Please visit this website, sign, and pass the link on. This is a very worthy cause and a way to promote protecting our youth from pornography, violence, and obscenity on the internet. My Uncle Scott sent the following e-mail:
Dear Family:
Over the last five or so years I've been involved in an unsuccessful Don Quijote-like effort trying to convince government representatives and Internet industry leaders to provide a general community Internet alternative that is in compliance with existing federal obscenity laws meant to protect minors. I strongly believe that families, parents and others ought to at least have this as an alternative. Awhile ago an aide to Senator Boxer suggested I try to get some compelling grass roots support going. So I've finally decided to give that the old college by means of a petition drive.
Please find below a link to a website and petition. If so inclined I would greatly appreciate you signing the petition, which will be automatically be sent to your federal government representatives. If additionally inclined, I would also appreciate your sending a link of the website or petition to others who might be interested.
A very gargantuan thanks to Donny V and Kent for putting this website together. Two very kind and talented people.
Thank you for considering this!
Scott
http://www.safeinternetpetition.org
Monday, January 24, 2011
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Welcome Sandra Paige
Sandra Paige Hullinger became a part of our family on August 7th. She is the most beautiful and precious little baby girl. She is named after my wonderful mother who passed away 5 years ago.
Here is the story of how this went down...since I wasn't due until the 25th but had a scheduled c-section for the 18th. If you don't want all the gory details, then scroll down to the end of this posting for Sandra's information.
On the morning of the 7th we all woke up early to head to breakfast with John's brother Mark and his family. They had a long layover in Charlotte on their way to the Bahama's. We went to this little home cookin' restaurant in Matthews and the food was really delicious. This early and big breakfast came in very handy as the day began to progress. After coming back home we visited for a little while and then I headed to my friend Sayako's house for a baby shower for another friend Charlene, who delivered her baby ten weeks early. A small brunch was served, I was too full so I just drank the delicious drink, another good thing. After the shower I headed home to take a small nap before I took the kids to the movies. I had promised them we could go and see Toy Story 3, so I knew if I was going to make it I had to take a break. I got my short break, unfortunately no nap because my kids don't understand what please be quiet means.
So we headed to the 1:30 showing of Toy Story. The kids were really good during the movie, which in itself is a total miracle. We usually make one to two trips to the restroom but none this time, it was awesome. So as the movie ends we stop at the restroom since we have a little drive before we get home. While Brooklyn is in the restroom, Josh and I are standing out in the hallway waiting for her and I feel like I just peed my pants. So I think, well maybe she is just pushing on my bladder, so I go to the restroom and feel better after that. In the back of my head I was thinking that my water broke and if it did, I am not quite prepared to head to the hospital yet. So....we head to Target to get some things that I need just in case that really was my water breaking, and also to get some more clothes for Brooklyn for back to school.
When I get home I tell John that I think my water broke and he replies with "No big deal." So again I feel a little "water" coming out and think again "bladder". I go to the bathroom and again feel better. My water never broke with my other two kids, so I wasn't really sure what to expect with all this. I decided to call my sister and ask her what it is like when your water breaks since she has a 17 month old and is pregnant with another due on the same day as me. She tells me what it is like and then basically just tells me to call my doctor and I should probably head to the hospital. I wasn't ready for all this to be happening, so do I listen to here...NO, no I don't. But as soon as I get off the phone, it happens again. And again I go to the bathroom....but this time there is blood, and I am getting nervous and tell John that it is time to go.
We drop the kids off at the bestest friend ever, Alison's, who is doing her babysitting co-op and will now have 12 kids at her house. But does she say no..absolutely not, she welcomes them to her home.
We then head to the hospital and they check me in and then do a test to see if my water really broke. When she first does the test it comes back negative. Everyone in the room stops what they are doing and just kind of waits. I tell her that if it wasn't my water breaking at least I am bleeding and that should count for something. So at this point she decides to go and check the clothes that I was just wearing to see if there is any amniotic fluid on those. She comes back from the bathroom and says, okay you are right your water did break. Let me tell you, that was a big relief, but it also made me really nervous because I know what is going to happen next. She starts asking me all the normal check in questions and asks when was the last time I ate. I did have some popcorn at the movie so we are supposed to wait 8 hours from the last time I ate to being able to perform the c-section. So that means we are looking at 10:30 but I am ready to go...and luckily so was the doctor. So we had to wait an hour, but honestly it felt like 10 minutes, because before I know the nurse turns to me and says alright lets go. So at this point there is not much to tell because I have no idea what is going on on the other side of the curtain and John is not the type of person that wants to know what is going on. But twenty minutes later out comes my beautiful little girl.
So John is doing all he can to not look at what the doctors are doing, and gets up to go and see the baby. On his way back to come be with me he said he got really grossed out, because there was a pool of blood on the floor right where he was sitting. You know it is amazing to me that these doctors can do all these types of surgeries while people are awake and you have no idea what is going on wherever they are working. I am pretty sure I would have panicked if I had seen that if they were doing a surgery on John. So I am really glad that I was the one being worked on and not observing. Everything for the c-section went wonderfully and baby and I were shortly on our way back to our room.
Sandra Paige Hullinger was born at 9:32 pm on August 7, 2010. She weighed exactly 8 lbs and was 19 3/4 inches long. She did end up going to the NICU Sunday night because of low blood sugar levels, but with the blessing that John had given her we both knew that she would be fine and we didn't need to worry about her. We both came home on the 11th and have been doing really good since then.
Doctor Sweeney showing off the product of his surgery skills.
Mommy and Baby Sandra
Having fun in the NICU, I had to wait around for the nurses so I figured now would be a good time for pictures.
Sandra has these natural blond highlights and tips. All the nurses said they had never seen anything like hers. I tried the best I could to capture her coloring and the only way to do it was for it to be dark and no flash.
Here is the story of how this went down...since I wasn't due until the 25th but had a scheduled c-section for the 18th. If you don't want all the gory details, then scroll down to the end of this posting for Sandra's information.
On the morning of the 7th we all woke up early to head to breakfast with John's brother Mark and his family. They had a long layover in Charlotte on their way to the Bahama's. We went to this little home cookin' restaurant in Matthews and the food was really delicious. This early and big breakfast came in very handy as the day began to progress. After coming back home we visited for a little while and then I headed to my friend Sayako's house for a baby shower for another friend Charlene, who delivered her baby ten weeks early. A small brunch was served, I was too full so I just drank the delicious drink, another good thing. After the shower I headed home to take a small nap before I took the kids to the movies. I had promised them we could go and see Toy Story 3, so I knew if I was going to make it I had to take a break. I got my short break, unfortunately no nap because my kids don't understand what please be quiet means.
So we headed to the 1:30 showing of Toy Story. The kids were really good during the movie, which in itself is a total miracle. We usually make one to two trips to the restroom but none this time, it was awesome. So as the movie ends we stop at the restroom since we have a little drive before we get home. While Brooklyn is in the restroom, Josh and I are standing out in the hallway waiting for her and I feel like I just peed my pants. So I think, well maybe she is just pushing on my bladder, so I go to the restroom and feel better after that. In the back of my head I was thinking that my water broke and if it did, I am not quite prepared to head to the hospital yet. So....we head to Target to get some things that I need just in case that really was my water breaking, and also to get some more clothes for Brooklyn for back to school.
When I get home I tell John that I think my water broke and he replies with "No big deal." So again I feel a little "water" coming out and think again "bladder". I go to the bathroom and again feel better. My water never broke with my other two kids, so I wasn't really sure what to expect with all this. I decided to call my sister and ask her what it is like when your water breaks since she has a 17 month old and is pregnant with another due on the same day as me. She tells me what it is like and then basically just tells me to call my doctor and I should probably head to the hospital. I wasn't ready for all this to be happening, so do I listen to here...NO, no I don't. But as soon as I get off the phone, it happens again. And again I go to the bathroom....but this time there is blood, and I am getting nervous and tell John that it is time to go.
We drop the kids off at the bestest friend ever, Alison's, who is doing her babysitting co-op and will now have 12 kids at her house. But does she say no..absolutely not, she welcomes them to her home.
We then head to the hospital and they check me in and then do a test to see if my water really broke. When she first does the test it comes back negative. Everyone in the room stops what they are doing and just kind of waits. I tell her that if it wasn't my water breaking at least I am bleeding and that should count for something. So at this point she decides to go and check the clothes that I was just wearing to see if there is any amniotic fluid on those. She comes back from the bathroom and says, okay you are right your water did break. Let me tell you, that was a big relief, but it also made me really nervous because I know what is going to happen next. She starts asking me all the normal check in questions and asks when was the last time I ate. I did have some popcorn at the movie so we are supposed to wait 8 hours from the last time I ate to being able to perform the c-section. So that means we are looking at 10:30 but I am ready to go...and luckily so was the doctor. So we had to wait an hour, but honestly it felt like 10 minutes, because before I know the nurse turns to me and says alright lets go. So at this point there is not much to tell because I have no idea what is going on on the other side of the curtain and John is not the type of person that wants to know what is going on. But twenty minutes later out comes my beautiful little girl.
So John is doing all he can to not look at what the doctors are doing, and gets up to go and see the baby. On his way back to come be with me he said he got really grossed out, because there was a pool of blood on the floor right where he was sitting. You know it is amazing to me that these doctors can do all these types of surgeries while people are awake and you have no idea what is going on wherever they are working. I am pretty sure I would have panicked if I had seen that if they were doing a surgery on John. So I am really glad that I was the one being worked on and not observing. Everything for the c-section went wonderfully and baby and I were shortly on our way back to our room.
Sandra Paige Hullinger was born at 9:32 pm on August 7, 2010. She weighed exactly 8 lbs and was 19 3/4 inches long. She did end up going to the NICU Sunday night because of low blood sugar levels, but with the blessing that John had given her we both knew that she would be fine and we didn't need to worry about her. We both came home on the 11th and have been doing really good since then.
Doctor Sweeney showing off the product of his surgery skills.
Mommy and Baby Sandra
Having fun in the NICU, I had to wait around for the nurses so I figured now would be a good time for pictures.
Sandra has these natural blond highlights and tips. All the nurses said they had never seen anything like hers. I tried the best I could to capture her coloring and the only way to do it was for it to be dark and no flash.
Brooklyn turns 7
This year was Brooklyn's seventh birthday. She was so excited to have her party and get back together with her friends from her school class. Last year was a trip to Texas to see grandpa and cousins and then a short drive down to San Antonio to Sea World. Though this year was nothing like that she was still excited and ready for a good time. Grandma Hullinger had promised Brooklyn last year that she would make the trip to North Carolina for her birthday. So grandma flew in on the 27th and we had her party on the 28th. We went to the outdoor water park at the Monroe Aquatic and Fitness Center. It was so nice to have it somewhere other than home....no cleanup and pretty much no entertaining to do.
The weatherman had said that we would have rain storms all day, but in answer to Brooklyn's prayers we had absolutely no rain, just some dark clouds lingering around. Brooklyn had a blast hanging out with her school and church friends and loved all the presents she got, especially the Pillow Pet that came from grandma. (this is one toy that will get more than a months worth of play time!!)
We all know my history with cameras and the fact that I forget them for every event that I should be taking pictures of so, Grandma....please forward pictures so we can post for everyone to see!!!!!
The weatherman had said that we would have rain storms all day, but in answer to Brooklyn's prayers we had absolutely no rain, just some dark clouds lingering around. Brooklyn had a blast hanging out with her school and church friends and loved all the presents she got, especially the Pillow Pet that came from grandma. (this is one toy that will get more than a months worth of play time!!)
We all know my history with cameras and the fact that I forget them for every event that I should be taking pictures of so, Grandma....please forward pictures so we can post for everyone to see!!!!!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Myrtle Beach
The week before Memorial Day, we decided to head to Myrtle Beach to beat the rush of all the vacationers. We had a cool hotel picked out with some awesome outdoor water parks. The hotel was right on the beach so we could just wake up and walk out on to the sand. We had been planning this little trip for almost a month and the kids were so excited to be going. We left early Friday so we could get there in time for dinner and a little beach strolling. Well, we did get there early enough for dinner, but the kids wanted to go swimming in the ocean, so we decided for safety reason to just hold off on going to the beach until morning.
We woke up Saturday got breakfast and then headed to the beach. After getting all set up, John and the kids running out to the water, and me sitting down on the sand to catch some rays, I hear Brooklyn screaming, "Mom I am hurt, I'm bleeding everywhere." I didn't think too much of it because Brooklyn seriously over exaggerates every time she gets injured. A scratch is usually a broken arm or something like that. So I had her come sit down next to me so I could see what happened...and oh my gosh, she was not exaggerating. The bottom of her foot was pouring out blood and not stopping. I poured a bottle of water on it so I could see what happened and it was not a pretty sight. I ran down to the water and told John that we had to leave and take care of Brooklyn. We took her up to our hotel room while she is screaming and crying. It looked like there was something hanging out of her foot so we were going to try to pull it out, but she would not let us any where near it. So we headed to the nearest Urgent Care Facility.
At this point she has calmed down a little and is watching cartoons while we wait our turn. We then go back to see the doctor where the clean her foot out, not a fun experience; kicking, screaming, you name it she did it. And all of the screaming is because of the pain she thinks she is going to have, not because of any actual pain. So once she realized the cleaning was not bad she was okay. We then went off to get an x-ray to make sure there was not shell or anything else in her foot. The doctor found something but he wasn't sure if it was a shell or a big clump of sand...which meant we had to brace ourselves for more screaming. At this point I told him that I could not be in the room and I was going to have to get John to help hi from here on out. So I went out to the car with Josh and John came in with Brooklyn. John ended up having to hold her down because they had to give her a shot to numb her foot. I was told that she kicked the nurse several times and screamed the entire time. She ended up getting two stitches in her foot which meant our time at the beach had come and gone. For me, the saddest thing about all of this was the Brooklyn kept saying, "This is the worst day of my life...."
We ended up going to play miniature golf as a family which turned out to be real fun. After we were done with that, the boys headed back to the beach and the girls sat down at the hotel restaurant for a nice dinner. It was raining at this point which was perfect for John and Josh. No one was at the beach and the sand castles were easier to make with wet sand.
Here is a picture after the nurse was able to get her foot washed off...
We woke up Saturday got breakfast and then headed to the beach. After getting all set up, John and the kids running out to the water, and me sitting down on the sand to catch some rays, I hear Brooklyn screaming, "Mom I am hurt, I'm bleeding everywhere." I didn't think too much of it because Brooklyn seriously over exaggerates every time she gets injured. A scratch is usually a broken arm or something like that. So I had her come sit down next to me so I could see what happened...and oh my gosh, she was not exaggerating. The bottom of her foot was pouring out blood and not stopping. I poured a bottle of water on it so I could see what happened and it was not a pretty sight. I ran down to the water and told John that we had to leave and take care of Brooklyn. We took her up to our hotel room while she is screaming and crying. It looked like there was something hanging out of her foot so we were going to try to pull it out, but she would not let us any where near it. So we headed to the nearest Urgent Care Facility.
At this point she has calmed down a little and is watching cartoons while we wait our turn. We then go back to see the doctor where the clean her foot out, not a fun experience; kicking, screaming, you name it she did it. And all of the screaming is because of the pain she thinks she is going to have, not because of any actual pain. So once she realized the cleaning was not bad she was okay. We then went off to get an x-ray to make sure there was not shell or anything else in her foot. The doctor found something but he wasn't sure if it was a shell or a big clump of sand...which meant we had to brace ourselves for more screaming. At this point I told him that I could not be in the room and I was going to have to get John to help hi from here on out. So I went out to the car with Josh and John came in with Brooklyn. John ended up having to hold her down because they had to give her a shot to numb her foot. I was told that she kicked the nurse several times and screamed the entire time. She ended up getting two stitches in her foot which meant our time at the beach had come and gone. For me, the saddest thing about all of this was the Brooklyn kept saying, "This is the worst day of my life...."
We ended up going to play miniature golf as a family which turned out to be real fun. After we were done with that, the boys headed back to the beach and the girls sat down at the hotel restaurant for a nice dinner. It was raining at this point which was perfect for John and Josh. No one was at the beach and the sand castles were easier to make with wet sand.
Here is a picture after the nurse was able to get her foot washed off...
Josh Turns 4..back in April
For Josh's 4th Birthday we headed to Chuck E Cheese...again. This time instead of just the family going he was able to invite all of his friends. He had such a blast playing games, waiting for his cake, and opening his presents. Sadly when it came to Chuck E Cheese coming around, he was not that thrilled. He did take a picture with him, but there was not a smile on his face. Overall it was a blast and he really enjoyed being with all his friends.
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Josh got really close to the candles when he was blowing them out and actually burned his nose a little. I didn't notice until he looked at me and said, "Mom, that was really hot," and then rubbed his nose.
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All the kids enjoyed the show put on by Chuck E. and the gang. Well...sort of, I am just glad that they were able to eat pizza during the show otherwise they probably would have run off to play more games. The did enjoy having Chuck E. come out and take pictures with him.
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Justin and Chandler riding the roller coaster. One of the funnest games all the kids played on.
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Josh got really close to the candles when he was blowing them out and actually burned his nose a little. I didn't notice until he looked at me and said, "Mom, that was really hot," and then rubbed his nose.
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All the kids enjoyed the show put on by Chuck E. and the gang. Well...sort of, I am just glad that they were able to eat pizza during the show otherwise they probably would have run off to play more games. The did enjoy having Chuck E. come out and take pictures with him.
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Justin and Chandler riding the roller coaster. One of the funnest games all the kids played on.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
Baby #3 On Its Way!!
I haven't told very many people. So for those of you who read my blog and I haven't told, please don't feel left out. I have only been telling people that have been helping me already with babysitting for my doctor appointments or those that I work with. So now you know and yea!!!!
So I went to the doctor yesterday and was able to see our new baby moving around like a gymnast already. I told the doctor that having two other kids has ruined it for me. I don't want to wait for all the exciting things to happen, I just want them to happen...right now! I can't wait to be able to feel the baby moving and all the fun things that are coming.
I have been so incredibly tired and nauseous since Christmas, but luckily the nausea is wearing off. However, I could still use a nap by 11:00 everyday. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen with my ever energetic Josh running around. These things didn't happen with Brooklyn and Josh, so it is new for me to actually feel sick and be too tired to do much of anything.
So here is a picture from the ultrasound yesterday. This was not the best picture from the screen, but the only one she captured. Having diabetes does have one advantage when you are pregnant...you have a ton of ultrasounds so there will be lots of pictures to come.
So I went to the doctor yesterday and was able to see our new baby moving around like a gymnast already. I told the doctor that having two other kids has ruined it for me. I don't want to wait for all the exciting things to happen, I just want them to happen...right now! I can't wait to be able to feel the baby moving and all the fun things that are coming.
I have been so incredibly tired and nauseous since Christmas, but luckily the nausea is wearing off. However, I could still use a nap by 11:00 everyday. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen with my ever energetic Josh running around. These things didn't happen with Brooklyn and Josh, so it is new for me to actually feel sick and be too tired to do much of anything.
So here is a picture from the ultrasound yesterday. This was not the best picture from the screen, but the only one she captured. Having diabetes does have one advantage when you are pregnant...you have a ton of ultrasounds so there will be lots of pictures to come.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Way Overdue and Really Really Long
So it has been 6 months since I have really posted any news from our family, other than John's father passing away. So here we go on a whirlwind recap of the last six months...
Brooklyn's first Dance Recital
Brooklyn has been in a dance class all during her first grade year. I ended up having to drag her to the last couple of months of practice, but once there she thoroughly enjoyed it. I took her to her class dance recital and she was just scared to death being there for pictures. Which got me very worried for the time of the actual recital. Once she all the girls in her class her nerves calmed down and she did a great job. They wouldn't let us do pictures or videos once the dances started and 8 months later I am still waiting for the DVD I had to purchase so here is the one picture that I was able to capture with her friend Abigail from her class.
August
We headed out to Texas for August. While were out there we celebrated Brooklyn's sixth birthday. Nothing big, just a little family get together...or that was supposed to be how it was. But we ended up heading down to Sea World. They kept advertising Sea World here in North Carolina, and even though there isn't one too close, I knew we would be heading to Texas so I told Brooklyn that we could go the next time we were in Texas, which just happened to be the week after her birthday. My sister was in town from Germany so I was able to see her and my nephew Addison and do a little catching up. After spending two weeks there the kids definitely missed daddy, so it was time to come back home...and back to volleyball for me.
So once we get back to NC it is time for me to start my school volleyball. I actually missed tryouts for my team while I was in Texas, but it seems that the selections have been pretty good. It is also time for Brooklyn to head back to school. It is crazy to believe that she is already in first grade. I mean it was weird to send her off to kindergarten, but now first grade! Where has all the time gone? Here is her first day and her getting on the bus. She was very excited, especially since school was starting almost an hour later and she could wake up early enough to ride the bus. We are not morning people by any means in our family, so an 8:15 start time is perfect!!
September
I've looked back through all my pictures and have found nothing in September...which means nothing too exciting happened. So I have nothing to report.
October
This seems like the month of a lot of happenings. Most good, some bad.
October is when our town has their Family Fun Day. We headed down to the town Elementary School for a day full of wandering through a bunch of vendors, games for the kids, political campaigning for all those running for elections, and getting to know others in the town. Being the wife of someone on the town council doesn't seem to leave me a lot of time for socializing on the fun side of things, especially with the people we had trying to run for open spots on the town council. I was trying to help John by figuring out what some of these people are doing, clearing up a lot of the rumors being spread, and spreading some of my own two cents to my friends (not negative though). The kids got their faces painted this year. Josh is totally into spider-man, so of course he became him.
We headed to Utah in October to see Grandpa Hullinger one last time before he left us to return to our Heavenly Father. I have never seen the kids so sad before. It was really hard to see the emotions Brooklyn showed once she realize that Arv had passed away. We will truly miss him, but are grateful for the Atonement and knowing that we will all be together again.
Halloween
Brooklyn has been wanting to be Daphne from Scooby-Doo for so long. I was able to find her size finally (had to travel to Utah for that), and luckily it wasn't too cold this year so she was able to just wear a long sleeve shirt with it be and be good.
Josh, still completely into Spider-Man, was able to wear his costume for a full day without me having to tell him he had to be a little boy at the store and not a super hero. He was so excited to shoot his webs at people and be all that he constantly dreams about. He really wanted to be black spider-man, but I told him that it is better to be a good super-hero, than a bad one and he agreed.
November
We headed back up to Utah again to spend some good times with John's family. Brooklyn was able to reunite with her long lost cousins and had a hard time letting go. I ventured for the first time ever to the After Thanksgiving Day Sales. I can honestly say that it wasn't too bad. Maybe that was because I wasn't after the things that people go crazy for. The worse part was just waiting in the lines, but what else do you expect when there are a million people in one store. Will I do it again? Probably not, unless I find some incredible deal that I can absolutely not pass up on, but really I am sure that I will be able to find a deal later anyway.
We headed up to This is The Place Village to see how Christmas was celebrated back in the pioneer times. It ended up being way too cold for me and was just unbearable. I could barely stand it, but the kids had a fun time and enjoyed it. I must say the most disappointing part was when we got to Father Christmas's house, waited 30 minutes in line to see him and then when it gets to our turn they tell us we can only see him if we pay to see him (which no one else had to do) because the line was getting too long. Let me just tell you, we were a little mad at that point and I just really wanted to go.
December
So coming back a little late after Thanksgiving really put me behind on getting Christmas up at our house. I felt like such a scrooge not having our lights, Christmas tree, and other decorations up the week after Thanksgiving. I think we didn't even have the decorations on the tree until the week of Christmas. I guess I could blame the fact that John had strep throat, I had strep throat, Brooklyn got bronchitis and strep throat for the reason for being behind. But I really think I just wasn't as excited this year. Why? you might ask, I seriously have no idea. But thanks to John he got the decorations up on the tree the week of Christmas, and I was able to lay a few strands of lights on our bushes to show a little bit of our Christmas Spirit. The kids ended up getting most of what they wanted for Christmas, which I didn't think was a lot, which was wonderful. They were happy, I was happy and we have lots of nights of board games waiting for us.
Brooklyn's Presents From Santa
Josh's Presents From Santa
Did I also mention that we didn't even bake cookies for Santa. Luckily we had some Thin Mints in the pantry for him to enjoy.
Brooklyn's first Dance Recital
Brooklyn has been in a dance class all during her first grade year. I ended up having to drag her to the last couple of months of practice, but once there she thoroughly enjoyed it. I took her to her class dance recital and she was just scared to death being there for pictures. Which got me very worried for the time of the actual recital. Once she all the girls in her class her nerves calmed down and she did a great job. They wouldn't let us do pictures or videos once the dances started and 8 months later I am still waiting for the DVD I had to purchase so here is the one picture that I was able to capture with her friend Abigail from her class.
August
We headed out to Texas for August. While were out there we celebrated Brooklyn's sixth birthday. Nothing big, just a little family get together...or that was supposed to be how it was. But we ended up heading down to Sea World. They kept advertising Sea World here in North Carolina, and even though there isn't one too close, I knew we would be heading to Texas so I told Brooklyn that we could go the next time we were in Texas, which just happened to be the week after her birthday. My sister was in town from Germany so I was able to see her and my nephew Addison and do a little catching up. After spending two weeks there the kids definitely missed daddy, so it was time to come back home...and back to volleyball for me.
So once we get back to NC it is time for me to start my school volleyball. I actually missed tryouts for my team while I was in Texas, but it seems that the selections have been pretty good. It is also time for Brooklyn to head back to school. It is crazy to believe that she is already in first grade. I mean it was weird to send her off to kindergarten, but now first grade! Where has all the time gone? Here is her first day and her getting on the bus. She was very excited, especially since school was starting almost an hour later and she could wake up early enough to ride the bus. We are not morning people by any means in our family, so an 8:15 start time is perfect!!
September
I've looked back through all my pictures and have found nothing in September...which means nothing too exciting happened. So I have nothing to report.
October
This seems like the month of a lot of happenings. Most good, some bad.
October is when our town has their Family Fun Day. We headed down to the town Elementary School for a day full of wandering through a bunch of vendors, games for the kids, political campaigning for all those running for elections, and getting to know others in the town. Being the wife of someone on the town council doesn't seem to leave me a lot of time for socializing on the fun side of things, especially with the people we had trying to run for open spots on the town council. I was trying to help John by figuring out what some of these people are doing, clearing up a lot of the rumors being spread, and spreading some of my own two cents to my friends (not negative though). The kids got their faces painted this year. Josh is totally into spider-man, so of course he became him.
We headed to Utah in October to see Grandpa Hullinger one last time before he left us to return to our Heavenly Father. I have never seen the kids so sad before. It was really hard to see the emotions Brooklyn showed once she realize that Arv had passed away. We will truly miss him, but are grateful for the Atonement and knowing that we will all be together again.
Halloween
Brooklyn has been wanting to be Daphne from Scooby-Doo for so long. I was able to find her size finally (had to travel to Utah for that), and luckily it wasn't too cold this year so she was able to just wear a long sleeve shirt with it be and be good.
Josh, still completely into Spider-Man, was able to wear his costume for a full day without me having to tell him he had to be a little boy at the store and not a super hero. He was so excited to shoot his webs at people and be all that he constantly dreams about. He really wanted to be black spider-man, but I told him that it is better to be a good super-hero, than a bad one and he agreed.
November
We headed back up to Utah again to spend some good times with John's family. Brooklyn was able to reunite with her long lost cousins and had a hard time letting go. I ventured for the first time ever to the After Thanksgiving Day Sales. I can honestly say that it wasn't too bad. Maybe that was because I wasn't after the things that people go crazy for. The worse part was just waiting in the lines, but what else do you expect when there are a million people in one store. Will I do it again? Probably not, unless I find some incredible deal that I can absolutely not pass up on, but really I am sure that I will be able to find a deal later anyway.
We headed up to This is The Place Village to see how Christmas was celebrated back in the pioneer times. It ended up being way too cold for me and was just unbearable. I could barely stand it, but the kids had a fun time and enjoyed it. I must say the most disappointing part was when we got to Father Christmas's house, waited 30 minutes in line to see him and then when it gets to our turn they tell us we can only see him if we pay to see him (which no one else had to do) because the line was getting too long. Let me just tell you, we were a little mad at that point and I just really wanted to go.
December
So coming back a little late after Thanksgiving really put me behind on getting Christmas up at our house. I felt like such a scrooge not having our lights, Christmas tree, and other decorations up the week after Thanksgiving. I think we didn't even have the decorations on the tree until the week of Christmas. I guess I could blame the fact that John had strep throat, I had strep throat, Brooklyn got bronchitis and strep throat for the reason for being behind. But I really think I just wasn't as excited this year. Why? you might ask, I seriously have no idea. But thanks to John he got the decorations up on the tree the week of Christmas, and I was able to lay a few strands of lights on our bushes to show a little bit of our Christmas Spirit. The kids ended up getting most of what they wanted for Christmas, which I didn't think was a lot, which was wonderful. They were happy, I was happy and we have lots of nights of board games waiting for us.
Brooklyn's Presents From Santa
Josh's Presents From Santa
Did I also mention that we didn't even bake cookies for Santa. Luckily we had some Thin Mints in the pantry for him to enjoy.
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