Merry Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!









Baby's first Christmas. She loved opening presents!

Halloween Pictures

We finally downloaded our Halloween pictures.

First: Pumpkins created by t, a, a, and j. Little t wanted his to be the scariest ever.


Second: Pumpkins lit.

Third: Little a's class Halloween party. They were so nice and let her little brothers participate. I totally wasn't expecting that.


Fourth: Halloween costumes.

Little A is Sleeping Beauty, E is a Ladybug (this one's been passed through the family a few of you may recognize it.), J is a sports guy (we spent days searching for a sports costume this is the only one we found and it's *way* to big for him, but he loved it, T is Buzz Lightyear (finally! the costume was in storage last year and it was so sad for him.)

Fifth: We made a brownie cake (as if the trunk or treat sugar wasn't enough.) :)

Last: We had a great Indian summer here. It was really warm all the way till last Thursday. We loved the leaves!

Happy 4th of July

So many little blessings today. E is 6 months old now. Dad called yesterday and when she heard his voice she said "Da-Da". Okay, she says "da, da, da. . ." all the time, but this was clear and concise. She has always been a Daddy's girl and is the first of our kids to say "da" before "ma." I think it means a lot to "T" that she seems to remember him.

I took the kids to the parade today. We got there late and forgot to bring the stroller or hats (at least I remembered sunscreen and the baby sling). I love parades and the kids love candy so we were glad to be there. Soon after we picked a spot that wasn't too crowded my neighbor saw us and let us sit by them. They gave me a chair to sit in which was nice since "E" slept through the entire show.

After the parade we walked down to the park and saw some friends from church who invited us to join their picnic. It was very refreshing. They had a big blanket laid out in the shade. The kids played at the playground and we enjoyed music from a polka band with surprisingly young performers. You've gotta love it!

So far a great day. People are so nice. Now the kids are napping and we hope to catch some fireworks tonight. Note to self: load stroller in car. And, don't forget the bug spray. After all that flooding the mosquitoes are flourishing!!

Mother's Day

Even though I have four kids it's still hard for me to think mother's day is for me. Yesterday at church, a youth speaker in our branch read four definitions of a mother. Two of the definitions followed along the lines of elderly respected women. Perhaps that is why I don't feel the pull. It's hard to celebrate the battle's won while you're still in the trenches. It's not that I don't feel like a mother. I am probably called mom more than any other name at this point. I have chosen to stay at home and raise my little ones, so I do a lot of mothering. But I see mother's day as being a celebration for my mothers not myself. So here's to my own mother and other wonderful women that have influenced my life. I would not be who I am today without the strength I gained from you. Thanks!