Part 1: A Gilmore Summer: 2010

The summer before Dallas embarked on his deployment to Iraq his ENTIRE family flew to the island of Oahu to visit, with the exception of Rocky and Chelsea who lived here as well! It was a HAPPY time and I am sorry to be blogging about it so late...my excuse...I had SO many emotions running through me with Dallas leaving that it was HARD to blog.
We had a WONDERFUL visit and as I look back on the many pictures my heart aches to be near FAMILY...WE MISS THEM SO MUCH!!! 
Here are some of the our Summer Highlights with the Gilmore Family:

A. Lincoln...I know Chelsea you are going to KILL me and perhaps Lincoln, but I had to include it, it was too adorable to pass up!
B. Grandpa & Grandma Gilmore giving all the grandchildren a warm embrace at the airport.
C. Kiana being beautiful at Turtle Beach
D. Frank & LaRue enjoying the sunset at Turtle Beach
E. Dallas & I sipping some pineapple juice at the Polynesian Cultural Center Luau...this is where Ammon gets his "crazy eyes!"
F. Wyatt & Alma being greeted by the kids at the airport.
G. Sariah age 3, at the PCC watching the boat parade.
H. Lenny Bear...not too sure if I spelled his name correctly, but you get the idea Rocky!

I. Frank & LaRue at the PCC Luau
J.Tysho & Sadie enjoying each others company at the PCC
K & L. This is our entourage! Eight Adults + Seven Grandchildren = 3 strollers (wish Wyatt & Alma where with us that day)
M. Colby, Dallas, Frank & Wyatt golfing at Kaneohe Marine Corps Golf Course
N. Wyatt, Colby, Kiana, Sophie & Tysho boogie boarding at Sharks Cove

Library Time

I have been taking the kids to the library for sometime now and I love it! It's free and it gets the kids and I out of the house! But, more importantly I have seen some major results from our library trips...Sadie has finished the ENTIRE Percy Jackson series and is now getting started with the Harry Potter series and Sophie is on the fourth book from Diary of A Wimpy Kid! Sadie and Sophie's love for reading is growing and I cannot be more excited!
Ammon and Sariah also love their trips to the library...Ammon loves being able to borrow the Spiderman DVD's over and over again and Sariah loves being able to glance through the many books available, she usually borrows the holiday themed books, I don't know why but she does.
Here are some pretty old pictures taken back in October/November! In case you are wondering I don't usually take my camera to the library this was a rare case I simply wanted to capture our library visit.

Ammon with his usual Spiderman DVD. He LOVES anything spiderman! Sadie borrowing her Percy Jackson book...I am SO proud of her for finishing that series!
Somedays when I know we have to return our overdue books, I do dread our library visits because I am SO tired, but then we get there and the trip is well worth it!
P.S.
We visit the SGT. Yano Library here on Schofield Barracks, so Dallas usually gets all of our overdue book notices with threats to notify his Commander if they continue to be late (via his military e-mail address) You gotta love the ARMY...right!?

"Honorable Mention"

This past week Sadie participated in the Fifth Grade Science Fair. Sadie along with four other students in her class participated in the Science Fair as SEMIFINALIST. Thursday evening we gathered at the school cafeteria to view all the Fifth Grade Science Projects. Sadie did a wonderful job in answering and explaining her experiment to the judges.

Sadie titled her Science Fair Project Apples & Apples. She conducted 5 experiments where she counted the seeds of five different types of apples, which came to a grand total of 25 apples (Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious & Golden Delicious). Here is a breakdown of what her Science Fair board consisted of:

Hypothesis

The hypothesis of my experiment is that Granny Smith Apples will have more seeds because my mother buys Granny Smith Apples and there always seems to be at least 8 seeds in each apple.

Question

What is the effect of different types of apples on the number of seeds?

Materials

1       8-inch knife

1       Foot long cutting board

25       Sandwich Bags

1       Black Sharpie

5       Granny Smith apples

5       Gala apples

5       Fuji apples

5       Golden Delicious

5       Red Delicious 

Background Information

Types of Apples

Golden Delicious

Granny Smith

Gala

Red Delicious

Fuji

Apple Origins

Granny Smith

Granny Smith Apples are grown in areas of Australia, New Zealand, USA, South America, British Columba, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Gala

Gala Apples were first grown in New Zealand. The first Gala Apple was created from a Golden Delicious and a Kidd’s Orange Red planted in New Zealand in the 1930s by a man named J.H. Kidd an orchardist.  

Fuji

The Fuji apple was grown in the Tohoku Research Station in Fujisaki, Amori, Japan in the late 1930s. It started to sell in 1962. The Fuji apple is a cross between the Red Delicious Apple and the Ralls Genet Apple.

Golden Delicious

The Golden Delicious Apple was a chance seedling. It was created from two apples named Grimes Golden and Golden Reinette in Clay County, West Virginia.      

Red Delicious

This apple is a copy of Apple Cultigen. It was grown in Madison County, Iowa, Untied States in 1880.

Results

       On average an 8oz Golden Delicious apple had more seeds than a Fuji, Granny Smith, Red Delicious of same weight and size.

       Over the 5 experiments Golden Delicious had an average of 9 seeds per apple. Red Delicious had an average of 8 seeds per apple. Granny Smith had an average of 7 seeds. Fuji and Gala both had an average of 6 seeds.

Conclusion

     My results for each trail were different. Some apples were more consistent with the number of seeds in them, which caused me to take the average number of seeds over the five trails.

         I think there is a possibility that the different climates and regions each apple was farmed on could have caused a change in the number of seeds.

         I had one problem; I grabbed a Pacific Rose Apple instead of a Gala Apple for my 5^th trail. To correct this problem in the future I will double-check the apple stickers to make sure it is the right apple.

         If I did the experiment again I would add more types of apples instead of just five.

         In the beginning I thought that Granny Smith Apples would have the most seeds because my mom buys them all the time but Golden Delicious had more seeds than Granny Smith.

         The results of my experiment made me wonder if the weight and size of the apples would affect the number of seeds in them? And, if I did use different weights and sizes, would Golden Delicious apples on average still have more seeds than the others?

At the end of the Science Fair the judges tallied up the points...Sadie was awarded HONORABLE MENTION!! We are VERY PROUD of Sadie! She worked extremely hard, but in the end it all turned out for the better!

Gilmore Baby #5

 It's been well over two weeks and announcements have been made concerning the sex of our fifth child, but I thought for blogging sake I would document this wonderful news!! We are having ANOTHER BOY!! When getting the ultrasound, the technician had a difficult time capturing a clear image of our baby's spinal cord. I layed on my side several times and on my belly, the best I could, to help the technician out...but the baby would not cooperate. In frustration the technician said, "This baby sure is stubborn"...I chuckled!...no surprise there. All my children are VERY STRONG WILLED! Hearing those words reconfirmed, for me, that this little one was meant for our family!

We are SO excited to have another added to our family! Words CANNOT express how grateful we are for the health and growth of our little one. Experiencing a miscarriage REALLY hit me hard. I was in pain for quite sometime because, like all mothers, I had a special connection with the sweet spirit I carried and I longed for the baby to be in our family. I am filled with so much gratitude for my Heavenly Father who has eased my aching heart and blessed me with another. I know in time I WILL see my other child and that is the BEAUTY of the Gospel.
The children and Dallas are as equally grateful for this experience...welcoming another into our family! They are overjoyed and anxious, which makes me happy!