The Smell of Fall

Sadie had this wonderful idea of gathering up as many leaves as possible, her goal was to recreate a giant pile of leaves similar to what we had back when we lived in Wymount (BYU Student Housing). So...Sadie gave everyone a job. The children were all assigned to pick leaves and place them in the pile while she raked as many leaves as she could. My job was to hold Ammon and take pictures for the blog.



This old wagon became very useful when gathering leaves for the soon to be "ginormous" pile.

Sadie made sure I was taking pictures for the blog!

Ammon being cute and cuddly.

Sophie smiling for the camera!

Melanie Whitehead, Sariah's best friend who is also three years old.

Sariah saying, "cheese" for the camera!

The hardworking gang! The Gilmore and Whitehead children.

Sadie recruited Dallas in raking up the leaves, he loves this sort of stuff.

Dallas handed out grocery bags to each of the children, they were to fill the bags!

Sophie and Sariah laying in the leaves.

Sadie enjoying the pile of leaves!

This was the last evening we spent with the Whitehead children, who we grew to love and enjoy! They became our friends when we didn't have any and vice versa! We sure miss their sweet spirits.

Wyatt & Alma

Photo taken by Rocky Tano. http://rtdwebfolio.blogspot.com

Congratulations Wyatt & Alma!

Love D & B

Sariah's 3rd Birthday Party

Our Sweatheart Sariah turns 3 on the 5th of September, but since Dallas will be out in the field starting Monday, we thought Thursday night would be an appropriate time to celebrate Sariah's special day! We started the Birthday Festivities with pizza and a movie "Race To Witch Mountain" followed by cake and gifts. Sariah has been extremely anxious for her "own" birthday party!

"It's my Birthday, yay!"

Sariah picked out her own cake mix, frosting and sprinkles. She was very excited to blow out her candle!























This summer Dallas read the girls "The Witches" by Roald Dahl, we all enjoyed this book very much! Shortly after reading the book we rented the movie and the girls compared, which they liked better. The book was by far better than the movie! Sariah, especially, loved the Grand High Witch! Everything from that moment on became the Grand High Witch, which is why we bought her this extremely cute costume to play in!

Look at those cute feet.





















Here is Sariah in her Fairy Costume! Isn't she adorable! She loves to twirl and twirl until she becomes very dizzy!

Sariah we are so very grateful to have you in our family! You bring such a sweet and energetic spirit into our home everytime you smile! Your laughter is contagious and we love you dearly for it!


Sariah ate two slices of birthday cake before heading to bed! Isn't that awesome?!

We love you Sweetheart, Daddy, Mommy, Sadie, Sophie & Ammon

Our Visit With The Amish

This picture was taken in Marion, KY, which is the town nearest the Amish Community.

I've been a little obsessed with the Amish Community and their way of life ever since we arrived in Kentucky. As a result, on a whim, Dallas graciously took our family on a three and a half hour drive to Western Kentucky last Monday at my request. The children had so much fun exploring this new culture.


Imagine seeing a sign like this. Fortunately, we were able to see several horse drawn buggies, but were unable to take pictures due to Amish etiquette (pictures are allowed, but not those showing their faces).

An abandoned barn beside the road.

While driving up to this barn, "Creekside Produce", a young boy no older than fourteen and his two siblings (the youngest being maybe four) loaded boxes of bell peppers onto their trailer pulled by two sturdy clydesdales. While at "Creekside Produce", which was inside the family barn, we purchased three jars of jam and one jar of relish.

A water pump beside "Creekside Produce".

A young man riding his horse alongside the rode just down the street from where we stopped to buy jam and relish.

Beautiful isn't it? Before leaving the Amish Commuity we stopped to buy sweet corn, bell peppers, and hot chili peppers and then made a stop at "Yoder's Furniture and Variety Store" where we purchased four pencil sharpeners, peanut brittle, and a jar of honey. The pencil sharpeners, unfortunately, were made in China! So lame. The peanut brittle was amazing!!!

We took the "Cave in Rock Ferry" across the Ohio River to Illinois.

Dallas standing at the mouth of the cave with the children in Cave in Rock, Illinois. The cave was home to local Native Americans and River Pirates.

Compared to the heat outside the cave was actually quite nice...nice and cool that is. Sophie wanted out! Dallas with the children.

The children and I. Cute picture.

Our family picure in Cave in Rock, Illinois with the Ohio River in the background.

Proof that we were in Illinois! Thought of my brother Brian the entire time...he served in the Chicago, Illinois Mission.

A barge hauling coal along the Ohio River.

Back in Marion, KY we stopped at McDonald's to buy dinner for the girls. Dallas quickly and might I add secretively snapped this photo of an Amish man and his young daughter attempting to enter McDonald's, they turned around due to the fact that the girl was not wearing any shoes.
Loved the trip, it was exhilirating and educational! I especially love that Dallas took us so far to see the Amish.

Durian Fruit: The King of Fruit

Dallas wanted to give our family a taste of his mission (Dallas served his LDS Mission in Southeast Asia)...this is how we came across an Asian Market that sold frozen Durian. Really...it all happened to Dallas' delight, he entered the store looking for something else and came across this.

This fruit is extremely stinky, hard and poky! It grows high up in the trees and those who farm this fruit wear hard hats because sudden impact could cause death.


I love Dallas' crazed look! So silly! He was extremely excited to share this with us!

Dallas tasting a bit of heaven! Just like old times...taste just as scrumptious!

Dallas filmed all of us tasting our first bite of Durian, but unfortunately the video footage is too long. Hopefully, Dallas will be able to modify it somewhat.
Sadie tasted the fruit and gagged after swallowing it saying it, "tasted like gas Dad!"

Sophie took a small bite and ran for the trash can gagging! It was quite funny to watch... only because that girl rarely tries anything new!

Sariah bravely took a bite and when asked if she liked it replied, "yes" with a questionable smile that left us laughing!

I first smelled the fruit and then took a bite...surprisingly enough it wasn't too bad, actually it tasted like gravy. It's definitely a taste I could grow to love.

We had so much fun tasting this new fruit despite the stench it left in our home! Really bad. Dallas cut open as much of the Durian as he could with a knife, which was quite difficult (back in Malaysia they use a Machete) and placed the seeds in a Ziploc bag that now sits in our freezer!

A side note* The Elders had every missionary taste this fruit upon arriving in the area! They either liked the fruit are completely hated it!

24.5 lbs and Counting

Ammon caught in the act while eating Doritos...thanks Dallas.

I took Sariah to the Doctor's Office for her physical examination, in the process I asked the nurse on duty if I could weigh Ammon. She politely said, "yes" and I placed Ammon on the scale. Ammon is sooo solid, which is why I was curious. The scale quickly flashed the numbers 24.5 lbs! Ammon is 9 and a 1/2 months and has now officially outgrown his infant car seat! Not only that, but a size 5 shoe comfortably fits his chubby and wide feet! Might I include his clothes need a little fixing!
On a very happy note... Ammon's four top teeth have FINALLY come through! He loves being able to eat solid food especially anything made from potatoes!

BJ's Awesome Picture

I know this picture is really flattering, but seriously this is how my feet look! Will it ever get any better than this? Probably not.

Sophie's Missing Tooth

Last Thursday, I took Sadie and Sophie to the dentist office in Radcliff for a follow-up. Sadie was to have some sealant placed on her molars and Sophie was to have her right front tooth extracted due to an infection caused by her permanent tooth trying to come in. We arrived at the office fifteen minutes early and for some reason the receptionist forgot to schedule us into the computer the day of our previous visit. So, we waited around the office for an extra two hours to be seen. I was upset of course, but anyway we were seen eventually. Sadie's visit went pretty quick and then Sophie's followed. Sophie was a bit jittery. Surprisingly enough she cooperated with the dentist and kept her mouth open for what followed. She was so upset and I stood by helpless. I wanted to ease her pain, but there was nothing I could do, this procedure had to be done as painful as it was. Finally, we were done and out of the office. Sophie was a trooper and soon returned to her normal diet despite my constant concern. She is doing wonderful now and has even had a visit from the "Tooth Fairy!"

Sariah's Potty Training Days

Last Monday, Sariah began her potty training. It's been a week now and she is doing remarkably well, there have been a few accidents, but overall she is having success! Dallas and I are very happy! Sariah is also very proud of her progress! To celebrate her day of going potty in the toilet, last Monday for FHE we went to Wal-Mart, where Sariah picked out her prize. She chose the movie Anastasia. Way to go Sariah! We love you so very much! Mom, Dad, Sadie, Sophie & Ammon

First Day of School 2009

The first day of school is always filled with anxiety and excitement, especially in our home. To prepare for the upcoming school year we always buy the essentials (2 outfits, supplies, and shoes), attend the School Open House, trim hair and nails, see the dentist, and most importantly receive a Father's Blessing. Last Monday wasn't any different. Getting the girls ready for school was a snap simply because they were MOTIVATED, but leaving them in their classrooms with their new teachers was quite difficult. Difficult for both the girls and I. Sophie was nervous, but she managed to control her nerves and get settled. Sadie, unfortunately, had her teacher changed a couple of days before, so she no longer had all her friends from the previous year with her and as you can probably imagine was a complete wreck when I left her sight. Like any mother...I wanted to fix the situation. I asked her to come with me to the office where I conversed with the "new" principle and in a matter of minutes she was back in her original class. I don't know if I reacted too hastily, but Sadie and I felt a lot better about the whole situation afterwards.
Sadie and I often talk about that first day of school a week ago and she ALWAYS thanks me for helping her get back to her original class. I hope the girls feel confident and adjust easily to the many changes that will be taking place this school year. Being a Family in the Army brings about many changes, some changes Dallas and I would rather do without. Our next family transition will be Hawaii. We are looking forward to this with much anticipation!