A day in the life of the Bunkers ....................... and the DARK SIDE

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend was such a spiritually up lifting weekend. I got to watch the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I loved to hear the words of a living Prophet of God. And all the words of the Apostles of God that are on the earth today. Their words were so up lifting and were very much words I needed to hear at this time. I really liked Elder Holland's talk. It was given in the Saturday afternoon session of conference. I hope all could enjoy conference and feel the spirit as I did.

I am so grateful to hear over and over again about the atoning sacrifice our Savior made for us. He is the one who can help us in so many ways. In all of our times of need. I am so grateful for our living Prophet and for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it is true.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter and hope they can remember the true reason for Easter and Our Saviors love for us.

I am an Auntie Again!!!!!!

2010-03-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am an auntie again of a big big little boy. Heidi had her baby boy this evening and he was 10 lbs. 21 inches. I was shocked. How did a kid that big come out of her?? I am so so excited to meet him.

This morning Chanse said "What day is it today?" I said "Friday." he said "Is someone having a baby today?" I said "yes." He was so excited.

Last night Hero said "I want to go to Heidi's house so I can see here belly." And she is so excited to see the baby. This morning she was sad and said "I still have a cough." Knowing she can't go see the baby until her cough is gone.

We are all so excited about the new addition to our family. I can't wait to meet my nephew and the kids can't wait to meet their cousin.

Happy Birthday Hero!!

2010-02-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun week celebrating Hero's birthday! Our sweet Hero turned 4 today. We started with a fun family birthday party with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. We made bracelets and necklaces, played with bubbles and balloons. The theme was princess of course. We had a blast. On Monday we went to Heidi's house and to Downtown Disney. The kids were so excited to be at Disney. We went to Build-A-Bear and had fun making bears. Fun FUN Fun!!

Today Hero's actual birthday we went and played at the park with Lavender, Eme, and Amber. The kids climbed trees and played on the swings, and chased squirrels. Then we had cake after lunch and opened some more presents. Chase really wanted to give Hero a present so he gathered up some of his toys and put them in a bag and gave to her. He is such a sweet boy.

Hero has had a great time for her birthday. And she still has more presents to come

Happy Birthday to sweet Princess Hero.

Pictures to come.

Good Quote

2010-02-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing”; "Please excuse the mess, we live here". and the ever popular, and true, "Sorry you missed it, my house was clean last week."

Some Great Quotes!!

2010-02-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"Dull woman have immaculate homes."

Latest Creations

2010-01-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

Here are my latest creations.
Cute princess hair bows.

The kids all wanted crowns so I made them crowns out of felt.

Then I made a dress out of a pillowcase.

I found an old shirt of mine and turned it into a dress for Hero.

Then I finished making a princess doll. I made it without a face first and then Hero insisted she had a face.

This one is for Opa

2010-01-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

The kids and I went out for ice cream and Chanse saw a dark green ice cream. It was darker green then the mint and he really wanted it. He tried it and loved it. His new favorite ice cream is pistachio. I couldn't stop thinking of Chanse's Opa because that is one of his favorite ice creams.

Sweet Chanse

2010-01-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were sitting in Sacrament meeting and Chanse says to me "You are the kind of mom I choose." I thought that was so sweet. What a cutie.

Making Bread

2010-01-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

Today we are making bread. I sent the kids to wash their hands and Chanse and Hero came back and Sterling didn't. So Hero and Chanse helped me pour in the ingredients and Sterling still never came back. So I went to see what she was doing and she was covered in soap. She decided to get really clean. Here are some pictures.

A Day at The Museum

2010-01-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

We had lots of fun yesterday going to the kids museum. The kids had lots of fun. There is a bike and if you make it go fast enough you create electricity. Chanse has tried it before and has never been able to do it fast enough. But yesterday he was able to do it. SO exciting. The girls had fun playing a harp with invisible strings. They all had fun with everything there. They even got kazoos. Jan. 28 is national kazoo day. Never knew there was National Kazoo day.

This picture is from today the girls being Princesses. There favorite past time.

Christmas Pictures

2010-01-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

Hero's Firsts

2010-01-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

In the past two days little Miss Hero has had a few firsts. On Sunday it was her first time going to Primary. She is now a cute Sunbeam. Then today she came asking for a haircut. We have been wanting to cut her hair because it is always a constant battle to brush her hair and it is always so tangled. But every time I asked her if she wanted to cut her hair the answer would be "Tomorrow!" But today she came up to me and said "I want my haircut today." I was shocked so I went and cut it. She loves her new haircut and she is walking around like she is hot stuff. It is so cute.

Anyways a side note I am not sure if I am going to continue to blog or not. There have been many life changing events happening in our family. I am not sure if I want to do this anymore. This may be my last blog.

Santa Train

2009-12-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Santa Train as a family. We had lots of fun! The kids loved seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus. They wrote letters to Santa and gave them to him. Chanse wants a bell, Sterling wants a truck, and Hero wants a a stroller and a Dollie!! We will see if Santa will bring that. The truck for Sterling was so random. I asked her what she wanted and she said a truck. I thought she was a girly girl. Maybe not. Hero is a girly girl through and through. Chanse came home and wanted to play trains all day! How fun!!

The Mine

2009-11-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

At Chanse's school they have a mine and all the 4th graders get to tour the mine when they learn about Nevada history. One day a year they open it to the public. So we went for a tour of the mine. We had lots of fun. Chanse's favorite part was the shaking elevator. We then panned for gold. That night Omi and Opa came and we went to Claim Jumper to keep with the theme of the day. The kids loved it. They also had fun making puppets with Omi.

Halloween

2009-11-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

We had lots of fun on Halloween. We had family come over to go Trick-or-Treating and meet up with some friends. Our neighborhood was so great for trick-or-treating. We had a blast. And best of all Ben got us a Mickey Pumpkin blowup decoration for the front yard. The kids and I also made a big big spider out of news paper and black trash bags. So fun. Thanks to everyone for making it such a fun Halloween. And Ben made a great Halloween dinner for us. Thanks!

On the morning of Halloween the Kids carved their pumpkins. We did Chanse's first and then went to carve Hero's I was taking her picture as she lifted the lid off. And when she did we saw the inside of her pumpkin was black. She was devastated. It was so sad. She basically took over Sterling's pumpkin. And I asked Ben to look for a pumpkin for Hero while he was out at the store. He could not find any. So He took Hero to two stores and no luck. He then bought her a big stuffed Santa. It is almost as big as her. So she was happy! But it was so sad. Just remember you can't get pumpkins on the day of Halloween.

We also went to a fun trick-or-treating thing called Henderson Havoc . We got to see Jack and Sally, pirates, fight stormtroopers, make princess crowns, and visit with princesses, talk to a magic mirror, and enter the world of Harry Potter and make magic wands. Hero only liked the princess part. But I thought the whole thing was great. Chanse and Sterling were scared of the stormtroopers. But they haven't stopped talking about it.

Potty Training

2009-10-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Sterling just went pee and poo poo in the potty for the first time. Yea!!

Hero

2009-10-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

On the same day as the hair cut and the throwing up something funny happened that I forgot to write about. I was in the car with the girls on the way to pick up Chanse from school. Some teenager was on a motorcycle on our street in front of there house and he was blocking my lane. His mother was also out watching him. I slowed down trying to figure out what this kids was doing. And nothing was happening so I slowly started to go around him and he decided to zoom off right in my direction. So I stopped and the mom waves and mouthed sorry. Hero sitting in the back said "That lady waved at me. Everybody loves me!!!" I said "Yes they do!" And had a little chuckle to myself.

Sterling's First Haircut or Chanse the Barber

2009-10-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Last night I was opening the refrigerator to get the meat out to make dinner (I was holding Sterling} right when I reached for the meat Sterling threw up all over the place. I put her down and she continued to throw-up. And if you were wondering some got in the refrigerator. Can I just say Yuck. It was all over her and all over me and all over the kitchen. I took her upstairs to take a bath. We got everything clean. Hero wanted to take a bath too. I said after diner and I have to clean the tub first. I was still trying to start dinner and wondering where Ben was. I find out he had be at work late. I am finally starting dinner I get dinner done. I give everyone food and Sterling threw-up all over the kitchen again. I tried to get her to use a bowl but she kept running away Ben calls and says he wont be home until 7:00. Very not happy. I am still trying to eat dinner and there is puke everywhere. Ben gets home and ever thing gets cleaned up. Chanse finally starts his homework. He had to cut out sight words and some pictures and make sentences. While started cutting I ran upstairs to clean the bathtub. hero comes running up and yells "Chanse is cutting our hair!" I said "he better not be!" This is what I found.

Hero said Chanse cut her hair too. Thank goodness her hair was in a bun so he could only get to wispies. Chanse said the girls told him to cut their hair. This morning Chanse said he had to do it because Sterling's hair was in her eyes. Anyways I was really not happy. I started to cry and then I laughed and I made sure I got pictures and video. Chanse was in big trouble. It took Sterling 2 years to get hair and now we are starting all over again. SO SO SO NOT HAPPY!!!

Here is Sterling before the haircut:

Here is Sterling today:

Returned Lipstick

2009-09-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

So I returned the lipstick to CVS but could not find another shade that I liked so I got some mascara instead. Which made me save more I saved $1.10 more because the mascara was on sale for $5.00 but the original cost was more then the lipstick but the sale price was the same. This is great!! Hurray!!

The Results of my CVS Trip

2009-09-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

So at CVS today I bought $25.04 worth of items before tax. I spent $6.54 after tax. And I got $4.00 extra bucks. So exciting the two problems with my visit today was the add said the nail polish started at $0.99. It was buy one get one free and I had a $1.00 off coupon so I should have been able to get two nail polishes for free but the cheapest was $2.99 and it was still buy one get one free and Hero so wanted the bright pink nail polish (which she wants me to put on her toes right now as I am typing) so I had to buy it. So I ended up spending $1.99 (I used the $1.00 off coupon) more then I was planning so I didn't have enough cash so I had to use my card. Stink I wanted to do it all cash oh well. My second problem is I don't like the color of the lipstick I picked out so I will have to return it to get another shade. I also found $21.00 and turned it in. I hope the rightful owner of the money comes back and gets it. All and all I think I did pretty good. Now next week I will try to double my bucks again with out spending very much money. I hope I will spend less then this week. I did spend less this time then last time and came home with double the bucks. Maybe next time I will try to go alone! It might work out better.

CVS Game

2009-09-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

So I have heard a lot about how you can get stuff for like free and really cheep at CVS. But you go in that store and you look at the prices and it seems like it would never work. Well I finally decided to try it. On Saturday I went to CVS and I got some toothpaste, Natural Instinct hair color, and 2 boxes of Fiber One cereal. The total should have been $18.00 plus some change (I can't remember exactly right now). I used some coupons and split up my purchases to take advantage of the extra care bucks and I ended up saving $11.00 and I left with $2 of extra care bucks and a coupon for spend $15 and get $5 off your next purchase. So today I am going to try to double my extra care bucks with out spending a lot. I would like to spend like $3 or less and leave with $4 extra care bucks. I hope I can do it! I will let you know the results after I go! Wish me luck. I really hope the CVS game works for me.

Last Day of Church

2009-09-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Chanse asked me "When is the last day of church?" I said "never, we always go to church." He said "But I really want it to be the last day." I asked "Why?" He said "Because on the last day we get to see Jesus."

Today Ben stayed home sick from church. I asked the kids if they wanted to go to Nursery and Primary. Hero was the only one who said yes. SO I decided I would just take the girls and then go do my calling. Chanse wanted to go with me and stay with me. He has been throwing fits about going to his class so I didn't want to deal with it so I wanted him to stay home. We finally got him bribed to stay home with daddy. He was going to watch the third Harry Potter movie with Dragons. He has not seen that one yet. I don't really want the girls to see it yet but Chanse will probably like it. So then right when we were about to leave he changed his mind. So we can't even bribe him to stay home from church. He is a good boy. He went to class as happy as can be. Hero and Sterling went happy as could be too.

Bad Imaginations and Hard Boiled Eggs

2009-09-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

Later in the day yesterday Chanse came up to me and told me he remembered his what his bad imagination was last night. He said "There was a candy machine and it got stuck by red lightning and then the candy disappeared." I just started to laugh and then tried to hold it in. It was so funny. That is why he had to come wake me up in the middle of the night. LOL!!!!

Then yesterday Chanse asked for a hard boiled egg. I told him he could get one from the bowl in the refrigerator. So he got one and then a few minutes later Chanse comes running to me and he says "Hero got an egg and there is something wrong." Hero said "I cracked it and it was all melted." Hero got her egg from the carton not the bowl. Silly girl so her egg was all melted. She then got one from the bowl and they all had hard boiled eggs.

And let me add Sterling did not go to bed last night until 10:00 then she woke up at least two times. What a stinker. I need sleep. She ended up in our bed at 4 am ish. So I was kicked the rest of the night and woke-up with a baby doll under my back. OUCH!! Does she ever sleep? And she constantly says she is hungry. She is a bottomless pit. She eats and eats and eats. It is incredible.

Middle of the Night Awakening

2009-09-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the middle of the night Chanse came into my room and woke me up. HE said "I had a bad imagination." I tried to comfort him and I told if thought of nice things while he was going to sleep then he would imagine nice things. He said "You can't control your imaginations!" Well this morning he couldn't remember what he imagined about and then he said the rest of the night it was good imaginations. I think it is so cute how he called his dream imaginations. He is a silly boy. Sterling woke up too when I was trying to get Chanse back to sleep. What fun what fun!

Hero

2009-09-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

So yesterday we were trying to figure out what to do for lunch. Hero said "I want salad with salad dressing." I said "we don't have salad." Hero said "That's OK I can just have salad dressing!" I said "I don't think so." SO then she had baby carrots and dressing. I had been trying not to put the two together because she would eat them without dressing. But she really wanted dressing and she really liked them together. She also really likes Mayo and has tried several times to get me to give her just Mayo. She always has to have it on her sandwiches. What a silly girl.

Newest Headbands

2009-09-03T21:51:00.001-07:00

Karate

2009-09-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Chanse at Karate. He is so funny he had a substitute teacher and he freaked out. He would not do anything in karate that day he just sat and watched the whole time. Then this video was taken the next class when his teacher came back.

Sterling

2009-09-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was asking Sterling to name different colors. I pointed to green and said "What color is this?" Sterling said "Chanse's!" Chanse's favorite color is green. Then I pointed to purple and Asked what color is this. Sterling said "Hero's" Hero's favorite colors are purple and pink. It was so cute!

Then today he wanted a banana and they way she said banana was so cute!

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

The first day of Kindergarten did not go so well. I tried to drop Chanse off in his class and he was kick and screaming and crying. I put him down in his seat and put his backpack on his chair and he grabbed his backpack and ran out of the room screaming and ran almost all the way to the playground. I then ran after him and tried again. I also had to give him his name tag and I put it on his shirt and he ripped it off and crumpled it and threw it down. The teacher said try to get out fast. I tried but I could only go one step and he was grabbing my leg. I also had the girls with me in the double stroller so I had to get them out too. Finally the teacher just had to hold Chanse back screaming and crying while I ran out. When I came to get him he was totally happy. Then on the second day we were late to school and we had to go through the office and Chanse was having a fit because he wanted his teacher and we were going the wrong way. I got him to his class room and he was happy as could be. Then yesterday his teacher told me he has been teaching them new songs. Today Chanse told me he had to stand up in the class and count to 20. He did it and got a prize of a pencil and smiley face eraser. Oh and on the second day of school he came home with a picture his teacher tool of the kids on there first day of school and he was smiling and looked happy. This is what I got of Chanse before school on the first day!

This is the picture he came home with the on the second day of school. I don't have a scanner so I had to take a picture of the picture sorry it didn't come out so well.

Ballet/Tap and Karate!!

2009-08-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

First I have to let you know our sink was fixed the very next day! But we couldn't use it for 24 hours.

This week Hero had her last Ballet/Tap class for the session so took some video and pictures!

Chanse had Karate Graduation today! He got a white belt!! So fun!! (Chanse refuses to wear his Karate outfit!!)

Crash!!

2009-08-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

We were finishing linner you know the meal that is lunch and dinner and I heard a crashing noise by coming from the kitchen sink. Some dishes had just been put into the sink so I thought they fell over in the sink. A few minutes later I got up to rinse off my plate and put it into the sink and this is what I saw..........

Yea it wasn't dishes falling over like a pan that we thought. The whole sink came crashing down. How did that happen??? I hope it gets fixed quickly!!!

Train Ride

2009-08-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

We had a fun day yesterday going to Boulder City to ride the train. We went on a 45 min train ride. The kids just loved it. Well Hero was a little scared at the beginning. We were just sitting waiting for the train to start and I kept getting up to take pictures and Hero would freak out and say I had to sit down. About half way through the ride she chilled out a bit. They all want to go again soon. We also found out that at Christmas time they do a Santa train. The kids ride the train with Santa and get to take pictures and give him their Christmas lists. That sounds like so much fun!! Hopefully we will be able to do that this year!! We then took the kids to this little hot dog shake we kept seeing and we thought a lot of times those kinds of places are so good. So we tried it and it wasn't that good. Oh well at least we tried. Here are our pictures from our day of family fun!

Lipstick

2009-07-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was getting ready for the day (I wasn't putting on makeup) and Hero said "I want to put on lipstick." I said "No I don't know where it is right now." My makeup was still packed from our trip. Hero said "I want to be beautiful!" I said "You look beautiful." She said "No I don't. I need lipstick!" And she starts crying!! I said "You don't need lipstick to look beautiful. You already look beautiful." She tipped her head down and put her hand on her forehead and was crying and said "I do need lipstick." I said "No you are beautiful with out lipstick." I definitely did not let her put on lipstick. She is only 3 1/2 what is her deal. I let her play with my make-up but it is not like I wear that much makeup or put a big emphasise om makeup. She did stop crying and hasn't asked for it since. What a silly girl.

Karate and Ballet

2009-07-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

On July 6 Chanse went to his first karate class. Chanse just sat in the corner then I gradually got him to the mat. Then near the end of class they had the kids punch and hit balloons, finally Chanse wanted to participate but he had to have the gold balloon. At the end of class he said he loved it and he really wanted to do it again. So then the next class came and he fully participated and he loves his karate outfit I made him. (He class it his karate alphabet. Because he says he can't say outfit. Go figure??!!!)

Then on July 7 Hero stared her ballet/tap class and she just loved it. She had so much fun!

4th of July

2009-07-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we really wanted to go to a parade but the night before Ben and I got woken up at least 4 times by 2 different kids. So we did not make it to a parade. We had a pancake breakfast. Then we thought it would be fun to go to the Festival in Boulder City. We went and had snowcones ( whats the 4th without snowcones?) and the kids played for a little while and then we went home. All the kids feel asleep so we went for a drive and we saw Lake Las Vegas which I have never seen before. It was so pretty there. Chanse woke up and saw the lake. He really liked it. If I remember correctly all the kids woke up and saw the lake. They loved it. We then went home and we had a BBQ. And then of course some ice cram. Yummy. When it was dark we went and sat on our balcony and saw all the fireworks going off all over the Las Vegas Valley. We can see the whole valley from our balcony. We were hoping to be able to see a firework show from a nearby casino from our balcony but we had to go to the front yard. Chanse loved the fireworks. Sterling was so scared of the fireworks that I think I still have bruises from her squeezing and pinching me. Hero was not a big fan either. But Chanse and I sat in the front yard and watched the firework show. It was so great that we didn't have to go anywhere to see fireworks. We had a pretty fun 4th. The kids were upset about no parade. Hopefully next year we will get some sleep then we can be up and ready for a parade.

Reading

2009-06-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

So I made 2 little books for Chanse yesterday and had him read them. He actually read some of the words in the book. I was so excited. I thought it would be more fun to have a book with his own name in it then some other name. So he seemed to like it. I really want him to learn to read sooner then later. We have been playing on Starfall.com and Chanse loves it but Hero and Sterling love it too. Sterling repeats the words, letters and sounds. Sterling has so much fun playing the games on that site. If anyone has any thoughts on good approuches to teaching reading let me know. But Chanse has read his first little book!! Hurray for Chanse!!

Other happenings in the past few weeks!!!

2009-06-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

SO right after we moved into our new home, little Miss Sterling decided she would start climbing out of her crib. Little stinker. So we had to get her a new bed. She got her new bed May 26.

Hero has been wearing her seat belt wrong in the car so we decided it was time to switch her to a booster seat. Here she is in her new booster. She was so happy and excited. I had her try it out today even though we were not going anywhere. She just wanted to sit in her new seat all day long. I couldn't get her out of the booster. It was so hot outside but she didn't care she just wanted to sit and sit. She loves it. I hope it works out for her.

Chasne had to wear his new Darth Vader shirt 2 days in a row. Silly kid. He loves it. Will see if he tries to wear it again before laundry day!

I will be posting more from the circus soon but I need to go to sleep. Sterling has been waking up at 5:30am and coming into our room. She pulls at me and says "Get up! Get up Mama. I'm hungry." I am so tired!! Can't she just go back to sleep but it is the I'm hungry that kills me and makes me get up and get her something. I keep trying to get her to go back to sleep but it doesn't work!! Maybe she will sleep in tomorrow. Please!!!!! I think Ben got up with her this morning and got her something to eat and then she still came back and pulled me out of bed in a Tinkerbell costume.

Happy Birthday Chanse!!

2009-06-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

I can not believe Chanse is 5. Wow!! Where did the time go??? Anyways for his birthday we took him out for a surprise. We went to the circus. We had so much fun. I think I may have had more fun then the kids. I want to run off and join the circus. I am so serious about that too. The whole show was just so fun. Even Sterling was clapping her hands and bouncing to the music. She even said "oh cool!!" And kept pointing at stuff. Chanse really loved it. He loved all the magic tricks and the animals. They made an elephant disappear. And the bad guy turn into a white tiger. Oh it was great. They had a pre show and Chanse was like 3 feet from an elephant. He thought that was cool. It was just so much fun. Chanse got a movie Sword and the Stone and a Stormtrooper gun for his birthday. He is going to have a birthday party in July. He wanted to have one friend come to his party and his one friend he wants is his cousin Scotty. So Scotty is going to come over and we are going to have a party. Theme Jack and Sally (Nightmare Before Christmas). I hope it is lots of fun.

Oh Chanse had a little party with Grandma and Grandpa too. He got tinker toys and boy does he love those. He got a card with money from Great Grandma and he bought a star wars toy of course. He also got a Darth Vader Shirt and a card with money from Omi and Opa. He picked another Star Wars toy. The card was Star Wars and when he opened it it played Star Wars music. Chanse opened it and placed it on the glider Ottoman and all three kids danced and danced to the music. It was so cute to watch. He had a great birthday.

Today at the library there was a marionette show but Chanse said he didn't want to go. He said he wanted to make his own marionettes. So we did. We made a witch, a princess and a frog. So then we can perform the Frog Prince. SO fun! Here are some pictures.

Little Diva Hero

2009-06-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was getting ready for the day and I got dressed in yoga pants and a cute top. Hero went in my closet and pulled out a dress and said "Mommy you need to ware this. You don't look cute." I said what this doesn't look good?" She said "Uh Uh !" I said "I think it is cute." She said "no you have to wear a dress." I said "I am wearing this and it is cute." I guess you can only look cute in a dress. She loves dress especially spinning dresses. What a silly girl. She is such a little diva. She also has to paint her lips. She is a little princess.

Church

2009-06-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

So today we went to our new ward for the 2nd time since moving here. Last week we had such a hard time getting the kids into their classes. Ben and I stayed in Nursery the whole time and it was really hard to get Chanse into Primary. Today we were driving to church and Chanse asked if we were going to our new church. I said yes. He then got all excited and said "My teacher is cool." I was so excited to go to his new class. I am not sure what happened last week to make him love his class so much but he does and that is great. Hero and Sterling were put into nursery and they didn't cry. They played a little but were still really unsure about things. I actually got to go to Sunday School and Relief Society. I haven't done that in years. It was nice to actually get some actual lessons for me. Before I wouldn't get anything out of sacrament meeting because taking the kids potty and all that and then I was in the library so I didn't get to go to class. So that has been like 2 years. I sometimes would go to RS but I always had to leave with a crying baby! SO it was nice being able to be in class for once.

Chanse Said the Funniest thing!!!

2009-06-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

I was sitting eating breakfast this morning and Chanse was sit across the table from me. Chanse said to me"Mommy your boobs are disappearing. They are getting smaller." I just laughed. I couldn't believe my 4 year old almost 5 year old said that to me. But it was really funny. I said "Oh really." He said "They are smaller." Why dose a kid so young notice thesse things.

New House

2009-06-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

So we are now in our new house. We are slowly unpacking. I should be unpacking as I type. But oh well. We are still trying to find everything. I am trying to get used to new noises and a new part of town. The kids are doing pretty good with the move. Chanse is a little upset about not going to the same school next year. He really wanted Connor's mom for his teacher. Connor is one of his friends. Chanse is also freaking out because he doesn't have the same smoke detector in his room. But there is one in his room. He is so silly. But the kids love that they have room to run around and to play. Today they set up a whole doctors office. Hero had two broken legs and a broken head. But Dr. Chanse fixed her right up. Chanse said "I am practicing to be a doctor. I want to be a doctor when I grow up." I asked for kids or adults and he said kids. So lets see what he actually decides to be. This is the first time he has actually said he wanted to be something. He used to say he wanted to live with mommy when he grew up. At least now if he lives with me he will have lots of money right!!??!???

Anyways pictures to come soon of the move and the new house. I better go and get something done tonight while the kids are sleeping.

We got the Key!!!!

2009-05-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

We are really moving!!! We really own a house. I can't believe it!! It has taken forever but we finally have a house. I am so way excited!! We are moving in this weekend!! Hurray!! Hurray!! Back flip!!!!

Last weekend we went furniture shopping. They let the kids loss in the mattress department. They loved jumping on all those beds. They had so much fun!!! Chanse had a ball playing with a bowling ball and bowling pins!!

Chanse just came out of bed to go potty. I went in his room and he has all his toys on "beds." He made beds and pillows for them with other toys. So cute. He then told me "I told all my guys we are moving after Friday! And if they cry they can sleep with me." He is taking care of his toys.

Side note: Hero said she wants to be a mommy when she grows up. Cute!!

I need to get back to packing. I have been packing and packing and packing. I feel like I have so much more to do!!! Can't I just leave everything and get all new stuff?? AH who am I kidding I could never part with all my stuff I am too sentimental!! Anyways wish me luck!! I hope I can get everything done but Saturday!!!

My Dear Cousin

2009-05-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today I am so sad because my cousin Erin passed away yesterday!! I still don't know what happened and I don't know if anyone knows yet. She was only 22 years old. Way to young. I was remembering how much fun I had with her a few years ago when we went to Universal Studios together. I had so much fun with her and my other cousin Sarah. Erin was such a wonderful person. I will miss her. I am so sad I didn't get to spend more time with her. But I do know she is in a wonderful place with some other wonderful people. I am sure she is happy. We will all see her again soon. Heavenly Father gave us a wonderful beautiful plan.

I am now appreciating my own family a lot more. I have been over whelmed with the day to day life of having 3 young kids. I have been forgetting to enjoy the moment. It is so challenging when all three kids want you to do something for them all at the same time and you just can't and then they all cry. Then I get so frustrated and mad. But now I have to stop and think it could all be taken away at a blink of an eye. I would actually miss all the tantrums and screaming. I do love my family and I need to stop and enjoy the time I have and not wish them older or different then they are.

I want my brothers and sister to know that even though they drive me mad sometimes I couldn't imagine life with out them. I love all three of them. I have the best older sister, best younger brother and best youngest brother. I also love and appreciate all my parents do for me. I have the best parents in the world.

I wrote this and I forgot to mention my wonderful husband Ben whom I love very much. He does so much for me like doing the grocery shopping! What husbands do that!! He cooks and does the dishes a lot and helps a lot with the kids even after working all day!! Love you Ben!!

Packing

2009-05-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to pack up the girls room. Sterling insisted on wearing a Minnie Mouse costume with a purse and a backpack. I was busy in the girls room and the kids were playing and watching their favorite purple Dinosaur. I came down the stairs and Hero whispers to me to be quite. She said "Be quite Mommy, Sterling is sleeping." It was like 10:00 am. Next thing I know she is awake again like she had never gone to sleep. Hero then said "I waked her up! And she was happy!" Well I got a picture of her sleeping. Kids are always so cute when they are asleep. I wish they would sleep longer!!

Man sterling looks big! What happened to my baby!?

Whole Wheat Bread

2009-05-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

So people who have long been lovers of white bread always say they don't like wheat bread because it tastes like cardboard. I really like whole wheat bread. I was having some whole wheat toast for breakfast the other day and I found a chunk of cardboard in it. I couldn't believe it, it is true whole wheat bread does taste like cardboard. It was really gross to have a piece of cardboard stuck in my teeth. Yuck!! Here is a picture of the cardboard it matches the color of the bread but it is really cardboard. Yuck!!

Flooring

2009-04-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

Today we went to pick out flooring for our house. I never new it would be so hard. There were so many choices. I hope what we picked will look good together.

When I was trying to get the kids ready to go to the design center they did not want to go. I said we are going to pick out carpet for our new house. Hero said "I want a magic carpet." I said, "Well you can ask if they have magic carpets but I don't think they will." SO we went and the kids were pulling all the carpet samples out and running around with them. Chanse said "I found my magic carpet!" When we were leaving he tried to leave with a sample. He was to the car with his sample. I then brought it back in and the receptionist said they had some carpet samples they could have. SO they each got a magic carpet. SO fun.

I asked Hero what she wanted to be when she grew up and she said "I want to be a princess. From ballet." I asked if she wanted to take ballet classes and she said "Yea. With my friend." I asked who is your friend? She said "Eliza. I want to take ballet with Eliza." I thought it was so cute. She loves her cousins even though they are far away!! SO fun!!

We are getting a house!!!!

2009-04-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the floor plan. Click here It is a new house that is energy star! Our home is over 3,000 square feet and has 5 bedrooms. It is brand new. It comes with all the appliances. This home is so nice I love it!! It is also in Henderson.

Sweet Angel

2009-04-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hero looks like such a sweet angel.

Spring Break

2009-04-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

So the girls are asleep and Chanse is at school. So I finally have a moment to blog. And catch up a little. So We were supposed to hang out with Marc and Amy and there kids on Tuesday of spring break. The kids were looking forward to it. The kids were devastated when Marc and Amy's airplane was broken and they were stuck in Montana or as Hero said "In Hannah Montana!" They were so grumpy and upset that whole day. It really isn't fun when the kids think they are going to play with there cousins that they never get to see and then it doesn't happen. I am glade that Marc's family didn't get on a plane with no oxygen. So at least everyone is safe.

My parents were supposed to come on Thursday to see us but they came on Wednesday. Which was great. The kids were so happy to see Grandma, Grandpa, Jake, and his friend Caitlin. We went to dinner all together and had a great time. Then on Thursday we went to the Lieds Children's museum. They had a Clifford exhibit. We were supposed to go for Hero's birthday but she got sick. So she was so excited to go. She told everyone she wasn't sick anymore. She also really wanted to slide down Clifford. That was the first thing she got to do. We had fun playing at the museum and getting to know Caitlin. Hero said "I like Caitlin." That is a huge deal. Hero doesn't like just anyone. There are tons of people she wont talk to even after knowing them for 2 years. Sterling let Caitlin hold her. It was amazing my kiddos really liked her. She is a really sweet nice, girl.
We then went to lunch and went home to find that the Easter Bunny had come. Chanse was so surprised. He looked out the window and saw all the eggs out there and was going crazy. Then he thought it was funny that the Easter Bunny came and it wasn't Easter Sunday. What a funny kid. Who cares what day it is, just be happy the Easter Bunny came. And he came more then once. What lucky kids. The kids had so much fun finding the eggs. Sterling wanted to eat what was in the eggs right when she found it. She is so funny. She loves candy. There was fishies and some chocolate in the eggs. She loved both. She kept saying "Candy Candy Candy!" So funny. Hero loved it all. She loved her stickers. And she put them everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE!

So on Easter morning guess what the Easter Bunny came again. The kids saw all the eggs outside and Chanse said "There is 100 eggs." The kids had so much fun. Sterling picked up eggs and gave them to her siblings. She didn't put them in her own basket. So funny. She kept a few for herself. They had lots of fun.

Then that evening I found out that Jake proposed to Caitlin. So Caitlin is going to be my new sister-in-law. I am so excited because she was so fun and played with the kids and was a really sweet, cute girl and she makes Jake happy. I am so happy for them. I can't wait to get to know Caitlin even better.

Over all we had a fun Spring Break!!

Lunch

2009-04-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

On Monday Chanse made his own lunch. He had to have bread a heel. He loves the heel. Then he put shredded cheese, a cheese slice, a pancake, turkey slices and he needed the other heel from the bottom of the loaf. Then he got a yogurt. He sat down and ate so happily!! It was quite a sandwich! More will be coming soon about Spring break!

Hero Learned How to Swing By Herself And Ladybug fun

2009-04-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday April 4, 2009 we went o Lucy's birthday party. She had a bug party. She had a Caterpillar cake it was so cute. Janet bought a 1,500 lady bugs at garden store for the kids to hold and let go. So all the kids had ladybugs crawling all over them. It was so fun. The kids loved it. Then Hero and Sterling just wanted to swing. Sterling wouldn't even get out of the baby swing to eat dinner so she sat there with her plate on the tray and ate. So funny. Anyways so Ben told Hero to swing by herself. I am sure she didn't like that. He then told her to try and kick him. I was across the yard the next thing I know is I look up and see Hero swinging by herself on the swings. Wow!! Way to go Hero!! You just need to teach Chanse now!!! So she would not get off the swing not even for cake!! She told Ben "Jesus taught me how to swing! Jesus made me grow bigger!" So funny!!

Chanse had a ball blowing up balloons and he was the lucky kid who got to hand Lucy all the presents. What a good helper.
We had so much fun!

Springs Preserve

2009-04-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we had Ballet class so Sofia came over for that. We had lots of fun dancing and playing outside. Tanya and I decided it would be fun to go to the Springs Preserve the next day April 3. It is really cool. They have a fun playground and trails to walk and a garden which is all free. There is also some museums which are not too cheap to go into but the outside activities are free. We had heard it was going to be windy and the high was going to be in the 60's. So that morning when it was already 65degrees and sunny at 8:30 am I really did not believe the weather was going to be bad. We got to the Springs Preserve and it was a little cold but still nice and sunny. It looked like a pretty day but then dark clouds came in and the wind started to blow. The wind was really blowing. We sat in the toy train for awhile and then in a nice little cave and had snacks. It was really warm in the cave and the wind didn't bother us in there. It was fun. We then walked over to the garden and it was really really windy I had dirt and sand in my hair. Yuck. And then we felt some rain drops and heard some thunder. We tried to get out of there as fast as we could. The kids were freezing!!! We went to the mall across the street and we looked in some store and then had to find a potty and saw the Easter Bunny was at the mall. All the kids wanted to see the Easter Bunny so we barely made it in time we were the last group to see him before he hopped off to have a carrot break. Anyways Chanse, Hero and Sofia were so happy to see the Easter Bunny. Sterling freaked out. She is not a fan of characters. I found that out at Disneyland. Anyways the kids all got bunny ears and were really happy.
We then went to See's Candie yummy and the kids got a sample of chocolate bunny parts but chanse really wanted eggs so the worker opened a bag of chocolate and gave all the kids there own bag with some eggs in it. I thought that was so nice. Chanse then threw a fit because he wanted 5 and a green one. Hero gave him her green one. She can be so sweet. But boy was I embarrassed. Here the See's worker is so nice to give him what he wants and he still has a fit!! AHRG!! What do do??? Over all we still had fun wind rain tantrums and all!!

Computers and a Day at the Park

2009-04-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

On April 2 we were getting ready to go to the park and Hero and Chanse made their own computer. We also had a fun day at the park. Chanse didn't want me to take his picture. Silly Kid!!!

Happy Birthday Ben!

2009-03-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ben. Today we went to church and then came home and had a BBQ and cake. Sterling kept saying "happy mama" I said "say happy birthday daddy." She would do it once and go back to mama and laugh and smile. She is silly. She sat on Ben's lap when we sang Happy Birthday to him and Sterling blew out the candle what a stinker. After we sand and had cake the kids were asked if they got anything for daddy and Chanse said "I better go find something." He came back down stairs with a tie. Chanse said it was a magic tie. So funny! Well I got Sterling on video saying happy birthday so funny and cute. Happy birthday Ben you are the best Hubby and Daddy!! We love you!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-03-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

We had a ward breakfast and Easter egg hunt on Saturday. So we decided to go. It was at the park at 8:00 am. So early. Well we got there had breakfast and I saw there weren't too many kids there and thought my kids had a chance to get some eggs in the hunt. In the past my kids find an egg shake it look at it open it and then move on. So I didn't think they would get any eggs. So there were only a few kids and I said to Ben OK I am not so worried there is not very many kids. Ben said but there are a lot of big kids. Well it came time for the hunt and they hid a lot in plain view they said go and all the eggs in plain view on the grass were gone before my kids even reached the grass. It was really sad. Chanse found 2 eggs, Hero found 2 eggs and Sterling found 1. I was really mad and the kids weren't too happy either. But a girl Taylor Orm I think she is like 8 years old came up to Sterling and gave her a hand full of eggs and then a boy I don't know him at all gave some of his to Hero and some to Chanse. Chanse's friend kyle gave Chanse a green egg. So nice! It was so sweet that these two kids gave the little kids some eggs. I thought that was so nice!! It saved the morning. I almost had three kids in tears. I was not too happy that they just had everyone go at once. But what can you do?? At least there was some nice kids around!!

Funny thing we saw on Saturday. In a gated community right when you enter the gate the speed limit was posted and it was 14 1/2. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I was going to take a picture and I totally forgote. If I see it again I am forsure going to get a picture of it!!!

Field Day

2009-03-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday Chanse had field day at school. The Kindergarten class has field day every year and Chanse's class was invited to participate. So we got up Friday morning and hurried over to school. But my kids did not want to participate. Near the end they finally did some of the games. They did a sponge relay. They took a sponge from a bucket of water and ran to another bucket and squeezed the water into it. Then they did a bean bag toss. They did a soccer ball game and hula hoops, there favorite was sitting on these four wheeled boards and going around a circle. They also loved the game where they had a bean bag on a board on one end and they stomp on the other and the bean bag flies up and they catch it. They ended up having fun. They cried when I said it was time to go home. Then Ms. Johnson let them play in her classroom for a while and that made them happy.

New additions to my crafting blog!

2009-03-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

Check out my new items at designsbystrawberrysunshine.blogspot.com

Hair Fun

2009-03-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

I designed these cute hair clips. I hand sewed them with felt made out of recycled water bottles. What do you think?

Fun with Sterling's hair. She really wanted her hair done so this is what we ended up with. I love it! Ben thought she looked CRAZY!
I went to Walgreens yesterday and I got all of these hair things for $4.00. It was a $40 value can you believe it. One hair thing is missing from the picture Hero wouldn't let me take it out of her hair!! So FUN!! I love good deals. A few weeks ago I got a dress for $5.00 wow!! I couldn't pass that up!! Well let me know if you come across good deals or great sales anywhere!!

Unexpected Visiters

2009-03-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

ON Saturday Kenny, Amber, and Eme surprised us. We had a fun afternoon with them and my cousins. We had a BBQ and the kids had a blast playing together. It was very unexpected to see my brother. We were going to have a BBQ with my cousin Steve and his wife and daughter and then Jack Jr. and his wife and 2 kids were coming and then Kenny and Amber surprised us. What a fun day. We loved spending time with family!

Butterflies and Dragons

2009-03-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

I made butterfly wings for the girls and dragon wings for Chanse. They love fling round in the new wings. So fun!!!

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Chanse went to school and came home with a Leprechaun magnifying glass. He said they found Leprechaun foot prints at school. He wanted to find gold. We went for a walk and every single mark on the ground was a Leprechaun foot print it was so funny. He even found "gold coins" in the grass (some change) he was a lucky boy. When we got home from our walk we hunted for green and found green candy that a little Leprechaun left. The kids had so much fun.!!

Gardening

2009-03-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

The other day we went to Lowes to look at the plants. The kids love to see the flowers and trees. We went in and they found the seeds and wanted to plant a garden. We then found these little seed starter cups for @0.99 each. So Sterling got pumpkin, Hero got sunflower and Chanse got watermelon. We followed the directions and Hero and Sterling's plants grew so we replanted them outside in another container. We are still waiting on Chanse's watermelon. His plant need the leaves to open up. It is taking forever. Anyways here are pictures from gardening.

Organic Gardening H.R.875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 and it would make americans serfs on their own land

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

I go this email from my sister and I was outraged that the government is trying to take more freedoms away from me. I can't believe that the government wants to regulate every home gardener. That not only makes trying to be self reliant more difficult but expensive. I want my own home garden and to teach my children through gardening. Right now we are trying to grow pumpkin, sunflowers and watermelon just for the kids to do and to enjoy to process of learning how things grow and how we get our food. Do you think I should go to jail for 5 years or get fined $1million for growing plants with my children? What about Chanse's school they are growing pumpkins at school? Should these experiances be taken away from our children? It is ridicules to think we can not do with our land what we want. How many more freedoms are they going to take from us. Are we even a free country anymore? Are we still a democracy? Why is government trying to regulate everything. The government is already regulating too much and is doing a poor job at it!! Read the email and make up your own mind if you want to stop this!

If you grow your own garden, buy organic produce, enjoy local farmers market, raise any animal for milk, eggs, or meat, or just enjoy eating read on:

What would you think if tomorrow you had to register your backyard garden with the government? Be subject to unannounced inspections? Have to go through mountains of red tape and regulations? Break the law by growing organic produce? Face up to 5 years in prison or up $1 million in fines if you don't comply? Think it couldn't happen? Think again.

There is a bill in congress right now that would do all that and more and it is expected to PASS. It would eventually wipe out every backyard garden, organic farmer, small family farm, goat, chicken, and cow. It's called H.R.875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 and it would make americans serfs on their own land. It is backed by huge international corporations who want to control food supplies so they can control the market for food and make more money. This has already happened with similar bills in the EU, UK, and in many other countries worldwide. Organic farmers are being shut down in those countries right now.

See the second half of this message for a detailed analysis of the bills parts and what they mean to family farms and organic farmers. Please send at least one email or fax to a congressman and forward this message to everyone who eats.

FW:

Here's the bill in full form

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h875/text

The FSMA mandates registration of every “food production facility,” which the
bill defines as “any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or
confined animal-feeding operation;” and every “food establishment,” which the
bill defines as “a slaughterhouse..., factory, warehouse, or facility owned or
operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that
holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.”
H.R. 875 makes NAIS look tame. This bill will not just sweep up commercial food
operations. The fine print of the FSMA will subject hobby gardeners, home
canners, anyone with a few chickens, or anyone who “holds, stores, or transports
food” - including mushrooms or wild berries gathered in the wild - to
registration, extensive management, and inspection by a huge new bureaucracy,
the Food Safety Administration (FSA)- even if the food items will only be
consumed personally. And registration must be via “an electronic portal,” which
will be costly and difficult for those without computers.

ACTION TO TAKE
The FSMA is an extremely dangerous bill. We recommend a multi-prong attack, as
the more salvos we throw at the FSMA the better chance we have of killing this
abomination.

Send email asking congressmen not to pass HR875 out of committee here

http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1313&Itemid=1

THEN GO TO www.congress.org and enter your zip code in the "find officials" field and EMAIL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES in the house!!!!!

ALSO PLEASE SEND AS MANY FAXES AND EMAILS AS POSSIBLE TO THE FOLLOWING:

a.. Contact House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, via phone: (202) 225-0100, or email:
http://speaker.house.gov/contact/.
b.. Contact the House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, via phone: 202.225.3130, or
email: www.majorityleader.gov/email_and_rss/email_the_leader/.

c.. Contact the House Republican Leader John Boehner, via phone: (202)
225-4000, fax: (202) 225-5117, or email:
http://republicanleader.house.gov/Contact/.
On March 11th Congress will hold its first hearing in many years on the National
Animal Identification System (NAIS), conducted by the Livestock, Dairy and
Poultry Subcommittee. It is vitally important you contact all the committees
below.

a.. Contact the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee members listed
below. If one of the Subcommittee members is from your state, call that member.

b.. Mike Rogers (R-AL)

c.. Phone: 202-225-3261

d.. Fax: 202-226-8485

e.. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)

f.. Phone: 202-225-6131

g.. Fax: 202-225-0819

h.. Jim Costa (D-CA)

i.. Phone: 202-225-3341

j.. Fax: 202-225-9308

k.. Joe Baca (D-CA)

l.. Phone: 202-225-6161

m.. Fax: 202-225-8671

n.. Betsy Markey (D-CO)

o.. Phone: 202-225-4676

p.. Fax: 202-225-5870

q.. David Scott (Chair), (D-GA)

r.. Phone: 202-225-2939

s.. Fax: 202-225-4628

t.. Leonard Boswell (D-IA)

u.. Phone: 202-225-3806

v.. Fax: 202-225-5608

w.. Steve King (R-IA)

x.. Phone: 202-225-4426

y.. Fax: 202-225-3193

z.. Walt Minnick (D-ID)

aa.. Phone: 202-225-6611

ab.. Fax: 202-225-3029

ac.. Frank Kratovil, Jr. (D-MD)

ad.. Phone: 202-225-5311

ae.. Fax: 202-225-0254

af.. Adrian Smith (R-NE)

ag.. Phone: 202-225-6435

ah.. Fax: 202-225-0207

ai.. Tim Holden (D-PA)

aj.. Phone: 202-225-5546

ak.. Fax: 202-226-0996

al.. David P. Roe (R-TN)

am.. Phone: 202-225-6356

an.. Fax: 202-225-5714

ao.. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX)

ap.. Phone: 202-225-3605 or 866-882-381

aq.. Fax: 202-225-1783

ar.. Randy Neugebauer, Ranking Minority Member (R-TX)

as.. Phone: 202-225-4005 or 888-763-1611

at.. Fax: 202-225-9615

au.. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)

av.. Phone: 202-225-5431

aw.. Fax: 202-225-9681

ax.. Steve Kagen (D-WI)

ay.. Phone: 202-225-5665

az.. Fax: 202-225-5729

ba.. Contact your own Representative and ask him or her to approach the
Subcommittee member to urge them to oppose HR875 and NAIS.
If you’re not sure who represents you, click here: www.congress.org/.
We strongly recommend that you make at least your initial contact by telephone.
Additionally, H.R. 875 has been assigned to the committees on Energy and
Commerce, and Agriculture.

a.. Contact members of the Energy and Commerce Committee via phone: (202)
225-2927, or email:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1313&I\
temid=1.

b.. Contact members of the Agriculture Committee via phone: 202-225-2171, fax:
202-225-8510, or email: . Committee members are listed here:
http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/members.html.
Make as many contacts as possible. Be polite, but firm.

a.. Tell them Americans will not stand for this unwarranted and
unconstitutional abrogation of our liberty!

b.. Tell them THIS BILL NEEDS TO DIE IN COMMITTEE!!!

(0) Reader Feedback | Click here to get Canada Free Press in your email

Tom Deweese most recent columns
Tom Deweese the publisher/editor of The DeWeese Report and is the President of
the American Policy Center, a grassroots, activist think tank headquartered in
Warrenton, Virginia.
Tom can be reached at:
Older articles by Tom Deweese

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

MORE INFO

A solemn walk through HR 875.

By Linn Cohen-Cole

Description of the article:

The Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Association PASA sent out Food and Water Watch's information about HR 875 which lists "facts" to counter "myths" and "rumors" on the internet. It gives no specifics to back up its "facts," so the following close up view of the bill and accompanying commentary offers the reader a chance to decide for themselves what is myth and what is fact.

Title: A walk through HR 875 ... so you can decide for yourself.

Authors: Sue Diederich and Linn Cohen-Cole

The Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Association sent out this message with Food and Water Watch's information about HR 875 which lists a series of "facts" to counter "myths" and "rumors" on the internet. It gives no specifics to back up its "facts" so the following offers the reader a chance to decide for themselves what is myth and what is fact by giving them a close up view of the bill and accompanying commentary.

The FWW assertions are in grayish blue, as are the inserted portions of the bill which have all been provided by Sue Diederich who also provides her own comments in black italics usually . Sue is the head of IICFA, the Illinois Independent Consumers and Farmers Association, an organization formed to protect the rights of farmers and consumers to deal directly with each other without government interference.

My comments are in blue.

Occasionally, Sue and I feel something is essential for people to see and those comments are in red. (It should all be in red, really, since so few organizations appear to have read the bill or seem to know how to read the bill or have thought through its massive cumulative impact or been concerned at its endlessly broad reach and over incredibly vague things.)

People seem to expect the bill to be titled "The Criminalization of Organic Farming and the Take over of the US Food Supply," and when they don't see any words to that effect anywhere in the bill, they declare "this bill is fine" and those seeing dangers are "alarmists." Do they think the industrial side is composed of fools? These are the same people who make cheery cereals with cartoon characters on the box when, inside, high fructose corn syrup is all over the cereal and it comes from <http://www.organicc onsumers. org/articles/ article_776. cfm> Bt-corn associated with diabetes and <http://www.scienced aily.com/ releases/ 2007/08/07082309 4819.htm> HFCS is, too, and there is an epidemic here even among children. They know how to package. Why do people understand that industrial food inside a box can be a problem and yet are so innocent about looking at the bills, not realizing there is packaging there, too, or how much is at stake that the public and even legislators not see since this is about taking control. The industrial side aren't idiots.

Understanding parts of the bill at times depends on smelling smoke as you read it. Here in the US, we still have only smoke ... an Ohio state ag department SWAT team raid on an organic coop, Pennsylvania ag department raids on horse and buggy Mennonites, California setting coliform levels so low fresh milk dairy farmers would need cows that produced pasteurized milk right out the udder, arrest and handcuffing of a single mother in front of her children for selling goat milk, the USDA paying its agents bonuses for foreclosing on farms, ... But in the EU where 60% of the Polish farmers are now gone because of identical bills enacted into law there, and 60 UK farmers have committed suicide, there is fire. And in Iraq, where they have been rendered helpless serfs by the theft of their country's seeds and criminalization of farmers' collection of their own seed, it is roaring. And in India where 182,000 farmers have committed suicide since the WTO and IMF got hold of agriculture and our Big Ag firms went in there, and 8 million farmers have left the land, it is out of control.

The WTO, run by the multinational meat packers and genetic engineering corporations, want HR 875, here. The bills are "harmonized" rules for globalization of food and lower food safety standards to allow for it. Those corporations are members of NIAA, a corporate consortium that brought NAIS, created by <http://ppjg. wordpress. com/2009/ 01/17/nais- and-the-internat ional-criminal- court/> Anne Veneman, to the USDA to be made into law.

We begin with PASA offering FWW's take on the bills to its members.

PASA members, â€¨ â€¨The following information about a bill now before Congress, HR 875, was developed by our friends at Food and Water Watch, and forwarded to us by the National Sustainable Ag Coalition (NSAC), of which PASA is a member.

This Myth/Fact sheet was developed to help answer some of the rumors that are fairly rampant on the Internet right now. We will keep a close eye on the situation, and share further updates from NSAC as they become available. â€¨

Myths and Factsâ€¨H.R. 875 - The Food Safety Modernization Act

MYTH: H.R. 875 "makes it illegal to grow your own garden" and would result in the "criminalization of the backyard gardener."

FACT: There is no language in the bill that would regulate, penalize, or shut down backyard gardens. This bill is focused on ensuring the safety of foods sold in supermarkets.

Though private residences are not specifically included, nor are they specifically excluded. While this does not immediately affect home owners growing tomatoes in the backyard, entered testimony leaves the door open for just that in the future. Referring back to the Bio-Terrorism Act, in a discussion on this very topic and entered in the official record of debate on the interim rule, (bold/underline = mine), the same argument exists here and no new definitions or exclusions have been provided in HR 875 - and "reasonable" is a subjective term in theory as well as practice...

(13) FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-

(A) IN GENERAL- The term `food establishment´ means a

Slaughterhouse (except those regulated under the Federal Meat

Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act), factory,

Warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in

Any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores,

Or transports food or food ingredients.

Now, every home in the country holds food after buying it from the

Grocery store. Will they be included too?

------------ --------- -------

He, no. They're going to be magnanimous and say that, while they could,

They won't right now.

Excerpted from the same Interim Rule:

"(Response) FDA has concluded that private individual residences are

Not ''facilities' ' for purposes of the registration provision of the
Bioterrorism Act. Under the Bioterrorism Act, the term ''facility''
Includes ''any factory, warehouse, or establishment. '' Congress did not Specify any definition for these terms.

Under their common meanings,
The terms can include private residences. For example, according to Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary (1994), the most
Relevant definition of ''establishment' ' is ''a business firm, club,
Institution, or residence, including its possessions and employees.''
However, ''[I]n determining whether Congress has specifically addressed

The question at issue, the court should not confine itself to examining
A particular statutory provision in isolation * * *.

It is a fundamental canon of statutory construction that the words of a
Statute must be read in their context and with a view to their place in
The overall statutory scheme.''' FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco
Corp., 529 U.S. 120, 121 (2000).

Other parts of the registration Provisions in section 415 of the FD&C Act indicate that Congress only Intended businesses to register, and raise a question as to whether Congress intended that private individual residences, even though food Is manufactured/ processed, packed, or held at such residences, be Considered facilities.

For instance, a registrant is required to submit''the name and address of each facility at which, and all trade names Under which, the registrant conducts business * * * '' (21 U.S.C.
350d(a)(2)).

Thus it is unclear whether Congress intended all Individual private residences at which food is manufactured/ processed, Packed, or held to be included in the term ''facility.' ' Furthermore, The requirement that a facility submit its ''name'' as well as its ''trade names'' raises a question as to whether Congress intended ''facility'' to include private individual residences since it is Unlikely that a home would have a name or a trade name.

Where the words Of the statute are ambiguous, an agency may make a reasonable Interpretation of the statute. Chevron, USA, Inc. V. NRDC, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 842-843 (1984); Brown & Williamson, supra, at 132.

Consistent with the language of section 415(a)(2) discussed
Previously, the agency concludes that interpreting the term
''facility'' to exclude private individual residences is a reasonable
Construction for purposes of registration.

This interpretation, However, does not necessarily preclude a reasonable construction of Other provisions of the FD&C Act to include such residences."

[I do get that residences are easily included.]

MYTH: H.R. 875 would mean a "goodbye to farmers markets" because the bill would "require such a burdensome complexity of rules, inspections, licensing, fees, and penalties for each farmer who wishes to sell locally - a fruit stand, at a farmers market." â€¨

FACT: There is no language in the bill that would result in farmers markets being regulated, penalized any fines, or shut down. Farmers markets would be able to continue to flourish under the bill. In fact, the bill would insist that imported foods meet strict safety standards to ensure that unsafe imported foods are not competing with locally-grown foods.

Section 406 clearly states all food offered for sale will be viewed as being in interstate commerce and subject to the provisions of this bill.

C. 406. PRESUMPTION.

In any action to enforce the requirements of the food safety law, the connection with interstate commerce required for jurisdiction shall be presumed to exist

8) CATEGORY 4 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT- The term `category 4 food establishment´ means a food establishment that processes all other categories of food products not described in paragraphs (5) through (7).

(9) CATEGORY 5 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT- The term `category 5 food establishment´ means a food establishment that stores, holds, or transports food products prior to delivery for retail sale.

14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term `food production facility´ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.

[Sue, say it again and again, "this applies to farms and can apply to homes." It certainly looks to me that families baking cookies for bake sales could easily be included.]

SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.

(a) Authorities- In carrying out the duties of the Administrator and the purposes of this Act, the Administrator shall have the authority, with respect to food production facilities, to--

(1) visit and inspect food production facilities in the United States and in foreign countries to determine if they are operating in compliance with the requirements of the food safety law;

(2) review food safety records as required to be kept by the Administrator under section 210 and for other food safety purposes;

(3) set good practice standards to protect the public and animal health and promote food safety;

(4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate; and

(5) collect and maintain information relevant to public health and farm practices.

(b) Inspection of Records- A food production facility shall permit the Administrator upon presentation of appropriate credentials and at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, to have access to and ability to copy all records maintained by or on behalf of such food production establishment in any format (including paper or electronic) and at any location, that are necessary to assist the Administrator- -

(1) to determine whether the food is contaminated, adulterated, or otherwise not in compliance with the food safety law; or

(2) to track the food in commerce.

(c) Regulations- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture, shall promulgate regulations to establish science-based minimum standards for the safe production of food by food production facilities. Such regulations shall--

(1) consider all relevant hazards, including those occurring naturally, and those that may be unintentionally or intentionally introduced;

(2) require each food production facility to have a written food safety plan that describes the likely hazards and preventive controls implemented to address those hazards;

(3) include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water;

They never mention seeds but this is precisely how they will criminalize seed banking and all holding of seeds.

[Notice they mention harvesting, sorting and storage operations, then watch below.

To follow how this will be done, you must understand that:

1. there is a small list inside the FDA called "sources of seed contamination"
2. in which they have now defined "seed" as food,
3. so seeds can be controlled under "food safety."

Those seeds (so far) include:

seeds eaten raw such as flax, poppy sesame, etc.;
sprouting seeds such as wheat, beans, alfalfa, most greens, etc.;
seeds pressed into oils such as corn, sunflower, canola, etc.;
seeds used as animal feed such as soy ....

That is most seeds. Seeds are essential to life and thus to freedom.

The "sources of seed contamination" include six little items:

agricultural water
manure (but NOT chemical pesticides or fertilizers)
harvesting, transporting and seed cleaning equipment
seed storage facilities

What you must realize is that seed cleaning equipment is THE single most critical piece of equipment for sustainable agriculture. It is how we save organic seed. It is the machinery used after plants "go to seed" to separate out (sort) the seeds from the plant material so the farmer can collect (harvest) and then save (put in storage) seed for the next year at little cost. With his own seed, the farmer stays free of patented, genetically engineered, corporately privatized seeds.

You must also understand that Monsanto is getting rid of the people who do the seed cleaning and <http://www.opednews .com/articles/ The-multiple- ways-Monsanto- by-Linn-Cohen- Cole-090203- 854.html> many other means of our having access to seed .

This year, 2009, seed cleaning equipment is now illegal in some parts of the country which tips us off to both the intent to control seeds in this way and to how they could do things under this bill.

How can they make such vital equipment illegal? Quietly, and by saying it contaminates food.

"Contaminate" is their favorite word since the public fears the deadly contamination that industry itself - not farmers - has caused. Scare the public and thus push for "food safety standards" to be set.

And to eliminate seed cleaning equipment, they haven now set the standards so seed cleaning (the simple separation of seed from plant) will now require a million to a million and a half dollar building and/or equipment ... per line of seed.

So, a farmer who has been seed cleaning flax for 40 years with a hand made seed cleaner can't sell flax on the market anymore, though there are NO instances of anyone ever having gotten sick from seed cleaning equipment. A farmer who has been cleaning wheat, corn and soy each year with the same perfectly fine equipment would now need three to four and half million dollars for three pieces of equipment to continue.

(The FDA isn't so bar-setting when it comes to other things like melamine in baby formula, though it is proven to sicken and kill infants), initially denying the melamine was in our baby formula and then quickly inventing a "foods safety" standard to okay it.)

Organic farmers are not aware of this happening, perhaps because the left is being treated with kid gloves until HR 875 and related bills were passed. But meanwhile the FDA and USDA have been tromping on traditional (many of them farming organically, by the way) farmers for years. The organic community is disconnected from them so hasn't been away of what is happening to them, and they have a history of no one listening to them, with is too bad because it is they who are the ones bringing the warning that these bills are deadly. The organic community, measuring against its own seeming safety, hasn't heard or understood.

Notice, though, that because a single "foods safety" bar has been raised, in time no one will be able to get organic seeds in any number because it will be illegal for all farmers to sell them to anyone.

Now, look at the last item on the list - seed storage facilities.

They would be careful not to ban them all outright given the extreme reaction they would get. But now the method is more clear. "Food safety" is the weapon and public fear is the driver and they only need to set the bar at the level that is impossible to meet.

Farmers, gardeners, seed saving exchanges, seed companies, scientific seed projects, and seed banks, all require "seed storage facilities." All are working overtime to protect biodiversity that is rapidly disappearing because of ... genetic engineering.

Set the standard for "food safety" and certification high enough that no one can afford it and punish anyone who tries to save seed in a multitude of ways that have worked fine for thousands of years, and presto, you have just criminalized seed banking.

The penalties, I will assume, will be tremendous, the better to protect us from nothing dangerous whatever, but to make monopoly over seed more absolute. One is left with control over farmers, and end to seed exchanges, to organic seed companies, to university programs developing nice normal hybrids.

When you know that Monsanto with the help of the US government plundered ancient and rare seed banks in Iraq that held seeds with a genetic heritage (a biohistory belonging to all of us) going back 1000s of years and then made it a crime for farmers there to collect or use their own normal and non-patented seeds off their own land, you see how extreme the intent to control is.

Now, perhaps it is possible to see how the identical thing is being done here, only it comes in a heavily, heavily disguised way - through "food safety" that isn't at all - and in only one tiny little paragraph within a very large bill.

The Iraqis are now abjectly dependent on Monsanto and the US for survival itself and will have to pay whatever prices are set for food. They cannot just grow their own and be free. So, no matter what form of government they may have, they are now slaves because the control over them is that extreme. Kissinger was right - control food and you control people.

We are inches from this ourselves. The left needs to wake up.

This trick of setting bars above any ability to be in the game, is similar to how blacks had been treated.

http://www.opednews .com/ <http://www.opednews .com/articles/ Farming-- Why-Obama- s-gove-by- Linn-Cohen- Cole-090125- 421.html> articles/Farming- -Why-Obama- s- <http://www.opednews .com/articles/ Farming-- Why-Obama- s-gove-by- Linn-Cohen- Cole-090125- 421.html> gove-by-Linn- Cohen-Cole- <http://www.opednews .com/articles/ Farming-- Why-Obama- s-gove-by- Linn-Cohen- Cole-090125- 421.html> 090125-421.html <http://www.opednews .com/articles/ Farming-- Why-Obama- s-gove-by- Linn-Cohen- Cole-090125- 421.html>

This trick of setting bars above any ability to be in the game while imposing fines that destroy people who fail to meet that standard, is sadistic. Then, taking the land as confiscatory payment, is theft by government become totalitarian and colonizing its own people.

There are other items of the list which surely will be controlled as well. In toto, that little list is the deconstruction of farming itself and given the inclusion of manure, especially of organic farming.]

(4) include, with respect to animals raised for food, minimum standards related to the animal´s health, feed, and environment which bear on the safety of food for human consumption;

(5) provide a reasonable period of time for compliance, taking into account the needs of small businesses for additional time to comply;

(6) provide for coordination of education and enforcement activities by State and local officials, as designated by the Governors of the respective States; and

(7) include a description of the variance process under subsection (d) and the types of permissible variances which the Administrator may grant under such process.

(d) Variances- States and foreign countries that export produce intended for consumption in the United States may request from the Administrator variances from the requirements of the regulations under subsection (c). A request shall--

(1) be in writing;

(2) describe the reasons the variance is necessary;

(3) describe the procedures, processes, and practices that will be followed under the variance to ensure produce is not adulterated; and

(4) contain any other information required by the Administrator.

(e) Approval or Disapproval of Variances- If the Administrator determines after review of a request under subsection (d) that the requested variance provides equivalent protections to those promulgated under subsection (c), the Administrator may approve the request. The Administrator shall deny a request if it is--

(1) not sufficiently detailed to permit a determination;

(2) fails to cite sufficient grounds for allowing a variance; or

(3) does not provide reasonable assurances that the produce will not be adulterated.

(f) Enforcement- The Administrator may coordinate with the agency or department designated by the Governor of each State to perform activities to ensure compliance with this section.

(g) Imported Produce- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall promulgate regulations to ensure that raw agricultural commodities and minimally processed produce imported into the United States can meet standards for food safety, inspection, labeling, and consumer protection that are at least equal to standards applicable to such commodities and produce produced in the United States.

Administrator shall have authority to grant exclusions to foreign producers.

[While it may be obvious to us that this is onerous beyond any capability of coping with it, it needs to be said and described in some detail what it would actually mean for farmers or for us. Here in <http://www.opednews .com/articles/ Monsanto- and-the-Schoolma r-by-Linn- Cohen-Cole- 090214-935. html.%5D> story form is a taste of it, so anyone could feel the insanity of it:

<http://www.opednews .com/articles/ Monsanto- and-the-Schoolma r-by-Linn- Cohen-Cole- 090214-935. html> http://www.opednews .com/articles/ Monsanto- and-the-Schoolma r-by-Linn- Cohen-Cole- 090214-935. html.]

SEC. 201. ADMINISTRATION OF NATIONAL PROGRAM.

(a) In General- The Administrator shall--

(1) develop, administer, and annually update a national food safety program (referred to in this section as the `program´) to protect public health; and

(2) ensure that persons who produce, process, or distribute food meet their responsibility to prevent or minimize food safety hazards related to their products.

[This is where I think it would be very helpful if you explained how astoundingly onerous that long list is and what its impact would be on any farmer who previously only needed to load up his goods and bringing them to a farmers market - though that in itself is a time consuming, physically effortful job that often begins pre-dawn on those mornings and ends late in the day, all of it separate from growing the food and boxing it up to bring.

A small farm is not an industry with staff to fill out paperwork, handle licensing, manage all the industrial bureaucracy that is being loaded on here, but is most often a couple who is also taking care of a family in addition to growing crops and raising animals. These are precisely the people who we need most as part of our food system and how will clearly be crushed by the grossly inappropriate application of such rules to small farms.]

· MYTH: H.R. 875 would result in the "death of organic farming."

FACT: There is no language in the bill that would stop organic farming. The National Organic Program (NOP) is under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Food Safety Modernization Act only addresses food safety issues under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

[Of course, they are not going to come straight out and say it. But breaking this down to what is actually involved, you find that:]

The administrator is charged with developing minimum standards, not maximum limits on feed, fertilizers, nutrients etc- right here goes organics.

Secondly, this act creates a new agency, and the FDA becomes the Federal Drug and Device Agency. It combines offices currently under FDA and Commerce Department (National Marine Fisheries).

Third, FSA is to cooperate with the USDA in "promulgating rules and orders" which will have the bearing and impact of law.

To refer back to the previous "Myth"

[The one about foreign food having to meet our standard, right?]

- Alaska, Hawaii, US territories and foreign countries may apply for variances, so... NO... Imported foods do NOT necessarily have to meet the same standards. In fact, many countries have had to lower their standards due to WTO rules and trade agreements, and Australia had to further lower their regulatory standards when they instituted the NLIS program (their version of NAIS). There is no reason to think we would not have to do the same.

[Now, comes the response to whether the bills will meant the end of organic farming.

I'm going to format this differently to accentuate your points, Sue. This section should be a major education for people in how things have been working. This is in response to the myth that the bills will not affect organic farming, right?]

Animal health has traditionally meant medication and hormones, petroleum-based fly sprays and all sorts of other goodies.

Feed can be anything (GMO soy or corn anyone?),

environment can mean pesticides, herbicides used on pastures (IF pasturing is deemed "healthy" - internationally this is NOT so for poultry, in fact in many countries there is NO outdoor poultry anymore - by law).

Nutrients are not necessarily whole food based, many are produced synthetically, and again, petroleum based...

Animal encroachment prevention can be anything from a scarecrow or plastic owl to poison bait and bullets. Not one of these things is specified, yet there is no place for real public opinion in the decision making process provided. I will grant that there is usually a public comment period for federal register entries, for whatever that has been worth in the past.

[Meaning, it has been worth little to nothing. And obviously, the public is left having to respond ad infinitum to one issue after another. Someone compared the numbers of things being thrown at us to try to stop, to carpet bombing so you can't comment on everything, even if it helped which is clearly often doesn't.]

SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.

(a) AUTHORITIES.-In carrying out the duties of the Administrator and the purposes of this Act, the Administrator shall have the authority, with respect to food production facilities, to

(1) visit and inspect food production facilities in the United States and in foreign countries to determine if they are operating in compliance with the requirements of the food safety law;

(2) review food safety records as required to be kept by the Administrator under section 210 and for other food safety purposes;

(3) set good practice standards to protect the public and animal health and promote food safety;

[This is where words that sound so friendly and innocuous and even good are code words for international rules set by the WTO that actually define industrial requirements which do not fit real farming in the least, much less organic farming, would be applied.

This is where insane, anti-nature, anti-farming rules like "animals and crops can't exist on the same farm" come into play. Where wild animals aren't ever supposed to be near crops so the government has been poisoning deer and frogs. The list of such manufacturing rules for farming is long, and each very much "efficiency manager comes and wrecks the farm."]

(4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate; and

[Please, those of you who find the idea of NSA-spying intolerable, look carefully at those words. Now, imagine it were your farm, your home on that farm, and realize that the USDA and FDA have been run by and the new agency will be run by Monsanto, Cargill, Tyson´s, ADM. <http://www.organicc onsumers. org/foodsafety/ conagra_tainted_ meat.cfm> Their interest in helping consumers have safer food is nil The bills are meant to eliminate farmers as is now rapidly occurring in the EU with identical ("harmonized" ) bills, now law there.

(5) collect and maintain information relevant to public health and farm practices.

[There needs to be a pause here to consider the implications of each of those on someone's home - their family's farm. This is quite different from applying them to industrial sites where no one lives, and beyond that, these powers are so broad and vague, they are dangerous if only in that.

Those things listed open the door to total control, warrantless entry and perpetual surveillance. Notice how innocuous they have made it appear, even beneficial - always about public health. Yet, the insincerity of this is boggling - the USDA and Big Ag have worked to prevent inspections to the point where <http://www.animalla w.info/cases/ causfd2007wl1020 786.htm> farmers have had to actually sue to get them done , even after offering to pay for them.]

(b) INSPECTION OF RECORDS.-A food production facility shall permit the Administrator upon presentation of appropriate credentials and at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner

[Who defines "reasonable" ? Does a farmer have to go to court each time there is an "unreasonable" manner and time? How wide open do we push the door to Big Ag-corrupted government control over farmers - the people creating the only safe food?

Look carefully and realize the USDA right now is countenancing state ag departments conducting terrorizing raids on non-corporate farms across the country. Imagine it were your home and USDA agents banging on your door to demand paper work and if you don't have it, facing fines that would bankrupt you in a moment and lose you your land and home.]

, to have access to and ability to copy all records maintained by or on behalf of such food production establishment in any format (including paper or electronic) and at any location, that are necessary to assist the Administrator-

[Imagine again.]

(1) to determine whether the food is contaminated, adulterated, or otherwise not in compliance with the food safety law; or

[Be aware that in Pennsylvania where there has been an aggressive effort to destroy fresh milk dairy farmers, the tests by the states repeatedly do not match those of independent testers but the harm to farmers from such false tests and reporting of them is done and can't be undone. Be aware that the USDA has a record of creating test results damaging to small farmers while it refuses to inspect even when farmers ask to pay.]

(2) to track the food in commerce.

[This could mean farmers bringing food to markets with USDA agents surveilling. ]

(c) REGULATIONS.-Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture, shall promulgate regulations to establish science-based minimum standards for the safe production of food by food production facilities. Such regulations shall-

[Everything in this bill is being left to be filled in however the "Food Safety Tsar" - "the Administrator" decides? Right now, to give people pause and to wake them up a bit to how this is not a wise idea but in fact absurd, it appears that person could be Michael Taylor, a Monsanto lawyer infamous for approving rBGH - the first genetically engineered product ever approved - over the objections of doctors, scientists who said the numbers were being rigged, and the public.

How can anyone leave a bill so utterly vague in the hands of anyone to decide later what it all means? Do we not make laws here with specific meaning anymore? Or do we simply let totalitarian rules be applied by industry against non-industrial entities like farms and homes in any way they wish and with immense police power behind what they, for their own interests, decide?]

(1) consider all relevant hazards, including those occurring naturally, and those that may be unintentionally or intentionally introduced;

[Goodbye raw milk.]

(2) require each food production facility to have a written food safety plan that describes the likely hazards and preventive controls implemented to address those hazards;

(3) include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water;

[Goodbye organic farming.]

(4) include, with respect to animals raised for food, minimum standards related to the animal´s health, feed, and environment which bear on the safety of food for human consumption;

[Goodbye organic farming and grassfed animals.]

(5) provide a reasonable period of time for compliance, taking into account the needs of small businesses for additional time to comply;

[Oh, heavens, this looks like padding to throw in the word "reasonable" again but it has no explicit meaning whatever and so no safety for a soul.]

(6) provide for coordination of education and enforcement activities by State and local officials, as designated by the Governors of the respective States; and

[This appears to be where Homeland Security works with the USDA for such things as "depopulation of animals" - for which 6 meetings are already scheduled in June and into which livestock owners are not allowed though foreigners are.

These "depopulation" plans look like what is happening in Asia where animal disease caused by industry (and <http://www.globalre search.ca/ index.php? context=viewArti cle&code= ENG20051127& articleId= 1333> worth a fortune to the pharmaceutical industry ) are then used by industry to <http://www.ens- newswire. com/ens/feb2006/ 2006-02-27- 01.asp> wipe out its competition in heritage breeds of animals on small farms and to substitute genetically engineered animals that are patented by industry and thus owned by industry.

(7) include a description of the variance process under subsection (d) and the types of permissible variances which the Administrator may grant under such process.

(d) VARIANCES.-States and foreign countries that export produce intended for consumption in the United States may request from the Administrator variances from the requirements of the regulations under subsection (c).

[This is where the "fact" that foreign countries must meet our food safety requirements collapses by simply reading the bill.]

MYTH: The bill would implement a national animal ID system.â€¨

FACT: There is no language in the bill that would implement a national animal ID system. Animal identification issues are under the jurisdiction of the USDA. The Food Safety Modernization Act addresses issues under the jurisdiction of the FDA.

This bill mandates NAIS BY claiming that it is already law,

then contradicts itself by citing COOL, which specifically prohibits mandatory tracking.

It justifies NAIS by claiming that the AHPA gives authority - but this is a bill (and supposedly a program) concerning interstate commerce (though any item of food for sale is "presumed" to be in interstate commerce, whether it is in reality or not.) and AHPA does not regulate interstate commerce.

How many contradictions in a single section do we need before red flags go up?

[Yes, and put up red flags for whole bills if this central part is so corruptly being pushed.

Below in red, Sue answers the absurd claim that NAIS is not mandatory. FWW has gotten this and many other items wrong. That would be fine if the whole organic movement and all our farms and freedom were not riding on our seeing these very real threats and stopping those bills completely - not compromising on them but demanding their complete withdrawal.]

(a) In General- The Administrator, in order to protect the public health, shall establish a national traceability system that enables the Administrator to retrieve the history, use, and location of an article of food through all stages of its production, processing, and distribution.

(b) Applicability- Traceability requirements under this section shall apply to food from food production facilities, food establishments, and foreign food establishments.

(c) Requirements-

(1) STANDARDS- The Administrator shall establish standards for the type of information, format, and timeframe for food production facilities and food establishments to submit records to aid the Administrator in effectively retrieving the history, use, and location of an item of food.

(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring the Administrator to prescribe a specific technology for the maintenance of records or labeling of food to carry out the requirements of this section.

(3) AVAILABILITY OF RECORDS FOR INSPECTION- Any records that are required by the Administrator under this section shall be available for inspection by the Administrator upon oral or written request.

(4) DEMONSTRATION OF ABILITY- The Administrator, during any inspection, may require a food establishment to demonstrate its ability to trace an item of food and submit the information in the format and time frame required under paragraph (1).

(d) Relationship to Other Requirements-

(1) CONSISTENCY WITH EXISTING STATUTES AND REGULATIONS- To the extent possible, the Administrator should establish the national traceability system under this section to be consistent with existing statutes and regulations that require recordkeeping or labeling for identifying the origin or history of food or food animals.

[Does this mean consistent with international laws under the WTO? Is this a means of locking everything together into Smart Grid or NAFTA or CAFTA or GATT and even, the worst of all, CODEX?]

(2) EXISTING LAWS- For purposes of this subsection, the Administrator should review the following:

(A) Country of origin labeling requirements of subtitle D of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 ( <http://www.law. cornell.edu/ usc-cgi/newurl? type=titlesect& title=7&section= 1638> 7 U.S.C. 1638 et seq.).

(B) The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930 ( <http://www.law. cornell.edu/ usc-cgi/newurl? type=titlesect& title=7&section= 499a-t> 7 U.S.C. 499a-t).

(C) Country of origin labeling requirements of section 304 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1340).

(D) The National Animal Identification System as authorized by the Animal Health Protection Act of 2002 ( <http://www.law. cornell.edu/ usc-cgi/newurl? type=titlesect& title=7&section= 8301> 7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.).

EC. 210. TRACEBACK REQUIREMENTS.

MYTH: The bill is supported by the large agribusiness industry.â€¨

FACT: No large agribusiness companies have expressed support for this bill.

This bill is being supported by several Members of Congress who have strong progressive records on issues involving farmers markets, organic farming, and locally-grown foods.

[Who almost certainly have not read the bills or can't interpret how it will work to destroy farmers, organic food, seed banking, and all of us.]

Also, H.R. 875 is the only food safety legislation that has been supported by all the major consumer and food safety groups, including:

[Perhaps others know details on each organization and why they might be supporting a bill that is so threatening to real food safety and to the survival of our farms and organic farming.]

â€¨-- Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention

â€¨-- Center for Science in the Public Interest

â€¨-- Consumer Federation of America

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a long-standing consumer organization based in Washington, DC. However, it has accepted funding from the <http://www.sourcewa tch.org/index. php?title= Rockefeller_ Foundation> Rockefeller Foundation to "develop an optimum regulatory regime" for genetically engineered food.

â€¨-- Consumers Unionâ€¨-- Food & Water Watch

[Food and Water Watch just put out a description of the bill in which it is apparent they do not understand what is in it and what it will do. With that as their starting point, they support it.]

â€¨-- The Pew Charitable Trusts

[They are also connected to the Rockefeller Foundation, and involved with them in mandatory vaccinations programs around the world and issues of reducing population.]

â€¨-- Safe Tables Our Priority â€¨-- Trust for America´s Health

[There is no list here of groups opposing this bill, which include the people whose lives are most at risk from it and who know its dangers the best and who should have been the first people consulted. Instead, they have been shut out and when they have tried to report extreme dangers, they have ignored, dismissed, marginalized. Perhaps the other organizations listed here are as unfamiliar with the bill's contents and ramifications as FWW.]

If you consider that not only is Rosa DeLauro married to Stanley Greenberg, who boasts Monsanto as one of his clients, but also that she receives the largest donations from agribusiness PAC's of just about anyone in Congress, does industry NEED to come out and say they support this particular bill? If cash to the sponsor doesn't count, and if formal positions supporting various specific aspects of the bill do not count, then what does? Would there not be massive public backlash against it if industry DID take a formal stand on every bill they want to see passed?

By the same token, I've not seen a single industrial ag company come out and oppose this bill, either. They have all been conspicuously silent. I seem to remember that they threw up quite a fuss over COOL, and caused enforcement to fall behind by more than 7 years... Not to mention the garbage with loopholes we've had to deal with since enforcement began. (What good does a "Canada, US, Mexico" label do for anybody? Especially with BSE in Canada and TB coming in daily from Mexico?) Where's the hoot and holler over this?

â€¨MYTH: The bill will pass the Congress next week without amendments or debate.â€¨

FACT: Food safety legislation has yet to be considered by any Congressional committee.â€¨

I can't speak to the time frame.

[It came from those who first discovered the bills were there, inserted only one week after Vilsack had said the USDA wasn't even considering centralizing the FDA and USDA at this time, so people saw how similar the bills were, knew who fast other things were being shoved through Congress without even reading those bills, and estimated how fast this could happen.

Perhaps with people alerted now, these bogus "food safety" bills can be stopped by the organic community once it realizes they will destroy utterly it.]

However, since I did have the luxury of listening to the farce taking place on the floor of the House of Representatives on March 11 concerning HR1105 (which FUNDS NAIS among its hundreds of other projects) while awaiting the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry subcommittee hearing on NAIS - I have no doubt that this bill will move quickly now that 1105 has passed and since it has so many co-sponsors.

Especially since the Representatives were honest enough to admit that though the Senators claimed every bill in the Omnibus Act had been heard and passed in the previous session, when in actuality, some 100 of the 170 bills in the package had NOT.

But this is my personal opinion.

The "ominous Omnibus Act" as several Representatives called it, went from introduction to the President unless than 13 working days.

I really have to question just who's side those groups are really on that are in support of this bill.....

And finally,

WHAT THE NEW "FOOD SAFETY" BILLS

MEAN TO YOU

by Gail Combs

Our food safety system was trashed in 1995 by Sec of Ag Ann Veneman (Board member of Monsanto). She appointed Dan Amstutz (VP of Cargill) who wrote the World Trade Organization Agreement on Agriculture (WTO AoA). Unlike GATT, WTO has major clout from trade sanctions and control of 90% of the international trade. <http://www.publicey eonscience. ch/images/ the_wto_and_ the_politics_ of_gmo.doc> http://www.publicey eonscience. ch/images/ the_wto_and_ the_politics_ of_gmo.doc

"Aims to ensure that governments do not use quarantine and food safety requirements as Unjustified trade barriers.. It provides Member countries with a right to implement traceability {NAIS} as an SPS measure." WTO

In other words the WTO did away with "quarantine and food safety requirements" that gave us "the safest food in the world" and is graciously going to allow Farmers to track AND COUNT the world's livestock for them instead. Now HR 875 and an FDA release indicate All food will be tracked and all food producers will have Food inspections and the threat of fines up to $1,000,000 a day will eliminate all the independent farms that have acted as a check on Corporate AG.

The FDA wants

* to implement a more effective trace-back process, using technologies to rapidly and precisely track the origin and destination of contaminated foods, feed and ingredients <http://www.fda. gov/oc/initiativ es/advance/ food/questions. html> http://www.fda. gov/oc/initiativ es/advance/ food/questions. html

Nanotech in Food can make it happen "California's Oxonica makes Nanobarcodes from nano-particles that contain silver and gold stripes varying in width, length and amount, such that billions of combinations can be created to tag individual products. The barcodes have been primarily used to assure brand and authenticity in pharmaceuticals, but applications could be forthcoming in tracing food batches". http://www.nanotech - <http://www.nanotech -now.com/ news.cgi? story_id= 32231> now.com/ <http://www.nanotech -now.com/ news.cgi? story_id= 32231> news.cgi?story_ id= <http://www.nanotech -now.com/ news.cgi? story_id= 32231> 32231 <http://www.nanotech -now.com/ news.cgi? story_id= 32231>

In regards to pets

HR 875 uses "animals" and then "animals raised for food" and there are no exclusions. The Animal Welfare Act had exclusions for livestock, pets and people raising three or less litters of puppies a year. Therefore pets are not excluded.

"set good practice standards to protect the public and animal health and promote food safety"

"conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate"

"with respect to animals raised for food, minimum standards related to the animal's health, feed, and environment which bear on the safety of food for human consumption;

In regards to gardens:

The Feds Already have plans for controlling food "FROM FARM TO FORK" including home preparation since September of 1995 (WTO ratified in 1995)

HR 875

"require each food production facility to have a written food safety plan that describes the likely hazards and preventive controls implemented to address those hazards;"

"include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water"

"include, with respect to animals raised for food, minimum standards related to the animal's health, feed, and environment which bear on the safety of food for human consumption; "

"set good practice standards to protect the public and animal health and promote food safety"

"..facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients. "

Notice it does not say a person SELLING food, it says a person holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients. The bill specifically states it covers commerce with in state but again there is no exclusion for food raised for home use. The fact you are growing veggies for your and friends and not selling them does not exclude you.

"in any action to enforce the requirements of the food safety law, the connection with interstate commerce required for jurisdiction SHALL BE PRESUMED TO EXIST."

Under Ag Sec. Veneman ...

in September, 1995, the USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service presented a 600-page document "Farm-To-Table" intended to control of every step in the food chain from production to home preparation. http://www.haccpall iance.org/ <http://www.haccpall iance.org/ sub/news/ AAMPReport. pdf> sub/news/AAMPReport .pdf <http://www.haccpall iance.org/ sub/news/ AAMPReport. pdf>

This is a real life example of what has already occurred and what people may have in store:

Today a state Ag inspector and two county officials show up and scare the bee-jesus out of me. First they accuse me of selling products and milk, then explain that even "giving milk products away" is illegal in California. Now everything is pasteurized, but it is illegal to share milk products in any form! They explained it was even ILLEGAL to give it to my own children if they did not live under my roof! I can´t even take a lasagna dish to my grown sons home without risk of being fined, arrested and or jailed! This is OUTRAGEOUS!! !!....." Donna Tue Aug 12, 2008 <http://finance. groups.yahoo. com/group/ Americans_ Against_NAIS/ message/26452> http://finance. groups.yahoo. com/group/ Americans_ Against_NAIS/ message/26452

More stories on Feds raiding farms and co-ops <http://www.worldnet daily.com/ index.php? fa=PAGE.view& pageId=84445> http://www.worldnet daily.com/ index.php? fa=PAGE.view& pageId=84445

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

Conclusion.

The related package of "food safety" bills are totalitarian. There are no two ways about it.

They allow government warrantless intrusion into and extreme, detailed, surveilled control over every aspect of farmers' land and home, straight-jacketing them into a bureaucratic nightmare which precludes their even functioning as farmers. And yet for real food safety and for food security, it is exactly farmers we need.

We need the real food they produce and the farmland they spare and protect from industrialization and the heritage animals and seeds they raise and their knowledge about nature and animals, and we need the way of life they represent. Free. How interesting that to have real and clean and wholesome food, it requires that farmers have freedom.

These bills which claim to be about "food safety" but are proven in the EU already to be about the destruction of farmers, are so frighteningly broad, they allow the government to take over our lives, too. They allow the government to use rules written by multinational corporations within the WTO, to control whether we can garden or how, whether we chip our pets, even what happens inside our homes in our kitchens.

These controls all for mandating things that make money for corporations just as we are all trying to get off the corporate grid of power, fuel, food, ... Now it is easy to appreciate people' resistance to mandated vaccines (and they keep adding more kinds).

There is point at which we must say stop. Our lives are our own, our property is our own, our decisions on what to eat and how to heal ourselves are our own. We must protect our own freedom and now it is apparent how intimately tied it is those who have been providing for us for ever - our farmers.

HR 875, SR 425, HR 814, HR 759 and all related bills must be withdrawn immediately and then trashed.

Author's Bio: Linn Cohen-Cole is a leftist who was lucky enough to meet libertarian and conservative farmers and become friends, learning an incredible amount about farming and nature and science, as well as about increasing government violations against them and against us all. It's not only nothing like what we've been taught to assume about the other side of the fence, it's full of great people with immense decency.

Potty Party

2009-03-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

So we have been working on a dry all night chart with Chanse and he finished his chart on Saturday!! He earned Star Wars Legos and he loves them. Hero didn't have a chart but she earned a Sleeping Beauty costume. They also got an ice cream party. We went to Cold Stone. The kids had a blast with there new toys and there ice cream party. They made me laugh so hard at Cold Stone. Chanse really liked the beat to the music and got down and the others joined in. Watch and see!

My Birthday!!!

2009-03-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was my birthday!!! We woke up at 5:30 got ready and got in the car and drove to Ca. My nephew Chris had his 3 year old birthday party, John Deere themed. The kids were so excited to go to the party. They even got to sit on a real John Deere tractor. They could have gone for a ride but they didn't want to. My brother-in-law bought an old tractor and restored it. I have to say he did a really good job. Anyways my sisters house is 5 minutes from Disneyland so Ben and I left the kids and went on a date to Disneyland for my birthday!! I have a pass to Disneyland and so I went and I received a gift card for $69.00 for my birthday from Disneyland. How cool is that. Mickey gave me a birthday present. SO Ben and I went to lunch at Storytellers Cafe. My favorite restaurant at the Disneyland Resort. It is in the Grand Californian Hotel. It is so yummy. And then I went shopping at The World of Disney. I got a cute light weight jacket. It has Mickey and Minnie on it. I also got a CD Celebrating 50 years of Disney music. It has lots of good old music. I loved it. The one thing I could not believe though was how many people decided to go to Disneyland in my honor. Boy was it crowded. So we didn't do any rides. We got mint express sundays. Yummy. After we finished there we went to Heidi's house and then to dinner with my family. Then after dinner we went to Ben's parent's house. We had a good time and left to go home around 9:00 pm. We go home like at 1:30am. It was a quick trip but really fun!! I actually had a really good birthday this year. YEA!! But now with the lack of sleep I have a cold. I hope it goes away quickly!!! When I went into Disneyland they new it was my birthday without even telling them. They told me happy birthday when I went in the gate. How fun. And the Mickey dessert they brought me at lunch my for my birthday was so yummy!!! What fun day!!

Snotty Nose!

2009-02-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hero has a runny nose today!! NO fun! She is constantly yelling to me "I have a snotty nose!!!" SO I have to run with a tissue!! The funniest thing she said is "I'm dancing with my boogers!" As she was dancing to princess music!! So funny!!

This Week

2009-02-22T18:29:00.001-08:00

This week we had lots of fun learning about birds, bees, and painting. We pretended to be different types of birds. Chanse's favorite was the owl. We were up in a tree listening for a mouse and then quietly swooped down and snatched the mouse. Hero was the mouse. They had so much fun. We made a bird food snack. We made a plate for ourselves and then one for the birds. We used sunflower seeds, crackers, and Cheerios. The kids loved to eat the sunflower seeds. We watched out our window for a long long time and moved the snack around in the yard then the birds finally came and ate the food. I missed most of it. I think Hero saw most of it. But it was fun. (I only got pictures of the birds on our wall. When they came into our yard the sun was glaring on the window.) We now have a hummingbird feeder set up. We made hummingbird food ourselves. So fun!!! We also learned about how honey is made. Chanse now loves to eat honey.

The kids had a ball painting.

Tonight when it was time to get jammies on Sterling grabbed two of her shirts and was trying to put her jammies on herself. One sleeve from one shirt on one leg and one sleeve from the other shirt on the other leg. Then both legs in one shirt! She tries to be so helpful and independent!!! What a funny girl!!!

Time to Celebrate!!!

2009-02-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

We are now down to ONE in diapers. So Hero was the first to be totally diaper free and now Chanse is too!!!! HURRAY!!! I am so happy no more pull ups at night.. We have had 2 days with out pull ups. We ran out and I said no more. I said we couldn't afford more and and Chanse said "I have money! I could give Daddy a job and earn him money." It was so funny!! One in Diapers is the greatest thing ever!!!!!!!

Hero had her 3 year old doctors appointment yesterday. She measured 39 1/2 inches and 33.5 pounds. (I think it was o.5). The Doctor thinks she will be around 5'10." Wow two tall girls. I just don't want them to be 6.' That would be hard for them. I always wanted to be a little taller or a little shorter. I am not tall enough for a lot of things and too tall for others. OH well!!!

SO Chanse has been doing something really funny lately. If he doesn't like something he says "I don't love ___!" fill in the blank with what ever it is. It is funny!

Sterling loves Super Why on PBS. We haven't seen it for awhile and it came on this afternoon and she sang along and said "Uper Why!" It was really cute. She can be so cute!!

Happy Birthday!!

2009-02-16T06:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Eliza!!!
I can not believe you are 9 years old today!! It seems like you where born yesterday!! You are such an awesome girl. You are the best niece and cousin. I hope you have a sunshine day!!!
Happy Birthday!!
We love ya lots!!!

Eliza is the cool girl in the middle!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

What a romantic day!!

Well not really!! We had the most interesting Valentine's Day! So my parents were coming up to celebrate Hero's birthday. They got here we all piled into the car to go to the children's museum for a Clifford the big red dog exhibit. The kids were so excited and about a mile down the road Hero threw up. Yuck!!! So I spent the day catching throw up in a bowl and cleaning it up. What a great Valentine's Day and birthday celebration. Hero still opened her presents. She got some hair things, and Tinker Bell stuff from Kenny, Amber, and Eme. She totally loved it. Then got a lined card from Great Grandma and Hero loves money. She can't wait to go pick out a toy. Then from Grandma and Grandpa she got a leotard, footless dance tights, a ballet skirt, ballet shoes, and a ballet bag. She love love loves it!! She had to put it all on so she could dance. (even though she felt so bad) Thanks everyone!!!

So over all we did still have a fun day even though Hero was sick. Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!! I hope no one else gets sick!!

Hero's Tinker Bell Birthday Party

2009-02-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Hero had a blast at her birthday party. This morning she said she wanted only one friend to come to her party and she had one friend at her party. Ava came to the party along with Chanse, and Sterling. We dressed up as fairies and put on lip gloss, nail polish, and fairy dust. We learned a fairy dance and played pin the leaf on the flower and keep balloons in the air without touching the floor, and find Tinker Bell (each kid had a turn to hide Tinker Bell and everyone else had to find her). Hero got a princess coloring book with the magic markers that only color on that paper(and she totally loves it and wont put it down), and a Snow White purse, necklace and gloves that she loves. Thank you so much Ava!!!!

This afternoon we went shopping for a toy with the birthday money from Omi and Opa! She got a Snow White figures set with the 7 dwarfs, Snow White, Prince Charming, and the Queen, a small baby doll, and new glass slippers. We also got her another Barbie movie Princess and the Pauper. She loves that movie and it was $4.50 I can't remember exactly the change but it was under $5. Hero still has one more birthday celebration with Grandma and Grandpa!!! What a lucky girl to get 3 parties when she turns 3!!!

Here are pictures from last night.

A Fun Weekend

2009-02-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the kids went to Chanse's friend Connor's birthday party at Pump It Up. I thought the kids would love playing on the inflatable bounce houses and stuff. Well it turns out they have different rooms you go in. The first room had a big slide, obstacle course and a bounce house that looked like it was a boxing ring. I took each kid on the slide and tried to help each of them through the obstacle course. But they didn't like it too much. I had to hand Sterling and Hero over the side to Ben because they were so upset and crying. Then I kept going with Chanse and I had to push him to climb up the slide. He did it but was so scared. Sterling kept running to the boxing one and climbing on in and jumping. There was big kids who were so mad she was in there because they wanted to box. I was mad because we were stuck there with nothing the kids liked.

Then it was time to switch rooms. Sterling ran off into a long bounce house with two basketball hoops and was running back and forth trying to get the balls then the big kids came in and ruined it. Then I took Sterling, Chanse, and Hero into the one you are supposed to jump in and Hero was freaking out. I had to hold her and jump. Finally she had me put her down on the big middle section of the bounce house. Then she got up and started to jump and told me to get out! From that point on all three kids had a blast. They loved it. Sterling kept playing peek-a-boo with Daddy. And Chanse was running around and Hero was jumping and having a great time. The funniest thing about the whole thing is that Sterling ran off on her own from the beginning and she is the youngest. They ended up really having fun!!

On Sunday my BFF from high school came to town. I haven't seen her since I was pregnant with Hero. So it has been like 3 1/2 years. We did some silly stuff. We are so WILD AND CRAZY!! We went to the grocery store to get her some fresh fruit. (She was here for a conference and said they feed you junk.) And we went to IN-N-OUT to pay for a gift card she bought but they didn't charge her. And going back may have saved the workers job who messed up. The manager was so impressed that she came back and said people just don't do that anymore. So they gave her 3 free meals. Then she gave them to me because she can't use them because she lives far far away! Thanks Risa!!! I can't wait to have more IN-N-OUT. I am happy to know I have honest friends. Well then we were going to walk around the strip but it was way too cold. So we just hung out in her room which was upgraded to the penthouse. We also had yummy ice cream from Ben And Jerry's. I had chocolate Therapy! Anyways we got to catch up. We took some pictures and after I took them I said you know what we don't look that different and Risa said "We have been taking the same picture for the last 13 years." I think is more like 17 years. Wow has it been that long. Well I was putting the pictures on the computer from this past week and Ben saw them and he hesitated then asked if the picture of Risa and I was from this weekend and I said yes. And he said we look the same. So funny!

Happy Birthday Hero!!

2009-02-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday Hero!!! I can't believe you are 3!!
Today we had cupcakes and gave Hero the presents from us. She got 2 note pads one with princesses on it and the other with Tinker Bell. She loved them. She loves to draw!! She also got Barbie movies 12 Dancing Princesses, Island Princess and Diamond Castle ( I think that is what the third one is called.) She really wanted The 12 Dancing Princesses and it came in a three pack so she got two other movies!! She loved it. After all that I told her she needed to go to bed because her birthday party is tomorrow and she said "but we just had my party." Really was that all we needed to do. I have been working on her party for weeks. It is going to be Tinker Bell party and the girls are going to dress up as fairies. I made Fairy tutus, wands, and head wreaths. They will get pixie dust and glitter nail polish and shimmer lip gloss. Then we will do a fairy dance and have cake and presents. Man and all she need was cupcakes and 3 presents. It lasted about 20 minutes. Well I know she will like her party tomorrow. Pictures to come soon!!
Oh it was really cute Heidi told me right when Cami woke up today she said she needed to call Hero because it is her birthday!! Cute cousins they remembered. When Hero was called she didn't want to talk to anyone. Silly shy girl!!!
Happy Birthday Hero!!!

Church

2009-02-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at church I was so SO embarrassed!! We were sitting in the overflow section in the cultural hall and Sterling just would not stay put. She ran off to the back of the room and Chanse said "Oh no! Look at Sterling!! Go get her!!" So he got up and ran after her. So Sterling started to run and Chanse started to run. And then Sterling was laughing as she ran. And their feet were very loud too. It was very disruptive and I felt like everyone was looking at us. Later in the meeting she took another laughing lap. I guess it is a bad idea to give Sterling a nap before church!!

We found out the greatest yet worst thing at church. There is now an In-N-Out like 5 minutes away from us. We are so so so excited. I love In-N-Out!!! Yummy!! I hope we don't go there too often!!!

Teeth

2009-02-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sterling has a new tooth. Her bottom right tooth next to the first molar. The other three are coming. No fun teething. I think it came in two days ago!!

A fun Sunday

2009-02-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

We now have church at 1:00. So we get out at 4:00. Sterling usually goes down for her nap at 1:00 but on Sundays there is no napping. We also have a candy man in our ward and he gives candy to all the kids. So when we left church I opened up Sterling's candy hoping she would stay awake. NO she fell asleep holding tight to her M&M bag in one hand and some candies in her other hand. When we got home I took her out and sat her on the couch hoping she would wake up but no she didn't. Chanse and Hero yelled at her to wake up and poked her and shook her softly on the arm and she didn't flinch so I took her to her bed and she still stayed asleep. She took an hour nap. And still went to bed on time.

Hero is rubbing sleeping Sterling's face and head trying to wake her up!!

Chanse got out one of his stuffed dogs and said "this in Anakin dog. I am going to turn him into Darth Vader." So he stuffed his don into the Darth Vader mask and put his sweater vest on him, pants on him and shoes and socks. He also got socks to be gloves. The then sang the Darth Vader theme music. He is such a funny kid!!

Hero is Potty Trained!!!!

2009-01-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

Hero earned her Giselle dress today. That is the princess from the movie Enchanted. She had to fill her smiley face chart with smiles. She had to poop on the potty or stay dry all night to get a smiley face. Today she filled her chart with the last smile. She loved her dress but it was too long. SO I have to hem it. She will have fun with it soon!!!

This is a picture of when Hero spoke with Snow White after she pooped on the potty the first time!! (she bumped her nose that morning and had to have a band aid. She wore the band aid for three days and their never was any real reason for a band aid. Silly girl!!)

More words

2009-01-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

Here are two more words Sterling can say: hat and hug. If you haven't read my blog lately the full list is below in the Uh-Oh post!!!

Another word is off.
more words: hot, slide, swing (her favorite things to do).

Uh- OH

2009-01-28T17:55:00.000-08:00

Sterling is so funny!!! Every time we watch a TV show or movie and the credits roll Sterling says "uh-oh! Uh-oh!" Like there is something wrong. It is so funny. She also holds up the Star Wars movies and says "Cookie, Cookie." She calls Darth Vader cookie because of the noise he makes breathing. I may have already told you about that but it was worth retelling. She also is calling all food pizza now it used to be cookie. Actual cookies she calls cook! She puts three words together. "I want up." And other mixes of words. She says doggy, Mommy, Dad, Chanse, baby, up, cookie, pizza, done, hello, (she calls the phone hello), bye, bus, I, want, cup, drink, grandpa, Mickey, Barney, Barbie (it is hard to tell if she is saying Barney or Barbie), Cinderella, down, potty, pee pee, pooh pooh (get those potty words in), light, no (one of her favorite words), mine, me, in, side, out, all done, apple, beam and many words in songs that she sings along with. What a smart little 18 month old girl. I am sure there are more words but I can't think of any more right now.

Some more words Ben and I remembered that Sterling says: fight, stop, tummy, Elmo, Pooh (as in Pooh Bear), butt (meaning button), bath, owey, five (she puts her hand out and says five like give me five), some, Grandma, blank (for blanket), wipe (she also will pretend to wipe herself), eat em (when she wants something to eat). More words to come as she says them or we remember them. I believe at her Dr. appointment they said she should have 6 words at 18 months.

How could I forget she says, please, and clean teeth after brushing her own teeth!!

To Grandpa love Hero

2009-01-28T16:06:00.000-08:00

tiooiiiirottoeritotooretioioroetitotoiototeooretioooioooiiiiiiioieoeiooorotritrotirotiiiiiiiioe

To Eme love Hero

2009-01-28T16:00:00.001-08:00

yo oypytpoyptyppt[otypyptyptoyoyoyopotpyotpotpyoptyotopyyyyyyyyypptoto otoptpyototpyoptoytyotpotp

Hero

2009-01-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hero is finally feeling better. She was really sick for three days. I didn't get much sleep. We slept on the living room floor for two nights no fun. One night in my bed and Hero was all over the bed. She would throw up when ever the ibuprofen or Tylenol got close to her moth. I got some down her once when I told her it was purple princess food. She loved it. But there was no tricking her after that. She is back to her old whining self!! Middle children are such stinkers.

Sterling's Dr. Visit and More

2009-01-22T22:23:00.000-08:00

Today Sterling had her 18 month doctors visit. She is 34 1/4 inches tall, 26.6 lbs, and her head is 18 3/4 inches. She is really tall. Her doctor said at 2 years old you double their height and then you get your child's projected height. He then said "She has 6 months to grow and she is already going to be 5'9"." WOW!! I am going to have some really tall kids!!!! Sterling got her vaccinations except there is a shortage of one so she didn't get that one.

Hero is sick she has had a fever all day. Then Sterling has a fever too. No fun. Sick kids stink. Sterling was fine this morning. I hope everyone feels a lot better in the morning.

Cute Sterling and Hero Update

2009-01-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

Sterling did the cutest thing two nights ago. At bedtime Ben asked who wants to say the prayer. And Sterling folded her arms and bowed her head and started to mumble something and then said "Amen." So Cute!!

So Hero refuses to wear pull-ups at night. The past 2 nights she wet the bed. I guess the first night may have been pure luck. She did almost make it this morning. She yelled I have to go potty and I ran into her room but she had wet the bed and then she peed in her potty. So hopefully tonight we will be successful.

Hero

2009-01-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

HURRAY!!! Hero was dry all night!!! Last night she insisted on wearing her panties. And she went through the whole night dry!!! Hip HIP HURRAY!!!!!

Sterling

2009-01-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Sterling turned 18 months yesterday!!! I can't believe how time flies. She already says so many things. I have to let everyone know that Sterling went pee pee on the potty two times yesterday. Way to go Sterling!!!

Fun Potty Training!!

2009-01-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

We have been potty training for the past 5 days. We are still having some accidents. Last night Hero finally pooped in the potty. She got a phone call from Snow White today because she pooped in the potty. She also got a call from Cinderella when she pooped in the potty again. Our dirty clothes pile is smaller today then the day we started potty training. She is getting it!!! Sterling wants to get in on the act too. She sits on the potty and says "potty." She also points at the pee after Hero pees and says "pee." Too bad Sterling is still a little to young. So I am bribing Hero with lots of yummy treats. I am going to do what ever will help the process along.
Hero is just too tired of potty training!! She was actually pretending to sleep because she wanted to see herself sleeping!!!

The Best Day Ever!!!!

2009-01-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

Today Sterling got to go to nursery for the first time!!!! This is the first time in 4 1/2 years I was without a baby for the last two hours of church. It was so great. The only problem was I didn't get to go to class because I was stuck in the library. OH well. At least Sterling wasn't smashing her fingers in the drawers and I wasn't having to chase her down. It was fabulous. The other great thing was Sterling ran right into nursery. She was more then happy to go. Ben dropped Hero and Sterling off. Hero was a little hesitant and Sterling wiggled out of Ben's arms and ran for the toys. Then the teacher brought Sterling back to me to get a diaper change. Erika put Sterling down and Erika started to walk away and Sterling ran after Erika. Sterling didn't want to come to us. Sterling had a great time in Nursery. Hero loved having Sterling in nursery with her. How fun!!!!

We had a fun low key New Years. We went to a story time at the library done by our favorite story time person Ms. Susan. She is so fun. The kids made noise makers and drew scary faces on them to scare the bad luck away in the new year. We counted down to "New Years" it was close to noon when we counted down. We watched the second hand go from the 11 to the 12. Then everyone shook their shakers and yelled "Happy New Years!!" Then we read some new years stories. One was about a girl and her hats. She made a hat for every month and then for new years made a hat with everything on it. SO we made hats too. The girls loved their New Years hats. Chanse loved his too but he wouldn't get in a picture. We got doughnuts and pizza. Pizza for dinner and doughnuts for breakfast. We went to Krispy Cream and the kids loved watching the doughnuts being made. SO fun!! (Our round foods for good luck!) In the morning we watched the Rose Parade and the kids want to go to the Parade. In a few years maybe!!! I am not sure I am ready to camp out at the parade yet. I have done it so many times we will see.

SO Chanse wants a dog really badly. We told him he needs to learn how to take care of himself meaning dress himself, be dry all night, go to the bathroom by himself and the list goes on. He also needs to earn the money to pay for the dog, to buy it and to feed it and take it to the doctors. So he was trying to earn money so he cleaned his room. He took a lot of his toys and put them in the hall and in Hero and Sterling's room. He also had to wear his Bob the Builder hat while at work. Such a dangerous job. The last time he cleaned his room he put everything on his bed. It was so funny. I had never seen his floor so clean!!! Anyways we went to a pet store to look at some puppies and to see how much they were and to learn a little about them since I have no clue when it comes to dogs. Well we found a cute little puppy that Chanse and Hero just loved. They both held it and loved it. Sterling tried to kick it. It was so small. It will grow to be like 5 pounds. It was a Shiranian. I don't like dogs but I do have to say it was really cute. This puppy was $799. I couldn't believe how much they were. It will be a really long time until Chanse gets a puppy. I don't even know what a good dog would be for our family or if I could even deal with a dog. I don't want another kid!! Anyways here are some pictures of Chanse cleaning his room!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-12-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

So today is my Dad's and my brother's Birthday!! SO I would like to wish them a Happy Birthday!!!

Thanks Dad for all you do for me even when I live so far away!! I love that you are so willing to help me drive back and forth from Las Vegas to South Pas. It is always so fun!! Thanks for helping us to do fun things like going to Disneyland and the Zoo. The kids love Grandpa's house. And thanks for babysitting!!! Thanks for all your help and all you do!! Love you lots!!!

You are a great brother Kenny and a crazy gorilla riding uncle!! Happy Birthday!! Love ya!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2008-12-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

This is the Nativity preformed by the Ballentine Grandchildren!
Mary: Hero
Joseph: Chris
Kings: Chanse and Scotty
Angels: Sterling, Camilla, Eliza, and Emerald

May you remember the true meaning of Christmas!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Love to all!!
The Bunkers

Trip to California

2008-12-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

I did post about our trip to California but it is after all the snow posts. I started the post and went back to it so it posted under the other posts. I don't know how to move it. So take a look. I never proof read it whoops. I will do that soon. I hope it all makes since!!

Las Vegas Snow Day!!!

2008-12-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Chanse is in the preschool program in the Clark County School District and today they announced no school because of the record snow fall yesterday. Chanse stared to cry when he found out there was no school today. Today is show and tell. He lives for show and tell. So we are going to do our own show and tell. Chanse gets a snow day and he can't even appreciate it. I would be surprised if he ever got another one!!!

Side note: 2 days ago when it was clear and airplanes were flying one flew over our house and Sterling pointed up and said "Airplane." So cute.
And today I am trying potty training with Hero because we ran out of pull-ups. We will see how this goes!!!

Snow in Las Vegas

2008-12-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it snowed in Las Vegas. The kids loved it. At first it didn't stick at all and then it started to stick on the toys and grass. Chanse said "It's real snow from the sky!!" He also caught snow flakes with his tongue. I asked "what do snow flakes taste like?" Chanse said "Ice Cream!!" Hmm Yummy, must have been a really good snowflake. Chanse went to school and then when he got home we built a little tiny snowman. With a carrot nose and blueberry eyes and buttons. Hero and Sterling loved it too.

Another funny thing Chanse said yesterday: At bed time Chanse asked his Daddy about scripture reading "Are you going to say 'and it came to pass?'" Ben then said probably. Chanse said "Me too," Chanse was holding his own scriptures. Ben read and every verse said and "and it came to pass." Then Chanse read to us from his scriptures. So cute.

Sterling is funny. She pulls a big chair around to get into the cupboards. She pulled it over to the one where we keep the chocolate chips and stood on the chair pointing saying "some some" until she got some. Then she pulled the chair over to where we have the blue tortilla chips. She climbed up and got them. She then sat down on the living room floor and said "yummy!" And started eating. Then she took the chair in front of the refrigerator and said "drink!" Funny kid. She can get into everything now!! She saw a picture of herself, Chanse and Hero and said "That's us!" She likes to switch the light switch and says "light." She says a lot more too.

Hero has been sick. Hero doesn't like to keep her clothes on. She is really silly like that. I have always loved the movie Babes in Toyland, the Disney one. We were watching it and when it ended Hero said "again" She loves it too. She loved the ballerinas dancing at the begining. She yelled out "Ballerinas!!" She was glued to the TV! It was cute.

I am still working on a post about our trip. It will come soon!!

Home Sweet Home

2008-12-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken right after I took Camilla on Indiana Jones. It was her very first time. I had to hold her tight. I held her really really tight and she closed her eyes and put her head on my chest. At the end I asked her if she liked the ride. She said she loved it and she didn't open her eyes at all. I said next time you go on you should try it with your eyes open she said "Excuse me!!" It was so funny. She also said I held her tight better then anyone else. Yeah!! IT was fun!! Thanks for letting me take you on Indiana Jones for the first time Camilla!!! It was a blast!!!

Well we are back home again from our 9 day trip to Cali. for Thanksgiving. Well we have been home for awhile. Hero and Sterling are sick and Chanse is so out of whack. He threw a fit almost every day when it came time to get onto the school bus. I have been super tired too. We did so much and had so much fun. We had Thanksgiving with my family. My parents rented a big bounce house. The kids loved it. Hero and Sterling were a little scared of the bounce house but auntie Heidi took them in and bounced with them and they loved it. Sterling also loved bouncing with Grandma. We stayed over at the Bunker's house for 2 nights. So fun. We went to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific with my parents and Jake. The kids loved it. We saw a big sea turtle and sharks, and giant crabs. and lots more. We even got to pet sharks, stingrays, and other sea creatures. The kids loved it. Chanse and Sterling even meet Mr. Ray. Sterling didn't like it too much.

We had lunch with Ben's Grandparent's and I later found out Earl went to the Hospital right after our lunch because he had a stroke. Ben was suspicious that he may have been having a stroke. Ben had to help him to the car. Well from what I have been told Earl is fine. I hope he does feel better.

Ben went home on Saturday and I went with the kids my parents house. On Sunday we visited Alhambra Ward. It was so fun to see our old friends in Alhambra. But the kids were completely crazy while I was there. Later Sunday nigh we went to Griffith Park to see the Lights. The mile long stretch of road was closed to cars so we could get right up close and see all the light displays. It was so fun and of course all the kids loved it. Sterling got out of the stroller and was practically running down the street with Grandma. She just had a ball.

Monday morning we went to the zoo. The kids loved the animals. A worker at the zoo told us that the lions sleep 20 hours a day and it is real luck to see them awake. Every time I go it seems like they are asleep. Well we saw them awake and we heard them growl and saw there teeth and the male and female licking each other. What fun. We saw reindeer. And we finally got to see gorilla's. The gorilla habitat had been under construction for as long as Chanse has been alive and who knows how long before since I didn't frequent the zoo before I had children. This trip the habitat was open. We got to see the gorilla's up close and one came and hit the window we were viewing threw. The new habitat was huge. The gorilla's were the same gorilla's from when I was a kid. When I was a kid the space they were in was so small. and the big gorilla would sit there on his big rock and stair at all the people. The gorilla's looked so confined and sad back then and now there space is so big. It seams more pleasant for them.

On Tuesday Heidi and her 4 kids, us and Grandma went to Disneyland. Hero had an appointment at Club Libby Lu to get her hair and make-up and nails done along with Eliza and Cami. This was her Christmas and Birthday present from Heidi and fam. Hero loved her princess hair. She then got to pick 5 items for her grab bag and she got a toy that was priced at $29.99 totally crazy. Well the store is going out of business so everything is on sale even the makeovers. It was so fun. I am so sad we wont be able to do that again.

We spent the whole day at Disneyland and California Adventure. We had so much fun. We saw the Christmas Parade and the Christmas Fireworks. The kids loved the fireworks. We saw the snow. Which they loved. They also loved The Haunted Mansion Holiday or as we call it the Jack and Sally ride since it is decorated with Nightmare Before Christmas characters. My kids love that movie. Well we actually did three days at Disneyland. The kids love playhouse Disney, It's a Small World, the train we rode it three times around the park in a row. Chanse loves the Dinosaurs. They loved going into Toon Town. We got to see Micky. They loved seeing the characters. Well Sterling was happy far away but when we got up close she would freak out. When ever she sees a Mickey she would yell out "Mick!! Mick!!" So cute. Anyways we had a great and exhausting time.

One of the days of our trip I got to watch Emerald because Amber and my Brother Kenny both were lucky enough to be working. SO I watched her and took all four kids to the park and did a dance class with them, and read stories and did a nature collage. It was really fun. I had never been with Emerald for that long at one time. She is a fun little girl.

Our last night there we went to see Eliza sing in a Primary Choir at the Creche the Stake dose that my sister Heidi is in. Eliza walked in down the aisle and sang and then up on the stand and she was really performing and singing her little hart out and then at the end they sang and walked out. When she saw her mom she took little tiny steps, posed all while still singing until a photo was taken of her. It was so funny. Then her Grandpa on the other side laughed out loud really hard and said "She is just like her Mother!!!" It was so funny. That Eliza did that and the reactions of everyone I just couldn't stop laughing. She is so cute. We then went to a room where they have a place for the kids to dress up as the nativity characters. Hero was Mary, Chanse was a king and Sterling started out being baby Jesus. I wrapped her up and put her in the manger and she didn't like it. So then she was an Angel. I held her up in the back so it looked like she was floating. I didn't get any pictures because I was holding Sterling so hopefully I will get s copy someday!! We had a very fun time. It is no wonder Hero has been sick she was licking everything at Disneyland. I don't know what is wrong with that girl. Always putting things in her mouth and licking things. OH well!! But we are happy to be home.

Family Fun!!

2008-11-24T15:10:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went to Bass Pro Shop again. Hero actually sat on Santa's lap and had a conversation with him. Chanse sat on Santa's lap and Sterling screamed at the sight of Santa. We then did the craft. We made a paper chain. Chanse keeps calling it a train. Silly kid. We then had to go to Tommy's for lunch. A little bit of home in Las Vegas. Well then on Sunday we went to church and had tithing settlement. Since we were at church so late and there was some empty parking lot Chanse and Hero got to drive. Hero was freaking out because she needed to be in her seat. Chanse loved every minute of it. We all did it as kids.

Today we decorated for Christmas. Chanse and Hero wanted to decorate so badly. So we did. What fun!!!
Last week at Bass Pro Shop I felt like I was in the movie Miracle on 34th Street. I was talking to Santa about sending him a letter. He said "I don't mean to promote another store, but at Macy's you can write a letter to Santa and put it in a big red mail box right there." I thought it was funny he said that. I was like is this for real? Did he really just say that?? Any ways I forgot to write that last week.

Happy Birthday!!

2008-11-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Amber!!!

Paint Paint Everywhere

2008-11-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

When Chanse got home from school yesterday we got out our paints and painted. Things got a little out of hand. The kids had a lot of fun!! But it was hard to clean up!!!! The bath water was green. The girls had to take 2 baths. SO Fun!!!

I also found out that I am going to be an auntie again!!!

Bass Pro Shop

2008-11-16T13:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went on a family adventure to Bass Pro Shop. The kids love to see all the fish and stuffed animals. When we got there we found out they were doing free pictures with Santa and they had fun activities for the kids. They decorated pine cones, colored, watched part of A Christmas Story, and played at a shooting gallery. When we saw Santa Sterling freaked out. She cried and I never even put her down. I held her next to Santa and she didn't like it. Chanse sat on Santa's lap and Hero did not want out of Daddy's arms. Hero told Santa that she wanted toys. Chanse said he wanted a Storm trooper costume with a mask. So funny. I don't have a scanner so I can't put the picture up. It is a really funny one. After that we had lunch at Tommy's and then went to the mall. At the mall they had singing teddy bears and ice skating teddy bears. The kids loved watching them. What a fun day!!

Sterling finally has another tooth on the bottom. Now she has three down there. She got the left one next to the center teeth. What fun!!

Picnic

2008-11-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Today the kids decided they wanted to have a picnic. We had Mickey Mouse chocolate pancakes, scrambled eggs, and oranges. Sterling calls Mickey "Mick." So cute. Hero found a blanket and spread it out. They had a fun time. It is wonderful that the weather is nice and we can actually go outside for once.

A day in the life of the Bunkers ....................... and the DARK SIDE

Happy Easter

I am an Auntie Again!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Hero!!

Good Quote

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing”; "Please excuse the mess, we *live* here". and the ever popular, and true, "Sorry you missed it, my house was clean last week."

Some Great Quotes!!

Latest Creations

This one is for Opa

Sweet Chanse

Making Bread

A Day at The Museum

Christmas Pictures

Hero's Firsts

Santa Train

The Mine

Halloween

Potty Training

Hero

Sterling's First Haircut or Chanse the Barber

Returned Lipstick

The Results of my CVS Trip

CVS Game

Last Day of Church

Bad Imaginations and Hard Boiled Eggs

Middle of the Night Awakening

Hero

Newest Headbands

Karate

Sterling

First Day of Kindergarten

Ballet/Tap and Karate!!

Crash!!

Train Ride

Lipstick

Karate and Ballet

4th of July

Reading

Other happenings in the past few weeks!!!

Happy Birthday Chanse!!

Little Diva Hero

Church

Chanse Said the Funniest thing!!!

New House

We got the Key!!!!

My Dear Cousin

Packing

Whole Wheat Bread

Flooring

We are getting a house!!!!

Sweet Angel

Spring Break

Lunch

Hero Learned How to Swing By Herself And Ladybug fun

Springs Preserve

Computers and a Day at the Park

Happy Birthday Ben!

Easter Egg Hunt

Field Day

New additions to my crafting blog!

Hair Fun

Unexpected Visiters

Butterflies and Dragons

St. Patrick's Day

Gardening

Organic Gardening H.R.875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 and it would make americans serfs on their own land

Potty Party

My Birthday!!!

Snotty Nose!

This Week

Time to Celebrate!!!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hero's Tinker Bell Birthday Party

A Fun Weekend

Happy Birthday Hero!!

Church

Teeth

A fun Sunday

Hero is Potty Trained!!!!

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing”; "Please excuse the mess, we live here". and the ever popular, and true, "Sorry you missed it, my house was clean last week."