WHIPPERMAN FAMILY

Cody & Eliza visit Perth, Australia for job interview (August, 2011)

2011-11-22T21:18:00.001-05:00

Cody has been interviewing with Rio Tinto to get on with their iron ore mining group based out of Perth, Australia and they were kind enough to fly both of us out for an interview.

Family Pictures (July, 2011)

2011-07-07T17:11:00.001-04:00

You always hope that taking family pictures is a smooth process but it never is! Zander and Nash were on one! I'm so suprised we got so many cute pictures. Which means we must have had a great photographer! Thanks Katie!

Sawyer 7 year pictures (April, 2011)

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Sawyer's 7th birthday (April 24, 2011)

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Easter 2011 (April, 2011)

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Ryder's 5th Birthday (April 2, 2011)

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Pirate Cake Eliza made

Made from modeling chocolate

Opening presents at the bowling alley

Ryder's 5 year pictures (April, 2011)

2011-04-02T12:09:00.000-04:00

Disneyworld (March, 2011)

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Field Trip to the Fire Station (March, 2011)

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Random Pictures (February-March, 2011)

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Family Reunion in WV (March, 2011)

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Zander 7 month pictures (March, 2011)

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Cody's 32nd Birthday (March 3, 2011)

2011-03-03T11:53:00.000-05:00

Boston, Massachusetts Temple (March 1, 2011)

2011-03-01T21:10:00.001-05:00

Sawyer Cheerleading (January-February, 2011)

2011-02-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

Zander 6 months pictures (February, 2011)

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Cake Auction for Charity (February, 2011)

2011-02-19T11:55:00.000-05:00

Christmas in Pennsylvania (December, 2010)

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Christmas in Utah (December, 2010)

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Ryder's Preschool Christmas Program (December, 2010)

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Family Pictures (December, 2010)

2010-12-01T14:11:00.000-05:00

Haws Family Reunion, Outer Banks, NC (November, 2010)

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Halloween 2010 (October, 2010)

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So You Think You Can Dance Concert (October, 2010)

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Ryder Preschool Field Trip Fire Truck (October, 2010)

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Ryder Preschool Fieldtrip to Simmons Farm (September, 2010)

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Nash's 2nd Birthday (September 22, 2010)

2010-09-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

Sawyer's First Day of First Grade (August, 2010)

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Washington Wild Things Baseball Game (August, 2010)

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Zander's Blessing (August, 2010)

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Zander pictures 10 days old (August, 2010)

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Zander Creed Whipperman's birth (August 8, 2010)

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Little Cottonwood Neighborhood Fair (July, 2010)

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Summertime in WV (June, 2010)

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Sawyer jumped off the 10 foot high dive.

Ryder "flying" off the 10 foot high dive.

3 cousins: Kaitlyn, Savannah, and Sawyer

Ryder's Karate Classes (June, 2010)

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Sawyer's Cheer Camp (June, 2010)

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Chuck-E-Cheese (June, 2010)

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Memorial Day in West Virginia (May 31, 2010)

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Grandma Toni With Kids While Vacationing in Bahamas (May, 2010)

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Paradise Island Beach Club (May 25, 2010)

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Swimming With Dolphins (May 24, 2010)

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Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas (May 24, 2010)

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Golf on Paradise Island, Bahamas (May 23, 2010)

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Cable Beach, Bahamas (May 22, 2010)

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Nassau Bahamas (May 20, 2010)

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Sawyer's Birthday Party (April 24, 2010)

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This year Sawyer chose to have a Hello Kitty Party. So she picked out all of the decorations, party favors and she helped design her cake. She loved being involved. She stayed up many nights with me helping my with the cake. It was so fun to work with her and see her excitement. The night before her party she stayed up with me and blew up balloons, decorated and got all of the craft stuff out and ready. This is what she decided to do at her party: color Hello Kitty pictures, decorate purses with jewels and paint, do a pinata, play limbo, poor kitty (a game I grew up with), and hot potato using a Hello Kitty stuffed animal, eat cake and ice cream and open presents. She had the whole party planned out and a timeline for everything! She is growing up way too fast for my liking! She's so fun to be around and quite the helper! Happy Birthday Sawyer!

Sawyer's cake! It was so fun to make and the kids got to help so they loved it!

Coloring and doing crafts! Sawyer really wanted to color pictures at her party. The girls then decorated purses. I had 3d fabric paint and all kinds of jewels, flowers and butterflies for them to glue on. It ended up being a very messy craft but they loved it!

Pinata!! For some reason kids never get too old for it!

Sawyer opening presents. After everyone left she said "I am so exhausted. That was way too many presents to open!" She loved every minute of it though.

Easter 2010 (April 4, 2010)

2010-04-04T20:43:00.000-04:00

Ryder's 4th Birthday (April 2, 2010)

2010-04-02T20:42:00.000-04:00

Ryder decided on a batman party. He loved being able to pick out all of the decorations and deciding what to do for his cake. He was so full of excitement through the whole process. He had so much fun at his party. He had 6 friends come. They're boys so for the most part they just ran around and played. We did a pinata, decorated "bat" planes, played a game using the planes and trying to land them on the batman mat, played batman, batman, robin (duck, duck, goose), ate pizza and had cake and ice cream. It was really fun to watch him interact with his friends and to see how excited he got over every little thing!

Ryder's batman cake! My first attempt at cake making. It was definitely a learning experience, but I had a lot of fun doing it!

Cody's 31st Birthday (March 3, 2010)

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Nash is a Stinker! (February 25, 2010)

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Christmas 2009 (December 25, 2009)

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Winter 2009 (December, 2009)

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Princess and the Frog (December 19, 2009)

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Ryder's Preschool Program (December 17, 2009)

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Nash's New Favorite Thing (November 10, 2009)

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Halloween (October 31, 2009)

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Autumn Leaves (October 22, 2009)

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Cody and Eliza in New York City (October, 2009)

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Nash's 1st Birthday (September 22, 2009)

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Sawyer's First Day of Kindergarten (August 31, 2009)

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Family reunion at Grandpa and

Grandma Haws' house

August 12, 2009

Eliza's brother Heath was coming home from his mission so we all went to Eliza's house for two weeks so we could see Heath and see eachother. Eliza's sister Amy and brother Ryan flew in from Arizona and the rest of us drove. 9 of us kids were able to be there. It was so much fun. We spent a day at Arden River near my parents house. There is a small sandy beach area and shallow water for the kids, some of the adults jumped and did tricks off of some cliffs, and we took some canoes and rafts out on the river. Then we took a 3 day trip up to Splash Lagoon and Lake Eerie. Splash Lagoon is an indoor water park that has little slides for the smaller kids and then some bigger ones for the bigger. We had a really good time. Lake Eerie has a white sandy beach and sand volley ball courts. The kids had a blast building sand castles and playing in the waves and the adults had a couple of volley ball games. It was a very fun trip. The rest of the time we hung out at my parents house where they have a play ground, hammock, a huge tree swing, a fire pit, and a public pool. We spent almost every night out at the camp fire cooking dinner, making s'mores, or just hanging out. The kids got to spend alot of time with their cousins and they absolutely loved it. It was fun for Eliza to see her sisters and brothers and spend so much time with them, and it was so awesome to see Heath and catch up with him and hear all of his mission stories. We all had a really good time.

Heath just off the plane!

Heath's homecoming at my parent's church.

My parents have a big hill in their front yard so every summer they do a slip 'n slide down it. The kids love it!

Making a train down the slip 'n slide!

We spent the day at Arden River near my parents house. It's a family favorite!

Ryder in a raft at Arden.

At the beach at Lake Eerie. Ellen, Emily, Eliza, Amy, and Mom.

Daddy exploring the water and sand with Nash.

Ryder playing in the sand with his cousins.

A day at Splash Lagoon.

Ryder spent most of the time at Splash Lagoon going down these little slides. Very easy to please!

Love that smile!!

Ryder and his cousin Jayden. They are only a couple of months apart and they play so good together.

Ryder, Jayden and Maddox by the camp fire.

Whatever works!!

Grandpa Haws swinging with Matthew, Jayden and Sawyer.

Aunt Amy and Sawyer.

Sawyer, Savannah, Kaitlyn, and Matthew. Cousins all the same age!

Uncle David with Nash.

Uncle David swinging on the rope swing with Ryder.

Grandma, Jace, Ellen, Eliza, Jayden and Emily out by the camp fire.

Such a happy baby!

Growing up fast! Ryder going off the diving board by himself.

A day at the Bridgeport pool!

2009-07-06T14:07:00.000-04:00

Trip to Utah

July 2009

While in Utah we went to Lagoon for Stake Lagoon day. The kids love rides so we had so much fun!

Aunt Loni taking Ryder on ride!

What a happy kid! He is honestly always smiling!

2009-06-05T13:34:00.000-04:00

Trip To The Zoo!

June 5, 2009

For our church playgroup we took a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo. It's one of the kids favorite places to go so they had a blast!

Vacation to Florida (May 16-23, 2009)

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We took a trip with Grandma Toni and Grandpa Scott down to Florida to see Mickey and get on some rides. We went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, DisneyQuest, Epcot, and Sea World on consecutive days. Even though it rained every day, we had a lot of fun and made some good memories.

Nash and Mommy in front of Cindarella's castle at night.

Sawyer and Daddy on a simulated ride at DisneyQuest.

Alice in Wonderland teacups.

Nash loves popcicles.

Nash and Grandpa Scott climbing trees.

Nash spent a lot of time in the backpack.

Cindarella planted one on Nash's forehead.

Sawyer and Ryder in the animal train.

Ryder petting the alligator.

Sawyer petting the alligator.

Ponchos and umbrellas.

In the Norway section of Epcot.

Sawyer's face painted.

Ryder's face painted.

Getting ready to go to the parks.

Sawyer's 5th Birthday (April 24, 2009)

2009-04-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

Our big girl is now 5 years old. Here are some pictures of her Tinkerbell birthday party.

Musical chairs

Tinkerbell crafts.

B-I-N-G-O.

Opening presents.

Piñata.

Easter (April 12, 2009)

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Easter Sunday dress.

Our handsome little boy.

The Easter Bunny brought a koosh for Nash.

Ryder, with his Easter basket.

Sawyer, with her Easter basket.

Ryder's 3rd Birthday (April 2nd, 2009)

2009-04-02T16:43:00.000-04:00

Ryder is now 3 years old...he is getting to be such a big boy. He had a pirate birthday party and invited his friends Cade, Chase, Corbin, and Josiah.

Ryder's new Spiderman bike.

Oh, the excitement of a new bike.

Basketball hoop in his room.

The boys had a treasure hunt in the house and the yard where they finally "unearthed" a piñata full of candy.

Blowing out the candles.

Breaking the piñata.

Getting ready to party.

Grandma Toni's Pie in the Face (March 9th, 2009)

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Step 1...

Step 2...

Step 3...

Utah Vacation (February 28-March 9th, 2009)

2009-03-09T17:04:00.000-04:00

Sawyer, hanging out in the lodge at Snowbasin.

Our family at the Draper Temple open house.

Eliza, in the lodge at Snowbasin.

Ryder, ready to go. This was his first time skiing and he absolutely loved it. We couldn't get him off the slopes.

Ryder, looking dapper, at the Draper Temple open house.

Mommy and Nash at the Draper Temple open house.

Loni and Cody fighting with banana cream pie.

Eliza, Loni, and grandma Toni at Snowbasin.

Christmas in Utah (December, 2008)

2008-12-29T14:41:00.000-05:00

Mommy and Daddy in front of Grandma Dixie's Christmas tree.

Daddy and Ryder at Grandma Dixie's Christmas Eve party.

Baby Nash and Baby Maciver (Loni's baby).

Ryder and Sawyer's block castle.

There's nothing cuter than a fat, happy baby.

Ryder, in his full military gear.

Annual Whipperman-Featherstone Christmas Dinner (December 28, 2008)

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Ever since before Cody was born, the Featherstone's have always been close family friends with the Whippermans. In our youth, we went on countless Lake Powell and other trips together and built friendships that will last into eternity. We still get together once every year at Christmas to catch up with our good friends.

Ryder and Kyson (Corinne's oldest son) scaring the family.

Our Whipperman-Featherstone tradition...flaming snowballs.

Ryder looked like a little troll in this mask.

Snowmobiling at Uncle Ian's Cabin (December 26, 2008)

2008-12-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

Uncle Ian (Cody's sister, Loni's husband) and his family have a beautiful cabin in Heber, UT. Ian invited everyone up to go snowmobiling and enjoy the scenery. We had a gread afternoon out on the sleds at the cabin.

Grandpa Scott, playing a little foosball.

Ryder, on the snowmobile.

Grandma Toni, with Ryder and Sawyer, getting dragged on a sled behind the snowmobile.

I'm cold, Daddy!

Sawyer, on the sled.

Grandma Toni and Sawyer, on the sled.

Daddy and Ryder, on the snowmobile.

Let's go, Daddy!

Christmas Morning (December 25, 2008)

2008-12-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

Grandpa George and Grandma Dixie.

Ryder loved his singing and dancing penguin that he got from Grandma Dixie.

Nash loves to be tickled.

Opening presents.

Sledding at Grow Park (December 24, 2008)

2008-12-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

Sawyer, sprinting to the top to take another run.

Sawyer, sledding down the hill.

Daddy, with baby Nash.

All bundled up.

Let's go!

Nash is ready to go.

The scene from "A Christmas Story" comes to mind as baby Nash tries on his snow outfit for the first time.

Sawyer's Preschool Christmas Program (December 18, 2008)

2008-12-18T13:56:00.000-05:00

Sawyer, to date, has been extremely shy in public. Her teachers at church and school rarely hear her talk, and when she does, they are usually shocked. She never has any problem at home even with the same kids from church or school come over, but she has not come out of her shell in public.

In her church primary program, she was the only one that didn't say her part in the program ("Jesus Christ loves me") although she practiced it in front of us many times. We knew ahead of time that Sawyer was going to have a problem saying her part, so we tried to give her incentives to say it. We even bought a toy and let it sit unopened on the fridge, promising to give it to her if she said her part. When the time came for her turn to say her part, she got up to the pulpit and just smiled and waved at us. After 20 seconds of silence, her teacher leaned down to the microphone and said Sawyer's lines for her. Sawyer was a little disappointed in herself and did not receive her toy.

She got a second chance at speaking in her pre-school program, but with a little longer part. The conversation leading up to the program went something like this:

Daddy: "I'll give you 20 nickels if you say your part in the program".

Sawyer: "What can I buy with 20 nickels?, Can I buy a Webkin?"

Daddy: "No, you can't buy a whole Webkin, but you'll only need about 180 more nickels until you can buy one"

Sawyer: "How about you buy me a Webkin if I say my part in the program?"

Daddy: "How about a Tinker Bell bag, will you say your part if we get you that?"

Sawyer: (Pause) "Is it purple?"

Daddy: "Yes"

Sawyer" "OK. I'm really gonna do it this time though."

When the time came for Sawyer to say her part, she did so without hesitation. We were actually shocked, since she has been so shy in public for so long. We are very proud of our little girl for showing so much courage and overcoming her fears.

Sawyer's part: "Extra! Extra! the headlines did say; Jesus, our Lord and Savior, was born on Christmas Day"

Ryder and Daddy like to call Sawyer "Curly McHoneysuckle" when her hair is all done up.

Getting ready to go to the preschool program.

Christmas in Pennsylvania (December 17, 2008)

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Ryder, opening presents from Mom and Dad on Christmas Eve.

Ryder's power tools.

Sawyer, opening presents from Mom and Dad on Christmas Eve.

"Twas the night before Christmas..."

Opening stockings on Christmas morning.

Ryder, digging into his presents.

Sawyer, face full of excitement.

Nash's first Christmas present.

Sawyer, wondering who the biggest present of all is for.

Sawyer, unveiling her huge dollhouse.

First Snow (December 13, 2008)

2008-12-13T15:02:00.000-05:00

The kids found out that the little slide was much faster when you cover it in snow.

Making snowballs.

Sawyer's snow angel.

Cheese!.

Ryder's snowball.

Our Family Christmas Pictures (December, 2008)

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Preparing for Christmas (December, 2008)

2008-12-04T15:28:00.000-05:00

Busy making Christmas cookies.

The kids, showing off their handiwork.

Jingle Bells.

Getting the tree set up.

The kids, decorating the tree.

Hatteras Island, Outer Banks, NC (November 23-30, 2008)

2008-11-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

We had our annual Haws family reunion for Thanksgiving this year in a huge 8-bedroom oceanfront beach house on Hatteras Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina. Eliza's sister Bridgett flew in from Arizona with her 4 children, Eliza's sister, Amberly, was also able to make the trip from Arizona with her husband, Jamie, and their 2 kids. Ryan, Eliza's brother, made the Arizona trip by himself, since his wife, Crystal, is just finishing up her first tour-of-duty in Iraq. Emily, Christina, Ellen, and Jacob also drove down with their families, and David "graced us" with his presence, coming back from Southern Virginia for the holidays. All-in-all, we had 33 people staying under one roof.

There was plenty of space, which is something new for the Haws family. In the past, we have unsuccessfully attempted to cram all of Eliza's 9 brothers and sisters with their growing families into grandma and grandpa's 3 bedroom house. We've tried getting hotels nearby, camping out in the yard, and a multitude of other solutions, all of which naturally contributed to the drama and bickering that naturally flows from gathering too many people together into one space. This reunion was different; drama was kept to a minimum, and everyone had their space and freedom. We would like to thank Kim and Toni for all of the organization that went into this great event.

The house was great; it had a movie theatre, pool table, foosball table, hot tub, boardwald to the beach, and huge bay windows out the back which gave panoramic views of a the ocean. This was the Whipperman family's first experience with an East Coast beach (besides Florida) and we were not disappointed.

Below are some pictures of our family reunion:

At one time we had 17 people crammed into the hot tub. This was after the "polar bear" swim in the ocean.

Eliza, with Emily and Savannah.

The "pirate ship" as Ryder calls it.

Nash sleeping on his uncle J.R.

This is a picture of the back of our beach house taken from the beach.

As you can see, Nash is getting plenty to eat, and he feels pretty happy about that. He weighs about 13 1/2 pounds now and is about 9 weeks old. Nash loves to be held and cuddled, but prefers to see what's going on in the room, so to keep him happy, you must face him away from you. He's learned how to scream pretty loud and will definately let you know when he's not happy.

Ryder loves playing with his cousins. One thing we learned in North Carolina, Ryder loves to be the center of attention. Unlike his older sister, Sawyer, he craves the spotlight. When the whole family clapped for him after singing his ABC's during the family talent show, his little body was so full of excitement he started dancing around and stomping his feet. Then when it was his younger cousin Maddox's turn to show off, he took every opportunity to get up on the stage and "help".

Emily, J.R., David and Eliza, eating Thanksgiving dinner. We had the Haws traditional BBQ turkey, which is always a treat.

Ryder and Sawyer, eating Thanksgiving dinner (one of the rare moments they sat still all week). The kids love having so many cousins to play with and so many aunts and uncles that pay attention to them.

Uncle David, the big, fat mermaid. It's a rule that the unmarried uncle must do his best to be the coolest uncle for all the neices and nephews. David does a great job at playing this part.

The big hole on the beach.

Posing after the "Turkey Bowl" football game on Thanksgiving morning. Cody, Eliza, Ryan, David, Mikkito, and grandpa Haws obliterated Miguel, Jamie, J.R., Randy, Malcolm, and Jacob in the most lopsided turkey bowl in history. The game ended at halftime because we were all so exhausted. We never realized how difficult it is to run and cut on the sand.

Sawyer, with her Aunt Amberly. Amberly rarely gets to see all of her neices and nephews since she lives in Arizona, so when she comes into town she spoils them with all the love and attention that she gives. Sawyer and Ryder were constantly playing at their Aunt Amy's feet.

Eliza, with sister, Christina and baby Andrew.

The kids, keeping warm by the campfire on the beach at night.

Sawyer, collecting seashells.

Eating dutch oven doughnuts by the campfire.

Two beautiful, happy girls.

Ryder, flying a kite with uncle Miguel on the beach.

Crazy grandpa doing the "Too-de-tah" dance.

Eliza, with sister, Emily.

Ryder, digging holes and building sandcastles.

Sawyer, building sandcastles.

Haws Family Pictures (November 27, 2008)

2008-11-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

Grandpa and Grandma Haws with all of their grandkids. From left to right: Matthew, Mikkito, Sawyer, Nash, Grandpa, Savannah, Maddox, Riley, Jayden, Kaitlyn, Andrew, Grandma, Malcolm, Garrett, Ryder, Whittnee, Tanaya, Kenya.

The Haws Clan. From left to right: Baranek Family (Riley, Jamie, Amberly, Garrett); Stout Family (Randy, Christina, Kaitlyn, Andrew); Ortega Family (Matthew, Miguel, Jayden, Ellen, Mikkito); Ryan Haws; Stewart Family (Malcolm, Tanaya, Whittnee, Kenya, Bridgett); Grandma and Grandpa Haws; Amanda and Jacob Haws; Pudder Family (Maddox, Savannah, Emily, J.R.); David Haws; Heath Haws (poster); Whipperman Family (Sawyer, Eliza, Ryder, Nash, Cody).

Cody (29), Ryder (2 years, 8 months), Nash (2 months), Eliza (24), Sawyer (4 years, 7 months).

Eliza's immediate family. From left to right: David, Eliza, Jacob, Christina, Bridgett, Toni (Mom), Emily, Amberly, Kim (Dad), Ellen, Heath (poster), Ryan.

Autumn Leaves (November 1, 2008)

2008-11-01T12:53:00.000-04:00

Ryder, with his sword.

Sawyer, with her friend, Bella.

Ryder, rolling in the leaves.

The neighborhood kids: Ryder, Cade, Bella, Sawyer, and Calli.

Cade, Sawyer, and Bella.

Trick-or-treating (October 31, 2008)

2008-10-31T12:46:00.000-04:00

Mommy with a sleepy baby Nash.

A tired little bumblebee.

Mommy, getting a workout.

Our band of trick-or-treaters.

Sawyer, hoofing it to the next house.

Mommy and Daddy with Nash.

Getting ready to go.

Let's go get some candy.

Nash, the baby tiger.

Ryder, in action.

Trunk-or-treat (October 29, 2008)

2008-10-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

Calli, Cade, Ryder, and Sawyer.

Every year our church puts on a trunk-or-treat for the kids. They get to dress up and have games and, of course, candy. This year our friends, the Walkers came with us and enjoyed the fun.

Random Pictures of Nash's First Month (October 26, 2008)

2008-10-26T16:15:00.000-04:00

Nash in his oversized snuggies.

Ready for church.

A warm, happy boy, now that his bath is done.

Nash, wedged into the couch cushions.

Rub-a-dub-dub...three kids in the tub!

Nash, peacefully sleeping.

Nash's first bath in the "big-boy bathtub".

Ryder's example to us (October 24, 2008)

2008-10-24T15:50:00.000-04:00

Our Savior teaches us that "...ye must...become as a little child or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God." (3 Nephi 11:38).

We were at Nash's one month doctor's check-up this morning. We had been sitting in the waiting room for longer than we should have been. Ryder and Sawyer were ready to leave, but being as patient as they know how. Nash was screaming, probably wanting to eat. Ryder noticed that Nash wasn't happy and he walked up to Eliza and said, "Mommy, I'm gonna give Nash a blessing so he'll stop crying". Ryder calmly put both his hands on Nash's head and said, "Nash...Easton...Whipperman...by the power of the Holy Ghost, I am giving you a blessing...The End!".

The amount of faith inside our 2-year old boy continues to amaze us. If only we could have such faith. Ryder was in-tune enough to recognize that his brother was suffering, and, instead of trying to solve the problem himself, he looked to the source of the greatest power and did everything he could to call down this power to help his brother. We thought we were supposed to be setting an example for our children, but, more often than not, it is the complete opposite.

Sawyer's surgery a success (October 20, 2008)

2008-10-20T16:25:00.000-04:00

We took Sawyer in for outpatient surgery today. She had an epigastric hernia corrected. Since I've never heard of this before and am not very good at explaining medical terms, Wikipedia will do the honors:

Epigastric hernias are commonly found in babies. Typically, they are caused by small defects in the tissue between the abdomen muscles. This allows fat or other tissue from inside the abdomen to push through creating the appearance of a bubble under the skin of the baby's belly. It can be surgically corrected, although the operation is done almost entirely for cosmetic reasons. In general, any cosmetic operation that is proposed on a baby will be delayed until the baby is older, and better able to tolerate anaesthesia.

Sawyer wasn't having any pain, but it looked like there was a little bubble about the size of a marble in the middle of her stomach. She's very acrobatic and is always doing backbends and somersaults, so we figured that it would be a good idea to get it corrected before it got any worse. Sawyer was very brave and the surgery was successful. Sawyer got all the popcicles that she could handle when the surgery was finished, and that was reward enough for her.

Nash's Blessing (October 12, 2008)

2008-10-12T14:36:00.000-04:00

Our family of 5.

From left to right...Grandma Haws, Grandpa Haws, Sawyer, Ryder, Daddy, Nash, Mommy, Savannah, Aunt Emily, Great Grandma Modro.

Mommy with Nash.

Daddy with Nash.

Sawyer with her cousin Savannah.

Grandma Toni's Visit (October 2-9, 2008)

2008-10-09T12:54:00.000-04:00

Oh, no! It's the CLAW!!!

Grandma Toni supervising Ryder, in one of his more gentle moments with baby Nash. Ryder is very rough with everyone, but he tones it down just a few notches with his baby brother...not that toned-down Ryder is gentle, he's just more gentle than before.

Ryder reminds us often that Nash still can't talk...you can tell that Ryder is very excited for the day when he'll have a little brother to follow him around like he does Sawyer.

Ryder, "climbing" the tree in our front yard.

Sawyer, "climbing" the tree in our front yard.

Ryder and Sawyer colored jack-o-lantern pictures with grandma Toni and plastered sponge stickers all over them.

Christmas tree crafts to hang on the kids' bedroom doors...grandma Toni ended up doing these herself...the kids were a little to young for these.

Ryder getting grandma Toni's goiter with his "claws". Ryder is always gritting his teeth, grabbing your neck and saying "I got your goiter". I'm pretty sure he picked this up from somebody in the Whipperman family while in Utah.

Grandma was scaring the kids and chasing them around the house with the lights off with her glow-in-the dark claws. Ryder kept asking her, "Grandma, will you please be nice now?" Sawyer couldn't stop laughing and giggling...she follows her grandma Toni everywhere.

Making haunted gingerbread houses for Halloween. Ryder took a front seat so he could more readily access the candy. He was pulling the candy off the gingerbread house almost as fast as Sawyer and mommy were putting it on the house. He loved the frosting too, as if that isn't evident from the picture.

Daddy built the kids a lincoln log mansion. Ryder's, Sawyer's, and grandma Toni's bedrooms are the ones they are pointing at, and mommy and daddy's bedroom is below grandma Toni's. Grandma Toni is very close friends with a make-believe person named Mr. Magoo. She carries around a miniature cell phone about an inch long and talks with him on the phone. The kids love Mr. Magoo because he is always leaving them treats in the mailbox and in other random places. Mr. Magoo left the kids some candy necklaces in their lincoln log bedrooms one night while they were sleeping.

Grandma Toni brought all kinds of crafts for the kids to do. Sawyer colored the christmas tree apron and Ryder had a lot of help with his reindeer apron.

Baby Nash met his grandma Toni for the first time. Grandma Toni has flown out when all the kids were born, but she can never time it right. Sawyer came 3 weeks early, Ryder came 2 weeks early, and Nash came 3 weeks early. For Nash, grandma Toni flew out 12 days before the due date, but still missed his birth by 10 full days.

Grandma Toni with baby Nash.

It's Official...Cody Passed the Pennsylvania Bar Exam (October 8, 2008)

2008-10-08T13:54:00.000-04:00

It's finally over. After 4+ years of law school, Cody is officially done. He took the bar at the end of July, and finally got his test results back today. Great news, he passed. We can now breathe a sigh of relief.

Simmons Farm, Peters Township, PA (October 1, 2008)

2008-10-01T16:16:00.000-04:00

Sawyer on the tractor.

Ryder on the tractor.

The firetruck slide.

Sawyer's "STARS" preschool class...doesn't our girl look happy?

Climbing through the tire maze.

Brother and sister.

Ryder's indian corn.

Sawyer's indian corn.

Look at those beautiful blonde locks blowing in the wind...it only took 4 years to grow them.

Ryder hiding in the corn stalks.

Eliza took the kids to Simmons Farm with Sawyer's preschool class. The kids were able to pick pumpkins from the vine, pick and peel indian corn, play on tractors and firetrucks, go through the corn maze, and play on the playground. They had a wonderful time.

Nash's 1st week at home

2008-09-29T16:24:00.000-04:00

Yummy! Ryder loves chocolate pudding.

Nash getting acquainted with his big sister.

I'm watching you.

When he's awake, Nash seems very alert.

This is the position you will find him in for about 80% of the day.

The kids.

Ryder wanted Mommy to build him a fort to play in...as evidenced by his smile, Mommy passed the test.

Ryder holding "baby Nash"

He's starting to get a little squirmy.

Sleeping on Daddy.

Falling asleep in the swing.

Most of the fam.

The 2 brothers.

Good morning Nash.

Nash Easton Whipperman's Birth (September 22, 2008)

2008-09-22T16:08:00.000-04:00

Nash has more hair now than either Sawyer or Ryder had before their 2nd birthdays

The kids were in awe...they were so gentle with baby Nash.

Ryder kept repeating "I think he likes me...I think he likes me".

Grandma Haws paid us a visit at the hospital.

Sawyer with her new baby brother.

Good morning Nash.

Minutes after the birth.

Getting his first spongebath.

Sawyer was such a sweetheart with the baby.

Nash meeting his big sister.

First family picture.

Nash weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 inches long. We felt great about this size, given the fact that he came 3 weeks early.

Mommy minutes after the birth.

Proud daddy.

Mommy with Nash.

WICKED September 10, 2008

2008-09-10T16:47:00.000-04:00

Eliza and her mom outside the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh.

Eliza in Pittsburgh.

Cody in Pittsburgh.

Eliza with her parents.

We saw WICKED when it came to Pittsburgh. It was a great play...we had a wonderful time.

Eliza's 24th Birthday Party in Bridgeport, WV (September 1, 2008)

2008-09-01T12:26:00.000-04:00

24 Years Old.

Toni, Eliza's mom, navigating through all the grandkids with Eliza's cake.

Happy Birthday.

Opening presents.

Idlewild Park, Ligonier, PA (August 30, 2008)

2008-08-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

Idlewild has a giant ball pit where the kids (and adults) can play. We got in line several times for this...the kids loved it. Daddy would bury himself underneath the balls and sneak up on the kids and drag them under. Ryder's heart would pound and he would scream with terror, but he kept asking for more. Sawyer loved to jump off the edge into the balls.

Idlewild has a huge kids area where only little kids shorter than 4 feet tall can ride the rides. Sawyer and Ryder were a perfect fit for this area. Here they are riding motorcycles.

In the Storybook forest, they have exhibits for every nursery rhyme that you can imagine. Some are interactive. Here are the kids riding Aladdin's magic carpet.

"Little pig, little pig let me in"..."Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin"..."Then, I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down". Sawyer is definately not afraid of the big bad wolf anymore.

I don't understand carousels...they are pretty boring, but our kids love carousels more than any other ride. They would be happy going around and around all day long. Here is Ryder playing cowboy and leaning back on his horse.

This ride made Cody sick...it's called the Spider.

Daddy was the ball monster.

The kids sitting at the school desks in Mother Goose's schoolhouse at the entrance of the Storybook Forest.

Ryder trying to pull out Excalibur.

At least there were 2 steering wheels...both wanted to drive.

Old cars.

Old cars.

Boats.

Mommy shouldn't have been on this ride...7 1/2 months pregnant.

We took the kids to Idlewild park kind of as a last hurrah before Eliza has the baby. They had a great time on all the rides.

Presque Isle, Erie, PA (August 29, 2008)

2008-08-29T12:15:00.000-04:00

Daddy.

Sand angels...Sawyer's creation...a little messier than snow angels.

The kids were so busy playing, it was hard to get a close up picture of them.

Fresh water (Lake Erie), but the beaches were soft, clean sand.

Ryder.

Sawyer.

Ryder wanted to be buried in the sand.

Pregnancy shot...Eliza at 7 1/2 months...looking beautiful.

Presque Isle in Erie, PA is only about 2 hours away from our house. We had never heard of it before, even after living in Pittsburgh for over 5 years. We thought we'd try it out. To our surprise, it was fantastic. The beaches were clean and not crowded...no stench of salt water beaches. We will certainly return in the future.

Splash Lagoon, Erie, PA (August 28, 2008)

2008-08-28T12:10:00.000-04:00

We took an overnight trip to Erie, PA. The hotel we stayed in had an indoor waterpark attached. It took a while for the kids to get up their courage, but by the end, they were running and sliding all over the place.

Jackson Lake, WY (July 25-26, 2008)

2008-07-26T12:29:00.000-04:00

Sawyer on the boat.

Grandpa Scott, Grandma Toni, and Uncle Ian.

Eliza keeping active...pulling the kids.

Grandma Toni posing by the cabin.

Ryder after his first dip into the cold water.

Sawyer on the scooter.

Ryder on the scooter.

Sawyer helping Ryder buckle in.

Pregnant Eliza and pregnant Auntie Loni taking the kids for a ride on the water weenies.

Auntie Loni with Ryder.

Sawyer.

Uncle Ian with Ryder.

Smores.

These are some pictures from the annual Whipperman family reunion at Jackson Lake, WY. We haven't been able to make it the past few years, but Eliza and the kids had a great time this year.

Lagoon, Farmington, UT (July 17, 2008)

2008-07-17T15:29:00.000-04:00

Driving the cars.

The carousel.

It's getting late, but at least Ryder is still going full speed.

Sawyer on the carousel.