Family Pic

I was on my way to an Special Forces Army Ball with one of my good friends and we got a cute lil family pic in! April 2008.

The Denver Zoo

It was our first time to the Denver zoo and the kids and I had a blast!


On the giant copper hippo....it was really hot from baking in the sun!

Carrie's and Addie in Colorado

We had such a blast with Addie and Aunt Carrie here to visit...Addie is such a firecracker! It was great!

Update on Chelsea

Chelsea is doing so well! She has now been off chemo since June of 2007, we have had numerous MRI's and CT scans, and so far (keep your fingers crossed and her in your prayers) everything is still stable and not growing. The 2 brain tumors seem to have had thier growth stunted by the extensive (15 months) chemo and we HOPE and PRAY that it stays that way for a while. In the meantime, she's living the awesome life of a very healthy and happy 13 year old. Tonight she is going to a Jr. High "lock-in" sleepover at the YMCA with her friends. She loves music, hanging out with friends, shopping, movies, and especially yappin on the phone! We are so happy and relieved that she is doing well. In May she has been invited to go to the Brittish Virgin Islands with some of her friends and Dr.'s, Nurses from the Shining Star Foundation, and she CANNOT wait for that! She will be away for a little over a week! She also looks forward to the summer, no school and going to visit Grandma and Grandpa Heffelfinger and hopefully Aunt Carrie and Uncle Brian and Addie in Phoenix. Here's a recent pic of her....I'm so glad to see the life back in her eyes and her healthy again!

Kids at the Fountain Pond

It was an awesome day again last Saturday, so we loaded up and went down to the Fountain Creek Park, here's a pic by the lake-ish, pond-ish thing, and fed some ducks and CRAZY geese! Cailey was holding a piece and one came up and bit it out of her hand, another one opened it's wings and went running and hissing at Collin. I think there's something in the Pond that's making them crazy. I love how Cailey has her eyes closed and Cal-boy looks like he's in a lounge chair (notice the play-hiking clothes) We can't wait till Spring!

We are cuddley people

Aw! I love that my kiddos still love to cuddle and snuggle with me! They must kinda like me! The boys and Chels even still smooch me when I drop them off at school! Happy Valentine's Day everyone! XOXO

Sassy Cailey Mae

As the youngest member of our family, Miss Cailey Mae can definately hold her own. She runs the show, and is totally efficient at gettting her brothers to cater to her and do what she wants...she pretty much has any man wrapped around her little cute finger! Most of the people who know her and I well say she's my little Mini-me. I'd have to agree, she's got the sass and the smile...and is generally pretty energetic and definately NOT shy! She's such a compliment as the last member of our family and fills in any empty spaces. Someone once told me that "having children is like wearing your heart on the outside of your chest".... definately true. When they are sad, I am sad, when they are sick, it kills me that I can't make it better. And often, I find myself watching them sleep, wondering how the time has gone by so quickly.

New Step family!

The Hodkins kids have a new step brother and sister. Thier names are Kristen (9 years old) and Jake (6 years old). Kristen and Jake are lots of fun and we are so glad they came into our lives! We love them lots!
in the picture L-R, top to bottom is Chelsea, Kristen, Cal, bottom, Collin, Cailey and Jake

Movie Night Snuggling!

Every weekend at least one of the nights- we all climb up into my bed and have a movie night...it's a ritual now...off to the movie store, pick out 3 or so movies and then come home, pop some poppycorn and snuggle up for some family time!

Nature Hike

On Sunday afternoon we got some AWESOME weather.... it was about 60 degrees, so we decided tp go down to the Fountain Creek Nature Center and go on a hike....we had such a great time....the trail goes along the creek and is absolutely gorgeous! It was SO nice to get out and about and enjoy some sunshine for a change of scenery!



Here's some pics I took on the hike with my cell phone....thus the not so great pictures.... I love the one that we're all smooshed together in! In the one of the kids Cal looks like he's pouting....he was having a blast though!

Christmas 2007

* We had such a great Christmas this year! The kids got a wonderful surprise from their Daddy and he got to come home to visit them for 3 weeks during Christmastime. He got in on the 12th and had to leave the 30th and they got to spend almost the WHOLE time with him and Cyndee and their step brother Jake and step sister Kristen. They had such a great time! Some of their Dad's family came to visit, their Grandpa Billy and Grandma Joyce and Chad (their Dad's) brother Shawn came to stay over Christmas too! It was SO good for the kids to spend that time with their Daddy...they have missed him so much, he has been deployed to Iraq since September of 2007 and isn't due to come back until December of 2008.
*I got the opportunity to go and visit my parents and brother Nate and his family for a week while the kids were with Chad over Christmas. It was so good to get back home to Idaho and have a week of downtime. And anyone that knows me, knows that I love my family and we are so close and I enjoy every minute I get to spend with them! I also got to catch up with a few of my closest and most favorite people in the world, my best friend since high-school Jenny and a great family friend and like an older sister to me Kim and her kids!
*Thanks Mom and Dad for the opportunity to be able to come out and visit! I miss you guys and couldn't ask for better parents.
*Nate, Kelley, Braxton and Zoey- it was so good to see you guys and be able to spend time with you! My door is open to you any time you wanna get outta town- I love you guys!
*Jen- your my best friend and like a sister to me- we've been through so much and I love how anytime we get to see eachother....it's like no time has passed. I can't believe our kids are getting so big- Come visit me this summer!
*Kim and Jim- you guys have always been such wonderful friends! I am so grateful that we got to know eachother so well way back in Alabama! You guys are like family- it was so great to see you and the kids Kim, finally! Lets not let that much time pass before we get us all together again! If we can get 1 outta the 4 to marry then we'll be set! Be safe Jim and come home soon! *Connie- I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to catch up- I love you, you guys need to get out this way and come visit- it's beautiful!

Happy Apple Farm

Here's the kids at the Happy Apple Farm- they have a gianormous pumpkin patch and the only rule is....you have to be able to carry your own pumpkin to the car...which is probably about 1/4 mile! They love it! We've gone here every fall to pick our pumpkins since we've lived in Colorado! Tony- the owner of the farm LOVES the kids and thinks thier great- everytime we go there he says "wow, they are getting SO big" this year he let them go in and pick anything they wanted out of the store and gave it to them as a gift! How sweet! I love shopping local! :D

Say NO to crack

Here's our Cailey Mae playing in the sand...I kept telling her to pull up her pants...she was so much more interested in getting sand in any orfice of her brothers that she didn't care if half of her bum was showing.... I also love that she still does that cute lil squat! That's my favorite!