Forever Ard

Accepted!

2012-01-15T23:49:00.000-08:00

David got a call from Union University and they informed him that he was accepted! Here is a picture of David holding the official letter they sent him after the phone call. He is going to be a Pharmacist!

Shiloh and Casy Jones

2012-01-15T23:39:00.000-08:00

While David was interviewing for Union University, he took the time to travel around and see some sights from the area. Jackson is home to the famous railroader Casey Jones, and there is a museum to him and to railroads in Jackson. Shiloh battlefield is an hour and a half south of Jackson, and so David went there to see his first civil war battlefield. He really enjoyed his trip.

Union Interview

2012-01-15T23:22:00.000-08:00

David had an interview for Pharmacy School with Union University in Jackson , Tennessee on November 11. It is a small Baptist college that opened a Pharmacy school about 4 years ago. David was very impressed by the school, and the people her met there. They told him that they would cal him with there decision on Tuesday.

Gravity Works!

2011-07-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today, Hyrum thought he would see if Gravity works with clean laundry, school books, library books and toys. He used the 2nd story porch to do his experiment. It still works. Here is Hyrum cleaning up, above him is the porch he used in his "experiment".

Watercolors, Dad's Chair, Haircuts and Berry loving

2011-07-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

We had a few interesting things happen recently. The kids made their cousin Abram birthday pictures, but they used their fingers to make the watercolors since David couldn't find paintbrushes. A member of the ward recently gave us a very nice chair, David loves it since it is almost a miniloveseat. Heidi decided to give our potato plants a "haircut" and so she got ahold of some scissors and did. Heid is also a HUGE cherry fan. Here is her simile after she consumed a bunch.

Camping

2011-07-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

We recently went camping with the Simmons and the Herbs. It was a lot of fun. It is the first time the kids have gone camping and now they kleep asking to do it again.

Wetlands

2011-07-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

We recently took a trip to Corvallis to visit a wetlands reserve they have there. The boardwalk made it a very fun experience for the kids. It was beautiful and the kids loved it.

Dogs

2011-07-18T00:08:00.001-07:00

We recently had a friend come and they brought their dog. The kids really took a liking to her, Hyrum even tried to put a crown on her head. This is a major thing, since Heidi HATES dogs. She is terrified of them! She really like this one.

Chocolate Pies

2011-07-18T00:04:00.001-07:00

David made a chocolate pie, Heidi really enjoyed it, and it wore Hyrum out.

Birthdays

2011-07-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Heidi and Hyrum recently turned 3!

Pictures of Summer vacation in Moscow Idaho

2011-07-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

This summer, Brenda and the kids went to Moscow Idaho for a family reunion of sorts. Here are some pictures of their adventures.

A few fun Pictures!

2011-04-25T01:27:00.000-07:00

Caroline's Birthday

2011-04-25T01:06:00.000-07:00

I am sorry it late but here are some pictures from Caroline's Birthday. The 2nd cake that is all mashed up is the one that Heidi ate herself, while Mom wasn't looking. She got into trouble for that.

Gardening

2011-04-25T00:55:00.000-07:00

Recently David bought a book about gardening from containers, and since we live in an apartment, it sounded great. The book was really helpful and very informative, but kept things simple and easy to understand. So, Friday David came home from school and we all made a small container garden! We have onions, potatoes, cilantro, thyme, parsley, rosemary, sage, oregano, and basil. The herbs are all planted together in a strawberry planter, with each tier getting a different herb. It is really nice, and Brenda really likes that David did all the work!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T00:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we went to Brother Erickson's house. He is a retired member of the church in the area, and a very good family friend. He agreed to let us use his yard for Waster Egg hunting. Once we started, the kids caught on very quickly. Walk around, and find food and treats in the grass, it's almost as fun as Halloween when you walk to people's houses and they give you candy. It was a lot of fun!

Our computer is fixed....maybe!

2011-04-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry that we haven't posted in a while. We had our computer break, David fixed it, it broke again, a local computer store said it was toast, and then a member of our ward took a look at it and it works again! So, for the time being it is fixed. We will see how long it lasts.

Trick-or-treat in Albany

2010-11-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

Brenda had a Relief Society meeting at our house and Albany businesses were having a Saturday trick-or-treat for kids, so David and Uncle Brian took the kids trick-or-treating. They loved it. Heidi and Caroline seemed to be the best at it, and Hyrum didn't like that he had to go to the people to get candy, I think he wanted the people to come to him. Overall, they were so cute, and they had fun. I couldn't ask for anything better.

Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

Here are the kids pumkin carving. They had a blast.

Kid Pictures

2010-11-04T00:28:00.001-07:00

Family for Confrence

2010-11-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

This past confrence we had David's Parents and youngest sister visit. It was so much fun. The kids really liked seeing their Grandparents and Aunt Debra.

Newport Aquarium

2010-11-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of when Uncle Brian took us to the Newport Aquarium. It was his Birthday gift to us. Everyone had a blast. It was so much fun. Thanks Uncle Brian!

Happy Birthday Brian!

2010-11-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Uncle Brian had his birthday recently, and he came to our house to celebrate. He didn't want a cake, but he wanted rhubarb pie. Here are some pictures of him with Brenda's famouse Rhubarb and Strawberry pie. We loved having him here.

Back too soon

2010-09-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

David will be headed back to school next week. He has a very full load this year. This fall he is going to start off with Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Genetics. We will see how this goes. He is happy to be going back to school, but he also loves to be home with his family. We really hope he does well!

Keyboard

2010-09-20T00:16:00.001-07:00

Brenda was out window shopping (very dangerous) and came across a good keyboard for a very good price. She has been really wanting to get back into music, and so this was an early Christmas gift. Brenda has been very good about practicing every day. It is in our room for now until the kids are old enough to fully appreciate it and not destroy it in the process.

Bates' clan

2010-09-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

We went to Brenda's parents after Grandma Sadie's. The kids had a lot of fun. They got to play with two of their cousins, Rosemary and Dustin. Here are some pictures of them playing at their Grandparents place. They really didn't want to go home, because they loved it so much. Brenda also got to see her older sister, Bridget. They had a lot of fun hanging out again. It was sad to go.

Grandma Sadie's

2010-09-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

We realized after we left that we neglected to take a single picture while at Grandma Sadie's house. It was probably because we had so much fun.

Grandma Sadie is David's Grandmother. She is his father's mother. She is an amazing lady. While she might not have a formal college degree, she is one of the most educated people that we have ever met. She has worked in banks, and in public office. She turned 80 while we were there, and it was lots of fun to see her and help her celebrate. We wish her the best, and we will have to go back soon and take some pictures.

Car ride

2010-09-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our car ride from Oregon to visit David's Grandmother in Colorado. It was a long drive, but the kids handled it very well. They all really enjoyed the movie, and Hyrum especially enjoyed the red vines.

Families together

2010-09-19T23:37:00.001-07:00

We had a lot of company before we went on vacation. Uncle Brian, Aunt Britney, and Uncle Patrick all came over and spent some time with us. David's Parents and his his sister ,Debra, came over and drove with us on our vacation. This is Sunday dinner when the two parties overlapped. We are having spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad. It was lots of fun to have everyone over at once. It makes us appreciate the bigger apartment.

Seagulls and horses

2010-09-19T23:32:00.001-07:00

Brenda recently helped a widower in the ward by repainting a seagull he had a decoration in his yard. Caroline is helping her.

David has a very strong back, which is coming in very handy now that three kids all want rides at the same time.

Pictures of Hyrum

2010-09-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

These are some recent pictures of Hyrum. He is becoming a man, except for the red high-heel shoes that he is wearing in this picture. These other two pictures are from Bath time. He is getting so big!

McDowell Creek

2010-08-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

We went on a hike at McDowell creek 20 min from our house. It was a lot of fun. This area reminds David of where he grew up. It is a very nice hike. We love this area. It truly is our home.

Children's Museum Part 4

2010-08-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of an old Train that is outside the Children's Museum. The kids thought it was great.

CHildren's Museum Part 3

2010-08-05T13:50:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the Children's Museum.

Children's Museum Part 2

2010-08-05T13:42:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the Children's museum. It was a lot of fun.

Children's museum Part 1

2010-08-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Uncle Brian, Brenda's brother, took us all to the Children's Museum in Portland. Everything was lots of fun and very hands-on. The kids had a blast! There was so much to do that they literally didn't know where to start.

One of the advantages of David being unemployed is that he is able to go to all of these things, and he gets to see the kids play and have fun. Things like this make being jobless worth it.

It was lots of fun. Thanks Uncle Brian!!!

Summer bike fun

2010-08-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

This summer Brenda and the kids have been able to bike around town. The kids love it! Here are some pictures of the Brenda and the Kids going biking for the 1st time this summer.

Train ride

2010-07-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

While on vacation, we took a train ride in Snoqualmie. These are some pictures of the ride and of the view from the train. It was lots of fun. Debra and Grandpa also can with us. David grew up in a very beautiful area. This train travels within half a mile from his home.

Marshmellow Catapult

2010-05-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

David is the Webelos Den leader in our ward. He loves his calling! This month they are studying the Engineering Activity Pin, and so David decided to build a Catapult before he had the Scouts build there own at Den meeting. These are the instructions from the Webelos handbook, and the pictures are of the various steps. The video is of the final result.

Recent Random Pictures

2010-05-08T02:51:00.000-07:00

Easter!

2010-04-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

This is David's son, He is SO proud!

Caroline is So cute!

Here is Grandpa Ard pushing the kids around. They loved it.

Heidi is SO cute!

Hatfield marine science center

2010-04-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

While David was on break, we went to the coast and visited the Hatfield marine science center at Newport, OR. It is actually part of OSU. It was a lot of fun, and the kids loved it.

I think this was a Sea Lion. It is HUGE! It must be at least 7 feet long.

This is two-man submarine. I can't even imagine it holding one man.

This is an Orca skull. It looks more like an alligator to me!

There is a turtle under the rock ledge. You can barely see it, but Caroline sure thought it was interesting.

More sea critters to pet, and sea water to drink! (It was fun trying to stop her)

The kids got to pet a flounder, and other sea creatures.

Oregon State University visit!

2010-04-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

We went on a trip to OSU to see where David goes to school. It is a beautiful campus, and now we know that David isn't making this up. We hope that he gets into Pharmacy school here.

Salem and Science

2010-04-18T21:49:00.001-07:00

We all went to the A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem when David had a week off of school. The Kids loved it! There were tons of activities to enjoy. The bubble room was a big hit. The giant rocking chair was fun, but some people were tired and needed a nap by the time we got around to taking pictures.

Aunt Debra

2010-04-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Last Quarter, David's youngest sibling, Debra, came to visit for a month and to help around the house while David studied and got good grades. The kids loved her, and she did great with the kids.

Messes

2010-02-01T02:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of recent messes. The first is of the kids grabbing folded laundry off the changing table and pulling it on the floor while they are in their cribs. The second is of Heidi putting diaper-rash cream up her nose.

Big Help!

2010-02-01T02:26:00.000-08:00

Caroline loves to help. She especially wants to help in the kitchen. Here is a picture of her wearing her great-grandmother's apron after 'washing' the dishes. Heidi is just being herself.

Christmas!

2010-02-01T02:14:00.000-08:00

We know these are late, but here a few pictures from Christmas, including the chalkboard made by Brother Erickson. He was kind enough to make it for our kids, even though he is busy. David's parents were also able to come down and visit, which was really fun for everyone. We hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Portland Temple

2010-02-01T02:05:00.001-08:00

The day after we went on the train ride, we visited the Portland Temple. These pictures don't capture the true beauty of it. It was so much fun, except for the rain, and the kids loved it.

Christmas Train at the Zoo!

2010-02-01T01:55:00.001-08:00

The Portland Zoo lights up their zoo and opens their train at night so that people can take rides and see the many colorful exhibits. Uncle Brian took us there this year, and we all had a great time. It was lots of fun, and the kids had a blast. The kids love trains, and so this was a real treat for them. These are just a few of the pictures. Thank you Uncle Brian!

Thanksgiving with the Ards

2010-02-01T01:41:00.000-08:00

No, we don't know why she is earing Grandma's rubber gloves on her feet.

Cindy, David's mother, putting the finishing touches on the Turkey dinner.

Be prepared!

Messy Girls!

2009-11-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

This morning, Brenda was working on sending a package to a friend when the she noticed that the girls were a giggling and a little too quiet. She found them in the main Bathroom playing with an entire container of Diaperrash cream. This container in a pound (16oz.) and they have almost half of it on themselves. Brenda was...not amused. It is funny, but messy!

Halloween Pumkins

2009-11-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

The day before Halloween, Brenda's brother, Brian, came down for a visit. He brought a drop-clothe with him, and he helped the kids carve their first pumpkin. It was cleaner than you would have though with three small kids. The kids seemed to like stirring the 'guts' with spoons, but didn't enjoy handling it with their hands. Heidi was the exception and ate the 'guts' seeds and all. It made for some interesting diapers. We were glad that Brian could join us. It's so great to live near him, and to be able to do things with him.

Pulling his weight

2009-11-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Hyrum decided to pull his weight around the house by helping Mom clean up after breakfast. That is why he is still in his P.J.'s. He is scrubbing yogurt of the table after he and his sister ate it fro breakfast with Cheerios. They like yogurt instead of milk on their cereal. He really loves to help any way he can. He is so cute!

Newport

2009-10-17T23:31:00.001-07:00

Today we went to Newport, OR with Uncle Brian and Aunt Brittney (Brenda's Brother and sister). We had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of us at the beach. It was good weather, and it was not too cold. Newport is a fun place to visit. We ate a t a great Chowder place called Mo's before we came home.

Ard's visit Ard's

2009-10-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, David's parents and little sister came down for a visit. It was great to have them here. Caroline, Heidi, and Hyrum loved to see them as well. It is so much more fun now that our families live closer, the can actually visit and not take days to do it.
As you can tell from the pictures, the kids had a blast with David's family. We love them very much and hope for many more visits. We got some funny shots of Hyrum and his opinion of his Dad's photography.

Silver Falls-Labor Day!

2009-09-07T23:32:00.001-07:00

Silver Falls is a State Park that has a series of waterfalls in it. There was also a lot of hiking, camping, and picnic areas. We only went to one of the many waterfalls because of time/children. It was great, and we all had lots of fun. It was great to spend Labor Day with our family and Uncle Brian (Brenda's older brother). Here is Brenda and Caroline on the trail. It sure was beautiful

This is a picture of the falls from the bottom. The trail actually goes behind the falls, and it is a magnificent site.

This is the same waterfall only from higher on the hill. It is hard to really appreciate the size of the thing without being right up next to it.

This is Uncle Brian. He came down from Portland to visit and to spend Labor with us at the park. It was lots of fun having him around. He was a big help.

This is the Ard's eating at our picnic area. It was great. We had salads, sandwiches, chips, juice, and deviled eggs. It was a lot of fun, and the kids loved it!

Hyrum's First Haircut!

2009-09-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

David cut Hyrum's hair this week. It was hard, since he kept trying to see what we were doing. In the end, it turned out well. He matches David very well.

Heidi's eye's are bigger than her stomach!

2009-09-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

Our wild animal!

2009-09-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

Hyrum is in touch with his wild side!

Super Heidi!

2009-09-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Unknown to the common citizen, Lebanon has a masked crusader! Her disguise is flawless!

Milk Time!

2009-09-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Heidi was drinking a bottle of milk on the couch, so Hyrum climbed up and decided that she had the right idea and he joined her.

Now in Oregon!

2009-09-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

We are now in Oregon! We arrived a month ago, and now we are finally getting settled. David's job didn't work out, and now he is in the market for a job. He has had several interviews with places like Safeway, FedEx Express, and Good Samaritan Health Services. Nothing has come out of them so far, but some of the jobs have not decided yet.

Hyrum's pictures

2009-07-29T16:08:00.001-07:00

Here is our little man. He is so cute!

Heidi's pictures

2009-07-29T16:03:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of Heidi. She loves life!

Caroline Pictures

2009-07-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Caroline. She is a very beautiful little girl.

Family Pictures

2009-07-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Bair's, A couple in our ward, were kind enough to take some pictures of our family and give us a CD of the pictures. They were very good photographers, and they gave us some pictures that we can treasure for years to come. Here are a few of our favorites of our family. We sure do have cute kids.

Vacation Part 4 (Snoqualmie)

2009-07-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the Giant Log of Snoqualmie. The end we see is the small end. The picture does not do it justice.

This is Snoqualmie Falls. It is the place where David purposed to Brenda. The view we have here is the same view they had when he popped the question. It is 270 ft tall, and is a city park.

Here is Caroline at the Falls. She was very impressed.

Brenda and Hyrum loved to see the Falls.

This is actually a snowplowing train. The giant blades chew up the snow and shot it out of the way.

Vacation Part 3

2009-07-29T15:07:00.001-07:00

This is the kids on the way to Washington. We are taking a break after Heidi gaged herself and vomited on her car seat.

This is the three kids in the cockpit of an F/A-18 Hornet. They are all having a lot of fun.

This is the Museum of Flight in Seattle. It has a lot of great exhibits about aviation and space. This is a bomber on the outside of the museum.

Here is the Railroad Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington. This is David's hometown.

Caroline really liked to climb onto the exhibits. We had to stop her from going too far.

These are some of the engines that work at the museum. Hyrum was impressed, and Heidi slept through it.

Here is a picture of the love of my life. I think she is gorgeous wherever she is!

Vacation Part 2

2009-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Cannon Beach, Oregon. It is a beautiful place, even when it is overcast and stormy. We had lots of fun, and this was the first time the kids got to see the Ocean.

Caroline really liked the beach. She was very impressed with the birds and waves. Her monkey backpack helped us keep an eye on her.

Here is Grandpa Bates with Heidi. She also liked the beach, although she didn't like the wind in her face.

Hyrum really liked hanging out with Mom. They are both really cute!

Vacation part 1

2009-07-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is Brittney, she is Brenda's sister who was just married. Here is her wedding dress.We went to her ring ceremony in L.L. "Stubs" Stewart state park in Oregon. It was a beautiful in Oregon with lots of trees that reminded David of home.

We went to Stonehedge while in Washington. It was very impressive. It was built a monument to the fallen soldiers of that area in Washington after World War 1. It is located just across the Columbia river from Oregon.

Caroline was very impressed by Stonehedge.

Caroline was not a big fan of being in the car all day!

The Kids needed a break from the car. Here they are getting a ride from Dad and Grandpa and Grandma's house in Moscow, Idaho.

Dirt and smiles!

2009-07-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hyrum found our potted plant, and so logically he ate the dirt. This is a picture of him after the fact.
Here is Hyrum's new tie from Father's Day. This way he can go to church in style and wear a tie that matches his Dad's.

Slippery little Girl!

2009-07-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Heidi got a hold of our container of petroleum Jelly (we use it as diaper rash cream). She used almost half of the container on herself. When we bathed her, we had to use dish soap to get her clean. Water was actually beading off of her. She had very soft skin after that.

Warm River

2009-06-06T22:27:00.000-07:00

We recently went on a hike to Warm River with uncle Brain. These are some the pictures we took along the way.

Heidi cooling off with a wet onzee on her head.

The view was great. We love this area.

Heidi asleep in the carrier.

Caroline being a big helper to uncle Brian.

Mom and Dad with Heidi and Caroline on their backs.

Uncle Brian pushing Hyrum.

Dad and Caroline.

Caroline cooling off with a wet hankerchif

Hyrum got a turn to be carried by Mom and he loved it.

Caroline loves to have her picture taken, even when she's on Dad's back.

Happy Birthday! (May 28, 2009)

2009-06-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

If you ever feel big during pregnancy...

2009-06-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is Brenda the night before the twins (Heidi and Hyrum) were C-sectioned. This picture does not do justice to her HUGE stomach!

The Beginning

2009-06-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we have finally started a blog. That is a big thing for a family that doesn't even have a cell phone! "Sometimes, I don't want people to find me" is his reasoning. David has actually never texted anybody in his Life!

Our kids are doing great! Caroline is talking more and more and now we can't get her to stop! Heidi and Hyrum just turned 1 last week, and they are crawling everywhere. They are now pulling themselves up and walking holding on to furniture.