Our Family

Saturday Adventures: Botanical Gardens

2012-01-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday is here again. As you have probably noticed, each Saturday we find some adventure to do as a family. Many are documented with photos, but many are not. Either way, when Saturday comes the kids know it is a day for fun.

This Saturday was no different. We had heard about a Holiday Train Show at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and decided to go. It was quite the event. Within the large greenhouse at the gardens, they had constructed a variety of structures (buildings, skyscrapers, bridges, stadiums, etc) that can be found in NYC. The amazing part was that each of these structures were made of natural materials - bark, sticks, acorns, nut shells, moss.. you get the idea. Some were only a foot tall, while others were close to 7 or 8 feet. I was amazed at the detail. The kids I think we more impressed with the model trains that ran throughout the exhibit - through roads and centers and across bridges. Connor (our train man) was in heaven.

The gang waiting for the subway at our local subway stop - 96th

"The Train Show"

"Waiting for the crowd to get moving"

A typical NYC crowd ... basically it is always crowded. You learn to push your way through the crowd with the best of them.

"Ellis Island" - the train show display

Real life Ellis Island... Can you see the resemblance? I think they did an amazing job.

Abigail and Penn Station in the background

John trying to show the kids the details ... trying to help them appreciate :)

"Brooklyn Bridge"

"Yankee Stadium"

This was a fun one... the tallest building was probably about 8 feet tall. Can you tell which famous buildings are in this shot?? Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building...

It was always fun to come upon something that the kids recognized and could remember visiting... Many of the above were part of that remembering... as well as many sites from Central park and others.

Connor was SO much fun to watch. He LOVES trains! He was so excited whenever a train would pass by. Many times he would sit and wait for the next train to reappear.

After the train show, we walked around the gardens and tried to enjoy some of the other facilities. After walking not too far we came upon the children's center. But I think the kids favorite part was climbing the rocks. More than anything, they were so excited to have space to run and play... things to climb on and ground to jump on.

Enjoying the Rocks

Even Owen was having fun

Connor being a scientist

Hooray for another Saturday of fun. We actually had such a great time we decided to put the cost of the days tickets toward a yearly membership. We can't wait to go back... especially in the spring.

Side Note: I was so bummed that I forgot to bring my longer lens for my camera. Especially after remembering that my regular lens is broken and is only in focus 50% of the time. Bummer.

Cabin Fun

2011-12-29T05:56:00.000-08:00

We were all excited to spend some relaxing time at the cabin. It hadn't snowed as much as usual in Utah this winter, but we still managed to make it up there in the snowmobiles and there was plenty of snow for sledding (my favorite anyway).

Visiting the cabin always seems to have its fair share of challenges... I don't know if you remember the year before last when we found that all the pipes were frozen. This year was not as eventful, but when we got up to the cabin we found that we had no water! I was prepared to pack it back down the mountain and call it, but John and Mark were determined. They headed out to find the problem. After checking all the pipes around the cabin, they decided to see if they could find a neighbor that might be able to help. Come to find out, the main water pump wasn't working and we weren't the only ones without water. But our heros saved the day and worked (watched) to get the problem solved. We had water by midnight :).

We spend most of the time in our pajamas.. eating, sledding, snowmobiling, watching football and movies, and putting together puzzles. Fun times for all. It was a great way to spend part of our winter break... relaxing and enjoying family.

Connor - always a bit nervous to go sledding, but still smiling.

Dallin the Dare-Devil

I don't think this kid is afraid of anything. He couldn't get his sled going fast enough :).

One of the few shots of Abigail. She was usually playing with her "girl cousins" :).

She did have lots of fun sledding down the mountain and then getting picked up in the snowmobile. (the best kind of sledding if you ask me... long rides and an easy back to the top)

John and two of his boys

The Reason

2011-12-28T06:31:00.000-08:00

The reason we traveled to Utah the day after Christmas...

To watch these two

get Sealed for Time and all Eternity.

What a beautiful couple... inside and out... Jake and Alexa Holland.

The sealing was absolutely wonderful. They had the opportunity of having President Eyring seal them. His remarks were so heartfelt and inspirational. It really was one of the best sealings I have been to. The spirit was so powerful.

You can't help but remember your own sealing as you watch the married couple experience a similar day. I still remember kneeling across the altar from John, my eyes filled with tears and his face filled with joy (he was giggling). But we both so happy. Each day since then we have grown more in love. I hope that we continue down that path holding true to the covenants we made that sacred day for us in temple almost 10 years ago.

Everything about the day was beautiful. The temple. The sealing. The reception.

I didn't take many pictures. But here are the few I did...

The Beautiful Bride

Dallin refusing to put on his boutonnière. "Flowers are for girls!"

All the little kids on both sides (our four included) were able to be part of the wedding party. Little girls in beautiful cream dresses and little boys in navy with little blue bow ties. So adorable.

Two Little Princesses - Bella and Abigail

Love these two silly kids

James Dowse (Catherine's youngest) and Owen Wirthlin

Cousins once removed - Born just weeks apart

6 months old

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

We really had fun heading down to Soho (would love to go back to this part of town and just walk around..preferably without kids) to this crazy candy store. Of course, it was a skinny store - like most everything in NYC... you feel like you are in a closet or hallway. But it was packed with candy (and people) - and not just the fancy NYC candy. We have been to a couple of those stores, too. This was old-school candy. The largest PEZ collection I have ever seen. Rock candy. Candy cigarettes (haven't seen those forever). Gummies. Hard candies. Pop Rocks. The list could go on and on. So we loaded up on all the best things we could find for our gingerbread houses and headed home to create our masterpieces.

Here are our creations...

Dallin working hard.

Owen hanging out in the kitchen watching the fun and enjoying some sweets too.

Dad helping get the frosting in just the right spot.

Connor couldn't wait to eat some of his treasures.

Dallin's Masterpiece

Connor won "Most Candy." This picture is missing his lemon drop yard.

Abigail and her creation. She couldn't stop making silly faces...maybe all that sugar was getting to her :). She was awarded "Most Meticulous"

Santa's Winter Wonderland

2011-12-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

We had to take the kids to the famous Macy's Winter Wonderland to see Santa. I was a bit hesitant.. knowing the crowds were just going to be ridiculous. But these are the things that we do for our children, right?

We decided we might have a better chance during the week than going on the weekend. So the kids and I met John just off the subway at 33rd and walked over to Macy's around 6pm. It was perfect!!! I was anticipating having to wait at least an hour before we even entered the Wonderland, but when we arrived they said there was no line! No line?!?!?! I was more than excited. We walked right onto the little train and entered the Winter Wonderland. It does take about 20 minutes to wind your way through all of the little exhibits and displays in the wonderland., but we all loved it. From sledding penguins and dancing bears, to a Santa sleigh full of toys and tin soldiers ... the wonderland had it all. Connor was especially enthralled with the toy train that wound its way around a Christmas tree and then down again.

It was fun.

The Santa wouldn't smile.

But I still had a good night and so did the kids.

And that is all that matters.

And we were still home in time for bed... perfect!

Action Shot

2011-12-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

John in action.... tying in a splint.

Love this shot.

Love seeing what my guy is doing all day... or at least part of the day.

'Tis the Season

2011-12-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Months ago, one of John's coworkers informed us that we HAD to get tickets to the Christmas Spectacular. She insisted that it was "the" show to see at Christmas time in NYC. So after a little debating, we bought our tickets and crossed our fingers that the kids were going to be entertained the entire time and Owen wasn't going to cry through the entire thing.

Crisp Morning + Donuts = A Great Start

Waiting in line at Radio City Hall...

Inside the theater had been decorated floor to ceiling for the holiday. It was spectacular. I think my favorite piece was the Christmas Tree Chandelier that hung in the front lobby. It was gorgeous.

Family shot from the balcony. You can see part of the chandelier.

We really enjoyed the show. The Rockettes were fabulous! The kids loved all the lights.. the dancing... the storyline.. the 3D parts ... especially getting to wear the fun glasses... and the live nativity. I must admit the live animals were a great touch. Our seats were great - Everyone could see (thank goodness). And Owen was happy through the entire show. It was a miracle!

After the show we walked down the sidewalk to see, for ourselves, the massive Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. Amazing!!! It is HUGE!!!

Family shot minus the photographer...

A nice man offered to take a picture of our entire family.

Poor Owen always has the back of his head in all these pictures. I need to remember to pull him out of that carrier.

This photo is one of my favorites from the day. Love this boy.

Shoes

2011-12-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

Yes... we are doing a lot of walking.

Bought these shoes for Dallin right before we left SLC around Sept 15th. Here they are 2 months later, worn completely through at the heels and toes.

I used to be able to buy Target shoes for my kids and by the time they outgrew them, the shoes were ready to be replaced too. Not anymore. Target shoes aren't going to cut it.

Happy Birthday Connor!!

2011-10-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? This little man is 3!

Connor has been waiting for his birthday to come... and finally it was his turn for a special day - all his own. Decorations for him... a birthday chair for him... presents for him... and cake for him... he was in heaven.

Originally Connor told me he wanted pancakes and smoothies for his special birthday breakfast, but once he woke up that morning .. he changed his mind. No pancakes... "I want breakfast." Breakfast to Connor = cereal. So the menu changed. Abigail and Dallin weren't too thrilled with the change, but Connor reassured them... "We still get smoothies." So.. birthday breakfast... "Dog Food (Cracklin' Oat Bran)" and Smoothies.

After breakfast we opened a few presents .. played with them for a bit ...

Then we packed up and headed to the largest urban zoo in the nation... The Bronx Zoo. I think Connor had just as much fun on the subway as he did at the zoo. He LOVES riding the subway. We had a fun filled day with lots of walking and lots of animals. Some of our favorites included the Asia Monorail and the Gorilla Refuge.

One of our favorite animals of the day... the TIGER.

Asia Monorail... so neat!

Waiting in line for the Dora and Diego 4D movie.

Not sure Owen enjoyed the water splashing in his face.

"The Bug Carousel"

We sat down to watch a short film about the gorillas... and this is what happened to Connor. Poor kid... he was all tuckered out.

Part of our cute little family

Heading home after a fabulous day at the zoo.

One the way home we stopped for some dinner and headed to Crumbs Bakery for some NYC cupcakes. We ended up with quite a variety.

Connor was pretty excited about his cupcakes and candles.

Happy Birthday Connor!

We hope all your birthday wishes come true!

It was a great day. Fun for all.

I still can't believe our Connor is 3 years old! He is such a fun and spirited little guy.

We love you Connor.

The 3 Amigos

2011-10-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Everyone is enjoying "Tummy-Time" at our house (apartment).

Owen

4 months old

Firsts...

2011-10-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Owen! He is finally on his way to a wonderful world full of amazing tastes and the joy that comes from those tastes.

First attempt at rice cereal:

Getting excited....

Not really sure ... maybe this isn't what he had in mind.

Owen struggles a bit with keeping the cereal in his mouth. But with some practice .. hopefully.. he will get better. We know he is ready for something more than just breast milk. He has sucked cucumbers and apples and couldn't get enough of both.

Happy Birthday Dallin!

2011-10-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Dallin was SOOOOO EXCITED to have a birthday. Lucky for him he got two days of celebration. When your birthday is on Sunday, there is a fun activity day and a birthday day. So... to celebrate Dallin's day we headed to the Natural History Museum. WOW! What a museum! This place is huge! We will definitely be going back (I am sure a lot when it is snowing).

We spent most of our time on the 4th floor. The floor of DINOSAURS. The boys were so excited. Actually, I think John and I love museums more than anyone. :) I was really impressed that the museum had an app that you could download that allowed you to take a variety of personal tours throughout the museum. We decided to take a medium length tour to catch some of the major highlights.

Along the way... we met up with these guys.. MaryAnn and Stephen! We were so excited to have visitors. Stephen was here in NYC interviewing for Med school. We can't wait to see where he ends up. And yes... this picture is out of place. This was actually taken on Sunday, but they did meet up with us at the museum :).

It was fun to watch the kids remember the movie "Night at the Museum" and find the various characters amongst the exhibits.

After the Museum, we headed through Central Park to find some lunch. Lucky for us there is a Shake Shack not too far from the museum. Yum! Yes .. they really are that good.

After some serious discussion, we convinced Stephen and MaryAnn to check out of their hotel (in New Jersey.. way too far from the city) and come stay with us. While they were off getting their suitcases, we took Dallin for one final birthday stop.

Dallin LOVES legos and he was more than excited to pick out his present.

Sunday (Dallin's real Birthday) we awoke early. Church starts at 9am... so this mom had to crawl out of bed at 6am to get the birthday breakfast started... Gorilla Bread. Good thing he loved it and was so grateful.

After church it was present time.

In some ways Sunday birthdays are the best. It is nice to have the time to just sit and enjoy each other. Here are the boys (John, Dallin, and Connor) putting together some lego masterpieces together. I love Father-Son time. So cute.

After opening presents, we took MaryAnn and Stephen down to the Staten Island Ferry to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. (We really did have fun with these two)

Dallin was just thrilled to be able to carry his candy along for the ride (thank you MaryAnn and Stephen). While riding along we met another women visiting NYC with her daughter who also was having a birthday this month. She was so sweet. She learned it was Dallin's birthday and gathered her kids around to sing to him.... soon there was quite a group singing and wishing Dallin a happy birthday. I think his favorite part was when she whipped out $5 and said "Happy Birthday!" He was grinning from ear to ear!

That evening we blew out the candles, cut and devoured the most delicious chocolate cake ever. So glad Dallin wanted the Black out Cake. It was fabulous.

Too bad I took the cake out of the fridge too soon... some of the frosting had begun to melt down the side of the cake. At least we knew it was really made out of butter :).

Dallin is such a sweet, fun loving boy. We love his happy-go-lucky attitude. He is always thinking of others. He may give me a heart-attack on a daily basis (always trying something crazy- he climbs on anything and everything)... but I sure do love this little guy.

Happy 5th Birthday Dallin!

We love you!

Brooklyn Bridge

2011-10-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

We started with a great plan.

The kids and I would ride the subway downtown ... meet John after work at 6pm ... walk across the Brooklyn Bridge ... and enjoy Grimaldi's Pizza in Brooklyn ... walk back across and head home.

Plans don't always work out the way you plan.

Poor John didn't get off of work when he planned.

The kids and I were anxiously waiting and walking around the block for John to arrive.

Luckily I had packed some trail mix in the bag. The kids were starving.

We finally started across the Brooklyn Bridge around 7pm (an hour past our meeting time).

The bridge was amazing. Cars traveling underneath you. Pedestrians and bikes on top.

I love history and learning about the place where you live. This bridge is truly amazing. It took 13 years to build and was finally completed in 1883. It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. It is amazing to see the workmanship that has lasted more than 125 years.

Not the best picture I have ever taken, but you get the idea. I still need to learn how to take better shots at night.

View of Manhattan from the bridge.

Family Shot

It doesn't take long to cross the bridge .. only about 20 mins. But it really is a must-do when you come to NYC.

Once on the other side we found our way to Grimaldi's, which is really just under the Bridge on the Brooklyn side. Grimaldi's is known (very well known) for its authentic NYC pizza. When we got there the line for a table was down the sidewalk. We kept trying to figure out how long the wait would be, but the gentleman at the door wouldn't say. "Some people eat slow, some people eat fast." So ... we figured we had come this far and everyone was starving... so we would wait it out. After about an hour we were able to squeeze into a table meant for four.

[Side note: in NYC restaurants seating is tight! Very tight! When I say table for four.. I mean a table with four place settings. You are touching elbows with the people sitting next to you in your party and the people sitting next to you not in your party. :) We were just crossing our fingers the kids could sit in their seats well enough not to disturb everyone else in the restaurant. ]

By this time it was way past bedtime and Connor was long gone. He had fallen asleep in John's arms. So there we were sitting at this small table... John holding sleeping Connor and me holding sleeping Owen. But when the food finally arrived at our table around 9:15pm we were thrilled. It was that good. The ingredients were so fresh. The kids weren't as excited about the authentic ingredients as mom and dad, but they sleepily finished their plates :).

When we finally left the restaurant it was close to 10pm. We were planning to walk back across the bridge, but with one heavy sleeping child in arms and two others ready to crash, we decided it was best to take a taxi home. The kids were SO excited. They love taxis.

Even though the night didn't go exactly as planned, it was still a night to remember.

We loved walking the bridge.

We loved the pizza.

And we loved spending time together.

General Conference

2011-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was shocked when I realized that General Conference starts at 11am on the East Coast. WOW... that is late! So after a lazy morning, we decided to pack a lunch and head to a public park not too far from home (on 115th street.. that's about 18 blocks from home). The best part about the park, besides the playground and turf soccer field, was the Wi-fi connection. We ate our picnic and listened on the computer to conference. It was great! Mouths were full... so they had to listen :). After they were done eating we turned them loose in the playground and John and I were actually able to listen to the rest of Conference. SO nice.

John taking a break to play some ball with Connor.

Owen fast asleep in his stroller, while being blocked from the wind.

The troops

Sunday we watched Conference at home, but took a field trip between sessions to visit the Temple on the West side of town. It was really interesting to see such a place of peace in the midst of all the craziness that NYC sidewalks and shopping bring.

Central Park

2011-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

After a couple days of rain, it was nice to get out and play in the sunshine. The kids were all prepared with their soccer socks, cleats, and soccer balls to scrimmage and play together, but when we arrived at the park we learned that after it rains they close the big fields. Bummer. Oh well, we still had our picnic lunch and lots of granite rocks for climbing. I think the kids were still happy just to get out.

Posing for Mom on top of a big granite rock where we ate lunch.

Happy Owen. We love his smiles.

Playing in the rocks. You can't go wrong with rocks and sticks.

On the way home we stopped at the playground on 96th in Central Park. The kids love the tire swings here.

This was the last week before Abigail started school. We are going to miss having her helpful, happy, smiling face around. But she is really excited to be going to school again this year. Mom and Dad are a little nervous, but we are trying to be positive about this new experience for Abby. An inner-city school will be a new experience for us all.

Out On Our Own

2011-09-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

The kids and I decided to be brave and venture out on our own. We packed our lunch, loaded up and jumped on the subway heading downtown towards the Central Park Zoo. I am still horrible at figuring out where I am when I come up from the subway stop. And yes, this time was no different. Because I couldn't tell which way to go at first, the kids and I took about an 8 block detour before getting in the right direction. Oh well.. we are learning. Needless to say the kids were very hungry when we finally reached the park. So we enjoyed our lunch while watching the sea lions :).

The Central Park Zoo was nice, but small... very small. It didn't take us long to see the entire zoo (I think top to bottom including lunch we were there about an hour). We did love the polar bear, who put on quite the show - swimming back and forth, back and forth along his pool, and the sea lion show was a winner. We even had front row seats ... perfect for the kiddos.

Just down the walkway from the main zoo is a children's zoo. Again... small, but enjoyable. Along the way you pass under this clock tower. The kids were in awe as the chimes began and the animals began circling the tower to music. Both Abby and Dallin said it was their favorite thing of the day. It really is quite a neat sight.

Inside the Children's Zoo the kids had fun climbing on everything and anything they could find.

Lucky for all of us this little man was a great traveler. Sleeping most of the time. I love a sleeping baby.

Connor thought it would be fun to have a stare down with an alpaca. Even though I kept trying to tell him... "That animal will spit at you if he gets mad.... watch out." But that did not deter him. He stayed right there .. staring.

After a fun afternoon at the zoo... we decided to head home. I didn't think that Central Park could be that big and we had come up some from where the subway stop was... I decided we would walk. The kids weren't too happy about the plan, but they agreed when I promised we would stop at one of the parks along the way.

Let me tell you ... Central Park is that big! :) We walked from 59th Street up to 97th Street and then over about 4 more blocks until we reached home. It only took us about an hour and a half with a short park stop in the mix. It was nice to walk through the park. It is beautiful. I am still amazed at how many people there are though. I have always associated nature with fewer people... not here in NYC.. there are people everywhere :).

And Yes... in case you are wondering.. We do look funny in NYC. Anyone with four kids is bound to draw some attention and get some interesting looks :).

Intro to NYC

2011-09-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Our first weekend outing ... A "Big Taxi Tour."

Not only had John set up the house (unloading boxes and arranging furniture), but now he was determined to help his little family know a little bit more about this "foreign" land we now call home. We set out toward Rockefeller Center, jumped on our tour bus and immediately were blown away by all the sights and sounds of NYC. It was nice to be able to see the main attractions/sights of downtown in one sweep. Part of me was more confused than ever ... the other part of me just in shock... "Did I really move my family here?"

Once reaching Battery Park, we decided to get off the bus tour and venture out on our own for a bit. The boys were anxious to use some of their never ending energy.

Battery Park has a beautiful view of the Statue of Liberty. I love this picture of John with his little ones and the Statue in the background.

From Battery Park you can catch the Staten Island Ferry for an even better view of "Lady Liberty." The kids were so excited to get on the orange ferry. I was so grateful John is extremely good at navigating large crowds of people.

View of Manhattan leaving the ferry docks.

Connor wasn't too sure about standing in a boat. He preferred a comfy seat against the wall, while the other two loved watching the sights and sounds from the balcony of the ferry.

Our last stop for the night... Times Square.

WOW!!!! I think Abigail's reaction was the best ...

As we came out of the subway and began to take in all the lights, shops, and people... Abigail turned to John and I and said, "This is paradise!" Not exactly my thoughts, but I am really grateful that our kids are enjoying everything NYC has to offer.

One of the kids favorite places in Times Square... the M&M store.

So many colors... so much fun :).

It was a full day.

John was an excellent tour guide.

I can't say I feel settled, but I am excited to see more of the city we now call home.

Home Sweet Home

2011-09-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

In case you were curious... this our new home :). We live on the 4th floor of this NYC walk-up.

Home Sweet Home

Utah State Fair

2011-09-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

We were trying to cram in as much fun as possible our last week in Utah. MaryAnn and Catherine were nice enough to invite me and my rascals to tag along to the Utah State Fair. I love state fairs. I love the smells, the booths, the rides... everything about them is fun.

My kids equally loved the state fair. We had so much fun with our Aunt MaryAnn and cousin/niece Catherine and her kids ... which I think technically are my kids "cousins-once-removed." But really they are the kids that ours match up with best (age-wise).

All the rascals (minus the two babies -James and Owen)

Andrew, Maddy, Abby, Dallin, Connor, Christian

Catherine and baby James

Digging, planting and harvesting.

Learning how things grow and end up in the grocery store.

Roller-coaster Rides

More rides...

Meeting a real robot. The kids thought he was awesome.

Trying to see the sea lion show...

How cute are they??

We had such a fun day! Making memories with family.. doesn't get much better than that.

Monday Night FHE

2011-09-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

We had been playing in the backyard at Grandmother's when Dallin asked me .... "What is that?" He was pointing at Grandmother's fire pit that our Dad had helped to create many years ago. Then came the next big question... "Do you think Grandmother would let us have a campfire and roast marshmallows??" With a little coaxing, Grandmother agreed if we enlisted the help of Uncle Mark.

Mark was a trooper... coming over straight from work (with work still to finish)... building us a fire... and then returning back to the house to finish his work. We love our Uncle Mark. He is so good to us. And how fun for us that his whole family came out to join us for a Campfire FHE. We enjoyed hot dogs and marshmallows until the sun went down.

Roasting...

Aunt Allison and Owen

Christine, Dallin and Abigail enjoying the hammock with full tummies.

Yummy Mallows!

Thank you to Uncle Mark and his family and Grandmother for helping us to make our campfire night so much fun. We love you!!

Lunch Date

2011-09-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

I think one of the best things about staying behind in UT is being able to spend some quality time with my siblings. It has been so much fun for the kids to meet up and play and for the bigger "kids" to chat and play too.

Becca and I decided to call Adam and meet for a lunch date at the park. We had a great time.

Adam was quite the entertainer with the kids. They really loved swinging with him. And the kids loved running and playing on the playground... which we had all to ourselves.

Connor and Adam swinging together.

Abigail and Mylie - Little Buddies

Owen was there too. What a great baby... just sleeping while the others were playing.

Adam and Becca ... just being silly. I love these two :).

As the outing was starting to wind down, we noticed a maintenance man around the corner. We didn't think too much of it until the field by the park was covered with sprinklers! Of course, the kids just couldn't resist (especially Abigail.. she has always been drawn to water).

Soon they were all soaked from head to toe (except for Connor - he didn't think getting wet was a very good idea). After laying on the cement for a few minutes to dry some and warm their bodies, we decided to call it a day and head back to Becca's.

I love time spent with family and the memories that are made.

Thanks Becca and Adam for a great afternoon!

We love you guys!

These kids...

2011-04-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Sure do love their Dad.

The "long" couch was getting a bit crowded so Dad moved over to the "little" couch to get some more room... soon the "crowd" followed. :)

Brazos Picnic

2011-04-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

What a great night! Beautiful weather, beautiful nature, wildlife, good food, and family.

It was another fun evening at Brazos Bend. We love this park. We grilled hot dogs and sausage, played on the park, hunted for alligators, climbed the tower, collected things and then headed home. The kids played hard and slept well. Another fun family memory.

Sibling hugs - so sweet.

The adventurous one - Dallin

Our little collector. Here she is searching for bugs.

Soon the bug collecting switched to moss collecting.

We haven't seen one of these little guys at the park before... perfect timing for Easter.

Tradition

2011-03-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday after our soccer games, we headed south to pick some strawberries at a local farm. This tradition has been one of our favorites. Every spring we find somewhere to pick berries (usually not that far from home). As we were driving away ... I thought this might be the close of this tradition. I am not sure we are going to find too many strawberry fields in NYC, but you never know :).

The beginning: Abigail picking strawberries in San Antonio 2006

It was a perfect day for picking. Not too hot, but sunny. Froberg's Farm had SO many berries. It didn't take long to fill up both of our buckets.

Abigail is quite the picker... she doesn't need any assistance at all :).

Of course, both boys managed to find the only mud puddle at the farm. Connor was not happy about it. He can't stand being muddy.

Daddy and Dallin

Forever Buds

Connor - Just waiting for someone to take him to wash his shoes.

While waiting in line to pay, Connor grabbed a strawberry. "My own," he exclaimed. Next thing we new he had shoved "his" strawberry into his shirt pocket and given it a nice pat. A lovely red juice stain marked the outside of his pocket... not sure that one will come clean. Oh well.. it's a memory, right? :)

On our way home we stopped at Sonic for "Happy Hour" Drinks. The kids were in heaven.

Another fun strawberry memory...

Now we are in the process of trying all different kinds of strawberry treats :).

Saturdays

2011-03-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Abby and Dallin both had their first soccer games this past Saturday.

They both ran hard and tried their best.

Abby's team, "Dynamite" played first. Abigial was a fast runner.

She is one of the older kids on her team and she is loving it!

Dallin's team, "Lightning," played after Abby's.

He, too, ran his heart, tried super hard and even scored two goals.

But most importantly ... they both had a lot fun.

We are also excited for "our" Coach ... John! Go Daddy Wirthlin!

Abigail kicking the ball in ....

"Lightning" team huddle... John is trying to explain which goal is ours :).

During Dallin's game, Abigail was busy catching all the ladybugs she could find.

And he scores.... Yeah!

More Wirthlin Fun

2011-03-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

I really wasn't good about taking pictures this trip.

I really do regret that. But here are a few of the ones I did capture.

Dallin and Jessica

Poor Dallin got sick Sunday evening and was quarantined to the upstairs TV room. He occasionally had visitors to comfort him and break up his day. He ended up spending about 2 and a half days in the room. Not his happiest moments, but at least he didn't get anyone else sick.

Banana-grams!

We enjoyed some good old fashioned game time together as a family. These Wirthlins can be a bit competitive :).

Connor and Uncle Mark.... Go Cougars!

These two developed quite the bond this trip. Uncle Mark has worked hard over the years... always bringing candy or chocolate in his pockets for the kids, throwing the kids high in the air, but I think what really sealed the deal this time... was ... swinging. Uncle Mark took the kids numerous times out to the swings and pushed them and played with them... they LOVE him. Connor is still asking if Uncle Mark is coming to play :).

Toward the end of our trip, Grammie took us to a great playland for kids - Jungle Jims. We met up with Aunt Carolyn and two of her girls there too. It was a great afternoon! The kids loved going and sharing it with their Grammie, Auntie, and cousins.

We really had fun seeing all of our family in Utah. Can't wait to see them all again!

Little Outing

2011-03-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we decided the kids needed an outing. Lucky enough Becca was willing to join me and the kids on our little trip to the aquarium. Poor Dallin was all ready to go... everyone was eating lunch... and he puked - again! So needless to say, he and Dad had to stay home. But the rest of the gang had a great time.

Still trying to figure out my camera on manual. Bear with me :).

Petting the sting rays

Luke was so excited and wanted to touch the sting rays so bad. Too bad his arms weren't long enough to reach :). Connor on the other hand wanted nothing to do with them.

What size of penguin are you?

Creepy

Abby was determined to reach those sting rays.

Abigail and Mylie reading all about the fish and other creatures.

The little gang... so happy with suckers.

Thanks for going with us Auntie Becca (and kids) we had a great time.

Sunday Dinner

2011-03-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday was another wonderful day spent with family. We had our usual Wirthlin Sunday Family Dinner followed by beautiful music performed by some of the grandkids and then a short film about Papa Wirthlin's life.

I think it is always neat to see where a person started in life and where their path has taken them. Richard Wirthlin has had an amazing journey through life and I am grateful each of our kids were able to watch the film about their Papa (and will be able to watch it again - thanks to Uncle Richard for the copy).

Together Time

2011-03-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday, before the birthday celebrations began, John and I were able to go skiing with Mark and Michael. We had a lot of fun. I will admit, skiing is not my number one favorite sport in the world, but I do love to go with my John. It is always fun to be together.

Skiing is tiring, but it is especially tiring when you are 6 months pregnant. I don't know how my sister did it 8.5 months along.... amazing!

So glad we went though. :)

Saturday was a Special day...

2011-03-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

It's the day we celebrated Papa Wirthlin's

80th Birthday!

It was the perfect evening. Full of memories, laughter, love and cake :).

It was especially fun to hear all the memories shared by the children and a few grandchildren too. What a man! It was the perfect way to celebrate 80 years!

The Presenters (Carolyn and Jill) and the Birthday Cake

Blowing out the Candles...

What an amazing couple. Such love, such adoration, such sweet companionship.

We finished off the evening with a great little jazz band.

Everyone loved the music... even the kiddos.

Happy Birthday Papa! We love you!

It really was special to have everyone together to celebrate such a wonderful man, father and grandfather.

To Utah We Go...

2011-03-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

Part 1:

After a long flight (the kids did really well), the kids and I arrived in Utah on Thursday. Due to flight costs and needing to buy more tickets every year, it was significantly cheaper for the kids and I to fly down a couple days earlier than John. The kids were overjoyed to see Grammie and Papa Wirthlin. We love traveling to see them! Thursday we spent most of the day catching up and spending time with our Grammie and Papa, Michael and surprise visitor Uncle Mark (who was brave enough to take the kids to his work for fun).

Grammie and the kids reading together.

Friday we headed down to Herriman to spend some time with the Baughman gang. It is always nice to be with my sister and for the kids to spend time with their cousins. We were even lucky enough to have cousin Shauna and her little ladies join us for lunch. It was fun to catch up and talk mommy-life. The kids played so well! It was such a great day... all being together.

Movie Time - Dallin, Mylie, Abigail, and Connor

Abigail being goofy on the trampoline.

Dallin showing off his skills... running from one end of the basketball court to the edge of the rock wall and then jumping/sailing onto the trampoline. He is too dangerous for his own good. This kid has no fear.

Mylie... so cute! I still can't believe she wasn't cold. It was a nice warm day, but not that warm :).

Ball Buddies - Luke and Connor shooting some hoops.

These little guys wanted in on the action.

Even Auntie Becca got in on the action. Here she is showing the kids how a "flip" is done. You go Auntie!

Fridays in February

2011-02-18T10:23:00.000-08:00

Dallin has been lucky this year.

Lucky for him, one of the moms in our ward organized "soccer practice and games" for preschool age kids in the ward. So every Friday morning, we can be found either at the church or the park (depending on weather) for some soccer fun. It has been great! It is especially getting Dallin ready for next month when he will be playing in a local neighborhood league.

The Cheering Section - Connor and Noah

Go Dallin and Wesley!

Dallin really does love the game of soccer.

Go Red!!!!

Thanks Sarah for putting this all together.

Backyard Fun

2011-02-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

The weather has been gorgeous lately. Just perfect. Warm, but not hot. The beginnings of perfect spring weather. How better to enjoy that wonderful weather, than playing together outside as a family? So that is just what we did Saturday. We did a little bit of everthing... playing soccer, riding toys, smoking dinner, and jumping on the trampoline.

Fun, fun for everyone.

Childhood Memories...

2011-01-22T09:42:00.000-08:00

Abigail has had the chance this month to learn how to roller-skate during her P.E. class at school. What fun! I love roller-skating and have many found memories as a kid going round and round the rink. So we jumped on the opportunity and decided to find a rink close to home and take the entire family Saturday afternoon. I will admit, things were a bit iffy at first. Dallin was all over the place... he could barely stand up. Abigail seemed to be doing okay, but she kept saying, "This is not how it was at school." John and I gave each other a few glances of - "What were we thinking?" But once we found the right skates for the kids (slower ones), we were in business. By the end, everyone was in smiles. (Well almost everyone one).

It was another fun Saturday together as a family.

Abby and John ... posing for the camera :).

Dallin showing off his "speed skating"

Connor and Mom making the rounds.

Connor went around twice and said, "All done." I guess going around the rink when you are small is a lot more work than when your legs are quite a bit longer :).

Johnny and his kiddos.

NO SCHOOL!!!

2011-01-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to have an extra day for some more family fun time. Since our time in Texas is coming to a close, we have been trying to make sure we see all that we can. So we decided to head out to the Battleship TEXAS State Historic Site. We had a great afternoon exploring all over the ship. It is quite the ship! The temp was perfect... a little chilly at first, but the sun came out and it was fabulous. The kids loved pretending to fire all the large guns and even trying out the bunk beds on the ship. Connor was feeling a bit under the weather, but he was a trooper and stuck it out :). All in all ... it was a fun afternoon all together.

Christmas Vacation: Part 1

2010-12-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas Break started at Grammie and Trev's this year. After a long day of travel, we arrived in Washington ready for some fun. Of course we had a blast hanging out with family, playing card games, eating yummy food (and way too many peanut M&Ms), watching movies, and talking late into the night :). The kids had a blast with all the entertainment Grammie's has to offer... from balls to horses and dogs... the kids couldn't have been happier.

We love these little scooter cars... so fun!

These two (Adam and Dallin) became quite the buddies. Dallin was in awe of the "awesome tennis player" after a few lessons in the racquetball court. Thanks Adam for entertaining Dallin. He is still playing tennis in the backyard.

The "Big Boys" were able to spend an afternoon on the quads. They were wet and cold, but they had a blast!

String Cheese Buddies

Wrapping presents....

Tea Ring Competition...

Thanks Becca for teaching us the ways in tea ring :).

I can't believe I didn't take any decent picture of our first Christmas morning (which was really Christmas Eve)! Horrible! But you can always refer to this blog (Becca's) for better pics...

Here is what I do have:

Christmas Eve Celebrations: Dinner, White Elephant and Santa... the Traditions Continue On

John and Grandpa enjoying the game.

The Best White Elephant Ever... lol :)

Santa Arrives... We love Santa!

No tears this year... YEAH!!!

And, of course, the evening wasn't complete without Christmas PJs and the Baughman Christmas Book.

It was lots of fun to be with Mom and Trevor and spend some holiday time with them. Thanks guys for making the efforts to make Christmas memorable. We love you! Hopefully next time we are together I will be feeling better :).

Christmas Traditions...

2010-12-05T12:09:00.000-08:00

Baking our Favorite Christmas Sugar Cookies and watching the Christmas Devotional with Hot Cocoa... well, this year it was hot apple cidar (we ran out of milk). :)

Love these kiddos.. and their Dad :)

Connor was pretty funny.

Painting the cookies was proving to be challenging for Connor this year. He kept pushing to hard, dripping on everyone's cookies, etc.... so he found something better to do. Roll out the flour :). He kept himself busy for nearly 3o minutes ... just rolling more and more flour :).

Never a Dull Moment

2010-12-01T06:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight...

I put a pot of water on the stove to boil... had cut the potatoes... placed the chicken in the pan... when Dallin came running in from outside. Where he had playing on Abigail's scooter. Yes... he had gashed his head. He somehow hit his head on the end of the handle bars - which are exposed metal. Wonderful. Luckily I knew John was on his way home. I called him ... asking... "Where are you right now??" He was in the driveway. He came in took one look and I turned off the pot of boiling water... put the chicken back in the fridge ... loaded up the children and headed out to find the best ER/ Clinic to stitch Dallin's head.

Lucky for us ... we have a great friend who offered to stitch him up for us at home. Thank goodness. So Dallin got his 8 stitches laying on the floor at his "bestest friend's" house. This poor kid is going to have a lot of stories to tell on his forehead. Remember our last adventure with 15 stitches almost two years ago??

Before the Stitches

After

"The culprit"

This is what left the imprint on Dallin's face.

Hopefully we won't have anymore major adventures tonight so that I can finally get the Christmas tree up :).

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

The celebrations began early at Doug and Mary Ann's. Mary Ann always makes the best scones! She is so sweet to make them for us all... it is definitely a highlight to the day. This year the temperatures Thanksgiving morning were bitter cold, but the boys couldn't be kept from playing their traditional "Turkey Bowl." However, the game didn't last long this year. Not because it was FREEZING, but because poor Brian tore his hamstring! Ouch! We are hoping that he is healing well and back on his feet soon.

But a little injury never gets this family down. Soon the masses were back inside, enjoying scones and a family playoff of ping-pong! There is never a dull moment with the Wirthlins.... there is fun everywhere!

Busy making scones... Mary Ann and Allison with baby Elle

Best of Friends, Roommates, and practically Sisters - Alexa and Lizzy

Go Mark!

As close to a group shot as I was going to get....

Yummy Scones

Abigail and Christine

Christine, Alexa, Isabella, and Ashley

Mark and Bella

After a great morning at Mary Ann's ... we headed home to get cleaned up and ready for the "Feast" at Brian and Carolyn's. And a feast it was. The food was amazing! Of course, at this point I don't have many pictures, because I was busy in the kitchen :). Or at least trying to be helpful.

Here are the littlest ones in their party hats.

Abigail, Dallin, Aubrey, Connor, Isabella, and Ashley (we were missing a few... Andrew and Christian)

After a meal that was to die for.... it was so good... I was cramming pie down my throat. I was SO full. There were just so many wonderful things to try. Anyway... after the meal... came the program. I love this Thanksgiving Program. It is actually one of my favorite parts to the day. :) The kids get dressed up and we retell the story of the First Thanksgiving. John was a sport and even got in on the dress-up this year. Here are my little indians... and a pilgrim :).

All the actors after having played their parts.

It was a wonderful day surrounded by people we love (the best part of all).

We are truly thankful.

Slumber Party Fun

2010-11-24T10:59:00.000-08:00

Wednesday the Moms gathered for cooking and the Dads gathered the children for a fun filled afternoon. After everyone enjoyed themselves (cooking and playing), the kids once again were playing together at Carolyn's. Auntie Carolyn was so sweet to offer to let all the kids have a sleepover at her house. Boy were they excited. Dress-ups, hot tubbing, warm up baths, and just being together were some of the highlights for the kids. But I think one of their favorite parts was waking up on Thanksgiving to celebrate Bella's (cousin) birthday! Everyone was so excited to see her new tortoise. Yes, you read that correctly.. Bella got a turtle for her birthday! What a fun morning... pancakes and a turtle!

These two little rascals (Aubrey and Connor) had to come home with their Mommies. They are still a bit too young for sleepovers. But they still had a great time together and they slept great in their own beds :).

Herriman Adventures

2010-11-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

Monday we headed down to visit to Auntie Becca, Uncle Justin and more cousins!! We couldn't wait to get back out in the snow with friends! Abigail and Dallin have been talking about Auntie's "cocomotion" and her special hot chocolate with a candy cane inside for weeks leading up to our trip... so I was thrilled when she offered them some of her "special drink." Thanks Auntie!

John with the "Littles" - those two weren't too excited about the amount of snow.. maybe next year. :)

Not to happy being pulled in a sled... I still think they are cute even though they aren't all happy :).

Abby LOVES sledding

And Dallin too...

Auntie Becca and her Luke ... adorable.

Cute Mylie

Two Little Buddies (Connor and Luke)

After tons of fun in the snow ...

we headed indoors for some yummy warm lunch and more playing time!

Luke was having a blast at lunch.. I think he definitely wins - "Happiest Boy at the Table"

All the munchkins enjoying lunch together

After the kids had naps - John proposed that we all head down to our old campus (BYU) and see the new buildings, explore how things have changed, and eat some my most favorite ice cream - Earnestly Chocolate! It was a bit chilly, but it was fun to see our old stomping grounds and reminisce. I think the kids loved the ice cream part the most... (at least I did) :).

Group shot at the Hinckley Visitors Center (minus Becca - who was taking the photo)

GO COUGARS!

After our BYU adventure we met Justin for dinner and headed back to Becca's for little more play time ... and one last kid group shot.

It is always fun to get together with the Baughmans. The kids are all getting so big! And I was so surprised this time... everyone played SO well... even the little ones :). Hooray!!!

We can't wait to see them again at Christmas!

Thanks for the fun filled Monday Baughmans... we love you!

Vacation Fun Begins...

2010-11-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

Our Holiday vacations have begun! Thanksgiving break was wonderful. We had a great time visiting family and spending time together.

Things started off pretty low key... but, as usual, accelerated with each passing day.

The kids had a great time playing with toys, painting, playing in the snow, and just being with cousins, aunts, uncles, and Grammie and Papa the first couple of days....

We were thrilled to have snow the first night we were there. The kids couldn't wait to get on their snow clothes and build a snowman. Abigail and Ashley were out there forever! I thought their noses and fingers were going to fall off :).

Abigail, Ashley and Dallin (the last ones standing with their snowman - the other two little ones had to warm up sooner than these three).

Connor wasn't sure about the snow (of course... it is another element of weather... what was I thinking), but he definitely didn't want to be left out of the fun either.

Abigail and Ashley... Snow Buddies

More families joined us for dinner.... and the fun continued.

Christine was such a good sport. She definitely kept the children entertained. :)

And we can't visit SL without some high flying with Uncle Mark ... Connor was loving it.

Cousin Fun

Aubrey, Christine, and Dallin

More Fun to Come.....

More Camping Fun

2010-11-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

We LOVE camping!!!

Lucky for us our Dad had a Friday off! So we packed up and headed to Guadalupe River State Park for an overnight adventure. After setting up camp we headed down to the river. We climbed trees, skipped rocks, and of course had to get a family picture. Yes, every time I take a family picture... balancing my camera on rocks, bags, balls... anything really to get the right height and angle ... I miss my tripod. Why did I have to leave it at a park? Not a smart girl. Oh well, someday I will get another... hopefully :).

I was so excited to see some fall colors.

Can you see the rock John is skipping?

The kids loved climbing all over this tree.

When we finally got back to our campsite, the daylight was just about gone... so we quickly got a fire going (which took a little longer than normal... I guess the wood was wetter than we thought) and had some dinner. And, of course, dinner was followed by treats - smores, warmed starburts, and popcorn. I finally was able to make the jiffy pop without burning some part of my body... yeah!

Dallin roasting...

Enjoying smores by the campfire.

Connor was the only one that was really excited about the popcorn - until he dumped the bowl on the ground... bummer.

That night was a bit chilly. We were prepared for the colder temps and brought more blankets. But we were not prepared for the actual temperature when we woke up. We had actually used all the firewood the night before... mistake... lesson learned. When John climbed out of the tent in the morning the car temp gauge read "29 degrees!" With it being that cold, we decided we definitely needed a fire. So we packed the kids in the warm car and headed off for another field trip... warm bread from Great Harvest which is actually right next to the temple. It was perfect! On the way back we picked up some more firewood.

We finally got a fire started by 8am... and the first thing we fixed was HOT CHOCOLATE. We had some happy campers :). We don't get to have this special treat very often in Texas :).

Abby and Dallin drinking their hot chocolate at the top of the playground. [We were so lucky to have the campsite right across the street from the playground...perfect for our family]

John showing Connor the ways of eating whip cream from a can...

He loved it!

After warming up ... we headed back down to the river to visit the kid's discovery center (very fun) and throw some more rocks in the river.

The kids couldn't resist the urge to take off their shoes and wade in the water.

That afternoon we packed up camp. But before heading home... we stopped to visit some friends in San Antonio. It is always fun to see familiar faces and catch up :). We were so glad it happened to be Nic's birthday party!!! Yeah for us! Thanks Nic for having a birthday :).

The kiddos at the party.

It was a late night getting home, but we made it!

What a great family weekend!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

We were SO happy to have our Daddy arrive home just in time to finish off the holiday weekend. He walked in the door.... said Hello... chatted for about 15 mins... and then began carving pumpkins. What a dad :). The pumpkins were barely finished and we were heading out the door to share our traditional Halloween dinner with friends. Two pumpkins take longer than one to cook. I know... I should have figured that out. :)

Everyone helping de-gut the pumpkins...

Dallin had just fallen off his chair... he was really having a good time.

The finished products all lit up after dinner....

somehow we lost the eye in the one-eyed monster... oh well :).

Just thought it would be fun to see... Our Halloween Tradition....

Dinner-in-a-Pumpkin

(Can't find the first year... but this will have to do)

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

I think I like the pictures with the "people" in them too...

I'll have to remember that for next year :).

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween Holiday!

Halloween PARTY!!!

2010-10-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

With Halloween on Sunday this year, we decided to celebrate on Saturday. Sometimes I wish I lived in Utah, where my kids could trick-or-treat normal because everyone has switched their celebration day :). But we don't... so here we are trying to make some holiday fun - Texas style.

Abigail and Dallin making "Witches Wands" for the party.

Yummy Food

Brain, Witches Wand, Spooky Pizzas, Mummy Dogs, Green salsa and black chips, Dirt n' Worms, Pumpkin rolls, Monster cupcakes, Ghost cookes, Monster Jaws... and of course I missed a picture of the Witches Brew (we have fun with the dry ice this year).

Lots of food = lots of fun :).

Ghost bowling

Bobbing for Apples

Poor Abigail has no front teeth... I really mean it ... no exaggeration. So bobbing for apples just wasn't going to happen. She tried the side-bite, but with half of her face in the water - exclaimed, "I just can't bite it!" Maybe next year Abigail.

Dallin bobbing for his apple. He was so proud... "I got the stem!"

Making Monster Slime!

Donuts on a string

Connor was too funny. He was trying so hard not to use his hands. He could get the donut on his lips, but he wasn't sure what to do after that point. Finally Mel lifted up his string a little so he could get under it and get a bite.... Thanks Melanie!

And of course... What is a Texas party without a PINATA????

We decided that since we weren't really trick-or-treating this year, we would do the pinata.

I know the picture is blurry, but I love that you can really get a feel for the night.

Thanks to our friends for coming and playing with us!

We love celebrating the holidays!

Happy Halloween!

Trunk-or-Treat

2010-10-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Friday night was the Ward Trunk-or-Treat. It was a great turnout. The food was good, the games were fun, and the kids had a blast loading up on goodies. The only down side to the evening.... we were missing our Dad. John had to be a conference this weekend, but we are hoping he will make it home in time to carve pumpkins before the holiday is over.

The kids all ready to go .... A black cat, Spiderman, and "Bones."

Our Contribution to the Cupcake Walk

Dallin having a great time with his friend.. waiting for the games to begin.

Group Shot: Our little family (minus one)

I was a witch ... but lost my hat part way through the night.

Donuts on a String

Yeah for CANDY!!! The kids with some friends after filling their buckets with loot :).

Preschool Parade

2010-10-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dallin was SUPER excited this week for his Preschool Halloween Party. He was even more excited that Mom and Connor got to come inside for a treat and a show! Mom was excited too.

Dallin was adorable singing his Halloween songs and participating in the Costume Parade. He loves his Spiderman muscles :). It is so fun to watch him blossom into such an independent little man. We are so proud of him! And I just love that sweet smile :).

These three can't wait until it is their turn :).

Connor, Matthew, Emma

All 2-years-old

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

We simplified the "pumpkin patch outing" this year.

Even though this place was a lot smaller than last year... we still had a great time being together in a sea of orange.

First picture: "The sun is in our eyes!!" "I can't see!!"

Picture #2: Much better :)

Primary Program

2010-10-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the Primary Program.

My favorite sacrament meeting of the year.

I can always feel the spirit strongest through the children.

It was lots of fun to watch both Abigail and Dallin be a part this year.

Abigail did a wonderful job with her part and Dallin sang beautifully (the sunbeams sang a little song - just their classes). It is always cute when they are so little :).

We were so proud of both of them.

Abigail and Dallin,

Thank you for sharing your sweet little testimonies today.

We love you!

Love,

Mom and Dad

And of course... we had to include Connor too in the photo session :). I just love these kids!

"Wings Over Houston"

2010-10-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

In honor of Connor's birthday (because he LOVES planes), we headed to the Houston Air Show on Saturday. It was AWESOME! We LOVED it! I think John and I were just as excited as the kids :). There were planes everywhere! (of course) We had a great time climbing in and out of some.... watching others fly through the air.... and enjoying a little funnel cake.

Look... it's a PLANE!

Our Future Pilot

They even re-in-acted some of the battles from WWII. It was amazing! Planes were flying everywhere! Bombs (really setup explosions) were going off here and there...

And that is when Connor lost it!

I was a little worried that his love for planes was going to be ruined... but don't worry, that love is just too strong to be scared off my some crazy explosions. :)

Climbing inside....

Checking out all the controls... and, of course, smiling for Mom :)

The boys ... saving the day in the Rescue Boat

Checking out some army living...

Loving Funnel Cake.... mmmm ... mmmm ... good :).

We are so glad we stumbled upon this awesome event! We LOVED it!!

Happy Birthday Connor!

2010-10-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that this little baby (one week old)....

has turned into this little 2-year-old rascal?

I still can't believe it! Connor is 2!!! Where has the time gone? I know... we all say this about our kids, but seriously... time does go by SO fast. We sure do love this little man. He thinks he is so funny and loves to be the comedian in our house. His latest obsessions include planes and trains. For the most part he is one happy-go-lucky kid. We truly feel blessed to have this little guy as a part of our family. We love you Connor!

Birthday celebrations seem to last a while at our house in October (especially this year) with Dallin's birthday just a week before Connor's. So, Connor was quite surprised well of the attention, presents, and decorations were for him :). Poor Connor was, however, sick again this year on his birthday. I hope this yearly tradition does not continue. Because of the illness which Abigail still had too, we had a low-key birthday day. Actually we postponed birthday celebrations a day... hoping Connor would feel better on Saturday, but we still had to have an easy going day.

Lucky for Connor Papa was in town earlier that week... and Connor was able to receive a present from him in person. What a treat! Thanks Papa!

Birthday Breakfast

Connor LOVES planes.

He was lucky enough to get a few for his birthday. So fun to see a little boy with a LOVE :). For Dallin it was balls... for Connor planes.

We did have a family outing running a few errands and getting some new fish for our tank. Yeah for fish! Connor and the rest of the gang were loving it :). Dad's fish is a bit of a bully ... we hope the rest of the fish survive the week. (he is the one in the top left corner of the tank)

Dinner ... Dad (John) smoked Connor a special dinner... whole chicken + smoker = YUM!

Of course dinner had to include cucumbers - one of Connor's favorites :).

After dinner we celebrated with a plane cake and ice cream.

Happy Birthday little Connor-man! We love you!

Special thanks to all those who sent birthday wishes to our Connor.

He truly felt loved on his special day.

Birthday Celebrations

2010-10-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Since both John and I will be out of town for the actual day... we decided to celebrate a little early this year...

Happy 4th Birthday Dallin!

The morning began, with of course, birthday breakfast and then we hurried to the store for something special....

A Booster Seat of his very own.

Dallin was SO excited for this. He has been waiting a long time (it seems) to be as big as Abby.

After watching some of morning Conference, we picked up some friends for some more birthday celebration fun.

First Stop: The Stomping Ground

The kids had a great time running around, climbing and sliding. Even Connor was hard to locate in this crazy maze of fun.

Dallin was pretty funny on this slide. It was actually pretty fast, so as Dallin came zooming down he would always tuck into a little ball and do a summersault at the end of his sliding... silly boy :). He thought it was pretty cool.

Dallin and his friend, Jacob

After playing hard, the kids were STARVING. So we all headed out for some yummy pizza. Then back to the house for cake, ice-cream and presents. (Dallin's favorite part)

Dallin and his transformer cake :)

Yes, Dallin got a spiderman costume for his birthday. He loves it ... and all of his other gifts.

Abby even loves the spiderman costume too :).

After stuffing our tummies with cake and ice-cream, we were off to the baseball game. It was a perfect night... the weather was fabulous! The Astros didn't play that well, but the kids enjoyed learning about the rules of the game, eating cotton candy and peanuts, and just being together.

Blue tongues from their blue cotton candy

What a fun day! Everyone was exhausted (which is always a good sign). After the game we made one final stop for "special drinks" and took our friends back home.

We hope Dallin had a fabulous day! He is one special boy. We love him SO much. Dallin loves to play with anything boy and is always so thoughtful and kind to those around him. He is truly a little piece of sunshine in our lives. His smile can make anyone happy.

We hope you know how much we love you Dallin.... MILLIONS!!!

In Loving Memory

2010-09-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa

Gary Lynn Blackner

July 29, 1935 - September 22, 2010

"Gary was born on July 29, 1935 in Beaver, Utah, and passed away on September 22, 2010 as a result of heart disease. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He received his doctorate from BYU in Psychology. His life's profession and passions included teaching, counseling, and a genuine love of working with young adults. He is survived by his beloved wife Jane of 57 years, and their 8 children: Debbie (Mike) Baldwin, Greg, Don (Marci), Jeff (Kim), Chris (Becki), Julie (Tyler) Wells, JaLynne (Rick) Winters, and Matthew (Mikelle). He has 30 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. He dearly loved his wife and children and desired to have "no empty chairs" in his eternal family. "

We will truly miss this wonderful man. He was so full of love. We are so grateful for the eternal perspective that we have. We will see our Grandpa again. Until then he will be missed greatly.

Just Another Friday

2010-09-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Picnic at the Park...

We love the park.

Today I let the boys bring their monster trucks. A real treat for them since usually we have a "no toys at the park" policy. They had a great time racing their trucks down the slides.

As many of you already know, Connor has a real fear of the wind, rain, and thunder right now. He is a little traumatized from one of our previous adventures, which has now scared him. Hopefully he will get over it soon. Here is his reaction today at the park... we could see dark clouds in the distance (but that is normal), but when the winds started to pick up, the temp dropped, and the clouds were coming closer fast... we packed it up quickly and headed for the car. This was Connor's face...

And this was Dallin's... he was just happy we beat the rain :).

After what seemed to be a long afternoon (Mom was tired and the boys were bored), I decided to make something "fun" for the boys. "Marble Shoots" They of course loved their marble shoots. They spent quite awhile racing marbles down their noodles. Hooray for the simple things.

On a different note... I came across this quote today. I really like it. Just thought I would share....

“You must not mistake passing local cloud cover for general darkness.” ~ Neal A. Maxwell

Together Again

2010-09-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

After being gone for about 6 days, our Dad is finally home. Hooray!!! We sure did miss him and we are so glad we are all together again. John's plane got in at 11:50 pm Wednesday night. Lucky for us one of our dear friends offered to come sit at the house so I didn't have to wake the kids - Thanks Loni! John, of course, had to be at the school early the next morning, but I knew the kids would die if they knew Dad came home and they didn't see him. So, here they are at 6am playing with their gift from Dad. It was so cute to see him wake each of them up. Lots of hugs and kisses were exchanged :).

We are one big happy family ... again :).

Friends

2010-09-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

We love friends!

Here are some of our old and new friends.

We LOVE playdates! Especially when the sister is away at school ... Buddies are a must. :)

Awesome Adventure

2010-09-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

John had Monday off ... and we knew we wanted to do something fun. But what?? When we heard some friends of ours were going "beach camping" we decided to join the fun. We packed up Sunday afternoon and planned to be to Matagorda Beach around 6pm. The plan was to get to the beach, build a fire, and get camp set up.

When we arrived the wind was blowing SO hard... the kids kept screaming, "There's sand in my eyes!!!" You could see the sand whipping all around us, but we decided to see if we could get a fire started anyway. After John and Nate dug a big hole they attempted to build a fire (I wish I had a picture of this). If you can imagine a big hole dug in the soft sand with two big coolers around the pit trying to block some of the wind. The best was when John setup the beach umbrella at an angle to block the wind. Not sure it did much good... but he was trying :). While the men were working on the fire. The moms were trying to keep the kids happy. Dallin and Abigail were running around at first, but decided the wind was blowing WAY too much for their liking and began hiding out in the back of the Petersen's truck bed. Connor (who is terrified of wind, rain and thunder at the moment) was not getting out of the car. Corinne was such a good baby. She was just happy to be playing in the back of the van with Connor. After about a half hour of trying to build the fire ... there was NO luck. And even a little rain to add to the fun.

We had to come up with Plan B for dinner (the kids at this point were starving!). We had brought our electric skillet to do pancakes for breakfast and we could just cook up the hotdogs and sausages on that. The plan was to plug it into our car adapter. Great plan we thought... until we blew two fuses in the car. Hmmm.. Now dinner was out and so was breakfast. At this point the kids were getting cranky, so we decided to head back toward town to this little diner/bar. Despite the fact that the wind was still blowing like crazy and this place had no real walls... the burgers were fabulous! We also were able to check the wind report (loving the iphone at this point)... which said that the winds were supposed to die down at about midnight. No big deal (we thought). So we headed back out to the beach to see if we could make it a go.

When we got out of the car (very dark at this point) I was amazed at the amount of stars you could see. What a beautiful sky! The wind, however, was still blowing, but it was supposed to stop so we pulled our cars up off the "road part" of the beach and a little into the dry soft side and prepared to make camp. I'm sure you can imagine what happens to a tent when we try and set it up in 20 mph winds... it becomes a kite. After trying various positions we decided the best spot for the tent was as close to the car as possible (using the car as a shield). We then used every heavy/ semi-heavy thing we could find in our cars to weight down the tents. Once the tents were up... we went to work on the fire. John dug a hole in the sand and dowsed the wood in lighter fluid. We crossed our fingers and lit the match. We were SO excited when wood caught and we had a real fire. The evening continued with smores and roasting starburts. We were SO proud of ourselves. We had conquered the beach. Our tents were standing (bending in half most of the time with the wind, but still standing) and we had a fire!

Lucky for us Connor had fallen asleep in the car after dinner, so once the tent was up we just transferred him to the tent. The other three kiddos headed to bed after some fun by the fire. The adults stayed up chatting for awhile. The campfire was great.. the stars were amazing... the adventure was a success so far. :) We all snuggled into our sleeping bags (well, really on top of them - it is too hot in Texas to get in your sleeping bag) around 1 am. I was out the moment my head hit the pillow.

At about 3am, John and I woke up to Nathan whispering into our tent..."John... come out here... you have to see this." Of course, we jumped up to see what was going on. We opened the door of the tent only to see our cars in the water. Waves were beginning to come all the way up the beach to our camp site! At this point the Petersen's tent was being hit by waves too. Now what do we do???? Do we just pull the tents and cars farther up the beach?? But the cars would surely be stuck in the sand if we drove them any further into the soft sand. (Oh... side note... the wind did not die down at midnight. And was still going strong at 3am) What to do?? What to do?? Do we pack everything up and try to make it off the beach?? At this point the "beach road" [in Texas you can drive on most beaches] was completely covered by water. Leaving us with the option of trying to drive out in soft sand or water. Neither being good options. While discussing this for maybe 5 minutes at the most... our tent was now in the water too. The water level was rising and it was rising quickly. We began throwing everything in the car... kids... sleeping bags... chairs... coolers... everything! If you know our family and the beach, we always try to wash everything off before it goes back in the car. Even the kids wash off their feet and change clothes before getting all the way in. We always try so hard to keep the sand out of the car. Not tonight. Everything sand covered or not was getting thrown in the car.

Once we were loaded ... we crossed our fingers.. said a silent prayer ... and began to try and turn around and get to the exit of the beach. The turn around was successful.. but we still had a long way to go. It didn't take long and both cars were stuck in the sand. We attempted to push the truck (which was REALLY stuck - I mean the back sitting on the sand stuck) out ourselves, but there was NO way that was going to happen. Lucky for us, a bunch of college-aged guys with beers in hand, pulled up next to us in a 4-wheel drive pickup. They offered to help. They were wonderful! We are SO grateful they were feeling kind that night. They helped us get both the cars out of the sand.. not once or twice... but at least 4 more times! It only took us another hour and a half to get off the beach! By 6 am we finally made it home.

It was a crazy night! But we still had a lot of fun! I commented to John... "You can't say we didn't try to make some fun memories." It definitely did not go as planned, but everyone had a great attitude, which made for a great night. The kids were troopers. Abigail just couldn't understand why were just moving the tent to the drier sand. Another time we told her. :)

I learned the next day (after talking with the Petersens about the adventure) that Nate, who had broke the frame on his glasses, had attempted to put in his contacts during the digging-out part of the night - but one blew away in the wind!! Another prime example of the craziness!

Trying to get things setup

Can you see how windy it was? I kept trying to get my hair to stay back... I finally gave up.

Connor was SO tired. Thank goodness.

Roasting marshmallows and smores in the campfire.

Leaa and her angel baby Corinne

Yummy Campfire Treats

Can you see the waves coming??? They are! The wheels of the van are in water in this picture. Crazy!

The kids waiting in the car patiently as we try to dig the car out of the sand. They weren't too excited about the flash.

I still haven't figured out how to take very good pictures with low light... some day :)

Most of Monday was spent trying to clean up from our adventure. The inside of the car was covered in sand! But after the work was through, we decided to cook those dutch oven cobblers we had planned to do on the beach. So we had a little party with friends to finish off the crazy weekend. :)

Dutch Oven cooking in the garage.

Three of the crazy girls (mine included) jumping and playing in the rain.

Another first day

2010-08-31T04:42:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it??? My baby (well, one of them) is going to Preschool!!!!

Dallin was SO excited for his turn to go to school this morning. He kept asking me... "Is it time yet?? Is it time to get in the car??" I was a little worried last week thinking about this day. Dallin has a shy side, especially in new situations and sometimes this shy side can last awhile. I was so surprised today as he jumped out of the van and ran to the front door of his preschool (the kids are supposed to go in on their own). I could barely get him to stop long enough to snap this one picture. No tears were shed. I was so happy. And he was MORE than happy.

After I picked him up, he kept talking about how fun it was and all the great things he did - holding the flag for the pledge, reading an apple man story, eating apples, making a craft... on and on. He was so proud. I am so glad that he is able to have such a positive experience. Thank you Ms. Annie :).

When we got home Dallin decided we needed a way to celebrate. So he announced... "I know! We can make banana pie!!" And so that is just what we did. Dallin and I made Banana Cream Pie. Yum! Dallin was even excited to be able to pick the pie crust... I let him get the individual ones :). He was pretty excited!

Way to go Dallin! We are so proud of you! I can't believe you are growing up so fast.

First Day of School

2010-08-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

I just can't believe it is already that time of year again. Abigail was so excited this morning to head off to school. I was excited for her, too :). Still a little teary, but excited.

Dallin was not so excited, but I think once preschool starts he will be more willing to let his buddy go for the day. Abigail knew Dallin was upset this morning ... and I as rounded the corner to Dallin's room (to tell them it was time to go)... I found Abigail and Dallin sitting together on his bed reading books. She told me she was trying to make him happy :).

What a wonderful girl she is :).

I hope she has a fabulous day!

The Last Week of Summer

2010-08-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Monday: Beach Day with the Ward

We had a great day.... until the storm rolled in :). The wind was blowing so hard the kids were being pelted by sand and I had to chase down the boogie-boards at least 3 times across a field. So needless to say we didn't end on a high note, but we still had a great day. It was an adventure :).

Connor loving the water.

He loved wading out in the water until it was up to his shoulders and just walk around ... or "swim" in his words :).

Dallin playing with another boy in the Ward.

Tickle Torture/Water Fight

Silly kids

Abby taking Connor for a little swim

Tuesday: The Zoo with Friends

The gang

Matthew, Jacob, Dallin, Connor, Abigail and Emily

Friends are Fun

Putting Pennies in the "Bird Bank"

Loving the Dinosaurs... especially the one that squirts "spit"

Squirting the Dinosaur Back

Wednesday: Temple Day

A friend and I swapped watching kids at the temple so we each could participate in Fill the Temple day. It was a much needed trip for me and the kids did surprisingly well :).

Thursday: Neighborhood Pool

We felt so lucky! We timed things just right. We went to the pool in the morning and played for about an hour and half... until the kids were REALLY ready for lunch. Then we headed home... about 10 minutes after we got out of the pool it started pouring buckets of rain!!! Lucky for us we were dry and in the car :).

Meet the Teacher

We were so excited to find out that Abigail had been placed in Ms. Wang's first grade class. We have only heard great things about her as a teacher. And we are really excited for the new year with her. Abigail (and the entire family) was able to visit her classroom and meet her teacher. Abigail is really excited to start school. It was fun to see where she will be spending most of her time this next year :).

Friday: Beach Day 2

We had great plans for our last major beach day of the summer. The weather looked like it was going to cooperate. (and it did) We arrived mid-morning ready to play. Everything started off as a normal beach day... but quickly things changed... the kids kept coming running out of the water screaming ... it's itchy.. it's stinging!!! What?!?? We had never experienced such a thing. The other mom we were with and I even ventured out into the water to check things out. I looked at her ... she looked at me... do you feel anything?? I didn't, but she said her skin was stinging! Crazy! I still haven't really been able to figure out what was really going on.... but they definitely wanted to go home and that is not normal. So there must have been something. So... our beach day ended a little earlier than usual. But that was okay because I Daddy was coming home a little earlier than normal too. :)

Pool Time with Dad

After dinner we headed to the pool with our Dad. The kids sure do love playing with their Dad. He is pretty fun :). On the way to the pool we spotted a turtle in the road. So, of course, we flipped around.. picked up the turtle... put him the back of the car... and drove to one of the little "lakes" in our neighborhood. The kids had a great time checking him out and putting him back in the lake :).

After this pool party fun we decided to head to the neighborhood Pool Party/ Movie in the Pool. It was located at another one of the neighborhood pools. The kids had a great time swimming/ hanging out in the water and watching a family movie. Popcorn, lemonade, and swimming... Friday night was a success.

Saturday: A Day together as Family

Most of Saturday was a normal day... birthday parties to attend, house to clean, workouts to be done, running a few errands ... you know the drill. Saturday was an especially hot day, but we did manage to find a new park and have a family picnic in the evening. It was nice to be together under the tree canopy.

Sunday: Prepared for the Big Day

Sunday was a quiet day. Church.. naps... dinner.. and preparing for the first day of school. Abigail was able to receive a special father's blessing. I am so grateful for the opportunity we have to witness and experience priesthood blessings in our home. What strength, comfort and peace we can feel because of these blessings.

When I finally put the week's events down on paper... it makes me tired. But I am so glad that we did each and everything. I am so grateful for the time I have with my children and husband. I am so grateful for the memories that we share. Each are special to me.

Now we are ready for some regular routines at our house :).

Summer Space Fun

2010-08-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

It hit me earlier this week that we only have 2 more weeks of summer! That is it! As I thought about it further... it wasn't just the end of summer... it was the end of having all my kids all the time.

Part of me is ready ... ready to not be homeschooling this year... ready to have more individual time with my boys... ready to have more time to clean my toilets... but the other part of me is not.

I am going to miss taking ALL the kids to do fun things whenever I want and not just when school is out... or only taking two of them instead.

I am going to miss listening to Abigail and Dallin playing upstairs while I pay bills or work on things on the computer - I love hearing them inventing new games and playing things like house and city. Dallin is really going to be lost without his buddy. Hopefully Connor will be able to fill that role and maybe I might hear things like cars, dinosaurs, trains.... rougher sounds :).

I am going to miss my big helper. Abigail really is the biggest help around the house. She runs and gets things for me, helps Connor with things - like getting his shoes on or grabbing him a snack. I have grown accustomed to someone else helping do these little tasks each day.

And believe it or not ... I am going to miss watching Abigail learn. It really has been fun this year watching her grown and learn new things. Being able to be right by her side as she sounded out her first three syllable word and learned to count by fives ... the excitement and pride in her eyes :). Or the fun we had reading new stories and creating projects from them... coloring, painting, science projects, etc.... you get the idea. I know there are other things that I am teaching her each day about life and the gospel... but it was fun learning the "academics" with Abigail too.

So.... with all of these feelings... I have been trying to cram in all the fun we can manage.

Monday - the splash park

Tuesday - Costco (not exactly normal kid fun, but mine enjoy it... and sometimes you have to add the necessities in your schedule)

Wednesday - the beach

Thursday - the Space Center

Tomorrow we might have to take the day off and actually clean the house :).

Hopefully next week will be pack with more fun as well....

Here are some pictures of our fun today at the Space Center...

Kiddos enjoying touring the space shuttles and space suits

Lunch Break outside on the grass with friends - we were so grateful to have some cloud coverage :)

Seeing the BIG ROCKET!

Group Shot

Connor, Shep, Abigail, Dallin, and Ella

Connor having a good time.

It was a great day! We were so glad we finally made it out to the rocket and learned that you don't have to take the tram to get there!!! Hooray!! (Taking the tram is quite the adventure with the kids... waiting in line... seeing some other stops that don't really interest them... waiting some more... then seeing the rocket) An employee at the Space Center shared with us that you can actually drive right to Rocket Park! You look like you are going the wrong way (only for employees), but they will let you in! Amazing! Why didn't we know this sooner?!?!? Learning this trick made for much happier (cooler) kids and happier moms.

Today...

2010-08-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day.

6 kiddos piled in my van.

A closed freeway and a long detour later ... we made it to the beach.

The camera battery was dead. No pictures.

Oh, well... I think I have at least 300 pics of the beach this summer :).

The kids played hard - building sandcastles, boogie boarding, swimming, and splashing.

The kids were happy.

I was happy.

It was another fun day at the beach.

I am going to miss these summer days.

Recycling

2010-08-09T07:35:00.001-07:00

Reading under the flowers.... her favorite part.

Now our Princess sleeps in a jungle... a beach jungle :).

Happy Birthday!!!

2010-08-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

It's official... Abigail is 6 years old!!!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

We love you!!!

We have had a week of celebration this year for Abigail. Due to John's conference schedule he was to be gone on Abigail's actual birthday, so we decided to celebrate a couple days early as a family. The day began with the traditional birthday decor and birthday breakfast. Abigail requested a "pancake with a face" this year for breakfast. She even gave me instructions on how to complete this task (I added the strawberry hair for fun -- can't always only follow the directions)

We had a yummy breakfast followed by the opening of some of Abigail's birthday presents.

Here she is pictured with some of her new books... she was so excited to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She began reading it that day. :)

The kids and I knew we had to do something fun during the day to celebrate... so we headed off to the pool. We even tried the deeper pool in our neighborhood. The thought of which is a little scary for me, but the kids did great. We all had a great afternoon.

Daddy came home a little early (thanks dad!) and we headed off to Red Robin for birthday dinner (Abigail's choice). She really loves being sung to and getting a special treat on her birthday :)

But the fun didn't stop there.... we walked a little ways down the sidewalk (Red Robin is located in an outdoor mall.. so we walked down the Mall a bit)... until we came to the "splash pad." We attempted to keep the kids dry (well not soaked), but I lost ... John convinced me to just "go with it... and let go." :)

Pretty soon.... they were all SOAKED! Soaked and Happy! What a great way to end a birthday. Soaked, happy and eating ice cream :).

Friday we celebrated Abigail's birthday with friends. Abigail decided she wanted a Luau (Hula - in her words) Party. We had lots of fun ... sand crafts, games, pineapple cakes and smoothies. Abigail had a great time. Thanks to all you came and made her day a special one.

Here is the gang ...

Samuel (what a good sport - the only boy), Abigail, Emily, Kaori, Ily, Ella, Micaela, Samy, and Elle

Happy 6th Birthday Abigail!

We love you!

We love your laughter, your caring personality, and your sweet smile. We love how we can always find you with your nose in a book or playing with your brothers. You can always brighten our day. Thank you for always taking care of your brothers and for being such a good girl. We are so blessed to have you in our family. You are such a special girl. Hope you had a fabulous birthday Abby... because WE LOVE YOU!

Pioneer Day - Texas Style

2010-07-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

What a great Saturday! We woke up, piled the kids in the stroller, and had a great run to the grocery store for pancake supplies. Then we ran home and had a fabulous pancake feast. We tried sausage pancakes (I highly recommend them), banana pancakes (inspired from the song) and blueberry pancakes (of course). The morning continued with our normal chores... but it was so nice to get the house clean and the lawn mowed. Around lunch we couldn't decide how to proceed... it was hot... really hot :). Should we go out? Put Connor down for a nap? Do something fun indoors? What to do... ??

Eventually we decided to put Connor down for his nap and plan a picnic for dinner at Brazos Bend State Park. We picked up some hot dogs and melon. Lucky for us, a storm cloud passed near the park just as we were arriving, which brings down the temp considerably. It goes from miserable to tolerable heat :). And it actually turned out to be a beautiful evening. We had our picnic and the kids ran around playing tag and chasing squirrels.

After dinner, we decided to do some walking - it was Pioneer Day after all :). So we "walked and walked" around the lake hoping to spy some alligators. Usually in the summer they are harder to find because of the heat... But not today!!! We were no more than 5 minutes into the walk when we came upon this guy... he was a bit too close for comfort - about 2 feet from the trail! You can see in the picture below how close he really is...

We picked up our kids (yes, we carried them), held our breath and walked along the opposite edge of the trail hoping the alligator would remain where he was. Thankfully he did. :)

So, the walking continued....

Abigail helping Dallin see the alligator hiding by the edge of the water. Can you see his eyes?

Connor was a trooper. He walked most of the way, but occasionally had a ride on Daddy's shoulders.

It was a beautiful evening....

After another 10 minutes of walking we came upon this fella.... again too close for comfort. You can't tell from the pictures but this alligator was about 2-3 feet longer than the first. We decided he was just too big to chance crossing... and it was about time to turn around anyway for the kids sake :). Thank goodness!

Looking for tadpoles in the lake

However, on the way back another alligator decided to sun himself! Way too close!! Every time we crossed in front of one of these large creatures, my heart was raising and I kept thinking in my head ... "nice alligator... nice alligator... please... stay where you are.... please!" It is one thing to put yourself at risk and an entirely different situation to be holding your child/children.

And this guy was looking RIGHT at you!

I just loved this... the tree.. the birds... I love nature!

Abby and Dallin with their treasures. Dallin's treasure (a feather was cut off... sorry Dallin)

Along the way back we decided to learn some primary pioneer songs and talk about the pioneers. The kids were good to participate :). We finally made it back to the picnic table after an eventful walk :). My heart was happy to be a little farther away from the water :). We gathered the kids and watched a short pioneer movie on John's computer and then told them about some of our family "pioneer" stories.

As we were driving home, I thought to myself... today really was a wonderful day! We had fun together, we worked together, and we even were able to share testimonies together. A memory we will all share forever.

Surfside

2010-07-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Another day at the beach... We love this place!

The beach was covered with seaweed, but we dug ourselves a spot anyway. I was just surprised at how well the kids played in the water with TONS of seaweed floating all around :). We have been when there was seaweed on the beach before... but this time the water was filled with it too. Crazy! I still need to figure out why sometimes there is seaweed and other times there is not... ?? Time to do some research :). Either way... it didn't slow us down :).

Connor loving the swimming pool.

One of our friends always brings a little plastic pool to the beach for the younger kids. It is a fabulous idea.. they love it!

Abigail boogie - boarding with a "new friend."

The waves were great this time! I only saw Abigail long enough for her to stuff a sandwich in her face and she was off... back to the water. And of course, she is always finding new friends wherever we go.

Dallin was a little more mellow today. But he enjoyed the water still :).

Maybe he was feeling a little like me... this seaweed is crazy!

Connor loves to chase the waves.

We stayed all day. 5 hours at the beach and we loved every minute.

Everyone slept well that night :).