HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

It's the season of love :) Valentines Day is one of our favorite holidays around here!! In the background of the picture above you can see pans and pans of frosted sugar cookies on the counters. Sweet little cookies frosted red, white, and pink, with an assortment of fun sprinkles to go on top. No Valentine's Day is complete without sugar cookies in our house. We tend to go a little overboard on Valentine's Day..... but I just can't help it. It's such a fun day!! I think my love for Valentine's Day started when I was about 4 years old. All the other kids had gone off to school, and I was home, just my Mom and Me!! She kept going into her room, and I would hear her rustling in one of her drawers and then she would come out with her hands behind her back and she would say, "How much do you love me??"...... :) and with my eyes big and full of ancitpations I would stretch out my arms as wide as they would reach.... and I would exclaim .. "I love you THIIIIIIIISSSSS MUCH!!".... :) and then she would present me with the little present she had behind her back. A box of conversation hearts, a homemade valentine....... and among others was my very favorite..... a large heart shaped sucker that said the words "I LOVE YOU!" on it. I thought I was the luckiest girl ever, and I think it has stuck with me ever since!! I just love all the pink and white and red reminders of the holiday. So..... our Valentine's this year..... In the morning we gave Valentines and Cards to each other, and we had fun little treats and bears for each of the kids, along with their OWN little heart shaped box of chocolates.... the kids LOVED it!!! Pink Milk (strawberry milk) for breakfast, and then it was time to get ready for school. The kids dressed in Valentine Colors for school.... Sami even wore a candy necklace (after we got her hair dryed and curled!!) The kids took a small figurine and box of candy to their teachers along with sugar cookies for the class and Valentine's for each of their classmates and friends. This evening (barring yet another possible blizzard) we have plans to go to AppleBees for a family Valentines Dinner..... (or if the blizzard comes as predicted.... we will stay in and order out pizza!).... and then it will be a night of movies and time together. Well, happy hearts day to all!!

I will always remember this winter as the "snowy winter"!! We have had had more snow days this winter than the last few years combined. Most days for the last several weeks, we see some sort of snowfall sometime throughout the day. We have had light snowfalls, heavy snowfalls, misty snowfalls, and outright blizzards!! We are so grateful for the moisture though, and hope that with all this snowfall, it will bring enough moisture to pull us out of the heavy drought we have been in. We are hoping once again to grow a garden this year, and the moisture will be key for that. Last year we lost most of our garden, along with most of our lawn and grass due to the strict water restrictions necessitated by the drought. Each day I see snow coming down, I have whispy thoughts of planting corn, and peas, and tomatos, and so much more. The kids have thoroughly enjoyed the "snowman" season..... in fact that is one of Tanner's favorite words!! The other day, I was getting ready to pick up the kids from school, and I asked Tanner which jacket he wanted to put on.... I held out a heavy jacket, and his snow coat (right now every thing is a bargain with our little tornado toddler!!) I anticipated some resistance, but was happily surprised when he eagerly grabbed his coat and wanted me to put it on. He even insisted I put the hat on and button it up. As soon as I did, he started yelling "SNOW!!! SNOW!!!..... DADDY!!! SNOW!!!"...... he remembered going to play in the snow with daddy in his snow coat!! How cute!

Minnie-Mouse

Our Little Girl is almost 4 months old!!! I cannot believe it!! Where has the time gone?? You would never know at this point that she was a month early. She's a round, chubby little munchkin, with dimples to boot!
Her first "love" is minnie mouse!!! Actually, its a toss up right now, between minnie-mouse and her thumb. She just recently found her thumb, and has taken a liking to it. We are happy about it, since she started sleeping through the night once she found it. So, here she is going back and forth, between her thumb, and minnie mouse,.... and cannot seem to figure out why she cannot get BOTH into her mouth at the same time. It's really a crack-up to see her with her little minnie doll. She loves it, and hugs it, and sometimes wrestles with it (kind of like puppies do with toys) It is so funny to see! She really is our bundle of joy right now. She gives lots of smiles, and lots of "almost laughs".... she opens her mouth wide like she going to laugh, but just the hugest smiles come out..... but her eyes are laughing!! She is now sleeping through the night most of the time. She loves her cradle with the butterfly mobile hanging overhead. Oftentimes in the morning, I will go check to see if she is awake, and there she will be babbling, and cooing,... kicking, and smiling, and carrying on a great conversation with her little butterfly friends. Her one other "trick" that we love to show off..... is to say "hi!".... we come up to her and say "hi!" and she will look right back at you and say "hi!" and smile and squeal. I am sure she has no idea what it means yet, but she knows that she gets lots of attention from it and she loves it. She is a very sociable little baby, and we are just loving and enjoying her tons!!!

Getting Started

Well, I have had this on my to-do list for quite some time......... "start blog". The two older ones are at school, the little ones are taking a nap (AT THE SAME TIME!!!!! ).... and I am procrastinating my other big to-do..... (new year resolution #4..... "I will exercise every week day")...... and so here I am!!

Where to start? Where to start? Well, I have always heard that "where you are is, where you're at"..... so that seems a sensible place to begin. The Chipman Family 2008. There are 6 of us now!! Wow, where has the time gone. I realized what a big family we are getting to be when I was at the grocery store, and found myself buying the LARGE cans of peaches, pears, .... soup etc. We now go through the Family Size mac and cheese as well!! I came home and told my husband, "We are truly a big family now, because we have to buy BIG cans!!" He looked at me a little strangely, but thats not uncommon around here. :)

We have been married for just over 8 years, ....... and where has all that time gone??? Medical school, residency, starting our own medical practice, 14 moves in and across 5 different states, and 4 kids in between all that. We are now happily settled in a place we plan to stay for a long time. We have two girls and two boys from newborn on up to seven.
Samantha- 7 years old....... loves reading, writing, art, piano, singing, holding the baby, princess things, and Highschool Musical (especially Troy!!)
Michael Bret (Bretty)- 5 years old.... loves Lightning McQueen, pirate ships, rockets, basketball, soccer, baseball, and football (BYU FOOTBALL!!....)
Tanner-2 years old.... loves Spaghetti (especially Fazoli's), Elmo, Nemo, Choo-Choo trains, trucks, cars, fish, stars, blankets, stuffed animals, and DADDY!!!
Tyler Kate- 3 months old..... our little dolly!! She loves to be held and cuddled, loves looking at teddy-bears, mirrors, and her butterfly mobile that hangs above her cradle. She is sweet as they come.

We stay very busy each day with all the dailies of life..... and try to have fun as we go along..... because time does not stop, but making memories preserves that time.

So...... 2008..... what will this year bring??? I LOVE the beginning of the new year..... we get that chance re-evaluate our goals, and move forward with a new freshness and energy.... and speaking of goals..... I better end this for today, ..... I am off to do that exercise that I have been procrastinating before the kids wake up!!