FOREVER FORDHAM

June 2011 South Dakota trip

2011-11-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

We took an amaing trip to South Dakota with our dear friends the Stocktons. We stopped at a wonderful camp stop off the side of the road for a rest and found our first beautiful scene in South Dakota.

Mount Rushmore was awe inspiring. I love this picutre of the kids taking in the whole thing.

We took a long leasurely drive on Needles Highway and came across some hungry donkeys. They were fun to watch and up soooo closely.

Crazy Horse was another great stop. It's just as amazing as Mt. Rushmore.

Something's missing?

2009-07-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

What could it be? My beautiful Sydnee finally lost her first teeth. I was so sad and she was happy. Her baby teeth are just so perfect and straight, I'm just not ready for the "ugly" tooth stage for my girls. Oh well, it's gonna happen anyway. The tooth fairy came and left a couple dollars. Wow, the price of teeth has really gone up since I last lost a tooth.
Before...

After...

Colby "Birdman" Fordham

2009-07-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Brandon got a "wild hair" and decided to give Colby a mo-hawk in honor of the NBA finals bound Nuggets, Chris "the Birdman" Anderson. He only got to keep it for a night and then it got shaved off for church the next day. But it was fun while it lasted. Too bad the Nuggets did'nt last eigher. Those darn Lakers. We'll get em next year. At least it's only the hair the can be shaved off and no tatoo's.

Preschool Graduation

2009-05-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well Sydnee is officially a Kindergardner now. She had Preschool Graduation on Tues. Those kids are so darn cute. They sang some really cute songs and showed their parents they are truely ready for kindergarden. Wow, I can't believe she is old enough for that already... Congratulations Syd. We love you!

Landmark Field Day 2009

2009-05-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Colby had field day on Friday. They had lots of fun activities planned. Gone are the days of track and field at field day and earning ribbons. Now it's just a fun day to be outside and enjoy some Colorado sunshine and play with your fiends doing some fun activities.

The girls were so good. They had a lot of fun playing in the sunshine at "Colby's school".

My Stick Family

2009-05-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

I got some new files to make some new stick families. Of couse the first thing I did was make me a new one for my car. You gotta love how real they can be.

Olivia's first haircut

2009-05-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

After 3 years of being alive I finally decided to get Olivia in for her first haircut. So here she is as the before...
During...

And AFTER... isn't she just too cute for words?

My Baby turns 3!

2009-05-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday she was born and now Olivia is "twee" as she would say with her thumb and pointer finger pinched together. She can really drive a person crazy and you love her so much you can eat her up all at the same time. Happy Birthday Olivia, I LOVE YOU!

The Easter Bunny came....

2009-05-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

They must have somehow told the Easter Bunny they were good enough for him to come, because he did! He left movies, new swim suits for the summer and swimming goggles for everyone. He also hid some eggs for the kids to find and find them they did.

You gotta love Livy modeling her new goggles...

Easter Egg Decorating

2009-05-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

You gotta love the age old tradition of decorating Easter eggs. The kids and daddy had a great time dying eggs once again this year. Mandi and Isaak were here so we all did them together. Always a fun tradition I remember very well as a kid...

Mission : buy pants!

2009-04-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

I stole this from my friend Patti Miller. I thought it was just too funny to not share again and ohhh sooooooooooooo true!

The End of an "ER"A

2009-04-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ok,so seriously I was a sophmore in high school when this show came out. Remember Chicago Hope? Yeah, they came out the same and I chose to watch ER. Good thing, it lasted a whole lot longer. I can't believe it has been 15 years! It has been so fun to watch and relate to the charactores over the years. And to see all the big names that have come out of this show, ie:George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margolies, Noah Wylie and Eriq LaSalle. It will be sad and I will probably cry and the end, just like I did when Gregg Pratt died. It's been a good adventure and I will miss this show. Now I know how our parents felt when M*A*S*H went off the air...

Kindergarden here I come!

2009-03-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Poor lil Syd! In all the hurriedness to get ready for kindergarden we totally spaced out the worst part! SHOTS! We had to go get them today. Well actally Sydnee did. There was nothing I could do to help her other than just hold her. Very tight and tell her it will all be ok. She was told she had to get four at first. When they came in to actually give them we she was in for a treat. Only 3! Yeah! They gave two and then "missed" on the thrid one. Don't ask how you miss sticking a needle into a leg but they did it. She was so brave and finally after it was all over told me "Now I don't have to have anymore shots until I'm a teenager." It broke my heart to tell her she had to have one more because the last one sended up on my jeans????? So she put on her brave face again and then it was all over. I promised her a toy from Target when she was done. She loves Snow White and found these really cute figurines. That made it all better. To top it off we ran into her preschool teacher at Target and she did not hesitate to tell Mrs. Weber her sad tale.

Spring time in the Rocky Mountains

2009-03-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

What a crazy time of year it is. Early last week it was 70 here. Thursday we were buried in snow and trying to make our way back from a wonderful spring break in GJ. Today, it's 50 again & the snow is melting everywhere. Before the snow came Brandon put a small trash can over some bulbs that had already bloomed in the front yard to protect them. He took that off today to let them see the sun again. I thought they were so beautiful I had a take a quick pic of them to share.I especially love the small amount of snow left behind today by the sun. My husband has such a wonderful green thumb. Our front yard just looks beautiful in the summer. I can hardly wait. Those flowers just ooze of new beginnings and new growth. I can't help but think of the Resurrection of our Savior during this time of year and Easter just around the corner. Spring offers that and does such a good job of reminding us how much our Heavenly Father loves and cares about us. Enjoy!

My crazy kids playing out front with daddy sweeping the melted snow down the drain;

Hurricane in Grand Junction...

2009-03-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Talk about bad wind. I have never in my life seen the wind blow as hard as it did last Sunday in Grand Junction. We had a picnic at Lincoln Park with Brandon's family and the wind as a little annoying but we managed. After that we headed back to Grandma Greats house for a yummy spaghetti dinner. Uncle Dennis came down and my cousin Kayal and Randy came up from Fruita. We were have a great dinner when Aunt Sandra called to tell Uncle Dennis the shed in their backyard blew over and was stuck against the back door. He left to go check things out. Grandma Great headed upstairs for something and noticed something a little strange out the south window...

Her Russian Olive tree blew over along with all the dirt and bulbs that had been planted around it. Pretty crazy hah!

Poor Uncle Eric was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don't worry he's ok!

The next day...

2009-03-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

we went four wheeling with everyone. They had four four-wheelers and we took Colby's dirt bike. He was in hog heaven. He seriousely rode his bike for about 5 hours straight. I don't think he even crashed once. We had so much fun hanging out with the Brinkworths. Thanks again you guys. We love hanging out with you!

A trip to Elizabeth, Colorado

2009-03-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Elizabeth, Colo. to see our friends the Brinkworths. Christina hosted a vinyl party for me and since it's an hour and a half away we made a weekend of it and a whole family afair. When we got there wound these adorable chicks they had just brought home. Living in the country they can have things like that. They actually have chickens to lay eggs. They already have some that do and the kids got to check a few a few time and did find a few eggs. We had them for breakfast the next day.

Poor Olivia passed out from all the excitement and the older kids had no problem playing around her...

Sydnee turns 5

2009-03-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

Feb. 22 our sweet Sydnee turned 5. Poor thing, her bithday was exactly the day after Colby's play got over and we had trip planned for GJ too. She got to open a few presents that morning before we left and then away we went. We found a killer deal for a Nintendo DS on Craigslist and gave it to her before we left. She LOVED it and had a great time playing on the drive over the mountain. She also got a really cute dress for the spring from Nana and Papa. We finally had a real party for her the next Sunday with all the cousins and a few neighbors. I can't believe how big she is getting and how grown up she already seems sometimes. She has such and kind heart and just loves everyone. She seems to be a never ending supply of kisses. Just today I was taking a catnap on the couch and she came up and gave me a quick and light peck on the forhead and away she went. She can sure light up a room and also bring the storm clouds in too just as fast. We love you Syd, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Broadway here we come!

2009-03-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, Colby theater debut came and went. After several months of practice the show School House Rock went off without a hitch. They were all amazing and are very talented kids. They had a great director who taught them a ton about theater and gave them a great experience. Way to go Colby!

Groundhog's Day Eve

2009-02-02T10:41:00.001-08:00

As the movie Groundhog day goes, the main charactor relives the day over and over again. I would really prefer not to live Groundhog's Day Eve over again...
The day stated off so nicely. The kids got up very well(without much arguement)to get ready for church. After her shower Syd announced to us her throat hurt. Being that strep seems to find its way into our house way to often without being invited we thought it better to leave her home. So Brandon so grasiously volunteered to stay home with her. I took Colby and Olivia with me and we actually had a pretty enjoyable Sacrament Meeting and then we all went to class.

Well,I forgot my cell phone so Brandon could not text me but decided to send a message to my mom to have me call him. I left Sunday School and went to the kitchen to call home. He asked me to stop at the store on the way home for more Motrin and Tylenol for Syd. After church we decided to stop by Safeway, which on Super Bowl Sunday was not a good idea. After I finally got a pharmacist to help we figure out that all we could really give her is Motrin and Tylenol it was time to check out. YEAH RIGHT! The lines were sooooooooooooo long there was no way we were going to wait for our turn. Who even shops at Safeway anymore anyway? I decided to leave and just go home. On the way I realized Brandon would not be happy with me if we came home with nothing, so we stopped by Target. Thank goodness for Target! We walked right in, got what we needed and were on our way. After an emergency potty stop for Livy. We finally made our way home to find Brandon and Sydnee both passed out on the couch. Good for them! I was way jealous. You know me, I love a good nap. Anyway, we got things ready to go to our neighbors house for the big game and headed over there. After some fabulous food we headed downstairs for the game. We were so excited to watch the game on their huge plasma. Brandon actually finished the bar area just in time for the big party. See! (actually this picture is not the finished product but you get the idea)

So the Super Bowl had just started. Literally, I watched the first play and realized Olivia was upstairs screaming. I ran up to see if she as ok and found Brandon and Joy with a bloody washcloth and Olivia. She had ran into a glass table at Joy's house and put a gash in her forhead. "After further review", we decided it was not bad enough for stitches and that if it scared her hair would cover it.

Sydnee then decided her throat hurt again and needed more "medcine". I took her home for some Motrin and decided while were were there to grab Livy's blankey. We thought she might like that. Here is where it gets good. We walked back in the house and found Brandon, Joy, a bloody rag and Colby this time. He had jumped off the couch and somehow caught his ear on the coffe table and a ripped a hole in his ear. This injury however was going to require stitches.

We found a after hours clinic to take him to and off he and Brandon went. After much texting Brandon kept me up to date on the happenings of Colby. He ended up with 4 stitches and a really big bandaid.

So at the end the day we were really gratful and blessed we did'nt end up taking all three kids to the ER/after hours clinic. Could you imagine what they would have said if were had taken them all in? Oh my gosh. To top the whole evening off the Cardinals ended up loosing a very exciting Super Bowl. But we cheered our best for them. Maybe they will have a better year next year (and the Broncos too) and we better have a better day today. So good so far...

Family Vinyl Frames

2009-01-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

So my friend Christina who lives in Elizabeth finally got her family vinyl frames up. I LOVE THEM! Are'nt they just too cute hanging up? If anyone is interested in ordering a set for themselves go to my website at www.lineuponlinevinyl.com
Thanks Christina for sharing!

A fun day out...

2008-12-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

We met our friends the Brinkworth's in Highland's Ranch today for lunch. We were going to go to the zoo but it was way to windy today, so we met at McDonold's instead. After that we took the kids to Krispy Creme to see how the donuts were made and enjoy a few. They had a great time watching the donuts be made and were pretty amazed. We lines them all up by height and took a quick pic to share of all 7 of them. It's amazing what 4 people and almost 12 years can do. HeHe!

This is the Brinkworth family represented by stick people. I just had to share how cute my little stick people are. Anyone wanting to orders some can go to my website at www.lineuponlinevinyl.com. Thanks Brinkworth's for such a fun day. We had a lot of great time hanging out today.

Colby's 7!

2008-12-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? We can't! Just one more year and he will be baptized. WOW! Poor Colby, his bithday falls three days after Christmas. Yuck! And to top if off there was a really important football game we had to watch that night. So we put off celebrating his birthday until Monday. I wish we would had just ignored the game and had a cake and icecream instead. Sorry Colby we made you wait a day to celebrate your day to even entertain the idea of a Bronco victory. Anway, we did give him a couple gift on Sunday and of couse some spankins. He got his first pocket knife and an official bird hunting coat. Now he can be official when he goes hunting with dad.
It really does'nt seem like we have been parents for 7 years. Wow, how time flys.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLBY! WE LOVE YOU!

O Olivia......

2008-12-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

Just a cute crazy picture of the wild girl I just had to share.

Christmas at Grandma Dawn's

2008-12-30T18:14:00.001-08:00

After a quiet morning at home, we loaded up the car and the kids and headed to Grandma Dawn's for Christmas dinner. We had a yummy ham and fried ravioli. We enjoyed opening some Christmas gifts from Grandma Dawn and Papa. Syd was having a great time hiding in the gift bag and scaring anyone who dared opening it.

Grandma Dawn gave each of the kids rudolph nose to wear and we just had to get a picture of all the cousins with their blinking noses...

Grandma and Grandpa Great come over on the train on Christmas Eve and surprised the kids as Grandma's house.

We started a new traditon this year in the Sulley family. We tried the age old gift exchange of the White Elephant. We had to do a kid version and an adult version. We had a great time and we think the kids had fun too. Although, they weren't too sure about the passing the gifts all around before they actually got to open one.

Santa Came!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

After we got home from Aunt Brandy's, we had to make sure Santa and his reindeer would be taken care of while they were at our house. We put out some cookies and milk for Santa, as well as some carrots and reindeer food the for reindeer... the kids here are sprinkeling magic reindeer food on the back patio for them.

We had a great time Christmas morning. Colby came into our room bright and early to inform us that "Santa came! He really did!" So we anxiously crawled out of bed to see what he brought. Colby finally got his own Nintendo DS(and has been totally glued to it since then) Sydnee go her own I-pod. Pink of course, and totally loves it too. Olivia got a tricyle and has gotten pretty good at riding it in the house. She has even learned how to maneauver around the island in the kitchen pretty well.

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-26T16:37:00.000-08:00

As tradition goes in the Fordham house, the kids receive new pj's to open on Christmas Eve. This year was not exception. Although they were not the really cute character ones, they at least got a new pair of sweats to wear at pj's. We had to open them early in the evening because after that we went to Aunt Brandy's and Uncle Eric's for Christmas Eve dinner.

We had this really yummy new bean dip and cabbage tacos. Which were amazing! Thanks Brandy, for sharing that great dish with us. After dinner Brandon kept the kids pretty entertained with "The Wheels on Bus" and a couple other fun songs while Brandy and I cleaned up.

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Then Uncle Eric told the Christmas Story to the kids using this really cute Nativity Book they had. Shelby had been dying to use it and finally got her chance on Christmas Eve to put the puzzle together and learn the wonderful story of Jesus' birth. Uncle Eric did a great job and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Well... off to our house to wait for Sant...

Food Storage

2008-12-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

Back in May we bough a ton of food at Sam's Club for our food storage. There was talk of a trucker strike because of the high price on gasoline. We took some saving money and bought some food at Sam's to can for our food storage. Finally the third week in December we were able to get the portable canner from the Bishop's storehouse to can our food at home. We have pinto beans, sugar, flour, rice, hot cocoa and some really yummy apple chips. We did this together as a family and tried to teach the kids the importance of food storage.

Brandon hard at work at the canner;

Sydnee's job was to put the labels on the cans;

Colby's job was to stack them in the boxes and then tape the boxes shut;

Here is a small portion of what we accompished today;

Livy being silly with an empty box from today;

New Christmas Outfits

2008-12-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

The kids each got a new Christmas dress or in Colby's case a new sweater. They just had to have some pictures taken of them in there new outfits. They clean up pretty nice hah?

Bye Bye Spencer....

2008-12-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

After 6 months of having a teenager in our house we are down to just our three crazy chitlins. Spencer went back to live with his dad last weekend. This is a good thing although we feel a little out of sorts not having him here. No more early morning seminary(for Brandon anyway, Spencer you better still be going), Wed. evening scouts, wondering where the phone went and realizing Spencer is on it( I swear he's worse than a girl), checking up on Algebra homework to make sure it's done, having a live in babysitter (which I must admit was nice) or trying to figure out where the church dance is who is taking him. There are lots of things we will miss about Spencer but we hope he enjoyed his time at our house and hopefully even learned something. We were all such a blubbering mess I didn't think about taking any pictures so I put together some old pictures of Spence we took along the way. We love you Spencer and wish you the best. See you this weekend. (There is another church dance he just can't miss)

First Grade Christmas Party

2008-12-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

I actually got to help with Colby class party this year.They had some fun activities for the kids to do and Colby's cool dad read a couple Christmas stories to the class. Way to go Brandon! Don't ya just love the elf hat?

Thank goodness I got a quick picture of the konga line that started in the classroom...

Colby with his friend Ben after they each picked a book from the book exchange. Colby got a cool Spongebob Christmas book.

Sydnee's Christmas Party

2008-12-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

The annual Christmas party at The Big Brown House Preschool! Sooooo fun! This year the kids did a gift exchange. Syd had her little friend Cooper and Cooper had Syd. That made it kind of fun. They got to make anddecorate a snowflake and decorate a picture from with a picture of their class in it.

Mrs. Brown with Sydnee

Mrs. Weber with Sydnee

BE!!!!!!

2008-12-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share this way cute picture from I made for Specner for Christmas. We already gave it to him so it's ok to share. I had lots of people want to buy it from me but I had to say no because it was an orgional made just for him! I totally love how it turned out with and without the paper behind it.

Sulley Sibling Dinner

2008-12-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

Now that all the Sulley kids live close to each other, have started a new holiday traditon. Every year at Christmas time we get together just the eight of us (NO KIDS)to have dinner. We decided to have a nice dinner at our house. We had chicken parmesan and fried ravioli. Very yummy!

After dinner we decided to play charades. Boys against girls of course and we kicked their butts! Girls brains just think totally differnt than boys. We had a great time and are totally looking forward to next year.

Reunion Ward Christmas Party

2008-12-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at the ward Christmas party. We had a traditional Christmas dinner complete with turkey! Santa was there too! Man, that guy is everwhere. Olivia was too afraid to sit on his lap but did manage to shake his hand by the end of the night.

First Grade Christmas Concert

2008-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

We had the honor of going to Colby Christmas Concert at Landmark. All those first graders were so cute and Colby looked so handsom. We had front row seats and got to go without the girls. That was the best part. Colby did a great job and his love for singing really shows.

Nice tensil Colby!

Crazy Livy!

2008-12-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Brandon caught these really cute pictures of Olivia. They just kind of speak for themselves!

FHE at Bass Pro Shop

2008-12-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

For Family Home Evening a few weeks ago we decided to go to Santa's Workshop at Bass Pro Shop. We heard they had an amazing Workshop for Santa there and decided to check it out ourselves. We actually made it out of there without spending any money too. They give you a great free digital picture right away and have lots of other fun things for the kids to do for free too. They had the shooting range for the kids to practice shooting the pretend animals and even right a letter to Santa! Colby did a pretty good job of his first offical letter to Santa.

9

Run, run as fast as you can...

2008-12-08T08:24:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this adorable Gingerbread man my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. She is the most crafty person I know and can make some amazing things. I would have to put this at the top of the cute list of all the things she has made. Thanks Shauna, I love it!

Over the river and through the woods, to Grandma Greats house we go...

2008-12-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

We have some friends in Grand Jct. who were blessing their baby on Sunday. Brandon decided to go over the mountain with the kids. I could not go due to a couple craft shows so I had to stay behind. That actually turned out to be good thing because of all the vinyl orders I had that I was able to get done in peace and quiet. Well, except for the music Spencer had playing upstairs. The kids had a great time, the jury is still out on how much fun Brandon had (its hard work being a single dad). It was a last minute trip so we decided to surprise Grandpa Great. He seemed pretty surprised from what I've been told. They were also able to see Nana and Papa and Aunt Amanda and the kids.

Storytime with Grandma Great... Sydnee will always listen to a story;

Pull Colby PULL!

Swinging around the pole... always a favorite at Grandma Greats house;

The stick people I made for Grandma Great for her birthday. Brandon put them on for her while he was there;
Pretty cute guys!
Olivia playing with the toys at Nana's house.

Grandpa Great and his little buddy

Trans Siberian Orchestra

2008-12-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOSH! If you have never been to see them, make it a must do for next Christmas. They are AMAZING! Brandon suprised me with tickets to see them last night for my birthday. There are not enough words to describe how amzaing they are. Combining rock music with classic Christmas carols and lights and fire and lazers and I could go on and on. The stage is amazing and moves all over the place. We had a wonderful time and had an amazing Italian dinner before with our dear friends the Stocktons. Once again we had a great time with them. Thanks Brandon for such a fun and memorable birthday. Love Ya!

The count down is on...

2008-12-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

After we put up the Christmas we made our annual paper chains for the kids to count down to Christmas. Olivia had no idea what we were making but had a good time anyway and Spencer seemed to think it was kind of lame up made one none the less... Colby and Syd always remember to take a piece off each morning when they wake up. How many days till Christmas...?

O, Christmas Tree, O, Christmas Tree

2008-12-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

We actually got our Christmas tree up. Thank goodness. I was worried I was not going to have time to get it up in time to enjoy it for the season. We did it for FHE on Monday night and we wanted to wait for Spencer to get back from his dads house to help us. He volunteered to put up the Star. I said, Oh, thank goodness your here Spencer. Whatever would we have done without you or in years past how on earth did we get that star up there. He He! He enjoys being the tallest one in the house.

First Snowfall of the Season

2008-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

The long awaited first snow fall of the season is finally upon us. I had a craft show yesterday and Brandon stayed home with the kids. He helped them get all bundled up to play in the snow and even got some great pictures. Way to go Brandon! A true bloggers husband.

Estes Park Parade of Lights

2008-11-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

Friday afternoon, after much Christmas shopping early in the morning we decided to drive to Estes Park with our good frieds the Stocktons to see the parade of lights.
IT WAS COLD! But we prepared ourselves as best we could and braved the elements to see the parade. It was all worth it because at the end of the parade was... you guessed it. Santa Clause! Sydnee was worried he might not be there but he made it she had the best seat in house to see him. Right on my lap! Thanks Stockton's again for another fun filled activity.

Rock Band 2

2008-11-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

After dinner we decided to play some Rock Band. We had an all girl band because the boys were playing pool. We had fun and rocked out some pretty good songs!

Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody, everywhere...

2008-11-30T10:43:00.000-08:00

After dinner the girls talked the boys into doing the dishes. They did pretty good job had really had some good teamwork. Way to go boys. They even did it with a smile!

Granny was a litle warn out so she decided to just finish herself off by finishing off the bottle of sparkeling cyder. Poor Granny!

Syd was pretty toasted the end of the day too.

Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

We all have so many things to be thankful for. One of the things that I am thankful for the most is my family. Including my kids and husband and my extended family. We were able to go to my sisters house this year for Turkey dinner. We had a fabulous time and ate way too much. Everything was delicious. My mom did a good job teaching all us girls to be pretty darn good cooks. My job was the Sulley traditional pasta and sause as well as the rolls. I also made a yummy pumpkin bars receipe. Pretty yummy!

Livy helped get things started first thing in the morning by helping get the rolls out of the freezer and setting them in the pan. She loves to help in kitchen just like her sister. Thank goodness Sydnee was still sleeping!

We had to get a quick picture with Spencer before he left for the weekend to go to his dads. He was planning on dinner with us but things changed right at the last minute. The kids were sad to see him go.

We forgot a bib for Olivia so we did the old stand by. Just take off her shirt.

Colby enjoying his very own turkey leg!

Readers Theatre

2008-11-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

After Brandon's foot surgery he was home for a few days. He was able to go with us to Colby's First Grade Readers Theatre. He wrote a story about going duck hunting with his dad. It was pretty cute, and the details this boy remembers is amazing. I wanted to share the story he wrote too but he said his teacher wont let them bring home the story until the end of the year. Oh well.

Joe's Crab Shack

2008-11-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

We went to dinner with our favorite people the Stockton's last night. Ellis thought it would be a good idea to let me choose were we go. Don't ask me why but I chose Joe's Crab Shack. I don't eat fish of any kind (hence the chicken caeser salad)so I have no clue where that came from but never the less we had a great time and the kids loved the atmosphere. Thanks Joy and Ellis! We had great time and always love to play with you guys!

You got love the bibs, even on the BIG kids!

BYU vs. AIR FORCE

2008-11-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Brandon took the kids to the BYU vs. AIRFORCE game yesterday.I had another craft show so I was not able to go. They got there just before kick off but were in time to see the jets fly over the stadium. The kids really liked that. They were seated in the general admission section which Brandon said was pretty crouded so they moved up a section and had lots of room for the kids to fun around. They only stayed until half time was over and then they left. They figured Air Force was winning and the kids had had evough they they decided to leave. Little did they know BYU would come back and win! GO COUGARS! See what devoted BYU fans we are. Colby has on his Rockies had, Sydnee is wearing her Broncos hat and Brandon has on his Avalanche hoodie. By the way my craft show was pretty good too in case you were wondering HEHE!

Daphnie the Huntin' Dog

2008-11-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

Friday evening Brandon took Colby duck hunting along with his friends Mike and Clark. Brandon seemed to have pretty good success and dropped 3 ducks on the first shot! He was pretty proud and his buddy were pretty jealous. Daphnie on the other hand did not have such a great day. Brandon's not sure what happened but somehow she cut her ear. When they got back to town he wasn't sure if she need stitches or not and if so it was going to cost a ton to have a vet do that after hours on Friday night. We decided to call our home teacher. He happens to be a dentist. Well, home teachers always ask if there is something they can do to help and we finally had something only he could do. He came over to our friends house and stiched up her ear.
We truely have the best home teacher in the world. He obviousely is not a vet but he did a pretty good job and we were very grateful for his service. Thanks John!

Then our friend Ann (who by the way has more talents than one person should be allowed) sewed her a cone out of material so she would not be able to get to it with her paw and rip out the stitches. Daphnie looks pretty stylin' don't ya think and Ann may have something going there. She should marked those to Petsmart for other dogs and cats! Thanks Ann for the great cone!

Super Saturday in Elizabeth ,Co

2008-11-08T20:09:00.001-08:00

I had an amazing time in Elizabeth, Colo. today with my friend Christina Brinkworth. In case you don't know where that is, it's east of Castle Rock a long way. I felt like I drove to Grand Jct. and back today. HeHe! She invited me to come to her wards Super Saturday with some vinyl for the sisters in her ward to make. I sold everything I took and even all the extras I made. Good thing I took extras.
Here are some of the things the sisters were able to make:
Some happy crafters enjoying an easy craft project;
One sister bought these amazing frames to put her daughters last name on. I just love the way this frame turned out. I asked her if I could take a couple pictures of it for my website. Which by the way isj ust about done! YEAH!
My friend Christina and me at the end of a fun filled day!
Ok, Christina is alot taller then I am so I thought for once I would be taller than her. I, of course had to stand on a chair. Go figure! Thanks Christina for inviting me to your Super Saturday. I had a blast!

Anyone up for bowling?

2008-11-08T20:01:00.001-08:00

So I spent all day on Friday cooking homemade beans for dinner when Brandon came in and said "Let's go bowling or something". Well forget the beans they will keep for Sunday. So we went bowling with our friends the Hanson's and had a great time. Even Olivia got in the action as you will see... she was pretty darn cute!
Spencer thinkin he's too cool for the rest of us.
Little O' bowling for the first time.
Too proud Syd!

Brandon's Hunting Trip

2008-11-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

Finally the long awaited pictures of Brandon's hunting trip. For those of you who have not heard yet they got a cow elk. From the sounds of things when he called me that day they were pretty excited about it. They went on the trip with the agreement to share whatever they got. So they split this old gal three ways. As much as I really didn't want him to get anything, I am glad we have some meat in our freezer for the winter.

Clark's 4 wheeler loaded down with all the meat.
Bessie the Elk Cow
Brandon waiting patiently for something to wonder by to shoot, or someone to come by with a camara... which ever comes first!
Mike and Clark with old Bessie
Brandon looking pretty cold
A beatiful meadow. What a site to see out in the middle of nowhere.

Brandon and Clark with Bessie. Poor Bessie. I'm sure she'll make some good jerkey and pepperoni!

No more diapers!

2008-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

We are officially diaper-less at our house now. Last Sunday Olivia decided to try and sit on the potty before she got in the shower. SHE ACTUALLY WENT! Not at all what I expected. I was so proud of her and told her she could wear panties the next day. That was not going to be soon enough for her. We had to put panties on right after she got out of the shower to wear until bed time. We did use them again Monday and she did great. Only a couple accidents Monday and Tuesday, and by Wed. she had it down like a pro. Even #2! What a wonderful feeling that is to have all your kids out of diapers. WAY TO GO OLIVIA! We are so proud of you.

" I did it"! Olivia's favorite saying these days. She is becoming so independent.

Olivia with the cookie she earned for going potty!

"This time change stinks!"

2008-11-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

Poor little Olivia is having such a hard time adjusting to the new time change. The last two nights she as literally just conked out on the floor way before bed time. Syd is the same way. She was passed out on the couch by 6:30. I was so afraid she would'nt sleep the rest of the night but she did and I had a heck of a time trying to get her awake this morning.

Trick- or - Treating

2008-11-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

Friday night the weather was so nice we actually got to go candy hunting without coats. What is this Colorado or California? Here is Princess Belle checking out her loot after just a few block of trick or treating. Notice the back door is open. We were so hot when we got back. It was just crazy!

Colby the dirt bike racer!

The little gesha (not sure how to spell that one) Oh well!

Olivia, that's not a real puppy.

Trick or treating at the Stockton's. We made them our first stop because they are our favorite people. We went trick or treating with our friends, the Hansons. That's Parker the Ninja turtle or "inja turtle" as he calls it.

Edward the Vampire

2008-11-02T07:16:00.001-08:00

Spencer decided to be Edward Cullen the Vampire from the Twilight books. Although, I don't think he looks anything like Edward he does look like a pretty good "vampire".

Halloween Swimming

2008-11-02T07:07:00.001-08:00

Colby was out of school on Halloween and Syd just goes in the morning so we decided to do something different and fun. We went swimming at the Brighton Rec. where Spencer lifeguards.
Go figure, we actaully go swim there when he cant come. He did have school on Friday. It was a fun and different thing to do in the middle of the day on a week day. The weather was so nice that day we could have swam outdoors if there was a pool open. Go figure, on Halloween?

Here's Colby going down the slide. He has become quite the good swimmer this summer.

Preschool Halloween Party

2008-11-02T07:00:00.001-08:00

Sydnee's class at her preschool had a Halloween party Friday. It was a ton of fun! We trunk-or-treated in the street in from of her school and the kids had three games to play. My game was the bobbing for apples. Most kids were a little intimidated by this one but once they tried they did a great job. It really helped that the stems were still on the apples. Eventually she gave it a try and got one!
Here is our little Bell with some of her friends including Ariel the Mermaid.
She was a little tuckered out and had so stop a moment and examine her goodies.
Yummy apple hah Syd!
All of Sydnee's class including Mrs. Weber and Mrs. Brown

1ST Grade Award Ceremony

2008-11-02T06:51:00.001-08:00

Colby's school has an award ceremony at the end of every quarter. Sydnee was at school so just Olivia and I went. That was a little strange I might add. Anyway, Colby is on the Honor Roll with all "4's" ( the same as straight A's) and he also recieved the 1st grade award for Art. Who know Colby was the artsy-fartsy type? This is Colby in his classroom after the ceremony with Olivia.
Colby is very proud of his half eaten apple. His teacher was wondering how he was going to eat it with all the missing teeth he has.
Colby receiving his Honor Roll certificate from Ms. Witt, the Principal.
This is Colby's love interest Amelia. Ok, well he is actually her's. Someday her mom and I will get to plan a grand wedding reception. HeHe!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

We decided to carve our pumpkins last night for FHE. Colby designed his pumpkin face and daddy helped him cut it out. He did a great job of cleaning his out too. After they were done Colby and Sydnee decided to add our address and phone number to each of their pumpkins just incase they wondered away they could find their way home. That is what Syd is doing in this picture.

Here are our finished products... Colby's in on the left, followed by Spencer's Princess Pumpkin, next is Olivia's Pirate and last is Sydnee's that I helped her cut out:

Here is a classic example of the constant race that goes on between these two. She is checking to see if he has more "goo" than her...

Cheesey Olivia with her tiny pumpkin... she sure loves it... especially as a pirate. Notice the panties she has on? More on that to come later...

Can you say "Free Chic-fil-a"?

2008-10-28T12:47:00.000-07:00

So one Friday night in July, Brandon and I were on our way out on the town for a date when I heard a very interesting story on the 4'oclock news. Chic-fil-a was giving away free food that night to anyone who came in dressed as a cow. Free Chic-fil-a? I have to dress like a cow? Ok! I can do that. So we put the cabosh on the date and made everyone dress up like a cow and headed to our local Chic-fil-a. They were so impressed with our "cow family" the manager if they could take a picture for the corporate office of us. Then one day out of the blue, I got a call from the store manager asking if it was ok to post the pic us on the board in their store. I, of couse said that was fine. We had random people we know for a month or so saying they saw our pic at the restraunt. I was a very fun thing to do and I know the kids will remember that for a long time.

4th of July at the Rockies!

2008-10-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

We went to the Rockies game on the 4th of July! Our seats this time allowed us to go out on the field to see the fireworks. The game started out terrible and we could'nt wait for the fireworks to start, but ended up awesome! The Rockies won 17 to 16 with a huge come from behind game!

Here are the kids with their safety glasses on because we were literally under the fireworks.

Beginner Golf

2008-10-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

This summer Colby was able to take a beginner golf class at the Buffalo Run Golf Course just up the street from our house. Its was pretty early in the morning but he made it everyday and really enjoyed himself. He got to take the class with Isaak, that helped make it even more fun!

He was not really driving the cart... although he really wanted to.

Kindergarden Graduation

2008-10-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures of Colby's Kindergarden Graduation and thought I had better share them.
Boy has he changed so much in such a short amount of time. He was pretty proud of himself as were we!

Run the Bases at Coors Field

2008-10-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Back in May the kids had the oppertunity to go to Coors Field to run the bases after a Rockies game. We had just gotten our video camara and I was'nt sure how to use it really well so I missed the pictures of the kids actually running the bases. We do have video of it though. We'll do it again next year and I'll be sure to get some then.

Ducks on the Pond?

2008-10-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

No baseball season is officially over and the bases are no longer loaded. As least at Coors Field. But, Brandon did take the kids to the lake in Reunion to feed the ducks while I was at my craft show last Saturday. They were worried there would be no ducks there. I reminded Colby that daddy said he is getting pretty good at using his duck call and that if there were no ducks there he could just call them in. I think they got lucky though and were just able to feed them. I was a beautiful day to be at the lake to fee the ducks. Thanks daddy!

Jump Rope for Heart at Landmark

2008-10-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last Friday they had a Jump Rope for Heart event at Colby's school. He raised $30 for the American Heart Association. He had a great time participating in the event and got to jump around the gym with his friends.

Here he is practicing his air guitar...

Here he is getting ready to do the bean bag toss onto a picture of his music teacher.

1st Grade Parent/Teacher Conferences

2008-10-27T20:17:00.001-07:00

Well, Colby had his first offical Parent/Teacher conference today for 1st grade. We could not be prouder of out "little" man. His teacher says he is just such a joy to have in her class. There seems to be alot of "drama" in his class with the BOYS. Go figure. She said Colby never has any part of that and is always a good example to them of how to behave. Whatever they are doing at school seems to work well for him at home. He seems to be quite a different little boy at home these days too. Very resposible and self- motivating. Pretty nice for a change. Anyway, daddy was pretty proud of his boy with straight A's and decided to take him to get a book at the book fair at school. Well, that soon turned into 4 books. Which is just fine because he seems to be a great reader and writer these days too. It sure is nice to hear such great things about your kids from other people. Especially someone who spends just as much time with him if not more.

Potato Head Girls

2008-10-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

These are my potato head girls. They were suppost to be picking up the Mr. Potato Head pieces and got a little side tracked on their assignment. I just could'nt resist taking a couple quick pics of their adorable "faces".

Reunion Ward Halloween Party

2008-10-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

We went to our ward Halloween Party on Saturday night. We had a great time. The kids loved the "trunk or treating" inside the church this time. Although it was 70 degrees that day and the evening was beautiful. We ate and played some fun games. There was a cupcake walk(I think our kids won about 6 cupcakes), cookie decorating, an ooey, gooey, touchy, feely station, and coloring. They even had some games for the adults. We were too busy socializing to partake in those though. Spencer was at a bondfire fireside so hedidn't get to come to this party with us.

My Open House

2008-10-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

I took a picture of my table at the Holiday Open House just for you all to see. The newest thing we offer are the stick people families for your car. I have three families to make from this show alone. Brandon had the idea to put them on a board to display them a little better. If you look closely you can see the black board in the center of the picture. It was a fun day, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

The Lifeguard and The Fat Man

2008-10-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here are few examples of Brandon and Spencer with the microphone. Watch out Everly Brothers! Here they come!

Stockton Halloween Party

2008-10-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Brandon has been working on finishing our neighbors basement. They painted on Wed. and Thurs. so we were able to have a Halloween Party at their house on Friday night. We had a great time. We ate and ton and played Kerioke (sorry, not sure how to spell that one) until midnight. Spencer even got in on the action when he got there after work. He came dresses at a lifeguard. Go figure. He He! Colby and Syd wore themselves out and passed out on the chairs. Olivia managed to make it until the end when Brandon and I finished with an encore of "Friends in low places". We had a great time and can't wait for next years party. Thanks Joy and Ellis!

Softball Summer

2008-10-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a stretch of softball we have had this summer. Brandon played softball at the Brighton Rec. Center all Spring, Summer and Fall. Finally, his last game was this Wed. I'm such a great wife that I never took any pictures of him at any of the umpteen games he played. So I had him pose for one quick one when he got home Wed. evening after his last game. Maybe next year we will actaully get some at a game. He had some great games and never got hurt seriousely. Thank goodness! I hope you had a good time playing Brandon. We had fun watching you. Especially once the weather got nice!

Democrat-Schmemacrat!

2008-10-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

So, because it is Tues. evening I had the privlidge of taking Sydnee to her gymnastics class at the Commercy City Rec Center. She, by the way did an excellent job tonight. In the past she has had a hard time running around the floor area to warm up with other girls. Tonight, not only did she participate, but was the leader of the group and did a dang good job. Anyway, after leaving the Rec Center we made a quick stop at the local Wal-mart for a few necessities and were then on our way. We pulled up to the light at 69 and Hwy. 85 and waited and waited some more for the light to change. Soon after that I noticed a whole bunch of Commercy City police on motorcycles going through the light followed by two huge charted busses and more police on motorcycles. Finally the light changed and we made our way to I-76 to get home. I soon realized who the "VIP" was, and got very annoyed by the delay we had experienced. We were able to drive 35 mph all the way down the highway to our exit at Sable Blvd. I remembered Joe Biden was speaking tonight at Adams City High School. I had the honor of following his moter cave ALL the way home. Lucky me! They drove right by our sub-division headed for the airport. Goodbye- Good riddence -and dont come back! I would just rather not have the privlidge again!

Berry Patch Farms- Pumpkin Pickin

2008-10-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

We took our annual trip to Berry Patch Farms to check out the pumpkins that were available for carving this year. We went with Mandi, Isaak, Adrianna and Grandma Dawn. The weather was "very" warm and I was glad I wore shorts. Although as you will see in the following pictures I made the kids wear jeans. I guess I didn't realize how hot the day was. I felt pretty bad. At the end of our adventures we found this really cute place to take the kids pictures. Sydnee obviously has posed for too many pictures lately. She knew exactly what to do. We told the kids we would probably only bye one pumpkin because we knew we can bye them for way cheaper at Wal-mart. We took a hay ride out the pumpkin patch and discoved a whole bunch of already picked pumpkins and a hay maze for the kids. There were lots of tunnels and was not very "adult" friendly. The "short" kids fit through the tunnels the best. Sydnee has looking for the "perfect" pumpkin and made sure to point it out . She also kept talking about riding her pumpkin. So, as you will see in the following pictures, she found the one she wanted to "ride". There was also a potbelly pig that was just roming around named Bacon Bits. I wish I would have gotten a picture of her. She was very fat(so fat, her belly was almost touching the ground when she walked) and we all wondered if she was pregnant. Sydnee over heard a farm worker say she was not pregnant and very informationally informed us she was just a" fat pig".

Spiderman!

2008-10-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Colby has always enjoyed the movies of "Spiderman". However, I never thought he would figure out how to actually climb a wall. Colby came in to show me this morning he could climb the door frame of our bedroom. Crazy boy!

Colby's First Poem

2008-10-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Colby has been working on a memory poem/story at school. They had to bring an object from home that made a memory for them. He chose the Rockies foam finger he got at the World Series last year with Brandon and Nana and Papa. This poem is so cute and a little scattered at the same time. I will relay it to you exactly the way he wrote it...

This is ubawt wen I went to the woodserose with my dad. I wus sad. Tat the rockies lost at the woodserose seres I luve you dad and grgmpo and gramo. I luve you seo much I wish that I wus ther I luve you chelsee soe much. and you nick. and you madee and Kabree and look (Luke) and u madu (Amanda) and jeree.

Fordham's seem to be pretty good poets. (ie: Spencer and Haley) Maybe he is one in a long line of great poets.

Treehouse Nap

2008-10-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was just one of those beautiful fall afternoons. Olivia and Sydnee's friend Parker came over to play. (while his mom and I finished getting our craft show things together) They all played and played outside so well and quietly....
Too quietly I might add. They seemed to have fallen asleep in the warm fall sunshine in the treehouse in the backyard. Yeah, right! As soon as I made a run for the camara and tried to sneek out the back door they "woke up" and explained they had just taken and nap and no longer need one today.

Summer Olympics 20??

2008-10-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

Here's an ode to our little gymnast. Sydnee is doing a gymnastics class at the local Rec Center. They have a great gym. She loves doing gymnastics once she is there. It's quite a fight to get her there sometimes and even when we do get there its still a fight. You see, they have the girls run around the floor area a few times before they start to stretch and she "hates" that part.
Once that part is done she will willingly participate and with a smile. She loves and bars and the beam the best so far. She is so flexible I couldn't help but put her in gymnastics. And in her little leotard she even looks like one. For now as long as this gets her more involved and teaches her its OK to be without mom for a little while, that's all I ask! Have fun, Syd!

Prairie View High School Homecoming '08

2008-10-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is homecoming time again. After much nagging about getting all of his makeup assignments in, and rembering to bring home his gym clothes to be washed,(YUCK) Spencer was able to go. He LOVES to go to dances. Any kind of dances. He just LOVES to dance! Here he is getting ready to go in his pink and mint green bedroom!

Boy Spencer you clean up nice! These are examples of Spencer before the dance...
And here is Spencer the next morning after the dance still sleeping. Even at the breakfast table.
We hope you had fun Spencer. Monday comes all to quick and so does early morning seminary!

Open Season

2008-10-04T11:15:00.001-07:00

Can you say hunting widow? After 11 years of marriage, I am all of a sudden a hunting widow. And to top it all off he is creating another "hunter". Today was the first day of duck season so Brandon and his buddy Mike took Colby this morning. Mike actaully shot both the duck and the goose but Colby was pretty proud that he got to at least tag along. Here he is, posing with Sydnee and his cousin Haley who came to hang out for the day.
He did actually spot a decoy on the top of Mike's truck and was very excited to point it out to me!

A Morning at the Denver Zoo

2008-10-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful fall day in Colorado we decided to go to the Denver Zoo with Aunt Brandy, Shelby and Deegan. Sydnee loves animals, bugs, really anything that moves. When she found this peacock in the bushes she couldn't resist. (It's kind of hard to see but it's there)
Shelby, Deegan, Sydnee and Olivia on top of an ox. He was not so scary because he didn't move. Olivia was ok with that. She is actually terrified of any bug, animal etc. that moves. Not related to Sydnee at all!
We were lucky enough to see the baby snow leopards in the Cat House. They were born in June. They woke up not long after we came in so I was able to get some pictures of them awake. Pretty cute hah!

Reptiles?

2008-10-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

So on a lazy Thurs. evening as we are relaxing in front of the tube and helping Colby with his homework along came a "Viagara" commercial. As the commercial was playing I was thinking about the day when one of my kids asks what "Viagara" is for. Lucky for us we are not there yet , but Colby did have a funny question. As the commercial is talking about "ED", Colby asks "What is reptile"? All we could do was laugh and explain what a "reptile" is. Snakes, crocs, gators and lizards. You know, the usual reptiles. Too bad the day of asking what "Viagara" is will still come.

Mom, Emmalee's here!

2008-10-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

Emmalee came to visit today for a little while today.

I was in the middle of switching out summer clothes for winter ones in Olivia's room.

They thought it would be so much fun to get into Spencer's bed and pretend to take a nap. I'm just glad they didn't want to have a fashion show with Olivia's clothes or decide to through them all over the room. Pretty cute girls! Someday, when your both a little older you will have so much fun together.

Family Pictures

2008-10-01T17:53:00.001-07:00

Here are our four kids. Can you believe we have four. Actually, we just aquired the biggest one.

Spencer is joy to have in our home and we love seeing him grow and be a better person. Our kids love having him here and looking up to him.

Fordham Family Pictures

2008-09-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it was the time of year to add some new family pictures of us. We had a friend in our ward take some pictures of us. Some of the family ones didn't turn out so good so had a "retake" day.
This time we took Spencer with us, so we have some with him in them now too. She was also nice enough to take some just of Spencer. They all turned out great. We love them all. Thanks Kelli!

Aurora Resevrour

2008-09-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, we decided to go to the Aurora Resevrour. We had so much fun playing in the sand and sun on the last official day of summer. Granted all the sand we brougt home with us was not as much fun. Oh well. It's the closest thing we will have the beach we have living in colorful Colorado. they even have lifeguards who sit on the big white towers , like on Baywatch!
Olivia in her own pool the kids dug for her.
The water was pretty cold. Daddy was braver then mom and actually got in with the kids. Hey, I was the one with camara. I could'nt get in!
Sydnee had a great time being buried in the sand. It was really warm after being in the water. Not to mention all the sand in places you really dont want it. Sorry Syd!