The California King Family

2012-01-29T22:37:00.008-05:00

Ammon has become quite the film maker; with his own productions of Transformers, Home Alone 4, and now this weekend Indian Jones. What better place to film this new movie than at the Oakland Zoo, right?

I married an amazing man, who also happens to be an incredible father too. He shamelessly wore the Indian Jones hat that Ammon wore as a two year as a cowboy during Halloween. It hardly fit on his head, but this was the hat that Ammon envisioned for Indy.

Maddie was "short-round" and I assumed the role of Marianne. I must confess, I felt a little embarrassed doing this at a populated place, but it was amazing watching my family interact in such a manner.

I think Ammon is destined for greatness. He absolutely amazes me with his creativity. Although some days I wish he'd live in reality, both of my children will always be incredibly special to me regardless of where life takes them.

I'm grateful for families and am so glad to be a part of mine. Once the "film" (which will end up being more of trailer) is completed, I will email out to those interested in viewing it. I think the best part of any of these movies is watching Ammon's face as he watches them.

New Years with Grandpa & Grandma King

2012-01-01T18:02:00.005-05:00

Christmas Eve / Christmas Day

2011-12-25T23:01:00.011-05:00

Christmas Eve day Ammon & I saw Arthur Christmas at the Theater while Dad & Maddie spent quality time together too.

We went bowling as a family and then had frozen yogurt. We came home, had dinner, baked cookies and wrote letters to Santa. Ammon had a loose tooth and was concerned that Santa might be confused if he came by the house and ran into the tooth fairy. Luckily his tooth is still in place...

Before bed, we read of Jesus's birth from the bible.

The kids opened pajamas from Grandpa & Grandma King (which went

really well w/ their bedtime companions from Dad & Mom too)

Two precious children...

Angry Birds...

Our Little Princess

Sunday Best

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We love you all.

Christmas Fun

2011-12-17T18:45:00.005-05:00

Family Pics

2011-11-20T21:31:00.010-05:00

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love seeing the various shades of orange, yellow, red, and green leaves. Living in Connecticut the fall season was always bitter/sweet. I loved the breath-taking beauty that this season brought, but dreaded it because I knew winter was near. I wish I would have enjoyed those moments just a little more and not thought to far into the future. Living in California, I've learned to truly enjoy this season to it's fullest and haven't had to worry about snow. We miss our Connecticut friends dearly, but have really enjoyed living in Mountain View.

Here are a few pictures from earlier this week. The photographer did an amazing job. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We're so grateful to have you in our lives.

2011-11-13T18:47:00.005-05:00

The speakers at church today spoke of gratitude. There is a young man in our ward who suffers from physical limitations and publicly expressed his appreciation for his disability. This heartfelt statement really touched my heart. This past week has been a little difficult. Ammon's has improved so much the past few months, but seemed to regress a little this week. I felt discouraged and a little down as I've questioned my parenting abilities. This statement really hit home as I've reflected on the strength and support that I have received from my sweet children and the many people who have assisted them during their life journey. I have been so blessed in so many ways and also wanted to "publicly" express my appreciation to the many wonderful people that have touched my life.

I'm grateful for my wonderful husband; who is also an amazing father. The base that we live on is operated by NASA. He interacted with a female astronaut and brought home an autographed picture for Maddie. He stated that he wanted to her know that she could do anything or becoming anything she wanted to in life. It made me feel so happy to know that my daughter and such a loving and encouraging father. Regardless of what she chooses to do in life, she will always have parents that love her unconditionally.

We had Parent Teacher Conference with Ammon's teacher Mrs. Higgins a few months ago. Nathan requested to meet with her since I usually am the one attending all the school meetings. Mrs. Higgins discussed various things with Nathan, one of which was a need to help Ammon improve his handwriting. Well, Nathan evaluated his own penmanship and decided that he would also work on his. After countless hours of practice and reading up on handwriting techniques, I have to admit that my husband now writes nicer than I do. I am constantly amazed by his quest for self improvement. It inspires me to also improve the areas in my life where I might be lacking.

I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the numerous people that have impacted my life for the better. I could spend hours typing memories, but don't think anyone would really have the time to read. I also don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll just end with this...

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families. We're excited to have Uncle Harold visiting us during the holidays!

What's Cooking?

2011-11-06T11:32:00.005-05:00

We asked Maddie the other day if she wanted to help us bake brownies. One of her friends gave her an apron, chef's hat, and oven mitts for her birthday… Well, she came running into the kitchen a few minutes later dressed in her apron. Only, I guess we didn’t tell her that the apron is supposed to go over her clothes. It was a hoot. Ahhh Maddie, we love you!

Grandma, Maddie's excited to spend some time with you in the kitchen... only next time we promise she'll wear her clothes too.

A Day in San Fran with the Collins Family...

2011-11-05T12:47:00.010-04:00

The Collins Family came to visit California for a few days. We spent the day together in San Francisco. Here are a few pictures of our adventure together. We love you guys!

Happy 3rd Birthday Maddie Sue

2011-10-23T16:34:00.010-04:00

Monster Bash "Dance Freeze"

Pumpkin Decorating and card making

Maddie and Derrick

Ammon & Maddie Sue

Halloween Prep...

2011-10-17T23:44:00.002-04:00

I'm ah "Mario"

One cute kid...

A Visit From the Tooth Fairy

2011-10-10T21:36:00.004-04:00

Ammon lost his first tooth last week. We told him about the tooth fairy. We forgot to put the money under his pillow when he fell asleep. He woke us up at 2 am, frantically telling us that the Tooth Fairy forgot to leave him money. I went into his room and the pillows were scattered all over. I had put it away in a baggie, so he was mad that the Tooth Fairy took his tooth and left no money. I explained that the she probably took the tooth and was about to leave the money, when he woke up and scared her. He fell back asleep and Nathan stashed a dollar under his pillow. He woke up so happy. What a funny kid!

A Great loss...

2011-09-30T19:22:00.002-04:00

My Uncle, Steve Calabrese, passed away very unexpectedly one week ago today at the age of 41. As my tears were shed and heart ached for his family, I've pondered a lot about life and the blessings that I have. Living in various places over the past six years have been good for Nathan & me, but during times like these make it very difficult to be away from family.

Oh how I would love for nothing more than to wrap my arms around my aunt and tell her how much I love her. I can only imagine how much her heart is breaking right now. He left behind two very special children and I hope they can always remember just how much he truly loves them.

I'm grateful for all the people who have shown support. My grandmother is one of the strongest people I know. She absolutely amazes me by her strength and composer through this ordeal.

May we all remember just how precious life truly is and cherish every moment.

Eventful Week

2011-09-11T01:43:00.007-04:00

This has been quite the week.

We purchased 3 day passes for Disneyland almost a year ago from Travis Air Force Base and had to use them before the end of September when they expired. With the three day Labor Day weekend, we decided that we’d take a road trip. Ammon protested the entire way there. In the past after the first 20 minutes of being somewhere new, he usually decides that it’s not that bad after all. Apparently Disneyland is not the happiest place on Earth for my children though. However, I think they enjoyed themselves more than they’d admit. Ammon would definitely prefer being at home with his Legos and made it known.

Here are picture of our visit to Disneyland…

After returning home, Nathan was asked to conduct a Finance inspect for the Reno Air National Guard. Apparently someone had cancelled last minute and they need him as their replacement. Within hours of being asked, he was packed and on his way to Pennsylvania for a training and off to Reno to conduct the inspection. This may seem silly, but the whole event has really made me ponder life and realize just how precious it can be. I never imagined when I woke up that morning that I wouldn't see Nathan again for several days. Trying to explain this whole situation to the kids was ever more challenging.

Driving home that day I was feeling a little sorry for myself, the kids and I saw a horrible car accident that also involved a motorcyclist that died on the scene. Traffic was horrible driving home, back-to-back stop and go with six cop cars along the side of the freeway with only one lane of traffic open. When I drove by the car and smashed up motorcycle I quickly realized that something serious had happened earlier...

To top it off I received a call from the school principal who wanted to discuss the incidents that occurred on Friday with Ammon. Small transitions are tough so having Nathan gone so suddenly was very difficult for him. That being said, Friday was a very difficult day for him.

I'm just grateful that Nathan will be home eventually and we'll be excited to see him walk through the door when he returns. My heart goes out to the family of the motorcyclist who won't be able to experience that again. I guess we should all count our blessing, huh?

Ammon's First Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-27T09:14:00.003-04:00

This year Ammon will be streamlined into general education. He's very intelligent and needed something a bit more challenging, but still needs more assistance with transitions and knowing how to socially act appropriately. The school has assigned him a full-time aid to offer additional assistance when needed. Ammon has made drastic improvement over the past year and we are very excited about this experience.

Kindergarten didn't start out to well and frankly was one of the darkest period of my life. I spent weeks battling with the school in Arizona, stressing out to the point of not sleeping, sending letters to the school, district office, superintendent, special education coordinator, contacting advocacy groups, speaking with an attorney, contacting anyone from the school district who was willing to listen, mailing certified letters, etc. Finally, we were able to correct the issues, make the appropriate changes in his permanent record, and find proper placement for him. He thrived once we were able to do this.

The first week of 1st Grade was challenging, but we have open communication with his teacher and have discussed ways to assist him with his needs. After experiencing lots of anxiety and anticipation about the entire process, I feel a sense of relief knowing that everything will work out just fine!

Maddie Sue was excited to rule the house once again...

at least until Ammon returned home.

What a big boy! We've spent the last few weeks having discussions about 1st grade, who his teacher is, what classroom he'll be in, and talking about the full-time aid that will be assisting him in the classroom. We're very excited to have him in Mrs. Higgin's classroom. She has a lot of experience working with children on the autism spectrum and her son has high functioning PDD-NOS.

Monterey Aquarium

2011-08-15T00:03:00.003-04:00

A Very Special Visit...

2011-08-14T18:49:00.012-04:00

A few weeks ago, my mom and grandmother visited us in California. We had a very eventful weekend visiting San Francisco (various piers downtown, Lumbard Street, the Golden Gate Bridge, and areas near an old Army base), the Oakland Temple, a local children’s museum, and the Monterey Aquarium. Maddie Sue saw a picture of the Oakland Temple, and quickly responded, “Hey I went there with Grandma Mort and Grandma Sue!” It amazed me that she remembered visiting it with them.

Huntington Beach with the Kings!

2011-07-19T16:16:00.013-04:00

This past weekend, we were able to visit with Ben, Jan, Sam, Jared, and Ezra in Huntington Beach. Jan's mother, Ann, was so gracious to let us stay in her beautiful home. She was a good sport about a house full of children who love to get up at 5:30 in the morning.

We had a busy day kayaking, having our first Dim Sum experience (yummy!), going to the beach, and swimming at the neighborhood pool. Thanks again to Ben and Jan for inviting us. We can't wait to do it again!

Santa Cruz Beach - 4th of July Trip

2011-07-03T16:37:00.007-04:00

This weekend we celebrated Nathan's birthday by taking a trip to Santa Cruz beach. The kids loved digging for sand crabs and playing in the ocean. Here a few pictures from the trip.

Happy Birthday Nathan! We love and appreciate everything you do for our family.

A Monster of a Good Time

2011-06-27T20:24:00.014-04:00

Ammon celebrated his 6th birthday this past weekend with a Monster Birthday Bash. We had tons of fun and can't believe how grown up our little man has become.

Yummy Monster Cupcakes

Silly Monsters Faces...

Monster Pinata

Pin the Eye on The Monster Game

Monster Goodie Bags

Monster BINGO

2011-06-22T00:28:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day to an amazing dad!

Collin and I flew in late on Friday night. The kids were asleep when Nathan picked us up. The next morning, Maddie approached me very concerned and said, “Someone is in my room and he’s sleeping in my bed.” I explained that we had a special visitor and that Uncle Collin would be staying with us for awhile. My kids have been stuck to him like glue ever since.

Our Little Graduate

2011-06-12T21:11:00.001-04:00

Ammon & Miss Liz ... She is such an incredible woman!

1st Grade... Here he comes!

Gilroy Gardens

2011-05-29T17:45:00.007-04:00

We visited Gilroy Gardens on Saturday. All active duty military got in free and the rest of us received a discounted rate. For years it was known for it's gardens and they later made it more of an amusement park. The kids loved the rides and we were amazed by the beautiful gardens! My family is visiting this summer and I'm so excited to take them there.

Little Princess Maddie Sue

My first time on a Ferris Wheel

Ammon loved the rock maze! I was a little worried that we may never find our way out.

2011-05-24T23:54:00.007-04:00

Nathan assisted with a training in San Diego on Fiscal Law for the CA Air National Guard this past weekend. Since he worked the previous weekend and worked 12-hours shifts earlier that week, we weren't too thrilled having him gone another weekend. So, we decided to make a mini family vacation out of it. I spent time with the kids in downtown San Diego while he worked and then visited Sea World and drove back on Sunday. It's a 9 hour drive from Mountain View to San Diego, so the driving portion wasn't too fun with two small children. However, we had blast while we there.

Ammon was not thrilled about going to Sea World. He cried, begged, and pleaded to just go back to the hotel so he could just play with his Legos. Getting him to the gate was quite the event, but as soon as he finished the first ride, he was absolutely loving it!

Ammon rode his first roller coaster while we were there. He enjoyed it a lot more than I did. I'm definitely getting old!

2011-05-01T17:18:00.004-04:00

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani

Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies. ~Author Unknown

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

I'm so grateful for my mother and mother-in-law, who are such wonderful grandmothers to my children.

We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence, Grandmother was that person to me. ~Phyllis Theroux

My Grandmothers are also very dear to my heart!

Happy Mother's Day to all the special mothers and grandmothers in our life.

2011-04-23T19:15:00.006-04:00

We enjoyed lots of family time together this weekend. One of the local churches in San Jose hosted an Easter Festival with lots of games, a petting zoo, an Easter egg hunt, and bounce castles. Ammon & Maddie Sue had a blast!

Conference Weekend

2011-04-17T19:16:00.002-04:00

This was the first Conference Weekend in three years that Nathan wasn't working. We really enjoyed having him home and watching the conference talks together. Here are a few pictures of Ammon and Maddie Sue playing together.

Easter Dress

2011-04-17T19:12:00.002-04:00

Grandma King made Maddie Sue a special Easter dress. Here are a few pictures of her in it.

We love this smiling face!

A Letter to Grandma

2011-03-07T19:08:00.001-05:00

I found this letter while sorting through Ammon's art work. It melted my heart!

ABC and 123...

2011-03-03T18:56:00.006-05:00

Having a reader in our house has definitely been life altering. Nathan and I can no longer spell out words when the we don't want the kids know what we're talking about.

We visited Arizona for my brother's mission farewell two weeks ago. Nathan flew back to Califormia after the farewell and the kids and I stayed the next week since Ammon was out of school for winter break. While at a gas station Ammon says to me, "What? You're having another baby?!" This statement caught me off guard, so I asked him what made him think I was having another baby. He pointed to a sign that he had read, which was actually "Animal Hospital," but he knew this was just silly, because pets can't go into the hospital. He then proceeded to explain that since we were headed near the hospital that I must be having another baby. The only time Ammon has seen me in the hospital was when Maddie was born, so he quickly jumped to conclusions.

The whole situation was kind of silly. Despite my attempts to explain what a veterinarian is and why they have animal hospitals, Ammon had made up his mind that the whole idea is prosperous!

Elder Clayton Patterson

2011-02-28T12:24:00.004-05:00

Clayton's mission farewell was on 2/20/11 in Surprise, AZ. Here are a few pictures from the luncheon afterwards. I know Clayton wasn't too fond of having his picture taken, but he'll thank me later!

Grinch Baby

2011-02-28T12:06:00.003-05:00

Ammon loves to read Dr. Suess books. Among his favorites are "When the Grinch Stole Christmas." We purchased a Grinch doll for Ammon a few weeks before Christmas and he has been attached to it ever since. Due to the number of arguments in our home over the Grinch, we also purchased a Grinch doll for Maddie a few weeks later. The Grinch does everything but bathe with Ammon, and I think he'd also join him in the bath tub if I'd allow it.

About two weeks ago, Ammon decided that the two Grinches were going to produce him a "Grinch Baby." Not knowing exactly what his plans were, I watched as he took the Grinch dolls and placed them on the couch together. He took my hand and walked me into the kitchen. He proceeded to check on their progress over the next few minutes and then explained his plans to me.

After about ten minutes of no baby, he finally sighed and asked, "Uhhh, how long it this going to take mom?" The whole event brought a smile to my face and made me giggle a bit. I quickly explained that only living things can create babies. Although this was a little disappointing to Ammon, he finally came to terms with the fact that we'll only have a boy and girl grinch in our house and never a grinch baby.

My Goals for 2011:

2011-01-02T22:26:00.001-05:00

2010 was a pretty crazy year for our family. Now that we're settled in California, I've set a few goals for myself. I'm posting them on the blog to help make myself more accountable... to ensure that I actually accomplish everything on this list.

1. Getting more physically fit. I plan to run 200 miles this year. This isn't a lot for most of you, but will be a challenge for me as most of my spare time when I'm not chasing after or caring for kids, preparing meals, or cleaning house is spent working on the computer.

2. Completing the GMAT and starting a two year MBA Program
I hope to start taking classes this coming fall. There are several universities close to us, so I have many to chose from. Unfortunately, a lot of this process is them chosing me. I don't anticipate an issue getting accepted into one of these schools, but can honestly say that I'm feeling an array of emotion starting school again.

3. Reading scriptures every night as a couple. Most of the time I'm working when Nathan is getting ready for bed, so this will require some changes in my schedule, but I know this experience will help us grow stronger.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to improving my overall health both physically and spiritually.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-02T22:14:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. December was full of festive activities, visiting the Oakland Temple, birthday parties for Ammon's classmates, various holiday parties, and visits with Santa.

Moffett Field Military Christmas PartyHeritage Oaks Ward Christmas Party

We had the opportunity to spend time with family in Arizona during Christmas. The drive to Arizona and back home was long, but it was definitely worth enduring. On Christmas Eve Day, we went on a hike with Uncle Darcy and Aunt Susan, their children, and many grandchildren as well as Grandma & Grandpa King. Ammon & Bruce were the ultimate hikers, which Ammon referred to the "King Team." They beat everyone up the mountain and were first coming back down as well. As Ammon put it, "no one could beats the King Team." Truth be told, Bruce was the real trooper since he was carrying Ammon most of the way.

While in Arizona, my brother Clayton receive his mission call to Thailand too! We were so happy to be able to be a part of this monumental life experience. We were excited to be there as he read the letter. We love you Clayton and wish you the best of luck. We know without a doubt that you'll be an amazing missionary!

2010-11-28T22:01:00.002-05:00

This past weekend has been wonderful and we've had lots of family time together. We've finally unpacked all the boxes and put everything in it's place. Ammon & I saw a movie together on Thanksgiving while Maddie Sue and Daddy napped. He was also a huge help setting up and decorating the Christmas tree.

Maddie refused to keep the bow in her hair..I was shocked that Ammon was excited to wear his new tie!

Our precious little ones...

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. Always remember the true reason for this season!

Trip to San Francisco

2010-11-09T00:38:00.006-05:00

We’re now living pretty close to San Francisco and took a trip there last weekend. One of the positives of living in a tiny hotel room is that we’re all eager be out and about. We’ve enjoyed visiting children’s museums, the beach, Pumpkin Festivals, and downtown San Francisco during the past month. Thankfully we’ll be moving into base housing on November 19th and we’re counting down the days.

Halloween

2010-11-08T23:55:00.003-05:00

My mom has asked for pictures of the kids from Halloween a few times now. Life has been pretty crazy lately so I'm just getting around to it. Sorry Grandma Mort.

Little Red Riding Hood and Spiderman

Look! It's the Big Bad Wolf!

Ammon is ready to get some candy at our ward Trunk or Treat

In front of the decorations at the ward party. It was a great event with cool decorations, pizza, and a haunted hallway.

Spiderman and Little Red Ridinghood really enjoyed Halloween. We hope you all did as well.

Maddie's 2nd Birthday

2010-10-27T23:33:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's been two years since Miss Maddie Sue came into our family. She brings us so much joy. I can't imagine our lives without her in it. She and Ammon are so funny together. We celebrated her birthday early with family in Arizona before we left for California. The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed having everyone there with us. Thank you so much to everyone who made this day so special!

Maddie w/ Grandma KingMaddie w/ Grandpa & Grandma King

My Grandma Sue drove all the way from Tonto Basin to attend her party! This meant so much to have her there with us.

Birthday Girl with Mommy & Daddy

Thank you so much for all your help with the food and cupcakes Grandma King! Uncle Harold & Aunt Benselee

Uncle John, Aunt Karen, Maddie Sue, and Papa Patterson

Grandma & Grandpa PattersonPapa Mort, Maddie, & Grandma

A Day with Grandmas...

2010-09-05T20:12:00.003-04:00

My mom took Ammon, Maddie Sue, and their cousins Kaili & Kennedy to visit my grandma in Tonto Basin while I worked on the job cost verification audit for Dean Douglas. They really enjoyed the special time together. They've also had the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with my dad and stepmom too. They've been a HUGE help with the kids while I've been in Arizona. It's been difficult to be apart from Nathan, but we've enjoyed being able to attend special events (like Kennedy's birthday party and Daylen's baptism). We're sad to leave all of our great friends in Connecticut, but are excited to be closer to family. I've been horrible about taking pictures, but here are a few photos that my mom sent me.

Exciting (Yet sad) News to Share...

2010-09-03T16:24:00.003-04:00

Life has been a little hectic lately. In early July, Nathan was offered a position with the California Air National Guard. We will be moving to the Mountain View area in a few months. I recently completed 2 HUD job cost verification audits for Dean Douglas, so the kids and spent time in Arizona. They enjoyed spending time with cousins, and it's been wonderful to spend some quality time with family.

Since September is a busy month for Nathan (usually works every day within the month to prepare for the fiscal yearend on September 30th), we've decided that it would be best for me to stay in Arizona with the kids to make this transition easier on them. We're sad to say goodbye to all of our wonderful friends in New England. We'll miss you all dearly. Thank you for all your love & support! At the same time, we're excited to be closer to our families and looking forward to a new chapter in our lives.

2010-07-12T17:03:00.006-04:00

This posting is a little personal, but I wanted to share some news with close friends and family without having to speak individually with each of you.

Ammon's preschool recommended a team of psychologists (Gershon Psychological Associates) that conducted various testing over the past few months. Nathan and I met with the doctor today to discuss their finding. We now have a specific diagnosis, which she referred to as "Pervasive developmental disorder - NOS" a.k.a. "PDD-NOS". Some people diagnosed with PDD-NOS are close to having Asperger syndrome but do not quite fit, which is how we've always felt about Ammon & his situation. As time progresses, Ammon's diagnosis could change slightly depending on whether or not the social / emotion gap between him and other children widens or closes... Time will tell I guess. A diagnosis doesn't really change anything, but it will help him receive services and extra help in school which would be instrumental in helping him overcome some of issues that he faces.

Meeting with the doctor has given me great peace of mind. This has truly been an answer to our prayers. She provided us with a lot of recommendations, which I think will help Ammon overcome some of the social and emotional issues that he experiences. I'm so incredibly grateful for the wonderful preschool that he's been able to attend and the support that they've offered to him and our family. It's amazing how prayers are answered. The past 18 months have been a difficult time for me and our family. We're so grateful for all the love and support that we've received from our ward, friends, and family.

Ammon is blessed to have so many people who love and care for him.

4th of July in Boston

2010-07-06T10:26:00.004-04:00

Nathan's 32nd Birthday

2010-07-06T09:40:00.002-04:00

We celebrated Nathan’s 32nd birthday with Andy McFarland (one of his friends from high school) and a few close friends. The weather was great and finally cooled down a bit after a long heat wave.

Ammon's 5th "CowBoy" Birthday

2010-06-20T15:12:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Ammon's 5th Birthday this weekend with close friends. He attended a birthday party in April for Bryson Ottley and his mother had planned various activities with the "Curious George" theme. For weeks that followed, Ammon talked about what he wanted for his birthday and requested for a "cowboy party." I thought this would be pleasing to my grandparents who are true cowboys.

We're blessed to have such great friends to share these special memories with... Thank you to everyone who helped make this event so wonderful!

Happy Father's Day...

2010-06-19T20:51:00.003-04:00

Top 10 Reasons why we’re glad to have you as our dad:
1. You always take the time to play with us, no matter how busy your schedule is…
2. Bedtime stories are a real treat… especially the ones you create!
3. You’re funny & witty. You always know what will bring a smile to our faces.
4. Thankfully, patience is one of the virtues that you possess. You need lots of it some days.
5. You’re an incredible artist, especially when it comes to making my personalized creations (from Ammon)
6. We love when you sing to us!
7. Dancing with me in your arms makes me feel like a little princess… (from Maddie)
8. Your talents carry over into the kitchen too!
9. Lawn mower rides are something that we look forward to each week.
10. You find ways to show your loves each day.

We love you dad. Happy Father's Day!

Love, Ammon & Maddie Sue

10 Years and counting...

2010-06-01T14:12:00.018-04:00

It’s hard to believe that almost 10 years have passed since Nathan and I were first married in the Arizona Temple. Here are some brief highlights of our last 10 years together.

Nathan, I look forward to spending several more decades with you. Happy 10th Anniversary!

Las Vegas, visiting Kim

We spent our Honeymoon in Sedona

Visited Hawaii while Nathan worked for America West Airlines...

We both graduated from Arizona State University while working fulltime and taking a full load of classes...
Visited Chicago & Nauvoo, Ill.

San Diego after Nathan completed Basic Training for the US Air Force

Visited Aaron, Tamra, Jacob & Dwight in Ketchikan, Alaska

Nathan was commissioned into the US Air Force
Shortly after, Ammon Nathan King was born in Wichita, Kansas

Travelled to Mississippi for training
Endured Hurricane Katrina with a 9 week old baby

Ran a Home Day Care in Kansas while Nathan was active duty Air Force and went school in the evenings for his Master's Degree in Business Administration...

MBA from Webster University

Nathan accepted a position with the Rhode Island Air National Guard, so we moved to Connecticut and are enjoying life in New England... Madelyn Susan King was born in Putnam, CT
Nathan was promoted to Captain

Nathan ran his first marathon... and completed his second months later

SOS Training in Alabama

We've worked hard, overcome a lot, made priceless memories and created a beautiful family together. I love you more and more with each passing day!

Are you being nice?

2010-05-28T09:01:00.002-04:00

Maddie Sue

2010-05-24T17:53:00.007-04:00

Maddie Sue had her 18 month check-up today. She weighed 22 lbs (was in the 12th percentile) and was 29 1/2" tall (3rd percentile). What a shrimp!

She's uses a few new words now, climbs anything & everything she can prop your little body onto, and even slides the kitchen chairs to her desired destination to help her reach new heigths. She always keeping us hopping.

Our little Dare Devil

First taste of cotton candy...

National Guard Marathon

2010-05-11T11:19:00.003-04:00

I was fortunate enough to have the National Guard fund a trip to the Lincoln Marathon earlier this month. The National Guard uses this marathon as a recruiting tool and teams from all 50 states took turns manning the recruiting booth at the marathon expo.

This was my second marathon and I was expecting to get around the same time since I did not train as much and missed a full week of training due to strep throat a few weeks before. However, I learned a lot from my previous marathon, which helped me tremendously. First, I ate a lot more for breakfast to provide me more energy. Second, I started nice and slow with my first four miles averaging 8 minutes a mile. My first marathon, I started out too fast and was constantly being passed on the last half of the marathon. This time I followed what my body was telling me and instead of being passed in the last half, I was doing the passing. My last 10K ended up being faster than my first 10K. I was surprised at how good I felt. I did not start hurting until the last couple of miles. I finished with a time of 3:18:21, which was 23 minutes faster than my first marathon. It was an average pace of 7:35 a mile.

Thank you Lona for the support and for being without her husband for the weekend. I know it wasn't easy.

Finishing at the 50 yard line of the Nebraska Cornhusker stadium was a real treat. They had our finish up on the jumbotron so you could watch yourself as you were finishing.

Last Day of Vacation

2010-04-28T14:28:00.003-04:00

Today was the last day of my vacation at home with the kids before I go back to work tomorrow. We went to the commissary at New London Naval base and then to the Mystic Aquarium. The kids were great and we enjoyed seeing some new exhibits at the aquarium.

Fun Kids

2010-04-27T15:58:00.005-04:00

I love my kids! We have been enjoying the time together and although there are challenges at times, it has been a great experience. They both have such unique and interesting personalities. Ammon is so smart and creative. Maddie is such a bubbly little girl with a love for life. It is going to be so fun watching them grow up and see what they do with their lives.

Maddie has been very intrigued by Ammon's underwear recently. When I put down the pile of laundry out of the dryer, she immediately grabs a pair of his underwear and attempts to put it on. I helped her out a little bit, but this was her idea.

Ammon has been a good helper, so today he was rewarded with a Bakugan toy that connects seven different Bakugans to form a giant dragon Bakugan. He loves it! When I went to take his picture, he smile and squinted his eyes. I told him not to squint his eyes, but he told me, "But it is cute when I scrunch my eyes." Touche, Ammon, touche.

What a cutie! Who could resist that smile!

Maddie has been dragging this backpack around the house. Not sure if she is wanting to go with Ammon to school or just likes the pink, but she definitely knows how to wear it.

Fun with Daddy

2010-04-24T19:46:00.008-04:00

Lona had to take care of some business in AZ, so I am lucky enough to take a couple days off work to spend some "Daddy Time" with the kiddos. We miss mommy a lot, but we are making the most of our time together. We went to the zoo and the children's museum yesterday. Today we went to a national guard family day. They had a lot of great activities and Ammon loved. building and watching his rocket take off.

He got to launch his rocket twice with impressive results. It easily surpassed 100 ft both times.

He also tried to launch Mike from Monsters, Inc.

Maddie was in constant amazement at the zoo.

Chillin' on a wood frog at the zoo.

Ammon in front of the flamingos. He says that he really loves flamingos.

It's Melman!

This was a cute moment where Ammon actually agreed to hold his sister's hand. He looks thrilled, doesn't he?

Ammon is sporting the new pajamas he got from a Disney giveaway at our activity today.

A New England Easter

2010-04-04T18:17:00.004-04:00

The weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend. I love sunshine!

There has been a lot rain and flooding in our area and many people had water in the basements and even on the main floor of their homes. The entire Warwick Mall was under water. All Nathan could see on his way home were the tops of the vehicles, the rest of it was completely covered by the flooding. There were several road delays too while Nathan travelled home due to roads being closed. We're grateful that we weren't personally effected by the floods and our thoughts and prayers go out to those that were.

Maddie Sue was not too fond of the Easter Bunny
Daddy & Miss Maddie Sue
Ammon & Ethan Adams after the egg hunt
Maddie Sue & Mommy

The kids helped me bake & decorate a "bunny" cake. They weren't too excited to eat the cake, but enjoyed the candy that we put on top of it.

Happy Easter from our homes to yours.

Family Update

2010-03-31T22:07:00.006-04:00

So, I’ve been lagging on blog posts lately. Mainly because I lost the battery charger to the camera either somewhere in Arizona or on the plane ride back to Connecticut when I flew back with Ammon & Maddie Sue in January. What good is a post without pictures, huh?

Here’s an update on our family: Nathan was “TDY” for five weeks, while he attended SOS Training in Alabama for latter part of February and the entire month of March. It seemed like the weather in Connecticut was either snowing or raining the entire time that Nathan was gone, which kind of made the situation a little more depressing. However, the day after I flew to Arizona the sun finally showed itself in Connecticut.

After completing an internal audit with Dean Douglas Homes & Development and Kingston Contracting for the 2009 combined financial statements, a letter was received in the mail regarding a state audit. In less than a week, I booked flights to Arizona and travelled back with Ammon and Maddie Sue. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a supportive family who helped take care of my dear children while I spent numerous hours at the office preparing and completing the state audit.

After the audit, we flew to Birmingham, Alabama to attend Nathan’s graduation and then drove back to Connecticut. To be totally honest, I guess I’ve been a bit of a pessimist the past few weeks, because this was not an event that I was looking forward to. It ended up being an incredible experience though. Ammon and Maddie Sue had their share of meltdowns in the car and we were all pretty cramped in the Corolla, but altogether it was a very positive experience.
We visited cousins in Georgia. It has been years since we last saw Tim & Shayleen Palmer. We were able to meet Katrina and Katie, both of whom we’d never seen in person, but felt like we knew from their blog posts. Ammon really enjoyed interacting with Katrina and “making music with her on the piano.” He also constantly repeats a phrase that she said while eating lunch, that when she was three years old, she didn’t like tomatoes, but now that she is four she does. The entire thing is kind of humorous, because he still will not eat tomatoes!

After staying the night in North Carolina, we visited our sister Emily and her sweet family in Virginia (well, everyone but David who was away doing volunteer work for the less fortunate). We met cousin Rhett for the first time (of whom we also felt like we already knew from blog postings) and played with Preston and Claire. Emily also made a wonderful lunch for us. We stopped by the Temple in Washington DC, walked through the visitor’s center and grounds. We then made the long trip home arriving very early Sunday morning. It was wonderful to have time to interact with Nathan. We're happy to be home & settled and back into our regular routines again.

2010-02-14T20:29:00.005-05:00

Everyone in our home is finally healthy after taking turns with cold & flu bugs. We're crossing our fingers and hoping that it stays that way. Nathan leaves for Alabama for a training for the Air National Guard for 5 weeks.

Ammon has been facinated with creating monsters for months now, and recently began creating snowmen too. He is very particular about the # of fingers that his snowmen have on each hand, the # of holes in each button (for the eyes), the size of the carrot (for the nose) and the # of stones and colors used (for the mouth). He is very much a perfectionist and is very frustrated when the drawing don't measure up to his expectations. I can honestly relate to his frustration as I can be the same way with things, but having Ammon in my life has really helped me to mellow out.

Maddie Sue loves shoes and walks around trying to wear everyone's. It's adorable watching her trying to walk in my shoes! She does pretty good considering how tiny her little feet are inside a size 9 women's shoe.

What a mess!

Ammon & his snowman "3Body"

Mealtime with his friends

Maddie loves to chat on the phone...

Christmas & Sunshine..

2010-01-26T21:31:00.007-05:00

For the first time in four years, we travelled back to Arizona for the holidays and spent Christmas and New Years with our families. The trip started out a little rocky when we all ended up with a stomach virus, but we still managed to have a lot of fun and enjoyed spending some quality time with our families. Thank you all for the special memories made! We attended Christmas parties, visited zoos, enjoyed riding quads, playing with cousins, Nathan attended a Suns game with his dad and brothers, I had a girls' night out with friends from high school, double date night with Aaron & Tamra, and we had a deep pit bbq in Tonto Basin.

I also experienced another first... Dean Douglas Homes, Dean Douglas Development, and Kingston Contracting had their first internal audit. Numerous hours were spent in preparation, but I was very pleased with the end results.

Wedding Video

2010-01-15T13:16:00.003-05:00

Since we currently only had our wedding video montage on VHS, I decided to enter the digital age and put in online. There is a funny story behind it. When Lona and I first got married, we had no video done. A year later, I took on a job that trained me to edit video. I later took up doing wedding video montages for people and it bothered me that I didn't have one of my own. I then set out to recreate our wedding moment so we could have our own video montage. I grew out my hair, Lona got her hair done, and got my friend, Trevor Dayley, to shoot the video. It may be a little cheesy, but I am glad that we made it. Lona and I are coming up on ten years of marriage this June and I cannot believe how fast time has passed. I am more in love with Lona than ever before. She is an amazing woman and mother and I am blessed have her in my life.

The video has a little outtake reel at the end and the clip of Trevor walking away in his socks. I had brought a change of clothes to get to work, but forgot shoes, so Trevor let me use the shoes he was wearing since he was heading home anyways.

Yep, There's Monsters...

2009-11-29T15:07:00.004-05:00

Ammon is incredibly smart and creative. He gets really into things and usually obsesses about it for long periods at a time. Recently his free time has been spent creating monsters. I’m not sure if Halloween started this or the movie that we watched together “Monsters vs. Aliens.” He draws them (eyes, mouth, legs, arms, horns, and feet) and then asks for me to cut them out for him. He is adamant that we cut it a certain way. He envisions it looking a specific way and when it doesn’t turn out as he expects he can get a little frustrated. Honestly, I am the same way at times and this is why I seldom do crafts.

Ammon names each monster and interacts with it as if it were a real person. He is very compassionate towards his monsters as well. No matter how many times I tell him that he needs to feed himself and not his monsters, he still insists that they are hungry too. He even attempted to take one with him into bath, but was very upset when the ink washed off the paper and it to fall apart.

The other day, I threw out some of his monsters. Some of them had food on it and were starting to look a little yucky. We seriously had about 50-75 of them in the kitchen drawer and I was running out of space. Surely, he wouldn't miss some of these, right? Well, the next morning Ammon was frantic. He was running around in a daze, screaming about his Monsters. It took me awhile to realize that he knew exactly which ones were missing and described them to me. I felt awful. Unfortunately at this point, the trash had been picked up and digging through the trashcan wasn't an option. I was absolutely amazed that he could describe them all to me, the one with thirteen eyes and blue and black legs, the one with red and orange dots all over its body, etc.

I felt awful about the situation not realizing that he was attached to each and everyone one of these monsters. Luckily, Ammon finally calmed down and we created new monsters together. Today I took pictures of his daily creations. Enjoy!

Each Monster is given a name. This is Blue.

Ammon brings us a lot of joy. Isn't he just the cutest little boy?

Our Little Princess

2009-11-29T14:53:00.002-05:00

Maddie Sue is such a joy to our family. She is always smiling and laughing. She loves to run and chase Ammon, enjoys playing peek-a-boo, and has an amazing sense of humor. She loves to wrestle with her big brother and is fearless when it comes to climbing up objects. She has managed to climb onto a chair at our kitchen table and then proceeded to get onto the table. It scared me to death the first time I saw her do this. The chair legs are higher than she is, but she somehow manages to pull herself up onto them. Dinner preparation can be a challenge to say the least.

She seems to be a bit of a tomboy and kind of reminds me of my niece Kaili when she was Maddie Sue’s age. At the same time, she loves her baby doll and insists on wearing the necklaces that daddy brought home for her awhile back. I never thought having a little girl in our home could ever be this much fun!

Maddie is one tough little girl!She makes the funniest facial expressions.

She has four teeth now... and knows how to use them!

A Visit from the Collins...

2009-11-15T18:41:00.004-05:00

Bryan, Carol, Ben, Will & Zach Collins came to visit from Ohio this weekend. It was wonderful having them here. The weather wasn’t too accommodating having rained the entire time, but we still had a great time together. We visited the Lutz Children’s Museum on Saturday and then watched the Ohio State football game.

2009-10-31T19:10:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween from Cowboy Ammon & Maddie Sue our Indian Princess…

This year we went to Trunk-or-Treat with Ben and Jan and then they joined us for our wards Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat the following week. It has been wonderful having them so close!

Maddie's First Birthday... And More

2009-10-31T16:07:00.006-04:00

Where's Waldo... I mean Nathan. Hint: He's wearing a hat.
The older that I get, the quicker the time seems to fly by. I don’t know where the last three months have gone.

Nathan ran his first marathon this month. He did really well despite his legs cramping up. We are so proud of him for sticking with it. He still has blood blisters on his feet and was a great sport about us not being able to cheer him on. Ammon was back at the hotel throwing up and had awful diarrhea. Maddie also fell off the bed and has a huge goose egg on her forehead. I was relived that it popped out, because she had a huge indentation in her forehead when I initially picked her up. She had fallen asleep in the morning and I laid her down to tend to Ammon. Next thing I know she is screaming and evidently hit her head on the corner of the bedstand. What a day in Hartford... We hope Nathan's next marathon goes much smoother.

The downside of living so far from family is that our families generally miss out on seeing our children during most holidays and special occasions. The upside to this is that when we are together, these times are very special. Maddie Sue absolutely loves her Grandpa King and Uncle Matt and clung to them pretty quickly. It took her awhile longer to get used to Grandma though. For some reason Maddie is more partial to men, but she loved Grandma as long as mom was totally out of sight. Ammon kind of preferred this though, because he and Grandma were able to have lots of one on one time without having to share her as much. Anyone that knows Kathy knows that she is the Craft Queen. She and Ammon made foam Christmas crafts; and somehow missed capturing pictures of them doing these.

Maddie Sue turned one year old on October 21st. Since Grandpa & Grandma King and Uncle Matt visited us for a few days in October, we thought this would be the perfect time to celebrate her birthday. Here are some pictures from Maddie Sue’s party:

Thank you to everyone who made this event so special!

We met with the doctor from Brown University and the Hasbro Children's Hospital. The first appointment seemed to go very well. Grandma King helped with Maddie Sue and Ammon while we met with the doctor. Thank you so much Kathy! The second appointment was a bit of a frustration. After a phone conversation with the doctor, I felt a little better about the direction that he wants to take with Ammon though. He feels that Ammon suffers from asperger's syndrome. I think time with truly tell whether or not this is just his disposition or if there are other underlying issues. We're not focused on a diagnosis as much as we just want to find ways to help him with some of the challenges he's experiencing.

A Busy Weekend

2009-10-12T15:38:00.010-04:00

There is an orchard not far from the house that we love to visit every year. We pick our own apples and sample their homemade products. They give free hayrides and freshly squeezed apple cider. This is a beautiful time to be in New England.

Maddie got to pick her first apple. It's too bad she was more interested in picking up rocks and putting them in her mouth.

I love this face.

Ammon in front of all of the autumn gourds.

Daddy loves his little girl!

I ran my first marathon on Oct 10 in Hartford. I got a little too excited and thought I could hang at a pace that I wasn't ready for, so I hit the wall pretty hard. At mile 21, my right leg completely cramped up and went rigid. I hobbled to the side and was worried that I may not be able to finish the race. I sat on the grass and stretched my leg. A marathon worker pushed down on my back to help me stretch it out. I was able to continue, but legs felt dead. I just had to will myself for the last five miles. My goal was 3:30 for the 26.2 miles, but I ended up finishing at 3:41. Despite not reaching the goal, I was happy with the result. I didn't give up and I learned some lessons for future marathons. Thanks to Lona for dealing with a horrible night's sleep at a noisy hotel, a sick child, and closed roads... Ammon was back at the hotel throwing up & had horrible diarrhea. The ride home was quite an adventure to say the least.

Lona took the kids to a children's museum. The kids had a blast and we hope to get out there again when they will have more time to explore.

Maddie Rocks

2009-10-08T19:58:00.002-04:00

This is a very special chair. It was given to Lona by her great grandmother. Maddie loves it as much as we do!

September Updates

2009-10-05T14:09:00.013-04:00

The craziness has ended in our household as Nathan finally has a day off after working almost 30 days straight. The kids have enjoyed the quality time with him today and I have enjoyed the time that I've had to catch up on work. I love my kids so much, but I also love to have breaks from them every now & then... Here are a few pictures from the past month:

Ammon at the Woodstock Agricultural Days

Artist Ammon at it again... This is his monster face. It is a constant struggle to keep Ammon dressed. It's a common joke in our home that Ammon will move to a nudist colony once he's old enough to be out on his own.

Enjoying a tastey snack outside with Ammon

Our little Monkey

Maddie the Masterpiece

2009-09-28T22:16:00.005-04:00

Today Ammon & Maddie Sue played together. It started with a basketball. Maddie would roll it and Ammon (pretending to a dog) would fetch it for her. Well, the fun drifted into the kitchen. I continued to work hearing laughter and Ammon talking to her baby sister. Then there was a little silence and an occasional giggle from Maddie. I started to become a little concerned by the silence and went to the kitchen to check on my sweet children. The first words from Ammon’s mouth were, “Look Mom, Maddie is a masterpiece.” This is what I saw…

Maddie, of course, adores her big brother and took it all in fun. It doesn’t matter what Ammon does, she wants to be a part of it. It's amazing what Ammon can do with a paint brush!

After her bath, these are the smiles that she shared with us. I just had to share this story with you all. Hopefully you find the humor in it as we did.

Watch out, here she comes...

2009-09-17T12:32:00.002-04:00

My mom has kindly requested that I post a short video of Maddie Sue walking on a few occassions. Life has been a little hectic lately with Nathan's work schedule, sick kids, and trying to balance everything. I finally decided to do this today even though my to do list keeps expanding. Sorry for the delay Mom. We love you lots and miss you all. Hope you all enjoy this...

Revolution...

2009-09-07T10:36:00.003-04:00

September will be a busy month for our family as Nathan works every day until the end of the month. The R.I. Air National Guard has a UCI, which is an inspection that occurs every 4-5 years. This will be Nathan’s first inspection as a budget officer. He’s been busy preparing for it since January. Two weeks after the inspection is their fiscal yearend which also brings lots of stress and requires a lot more hours at the office. Since this was Nathan’s last weekend off this month, we decided that we needed to have as much quality family time as possible. It’s been a very fun and eventful Labor Day weekend.

Nathan won by answering a trivia question on the radio. It was a family four pack, which included four tickets to a Revolution Soccer game and food from the consession stand. Revolution is the professional soccer team in New England. They played in the same stadium as the New England Patriots. I never thought that Ammon would sit through the game, but he absolutely loved it! It was my first experience attending a professional soccer game as well and I was quite amazed myself. Thank you babe for being my trivia King!

Fun at the Beach

2009-09-07T10:13:00.007-04:00

On Friday, we visited Newport Beach in Rhode Island with our friends [Ethan & Crystal Adams, Jenny, Anna & Grace Elliot, and Sara, Maren & Asher Anderson]. The kids had a blast playing in the sand, enjoying the ocean and building sandcastles. Nathan surfed for the first time. Crystal gave him a quick surfing lesson and then he spent some time catching waves. I ended up with a pretty nasty sunburn. I had put sunscreen on everyone else, then ran after Ammon who decided to run into the ocean waves. I forgot to apply it on myself until I felt the burn hours later.

Maddie loved the beach. Mommy & Daddy tried hard to keep her from eating the sand. She must have thought it was a tastey treat, because she kept eating it by the handfuls!

Thank you so much for the fun day everyone!

Old Sturbridge Village with Uncle Ben

2009-09-07T10:08:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, we visited Old Sturbridge Village with Nathan's friend Ben Clement. We enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and quality time with him. Uncle Ben, thank you so much for the fun day!

Daddy & Maddie

2009-09-07T09:52:00.001-04:00

Maddie took three steps on Sunday and four steps today. She still struggles with balance, but might be walking within a few weeks. It’s amazing how quickly these transitions occur. Ammon always seems so little until he stands next to his baby sister and then I am reminded of how big he’s truly grown.

Daddy & Miss Maddie Sue in Sunday dress

She really loves her daddy!

ABCs and 123s

2009-08-29T23:29:00.003-04:00

My mom always took our picture on the first day of school. I couldn't help but continue this tradition. Ammon started preschool again last week. His first day of class was a challenge, but things seemed to go much smoother on the second day. I was a little nervous on Thursday when he left, but was very relieved to read the second letter stating that things went much better that day.

He’ll be attending preschool three days a week for a few hours in the afternoons. We have an appointment with the Providence Children’s Hospital and experts from Brown University in October to try to get some insight on how to help Ammon with some of the behavioral and emotional issues that he's experiencing. We've waited months for this appointment. Although it still is weeks away, it doesn't feel as far as it did when I first made the phone call. It amazes me how quickly time seems to pass. The days are long, but the weeks and months seem so short. If that makes any sense at all...

Ammon is a very special little boy, and we have no doubt that he will do great things in life.

Maddie Tells All...

2009-08-29T17:54:00.003-04:00

Sesame Place with the Collins

2009-08-17T21:04:00.005-04:00

We met our good friends, the Collins, in Pennsylvania @ Sesame Place this past weekend. They were travelling back from vacation in New Jersey. Since we hadn't seen them in almost two years, we were eager to take the roadtrip.

Bryan and Nathan worked together at McConnell AFB. He was an incredible mentor to Nathan and they quickly became good friends. I also had the opportunity to watch their two sons for a few months in Kansas before they moved back to Ohio. It was exciting to see their progression. Will is almost as tall as Ammon and is about 13 months younger. Zach and Maddie are about a month apart in age too, which is pretty exciting.

It was great to catch up and spend some time together. We're eager for them to take a trip back to New England in the near future... [hint, hint Carol].

Arizona Part 2

2009-08-17T20:38:00.003-04:00

Life was incredibly hectic while in Arizona and I did a horrible job taking pictures of the kids with their cousins and my extended family. I kind of feel bad posting the pictures that I have, because I didn't take very many of them. Ammon had a blast playing with cousins and tried to convince me that I needed to drive him back there today. He wasn't too happy with me when I wouldn't comply.

Thank you to everyone who opened up their homes to us while we visited Arizona. It was wonderful to see you all. I promise when we come for Christmas, my work schedule won't be so crazy.

Jamie Housewart (my dear friend) and Mommy-to-be... This picture captures Ammon's personality pretty well I think.Ammon & Papa Mort hard at work
Family Picture with Grandma & Grandpa FelixGreat Grandma Sue and Grandpa Lee Hunsaker... we had a blast spending time with them

Ammon and cousin Daylen

Funny Boy

2009-08-03T23:37:00.003-04:00

I was just looking through all of our short videos from our digital camera and this video still cracks me up everytime. Kids are funny.

AZ Visit Part I

2009-08-02T22:05:00.005-04:00

I had a conference to attend in Phoenix for work, so Lona and I decided to have the whole family come out. We spent a weekend with my family and I was able to spend some time with the family a couple times during the week of the conference. Now I am a lone man at home for a short while until Lona returns home. I always think that I will enjoy the time alone so that I can get some things done that are hard to do with the kids around, but after a couple days, I am really missing the wife and kids. I love you guys!

Here are some pictures from our visit with my family.

Sacred Grove and Smith Home

2009-07-20T13:55:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we travelled New York, visited Niagra Falls, and then went to Palmyra to see the pageant and see historical church sites. While Nathan rested on Sunday, Harold, Benselee and I took the kids to the Sacred Grove & Smith Home.

Palmyra Pageant

2009-07-20T13:41:00.002-04:00

While in New York, we saw the Palmyra Pageant. Nathan saw this as a child, but for everyone else it was our first time. We were amazed! Below are pictures from the visitors center and pageant cast members...The Rich family (good friends of ours)

Niagra Falls

2009-07-20T13:09:00.005-04:00

Pictures from Niagra Falls:

Camp Joseph in Sharon Vermont

2009-07-20T11:46:00.007-04:00

This summer we visited Camp Joseph again with several of our ward family members. Uncle Harold & Benselee and our cousins Ben, Jan, Sam & Jared also joined us for the fun. The weather was perfect other than one bad rainstorm on Saturday evening. We spent time at the Joseph Smith Memorial, visited local farms, and toured to the Ben & Jerry Icecream Factory. As most of you know the Kings love their icecream, so as you could imagine we were in Heaven! Maddie Sue also experience icecream and loved it. She a true King!

Ben & Jerry's Icecream Factory

Camp Joseph

4th of July in Boston

2009-07-05T14:31:00.009-04:00

We had an incredible 4th of July. We spent the night and Ben & Jan's home, which Ammon was incredibly stoked about. We then had an amazing breakfast at Nathan's cousin Andres and Kelly's home. They prepared the most AMAZING blueberry pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns. Then we visited the Annual USO 4th of July party in Boston and returned to Ben & Jan's house to meet up with all the cousins again for dinner later that evening. We returned home and watched fireworks from the car before putting the kiddos to bed for the night.

Happy 31st Birthday Nathan!

My good friend, Crystal, is an incredible baker. Her sister, Mary Beth, is a gourmet chef and they both helped me make a tripple layer white cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese frosting. It was absolutely amazing!

Ben & Jan watched Ammon and Maddie Sue while we attended a Temple session in Boston on July 3rd. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner together with Ben & Jan (who is also an amazing cook) and celebrated Nathan's 31st birthday with their family. It has been so much fun having them so close!

Thank you to everyone who helped make Nathan's birthday so special!

31 Reasons Why We Love you Nate:
1. You’re a man of honor
2. You’re an incredible father
3. You always know how to have a good time
4. You make us laugh and always bring a smile to our face
5. You tell the best stories
6. You work hard for us everyday
7. You’re not intimidated by housework and always lend a helping hand
8. You always see the good in people
9. You serve your country with pride and diligence
10. You’re patient, kind, and accepting of others shortfalls
11. You like to play
12. You’re constantly striving for self improvement
13. You inspire those around you to become better people as well
14. You read bedtime stories and show us lots of love each day
15. You know what little boys like best
16. You’re great at catching frogs & lizards, but know better than to ever bring a snake home
17. If there is something you want to do, you strive to make it happen
18. During challenging times, you never give in and you never give up
19. Your glass is almost always ½ full
20. You notice the small things in life and show gratitude for them.
21. Family time is a special time for you
22. You’re an amazing athlete and are quite competitive
23. You make great sushi
24. You’re a kid at heart
25. You’re a great example to others
26. You’re a great musician
27. You’re one hot daddy
28. You’re intelligent and knowledgeable about so many things
29. You’re smart, funny, and loving
30. You’re talented in so many ways, but you don’t let it get to your head… You’re still pretty humble despite your greatness
31. You’re my best friend

Quonset Air Show in North Kingstown, RI

2009-07-05T14:04:00.007-04:00

The Rhode Island Air National Guard held their Annual Air Show the weekend of the June 27th – 28th. Ben, Jan, Sam & Jared joined us for the fun. Here are a few pictures from the event (some of these were taken by Ben & Jan):

Maddie Sue

2009-07-05T13:50:00.001-04:00

My Little Princess

Matching Dresses

The Joy of Sibblings

2009-06-24T09:32:00.003-04:00

This is a typical day in the King Household...

From now on if I want Ammon to eat something, I'll just put it on Maddie's tray and he'll chow it down.

Ammon's 4th Birthday

2009-06-24T09:01:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Ammon’s forth birthday on Saturday at Owen Bell Park in Dayville. Earlier in the week, the weather channel predicted rain all day on Saturday, but luckily by the time that day arrived the sun was shining and the weather was perfect for a party at the park. Ammon was so excited to play with all of his friends and be the center of attention. He talked about cake and blowing out candles since we attended Ethan Adam’s 3rd birthday party earlier that month.

Ammon's friend, Steven

Asher, Jason & Jared eating cake & icecream

Maddie Sue & Abagail

Ammon & 'Uncle' Ben Clement (who drove all the way from Boston to attend his party). Thanks for coming Ben. It meant a lot!

Gracie, Ammon, and Sam

Ammon & all his friends (except cousin Jared)

blowing out candles

Daddy & Miss Maddie Sue

We are so excited to have Nathan’s cousin Ben and his family living so close to us for the next 8 months. Ammon really enjoys playing with Sam. Jared and Maddie seem to be special pals as well. He is so gentle and loving towards her and gives her hugs and kisses her head. It’s adorable watching them interact with each other.

End of the soccer season

2009-06-24T08:30:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to post these pictures for awhile now. Ammon had his last soccer game earlier in the month. Nathan and I are both so pleased with the progress he made. By the end of the season he was wearing his #8 jersery, riding in the car to practice and games with little issues, and interacting with his teammates and coaches. He is still talking about his "new girlfriend, Gracie, with the yellow hair." Here are a few pictures from the last game.

The games were always scheduled during Maddie Sue's naptime, but she didn't seem to mind much...
Ammon loved to kick the pink ball, which coach Shannon would bring each week specifically for him. He wasn't to eager to switch to the black and white ball for the soccer games, but during the last game he didn't seem to mind much.

Giving high fives to the opponents

Ammon, Gracie, and Coach Shannon

Updates on the Kiddos

2009-06-11T20:50:00.003-04:00

This is the typical site of Maddie after meals now-a-days. She loves to grab the spoon and tries to feed herself. The messes are not all that fun to clean, but it's so excited to see my baby progress. I just wished that these transitions weren't happening so quickly. Sorry, this is not the most flattering picture. She was pretty tired when I took this.

Maddie in the new outfit from Grandma King. Future baby model? Who knows...

Today was the last soccer practice that Ammon had for the season. I am so impressed with his coaches and so happy to witness his progress. I must confess, at one point I almost stopped trying. It was more challenging than I would have ever imagined.
Ammon kind of bonded with one of the other little girls on the team. The entire story is kind of funny. She wears the #4 on her jersey. As I mentioned in the previous post, Ammon was furious about having the #8 on his shirt. He refused to wear it, threw it back at his coach, kept taking it off, and trying to throw it on the ground. It was awful! Well, during one of the games (where he is typically in his own little world, looking at bugs, and completely oblivious to the soccer game going on around him) he noticed that one of his teammates was wearing the number four. For the rest of the game, he chased her around the field. Most people thought he finally understood the strategy and purposes of soccer. As his mother, I knew better… I heard him say, “Huh? What! She wears the number 4.” The entire way home and for weeks after, he has talked about Gracie. The irony behind this is that she didn’t wear her jersey today and Ammon didn’t even recognize her at practice. He literally knows her as the #4 girl. She grabbed his hand at practice after arguing with him about who she truly was. Ammon was not convinced this was Gracie… She wears the #4. He reluctantly followed her to field and they kicked the ball together. It completely melted my heart!

It’s hard to believe that my little Maddie Sue will be 8 months in a few weeks. She is crawling all over the place now! This transition occurred extremely quickly. Just a few days ago, she was kind of scooting and trying to figure the process out. She normally likes to sit on my lap and prefers to be held, but not today. She explored the entire house and got into a lot of things she shouldn’t have… Ammon is learning quickly that he can’t leave his toys on the floor any longer. Today he told me, mom you need to just hold her now. I don't want her doing that anymore.

A Visit From Grandma King

2009-06-10T08:40:00.003-04:00

Grandma King came to visit for a few days. Ammon and Maddie Sue both enjoyed the special times that they were able to share with her. As always we were all sad to see her go. Ammon took it the hardest though. He woke up this morning looking for her, sobbed on the bathroom floor for over a half an hour, then finally came out and said, "OK, now I'm ready to eat. My tummy is rumbling." He's such a funny little boy. He didn't want mom to console him and needed to work through this on his own apparently. Everytime I tried to comfort him, he just became more upset and told me to go away. It broke my heart! I'm kind of the same way when I get upset though. Here are some of the pictures from her visit.

Ammon is one busy body, but Grandma King had no problem keeping up with him!
Grandma & Maddie Sue watching Ammon's soccer game

Chasing birds outside the Boston's Children Museum

A view from inside the Children's Museum. What beautiful girls!

Visiting New Hampshire

2009-05-23T06:48:00.002-04:00

Our family spent two days in New Hampshire. We visited the children's museum there and spent time outdoors hiking and swimming.

A New League

2009-05-23T05:46:00.008-04:00

We enrolled Ammon in soccer through the Killingly Rec Center. We thought this would be an activity that he would enjoy, but it's been a challenge. He's had a difficult time socializing with the other children, and struggles with it since he doesn't have control over the situation.

This entire process has been baby steps for us:

(1) Getting Ammon to wear the shirt. It's the #8 and since he's almost four, he insisted that he wear the #4. We talked him into wearing the shirt since 4 + 4=8. He's learning some simple additional now, and he will finally put the shirt on without a fight. Wearing the #8 is even better, because it has 2 fours in it!

(2) Getting him in the car to go to practice or games without a meltdown in the car. No matter how much I tried to prepare him for this transition, he felt so much anxiety. This is still a challenge, but at least now the meltdowns don't happen until we pull into the parking lot for practice.

(3) Not having him yell at the Australian Ref. when he referred to "yellow light" as "orange light," while they were playing red light / green light. It's been three weeks since this happened and Ammon still gets worked up about it. One of the young men from our ward just left for his mission, which he is serving in Australia. Now every time he brings up the situation, we just talk about John-Mark, and it lightens the moment. Ammon absolutely adores him!

(4) Having Ammon kick the ball or participate at all in the activities (This is our current goal for him). He participated last week, which Nate and I were both pretty stoked about.

A new addition to our home...

2009-05-23T05:34:00.004-04:00

On Mother’s Day weekend, Nathan and Ammon were driving and nearly ran over a turtle attempting to cross the road. Ammon has been fascinated by turtles ever since Grandma King brought him teenage mutant ninja turtle figurines that she had acquired at a yard sale in Arizona. Ammon named it “Raphael,” after the red turtle (due to the red stripes under her shell). After finding the turtle, Nathan researched painted turtles online and we soon realized that it was actually a female. So, we have a new addition to our family. Unfortunately this will be the only pet our family has for a LONG time.

2009-05-17T19:24:00.005-04:00

Our Family visited Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA on Saturday. Each year they have a day for "Hero's" and since Nathan serves in the military our family was able to visit for free.

Cutest Little Fire(wo)man...

Ammon loved feeding the animals and enjoyed a day outdoors.

One Happy Girl

Yummy Treats!

Ammon & Wilber

Feeding Animals was lots of fun!

Hay Ride Fun

Farmer Ammon milking Bessie

Maddie had a little lamb...

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T07:28:00.006-04:00

I wanted to express my love and appreciation for my beautiful wife on this well-deserved Mother's Day. Lona is an amazing mother. I know being a mother is a difficult job that is filled with long days, frustration, endless worry, self-doubt, and lack of appreciation. I am sure I am not alone when I say that I do not tell my wife enough that she is doing a great job. Lona has given so much of her life for her children and I know she loves them more than life itself. I know that she is in constant thought on how she can best help her children be happy and healthy. I know that her life is the most joyous when she sees her kids happy and smiling.

From the day Ammon was born, we knew our life would never be the same. One of the greatest moments of my life was seeing Lona hold Ammon for the first time.

Our little princess, Maddie Sue, is a wonderful blessing. It is awesome to see the powerful bond between mother and daughter.

As Ammon grew and more of his peronality bubbled to the surface, we knew Ammon would be a blessing, but also a challange. Ammon is creative, intelligent, and can be the sweetest boy in the world. However, Ammon likes to be the boss and has difficulty adapting to new environments and situations where he has no control. He has a fiery temper and can be as stubborn as a mule. Lona has had to deal with the frustration of having moments of doing everything right, but still having everything go wrong. With her help, Ammon has learned to better control his emotions and is improving the social interation with his peers. I appreciate the hard work Lona has done in behalf of our son and his happiness.

Maddie is the little girl that Lona deserves. She is a happy-go-lucky little baby and brings us so much joy. I love the mornings where both kids climb into our bed and everyone is smiling and laughing. I love our little family with all my heart and I am so thankful to my wife for choosing to be a mother. Happy Mother's Day, sweetheart!

Honoring Mothers

2009-05-04T13:41:00.006-04:00

As Mother's Day approaches, I have felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude towards my mother. Not only is she my mom, but has become my best friend. Words cannot adequately express the love that I possess for this incredible woman. She is one of the hardest working women I know and is always willing to lend a helping hand. She taught me the value of the dollar and instilled a work ethic in each one of her children. She is an elementary school teacher and a licensed contractor. She can build a house from the ground up, can operate heavy construction equipment better than most men I know, and she knows her way around every power tool known to man. She tough as nails, but as soft and loveable as a teddy bear. She gives the best advice and has taught me what true Christlike love is. She is the teacher that everyone loves and adores, but has eyes in the back of her head. You can’t get anything passed this lady… I live on the opposite side of the country, yet she can somehow tell when I’m having a rough day. She is my mother, my confidant, and my best friend.
You might ask yourself; how did my mom became such an incredible person? From my grandmother! There are few finer people that ever walked the earth... I can't think of my grandma Sue without tearing up. She is one of my most favorite people. As a young girl, I decided that if I ever had a daughter of my own, I would name her after my grandmother.

I think the hardest part about living away from family is that my children aren't able to have the type of relationship that I was able to have with my own grandma. I have countless memories spending time with her... She has taught me so much about life and is an incredible example to me. She always has a smile on her face. In all my years, I've never heard her say one cross word about anyone. This is a picture that I view on a daily basis... My sweet grandmother holding my precious little Maddie Sue.

I am also blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. I know he wouldn't be as wonderful as he is had he not had such an amazing mother as well.
Kathy is one of the craftiest people I know. She loves holidays and makes each one of them so special. She’s a true kid at heart and is so much fun to be around. She is an incredible cook, and is an amazing artist. Her Thanksgiving dinners are a sight to see. It looks like something you would see in a magazine. She is always helping others and loves to spend time with her grandchildren. The dress that Maddie Sue is wearing is the same dress that all of the King granddaughter's were blessed in. Their family has a lot of great traditions that I hope to share with my children as they grow.

Carol is a wonderful step-mother and grandmother. She is an amazing musician and has a beautiful voice. I am very blessed to have such wonderful women in my life, who are all great examples to me. Ammon & Maddie Sue are so blessed to have such amazing grandmas! Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in our life!

She's Gone Flyin'

2009-04-25T12:40:00.011-04:00

For years I have wanted to fly in a small airplane. For my 30th birthday, my wonderful husband helped to make this happen. My birthday isn't until later in May, but today the weather was perfect for flying. A special thanks to Nathan and the Mann family for helping to make this happen!

Some of the views:

Pilot: Bob Mann

Family Pic

My good friend Crystal Adams came to the airport in Danielson to see us off...

I felt like a young kid on Christmas Day!

Maddie Sue was ready to leave with Mommy, but daddy kept both kids while Mommy had her fun. What a great husband I have!

Ammon was ready to fly the plane by himself and kept asking to have us close the door. Future pilot among us, who knows?

Bob Mann in front of the plane... The Mann Family is incredible. His 85 year old mother taught Ammon in nursery. She is truly inspiring! She's very healthy, active, and sharp as can be. His wife is also amazing. Sharon and I both taught senior primary last year. She makes the best cookies, is always first to lend a helping hand, and always has the most positive outlook on life. They are great examples to Nathan and me.

Maddie's Six Month Portraits

2009-04-18T20:17:00.005-04:00

At Maddie Sue's 6 month check up, she weighed 16 lbs even (50th percentile) and was 25" long (25th percentile). Time is passing too fast!

Easter in New England...

2009-04-16T17:18:00.003-04:00

Nathan did not work the Saturday before Easter, so we had a much needed 'Family Day." We took Ammon and Maddie Sue to the Providence Children's Museum and also attended a local Easter Egg hunt.

Posing for the picture... now please let me find eggs!

Ammon loves candy as much as his mommy does!

Maddie is teething - thus explaining the drool on her sweater.

Ammon's First Day of Preschool

2009-04-04T07:44:00.002-04:00

Ammon started preschool this past week. He'll be attending Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for a few hours in the afternoons until the school year ends. He was very familiar with the building since we're been attending play groups there on Thursdays for the past year with Parents as Teachers. I kind of expected him to struggle with this transition. Although he was a little anxious the first day, he did really well. Doesn't he look so grown up in this picture? It's amazing how quickly time flies. It seems like we just celebrated his third birthday, and his forth is just around the corner.

Providence Children's Museum

2009-03-29T19:26:00.005-04:00

We visited the Providence Children’s Museum with Crystal & Ethan Adams this past Saturday. Both daddies were working unfortunately. Nathan’s unit has a UCI this year, so he’s been working every Saturday for the past few months. Even with a GPS, I had a difficult time finding my way in Providence, but the boys had a wonderful time playing and experimenting with everything there. I think the “water room” was Ammon’s favorite. He was also quite intrigued by the dragon on top of the building too.

Easter Family Day in North Kingstown, RI

2009-03-29T18:44:00.003-04:00

The Rhode Island Air National Guard held their Family Easter Festival today.

Greeting the Easter Bunny

Since it rained all day, the egg hunt was held indoors

Ammon opened up every egg and inspected the candy as soon as he found them. Ammon is quite the little artist!

Even Maddie managed to find an egg...
Ammon was a little more fond of the Easter Bunny than Maddie Sue was.

Hard at work...

Mommy & Maddie Sue

Daddy & his little princess