2.21.16

Today is Aurora’s birthday! She is 13 today! I got to facetime her this morning.

This week has been a little crazy and different!  Monday we were in Utah, Tuesday driving home and then I am sick.  I can’t even tell you how much fun it was to just hang out with Melissa without anything we had to do. I really needed that time with her. I always miss her and I enjoyed it so much! Monday we did a little shopping. It is always fun to find cute baby girl clothes!  First we met our good friend Stewart Kearney for lunch. He served in Lacey, one of our rms. He took Keagan to an in door rock climbing place and the rest of us went shopping.  Poor Chaz had to work. Holidays are his busiest times for selling cars.  That evening Melissa dropped us off and we went to see Dallin Majors in a cute children’s play- Peter Pan, where he was Peter Pan! (Another one of our rms) Drama is his speciality.. it fits his personality. He was awesome! And it was so great to see him afterwards! Zack Bishop and his date and Kearney came with us. It was so fun! Dallin’s response to seeing us all there was priceless. I’m so glad we all went! I love my rms!

We got up at 4 a.m. to drive home. I’m glad we left so early. We missed the Portland traffic and were home by 5:30 p.m. And then back to “Normal” for the rest of the week.

But, I got sick. sore throat and fever. I’m so glad I didn’t get sick in Utah. And that it waited a couple of days after I got home. It has hit me hard. I don’t know the last time I haven’t left the house because of being sick and slept most of the day away. I’m hoping to be better by Tuesday when I have preschool. I was sad to miss church today! I watched a lot of Byu channel and conference talks.

And my phone died! I know.. a little materialistic but I lost all of my contact info and my pictures! Thanks goodness I had saved all my Utah pictures on the drive home! I would have been so sad! The only pictures I totally lost were the last 2 weeks of preschool. I had updated them before that and luckily I write this weekly letter and add pictures to it, so I had pictures from my letters. See what a blessing you guys are to me!

Not much else going on. Next week Keagan is performing for his swing dance at the Wa performing Arts center in down town Olympia. We’re excited to go see that!

  Love you all!

Sis Shoop

A collage of our 10 rms we saw!! Stewart kearney, Zackary bishop, hunter Pyne, Tyler Howard, Jared Oliphant, Grady bing, dallin major, Blake green, Dylan Anderson, and Jc Price.

Waiting for the play Peter Pan to start. 

Peter Pan and Keagan. 

Stewart and Zackary at the play. 

Us with Peter Pan. 

Us with Stewart. 

Us with Hunter Pyne. Doesn't Melissa look cute!!?!

We love stopping at multnomah falls whenever we can. It is so beautiful! And with all the rain lately, it was gorgeous!

Our dear friends the millers who we stay with when we go to visit Utah.  They are so great!

Melissa's ABC book 1999

 A is for...
Uncle Adam holding Keagan, apple, and cousin Austin
Arial, airplane, Melissa with her puppy Arial in the back yard of our house on Hall street. 3.98

B is for... Bathing beauties at our house on Hall street. 3.98, 

Mommy and Melissa in the bathtub with bubbles, butterfly, 

Melissa learning how to ride her bike. 8.97

Baby Melissa 6 days old, Katrina is holding Melissa up..ball pit..Melissa in the ball pit at the Martin's house 6 months old, Blue, baby Melissa with her binky @8 -10 months old.
Melissa eating a banana 4.00

C is for.... cake (from Melissa's baby shower), Cousin Colin at Aunt Darlene's house .99, camera, crayon, Melissa in her cowboy boots @18 months '96. (They were mommy's when she was little)

 D is for.. Uncle Danny with Melissa and Colin Sept 99, Jesse, Aunt Darlene and Colin, Melissa driving, and dinosaurs.
Dance class - ballet 4.00, Daddy and Melissa @8 months, Melissa and Dutches Feb 98 house on Hall street.

E is for.. Elmo, Melissa in her Elmo costume. Oct 97., elephant, Easter egg hunt 4.00@St. Martin's College, she is in the red coat middle top.

F is for... the farm '98,, farmhouse, firetruck, Melissa and an old Firetruck at the Puyallup Fair. 9.98

Face painting 4.00, My Family 11.99, Melissa, daddy, mommy, and Keagan. 

Melissa on the ferry. 5.98, feet prints, fishing pole.

G is for... Grandma Gayle, Grandpa Thom, Grandma Pearl 3.99, Grandma Jackie & Grandpa Bill & Melissa 9.99, Grandma Judy & Grandpa Don 5.99, gingerbread people & gingerbread house, GRANDPARENTS!

Grandma Stambaugh & Grandpa Stambaugh Sept 99, Grandma Bilow, Grandma Gayle, Grandpa Bilow 6.99, Grandma O'Brien, Melissa, and Grandpa O'Brien 5.99, Melissa at gymnastics 5.00.

H is for... heart, Melissa in her hat 5.96, Hat, Melissa in her play hat 6.00, 

Mommy in the play hat 5.00, A Silly Hat, Melissa in her hat '96, Melissa in her Easter hat. 5.00

Halloween - Bryce Habel, Maleah Guinto, Melissa, Hayden Oliver, Brooklyn Falter, Brett Habel, and Andrew - Joy school Halloween party.

Melissa haircut. 12.97, hula hoop. 4.99

I is for... in the truck - Melissa & Keagan 3.00, Meghan in the box. 4.99, Melissa 1 year old pictures - in the basket, Melissa in the basket. 3.98

Melissa playing her instruments 12.98, '96, I have to tell you something! Easter '97.

J is for jumping 8.97, Uncle Jace holding Keagan 9.99, cousin Jesse March '99, 9 years old, his bday gifts.

Uncle John & Melissa 12.97, Joy school, Porter (not in joy school), Hayden, Maleah, Brooklyn, Brett, Jenna, and Melissa. 5.99, Mommy and cousin Jadyn 5.00.

K is for.. soccer practice - kicking the ball. 5.99, 

Melissa and the kitten at the pumpkin patch farm 10.99

K is for Keagan! 5.00, 9.99, 2.00, 5.00, 5.00, 5.00.

 L is for Aunt Laura, Melissa and Meghan with Lipstick 5.99, Keagan and Melissa laughing 12.99
Melissa licking her lollipop '96, Melissa and her cousin Liz 12.97, Melissa and daddy raking the leaves, lips.

M is for... Mommy with Melissa and Keagan 4.00, Mommy 4.00, Messy Melissa '96.

Cousin Mackenzie 9.99, Melissa and Madison 12.97, Messy Meghan 4.99.

 N is for Nature Melissa at Tolmie state park 5.00, Aunt Cindy painting Melissa's nails, neighbors - Greg & Debbie, Joy School Nativity Brooklyn, Maleah, Kyle, Jenna, Melissa, and Brett. nativity.
NAPPING, Ray and Melissa '96, Nap time 5. 96 & '97.

O is for Outside- our backyard on Hall street. Mommy, Melissa & Daddy, Outside - Melissa & Mikeala. It snowed on mommy's bday 1.12.00.
Hands On Children's Museum - Open Mouth 5.99, One year Older, Ocean - Ocean Shores.

P is for.. Pink pajamas fall of '96, painting with purple paint- spring of 98 @ 2 years old.. party, Melissa's 4th bday at McDonald's. 7.99, Pinata at Meghan's bday party May '99.

Oct. '97 - Pumpkin, Mommy & Melissa carving pumpkins, Pigtails. 2.00, Melissa on the pony at the Lacey Fun Fair. 6.00.

Q is for Melissa's queen bee costume '96, Quazy - Melissa & Meghan playing dress up.

Daddy with Melissa's quilt '99, quack, quack, quack, Question mark.

R is for.. Recliner This is the recliner that Grandma & Grandpa Bilow gave her that matched Grandpas. Holding Keagan in her recliner. 8.99, rollerblades '98, rainbow, Rrrrr, I'm going to get you! Melissa at Ocean Shores in the pouring rain!

reading - Melissa reading to Keagan 3.00, rake 4.00, rocking horse, Melissa on her rocking horse - riding her horse. 5.00.

S is for ... slide PA '97, sun, sand - Ocean Shores - Jamie, Melissa, Tanner, Jenna, Riley, Holland, Carol - Klumker's van, Maughan's van. 6.00.
Ray on the slide at Discovery Zone '95, spider, Melissa on the swing 5.99, Melissa on Santa's lap, soccer ball, Snow 1.12.00.

T is for.. Melissa at the Children's Museum, Seattle, 5.98, tooth, train in Elby (Mt. Rainier) 7.98, Ray talking on the telephone.
Trophies - Andrew, Brooklyn, Melissa, Brett, Jenna, Hayden, Chase, Chrysta, Coach Dixon, Aunt Theresa 9.99, Turkey at Thanksgiving time 11.98, Seattle Temple.

U is for ... Uh-oh Melissa outside at Max and Gust's house. 5.96, United States of America.

12.97, Upside down with Uncle John.

V is for.. vacuum 6.98, Va-Va- Voom! look at those pretty nails Aunt Cindy painted 11.98.

11.98 - Vegging watching videos, 6.95, Max playing video games at Discovery Zone.

W is for ... 5.97 Tumwater Falls - Melissa & mommy- Water, wave, wand, Welcome to the World Keagan July 15, 1999.

wagon - Max & Gust '95, WATER! - Ocean Shores 6.00, Donna, Melissa & Katrina at Katrina's wedding, wagon, Melissa in her play wedding dress.

 X is for.. X-ercise Grandpa Don exercising 9.99, xxxxxxx Hershey Kisses - Hershey, Pa 9.99.
X- rated :), X - Kisses - X, x-ray.

Y is for... 5.96 Melissa Yummy!, Yahoo! Melissa at soccer practice, yellow.
Yipee! - slide at the Puyallup Fair 9.98, Yikes! 12.97 - Melissa broke her arm.

Z is for ... catching some ZZZZs, ZZZ Melissa is sleeping again 9.99
ZZZ... The sleeping queen. 8.97.