In June, the girls and I spent some time in Utah with family. I wanted the girls to see the Timpanogos Temple, where we were married. But because it was such a hot day,
. . . only a few photos turned out like I hoped. Thanks to Phil for taking the pictures.
In July, we celebrated the 4th with Mike, Jenny, Alex, Rachel, and Baby John.
Emma, Rachel,
and Abby anxious for Uncle Mike to light the fireworks!
We then celebrated the 24th in our new home, Arkansas.
Mike drove out with us and provided immense support (and he was a wonderful much-needed extra driver)!
The trip was safe and successful.
This was the only way to tolerate being outside! Thanks to my parents, who came to see us also in July, the girls found respite from the heat with the trampoline, sprinkler, and new slip-n-slide!
Emma loving every minute . . . Abs not so much!
In August, we gave up trying to stay cool outside and invented lots of new games inside. The girls are taking their "friends" on a field trip to the movie theater,
giving Baby Snow White a haircut,
sharing lots of hugs,
and enjoying bedtime snacks!
We also welcomed a new sister into our family. Drea and Ben got married on the 18th.
It was wonderful to be at the temple with my parents and all of my brothers and sisters, (and Baby McKayla, like you could miss her!).
Our biggest event of the month: Sending off our kindergartner!
Emma was way more than ready, and so happy to FINALLY go.
I got a good glimpse into how much she actually loves her kindergarten world when she told me that her first experience eating school lunch was "just amazing, mom!"
I wonder how long that enchantment will last?
Finallly in August, we bought a new van to make room for #4.
Despite having my own siblings laugh at me because I now drive a van :), I am more pleased than I can say with our purchase.
And now I can kick the girls way into the back when they decide to act like turkeys!
I'm convinced that I will never be a frequent blogger. I can't seem to work on the computer (unless it's my job) for any amount of time and pick back up around the house where I left off with the same momentum! I've failed dismally at Facebook! Sorry Scar, but at least that means we talk on the phone more. I put together a photo album for our parents last week of recent pictures, and I got the feeling that the hard copies and personal touch were a bit out of touch, but there you go. I'd rather talk on the phone or frame a picture than upload it to a server and electronically "poke" somebody!
Below are recent photos from April and May and several from our trip to Southern California 2 weeks ago. We went to Disney, Knott's Berry Farm, SD Zoo, and Sea World. It was a cloudy day at the beach but still so much fun! I'm so glad we were able to go. With the girls getting so big, I realize that the memories are more than worth the effort. I am so glad we went, so so glad!
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I know the snake is a random photo! It was raining the day we went to the zoo, so we spent a lot of time in the reptile house. This is the 18-foot boa. Yikes! Also, we stopped in Vegas on the way home and stayed for a couple of nights. Adam took this when we drove up to the temple.
I wish I was better at posting and I could log every significant event in our family. Three months is a long time when our babies change day to day! Here are a few highlights. Rachel swallowed some ammonia a few days before Emma's birthday in October. We called 911, and we were humbled to watch 5 firemen enter our home to take care of our little girl (and also thankful that our property taxes had already paid for it)! Emma turned 4 on October 20, and we celebrated her birthday with our families, who came up from Utah to participate in Abby's blessing on the 19th. It was a reunion for my family, being together for the first time since early 2006. We had a nice Thanksgiving, celebrating with our own little family since Adam was working. November's ratings for Adam's station went fabulously for him. His weekend show numbers went up, AGAIN, and he is actually tied for the #1 show with their biggest competing station! (I couldn't be more proud!) Christmas Eve, Abby had her first major owie! She fell from the counter to the floor face-first! I think I was more upset than she was, although she ended up with a spectacular bruise across her chin. Two of our neighbors came to give her a blessing, and this time it was like firemen with the priesthood! They were wonderful! Abby made it through okay. She was all smiles on Christmas Day with her new toys, especially the jingle bells. We all got the flu on Christmas Day, so our ham and turkey went straight into the fridge, leftovers galore! Santa brought Emma her long-awaited easel, ("Santa must really know I'm an artist!") and Rachel again received a new puppy, although this one will not shed or poop under bed (which is why Petey is now an outside dog--he's a cheater)! We have been very blessed. We can't wait for 2009--although that seems a bit grand for the moment. Right now I just want my kids to go to sleep! See you in 3 months!
So many of our friends and family are doing this blogging thing, and since we don't live near anyone it's probably a good idea that we start one. I'll admit this is the first time I've blogged. Silly me, I thought digital cameras and email and internet phones were enough to stay in touch with those we love!
Although this is the Rodriguez Family blog, I'm sure it will end up as an online shrine to our kids because we love them more than anything and, let's face it, pictures of them are way more fun and interesting!
Adam and I met in 2002 and were married in October of that year. It seems like forever ago now, but I can't really remember life beforehand! Now after six years, nearly three kids (that's right, another coming and it's a girl, again), college and lots of moves later, life rocks more than ever and is totally crazy most of the time. It's a never ending battle with clippies and princess dresses and pink, pink, pink! And, the most dramatic, "GIRL SHOES!" when Emma chucks them all over the house just to get the reaction. Adam is the best, though, even when he has to perform weekly "surgery" on the vacuum to yank all of the long hair out of it. He says being the father of a bunch of girls make him feel "even more manly than I already am."
Adam loves his work at the station, which makes me happy because he is happy! He anchors the weekend shows and reports for the 5:00 and 10:00 news during the week. So he works late, but that means I get more time to myself at night, and who couldn't use that? We're excited to see where his job takes us in the future. It has been a wonderful experience to live out on our own and figure out our own family identity. That's not to say we don't miss our families, especially now that our girls know exactly who the grandparents are and that they get presents from them! But, Utah's news market is huge, and since you have to work up, if we moved back it wouldn't be for a while.
Right now, we're thankful for where we are and for things like a backyard and a pantry and a garage! We were lucky enough to move into our first house for Christmas, and now that the weather is warming up, I can't imagine how I ever did without a yard for two active, crazy kids! And that also means we got a puppy....
Emma will be 4 in October. It's hard to believe, really. She is so grown up and beautiful. She blows us away with how intelligent she is and how fast she learns. She especially loves to learn new primary songs and bear her testimony. She is very affectionate. I hurt my ankle once, so bad I actually cried, and she gave me a massage and covered my ankle with a blanket, brought me water and a string cheese, stroked by cheek, and gave my ankle a blessing! She's the one who taught Rachel how to give kisses. She loves the computer and could spend hours on the Disney website if we let her. And, like most little kids, everything has to be "all by myself!" She is a complete copy of Adam in both personality and manner. She's so full of enthusiasm and energy ALL THE TIME, I get to the end of the day and wonder how I kept up with her.
I know this is just a crop of one of the pictures above, but Rach's one-year pictures don't look like her at all anymore, and this is beautiful! Rachel is our light-bearer. So happy, so funny, loves to tease Emma by taking her stuff and running for it! She is the one that taught us that our family only gets cooler as it grows! She just learned to count to ten (her best numbers are 2, 3, 8 and 10) and say "Pete, no, no, no!" She is definitely the cuddly one, and I could hold her forever because she says "Ahhh. Mama!" After the kids go to bed, I miss her so much because I love being around her! (Don't get me wrong, I love Emma like mad! It's just more of a relief when her amazingly strong, unrelenting and determined-to-stay-up little personality finally falls to sleep!)
Abby was born July 17, 2008. She was very much our sweet surprise! I never thought we would have three midgets so fast, but Abby is a fabulous addition. Most notable are her blue eyes. Adam, Emma, and Rach have brown and I have green, so Abby's blue are truly striking! I love to look at them. She is so special! I'm excited to see how she grows and comes into her own over the next few months. It is already obvious how much she adores her sisters. I'm so thankful that she has come to our family!
In June, the girls and I spent some time in Utah with family. I wanted the girls to see the Timpanogos Temple, where we were married. But because it was such a hot day,
. . . only a few photos turned out like I hoped. Thanks to Phil for taking the pictures.
Emma, Rachel,
and Abby anxious for Uncle Mike to light the fireworks!
We then celebrated the 24th in our new home, Arkansas.
This was the only way to tolerate being outside! Thanks to my parents, who came to see us also in July, the girls found respite from the heat with the trampoline, sprinkler, and new slip-n-slide!
Emma loving every minute . . . Abs not so much!
giving Baby Snow White a haircut,
sharing lots of hugs,
and enjoying bedtime snacks!
We also welcomed a new sister into our family. Drea and Ben got married on the 18th.
It was wonderful to be at the temple with my parents and all of my brothers and sisters, (and Baby McKayla, like you could miss her!).
I got a good glimpse into how much she actually loves her kindergarten world when she told me that her first experience eating school lunch was "just amazing, mom!"
Finallly in August, we bought a new van to make room for #4.
Despite having my own siblings laugh at me because I now drive a van :), I am more pleased than I can say with our purchase.
And now I can kick the girls way into the back when they decide to act like turkeys! 
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