Sugar and Spice...heavy on the spice

When we found out a girl would be the tail-end of our family, we envisioned a quiet, docile princess, who would bring peace and tranquility into our already busy, loud, boy-friendly home. However, this princess RUNS full speed everywhere she goes, and HATES being held. She is very loud, in a cute, girl way, of course. She loves climbing and chasing/being chased by her brothers...enter exhibit A... While running in the house, Kami fell on the hardwood floor, hit the banister, and got her first shiner...actually the hugest shiner of any of our kids so far. It was quite alarming to see a goose egg protrude like that from her head, and I was sure that brain matter was oozing from her skull. ICK. Kevin was even taken aback when he got home and insisted on holding her, even though the tears had long been dried. Birth order may contribute to her business...she does have 2 brothers to keep up with and defend herself against. That combined with her strong spirit, makes her one tough cookie!! She is fiesty...but soooo cute. Kevin and I still go peek at our 'peaceful' girl sleeping before we go to bed every night...so, she does have her quiet moments. ; )

Friends Forever

Timaree Startup (5), Quincey Coles (4), Berlyn Startup (3), Presley Coles (2), Kamryn Emerson (1)...little girls all in a row. Plus Madison, then add a dash of testosterone.


The Startups were one of the very first, very friendly families who Kevin and I met when we first moved to Chino Hills, back when we were childless (was there ever a time when we had no kids?!...hard to remember!). Now the Starups have a million kids, and we have 3...ok, we give, you guys win! The Starups introduced us to the Coles, and the 3 families have grown up together ever since. We had 3 of the Startup girls at our house the other day, and got these great pics of the "buddies".

Busy Summer

Ok...thanks for the pressure, Maren. I have reluctantly entered the world of blogging. Apparently it is THE thing to do in Eastvale. And I ALWAYS follow the crowd. I doubt that anyone will want to read/see so many details about me and my family except my mom, Kevin's mom, and my grandma...so this is for you Grandma, Nana, and Granny! ; )

After a very busy summer, we are finally settling back into a routine. One, or all, of us were on trips for 7 weekends straight! Very fun, but also exhausting. Places we went: Lake Havasu (x2), San Diego, Balboa Island, camping in San Elijo, Kevin went on his annual coaches' golf trip in San Diego, I went to my friend Mandy's wedding in Indianapolis, and I went to exotic Diamond Bar (in lieu of a flooded condo in San Clemente) for my Bunco trip. Phew!! But we did get great tans, Kev and I learned to surf, Trevor learned to swim, Garrett nearly drowned AGAIN, and Kami developed a strong, independent spirit. Overall we made many memories together as a family!!