Family Life -- Livin' and Lovin'

Music DIVA

2009-02-07T23:32:00.003-07:00

Aivree has decided she is going to sing I Love to See the Temple on American Idol. For weeks now she's been practicing her Bristle Block guitar with her more than helpful backup singer Raleigh Anne. She even pretends like I'm Simon, Paula, or Randy. She asks me to give her comments or helpful information so she can practice singing better. It's pretty funny.

The Summer Harvest

2009-02-07T23:11:00.004-07:00

The summer/fall harvest is my favorite time of year. I love all of the canning, bottling, and preserving that comes with it. For me it is the sweet reminder of my childhood days when I'd wake early in the summer months to see my mother in her garden picking, pruning and tending to her beloved fruits and vegetables. She had a way of making gardening seem artistic, pure, and beautiful. Even weeding was an art to her. She taught me to love the smell of perfectly tilled earth, freshly picked corn, and even to love all the work that gardening entails. In fact, this last summer was no exception...for one full week my mom took time to come to my aid to remind me how to can, bottle, and freeze. It was a wonderful time. Here are a few pictures of my two girls getting their hands dirty while helping freeze corn and pick cucumbers

Daddy's Birthday -- last August

2009-02-07T23:03:00.002-07:00

Last August 25 Marcus turned 33. Aivree and Raleigh Anne spent the whole day decorating the house, coloring a HUGE birthday poster, and of course making a cake for their Daddy. All three of them made a wish when blowing out the candles.

My Two Little Chefs

2009-02-07T22:46:00.003-07:00

I love how my girls love to be with me in the kitchen. Many of my fondest motherhood memories thus far include cooking with my two little chefs. Aivree considers herself a 4-year-old cooking star. She often times will pretend she's on TV hosting her own cooking show. Raleigh Anne likes cooking mainly for the taste testing portion. We've had a few mishaps such last Christmas when Aivree took it upon herself to turn the stove on to 500 degrees while I had Christmas cookies in the oven. Needless to say the cookies were well done. We've had whole eggs thrown into bread mixtures (shells and all), extra TBSP of salt and yeast included into several recipes, and on occasion a Raleigh booger has shut down a whole batch of cookies. Overall though, the joy of cooking is just watching the two of them learn, laugh, and tease each other. It's a perfect day spent together.

Aivree and Brenner

2009-02-07T22:40:00.003-07:00

Aivree and her cousin Brenner are the best of friends. In fact, Gizzy and I keep saying it's going to be a very difficult day when the two of them realize they can't marry each other. Until then we love to watch the two of them interact. Here are a few cute photos of their infatuation.

Photos of the Girls

2009-02-07T22:31:00.004-07:00

I love these photos!!! It was so much fun watching Aivree and Raleigh Anne get their photos taken. At first the two of them were quite unsure about the camera. Raleigh Anne even pretended to be very shy -- but trust me, that didn't last very long. She got sassy pretty darn quick. Aivree just enjoyed the whole experience.

Baby Number 3 -- It's a BOY!!!

2009-01-22T15:00:00.004-07:00

Well, today was truly a grand experience for our family. Our Dr confirmed that baby number 3 is MOST CERTAINLY a boy. Marc nearly did a Toyota jump in the Dr's office. It was quite cute. Here are a few U/S photos for those of you interested. We're pretty excited.

Updating My Blog

2009-01-22T14:48:00.004-07:00

I haven't posted anything on my blog for so long I've nearly forgotten how to do it. Only fair since it's been nearly 7 months since my last posting. I hope those of you reading and looking at my family photos will be patient with me...as I have much to catch up on. I keep promising SHANNON that I'll be better -- so far that has been a pie crust promise. So I'm going to really try harder to keep this site up-to-date (I guess only time will tell). Since I wrote and posted last, our little family has moved again. This is move number 15 I believe. But who's keeping track. The current plan is to stay in this house for a couple of years or until Marcus finishes his MBA. Then who knows where or when we'll move again. It's always an adventure. Anyhow, just wanted to update my viewers (if there are any left after my long delay).

Fun Pictures of the Stott Fam

2008-07-13T21:21:00.006-06:00

I love random family shots. Here are some from Matt and Nicole's wedding.

Branding at the Ranch

2008-07-13T19:22:00.003-06:00

Nothing brings a smile to my face faster than hearing Aivree tell the story of branding Grandpa's cows. She always begins by saying, "Branding is sure hard. It stinks and the cows are really loud." These are a few photos from our trip to the ranch to brand cows. The best part was seeing Marc back on the ranch.

Grandma and Aivree.

Cousin Cory with his son Tanner and Marc with Raleigh Anne. So cool to see the two cousins together again.

Aivree kissing on Raleigh in the corral.

My handsome honey!! Ooo lala.
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Sweet Moments

2008-07-13T19:14:00.004-06:00

There were a lot of sweet moments with Granny and Poppa. Only a few got captured on camera. Here are some of my favorite moments (I have a few other photos that I love -- however, they are on Granny's camera -- I'll add them later).

Cousins and best buddies!!!

Poppa reading bedtime stories. Pretty sweet!

Granny and Kinzlee posing for the camera.

Lots of Being Wet

2008-07-13T19:07:00.005-06:00

While at Granny and Poppa's we spent a lot of time wet. We went boating, swimming, ran through the sprinkler and rode uncle Rob's slip n' slide. Here are a few photos highlighting the wetness.

Trip to Granny and Poppa's

2008-07-13T18:36:00.006-06:00

We just returned from our FABULOUS trip to Granny and Poppa's. It was wonderful -- boating, relaxing, eating, laughing, cooking, visiting and overall just doing nothing important...just being. The kids spent the week playing, swimming, playing, swimming, and getting VERY tan!

The trip began on Thursday night around 8 p.m. We left Sheridan very late after Marc worked. Within a hour of being on the road, both girls were fast asleep. What sweet sleeping angels.

Two Thumbs Up

2008-07-13T18:07:00.002-06:00

Aivree thought she was pretty cool riding in Daddy's truck with his sunglasses on. She gave me two thumbs up for the experience.

Mornings with Daddy

2008-04-14T23:13:00.003-06:00

Saturday mornings at our house usually consist of Marc and the girls hanging out on our bed reading stories, having tickling matches, and yes, playing dress-up. These pictures say it all. Marc being a fabulously patient dad with his obviously two adoring girls.

Lotion -- Modern Art

2008-04-14T23:06:00.003-06:00

Aivree loves lotion. In fact, she loves lotion, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, makeup etc...Not only does she love it but she loves to make art with it. Here are a few of Aivree's finer art pieces. These were obviously done with Johnson & Johnson Cucumber baby lotion. Notice her attention to detail:)

Caught in the act.
Happy to show off her artwork both on the cabinet and on her own face.

Dishwasher Diva

2008-04-14T22:48:00.004-06:00

We call Raleigh Anne the "Dishwasher Diva." She spends nearly every waking moment climbing in and out of the dishwasher. Not only does she enjoy playing in the dishwasher but she enjoys using the dishwasher as her stage to practice her various dramatic talents which include singing at the top of her lungs, dancing (usually it's her bottom just bouncing), screaming (we've learned to call it 'Squally Raleigh"), and our favorite, The FIT (this is just a series of dramatic movements that end in Raleigh thrashing and head-butting the dishwasher door. It truly is a sight to behold). Anyhow, our little Diva keeps us VERY entertained.

The Carlin House

2008-03-26T21:13:00.008-06:00

Well, here are some photos of our latest renovation project, "The Carlin House." It's been a lot of work, but hopefully worth all the craziness.

This was the entry way we added on with Rob.

Panty Pirates

2008-03-26T20:59:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago while I was doing laundry, Aivree decided she and Raleigh Anne would be pirates. She used the laundry basket as her pirate boat, chopsticks as the oars and of course, panties for hats. Every good pirate should adorn a pair of My Little Pony panties on head to instill a bit of fear in possible enemies.
Here's Aivree trying to show me her best "grouchy" pirate face.

Raleigh Anne showing off her oar.

Getting Cold Out Here

2007-12-19T16:14:00.002-07:00

Aivree loves to be outside no matter the weather. This just happened to be one of the coldest days of the year.

2007-12-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

Getting Cold

2007-12-19T16:09:00.002-07:00

2007-12-19T16:09:00.001-07:00

Into Everything!

2007-12-19T16:01:00.001-07:00

Raleigh Anne loves to pull things out of cupboards, closets, garbages, bags etc... Here are a few photos that capture her passion.

Aivree's 3rd Birthday Bash

2007-12-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

This was Aivree's Pink Pony Birthday Party. We had so much fun making a pink pony cake and decorating with My Little Pony paper. Happy birthday to my darling Aivree!

The DOODLE PONY! This toy is so cool because you can color the pony with markers and then wash it out in the washing machine and color it again. Pretty nifty!

A perfect Christmas dress from Granny!

Reading a book about horses!
Princess PJS -- by the way, Aivree wears this nightgown overtop of all her clothes.

Girls Aren't Moody-- Yeah RIGHT!

2007-12-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's true...GIRLS are Moody. Moody from the get go!!! Here are some photos of my girls showing their happy and grouchy sides -- these photos are taken within minutes of one another.

Here's one of Raleigh's very sad faces!

Here's Aivree really happy in the bathtub!

Here's Aivree VERY GROUCHY in the bathtub!

Here's Raleigh very happy in the bathtub!

Here's Raleigh VERY SAD in the bathtub!

Halloween Family Fun

2007-12-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

For Halloween we all all dressed up and went to the church for the Trunk or Treat party. Aivree dressed as Tinkerbell, Raleigh was a Skunk, and Marc and I, well, I'm not sure what we were. We dressed up in funny clothes, wigs and jewerly from around the house. Here are a few pics from the big night.

This is Aivree showing off her very BEAUTIFUL Tinkerbell costume. She even did her own makeup using special glitter eyeshadow, glitter lipgloss and glitter hairspray. Isn't she so pretty!

This is Marc and I showing off our big hair and big smiles. We had so much fun dressing up.

Here's our little STINKER Raleigh Anne. She fell asleep right after this photo was taken and slept all the way through the Trunk or Treat party. Apparently she was in hibernation mode!

Posing for the Camera

2007-07-27T01:58:00.000-06:00

Aivree loves posing for the camera. Here a few photos that make me smile everytime I see them.

Aiv loves doing her own makeup. This is one of her special makeovers with blue eye shadow.

On Saturday night we puts curlers in Aiv's hair for church on Sunday.

For Primary music I use these bunny ears to remind the children to sing louder. Aiv loves to wear them around the house and pretend like she can't hear me. Ha Ha!

Aivree found my friend Tara's lip gloss and decided to use it as a skin moisturizer rather than lip moisturizer. Even after a good bath and scrub she smelled like watermelon for two days.

Leo the Lamby

2007-07-27T01:40:00.000-06:00

We have a lamb. Yes, a bum lamb named Leo. He lives in our backyard and enjoys eating grass, Lilacs and teasing the dogs. Aivree adores him and calls him "Leo the Lamby."

Visiting Montana

2007-07-27T01:24:00.001-06:00

We love to go home to Montana and visit Grandpa and Grandma. We go fishing, have picnics in the mountains, play with the horses, laugh and relax. It's GREAT!Here's the four of us on the banks of a resevoir after an evening of fishing in Montana. Pretty nice to be able to share memories together.

Here is Grandma, Marc, and Aivree on a picnic up in the mountains. This picture makes us all laugh because Grandma is trying to get rid of th mosquitos on her arms. Her face says it all.
Here's Dad and Aivree fishing for trout together.

Grandma shows Aivree how to tie a knot on her fly.

Grandma loving on Raleigh Anne.

Licorice

2007-07-27T01:16:00.000-06:00

We recently discoverd that Raleigh Anne has a love or Red Vine Licorice. Here she is with sticky goodness all over her face. Obviously she enjoyed every lick!

The Trampoline

2007-07-27T00:57:00.000-06:00

One of Aivree's favortie activities is jumping on the tramp. She'd spend hours jumping if I let her. She loves jumping with just about anyone and anything, including her cat Maggie (who suprisingly enjoys being bounced). Here are a few tramp action-shots.

In this photo you can see Maggie in the background trying to avoid getting bounced on.

Here's Aivree getting some air as she bounces high in the sky. The cat can also be seen laying on the side of the tramp in the background.

Sisters

2007-07-27T00:46:00.000-06:00

I never knew having two girls would be so absolutely wonderful. Watching Aivree and Raleigh Anne grow as sisters and friends brings so much joy to Marc and I. It's so interesting to watch the two of them because they are completely opposite in looks as well as in personalities. They keeps us on our toes and laughing a ton!!!

Camping in the Big Horns

2007-07-25T21:50:00.001-06:00

We recently took a family camping trip to the Big Horn Mountains. Rob and Gizzy's family attended as well as Granny Kinghorn. We all had a great time visiting, hiking, fishing, laughing and eating great camping food.

Here is a picture of the gorgeous lake where we fished in the Big Horn Mountains. It was absolutely beautiful and perfectly serine.

Aivree and Brenner had a great time playing, fishing, and flirting with one another. Aivree tells Marc and I that Brenner is her boyfriend. They are a pretty cute pair of cousins!

There's nothing better than eating a fire-toasted marshmellow with Dad. Aivree was covered in sticky marshmellow for days after this camping trip. She loved every minute of it!

Daddy the Hairstylist

2007-02-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Not only is Marc a great father but he is a great hairstylist too. Note his meticulous workmanship with Raleigh's hair. So FAB!!!

Peanut Butter

2007-02-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Aivree loves peanut butter. Here she tried to smell it and eat it simultaneously. We've included the pre-bath photo and the post-bath photo.

Little miracle: Raleigh Anne Stott

2007-02-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of our newest addition, Raleigh Anne Stott. She was born January 14, 2007 at 6:57 a.m.. She weighed 7.04 and was 20 1/2 inches long. So far she has dark-brown eyes, dark-brown hair, long toes (like Marc), and an amazing appetite. Such a little miracle.

I Love My Animals

2007-02-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

Aivree loves animals. Imagine that! During every prayer she has to thank the Lord for every animal she has ever known, including those that belong to our family and friends. Here are a few pictures of Aivree with some of her favorite animals. I'll add more as I get them.

Aivree and Tricksey

Aivree and Doc

Raleigh or Einstein

2007-02-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

Marc was taking pictures of the girls a few days ago when Raleigh gave him this very surprised look after seeing the flash from the camera. She kind of reminds us of Einstein with her eyes open so wide and her hair standing on end.

Snow Days

2007-02-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Last week we received 8 inches of snow here; making it a perfect opportunity for Aivree to enjoy the "beautiful snowfakes" (as she calls them). When I ran in the house to get the camera I came back outside to find Aivree playing in the snow with both boots off and her socks soaked. She just kept playing though.

This picture reminds me so much of the words from the song A Few of My Favorite Things that says, "Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes."

Is there anything better than snowFAKES?