The AZ Galloway 4

Yes, We're Moving.

2008-08-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't heard yet...we are moving back to Cache Valley, Utah. This is an opportunity that we can't pass up, no matter how much I tried. I initially asked Cade how much he'd be able to come to Anthem and visit us because I'm staying. Then with the help of some of those "Ah-ha" moments, we decided to choose eternal companions over the people and experiences I love here so much. So here's our new address as of September 13th:

1163 Grandview Drive

Providence, UT. 84332

We haven't changed our phones yet (Cade 602-819-0520 or Jill 623-606-5488) but I'll make sure it's up here when we do. I do have a new email though so please update that to:

lovethegalloways@gmail.com

Dual meaning, do you like it? :) There will be a huge tribute to all my Anthemite buddies that I'm going to miss so much but for today, I've cried enough, so I'll save that for another day.

1st Day of 1st Grade & New Clothes

2008-08-31T23:43:00.001-07:00

How I love the pigtails! This is Leah's natural pose if you say you want to take a picture. She is in Mrs. Paffrath's 1st grade class with 2 good little girlfriends from church Loren & Hannah. I'm more sad at having a first grader than I was having her first day of Kindergarten. Note the 2 missing teeth on bottom making her even cuter. New school clothes modeling from what Grandma Galloway sent. Thank you Grandma!

Thank Goodness for Goofy Kids!

2008-08-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, my children are goofy but I choose to look at it as creative and using their imaginations rather than odd. :) Here are some of the entertaining things they've done while we've been back home without Daddy. This is one of my old Prom dresses and Carter's tux from Chip & Melissa's wedding a couple years ago. Look at what poser's they are too! :)
This was a tape experiment that they tried. Leah looks a little freaky but I tried to get Carter to leave his on for awhile. No such luck. :)
Yes, we went to the Batman movie and Carter wanted to smile like the joker so Leah was happy to assist. She turned herself into an evil dog for some reason. She didn't like how much it took to get this make-up all off.

What to do & not to do when flying alone children!

2008-08-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

I have learned a lot over the years from my parents and even more so as I go through different parenting things with my own children. So I'll throw in:

Rule # 1: Use Dramamine! I remember taking a pill so "I wouldn't get sick on the airplane" and before I knew it I was waking up wherever we landed. I now think that is brilliant. That way, I can sleep peacefully through whatever my kids may be doing for the plane ride. :)

Rule # 2: Don't have nostalgic flash backs of crying while Dad left on the airplane as you look into your own daughter's eyes and breakdown as you enter the security check in. They don't have sympathy for you, the unpacking of bags to get out laptops, Xbox, DVD player, push those trays plus the 5 bags, and all your shoes through in a timely manner to not back up traffic. Big meanies!

Rule # 3: If not using drugs for a peaceful ride, make sure you've taught your children more than just the songs they learn from their favorite movies. Carter developed his own form of airline terrorism...singing the Star Wars theme songs at the top of his lungs for hours. I finally started pinching him when he got too loud. So for several minutes you'd hear this, "Duuuh, duuh, d, d, d, duuh, OW you pinched me, I know you have to do it quietly, ok, Duuuh, duuh, d, d, d, duuh, OW you pinched me, I'm not kidding you, ok..."

Rule # 4: Buying a pack of gum for the plane ride serves a couple purposes. It helps pressurize your ears, keeps little mouths busy, and can be quite tasty. This rule is buying long lasting flavored gum. While we were changing planes our gum flavor ran out. Leah mentioned it and I said let's look for a place to spit it out. Carter thought the middle of the walkway looked good to him so out went the gum, unbeknownst to me. When we got to a garbage can, Leah and I took care of ours and I went for Carter's. I thought he'd swallowed it until he said I already spit. Then we quickly headed back to find it before some poor traveler had a big wad of Hubba Bubba stuck to them. We found the big green wad and with my arms loaded with bags, I asked him to pick it up. So he did and right back in his mouth to carry it to the garbage can it went. Yum, the flavor of an airport! :)

Rule # 5: Don't travel alone with small children. That's the rule...just don't do it. :)

Who's Your Hero?!

2008-08-31T22:44:00.000-07:00

We've been introduced to Guitar Hero. The kids have watched their Daddy go into a guitar playing trance where the world around them melts away and "nothing else matters" (words to a song he's played). They tried to get in on this addictive behavior and with assistance, can get most of the way through a song. It is pretty fun. We'd like to try the Rock Band to practice our Galloway family band performance. Carter continues to make up songs and Leah is happy to play multiple instruments for as long as he can repeat the same phrase over and over. She'll throw in a "Yeah, yeah" or an "Ooooh baby" here and there too. These were taken the day before we left VA to come back home to AZ. Note the concentration...intensssse!

Just relaxing before bedtime.
Carter liked the acoustics of the stairway and just sat down here and sang his own songs.

I Love To See The Temple...

2008-07-27T15:49:00.001-07:00

Our DC adventure was so fun we decided to go see the temple in Maryland. This has got to be one of the most beautiful temples. We stopped at the Visitor's Center first, then around the grounds, and we even went into the front doors of the temple so the kids could see the stain glass. I love that Carter calls this statue Heavenly Father in a whisper and he needed to have a pass along card with Jesus' picture to carry around. They loved watching the video's and checking out all the interactive things there are to see.

Carter's Strippling Warrior pose. It is a battle to get him to smile and look at me to take a picture. Ta Da!!! B-e-a-utiful!!!Carter loves to snuggle his sister...Leah doesn't feel the same. The smile is forced.

Another successful day of adventure. I think we'll keep that phrase going even when we get home. It's fun to be asked each day what the adventure will be!

Touring the Capitol just the kids & I

2008-07-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did it! I ventured to DC with just the kids. I got maps, packed a picnic lunch, plenty of water, and Cade gave me $20 to blow. I got a great parking spot right in the middle of the 2 spots we were going to visit. I had the stroller for one which meant the kids took turns riding and walking and we really had a great casual day of it. The one thing I've noticed about humidity is that unlike in AZ where it's over 100 and sweating but you're immediately drying with even the slightest breeze. Humidity adds a whole other layer of sweat and sticky. We had to book it to get to our tour on time and we didn't stop sweating until the tour was over even though we were in mostly air conditioned places. I'd arranged with Representative Flakes office of Arizona for a tour of the Capitol building, and our tour guide was a recent graduate of BYU so we had lots to talk about besides history. This is the most accurate bust of Abraham Lincoln according to his son. The picture below is the star to mark the center of DC. It's very worn down from everyone taking a turn on it.
This picture is of the inside of the dome that we see from the outside. It's funny but it has George Washington in the middle with all these women who represent different things. We saw lots of statues, each state is allowed 2 to represent their state, paintings, and neat historical reminders or symbols. Like the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
We also got to see the House of Rep's floor where they were doing different items of business. We couldn't take camera's into that area so when we checked our belongings into security, Carter offered his power ranger for safe keeping. When we came back to get them a security police gave the kids official stickers. The tour guide said she'd never seen any kids get those before and she hadn't had such good little ones either. I'll take that as a compliment even though I was ready to pound them during one of Leah's, "Don't let him touch me!" tantrums in a crowded section of the tour.
You can see the proudly displayed police sticker here. After we left the art museum Carter yelled at a couple of black young men that he was a police officer so they better be good. I just laughed nervously and the young men were pretty fun about it. They said, "I'll be good because you look pretty tough and you could beat me up." Carter said, "Yeah I'm tough and I will beat you up!" That's when we slowed down a bit so they could walk ahead of us and not have to listen to his tauntings. It reminded me of Spongebob getting the hall-monitor badge and ended up burning half the town down doing his good deeds. :)
After cooling off and eating our picnic we headed to the international art gallery where the Jim Henson exhibit was. This was the most fun part where the kids got to put on their own muppet show with a video display below so they could see how it looks. Carter made people laugh as he had this puppet eat Cookie Monster and Leah's muppets always seemed to be kissing. We weren't supposed to take pictures in this exhibit but I couldn't resist. Playing dumb and being extra nice gets you out of trouble a lot, I've found. This little girl in the picture was one who tried to save Carter when we got locked in the gift shop when it was closing. The guards locked the glass doors while the teller was finishing up which totally scared the kids. So Carter proceeds to yell through the crack of the glass doors for this little girl to save us. She yelled back that she didn't have the key and he told her to go get the police officers and she said I don't know any. I wish I'd had it on tape because they were yelling at each other through these doors that they could see through and hear through perfectly fine. Carter was relieved when we got out of there.
All in all, a very fun day and it wore us all out. We went to see the Batman movie later that night.

Random Moments

2008-07-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure Cade doesn't check up on this blog, unless I make him to see how clever I am. :) With the following picture of Carter, it's probably best he not see it. This was after instructed to get their swim suits on to go swimming and of course Leah has the idea to switch and pull a joke on me. She had to squat down to be Carter height and they would only answer to each others names while dressed up this way. It'll be nice to get them back to their own friends and gender playing. :) This picture may come back to haunt Carter at some future date I have a feeling. hee hee

This was Leah's Indian war paint done with her make-up kit. I didn't get a picture of Carter before she cleaned a lot of it off. He had it all over his body, arms, neck, and face like a real Indian brave.

Guilty Confessions

2008-07-21T15:12:00.001-07:00

Back in the pre-kid part of marriage we made a bet / promise with our great friends the Armstrong's about never buying a mini-van. I had to call Q and confess that we rented a brand new Toyota Sienna while we've been out here and I think I'm in love! For all you mini-van-ers out there that I may have mocked, I do apologize. This is the best designed vehicle for a mom with kids I've ever seen. The only way I can see to improve it would be to have a built in co-pilot to pick up dropped toys or food and put the body of a station wagon on the outside. I do love the wagons! :)

This thing has soooo much room, tons of cool buttons or storage places, and a 2.33 to 1 cupholder to passenger ratio! Unheard of! I feel a level of guilt for my secret love of the mini-van. Maybe with enough pressure our good friends will release us from our bet or does leasing count the same as buying in bet rules?! :)

Swimming

2008-07-21T12:51:00.001-07:00

Thank heaven for John & Torrie's pool that we visit several times a week. If it were up to Leah we'd go every day. They have both learned a ton since we've been here. Leah can do laps forward or on her back. They can both dive under water to get toys off the bottom. Leah just learned how to tread water and Carter can finally bob up to take a breath. He didn't know how to do this while I was taking pictures and everytime I went to take pictures of Leah he'd slip off the noodle and try drowning. Leah's diving for princess'. She makes lots of little girlfriends at the pool that like her little princesses. Back float / swimming.
Carter's back float. He's not touching anything even though he's close to the step. He smiles the whole time. When his smile stops, he sinks. It's another one of his secret super powers. :)
Leah loves to save Carter whether he needs it or not. Most of the time he does but she holds him a little longer than he cares for.

Random Moments & Funnies

2008-07-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm starting to put the normal Galloway Update funnies in the blog so everyone can see when they want and they aren't bombarded with super long emails. Here's a funny Leah's been saying when I've heard her bossing Carter around, "Mom, I'm his coach and I have to humiliate him to get him to do what I want because that's what coaches do."
I think Carter's had to watch too many girl movies because his new lines are just one word things like, "Awwkward!" or "What-Everrr!"

How can you tell if your children are bored? When they start playing with underwear on their heads, that's when!

We finally talked Carter in to getting a hair cut and he could still have cool hair. When he checked himself out in the mirror he got excited and said he looked like Daddy. I told him he did have short hair like Daddy and he started to jump around and cheer. Then he said, "Yea! Now I can drive and I'm all grown up!" I don't know why but he's very concerned with when he can drive and asks me when it's his turn?

These are much appreciated toys sent from Grandma Galloway. Hopefully no more underwear heads...for a while anyway.

The National Cathedral

2008-07-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

We stopped by here for a quick tour on the way to the zoo. I like this one with Leah & Cade holding hands and looking at each other. For some reason our whole family wore brown shirts on the same day. :)
There were a few gargoyle type things that I saw but this one was the scariest. :)
This little section was the "primary" section of the cathedral so Leah thought it was pretty cool with the small chairs and little pictures of children's stories from the bible.

June 26th family funnies

2008-07-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

June 26, 2008
We got to go to another park today where we fed turtles in a lily pad covered pond. Then we went on a little hike, all the while the kids we saying “I have a bad feeling about this.” I kept asking if they really didn’t have a good feeling or were they afraid of what they might see in the woods. Carter is afraid of the wolves and bears that Leah has promised him only live where Grandma and Grandpa Galloway lives. Leah is afraid of spiders, ticks, and anything that might drop off leaves.
Carter’s very into older girl’s / women. When we were walking around on some trails, if there was a lady that ran by, he’d scoot off to the side, wave, and say thank you. I told him that’s very nice and asked him why he said thank you? He said, “because she’s a girl.” I don’t see the logic but somehow I like it. I’m hoping Cade reads this and decides to thank me randomly because I’m a girl! :)

“I get my noxious gas from Daddy!” Leah, saying this after several bouts with gaseous emissions.
“I’ve got 3 words for you…Loon oh tick” What Leah started to call Carter.

He’s really turning into all boy but he definitely has to deal with his share of big sister induced girl drama. Like when he stood up in a restaurant, pants himself and shook his bum while singing “and dance around in my underwear!” Quite embarrassing for all of us, except Carter, who considered himself very funny and clever to have gotten such a reaction from everyone around him.
The ultimate joke or fighting words…add “poop” to whatever you’re saying. Carter thinks it’s hilarious and most of the time so does Leah. Even funnier seems to be the word “poop-deck”. I do not know why but it fits into any sentence or song.

The National Zoo

2008-07-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Our zoo adventure was on a very warm day that ended in a down pour of rain. These guys were the only ones willing to be photographed sweating. Our favorite things we saw were the panda's, elephants, hippo out of water (holy huge!), monkey's, gorilla's, and small mammals. You can't see all the animal shaped shrubberies in this little section but it's fun. I love a good shrubbery! :) 3 Little Monkey's Sittin' in the ZOO!!!
Leah thought these were great! She thought it would be funny to look like gorilla poop. I don't know why but it does look funny. :)
Carter, on the other hand, thought at any moment he was going to turn and eat him. Once he figured out he wasn't real, he jumped around and flexed at us like he'd just conquered the beast.

This was a weird thing. This crocodile / alligator, I never know how to tell, was swimming in the water until it made eye contact with Carter. It swam over, climbed up on the ledge, and laid as close to the glass as possible. I don't know if Carter is a crocodile whisperer of sorts or if it thought he could eat Carter. Before we could leave, he squatted down by him, and whispered, "I love you and I'll come back to read you a story, buddy." Very sweet yet somehow, eery!
Cade said this was the Presidential helicopter. I never know what to believe so this is either cool or just a helicopter flying over the zoo. :)
This large, brass frog was irrisistable to us all for picture taking. I don't know why but it apparently had the same powers over a couple of Indian kids who told Leah it was their's and she couldn't sit on it. I refrained my protective parent instinct to pummel them and made Cade handle it. :) This is my favorite animal in the zoo! What a great picture taken just before we had to make a run for the car to beat the storm. We only got slightly hit but poor John & Torrie were soaked. Still it was a wonderful adventure to add to our list.

Independence Day at the Capitol!

2008-07-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Our adventure first started in the packed WalMart to get the last supplies for picnic and touring, which included a stroller! :) We drove around looking for the perfect parking spot and with Cade's sweet parallel parking skills, we got it. We walked into "The Mall" by the Smithsonians and decided to try the Natural History one since that would probably entertain the kids the most. It was sooo rainy, humid, and packed with people from every nationality and all the smells that comes with that combination. We saw some amazing exhibits. Leah's favorite was the jewelry, Carter's the bugs, Cade & I loved the photography one and the dinosaur's are always cool.

Carter was over stimulated by the museum and couldn't resist the snuggling powers of "Uncle John"! Leah was happy to have a turn in the stroller.
We set up our spot right between the monuments and by the Gatlin Brother's Band.

Pretty awesome spot!

The light in the sky is from the fireworks. I wish I would've gotten a better picture of the firework colors off the faces of the kids but it will be something I remember for a long time!

The fireworks were so powerful and huge these pictures don't represent them very well. We could feel the blasts beat into our chests and the patriotic music brought tears to the eyes.

National Air & Space Museum

2008-07-09T18:08:00.001-07:00

This is not the Smithsonian of this but the overflow, which is equally as huge, and just up the road from where the office is. There's even a flight tower to go up in to see the planes flying in and out of the Dulles airport right next to it. I apparently didn't take many pictures here because I was on the children's version of the tour where you go by everything fast, no time to read interesting tidbits. I actually prefer this version with my self-proclaimed adult on-set ADD. Fun, fun!

1st trip in to DC to see the Monuments

2008-07-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love to climb on an oversized, metal, statue of the genius, Albert Einstein? I've done it! Here are the kids and John & Torrie, our traveling and work buddies.

I've been struggling with my focus and lighting on these so sorry about that.

My kids are natural poser's as you are about to see more examples of, the cheese!

You can't see the National Monument right behind Leah from the tops of Lincoln's Memorial. These below are of Carter having enough of this walking stuff and looking at large pieces of stone. No cartoons or video game characters... What to do?
This monument is new from the time we came here with Brett & Trish 7 years ago. It's fantastic! Cade and Leah are soaking their feet just below. There's all sorts of neat and inspiring quotes and symbols through all of these. It makes me proud to be an American with great heritage.This is Carter at the base of the National Monument looking all the way to the top. Then he had to try his Spiderman skills to scale the wall but for some reason they weren't working...must be the humidity makes the stone slick. :)

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat

2008-07-09T17:39:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe these are the only pictures I have of this awesome experience! This first one is her official head shot. I have programs, autograph, poster, and local cut-outs of the performance with her pictures in those but I didn't scan them in before packing them up. Sorry Leah. She was so cute to see in the play and the kids all made it fantastic. Grandma Galloway and Aunt LeAnn came down to watch it too. Now all of our little kids are hooked on the music! We sing it as we shop or do chores, just to pass the time.

This is how she would dress for each performance. They would get makeup done before the shows so she's be more done up than this. She also carried a little purse with water, snacks, cell phone "for emergencies", and sunglasses for the last part of the show.

Of course Carter had to have his own version of Joseph or Pharoah depending on when you ask him. He is wearing a designer kitchen towel ensemble. :)

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-07-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

Just in time to get in line before graduation started. Cade & Carter ended up missing the 10 minute long performance, which I'm still mad about. :) They performed several songs that showcased some of the things they learned this year. She's so cute and all the little girls in her class were friends. Some of the boys too but I don't think most of the boys knew it. :)

BFF's (best friends forever) Cameron Ninneman and Leah. So cute! We miss them too.

Last Days of School for the Year

2008-07-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the last days of Kindergarten / Pre-school pictures and mix & match dress up day in school for spirit week.

We absolutely LOVE Mrs. Schmitt! I was more sad for the last day of school with all the good friends and good times we had then at the beginning, knowing I had a Kindergarten. Now I have a little girl who will be a 1st grader and that makes me sad. Growing too fast and she's not listening well at stopping it. :)

Oh, how we love Miss Amy! In Carter's world, she ranks right up there, in the last say so, with Heavenly Father. He's been telling me that Miss Amy says he can do this or that or to be nice, especially when he's in trouble. :) She really has been a blessing for our family. She even named her baby Luke, which Carter thinks is for Luke Skywalker, so we can't wait to get back to meet him.

Carter's bestest buddy Ryan Blunier. He has lots of "brother's" but Carter and Ryan played several days a week after pre-school was over and they play very well together. I miss Ryan too for that matter. Carter cried when we were leaving the McDonald's play land last week because he made a friend with a little hispanic boy. It didn't matter that they couldn't speak the same language, Carter just said, "I miss my buddy, I need to play with him."

Carter's "Cool Band Hair"

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

Yes, my boy name's his hair do's (and poops but that's another story). Most of these pictures are with the bangs all the way straight down, thus "Cool Band Hair." He has another one named, "Justice" where the bangs slightly stick up.

Random Moments - Spring

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

This make-over compliments of Leah. Note the patterned fingernail color, bright lipstick that "looks good on me", and eye shadow. She needed to test some of these things on herself of course.

Leah was inspired by St. Patrick's Day. The whole idea of catching him and being rewarded with a pot full of gold to buy the Butterscotch pony she's wanted. She was going to let us have the rest. She devised, made, and decorated this leprechaun trap all my herself. (Yes, I had to look up how to spell that.) This trap comes complete with a fake pot of gold to tempt him in, rainbows, 4 leaf clover, and then of course stairs so he could climb out if he felt too trapped. :) She's compassionate in her trappings.

Carter's 4th Birthday Party

2008-04-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

May the Force be With YOU! Most of you have already heard of my 8 hour R2-D2 cake making experience. I have to say it was quite relaxing to do but it sure did take awhile. He's been sick so much we weren't sure if we should have kids over for a party but we did it last minute anyway. We invited 2 families of friends (Jackson's & Brandon's) plus Tanom, Easton, & Ryan (who was too sick to come). We had a silly string war in the backyard, did presents, cake, and home they went. Perfect! :)

As usual, he would have been happy with one present once he saw a "light saber"(good job Grandma Littlefield)! We had to force him to keep going and we'd open the packaging when he's all done.

Leah was a great helper the whole time and didn't mind Carter "sharing" his new stuff. He got this from Aunt Leo which matched perfectly with his new bedding of Superman for potty-training through the night now. He's awesome at that which is a blessing to me. Still struggling with the daytime but I'll take what I can get right now. :) He got to open his package from Grandma Galloway and was just as excited to see a huge Darth Vader case to hold "my guys" in.

Easter

2008-04-13T22:54:00.001-07:00

Easter did come very early this year so we did some last minute scrambling but it all turned out quite nice with some of our pre or post Christmas shopping scores. Also thanks to the extra Easter things from Grandma G. from her Hawaii trip. The kids decorated eggs all by themselves this year and did a great job. The Easter bunny almost got caught by a little girl who had to go potty too early in the morning. I told her to go back to bed before she could see what he brought. This was a big no, no because it was too much temptation for her knowing the only thing that stood between her and Easter fun was her little brother needing to wake up. When I asked her if she woke him up she said she couldn't wait any longer and so she just knocked him on the head until he was awake. :) What a nut!Check out the blow up bunny ears that look like she's wearing them. Talk about getting a bunny-ear picture. Ha, ha, ha...I'm so funny!

Leah's Field Trip & Field Day

2008-04-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

Her Kindergarten class is so fun and her teacher so smart. She got enough of us parents to volunteer that she walked childless through the zoo the whole day with not a worry but making sure we all get on the bus to go back. Meanwhile, I was only assigned Leah & one little boy who was not thrilled at the idea that he was paired with a couple of girl's. So I asked one of the other Mom's for one of her boys to pair up with him and oh, what a difference boys are! Luckily, we stayed with a couple other groups with all girl's so I had other Mom's eyes to be on these two boys. They drag their feet in dirt, stay behind or run up ahead, and jump off of any rock or stump they can find. Girl's are so polite and obedient with the only problem being long lines at the bathrooms. :) We had a very fun time and I was worn out afterward between boys and allergies I was down for the weekend. :) My favorite part is always the giraffe feeding and there were baby tigers too.

This is my good friend (& neighbor) Bobbi & Cameron (Leah's best buddy). Check out how long the tongue is on the giraffe and this is the baby giraffe.

From back to front: Noah, Kadin (one of Leah's crushes), Leah, Hallie, & Cameron.

Now on to Field day which was the next week. They did 4 different events but I only got to see the bean bag toss and egg walk. Then the ice cream truck came (owned by the triplets parents) and all the kids got to buy their own since they've been learning about money. Very fun!

Random Moments of 08

2008-04-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

After my massive blogging of a year at a time I've taken a break but here are some of the funny things that have been different enough to take a picture and post for all to chuckle at. To start off is what Cade & I woke up to one day of just hearing whispering and giggling by 2 little monkey's hiding in the guest room. Then Leah's self-made tribute to President's day.

Here is our Family Home Evening bike ride around the neighborhood on the kids' new Christmas bikes. Leah took to it a lot faster then Carter who said his bum hurt for days afterwards. :) You'll see him holding his pants up while we ran home after Leah & Cade with me running his bike the last stretch. Check out the beautiful AZ sunset!

Valentine's Day Flowers! How beautiful they filled out to be...I think I shall paint them someday.

This was an oh too short visit from Grandpa and Grandma Galloway. There had to be the usual wrestling / tickling match with Carter and the Leah hair do's from Grandma. As you can see Grandpa better start to watch out because Carter's getting some moves now. :)

Finally, Carter came out with sword in hand, got right in my face and growled through the vampire teeth and when I looked at him, he really caught me off guard and scared me so we all had a good laugh.

December - Dance Party & Duck Duck Goose

2007-12-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, there were some sweet dance and even wrestling moves going on with all the kids. Some of them had a different version of Duck, duck too. Like with Carter, everyone was a Goose until someone would just start to chase him around the circle for as many laps as they felt necessary.

December - Christmas Tree Hunting & Snow

2007-12-30T19:28:00.000-08:00

Carter's very first snow angel and this is Carter crying after his first experience really touching snow. hee hee He got over it as you'll see by the end. Carter liked to hike through the snow rather than ride in the sled. He did a really great job of staying up and keeping up. This poor little tree must have angered him because he picked it out from all the other saplings and proceeded to beat on it until tackling it. And then it was over. :)

December - Miscellaneous Moments

2007-12-30T19:27:00.001-08:00

All 8 Cousins ready for church and we made it on time...sort of. :)

Sugar Cookie making with Grandma that got a little too into their work!

I love this one of Carter peaking up through Grandma's arm looking at the cookies.

December - Galloway Family Photo's

2007-12-30T19:04:00.001-08:00

Family Picture day went rather well considering we weren't wearing coats...in the snow. :) We went sledding after this and had a ball.

December - Galloway Bowling & Gingerbread Night

2007-12-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

This was the first time we've all been bowling together and we had so much fun I doubt it's the last. I love the guide and bumper bowling for the kids. Carter beat half of the adults that played with a 109, including me at 104 and Cade in the 90's. It was an off night. Kelly beat all of us but was down for a day recooperating.

Kelly & Cash above. Leah, Cade, and Carter below.
This is Trey who is just the best, easy going baby ever. He's just a chunk and so fun!
Bowling brings out yet even more poses for my kids.
Leah would run up and shove the ball off the guide and then tuck her leg back like she was watching the adults do. Cute!

This was what Cade & I created. Note the expertly done snowman, tree, and icicles...my contribution. :) Also, Grandma and Carter made the BBQ roasting the Cinnamon Bear. Funny how all these houses turned out to fit artist in some way or another.This is Chip & Melissa's. Of course it has a water feature plus a chimney with smoke and smiley faces on the house for some reason. :)This creation is Clay & LeAnn's, complete with out buildings, animals, and stable. Their trees are quite nice, I think.This work done by Tom & Suzanne comes with a designer garage and car, sprinkled with candy and a marshmellow walkway. Yum!Lastly, is Leah & Kelcy's model. Note the plethora of sprinkles intended to make the tree green and the dumbell for the Daddy snowman to build his muscles. Very important. :)

December - Galloway Family Christmas Eve Dinner

2007-12-30T18:07:00.000-08:00

Every year for Christmas Eve Dinner the Extended Galloway Clan get together to eat, socialize, and exchange white elephant gifts. This year our family made up about half the group. Here are some pic's from the night and my favorite, as far as funny, is the last one with great Grandpa Galloway and my very awesome Yam!These little cousins play so cute. This is Samantha & Leah!
Carter wanted his picture by the tree, so here it is.

What a cutie Nora is! LeAnn does the best hair things, I had her do Leah's the whole time too. Cash, Carter, and Great Gpa G.
Cade questioned my bringing a yam as a gift but in the passing process it couldn't have ended on a better person. Great Gma laughed so hard I wish I would've gotten a picture of that.

December - Christmas AZ & MT

2007-12-30T17:17:00.001-08:00

Santa had to come a few weeks early because we couldn't get everything to and from Montana for Christmas. Thankfully, he accomodated but the kids had to bring most of the stuff anyway. :) Grandma Littlefield's gifts were a hit with Little Pet Shop, Barbie book, Transformer, a shirt for me, and spices for Cade.

Christmas in Montana with the tree we hunted ourselves. You can't even see clearly how many presents there were under the tree.

Waiting around the corner before they get to come in to see. Then Carter's reaction to "Shark Attack" that he's asked/screamed for months about.Leah's little furry puppy that she pointed out to the Santa in the mall. Carter's "Star Warms Lego's the Tirilogeee Game" that he also told that Santa after singing him a song. :)
Can ye say ARR, Matey?! Do you like the hook?
Cade's longboard slide gloves.

Who gives a crazy man a huge knife as a present? Clay thats who. :)

Jan & Feb - Miscellaneous Moments

2007-12-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

This is more common than not. If he sits down for very long, he's out. He's a man in training...a little food, a drink, and a TV show...just right for a nap.

Leah spelled Dad and Cade all by herself with a very nice portrait of him.
The only time we get ice in Phoenix is when Grandpa floods the back yard. :)
Make-up with Madison Jackson. Note the eyebrows. Wow!
Bike day at pre-school. Carter had fun too.

This is Leah's birthday present to me that she picked out and wrapped entirely on her own. It was a Barbie magazine that came in one of her movies. Very sweet and she wanted it back when I was done. :)
For some reason Carter thought the hippo's from the Hungry Hungry Hippo's game did not need their eyes to eat the little marbles and decided to put them on himself. If nothing else he has an imagination. :)
Indoor roller skating and a wink!
Snuggling and posing, very cute.

March - Miscellaneous

2007-12-30T16:52:00.001-08:00

Here are some funny moments and poses.

This is how Cade & I get work done sometimes. Don't ask me why Leah is in the garbage can? We would not throw her away, she's too cute.
What a little cutie. Watch out you 3 year old girl's, here comes a heart breaker!

March - Zoo with Kelcy, Jesse, & LeAnn's Visit

2007-12-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

This is the Phoenix zoo. It is very large and can be very hot even in March. We were all worn out by the end of the day and everyone had a great time. We really enjoyed having everyone come to visit. Plus, it was the beginning of so many Chuck Norris jokes that we've had a lot of fun with. Check out how large the "goldfish" are. We fed them bread chunks and they'd actually move the geese out of their way when they'd come up to eat.
Leah & I pet sting ray's. It was so cool and they are really smooth. I got a little freaked out by one that actually sucked on my fingers. I recovered quickly though. :)
Carter does NOT like camels. He cried the whole time to stop the camel and get him off. He recovered too. :)

Try to pick out which one is the monkey in this picture...oh wait, one is a statue and the rest are monkey's! :)

April - Easter

2007-12-30T16:31:00.000-08:00

We had an Easter egg hunt at Leah's pre-school and also one at home on Easter morning. The problem with real eggs is when you forget where one is hidden. Yep...

Look at how pretty some of these eggs turned out. This was probably the first year that they were both interested and involved through the whole process.

March - Carter's 3rd Birthday

2007-12-30T15:57:00.001-08:00

Well, it started with an appearance from Spiderman at the local WalMart. Carter was scared to death of him which was really surprising. I think it was partially due to us not knowing where he was going to be and we came around a corner and boom there he was and it caught us all off gaurd. After walking around the store waiting for him to warm up, I pulled one of those not so pretty parenting moments out and said, "You are wearing your Spiderman suit, you are taking pictures with Spiderman, and you will like it!" :) The day went a lot smoother after this. The fair was in town and so we met our friends the Flaker's there to ride some rides and came back home for cake and presents. Zane is Carter's first official buddy and his older sister Dawson and Leah play together. We try to play with the Flaker's every chance we get because they're just flat out fun!

April - Makutu's with the Armstrong's

2007-12-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

For any of you not familiar with Makutu's, it's only the coolest place ever! :) Seriously, it's the largest indoor treehouse with slides, activities, arcade, eating place, and Makutu (who is some kind of ferret thing) comes around to shake hands with the kids. We like to go a couple times a year and we went with Brian & Quinette when they came to visit.

Our kids get along so well and we just love these guys. We miss seeing them everyday like we did back in the first years of our marriages in the Logan, Utah State days.

May - Preschool Graduation

2007-12-30T15:31:00.000-08:00

Leah has loved Miss Neva's preschool in Phoenix. We will all miss her awesome place and love for all of us. Here is her graduation that Leah actually got choked up when it was time to go home. You can't tell from the pictures but Leah is quite the poser. She would stop performing if she knew I was going to take a picture. She's too cute!

May & June - Miscellaneous

2007-12-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

One of the many mud making times in the backyard. This one was largely due to Leah smearing it all over Carter. Her response? "But he wanted me to, he likes it." Even though he had to get hosed down outside before the bath, I kind of think she's right. :)

We could hear the crunching sound of it being in his mouth. Eww!
Taking pictures with and for our cute Killebrew friends (Mary & Kate) at their end of the year school party. The high school graduation celebration that our landscaper's, Sionne Kafoa, invited us to. We had no idea it was going to be such a big deal and went late thinking it was like an open house. They had held the party until we got there. 15 roasted pigs, literally piles of bowls & plates full of food (some of which we couldn't identify), an hour + of Samoan's giving speeches in thier language, and getting a beautiful blanket as a gift, we came home. Not without a trey full of food. Carter is holding a fish head that came home with us. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it and neither were we. :) It was a really fun night though.

Carter & Leah reversed roles as Spiderman and little sister. I won't tell Cade I put this up here. He wasn't too thrilled about seeing Carter in drag. :) The next one was snuggling Dad at bedtime and you can see what happened. Cade was asleep too until I took pictures. :) Cute!
These are just some of our bedrooms that Mom & Dad Galloway helped put together. The one is up in Leah's reading loft. Quite neato if I do say so myself!

June - Daddy / Daughter Date

2007-12-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

I could probably just show this picture and have it speak for the magical night they had at the Stake Center with other friends and Daddy's but I'll elaborate a bit more. She had anticipated her special night with Dad for weeks and kept reminding us to make sure we didn't forget. She got her hair and makeup done and Grandma Galloway made a corsage because no one makes those anymore. They danced, got picture taken, ate, and made princess things. There's something special about those daughters and their Daddy's. :)

Practicing twirling and bowing like a princess would.

Then we picked them up early and went to the new Spiderman movie as you can see Carter was excited about and needed his picture taken too.

June - Ward Campout in Prescott

2007-12-30T14:56:00.000-08:00

Our Anthem Ward Campout was in beautiful weather where it got just cool enough to feel like camping. The kids had a great time climbing the big boulders and playing with friends. Carter felt like Spiderman the whole time and showed us his tricks on how to climb. Leah is sitting here with some friends and she's the one in pink.

Grandma & Grandpa came with us and we drove to Sedona the next day to see the sights. It was fun and we saw a town that was built into the side of the mountain as a mining town. We thought that was neat since we'd seen something similar in Europe last fall.

June - Brandi's wedding

2007-12-30T14:23:00.000-08:00

My lovely cousin, Brandi married Corey Saunders, who I knew from college. We wouldn't have missed this for the world and have a lovely time with family. I told them after the wedding that if I'd known they were meant for each other I could've introduced them years ago. They are so cute to each other and for each other. Love them bunches!

Brandi was as usual b-e-a-u-tiful and here's a picture of all the Bassett's. They had an amazing place for the reception where we got to stay the night before but none of us got any pictures of the cabin at Sundance resort. Fun times.

July - Rodeoing with the Broadhead's

2007-12-19T23:31:00.000-08:00

I do not know if "rodeoing" is a word but we sure did it! Cade flew up to play with the Broadhead's. We ended up traveling around in Brett & Trish's RV, with all our kids, plus Clay & LeAnn came along. It was so much fun and Leah just loves it. We went to all night rodeo's and drove to the next one. We were all wore out from our adventures but we're sure glad we got to go. We loved hanging out with Leah's Aunty Leo and Uncle Claybo.

I got a candid picture of Trish but I thought I better leave it out if I still want her to be my friend. Thanks for all the fun, food, and free horse rides. :)

July - Travels to Jason's

2007-12-19T23:02:00.001-08:00

What an awesome time the kids and I had with Jason, Meegan, and our favorite Keaton! We rolled down hills by the temple and played in the mud. This is a nice treat for us from Arizona because we don't have hills with grass to roll down and Carter's favorite past-time is mud creation.

We got to spend the 4th of July with them and went to the parade and watched fireworks with the Broadhead's who were in Rexburg rodeoing. Of course, we had to eat at the new Craigo's pizza, one of my favorites from the good old college days. All the fun memories of Rexburg! (and the other ones have been blocked out over time)

We played at the park and got to benefit from "Lunch in the Park" where Carter was thrilled that he got a tray of food he could carry himself.

I made Meegan photograph Leah. She does magnificent work! I take lots of pictures but Meegan takes pictures great and you can see her blog of them on: http://www.meeganlittlefield.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Meegan and Jas for letting us crash with you and a special thanks to Keaton for giving up his room and use of all his action hero things. Carter played with them the whole time and was sad to ever have to leave the room even for food or to go play.

July - Travels to Chip's

2007-12-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

We were gone for all but 3 full days of the month of July. It started when we left for cousin Brandi's Wedding, played at Uncle Chip's for his early birthday opening of bumper boats for his pond. The following posts will be of the rest of the months travels. We had oh so much fun with so many people we love! You can see that in the following barrage of posts.

Thanks to Melissa and Chip who offer the Galloway Inn with the best food and accomodations, even last minute. We love ya!

Look at this mini-me cutie! Cash is so fun and ready to be in the dirt with Dad. He even ate a little while we were BBQing with them and Tom & Suzanne and kids. That's better than the rabbit pellets Carter ate at that age...twice. :)

October - Trip to Dallas

2007-12-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

My first Time Out For Women (& Girl's)! We drove to Dallas to attend with Tianne, Alyssa, & Mom, who flew down. It was fun to be together and listen to the beautiful songs and speakers. It was mostly fun to be together after not seeing each other for so long and we did quite a bit of shopping at the temporary bookstore in the back. ;)

We were treated to some fantastic BBQ, which sent Cade into the "meat sweats" as he calls them. Jerry, who though novice at the "Galloway diet", held his own but couldn't sleep that night because of discomfort. :) It's ok, there's still time to learn the ways of eating, young Jerry. :) Thanks for the wonderful weekend! A special thanks to Charise who took care of Carter & Leah so well. She made them pancakes and mac & cheese and played wonderfully with them the whole time. Also, we appreciate Spencer who patiently tolerated Carter's messing up his room to spread out all the lego's he could find and play games with him.

For any of you who don't know Tianne very well, she struggles with a well-known problem of keeping her eyes open during photo's. This causes some funny faces during pictures that are unintentional and despite that she's still quite cute. :) I forgot to take any pictures the whole weekend so these are all thanks to Mom.

August - 1st Days of School

2007-12-16T22:39:00.000-08:00

August - Galloway Update

2007-12-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

August 17, 07
Hello to our wonderful Family & Friends,
I just wanted to send thanks out for all the prayers, thoughts, little cards, or calls in behalf of Leah. She had a minor surgery on Tuesday but with big results and I thought I’d share the news. She had the preliminary surgery to her bigger one of closing up her hard palate all together. This one was to take the pinned in (obturator) prosthetic palate, is what we call it, out and evaluate the tissue around and underneath it and make a game plan as to how to close it up. They took some impressions to fit her with a removable palate, kind of like a retainer, so the tissue could heal before the bigger surgery.

Well, the wonderful news is Leah only has about 1/4th to 1/8th of an inch cleft to repair which is an absolute miracle! When she was born it was at least an inch wide and one of the widest they’d worked on to date, so to have it this close is amazing. The surgeons about bounded in to the waiting room to tell me as they were concerned at how to close it and keep it closed before. They were just about giddy with the news. With the emotions of starting her in her first day of Kindergarten the day before, I got choked up relating the news to the Gramma’s of the awesome blessings.

Leah recovered very quickly and didn’t need any medicine, even Tylenol. The next day was not so fun when the retainer pins didn’t feel very good on her gums and it drastically changed her speech. I’m still concerned about this but she learns fast so we’ll just have some extra practice to do. We took her back to school today and explained to all the kids what it was, showed them the cool princess picture they put into the retainer, answered questions, and gave them some examples on how to communicate with her nicely while she learns the pronunciation she used to. It was so cute and her teacher is lovely, fun.

As for other fun news, Carter continues to shock little girls as he potty trains before their eyes! He has also been pretending that Jesus is one of the superhero’s to save the world lately. I’m sure the way he plays it borders on taking His name in vain but it’s really cute to see “Jesus” beat up imaginary bad guys and “smashing them to the muuud!”, the ultimate defeat. :)

Cade is dropping the pounds away and will soon need a new wardrobe which is just breaking his heart to have to shop for clothes. (Any of you that know him will laugh at that as he is the best clothes shopper guy you’ve ever seen).

We had a specific fast on Sunday and got an immediate major shift in our business plans on Monday. You know one of those things where you are like, “Wow that was fast, knew this is what we should do and Heavenly Father is good” moments? That’s what happened, so we’re going full bore ahead and really excited about it! Cade also started seminary teaching again and has the Jr.’s & Sr.’s and they are actually there on time which is awesome. Jill….well I’m just trying to keep up with all these crazy people and get work stuff done on the side. I’m looking forward to Leah in school and Carter starts preschool on Monday so I’ll get lots of stuff done so I can be “fun Mommy” when they’re home. :)

August - Foam Disaster!

2007-12-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

From my Weekly Galloway Updates for August 26:

This week seemed to fly by with our busy, fun lives. Let me just say what a beautiful thing it is to have kids in school / pre-school. Cade & I went to the temple during the day! Ta-da!!! Yes, while they were in school and having fun, we got to go without spending $30 in babysitting money and hoping they were being good. It was delightful! We’re going to go again.

Funny phrases of the week from the kids:

“Stop standing on my head!” Said by Leah to Carter, we still don’t know what was happening but that is a funny phrase to hear from another room and without any screaming or crying following it up.
“Mom there’s a poop in the middle of the floor.” Again said by Leah in regards to Carter. The only problem with this was having a business associate over to the house for an informal meeting when this was yelled out.
This one has been going on nightly for about 2 weeks now but when it comes to bedtime Carter says, “I’n sooo scaredt to sweep in my bedt.” There have now been spotted monsters, dinosaurs, witches, and tiny pirates that have invaded Carter’s room while we are unaware. They have been making it impossible for him to sleep in any other bed besides “Mommy's”. When we aren’t ready for bed yet, we’ll find him sleeping on his pillow and blankets in hallway’s, at our door, or any number of places. I just have to check his bed before I go to sleep and then go hunting for where he ended up.
Lastly, are just stories but both of our children got in trouble during their first week of school. Carter was throwing toys and got put in time out which I guess he hammed it up pretty good but was very well-behaved the rest of the time. Leah got in trouble with pretending to cut her fingers off with scissors and almost lost her shiny star award for good behavior for the day but didn’t. She said she’ll never lose her star again and learned her lesson. :)
Here’s the explanation behind the picture. During the last babysitting adventure there was mention of them getting out some of the foam from Carter’s siesta sac but she cleaned it all up and had them watch movies. Well the cover had to be washed and I soon learned I have a very good babysitter because the interior liner was destroyed so the foam got everywhere. We picked up a new cover that’s easier to clean but it did take 4 hours to get the sac and his room back to normal.

September - Nora's Blessing Weekend

2007-12-16T21:49:00.000-08:00

How cute is she?! Seriously, what a sweetheart. Way too many pictures that could be posted for this great weekend! The Galloway clan, and our best buddies the Broadhead's, all headed to Kemmerer, Wyoming to be there for the baby blessing of Clay & LeAnn's, Nora Tess Broadhead. Who would've guessed Clay could've been a beautiful little girl?! :) We had a blast as you can see. The guys golfed while we all went on adventures and horse back riding. Then we had a BBQ at the park with the most diverse playground equipment you've ever seen. So fun, we love playing with all of them!

Oh, Carter got in a fight the the Broadhead boys which was pretty funny to see. Hopefully he learned a lesson in picking fights when you're out numbered. I doubt it though. :)

October - Running with Carter

2007-12-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

Carter has been getting healthy all on his own. He eats at least an apple a day. He's wanted to exercise with Cade & I so here was his full on running experience. He had to drink Gatorade before going, which was cute. Then we were off. He ran as best he could until we got around the corner and halfway down the hill. Then I asked ok are you ready to go back home? "Yeah, I'm all done," came the reply.

October - Halloween

2007-12-16T21:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween to all from Ariel (aka Little Mermaid) and Spiderman! Here you see them posing and shooting webs plus our cool grave yard and haunted house. Grandma Galloway made all our cool decorations while Leah was home from school recuperating. I got to go with the kids this year with our fun neighbors, the Ninneman's. Then we had an impromptu, pot luck, neighborhood, BBQ in their driveway. That was really fun and we got to know some of our neighbors a lot better.

October - Leah's 50's Day Dance Party at School

2007-12-16T21:14:00.001-08:00

It is really fun to watch and dance with Kindergartener's! There are no reservations about looking or being silly and wow are they cute! Sorry about the blurry action photo but she looked so cute I included it.

October - Oh My Boy!

2007-12-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

I could make a blog of all the top messes my Bubba makes. After feeding the missionaries we were chatting with them in the office when in comes Carter. He was covered from elbow to finger tip in a weird substance, holding his hands in the air like a doctor who has just been sanitized before surgery. This is margarine! So another perfect picture moment except by the time I got these pictures it was already melting and dripping off.

He had discovered the brand new, family sized tub o' margarine unattended on the table. I think he must have wondered what could be hiding on the bottom of this tub and dove in. We thought about salvaging the tub but knowing that we never know where he's been, it was tossed. :)

November - Thanksgiving & more

2007-12-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

We had our friends the Pace family as well as the missionaries over for Thanksgiving. All the food turned out wonderfully and we had a lovely day. Here are some pictures that Leah took.

As well as the Veteran's day parade where we ran into Leah's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Schmitt.

There is also a picture of Carter and his best buddy or "brother" Micah who lives around the corner and son of our pre-school teacher, playing "Star Warms - lego's" video games.

November - Leah's 6th Birthday

2007-12-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

We had a nice and quiet family party on her birthday and then had a very loud and crazy friend party at Build A Bear the next week. She had friends come over to eat pizza and play then we loaded up both vehicles and took them all to the mall for the Build a Bear. They were amazingly good and our host there did a fantastic job and keeping them entertained while everyone took turns making their bear (or puppy as most of them chose), naming, and registering them. The kids behaved better than I could hope and I was quite stress free. Then we came back for cupcakes and presents. We had a great time with really cute kids and I was wore out afterwards. :)

November - Polar Express

2007-12-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

This is Cameron, with Leah & Santa at the Polar Express. We had a wonderful time with her family and the Killebrew's riding the train all dressed in our pajama's, eating cookies, sipping hot chocolate, listening to the story, and singing songs until Santa came aboard. This is an event we just love and are thankful for the fun friends we have to share it with.

December - Top 10 Life Changing Events of 2007

2007-12-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

This is my first time blogging and although this is crazy long. I don't anticipate this for the retro blogs I'll post of some of the fun things we did this year. So please read what you can and enjoy.

Well, it is that time of year again to sit back a while and reflect at what another year has brought in blessings. We have had so many, this has definitely been a year of practicing more gratitude then we ever have before. For all my OCD friends and family, please don’t be alarmed, these aren’t in any chronological order or line of importance. :)

Top 10 Life Changing Events of 2007

Potty Training a Boy! – I could share oh so many experiences of bodily function that would shock or disgust. Instead, let me stay to the more positive side of this horrible year long process, that is still on-going. The looks that Carter gets when he throws his hands out to display and says, “Look at that! Yeah, I did it! I’ll call it…” Yes, my boy names his duties before flushing them. We have seen cartoon and action figures as well as ourselves be flushed down the drain in accomplishment. I should probably have whiplash for the number of times I’ve shook my head, this year, at the things he’s come up with.
Teaching Seminary – I don’t know if many people pray for this opportunity but in our stake, there are dozens that turn it down. We had been feeling it coming a month or two before the actual call did and we’ve counted it a blessing. Cade is great with the Juniors and Seniors that he has and they love him. He naturally gets up early after being used to working so many hours in a day anyway. Plus, there’s more of a focus on the lessons the scriptures bring in our home that is irreplaceable. Plus, it’s a good excuse to buy mass amounts of donuts & goodies!
Leah’s Surgeries – What a girl! Not only is she one tough kid but she is so good too. She had to have one minor and one major surgery to fix her hard palate this year. She doesn’t even take pain medication afterwards and doesn’t cry or complain. Even when she had only liquids or soft foods for over a month during recovery. She has healed very well and her cleft had surprisingly grown closer together pre-surgery to the point that we were all giddy, including the doctors. Grandma Galloway came to help entertain her post surgery and we appreciate her love and support. Thank you to so many who have prayed and hoped for these to go well, they most certainly did.
Country Music…Giddy up! – This may shock some of you but Cade & I have actually started listening to some country music. After watching the CMT awards hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, we began to get a lot of country music and programmed those stations in our vehicles. This is what did it. During a monologue he said, “We sing about God because we believe in Him”…we are thankful for our military who are protecting our rights and pray for them to come home safe… He described why he loved country music so passionately that we got chills and were instantly converted. That doesn’t mean we don’t get to poke fun at rednecks, and we still listen to a lot of other genres of music, but we are enjoying the more clean lyrics and messages.
And So It Begins…School – Leah started Kindergarten this year which by divine intervention, we were led to a different Anthem School than what she’s assigned to, and a new teacher there who is perfect for us. She is the most high energy, sweet, lady who just adores Leah. We get to volunteer once a week and see what a wonderful job she does in there. Leah is so bright and is beginning to read, spell, and most of all, tell the other kids in her class how to do things. :) I’m sure my Mom just giggles at the curse coming to fruition of, “I hope you have a girl like you someday.” I think she gets her smarts from the both of us but she definitely has my ability to boss or point out the way other people should be doing things. It’s really a gift of perception I think. :)
Cops Home Loans –Yes, it is a funny name, and we did not come up with it, but marketing wise it works. You know, the play on words of Loan Officer’s being mortgage “Cops”. :) Cade & I have the Arizona branches, and although we are only in the beginning stages, are really blessed with great employees and a company heading for wonderful success. This is one of those weird things that we were blessed with after an odd series of events over the last year. We were given such clear answers on this that we felt grateful immediately even though starting a new business is rough for the first while. This allows us both to work from home with flexible schedules for the kids and fun things that come up, plus the opportunities to assist a lot of people in many different ways. We are loving it!
Moving – At the beginning of the year we got a call about a great deal on a house and even though we weren’t looking, everything fell into place and we jumped on it. Mom & Dad Galloway were with us and built some designer rooms for the kids, which are amazing. We have more projects for them this year (hint, hint) and we have our back yard still to finish so we’ll keep you updated on all that fun. We have plenty of room for visitors, so come on over. Here’s our new address for any of you that may not have it: 3623 W. Hidden Mountain Lane Anthem, AZ. 85086 Phone: 623-551-6119. We love the location, the neighborhood, and the house. Leah’s best little buddy from school lives around the corner and Carter’s “brother” and pre-school lives just a couple houses away. It’s awwwesome!
Lessons in Faith – Many of you have probably heard of The Secret by now and we have fully enjoyed this reminder on the principle and power of faith. We have put a lot of these things into practice and have seen the results that follow from physical to financial and from emotional to spiritual. Way too many things that I could share in this area but let me just put in one of our favorite quotes from our wall, “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:31-32
Lessons in Gratitude – We were given this challenge in connection with the lesson of faith just listed. We have practiced only giving thanks for things and it has been incredible to see it through what our children have picked up. They say prayers of thanks without all the lists of what we think we’re wanting or needing. It is wonderful to look at life, and all that happens in it, as a blessing and something to give thanks for. A lot is learned from this light and so much more peace comes from knowing that everything is for our benefit.
Blessin’s and More Blessin’s – Well, as you can see from this ridiculously long list that we have been abundantly blessed in 2007. If I were to pick some words to represent this year it would be…peace, abundance, faith, gratitude, lots of love, and fun, fun, fun. We pray all the “blessin’s” that are coming your way will find you with wonderful opportunities in 2008.
Love to you all,
The Galloway’s: Cade, Jill, Leah, & Carter

July Lake Powell Trip

2007-12-16T15:53:00.000-08:00

Just after coming out of Youth

Conference and Young Women's Camp, we went on our first Lake Powell Trip with the YW from my ward and the amazing Killebrew family and Hallsey Family. We had a totally sweet house boat, boats, wave runners, lots of food and activities.

Leah was addicted to swimming and jumping cliffs. She also wanted to practice smiling under the water, I have no idea why. Carter thought he could swim a lot better than he can. So can I say, "Hallelujah!" for built in floatation swim suits?

We did a tie-dye project and went on some crazy scarey boat rides but all in all, it was beautiful, relaxing, and a wonderfully fun time.

Leah is mid-air right here. That's how open she was with her jumping. She surprises me with what she's capable of at times and what scares her at others. While Carter doesn't jump until his toes are touching the edge of water and then belly flops in.

Leah and Carter are the kids on bottom far right and I'm in back far right.