Nana

Naomi is a nursery attending, 18 monther.

I now understand the Grinch that much better when his heart GREW and grew!  I thought our hearts were completely filled with love for Cache,  but our hearts swell even larger every day with the love of Naomi.

Fiesty, crazy, loving, and very very silly. 

These words would describe our girl to a T. 

Nicknames:  Nay, Nana, Nanners.  Occasionally Nemo.

Physical:  Around 26 lbs, on the short end.  Almost as wide as she is tall.  (One of my favorite things about you Nay.)

Talents: You can get up on top of anything despite you big old belly, Our little fleet foot, you run crazy fast.You love to run on the track at the YMCA. The biggest tunnels slides don't phase you, as you take them head first and giggle all the  way. You never ever EVER stop moving unless your buckled down.  No matter how big of tantrum you throw, you can give us the look and neither mom or dad can resist saying "aah it's okay Nay."  You've got all our hearts wrapped around your chubby little cheeks. 

Words: (listed in order of how often used.)

1. ah Hungee- I'm hungry 
2. duck-stuck 
3. ginky -binky 
4. dee dee-same word referring to  pink or green blanket, or silky 
5. daddy 
6. doggie 
7. dory -story
8. boo ball -football
9. nana-banana or referring to yourself 
10. shoe, 
11. sock,  
12. tee tee-thank you 
13. Ky and LaLa- Sky and Kayala 
14. mommy 
15. pee- please 
16. jee jee - jesus  
17. monkey 
18. boopy- poopy   
19. she she -fishy 
20. be be - baby or yourself

You now copy most things we say, but these words make up the majority of our day and show what's  most important to you in this life so far.

  

You live for:  Food, doggies and daddy coming home.

Future predictions:  possibly a lefty,   Likes to follow directions and be given tasks especially if that task has anything to do with throwing something away in the garbage can! Maybe you'll be a garbage man?

Favorite toys:  frying pans, a football, your baby doll and monkey but come to think of it you never really hold still enough to play, all you do is run circles around the house and throw stuff.

Teeth: 11

Favorite Foods:  Anything and everything it seems, most especially Oranges.  You'll even eat cardboard AND my grocery list if I don't watch you carefully.

The only thing I've seen you spit out is lettuce. But not if its crunchy.

Entourage:  Pink blanket, Green blanket,silky,love monkey,binky.

You demand each and every piece before you will sleep. 

Nay, you haven't quite grown into the meaning of you name "pleasant" but we wouldn't have you any other way. You are the craziest, feistiest, messiest little squelch-er.  But you are very soft hearted, LOVE to be hugged and love to please your mom and dad.  You are very mean to Cache but he  loves you so much and is so sweet back to you.  (Except for stealing your monkey)  Today, when you were crying in your crib and I couldn't come get you out, he fed you raisins and toast through the bars to make you happy and when you sat by him on the steps after I fixed your hair, I heard him tell you; "Nay you look sooo cute!"  I think you will learn to appreciate that one day.  Hopefully. 

I could never have imagined you, and love every piece of you and your personality.  

As Long as I get a nap.


* Thanks Grandma Orton for the fun outfit.

Had to include this pic of Cache, who after seeing me trying to take a picture of Nay's "Wrangler bum"  said  "Hey mom take a picture of my Indian Ana Jones Bum!" :)

CONKY BINES.

The farm got new combines. Big event, only happens well every 16 years or so as you can see from this picture. Can you pick out me?

Growing up my little sister pronounced combine as "Conky Bine." So that is what I called them and always was quickly told by my mom: "Don't call them that."

Not till later in life did I figure out what what a CONCUBINE is.  And now can see why it might not be a wife's favorite thing to hear her child say: "My dad got a new conkybine!" Or "My dad's out with the Conkybine." Haha.

 

Thanks to Joey, who shared this with me. I have never seen this!  The infant is my 16 year old bro who is now 6' 2."  My older Bro Ben is holding him. My sis is barefooted chicken legs in the middle. She is now married, teaches school and has a baby. Tony is my favorite.

My dad and Gramps and Uncles look the same.

 Wierd. 

My dad still wears that shirt.

Wierder.

I am not one to  really get behind something politically very often, because, well I can see both sides sometimes and neither of them seem to really strike me as absolute wrong or absolute right, and so many times I vote reluctantly, just choosing in my mind, the lesser evil of the two.  With Health care, this has not been the case.   I am definitely not anti -President Obama, because again, I don't think everything he does is complete evil and I think or at least HOPE he has his heart in the right place even if he IS mislead.  Health care passed the other day and let me just point out a few things that those of you with the opinion of : "I want to help the poor so I don't mind giving a little extra money to do it." point of view might not have known ( I borrowed this from my friend Mindy's blog because I  agree also and she says it so much better).

*54% of Americans Oppose the current health care bill

*41% of Americans favor it

*45% of Americans Strongly Oppose the current health care bill
*26% strongly favor it

*57% of Americans believe that if the current bill passes, health care cost will go up

*only 17% believe it will actually lower costs

*54% of Americans believe the current bill will hurt the quality of care

*Roll Call (a mag on The Hill) reported that 100,000 phone calls per hour were made on Friday in opposition to the bill

IE: The majority of Americans DID NOT want this bill to pass, but it still did.

For those of you who were apathetic to this, enjoy the health care you have chosen for yourself. With everything in me, I fought this.

Things you have to look forward to with the passage of this bill:

*Millions of unborn babies killed on the tax payer's dime. (I bet you didn't know that was in there, Mormons.)

*No more private loans for education purposes. (Yes, it's true, in a "health care" bill. The government now controls who gets loans for school.)

*Mandatory purchase of health insurance.(or you will be fined)

*Increased taxes.

*10 years of taxes for 6 years of service. (Oh THAT's how it is budget neutral, eh? Nevermind the fact that government never comes in on budget--the 2010 cenus is already over budget.)

*Nevermind the liberty we have lost.... 

Tonight Cache was trying to "Wash his pretzels off in the bathtub."  
Translation:  Wash his freckles off in the bathtub.

This afternoon, we stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break and somehow I shut my finger in the door.

Because my finger was in the door, it was blocking a sensor and wouldn't unlock.  I wasn't sure if my finger was attached, because I couldn't feel it, Devin was frantic and  so was I.  Finally  he just opened the back door(to try and crawl in and force my door open) but when he opened the back door, it released my finger, Intact, only bruised.  Biggest scene I can remember making in public. Oh wow. We laughed so hard. The: "That was really scary, so glad it's over laugh."

 

I guess we needed that laugh, because today we watched dear friends bury their baby daughter.
The pain of this trial is incomprehensible to me.

They had an incredible peace about them, I'll never forget. We are so incredibly, grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
And the hope and promises that it brings.  

I'm sure they were bolstered up by angels today.

My mom always said COMMUNICATION is SOOO important in marriage...

So, since I'm already sorta leaning on the edge of inappropriateness with the gun picture, I thought I would just take it another step further and share the following story.

We walked in the door from the Gym 15 minutes before the missionaries were coming by to share a message.  So we played tag team, I started dishing up left over soup for supper(Thanks Becca boo!) while Devin hopped in the shower, then we switched.

After my lightning fast shower and dressing, I had the fans going and was doing the finishing touches in the mirror WHEN I hear:

"Amie are you going POOP?!!"

Instantly I was just annoyed. Devin has a fun habit of making a really big deal, comment about EVERY bodily function that occurs in this home, either by saying "Whoa!" or usually just by imitating to the best of his ability.  Nay toots every time she bends over, or her belly is poked, so this happens in our house constantly. And sometimes I think he is inmature.  Anway, yelling this across the house was still another level for him, so to give him a second chance I snapped back:

"WHAT?!!"

Devin: " Are you going POOP?"

Now I'm really annoyed, the windows in our house are OPEN, to help the dinner smell AND the missionaries were 2 minutes past due, so probably walking up our steps... I didn't know what to say to demonstrate to him how innapropriate I thought he was being so I just Yelled very meanly:

"Devin, It's NONE of you BUISNESS!"

 Then I hear him drop something and come stomping toward the door.  How dare he?  What If I was?  He is really coming to CHECK to see if I am?  And he opened the door to a very perturbed wife holding a bottle of mascara and giving him the death look.  We both stared each other down for a moment me with I'm gonna kill you look and Devin looking curiously amused  as he always is if I'm mad about something...(which usually makes me madder.)

"Amie Why is it NONE of my business if you want some SOUP or not?"

We laughed so hard when the mis communication was corrected we couldn't even stand up....

If I was a really good writer I could make some really neat analogy that would turn this gross, silly story into something very meaningful, but I'm not, and so we will just leave it what it is... a memory.  One of our biggest fights EVER, almost occurred over Poop and soup! 

"He who takes offense when offense was not intended is a FOOL."  
Brigham Young

And while I'm recording memories here are our latest slew of memories caught on camera... some weeks and months old.  I just took a blogging Hiatus of sorts I guess.

 Home made rocket ship.  Sky and Cache even loaded Nay up for the trip to the moon.

"Mom I gots all my weapons."

 These weapons are very important to Cache these days.  Bat phone, drumstick, broken plastic airplane, "whup"(whip),  And he ties them all on with the all important "Power belt."

I should never wonder why Cache and Naomi's favorite is hand's down their Daddy-yo.

This is Devin complete with Superman cape.  Flying to the moon.

                                                                                                  




Just a perfect way to spend the first sorta warm evening of the spring.  I could stare at a fire for hours.   


Plus Devin looks extra handsome in the light of a campfire.  At least I've always thought so:)

Nay and La La sitting on their fav
stoop with their blankies today.

Love these baby girls. When they see 
a the camera they always say: "CHEE!"
and tilt head and pose...

Cache being Cache.

Happy Birthday Sammy!  My baby bro is a teenager!

Love you, miss you.

get to know the Spratling in me

I have nothing to blog, but I just thought I would share this GEM of a  picture. Just for you to understand a li'l where I come from...  These are my younger siblings Christmas morning this past Christmas in Oregon.  They are modeling what Santa left in their stockings.
  Love Them. Yes even Ash will now be packin heat. Haha! No I'm sure my mom didn't let her take this with her back to college. So now when you think why is Amie so...awesome, crazy, backwards... whatever it is, maybe now you'll know why. 
In reality, my family is not a bunch of back wood hicks, although that would not offend my dad to be called that... They don't shoot everything that moves and have never shot supper from the kitchen window. Maybe the window of the farm truck... but never the house.  And my dad is very big on gun safety and responsibility.  He keeps them under lock and key and not displayed on the fireplace mantel. He made us all take hunter's safety at a young age. I just thought I would stir a few people up with this picture. Is this what Christmas morning looks like at your house?