Goodman Days

2010-02-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I LOVE this sweet class! As you can tell, they are all little hams! In an effort to begin trying to post again, I wanted to put this pic up from Justus' Valentine's Day Party today!

2009-09-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Animal Day at School...

Today is animal day as part of spirit week at Justus' School.

We opted for a tiger (because he liked it and it was accommodating to my limited artistic ability).

I can only imagine the behavior that will follow this morning!

2009-09-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

September 12th, 2009

I have been working diligently all day, until now, to try to get my house in order for the week. This has been a massive challenge today with "the boats sailing away" as I am trying to fold laundry. The boats were my four laundry baskets that I was putting folded laundry into by the way. My children have been having fun today pretending.

After a few hours of trying to clean while feeding babies, changing diapers, chasing laundry baskets etc. I hit one hour of absolute peace. I put my three older children in room time together and they played wonderfully today. However, in the midst of the play I noticed Pierce was a little too quiet. So I went to check it out and this is what I found...

After trying many eczema creams on Pierce's feet, my doctor had us try LARD and it works the best so far. Since he likes it on his feet, he apparently thought why not his whole body,the pillow, the blankets, his clothes...and heck, why not the drums too!!

2009-08-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Wedding

8-14-09

Last week we went on yet another trip this summer to attend my brother's wedding. (At some point I am hoping to get pics up from our other trips as well.) My brother Billy got married last weekend to a wonderful woman, Jillian. Gary and I see ALL kinds of couples imaginable and it is fantastic to see godly couples that you know have the potential to do this for life!!!

Billy & Jillian

Ironically, I did not get any clear shots of them this weekend at the wedding.

This is a picture (from my dad's) of me when I was six.

When I showed this to Bella, she said it was her.

Playing in the car at various stops along the way.

Gianna will be seven months old tomorrow by the way... :) Thank the Lord!

When we walked into my dad's and Bella saw this picture, she said "awe, Gianna!". This was Bella when she was a little older than Gianna.

Gianna's first time in the grass, she wanted to eat it!

This is my Uncle Byron, he is Gianna's new buddy! This was my first time to see him in over twenty years and it was wonderful to catch up!

Awe -- my Aunt Cindy, I love her too! It was so great to see her for the first time in twenty years as well!

This is Richard, my other brother from another mother! :)

We got to see him for a bit, but he needs to come visit!

Richard, without half my face..

Kunyai and Bella

Here is my dad relaxing in the chair...

Bella, after getting ready for the big event...

Justus and Bella

My other pretty lady in her cute little dress...

My one long distance shot

Look at my handsome men

My Aunt Cindy and I

Gary and I before the wedding

Richard and my Dad

Richard, Dad, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Byron

Bella on the dance floor!!!

This picture did not come out like I hoped. However, this statue looked SO real that when I pulled the stroller up to it, Pierce would not look at him. I asked him to shake his hand and he said no, he was very apprehensive about this man!

Gary and I at the end of the night!!! Oh what a night...six people, four babies, a double stroller, stiletto heals, good conversation with uncle, not enough room at the table, sweet prayers, no where to feed the baby, tux coat coverage, first strapless dress...

Bottom line...my brother and sister-in-law are married and we had the privilege of attending!

2009-02-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

The beginning of our Gianna journey....
2-20-09

It is hard to believe that Gianna has been here just over a month. In lieu of her beginning, her birth feels like a lifetime ago. Although this post is filled with Gianna's pictures, I wanted to take the time to tell the story of her beginning.

When we got pregnant with Gianna, she was a sweet surprise. We have always wanted to have four children, but due to serious pregnancy complications we originally decided to stop before we got pregnant with her in order to prevent any further risks to any children or myself. So, when we got pregnant with her, we decided to take every safety and health precaution possible and trust God with the child he had destined for our family.

When "delivery day" arrived we were so ecstatic going into the OR because this was the first pregnancy that was 100% normal with no complications! Thank the Lord! The operation went well, but we soon found out that Gianna was not transitioning to breathing on her own very well. They immediately took her (before I ever saw her) to put her on oxygen. Initially, we were told that this happens sometimes and within a few hours the babies typically start breathing fine on their own. After six hours, Gianna was still not breathing well enough on her own and she was transferred to the NICU.

Shortly after she entered the NICU, the nurses told us that she had Pneumonia and she was having "retractions". Essentially, this means that the baby is using their belly to breathe as opposed to their chest and this can be very hard on the heart. In the meantime, I was waiting for my anesthesia to wear off so that I could feel my legs enough to walk into the NICU to see my baby for myself. Thankfully, at this point Gary was able to go see her and speak with the nurses.

I was able to go in to see her for the first time 12 hours after her birth. By this time, she was doing much worse and she was now on a ventilator, feeding tube, IVs, etc. She was in an isolet and initially we could not even touch her because her heart rate would get too high if we did. During the first two days, the news was progressively worse each time.

By the end of the diagnoses, she was septic, showing signs of GBS, and had a hole in her heart (this part was common).

No one would even talk to us about the possibility of bringing her home at this point.

The first full day at the hospital, Gary started to notice that he had an abscess that was not healing. He had worked in the ER a few days prior and he knew there was a chance he was exposed to something while he was in there. Thus, he went to see the ER doc about the abscess and he found out that he had something that he had to take antibiotics for and it was contagious. The doctor told us, he was not to see the baby AT ALL until the meds were complete in ten days. In addition to this, Gary and I did not hold hands, kiss, anything in order to prevent him spreading the infection to me and possibly to her.

By the second day word of Gianna's health began to spread like wildfire and people started praying faithfully for her. In that first two days Gary and I counted and we knew of six separate churches praying on Gianna's behalf and ours. Within 24 hours of everyone finding out and praying, Gianna began to show significant progress. She was still on all the tubes, but almost each time I went in there was one more good report. During this time, I was thankful for each and every moment I had with my daughter... just seeing her. Gary and I made a conscious decision not to give way to our fears that we could loose our daughter, but instead to take this journey step by step and trust the Lord with the life of our precious baby girl. After 14 long, long days we were finally able to bring Gianna home.

Gary and I are incredibly thankful to all those who prayed because God heard the cries of His people and He moved on behalf of our daughter's life. Most importantly, we thank God for his compassion, mercy, faithfulness and blessing in our lives. There are SO many times, so many within just the last five years, that God has shown His mighty power and love in our lives. I am so happy to serve a God who is strong when I am weak.

Throughout our time in the hospital, I kept thinking of the story of the persistent widow in the Bible and I stood on this as I sought to walk this part of our journey out

with faith instead of fear.

Luke 18
The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Lord, let me be one found with faith.

***DISCLAIMER***

Please be aware that the first several pictures are from the NICU. Although some of them may be disturbing, they are part of Gianna's story and seeing her now in lieu of them is a testament to the power of Christ.

And finally...the pictures :)

Gary and I at the hospital just before I delivered.

Me, getting ready to be cut open. Anesthesia can be an amazing thing!

Just after she had her first dose of oxygen. (6 lbs 15.6 oz)

My doctor... he has done every surgery I have ever had and delivered all four of my babies. Obviously, I trust this man with my medical life.

Gianna, in the first hours before the NICU.

Gianna, the first time I saw her.

You can't imagine the urge to just hold them and love on them.

This was all I could see of her sweet little face.

Gary is the RN in our house and he could not see the baby or ask the medical questions. Thus, I had to take periodic pics (such as the above three) that showed all the tubes and leads so that he would know what was going on and he could instruct me on what to ask from there.

This was the vent, it was extremely disturbing the first time I went in and saw her on this.

This was a MUCH needed breather...my sweet boys came up to visit...

... and my wonderful daughter.

This is what had to be put on after scrubbing in each time I entered the NICU. So thankful people have to wear these in there (seriously).

Day six -- finally off the ventilator!!! Plus, I finally got to see her face!!!!

I realize it seems crazy to have a picture of milk. However, another NICU challenge was "nursing" for two weeks with no baby. For those who understand the "let down" reflex, it does not work the same without a baby. Thus, this tiny amount of milk was an incredible success especially when I knew how much more important it was going to be for her to have this as soon as she could eat as opposed to formula (she was fed via IV for the first several days).

I loved seeing this little bow in her hair after days of just tubes...

Oh yes, she had black hair in the beginning (it has already lightened up a little).

This was my first time to freely touch her with the lid of the isolet up as opposed to only putting my arm through the hole of the isolet. I was so happy.

Gianna says, "HOLY COW, this pacifier is half the size of my face!" See how the corner is cut out of the pacifier? One of the precious nurses found out she loved the paci and she cut the hole so Gianna could suck on it with the ventilator in!

This picture is reminiscent of her siblings.

I was constantly watching these monitors and checking the alarms to see which vital not right. This was the first day that ALL her vitals were fantastic!

Six days old - my very first time to hold her. This one still makes me cry. My appreciation for this moment is indescribable.

She loves holding hands.

Her dark hair again.

My kids playing in the park with my mom while I was inside with Gianna.

My mom and Pierce.

She got to move to the step down section of the NICU and her oxygen was taken out!!! YEAH!!!

Sweet sleepy...

Her first time on her tummy.

My very first "feeding" with her.

Daddy finally got to come in and we found out that we were getting to take her home!!!

Gianna was pretty happy too!

After fourteen days, Daddy's first pic with Gianna!

We left the hospital at 11PM so everyone was sleeping when we got home. This was Bella and Gianna's first time to meet.

Pierce was a little more focused on sleep.

Justus was happy to see his new sister.

One more sleepy baby to the mix!

We had her set up in her basinet, but once it was quiet and we turned off the lights, she was upset! She was used to the loud alarms going off constantly in the NICU as well as the bright lights. After three rough nights, we moved her to her room and her crib where we turned on some worship music and a little night light and we have had no issues since!

He wants to hug her each and every morning and he always tells me she is SO cute!

Gianna's first pizza and movie night.

She says, "What's up?"

I wanted to show her long, delicate fingers. She likes to twist them around very often.

There are Gary and I's trademarks... fat cheeks and little nose...

Those are 100% Daddy's ears.

I like to call this one "little booty".

Tummy time

Bella loves it when I let her hold Gianna for a moment (with mommy right there).

If you include me in this one... this is what it looked like in the beginning during nursing times.

Her smile and his unusual serious face here crack me up!

I wanted to show how HUGE Pierce looks now.

They love their Gianna!

Justus and Bella are loving, but careful. Pierce is loving...but like a loving Gorilla.

Another part of our days... :)

Pierce is always giving her gentle kisses on her head; it is the hugging we have problems with.

Little girl...

Always sleeping...

Her first bath...

It is so great that one of our babies had some hair and I love that her hair is different!

Vessel sinks make a gret newborn tub!

This is the pic I always look at now and go "how cute"... six months from now when they look completely different .. these pictures look a little different. :)

2009-02-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Gianna is Home!!!

2-10-09

We have had a rough past month, but our sweet Gianna is finally home! I have a ton of pictures to post and I want to blog our experience, but I wanted to go ahead and post at least one picture of Gianna until I am able to post everything else. So, here she is!

2009-01-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas, Christmas time was here.....

1-3-09

Here are photos from our various Christmas celebrations, as well as a few random pics.

Hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season and that you are starting out your New Year better than last year! Be blessed!

Bella decided to hop in the box and play, can you guess what will follow next?

Little Pierce getting in the box too...

Justus decided to look at some books while they were playing...

Then Pierce wanted to play with Bella's blanket.

The following pics were taken from our Christmas celebration at Uncle Craig's. This year was a rare treat; we actually had all the cousins together with all their babies

(except for Carrie and Austin, we missed you guys).

Uncle Craig and Pierce

Brailee & Bella

Aunt Brenda & Pierce

Gary, Pierce, Brailee, Bella, and Justus

Julie, Brailee & Donavan

Jeff, Brooke, & Mamaw

This is a first!!! All the boy cousins and kids together!

These are all of Mamaw's grand kids and great-grand kids (minus Carrie, Austin, and Justin)

Bella giving sugars to Meme...

Meme loving sweet sugars from Bella.

Aunt Sandy and Zach.

To fully appreciate this photo of Justus, you have to know that Gary's belt on his head is his "Samson hair" and the USB cord around his left arm is his "whip".

Bella ready for Christmas Eve celebrations...

We went to see a "live nativity" only to find out they ended 15 minuted before we got there! (That part was not advertised.)

The following are pictures from our Christmas Eve at Nani's...

Gary, myself, 9 months of Goodman Girl #2! (We still have not finalized the name.)

Uncle Austin

Gary's Dad pretending he is camera shy.

Really, do people get tired of Mama Paparazzi???

Gary reading the Christmas story... let me tell you, at this age reading with a room full of family and presents is a circus with small babies,

but we will never bypass this story for convenience sake!

Faces like this make giving presents to children 100% worth it!!!

This was a kitty Pierce received from his Granddad.

Nani, Carrie, and Gary L.

Pierce trying to haul off the goods!

Justus enjoying his new truck!

Despite the look of it, this is NOT a rocking horse. It is merely a stuffed horse that Bella was ecstatic to try to ride until she found out moments later it was meant for Pierce. It is just fine though because he doesn't mind sharing one bit.

The following are pictures from our family Christmas morning...

Here is Bella cuddling with Daddy while Daddy tries to get in a few more moments of rest...

Bella is done cuddling and ready for presents!

First we have to do our eye drops, all three babies had pink eye over Christmas thanks to someone in Pierce's class at church. :)

Bella loved her Ballerina Barbie!

Daddy giving "Light Saber" lessons. Normally, we would leave the weapons to the boys, but we were not about to leave Bella defenseless while her older brother tried to wreak havoc.

Plus, they have fun battling together!

Pierce showing Daddy the camera.

This is our annual "Decorating Jesus Birthday Cake".

Pierce is enjoying Justus' Wall-E in the meantime.

They could not wait for a bite of the icing...

Bella and her icing dance!

Our final cake.

The following were from our Christmas evening celebration with Meme, Aunt Carrie and Uncle Austin.

Bella was given this hilarious wig as part of a costume. It makes me giggle every time I see it.

The rest of her costume...

Uncle Austin and Justus

Aunt Carrie and the babies

Meme

Uncle Austin and Bella

Aunt Carrie & Pierce

If I have never mentioned before, my kids love "The Hampster Dance" song. If I turn it on in the living room, they all come running with the trampoline to dance to it.

Finally, time to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus

(next year this will be reserved for Christmas Eve so we don't get to busy to celebrate what matters most at Christmas).

Here is Pierce trying to blow out the candles from his seat.

I love this smiley pic of Pierce playing with his Daddy's hat and there is that kitty again.

Bella ready for church after the holidays; this was the first time I ever curled her hair!

She did great!

Pierce putting on Daddy's boots; he loves to try on everyone's shoes!

He is playing with Justus' Indiana Jones hat and is using a belt for his whip!

Yeah, this costume was a little weird... jammies, sunglasses, & wings.

Pierce thought it would be fun to climb in my laundry basket and then of course Justus knew he had to push him in it all over the house!

Bella joined in as well and they all took turns pushing and riding.

I have walked in on three diapers post naptime in two days now! I tried putting him on the potty, yes too soon ~~ I can hope. Thus, I have had to put him in footie jammies to keep him from taking off his pants and ultimately his diaper!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2008-12-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving & Pre-Christmas Festivities!!!

12-27-08

I will soon be uploading the myriad of actual Christmas pictures, so I decided I better hurry up and get these on here first! There will also be some cute videos within the next two postings. I hope everyone had a safe, blessed Christmas!

The following pictures were our original attempts for our Christmas card pic; after over 45 frames, we opted for the individual pics! I just thought I would include some of our test shots to show the ease of a normal family photo with three young children.

Notice that either Bella or my mouth is typically ruining the shot!

The final countdown!!! Only two months left here (Now only a few weeks)!

This was Justus' very first Christmas program. This was at our church and I got tons of calls afterward saying he stole the show! He did a wonderful job and I hope to post some video from this soon!

This was the Christmas play at his school and he was a little shepherd. At the end of the program, he stepped to the end of the stage and I could hear him asking, "Where is my mom?" (after he began to see several other parents we know). I kept trying to wave to him, but he never saw that I was on the second row right in front of him. :(

Nani took care of some "crowd control" with Pierce in the back.

He did really well too!

We went with Nani one night to go look at Christmas lights and the kids loved it!

Nani and Justus cracking up in the back.

Pierce with so many teeth showing!

I look at these and I cannot believe she is only two (almost three)!

His teeth were SO blue in this pic; he had just finished his blueberries.

The following were taken during Justus and Bella's Christmas parties at school.

Daddy was at Little B's party in the beginning while I was at J's; then we switched!

These were the wreath cookies I decorated for Justus' party.

Here is Justus enjoying the cookies!

This was our day to decorate the Christmas tree. This year was the first time I opted to use only the unbreakable ornaments.... I am SO glad that decision was made!

Bella getting ready to decorate.

All of them wanted to sit on the ornament box, so I grabbed a rare shot of all three!

Bella was crazy for the disco balls!

Another disco ball!

Now, this was the best part of letting the kids decorate the tree. Each time the older two put an ornament on the tree, Pierce pulled it off and took off running! He had a place he was trying to stash all of the ornaments. At one point Justus got so frustrated and said, "I have been working so hard all day on this tree!" Oh, it made me laugh.

Me trying to capture the little ornament man!

Their finished product (without the lights showing).

My husband working hard so we could have lights this year, yeah!!!!

Justus pointing to the guitar he wants for Christmas (with drums of course) and giving his huge smile afterward!

Pierce carrying his Aquaphor while waiting on Daddy to come home from work.

Daddy is home!!!! Time to turn on the lights for the first time!

Footie Jammies & boots, there are few things more silly...

We finally put lights on our giant "Christmas Tree" for the first time and the kids LOVED the lights every night this year!!!

I have been working with Pierce to teach him how to be gentle and loving with babies in light of the upcoming birth. He has been SO sweet to the baby dolls; hopefully it is indicative of his behavior with his baby sister.

This was just before we hopped on Santa's sled.

Always with the music...

Sweet moments...

A new adjusment for us.... moving the boys together in preparation for the new baby girl.

This was their first night in the same room...

Scene 1: Mommy lays Pierce down and Justus wants to say "goodnight".

Scene 2: Justus is being sweet, but Piercey is tired and ready for sleep.

Scene 3: Justus goes back to bed and now Pierce is sad and wide awake....

Scene 4: Pierce wants to talk and Justus wants to sleep...

Scene 5: Justus is happy to share his room with his baby brother.

(After a few weeks of sharing rooms, bedtime is normal, Pierce's morning nap is great again, but the afternoon nap for everyone is still very frustrating because Pierce sees Justus in the daylight and always wants to talk...)

The babes were given a smores set at Thanksgiving from Uncle Austin and Aunt Carrie so we decided it would be a Daddy project! Everyone was ecstatic!

Pierce enjoyed his mess!

As good as they were, they don't hold a candle to campfire smores. I found out after this that this was Gary's very first smore! Now I have to take him camping for smores!!! :)

Our second holiday project was the Gingerbread house from Grandma. I was in charge of this one...

Who needs to wait to take it out of the box?

Bella preferred the sprinkles... she poured them all out and wanted to eat them all!

Our finished product... yes, thank you Lord I am not a contractor!!! It was rough, but they could care less! :)

Pierce trying to eat the gingerbread...

This was the first time Pierce learned to climb on the window seat. He immediately stood up and started dancing on the seat!

This was our Thanksgiving visit to my grandparents' house.

Where else would they be but the piano?

My mom got to come in for a visit and we had a great time.... wish I had taken more pics!!!

Bella giving Oma sweet hugs... (Random side note: Bella went on her first out of town trip without us to Oma's the week before this.)

Justus, Opa, and Kiss

These were pics from our Thanksgiving Day celebration at Nani's! In the pic L to R, bottom to top... Nani, Carrie, Gary, and Gary L (Gary's Dad)

Nani and Pierce...

Grandad and Pierce having fun!!!

Nani and Justus having fun!

The first gift of the season!

Nani gave them a sweet porcelain gingerbread house that plays the "Sugarplum Fairies". They LOVE it!!!

Daddy and his sweet Bella!

Yes, I was there too! My sweet J-man and myself!

Aunt Carrie and Pierce laughing it up!

Sweet smiles....

2008-12-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

A Surprise Visit With Santa!!!

12-14-2008

We were out tonight for our annual "Goodman Christmas Light Cruise" and on our way we passed none other than Santa himself!!! He was giving rides in his horse-drawn sleigh! We couldn't resist, so we all went for a ride and the kids were absolutely ecstatic (which made it a wonderful memory for us too)!!!

2008-11-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

After such a long process, elections have finally come and gone!

Although some of the final choices were not what we had hoped for, some of our state elections and national issues turned out positively.

Ultimately, we know that: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

Our hope is that the established authority will defy our expectations and surprise us!

Time will tell...

Since this was Pierce's first national election; we wanted him to be a part of the election process. Don't worry, we have no part with ACORN... no voting for Piercey Pie... just an observer! :)

The voting alone is enough to ware out a little man!

Early on Election Night at the Kelly's

Jennifer, Ava, & Avery (so sorry I forgot to get a pic of Matt!)

Josh & Crystal

CK, Lesley & Laura Lee

Gary and I just before leaving

(our smiles were not an indicator of our response to the election)

Random Brother and Sister Pic

We were on the way to church last Sunday and Justus wanted to wear his lion mask. We thought he looked hilarious with his serious face and mask together.

Random shot...

2008-11-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

A week of pumpkins, parties, and costumes has

come to an end...

(Below are pictures of the week's activities; please make sure to scroll all the way through to see the actual Friday night costumes.)

We started off the week with a field trip to the "Pumpkin Patch" with Justus' class.

Gary and Pierce ready for action...okay, well Pierce looks as though he is ready for nap time.

These are the small, occasional sacrifices with three babies!

Story time before pumpkin time.

A rare shot with all three.

Justus having fun with the pumpkins.

Bella, the turkey.

Justus, the scarecrow.

These were their "school costumes" (so that they did not destroy the others before Friday night). This was taken just before leaving for school that morning.

My little sweet B.

Ready for battle as always!

This was the beginning to the morning... (I should be thankful that she was SO mad because she wanted her seat belt buckled before I took a picture!)

Oh yes, all you non-parents out there...they CAN change that quickly... a blessing and a curse all at the same time!

Finally, pumpkin party time!!! The kids had a great time and loaded up on junk!

I had to make some snacks for Justus' party so I decided to make spider crackers.

Piercey and Daddy happy for the party!

A rare mommy and Bella shot ~~ thankfully there was a mommy there who knows it is always better to have the picture together.

Same "mommy photographer" :)

One final shot before the end of the pumpkin party...

Aaahhh...the beginning of Halloween....

Pierce was not as excited about his costume as we were.

He came around!

Bella, on the other hand, has been begging for weeks to wear her costume.

Little Cowgirl!

My cowgirl and my astronaut

Just a few random, sweet head shots

I cannot believe she is only two here!

Our first trip of the evening was to Nani's!!!

Obviously, he is having a fun time now!

He just reminded me of a doctor on his way to do something quickly in this pose.

Daddy and B

Just playing at Nani's

Justus, enjoying his treats.

Just wanted a shot of the back of his costume.

Please make sure to look at both pictures below....

Gary, myself, and seven months of our new baby girl! Notice the happy, squinty eyes?

I like to call this one "crazy eyes"! Although this picture is terribly unflattering...I had to include it. This was our initial reaction to the kids starting to throw fits in the car and one of them banging the window. Gary is much better with subtle crazy eyes than I am!

Aaaahhh ~~~ no more crazy eyes...back to normal. Our next stop, the hospital...Pierce had some work to take care of. Or.... Mimi was there. :)

Mimi and the kiddos. It was impossible getting anyone to look at the camera... the helicopter had just landed while they watched and was right behind me!

Next stop... our church... we did not know activities were finished for the small children so we were only there for a few minutes.

Justus was happy to see his friend Elijah and tell him what candy affects his teeth for a moment...

We went to another event for the kids to play games and get some candy... we all had a wonderful time!!!

Bella with her fantastic bean bag toss!

So sad... Pierce's last day in the baby backpack... he learned to take his straps off and climb out last night (thankfully we stopped him before any danger). The backpack's are amazing for parents that are travelling or who have multiple young children, because they free up your hands and the babies LOVE them!

An hour and a half past bedtime and still smiling strong!

Waiting in line for the bouncer....

These babies are READY for bed!!!

This was our trip earlier this week to the park with Rachel, Elijah, and Noah. This picture did not quite end up how I had hoped, but they are all in it!

Elijah says HI!

Justus using his exploration skills!

Bella deciding whether to stay in the park area or run over to talk to strangers; she stayed...

Blue eyes doing a little driving at the park!

Green eyes doing the same!

Fun times!

So, she found a new friend within the park. Getting the friend to leave when we were ready to move on was another challenge!

2008-10-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Harvest Time is Here!!!

10/24/08

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. I absolutely love the depiction of Gary leading our family through a path that He can see clearly and the children are

trusting and following Him (as am I).

We went to a cornfield maze in our area and took the kids through it. This was one of the caterpillars they found along the way. Justus named this caterpillar "Josh".

Gary and the babes...

We finally purchased our pumpkins!!! Pierce wanted to hug on his.

As soon as Justus and Bella saw the pumpkins, it was immediate "drum line" time (both of them started at the exact same time, it was great)!

PLEASE watch this video and pay attention to their reaction to the words "pumpkin pie".

This picture makes me smile EVERY SINGLE time I look at it!!! We embarked on our first homemade pumpkin pie adventure this year! Can you tell they were apprehensive at first?

We had so much fun with our very first pumpkin pie!

They both got the courage up to dig in and help!

Bella stayed interested a little longer and helped with the mixing as well. After this VERY time intensive project, I am happy to report that we had two WONDERFULLY PERFECT pumpkin pies. Gary said it was possibly the best pumpkin pie he had ever eaten! Now the health factor of these pies is another issue entirely...

Guitar playing is still a pastime of the Goodman House.

Notice that Pierce had one on the floor too?

Just a little guitar time with J.

2008-10-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

September/October 2008 Pics

Here is the plan... I am going to post current events for the Goodman Fam and hopefully in between these posts I will be able to post some

significant "past events" to get everyone caught up!

Finally, here is a shot of Pierce! For those who haven't seen him in a while, he is growing so fast and he is still the happiest little man around!

Justus loves his little Piercey Pie; I have to keep my eyes open

or Justus tries to carry him off to go play.

Yes, he is our first "blanket baby"

There is sweet Bella! She is talking a lot these days and learning to print!

Pierce has been walking for about a month now and I definitely wanted a little snip it of some of his first steps! The month before this he was very frustrated because he could not keep up with his siblings... all is well now!!!

Since I am not driving right now, we are taking the EZ Rider to get to school and back. This is us waiting for the bus! Always an adventure!

Justus LOVES riding the bus! When we first started riding, he asked if it was really bumpy because he is so used to being completely strapped into his car seat.

Bella still sits pretty close to me on the bus; the bouncing with no car seat makes her a little nervous at times.

I debated recording this because Bella was so mad, but I thought, "This will be a keeper when she is older." She was so mad because she wanted him to stop the tractor for her to get in the back.

Some outside fun on the tractor! The lawn is mowed now, but during this picture they called it the jungle and got so excited to play in it!

Pierce was not feeling well this day; it is rare for him to just lay still...he would rather be exploring.

I wanted this shot because I know him falling asleep in my arms is an increasingly rare thing and I will miss it immensely one day.

That smiley boy!!!

2008-10-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

School Pictures

I know I am SO far behind on blogging; but I wanted to at least drop in the kids school pics for you guys to see! I have some very important things I am trying to get up caught up on right now. My hope is that after those things are caught up and health/driving issues resume as normal, life will return to my norm for me which includes biweekly blogging! Miss everyone and love everyone.

Justus Flag Football Pic from the fall.

Bella's First School Pic (Children's Day Out)

Justus' School Pic this year (CDO)

Now I need to take one of Pierce just so they are even! :)

2008-07-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Happy First Birthday Pierce!!!

As several of you know the festivities were non-existent this past weekend due to Bella and I's stomach bug. We hope to reschedule some form of celebration in the next two weeks.

Anyhow, I thought I would post this so you guys could have a little Piercy Pie for his birthday anyway!

About the video....

Saturday, Justus showed Pierce how to make "big boy" arms. By Sunday night Pierce was doing it all on his own!!!

(One day we will utilize a real video camera, as opposed to these dark dig. cam. shots! My view when filming is below.)

This early in the game, there are a mere two things Pierce gets "in trouble" for. First offense, screaming at the table when he thinks food should never stop entering his mouth. Second, playing with his CD radio! This is his look when I tell him no sir! He looks like such a big boy in this picture; it is incomprehensible how quickly they have all grown...

Below: Many times Pierce reminds me of "Wilson" from "Home Improvement" (yes, way back!); I can rarely get his mouth in a photo!

Look at all the teeth!!!! Hooray!!!!

2008-06-18T05:36:00.000-07:00

YEAH, FINALLY!!!

HERE IS AN UPDATE!!!

These are some shots from our very first official family vacation! We travelled to Corpus Christi for three nights and San Antonio/New Braunfels for three nights as well. This is the first of two vacation postings; the second will have the San Antonio/New Braunfels leg of our trip.

After I get the vacation shots posted, I will attempt to catch up on all the missed months so keep checking back!

Justus thinks that all ships have pirates...

The beginning of our drive...

Activity time...

Sleepy time :)

Our first food stop...

Gary and his coffee...

If you want to know how to fit three babies and two adults into a normal hotel room...

The kids were ecstatic about the beds when we arrived in Corpus

They were so excited to get up and look at the ocean each morning.

This was Justus (and Gary) in the ocean for the first time.

Bella loved the "Eagles"

I took Justus for a ride on the Sea Doo, he loved it!!!

Piercey Pie and I having fun at Mustang Island

Our first Jellyfish in the wild!

These seagulls were right outside my car window as I was feeding them a NutriGrain bar.

Our last day in Corpus.

Pierce LOVED crawling all over the beach at Mustang Island; the sand was so soft and you could actually see through some of the water.

On a side note...see the bruiser? During his very FIRST week of football, Justus and another little boy hit heads and he ended up with a massive black eye! Oh yeah, one more side note... the TOOTH IS FIXED!!! :)

Our visit to the Texas State Aquarium...

Gary was showing them some crazy creature...

(This one is for Austin) :)

We could not use our double stroller aboard the USS Lexington so it was up all the stairs with all the babies. I asked Gary how many sets of steps we went up like this and he said 12! The overhead parts were so small that we had to keep checking to make sure Pierce's head did not hit them as Gary was climbing through.

I wish so bad this were clear; it was SO CUTE!

They took turns spinning each other on the barber chairs in the ship.

These were two random lockers we saw while we were touring the ship; of course we had to try!

When we told Justus this was the "ship jail" he freaked out! :)

These shots were taken from our ferry ride around Corpus.

This is Bella hating the rocking of the boat when massive ships went by. She kept thinking we were going to fall of the second level.

This was massive and it was outside a gift shop in Padre.

Okay, I want you to look at all three faces...look at the mischeviousness in those eyes! Do you think this was a fun meal???

This is what babes do on the beach!

I could not resist this shot of cute, fat baby toes filled with sand!

This is what my swwet little man did on his first trip to the beach.

Cheeseball gift shop entrance; it worked we went in. :)

Oh yeah, last bit of news... for those who do not know yet (there are still many of you)... Baby Goodman #4 is on the way!!!

2008-04-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

An update!

Just a brief posting before the next set of pics...

We lost our hard drive recently and it is currently with the computer store as they are trying to salvage some of my pics, music, etc. Anyhow, as soon as I am able to get my new pics on this computer, I will do my next posting. IT WILL BE MASSIVE!!!! Stay tuned...

2008-02-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

Huckabee for President!!!

As many of you know by now, we are big Huckabee fans... From all outside indicators, his moral character is in line with what we hope for in the leader of our great nation. In addition, his views line up with ours on many very significant issues. (We know the numbers, but nothing is impossible...so we will hope...)

I digress...in spite of our family having random sicknesses for over a month now, we have been somewhat busy on the days we were well. Today we went to the Huckabee Rally in Lubbock and below are some pics from it. There are also pics from the Clinton Rally (I went to hear our former President speak, not as a Hillary supporter). More importantly, Gary and I celebrated our twelfth Valentine's Day together!!! WOOHOO!!! I also rallied the children for their first lunar eclipse (fun times)! Our precious friends from Hawaii came to visit and now that warmer days are beginning again we are back outdoors -- thank the Lord!!! Be sure to pay attention to the videos in the mix of the pictures, there should be four of them...Enjoy!

It was a little chilly so Gary was kind enough to take the babes back to the car after a bit.

Chuck Norris and his wife are campaigning with Huckabee. They both said that they are highly independent and they vote for who they want to vote for. They indicated that after they did extensive research on all the candidates, Huckabee came out on top and they were so impressed with his vision for our nation that they began campaigning with Huckabee. I was impressed...you see many people "endorsing" various candidates, but they were the first that were so on board with "their" candidate that they sacrificed their time, money, etc to campaign with them.

Huckabee played with the band in the beginning -- so fun!

Chuck saying hello and shaking my hand

Huckabee too!

Justus wanted to bring his saxophone with him when he heard the music; he settled for the sword...

Can I just say that I was pained to be represented to our former President by a Mariachi band in the back of an old truck? And yes...he had to give his speech from the back of that truck. This is absolutely a part of our culture here, but it certainly is not all of it. I felt like our communities will not be taken seriously as long as we invite outsiders to speak and offer them our scraps to speak in.

I have to admit in spite of my Bill issues...he is a very eloquent and moving speaker.

Awe -- my sweet friend Jaclyn looking sharp! Side note -- even though I found out about Bill at the last minute possible, I felt that not going due to my scrappy look would be ridiculous -- so I went and here I am in all my glory!

Lunar Eclipse 2008

A rare sweet moment...

Yes I got them all out...Jammies and all!

I put this weird moon pic on here because of the green and purple light coming off of the moon. I just learned the other day that during a solar eclipse, the moon fits so perfectly in front of the sun (the sun is 400X larger, but the moon is exactly 400X the distance away) that it is the only time scientists are able to see the color spectrum coming to earth from the sun. Why does it matter? This helped scientists to discover how plants grow, how our atmosphere works, etc which led to many additional discoveries about life and ways to improve and sustain life on earth. In addition, many scientists now believe in the possibility of intelligent design (God making everything) because of how perfectly our planet is situated so that we can learn about the creation in which we live.

The moon in mid-eclipse

Valentine's Day 2008!!!

Romel, Traci, Me & Gary

Gary and I

Gary and our old friend Jae

Due to the fact that I had been sick with the flu and strep for weeks my asthma was going crazy on Valentine's Day so our dancing was limited this year. :(

Us again...

Pierce is crawling!!!

Although it is in rough form right now, Pierce is already crawling and he can get to whatever he wants in a room!

Hawaii Buddies...

Rachel came into town with Elijah and Noah. Justus and Elijah were happy to see each other and I was really thankful and happy to get to spend some time with Rachel. As far as Noah and Bella... I think they are at the whatever age.

Elijah

The boys thought it would be fun to play with the doll stroller.

Noah

Random...

Pierce just started consistently eating solid food over the last month. This was the very beginning of his cereal feedings.

If I remember right these were peaches...

Even though he just emptied his tummy (upwards), he is happy as can be!

Lovin' the apples!

In the pictures below, notice Pierce's mouth. He is so happy, his mouth is always open and smiling!

I went to change a diaper and by the time I returned Justus had all the chairs in a row as part of his "drum set".

I am so ecstatic about the pics above because my children are eating many different vegetables!!! I have recently started cooking many items (and creating several of my own) from the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. In essence, you purify vegetables and put them in everything! For example, in the picture above, they just finished eating chocolate fondue (that was mostly avacado) on their strawberries and loved it! Anyway, I obviously eat is as well and it tastes fantastic!

A Day at the Park...

We finished with feeding the ducks...they were full so we fed all the goldfish!

I always get people who ask how I go places with all three when it is just me... This is how (or with the doube stroller) and it really is not bad at all.

We finished off yesterday with an evening at the park...

2008-01-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Bella!!!

Sadly, I have temporarily reverted to monthly postings so there are a plethora of pics today!!! We will cover Christmas with both fams, Justus' field trip, the rodeo, Bella's 2nd birthday and other random shots and random commentary.

First up: Bella's Birthday!!!

Bella on her actual birthday...

Bella at her party.

Bye bye kisses for Meme.

Brandi

Romel and Traci

Brandi & Lilli

The Griffins

Matt & Morgan

Her first gift -- pompoms!

Lilli & Bella in Bella's new house.

The Kelly's and big J.

Matt & Emma

Bella and Justus enjoying cake.

Meme and Bella

Daddy & Pierce

Daddy & Justus

Bella and the hall crew...

Bella blowing out her candle.

Mmmmm - Sweet Birthday Cake...

Lesley & Bella

Meme & Pierce

The yearly cake shot -- the original goal was a dress with shoe boxes beside it.

Lesley & Traci

Romel & Chris

The Girls...

Event #2: Justus' School Field Trip to The Children's Museum

All the boys wanted to play with the construction equipment and they started singing "Bob the Builder". It was precious!

Justus and his friend Connor in the news room.

Justus and his class at the "sound wall" -- it is SO neat!

Justus and Jagger at the piano -- no surprise here!

Event 3: New Year's Eve

We had a very uneventful New Year's Eve this year... I got Pierce up a little later for his last feeding of the evening (so he could enjoy his first New Year's Eve) and Gary got home four minutes before midnight!

Daddy and Pierce

Lenny decided to join us as well...

Event 4: Christmas at the Murphy's (obviously not in chronological order)

Football with Opa

Ready for boxing?

Hit 1!

Hit 2 and he's out!!!

Pierce just enjoying the show!

Oma enjoying Pierce...

Oma & Justus having fun!

Bella and her new life-size baby...

Daddy teaching Justus about his new helicopter.

Mommy and Pierce

Event 5: Pierce turns 6 mos old!!!

Event 6: The Rodeo!
The morning after the rodeo, Justus grabbed a stuffed puppy and rode it all over the house. He then jumped off, got on the ground, swirled his hands and told me, "I'm doing it like this because I'm just a little cowboy!".

Justus & Reagan watching from the front row!

This was one of the two cowboys responsible for getting the wild horses back through the gate after they had been ridden. He waited here each time the riders came out. As you can see, Justus made a definite buddy.

A brief look away from the action -- his left eye was SO red after his allergies acted up.

Justus was in front of Gary when this wild bronco came right up against the bars. It was wild, but so much fun!

Bella and I

Brandi & Reagan

Brandi & Bella

Event 7: Christmas at Nani's! (again not in order...)

Justus telling Nani "thank you" and giving a precious hug.

Justus had to get some guitar playing in before the photo!

Bella and her first carrier...

Nani had this frame on her credenza and I was shocked to see the difference one year can make!!!

We were attempting a mommy and Bella shot and this is my sheer surrender.

Event 8: Random Shots....

Pierce: Ladies' Man!!!

Bella put her Cabbage Patch doll in Pierce's chair. He looked at me and then went to town!

These were only three of the miriad of pics!

This was a Christmas present from my Grandparents to Justus. Here Gary had just finished putting it all together!

Gary calls this Cindy Lou Who

Bella putting on Justus' T-Shirts while he is at school

I like to call this one: Sanjaya!

Bella is putting the train pieces to bed for a nap. Lately, she has become a mommy to everything in our house from babies to puzzle pieces to care bears...

She LOVES her birthday raincoat!!!

This face cracks me up!!!
All three playing music...

2007-12-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

(12-26-07)

Our Christmas was wonderful and blessed,

we hope yours was as well!

(Due to the fact that I left my camera locked in our church Christmas Eve, I had to borrow a camera. So, the pictures are a little weird and yellow because of my inability to work it properly.)

Here is the token arm shot of Gary and I first thing Christmas morning!

Each year we do a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party with the kids. We try to do this on Christmas Eve so that it comes before the gifts. We want the children to understand that we celebrate Christmas because Christ came to earth as a helpless baby so that ultimately He would one day willingly sacrifice His sinless life so that we could be offered the most marvelous gift of forgiveness and eternal salvation if we accept it. We want them to know that we give gifts as a representation of this most wonderful gift of grace, regardless if they have been good or bad.

Justus is helping me crack the eggs, he loves to help in the kitchen!

Justus and Bella are mixing the BLUE cake mix,

they wanted to make a blue cake this year.

(After we finished, I licked the spoon and Justus said, "Mom, don't eat it all, it's for baby Jesus"! It was so cute!)

Pierce was hanging out in the walker for the event.

Now they are ready for presents!

Already with the stare down?

This is the "We are already tired of Mommy Paparazzi!" shot.

Pierce is content to watch for a bit...

Pierce's first time to open a Christmas gift!

As young as he is, he is going for it!

All smiles here...

Opening gifts was a tough workout for Piercy!

Bella on the other hand is having a Bear Grylls moment (with her fake pickle) to build up her energy for gift time!

Justus with his "Justus" puppy.

Bella so serious in her cowgirl boots...

Another break to rebuild energy, or enjoy candy from the stocking anyway. (Side note - if you look in the walker, you can see Bella's white puppy in the seat. Lately, she has been a little mommy to everything she has, even puzzle pieces. She puts things in the walker, the swing, under blankets, etc. It is so hilarious and so precious!)

On the mommy note...She received her first CP doll and was amazed that she had a real diaper on!

Guitar time!!! Now between the two of them there are four guitars, two keyboards, a saxophone, many drumsticks, drums, maracas, jingle bells, two recorders, and a harmonica! This is part of the reason it always sounds like a circus if you call!

After the event....

Yes we did pull the old "I think there is one last thing..." trickeroo.... Justus kept saying WOW, WOW, it is a basketball goal!!!

Ahhhhh -- after nap time....

Then comes Bella as soon as she wakes up....

and finally Justus too.

Is it guitar time again???

Of course.

I love this squishy pic of Pierce!

Still playing.

Finally, we get to have our Happy Jesus Party! (We Were late this year)

Bella blew out her first candle by herself! (We each blow out a candle to tell God thank you for either something He has done in our lives or thank you for the gift of Christ.)

She kept trying to get me to lick the icing off her hands -- no thanks. :)

Mommy and J.

Finally, a little basketball before bed in his whitie tighties!

2007-12-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

A few ad-ons...

12-21-07

(This is my 51st post by the way, woowoo!)

We were all at the mall today and Justus jumped in the photo booth curious to find out what it was. I decided, why not and here are the shots...the last one is my favorite.

I forgot to add this with the pics from Morgan's birthday party. Apparently, Ashleigh was taking a "manly" shot and Justus ran in from outside, took off his shirt, and joined in. Do you see that look?

Notice the two smallest boys (Morgan and Justus) are the tacklers! We are having issues with Justus thinking he is in an eternal football game with everyone he encounters...we will get there and he will be a great team player at the end of it! :)

That is it for today -- travel safely if you are going out of town!

2007-12-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Okay, so it has been a good two months since my last legitimate blog as opposed to my usual two weeks. Therefore, you have a TON of pics here!!! Due to my sluggish ways, I have thrown in a few video bonuses this time! One day I will have a video recorder that does not look like I am recording on Mars. I hope you enjoy! I pray that Christ blesses each of your holidays with the true spirit of Christmas!

Be sure to click on the play buttons to watch all three videos...

Justus and his "cowboy walk"

Bella & Meme on Meme's Birthday!

Don't watch if you can stand the screaming; I call this one "Dancing Fever". Watch as they both drop at the end...

Justus vs. Dr. Miller

In our October blog, we briefly noted that Justus busted up his face after he fell off his Uncle Richard's bed in Albuquerque. Roughly, a month later one of his top teeth started to die and had to be pulled. This was his first experience with the dentist and it was horrible! He thought he was in trouble; we were so sad for him and we tried to explain that this was to help his mouth and he had done nothing wrong. Anyway, here are the before, immediately after (I agreed to buy him a lollipop for this experience), and back to normal. Pray for us as we go back again for the checkup in January! He asks me everyday if he has to go see Dr. Miller "today".

Just a cutie pie shot of B...

Shopping at 4:30AM!!!

Lesley and I went to Best Buy Sunday to wait in line for Wiis. If you could see in the background, you would know that it looked like a homeless shelter there. People were sleeping on mattresses, had portable heaters, etc. -- these were PROS! Chris was absolutely wonderful to bring us hot Vanilla Cappuccinos!!! When he arrived he looked like the nice rich man coming to help the homeless...

Our efforts paid off, Chris and Lesley have a Wii in hand now and Lesley and I had a great time!!!

Sweetie B

We have been getting this look quite often this week! Sassy!

My happy baby...

So smiley...

Yes she just woke up..but she looks SO much older to me in this pic...

She loves to put on Justus clothing (hat, gloves)

Always moving at the speed of light...
Smiles for Courtney

Cracker Barrel for Meme's Birthday!!!

Here is a prime example that toddlers watch and learn from all you do, so make sure it is something great to repeat!!!

Chilly B...

We had a Christmas gathering at our house and we had a great time

(except for sweet Emma -- she got dangerously sick at the very end)

Thanks to all who came!!! I missed pics of so many of you, sorry.

Here Matt encapsulates the fun of the evening :)

Babies were part of the fun until 8

My trusted Courtney (our wonderful babysitter) was there to help out

Cutie Pie Emma -- always smiling too!

Ashleigh and Emma

Lilli and Bella, do they look like they are about to get into something or what?

Brandi and I

Bella putting a necklace on Morgan

Traci and I

Brandi

Smiley Emma again...

Sleepy Bella with her jammies inside out again...

We just finished tiling Bella's floor (thanks to Bella surprise) and we painted the room, it looks much better than before and we are so glad to be done!!!

Goodman Christmas Pic 07'

We are all looking semi-forward! WOOHOO! Standards change with three! :)

We started out here...

and ended up here.

Tickle time...
Christmas Piercey Pie! (Yes, we call him Piercey Pie)

Bella got a hold of the highlighter. She colored this, our bedroom carpet, the wall, our new baseboards, and...

herself. (We were in her room laying the last of the tile.)

Coloring is hard work.

Look at that hit!!!

Morgan turns Two!!!

We went to Morgan's second birthday party and that means Bella is not far behind..Two years have flown by!!!

Justus was SO mad when I started to take the following pics. However, he just couldn't keep from cracking up! At the end, I asked him to give me his "mad face" and there it is!

REUNITED...

This picture is very special to me... These two guys, Mickey and Pat, were my youth leaders in Lubbock when I was in Junior High and they had a great impact on my life as far as encouraging me to trust in the Lord through everything and to seek Him with any question I ever have. Through God's ways, both of these guys ended up on staff (as well as our Senior Pastor) at my current church in a completely different city and they still love the Lord and others with all their hearts.

I LOVE THIS PIC!

Thanksgiving Day at Nani's!!!

BLACK FRIDAY!!!

Through the last few years, Gary and I have grown to be die hard black friday shoppers! We left with Carrie at 4:15ish on the cold morning for store number one. Gary was the shouffer this year and the babies slept in the car while he drove. Carrie was a trooper, she agreed to divide and conquer and she was an incredible teammate! For the bah humbugs who say forget it you only save 5 here or ten there; we saved over $700 on items we planned on throughout the year! It was worth the wait! I will say this one last thing though; I have to actively decide to be a Godly shopper and do everything to put others first and consider them as more important...I am nice no matter what other people do and regardless if I get my items or not, it is only stuff! If only I could follow through with this ALL year!

Lord help me with my selfishness!

Pierce's First Food

It went as expected, but we decided to wait until after he is six months old to help prevent him from developing food allergies (according to his Pediatrician).

2007-11-18T17:19:00.000-08:00

BELLA VS. LOTION

The humors and challenges of keeping an eye on all three while cooking dinner as well! Don't worry they have no access to anything toxic! :)

11-18-07

Notice the hair -- it is lotion!

Bella and the Lotion! Push the play button to get a good look at the hair!

2007-11-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!!!

We took the babies to our church's Fair in the Fall so they could play games and eat some candy on Halloween. Everyone had a great time and everyone was completely ready for bed by the time we got home!

10-31-07

Bella's Halloween look!

Mommy and Pierce

Gary and I (obviously) :)

Justus showing Nani his weaponry.

Strollers are WONDERFUL with three at events like this!

Matt, Ashleigh, Batman, and Batgirl

Our families are growing and growing; it is fun trying to figure out how to fit everyone in the pic and try to get everyone to look forward!

Courtney took over Pierce most of the night and he had a great time! Matt and Ashleigh were teasing us about having an entourage for our babies; it was crazy -- we did and we love them. The girls that love our babies are such a blessing to us and they helped the kids to have a wonderful time too!

This is what we did most of the evening, follow to the next activity.

Apparently, Pierce had no complaints about the evening.

Look at that shot!

Fernando & Justus doing the Capri Sun walk.

Pour the water and she is there!

M'Lynn & Jeremy -- they are so sweet and they will be first time parents in a few weeks!!!

Christine & Lesley (CK is in the back) working hard so our babies can be safe and have fun!

Daddy & J

Pierce just before bed
You know, I waited for that smile ALL night and finally got it on the way home.
Yes I did do the makeup after all and I'm glad I did!!!

2007-10-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Just a brief prelude to tomorrow's festivities!!!

Tune in soon for tomorrow's pics!!!

10-30-07

Today Justus' had his first Pumpkin Party at school and he went as a police officer. Look how official he looks!

For those of you who do not truly understand the depths of my nerdiness,

here it is -- 100% me!!!

Instead of cleaning tonight (which I should have done),

I decided to play with makeup and determine whether I could do this on myself tomorrow night at our church's Fair in the Fall.

Jury's still out...we will see tomorrow!!!

2007-10-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

First Family Vacation with the Five of Us!!!

We drove in the mommy mobile to Albuquerque, NM to visit my Father, Stepmother, and my two brothers. Sadly, this was our first time to visit in about nine years! It was SO much fun and we are SO grateful for their hospitality and graciousness with our tribe! :)

(Sorry the back to back posting took a week! What can I say life with a honey and three babies does get packed at times!)

Push the play button to watch the kids' enthusiasm for baseball and Bella's enthusiasm for the camera!

As you can see everyone in Roswell has capitalized on the "alien story". Here is the McDonald's spaceship play area

(it was actually the coolest McD's we have seen).

I had an epiphany while watching Justus play that day. He was SO excited and completely content in this little area and terrified to go any higher. All the while he was missing the real excitement up top (see below). Finally, with the help of his Father, he overcame some of his fear and climbed somewhat higher. I just thought as I watched him, "this is exactly how I tend to be in life". I get to one point and tend to be fearful to step out and take any significant risks, but when I ask God for help AND FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTION, He is always there and I get the opportunity to experience some incredible things. Sometimes that takes me down a path that is uncertain at the time, but the blessings are immeasurable when I step out in faith. Just some thoughts...

Look at this sweet Daddy and Pierce pic.

No comment required :)

My Father and Stepmother, Tip, took the kids and us to a children's museum that was SO neat! In this pic, Bella wanted to see the fish. When Kun -Yai (Tip) put her up there, Bella decided to kiss the tank; each time she kissed this one fish swam straight for her mouth! It was so cute! (We asked for the Thai words for Grandpa and Grandma to help the kids distinguish between the 10 grandparents/great-grandparents.)

Kun- ta (grandpa in Thai), Daddy, and Justus cut up paper cups to make them fly -- pretty good!!!

Pierce and Bella enjoying the ride.

Gary and I enjoying the museum as well...

Kun - ta and Justus making sand storms.

Happy Days -- Pierce and Mommy!

Big decisions for the men...

Daddy and Justus time -- food and baseball!

HAPPY THREE MONTH BIRTHDAY PIERCE!!!

Yet another shutterbug in the fam!!!

Poor Justus fell off the bed while he was in his sleeping bag and got a FAT lip from hitting the nightstand. This picture does not accurately show how bad his poor lip looked.

Sweet moment...

This is an even sweeter moment...a family day a church, few things could have made my day more. In the pic is Bella, Jillian (my brother's wonderful girlfriend!), Tip, Dad, and Billy.

This is my other brother, Richard. He has grown SO much since the last time we got to see him. It was so great to see them both!!!

Bella post ice cream and Thai talkin'.

The view from my dad's house -- amazing!

This is my Dad and Tip's restaurant. Let me tell you, Tip makes the BEST Thai food EVER!!! In ten years, we have yet to find her match!

The kids waiting to eat some delicious Thai!

I had to throw in these gratuitous pics of Pierce at the end!

Hope you enjoyed!!!

2007-10-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

BACK TO BACK POSTING TODAY!!!

Make sure you have looked at all the pics, as there are many today!

10-24-07

Bella talking with her fireman in hand!

The following pics were taken as Justus responded to various commands...

Angry Face

Happy Face

Scared Face

Silly Face

This was a little reminiscent of "Flashdance" to me!

Smiley babies on the bed

All of the toys that got taken away when Justus' was disobedient were kept on top of his closet, until this day anyway. During his nap time, I caught him (oh so quietly) climbing to the top of his closet and he pulled EVERYTHING down on the floor!!!

Just a sweet smile...

Bella utilizing some of her own climbing skills. She wanted to play with the radio and then she could not get down and she was mad!

Pierce is just soaking it all in.

Then, he got a sweet Bella kiss!

Aunt Carrie sent some Halloween surprises -- this was taken before the surprises...

This was taken AFTER the surprises!

2007-10-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

So many happenings in the land of Goodman!!!

Justus' First Field Trip

Royalty Parties

New Car

Reunion Night

Family Time

Women's Retreat

Justus First Field Trip was to the Fire Station!!!

Justus was ecstatic about the trip from the moment he woke up!

What is so interesting???

Ms. Kitty and her moves?

Ms. Robin, Ms. Kitty and the class

(Daddy went along to help out too!)

Justus keeps asking to ride in it, we tell him only if he is driving.

Justus is hanging around for one last look...

I haven't asked, but I am fairly certain this is a Daddy directed shot!

Brailee's Royalty Birthday Party

Brailee is cousins with our babies and this was her fourth birthday!

Bella & Kyson (he is a cousin also)

Justus and Kyson decided to break free from the party and go for a drive...

Kyson's driving skills still needed a little improvement!

This is the most FANTASTIC wall I have ever seen! This giant wooden art piece plays different sounds with each shape you touch; I would love to have one in my house -- with a secret power switch of course!

Bella waiting for cake...

Brailee and her two big brothers!

I had to include this pic because this is THE sassiest I have ever seen my daughter look with her little hat and purse and the way she is standing! I hope you can see the pic well enough to tell.

Brailee and Bella

Reunion Night at Our House!

Pierce and Emma were overflowing with excitement as this was their first Smallville experience!!!

Morgan, Justus, and Bella are happy to meet up again (for a while). All you need are some friends, some hugs, a little pizza, and some Superman!

New Car

Yes it is true -- we have finally yielded to minivan land! I have to say it does have more practical features than any of the other sixteen models I researched. We ended up getting a Hyundai Entourage which we are excited about because we LOVED our other Hyundai and had NO problems with it.

Family Time

Mommy & J

The power of a Daddy!

Wrestling wildlife at this age is exhausting work!!!

He has the "I'm gonna get you sucka!" fist!

Our first thumb sucker :)

What kind of system is this??? They both give HIM the ice cream?

Women's Retreat

I was asked to go to a Women's Retreat for church and I actually went without any babies for a day and a half -- God blessed the time immensely and I was encouraged and ready for battle when I came home!

I had the privilege of spending some time in prayer in front of this amazing view -- just before the sunrise...

We were in a chapel at sunrise and as the light flooded through one small cross, these four crosses appeared on the back wall.
These massive conductors (?) were everywhere.
Traci and Cathy were part of the prayer team and we rode up there together.

I saw this Armadillo on the side of the rode and he let me get so close to him!

I just had to include this last pic, it reminded me of something from X-Files!

Justus was extremely excited this day about this Zebra!

No more bullrides for a while!!!

2007-09-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here it is...

As many of you know, Gary asked me to color my hair pink temporarily. I conceded due to the fact that he had offered a day of pampering to achieve this goal. However, it did not come out as planned and I will not bore you with the never ending story (as those who have heard it remember), but it will be an uneventful boring brown in a few days.

This is Rachel. She is such a sweet and loving girl! As mentioned in the previous blog, she and her family moved to Hawaii yesterday. This was taken at their going away party on Friday night.

Bella loves the leis!!! She went around the house collecting them; she looked a little like Rambo to me.

Awe -- Nate. This man did SO much work on our tile in our house when we installed it -- just to be kind! He has also given us precious words of encouragement with our babies.

Traci, Traci, Traci -- it is rare that her and I get a moment to actually take one of these, so I am grateful for this pic!

Permian Basin Fair 2007

We took the clan and met up with Ashleigh, Morgan, and Emma

(Matt was working his booth -- Leavethecamera.com).

From stroller to stroller, Morgan and Bella are still holding hands.

Ashleigh and Morgan on Morgan's first ride!

Justus, Morgan, & Bella -- this was Bella's first ride. She had a blast!

Emma -- she has grown so much since my last posted pic of her; she is adorable!

Justus was studying how to ride a bull.

Before the bull even started, Justus was swaying back and forth as the adult riders before him.

Then, he got really brave! He let go and lifted up his arm like a pro -- it was so hilarious!!! On top of the one arm move, he looked so serious and intent!

Pierce and I -- he was so great the whole time, all the kids were.

A taste of heaven for Justus...

Bella and a sweet doe.

Justus was busy looking at every animal!

We had a wonderful time at the fair!

Be sure to look at the posting below,

I just put it up yesterday so it is new as well!

2007-09-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

So much to tell....

Okay, so I have been completely slacking on the blog. As a result, you -- my faithful viewers -- will be enduring a plethora of catch up pics. You may get through today's blog and think, "It was not THAT bad". However, what you may not know is that I still have an entirely new post I am working on from this past week.

For this post, you will have a Goodman variety as usual. You will see everything from Pierce updates (his two month birthday is coming up!), family visit pics, Justus' first day of school, and lunch with dear friends. So off we go...

Finally! A clear, open-eyed shot of my little handsome man!

Again, our little linebacker!

Sleepy babies are so precious...

For those who struggle to see the likeness in Pierce and the other two...

the above pic is

JUSTUS.

My grandparents and mother recently came down to visit. Due to the fact that my grandparents had their 50th Anniversary in July, we decided to do some late celebrating. So here they are and here is the deco.

A random shot of Gary and I with my grandpa's new fancy cam.

This is my papa, don't worry he is not nearly this serious (unless he is mad or seriously disagrees with you -- a little like me).

Awe -- my granny and her sweet smile -- I rarely get her to do it on camera! For those who do not know these are the grandparents I lived with for many years.

Bella & Oma at the pool!

Pierce sleeping at the pool...

Bella had so much fun in the pool with Grandma! She was all about the water!

Justus and Oma.

Everyone after dinner.

Even though it was my Grandparents' anniversary, somehow the kids and I end up with all the goodies! Christmas in September.

Bella was so interested in all of her girly gifts. As you can see below, she buried her body in the bag to make sure there were no more.

Gary and I crack up every time we see this picture. We call this Justus' "Tow Mater" face. (He is from the Cars movie.)

My sweet Kiss, this was Gary and I's first animal after we got married. She was our puppy for the first nine years of our marriage until we let my grandparents adopt her after they lost their dog. I was so excited that Kiss got to visit too!

Justus and Opa - who loves who more???

I love this sweet pic of Bella!

JUSTUS' FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

These are pictures from Justus' open house day at school. He was ready to explore from the opening of the doors.

I was thrilled that my Mother and Grandmother were able to come with us on Open House day as well.

In fact, it was an entire family affair and it wasn't quite the circus you would imagine.

Shots through our regular days...

Meme's gift to Justus, he is crazy about it!

Bella is giving Pierce "5"

Keytar anyone???

Lily came to visit for a day and the kids had a great time playing.

Lunch with friends....

Awe -- so cute -- Traci and Romel

This is Rachel, Nate, Elijah, and Noah. We love this family, they are some of the most down to earth loving people you will ever meet...and they moved to Hawaii today. :( We will miss them and we wish them God's absolute best!

Goodbye Nate & Rachel, we love you guys!

2007-08-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Time to make cake, Pierce is one month old, and First time to leave all three...

As part of our teaching for the day, I decided to bake a chocolate cake with the children. Justus was so excited all day...until I pulled out the mixer. Like the little flash he is, he was gone...

Bella was nervous about the mixer as well. However, she overcame her fear to fulfill her sweet tooth.

She even opted to help to speed the process along.

Justus did come back when it was time for tasting.

Yet another area in cooking where Bella was a bit more eager than Justus.

When the tasting was done, the tears did flow...

The tears continued to pour when I placed the cake in the oven. However, after she had her first bite all was well in the land of Bella once again.

Pierce is one month old this week!!!

Just some random pics from the last week.

Geoffrey came over to mow the lawn Tuesday and Tami (his mom) was so sweet to run me up to the store while he was mowing.

This is Victoria (his sister), she loves Bella!

Here is Courtney (the other sister and our babysitter); she was so excited that she got to keep Pierce for the first time Tuesday. (She did not even care that it was just for a short time.)

Justus loves Geoffrey and his lawn tools!!!
That sums it up for this post!

2007-08-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

First Smiley Pic!!!

Pierce has been smiling for a bit now, but I finally caught him on camera today!!! The final picture was taken within one minute of the others; smiling is tough work!

2007-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Just a few more for the day...

8-9-07

I found this goofy hat and I could not resist (if you gave us the goofy hat, sorry). Pierce reminds me of a little Oompa-Loompa in this! Gary says this will be one of many that Pierce thinks is ridiculous later on. :)

J & P

He loves to be sprayed with the hose!

You know as a thirty year old woman I don't think,"Hey, the wagon is close to the tiny pool, that looks like a fun jump!" However, my three year old was ecstatic about the opportunity. Thus, another item I am adding to my "Be careful this will look fun to a toddler" list.

Bella was eating raspberries and she started making fish lips.

Another item to add to the list... Let me just say this table has been in our backyard since May and today they decided to get on for the first time!

I love the animation as if a shark were chasing him...

That is all for today!!! :)