such a beast sometimes.

2009-02-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

Shawn, Kiley and I went to the park today.  Sad to say, but this was the 1st time the three of us have gone to the park together.  Kiley likes the swings, but the parks by our house don't have swings so we had to drive to the Murrieta sports park to use their playground.

 

Kiley went on the small slide with me, but got brave and went on the big slide with Shawn.

She is super cute near the 22nd second of the video!

Walking Progress

2009-02-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

Mid December Kiley took her 1st steps. Most babies would be running around like crazy right now, but NOT Kiley. She still is so nervous about walking. Originally, she would only walk from person to person...Now she is walking from object to object, but only a few feet at a time.
She'll get there, she's just a bit more cautious then most babies her age. And just because she looks like ET when she walks doesn't mean we love her any less.

HERE IT IS!

2009-01-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

This is the finished unit. I LOVE it to death. I still need to do a little touch up paint here and there, but it's usable and we were able to move our stuff into the drawers. Thanks again to Troy and Vic for all the help!

2009-01-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

This weekend we were lucky to have Shawn's parents come into town. It's a long drive from Salt Lake City, but we really enjoy them coming down. We just hung around the house all weekend, did some building and played some games. We really enjoyed having them here and kiley loved seeing her grandma Neener and grandpa.
Vic was such a help this weekend. In addition to helping build our bedroom entertainment center Build-in, Vic also changed the break pads on my jeep, mowed our lawn and put up shelving in our garage.
We got a TON of projects done this weekend. Troy, Vic and Shawn build my bedroom entertainment area and it looks GREAT. All I need to do is paint and put the drawers in and it will be completed. I'm so happy its finally done! (I'll post pictures of the unit on the blog after I paint)

She's walking

2008-12-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

Kiley is now walking!
it started about a week and a half ago, it's really wobbly and only a few steps at a time, but she's walking now!

We don't have any pictures or videos up yet, but she's doing everyday for us. She has not yet decided that she wants walk as a way of getting one spot to the next. She only walks to people if you stand her up first.

It's the next "step" for her growing up and we're very proud of how her.

-Shawn

The Great Escape

2008-12-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

A 3:30pm today I got a call on my cell phone from a phone number I didn't know. Normally I don't answer my phone if I don't know the number, but today I was bored, so I answered it. It was from a guy about a 1/2 mile from my house asking if I own a dog named Darla. I said Yes and he said that she had wandered over to his neighborhood.

I asked about my other dog Hank. He said that there is another dog with Darla, but he was too fast to catch. They couldn't get close enough to read his collar. He told me he would hold onto them until I got there.

I woke Shawn up so he could watch Kiley and I jumped in the car and drove over to the guy's house. As I was pulling up, the 1st thing I noticed was Hank running ALL OVER THE PLACE. The family who had Darla was trying to catch Hank, but he was darting from house to house on the block. Then I spotted Darla. Laying on the front yard grass being pet by some kids. She was in Heaven. I quickly got the dogs into the car and thanked the family for catching them for me.
When I got back home, the dogs got grounded straight into their kennels. I doubt they cared because they were tired from their adventure.

It didn't take me long to realize how the dog's had escaped. Below are some pictures of what our fence now looks like.

Shawn has decided that after Hank and Darla pass away, we will NOT be getting another dog.

This is the side of our house...and YES that is our fence and gate flat on the ground.

Close up of the fence and gate on the ground

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

2008-12-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right, my 14 month old daughter has a black eye! She had an accident yesterday when I was at work. She misjudged the weight of a table and tried to stand up using the table as leverage. The table was too light and she fell over backwards taking the table down with her.

The eye looks pretty bad, but she's acting like nothing ever happened. She hasn't been any more grumpy then usual. I'm just hoping that the black eye goes away before December 26th because we are taking family pictures on that day.

You'll Regret It

2008-12-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

My Aunt Nancy keeps telling me we're going to regret not taking video of Kiley while she's this small and so much fun. Pictures are great, but videos are better. We have a video camera, but I'm not sure how to use it and I'm not even sure where it is. I just used my camera and took a few videos of Kiley. I hope I can remember to take more video from time to time because it's going to be fun to look back at these times in her life.

MURRIETA GARDEN'S X-MAS PARTY

2008-12-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last night, Kiley and I had the privilege of attending the Murrieta Garden's Holiday Bash! For those of you who don't know, My G-pa Ford recently moved into the Murrieta Garden Assisted Living facility. Last night was the big Christmas Party and Kiley, Myself and G-ma Ford went to the party with G-pa.

The night started out with festive music provided by none other then the Murrieta Garden's Choir...YES, this is a choir made up of the old people who live there. I JUST LOVED IT

The staff sang a few songs and then dinner was served. When I say dinner was served, I mean dinner was laid out in a buffet style. It was chaos. Imagine 30 people in their 80s with wheelchairs and walkers trying to make it 20 feet across the room and then go through a buffet line. I think I was in the line getting food for G-pa for 20 minutes. Then I got to go back in line for my food.

Because of Kiley's unpleasant attitude, I was unable to eat my dinner. But, it's OK, because it didn't look all that appetizing.

Then, SANTA CAME! I thought it would be weird to bring Santa to an Old people Christmas party, but you would have been surprised. Lots of the old people were taking their pictures with Santa. It was pretty cute. Kiley took her picture with Santa and did NOT like it. She was not a fan of Mr. Clause. I would like to thank the Murrieta Gardens for not skimping out on renting the "Good" Santa Clause. He had a full on, REAL beard. It was a great looking Santa beard.

After dinner G-pa and G-ma took me and Kiley on a tour of G-pa's room. It's a nice room and a really nice facility.

KILEY

2008-11-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

We haven't posted many pictures of Kiley lately. These are some pics over the last month or so of the girl. She's getting SO big!
Just an update, Kiley has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth now. She is able to walk holding onto someone's hands. She can wave hello or goodbye and she can point at things or people.
Her favorite things are the bathtub, the closet with toilet paper and papertowells and the closet with all her blankets.
She knows what NO means, but thinks it's funny and does it anyways (she actually looks at you and smiles while she getting into something she knows she shouldn't).
She still sucks on her 2 fingers and can't sleep without her blanket touching her face.
She just started reaching out for people to hold her.
Most importantly, Kiley has turned into a smiler. She loves to smile now and she loves to laugh. Sometimes, when we arent really paying attention to her, she just starts laughing!

Book Report

2008-11-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

I bought this book with a Barnes and Noble gift card I got for my birthday and took it to Hawaii with us so I could read it on the plane and where ever else I wanted to kill time.

There is not a lot that we know about the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. It was long believed that they were just a bunch of unruly pirates and prostitutes until the English took over the colony. But they are working on translating 30,000 pages of manuscript found in the Hague and a library in Albany. They contain court cases, letters, laws and public and personal records. They show a very civilized, tolerant and extremely diverse population of people who were living well.

Sounds pretty boring but it was a very fascinating book. It reads more like a novel than a text book and goes into detail about many of the characters who were responsible for developing Manhattan and the American way of life. The first representative government in the new world was started there for instance. A great book, if you live in New York it would be a lot of fun to know about all the places they talk about in the book.

I would recommend anyone who is interested in history or just likes learning different things to read this book.

-Shawn

Twilight the movie

2008-11-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

So, I saw Twilight at the movie theaters this weekend. I really enjoyed the movie! Don't get me wrong, the special effects were majorly lacking, but I LOVE the cast and I thought the acting was good. I thought that "Bella" was Exactly how I imagined her. I really hope they make the next 3 movies! And, if you didn't think Jasper was cute in the movie, the picture below will make you realize how VERY wrong you are.

MAUI VACATION

2008-11-17T20:50:00.001-08:00

Shawn and I just got back from our 8 day trip to Maui and Oahu. We had such a great time. We stayed at the Maui Ocean Club hotel on Maui for 7 nights. We went snorkeling and even swam with sea turtles. We also went on a sunset cruise on our last night on Maui.

On our 1st day in Maui, we drove 2 hours to the top of the mountain Haleakala to watch the sunrise. It was so beautiful. We had to leave the hotel around 4:30am to get to the top of the mountain by sunrise, but it was worth it. It was only 40 degrees and we weren't dressed for the weather, but we still would recommend watching the sunrise here. At the top of the mountain, you are actually above the clouds, so when the sunrises, you see it rise above the clouds. Its amazing.

On Saturday, we flew to Oahu to spend our last night in Waikiki. We met up with my sister Teri and spend the day/night with her. We went to Turtle beach and saw the turtle and seal (pictured above) sunbathing. So CUTE.
We had such an amazing vacation. It was the perfect place and perfect timing. This was a much needed vacation.

2008-11-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

I receive weekly emails from Geoff Kors, Executive Director for No on Prop 8. Today, I received this email from the group of directors regarding the recent loss. Normally I would not put this on my blog, but I feel that this email should be shared. This was a cause I was very emotionally invested in.

I admit, I was not the person who put a lawn sign on my front yard for the cause. I didn't stand on the corner waving a sign and screaming for Proposition 8. I didn't go door to door to try to sway people's votes a certain direction.....But I regret not doing any of those things.

I truly thought that California voters would vote for equality. I understand that a No vote on Prop 8 would cause several business to go out of business such as adoption agencies. It's a horrible thought that a company might go out of business because they stayed strong to their religious beliefs. But anyway you look at the situation, it all comes down to equal rights.

I truly believe that every person should be treated equally and when I heard that Prop 8 passed, I felt confused and I really felt disappointed that the people of California voted Yes.

I KNOW that same-sex marriages will be legal in the state of California one day. Every person deserves the same rights, no matter what their orientation may be.

Below is the letter.

"Dear Friend,

We had hoped never to have to write this email. Sadly, fueled by misinformation, distortions and lies, millions of voters went to the polls yesterday and said YES to bigotry, YES to discrimination, YES to second-class status for same-sex couples.

And while the election was close, and millions of votes still remain uncounted, it has become apparent that we lost.

There is no question this defeat is hard. Thousands of people have poured their talents, their time, their resources and their hearts into this struggle for freedom and this fight to have their relationships treated equally. Much has been sacrificed in this struggle.

While we knew the odds for success were not with us, we believed Californians could be the first in the nation to defeat the injustice of discriminatory measures like Proposition 8.And while victory is not ours this day, we know that because of the work done here, freedom, fairness and equality will be ours someday.

Just look at how far we have come in a few decades.Up until 1974 same-sex intimacy was a crime in California. There wasn't a single law recognizing the relationships of same-sex couples until 1984 -- passed by the Berkeley School District. San Francisco did not pass domestic-partner protections until 1990; the state of California followed in 2005. And in 2000, Proposition 22 passed with a 23% majority.

Today, we fought to retain our right to marry and millions of Californians stood with us. Over the course of this campaign everyday Californians and their friends, neighbors and families built a civil rights campaign unequalled in California history.You raised more money than anyone believed possible for an LGBT civil rights campaign.You reached out to family and friends in record numbers -- helping hundreds of thousands of Californians understand what the LGBT civil rights struggle is really about.You built the largest grassroots and volunteer network that has ever been built -- a coalition that will continue to fight until all people are equal.And you made the case to the people of California and to the rest of the world that discrimination -- in any form -- is unfair and wrong.

We are humbled by the courage, dignity and commitment displayed by all who fought this historic battle.Victory was not ours today. But the struggle for equality is not over.

Because of the struggle fought here in California -- fought so incredibly well by the people in this state who love freedom and justice -- our fight for full civil rights will continue.Activist and writer Anne Lamott writes, "Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."We stand together, knowing... our dawn will come."

- MICHELLE

2008-11-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

We went to Utah for Halloween this past weekend. Shawn and Kiley flew up on Thursday and I met them in Utah Friday night. We had such a good time with the Sundquist family. Kiley got to meet her great grandma and grandpa Sundquist this weekend for the first time.

We went out to dinner with the family for a belated birthday dinner for Shawn at the Outback.

If anyone is interested, Kiley was the worst baby ever on the flight home. It was so embarrassing. Basically, she screamed the entire time.

Grandma Neener made Kiley her Halloween costume. She was a stinking cute lion.

Auntie Lisa and Kiley ----------------------------------------- GG-Ma and GG-Pa Sundquist, Vic, Shawn and Kiley

Shawn and Kiley in her Lion Costume ------------------------------- Grandma Neener getting Kiley ready

Learning Languages

2008-10-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Marine Corps has decided to offer the Rosetta Stone Language Learning courses to Marines for free! Right now I'm learning spanish. I learned a lot in Jr High and High School already, but now I'll know it better I guess. After I finish spanish I want to go right into a new language but I'm having a hard time deciding which one, so I'm going to put up a poll for everyone to vote on so I can see what YOU think.

I understand that Portuguese and Italian are supposedly really easy if you know spanish already.

I really want to learn something kind of interesting that not many people know, (at least not people i know) like Swedish or maybe Dutch, but if not too many people know it, how useful would that really be?

Anyway, vote and let me know what you guys all think!

-Shawn

Are you as stupid as I am?

2008-10-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

My cousin was working on a school assignment and was having difficulty solving it. I took a look at the problem and I could NOT answer the problem. I felt SO stupid. I looked at it for a couple minutes, thought about it for a while, and then just gave up. I don't feel as stupid because my aunt couldn't figure it out either. Then, my uncle Robert sat down for 20 minutes and finally came up with the correct answer. Keep in mind, this question is in a book for grades 3 - 6.

Anyone who's interested, here is the question. You may want to talk out loud when thinking about the problem, or write down what you're thinking. I'll post the answer later, but let me know if you get the answer and let me know how long it took you to get the answer.

Question: What's in a Name?

The last names of Ruth, Scott, Talisa, and Walter are Ithling, Jacobs, King, and Latimer. From the clues below, match up the first and last name of each person.

1. King, who is Latimer's grandfather, is not related to Ruth.

2. Scott is 5 years old.

3. Scott is not related to Walter or Jacobs.

*remember, this question was in a book for 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders. Makes you really feel stupid.
- Michelle

Recruiter Graduation

2008-10-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

This morning Shawn became an official Marine Corp Recruiter! He graduated with a class of approximately 300 other marines. The graduation was down on the Marine Corp Recruting Depot in San Diego. He looked so handsome in his dress blues. He now has 30 days of leave and then checks in to his new office in Moreno Valley, CA where he will be stationed for the next 3 years.

The 1st picture was taken for Gus Gus. Shawn is standing under a palm tree next to a street sign called "Samoa"

Time to "Baby Proof"

2008-10-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

After Kiley and I got home from work/daycare, I put her in the den with a cup of milk while I went outside to get the dogs some water and food. I was gone, maybe 5 minutes and when I came back to check on her she had found my secret stash of money. I like to keep some secret money in the house for things like Shawn's Birthday or for vacation cash. I keep the money in a box with stripes and then inside that, another smaller box and then inside that is the cash. I don't know how she figured it out, but she was loving it! I guess it's time to start putting things up a little higher.

Then, while typing this blog entry, I look over at Kiley and she has managed to tip a basket on top of her and spill out most of the contents onto the floor. Its an easy clean-up, but the basket is going to find a new home...a much higher location away from Kiley's grasp.

No More Bottles

2008-10-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Kiley's Pediatrician just told us that she did not want Kiley drinking bottles anymore. THIS IS THE BEST NEWS EVER. No more buying formula, no more washing bottles! Last night, Shawn was doing the dishes, but instead of washing the pile of bottles in the sink, we threw ALL the bottles into the trash can. And, the trash man came this morning and took all the trash to the dump. I hope I never have to see another bottle in my sink again. We saved one bottle (just to be safe). You never know if Kiley is going to have a freak attack, so we want to have a bottle handy just in case.

She drinks out of "Sippy cups" now. She is supposed to drink 3 cups of whole milk a day. She seems to enjoy the milk. I hope this transition isn't too difficult for Kiley, but I couldn't be happier.

I packed her a lunch today without any bottles. Her lunch included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some sugar free chocolate chip cookies, a juice box, some chex cereal, a pear, and some gold fish. I think she's gonna love it!

Kiley's Party

2008-10-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had Kiley's birthday party. We started out with a nice dinner that Michelle's mom prepared, which was very delicious. Then we let Kiley have a cake all to herself. She was a little apprehensive at first but then got to business as you can see.

So proud of herself!

Then we let her open presents, and this duck from Michelle's grandma was one of her favorite things all night.

Thanks to grandma Steffy, grandma and grandpa ford, aunt Casey, Troy, Great Grandma Fleckner, Great Grandma Ford, uncle Joe Joe and Aunt Melissa, Pebbles Glodowski and Calie for all the great presents!

Happy 1st Birthday

2008-10-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today is Kiley's 1st Birthday. We aren't celebrating her birthday until tomorrow, but thought I would share some birthday photos. We'll have more birthday pics posted soon.

WE LOVE MORENO VALLEY

2008-09-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

Today Shawn found out that he will be a Marine Corps Recruiter in the beautiful city of Moreno Valley! Thank you everyone for the prayers...we couldn't be happier. We had no idea where we might be stationed. We could have been stationed anywhere in the United States and with a lot of luck and a lot of Shawn sucking up to the right people, we are one of the lucky families who get to stay in the area we already live in. The commute is just about the same as he's been doing now (maybe even a little less of a commute).

Shawn will get a company car, cell phone and gas card, BUT these items can only be used for work related things. He doesn't get to take the car home, but it's still great.

Just as an update on Shawn's recruiting classes...he was 5th place in the fitness/running section, and 2nd in his group during the communications/public speaking class. He also recently scored 97% on a written test. Shawn doesn't like to brag about stuff, but I like to brag about him!

Oh yeah, he also just got selected for a promotion. Next year he will be "Staff Sergeant Sundquist"

Melissa and Ashton's Visit

2008-09-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had Melissa and Mr. Ashton come for a visit! Mr. Ashton and Kiley were sort of friends, but they have completely different personalities. Mr. Ashton just wants to play, have fun and smile all the time and Kiley just wants Mr. Ashton to leave her alone. She is a total beast sometimes, but I still love her.

Kiley and Ashton

Grandma and Kiley swimming

We could regularly find Joe in the same spot doing
the same thing...all weekend long.

Little Einsteins

2008-09-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Kiley apparently loves the show The Little Einsteins.

Whatever it is she is doing, she immediately stops and stares at the t.v. when the show comes on. Once the music stops, she might go back to playing or crawling or eating or whatever, but for a few minutes she cannot be distracted from her Little Einsteins.

-Shawn

Laundry Time

2008-08-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Uncle Troy let Kiley play in his laundry basket today! Troy pushed her all over the house and she loved it, but she would NOT smile for the picture.

Big Eater

2008-08-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today Michelle made Kiley a Strawberry Jelly sandwich on wheat bread. We're working on getting her eating more adult foods and getting her off bottles a little more. As you can see, she's having no trouble adjusting to tasty foods!

Black Belt

2008-08-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Shawn finished his class and became a Black Belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program! After several weeks of 4 hour classes that begin at 6am, he finally finished the course and, just in time...He is leaving his unit this week to attend recruiter's school in San Diego.

NOTE the Black Belt pictured above!

FAMILY FUN CENTER

2008-08-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

We went to Muligan's Family Fun Center tonight. Free pizza and free games so of course we went!

Kiley in her stroller acting SUPER happy

Kiley liked the little snake

But Loved the big snake better. I figure the more we introduce her to, the less scared she will be in the future. I will not have a chicken-butt for a baby.

Then, Shawn, Joe, me, and cousins Jordan and Hailey went Bumper Boating. Joe felt it necessary to request a life preserver for the 3 ft 11 inches deep water. Never can be too safe I guess.

La Costa

2008-08-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my favorite boss gave Shawn and I a fabulous night stay at the La Costa Resort in Carlsbad. At check-in we got a room upgrade because the woman at the counter said she loved Marines. Our room was beautiful. Our room had a fireplace, jacuzi bathtub, HUGE shower, and even a private balcony. Shawn and I ate at at the "Blue Fire" restaurant for dinner. This is the kind of restaurant where you actually don't know what 1/2 the stuff is on the menu, but you've heard the name because you watched an episode of Top Chef! It was VERY good. We were able to sleep in late on Sunday and had brunch at the "Legends" restaurant which was also delicious.

Just in case you were wondering where Kiley was...we didn't forget about her, but she went and spent the night with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Robert. They say she was a perfect angel.

My Girl

2008-08-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm one of those moms who thinks their baby is the cutest baby ever, but I really don't care. I love this girl. We don't have a ton of time together in the morning before work, but we always have time for a photo shoot!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLA!

2008-08-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Today is Darla's 2nd Birthday!

WHAT?!

2008-07-27T21:46:00.001-07:00

Now this is like 3 posts for today, but I had to take these pictures of Darla while she was laying like some sort of freak for like 25 minutes straight.
-Shawn

2008-07-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

PICTURE BLOG TAG

Here are the rules: you are to take 10 pictures of the following items. The catch is that you have to do it right away. There is NO straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five fellow bloggers. Have fun!!!

1. The Refrigerator
The freezer is fully stocked with baby food

2. The kitchen sink

3. The Laundry Room
Out in the garage

4. Favorite Room

5. Favorite Shoes
Old Navy flip flops

6. Part of the Closet

7. The Bathroom (sorry, its filthy)

8. What are your kids doing right now?
Kiley is playing with her blocks in her pack n play

9. Self Portrait

10. Dream Vacation
Abu African Safari

Just another day

2008-07-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

Today we woke up, and Kiley wanted to play with all of her stuffed animals in her "baby cage".
Then Michelle gave her some blocks we bought her last night.
Then I ate some lunch!
-Shawn

2008-07-26T12:54:00.001-07:00

Just so all of you are aware, Kiley does like her Darla Dog as well. Maybe when she's a little older she can go for horse rides!
-Shawn

Non-Crawler

2008-07-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

Even though Kiley can't crawl yet, she still seems to be able to get herself exactly where she wants to be. She has basically mastered rolling techniques that allow her to get to her destination! We have high hopes that she will be a crawling maniac SOON like her cousin Ashton Glodowski. - michelle

MOM AND DAD FORD

2008-07-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite Dad and my favorite Mom in the entire world! Sorry it look so long to get you onto the blog, but here ya go!

FISH LAKE

2008-07-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

FISH LAKE

This last weekend we went camping at Fish Lake in Utah, with my family. They have a four-wheeler camping vacation every year, but this was the first time we came up for it. We were not very sure of what to expect, but it was a lot of fun. A lot of dirty, but a lot of fun.

We saw about 9 large bull elk, a lot of beautiful mountains and meadows, but the highlight of my weekend, was going undefeated in horseshoes with Troy as my partner. Michelle's highlight might have been taking a shower last night!

Shawn and Michelle
Shawn and Michelle after a LONG 4-wheeler ride (FILTHY)
Kiley and Grandma Neener
Our tent

Clint, Kyle, Shawn and Troy chopping wood
The dogs loved camping, Darla might have enjoyed the ride up the best!
-Shawn

Tagged

2008-07-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

3 Joys:
- My husband Shawn and my baby girl Kiley aka the reason for Life.
- Chocolate Cake and Chocolate covered pretzels. I simply love them.
- My dogs. Life would be a lot more boring without them.

3 Fears:
- Spiders. I recently found a spider in my shower (right after I got out). Since then, anytime I go into the bathroom I do a thorough check of the entire bathroom to make sure there are no spiders. Then also Shawn and I found a Black Widow spider under the waterfall in my parent's pool. Now, the pool is scary place to be.
- The dark, seriously. I saw "Into the Darkness" probably the worst made movie in history, but I am terrified of the dark now. The sad thing is that I saw the movie about 5 years ago and I am still so scared.
- Dying.

3 Goals: (short term)
- Loose 10 lbs.
- Grow my hair back out. I cut it hoping my headaches would go away, but no.
- Finish the laundry. It's never done....ever

3 Goals: (long term)
- take a photography class and get myself a fancy expensive camera.
- Somehow make enough money so I only have to work because I want to work. I like working, but I would like to know that I don't have to work to survive.
- Meet or even just see a celebrity. Honestly, I have never even seen a celebrity from a distance. I mean a real celebrity like John Basedow.

3 Current Obsessions:
- My cell phone.
- Teaching Kiley to sit up by herself.
- The PussyCat Dolls new song "Just might get it" I don't know why I LOVE this song, but I listen to it on their website at work a Lot.

3 Surprising Facts:
- I wear glasses. Maybe that's not surprising, but hopefully no one really knows. I have glasses and I wear them a few times a month...In fact, I'm wearing them right now. But, I think nerds wear glasses and so I try not to wear them often.
- I bruise like a peach. Anything that hits me leaves a bruise. I look down at my legs and all the sudden I have a new bruise. Weird.
- My best friends are my brothers and sisters. With 5 kids in the family its hard to believe that I am best friends with all of them, but I AM. And, I'm best friends with my mama and dad too.

Man's (Kiley's) Best Friend

2008-07-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Kiley loves her dogs, especially Mr. Hankford Puppidor!
-Shawn

I Hate Darla

2008-07-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

I hate Darla, I think that she might be the most evil scum to be placed in my life, ever. She is an incredibly foul beast, who smells, does not obey even the most basic commands, is fat, steps on and crushes everyone almost daily, and leaves hair behind everywhere she goes.

She is a big giant sweetheart with huge loving eyes, and the most affectionate dog you could ask for and has nothing but the best intentions in everything she does. But I still hate her!
-Shawn

Family Weekend

2008-06-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend Shawn's Dad, Mom and brother Troy were in town and everyone stayed at our house. It was a tight fit, but we managed to make it work. Kiley slept in our room, Stephanie and Vic slept in Kiley's room and Troy slept on the couch in the living room.

We didn't have a big agenda, just pretty much hung around, played games and talked. On Sunday we all went down to Seaworld. It was not as crowded as I expected, but we got sunburned. My back is burned and Shawn's forehead is burned. Stephanie and Vic bought Kiley her very own seal stuffed animal which she loves. She only slept for a little bit at Seaworld, but overall, she wasn't a total grumpy baby. She was really only grumpy when we went to see a show. Shawn had to take her out of the Shamu show because she did not want to sit there and be good. But, she slept good Sunday night!

Grandma Stephie and Kiley

Grandpa Vic and Kiley in front of Shark Teeth "Who Ha Ha"

Shawn and Kiley in the icy polar bear den

Kiley, Troy, Stephanie, Michelle and Shawn