This SUCKS....

I was hoping to start our week with the kids off school filled with fun things, but Lakota and Makayla have other ideas in mind.........the stomach flu!! I just hope that we can get them over it before Christmas eve!! (only Payton is left to get it but I hope the 5 day influenza that he had will cancel it out). Here's to a hopeful week!! Wish us luck and any prayers are most welcomed!!!

The fun of cutting down our Christmas tree....

For the past 10 years Mark or I or both, have stood in the freezing cold and snow (the weekend after Halloween) to get a tag to cut down our own Christmas tree. Then a day or two after Thanksgiving we go up by Strawberry to cut our choice of tree down. While the Dads go off to find that perfect Charlie Brown tree, us Moms and kiddos get to hang out and play. This year it was just my family, my parents and my little brother Scott.(AmyLyn bought hers and Stephanie had to get hers the weekend before). The kids had so much fun, sledding, jumping into, throwing and eating snow!!! After all the energy has been exhausted we climb back into the car for movies, lunch and warm hot chocolate! I know this has been one of my kids favorite Christmas traditions and we hope to continue it for as long as we can!

Will it ever slow down??

This month already has been more crazy then I had hoped for....cutting down our own tree, hosting bunco : with dinner, treat and prizes!, decorating the house with 2 trees, class parties, shopping, wrapping,baking, Christmas card making, 2 choir concerts for lakota, neighbor gifts, addis dance performance, Payton's polar express day (and his 5 days of influenza), lakota and makayla's piano recitals and much more on the list to go!!! I promise pictures will come, they will trickle in slowly, but they will get put on here! I hope you will be able to slow down and enjoy your time with your family!! (as i hope to do when school lets out in a week!!)

Makayla's Baptism Pictures

My Brilliant brother Scott, took (my now 8 year old) out and took some amazing pictures of her for her Baptism. Makayla had so much fun posing for the camera! (and it really showed) She loved the attention on her and her special day! With beautiful pictures, she could hardly wait. Mark and I are so proud of her and her decision to be baptized. She has set a great example for her younger brothers and sister! We love you so much Makayla and your Dad and I are so lucky to have you in our family!!

I heart Scott!!

My little brother has taken up photography. And he is amazing!!! With just messing around and taking advice from his friend, Scott has come up with the most beautiful, jaw droping pictures!!! Here is just some of his work of my family!!! ( I can't wait for him to do some of Makaylas baptism pictures!!)

A Good Place to Start!!!

I have soooo much to blog and have been putting it off!!! (if you couldn't tell) So the time has come, here is the first of many!!!
We started our summer off with a huge family vacation. We drove to San Diego, Sea World. This was our first trip as just our family. We did the drive in 2 days stopping both ways in Las Vegas. In Vegas we took the kids to the M & M factory. They had a blast!! Then on to Sea World!!! Surprising to me, the kids did wonderfully in the car!!! While in San Diego we did Sea World and the zoo. We did Sea world 2 days cause the kids has so much fun the first day that we all wanted to go back for another!!! For our first family trip ever, I think things went rather well!!!!

A busy weekend!!

This is what I did this weekend!! I have become a blog stalker and found some really cute things to make!!! These 2 outfits are 2 patterns I put together! I still have to make one for Lakota, but she seems to want to be involved more with the fabric picking process, so I have to take her next time!! I also made a top like Addi's for my niece who we babysat this weekend, one of these days I'll get a picture of her and Addi together!!

Sleeping Beauty

This year for the 3rd grade play they did sleeping beauty. Lakota was chosen to be a fairy and a mother. 2 roles, she was excited! She learned all her lines in one night! My mom made her pink fairy dress while I made her mother peasant dress. She did fabulous!!! She had a total of 4 performances! She excelled at all of them. Mark and I are so proud of her and her accomplishments!!

Basketball for Makayla

This year Makayla decided that she wanted to do basketball. So we enrolled her at the rec center. 5 weeks for early morning basketball. She loved it. She needed some alone time from the rest of her siblings and this turned out to be perfect for her, next up swimming lessons!!!

Riding!

Mark use to work for a guy who has a ranch, so one BRIGHT Saturday afternoon we go to take advantage! The girls had so much fun, they even got to ride all by themselves!! ( with on one leading them!!!) I was a bit freak out because when I was younger I had a bad experience! But I braved it and watched them learn how to control and turn the horses. I was so proud of how quick and in control they stayed! We had such a fun day!

Another Birthday!!!

Payton turned 5!! I know he's getting so big! He really wanted a Star Wars cake, so I ordered one. This year he got to pick out what he wanted for a present, and the result was Ben 10! He is all BOY!! I can't believe that after the summer he gets to go to kindergarten! Payton is such a jokester and we love how he brings a smile to every ones face! We love him sooo much!!

Boston's Black Eye

We have no clue how this happened, but it is what it is, a huge black eye!! Poor kid, I think people started to think that we beat him up!!

March mini vacation

A friend in our ward manages a hotel, so we took the kids for a slumber party! After we had dinner we went swimming and then all back to the room for a movie! They kids loved it and want to do it again soon!! It was fun to get a way even just for one night! Thanks Andrea for the discount!!!

All messed UP!!

if on your end of the computer, my blog page seems all screwed up, PLEASE leave a comment! I have had a lot of people tell me it looks funny! On my end its fine. but i do need to fix this so let me know what it looks like to you!!!

The Big One...

Happy birthday to our bost-a-roni!! Boston turned 1 on February 18th. I made a chocolate Caterpillar. We invited my mom and dad over to celebrate with us and the kids. Boston got a tractor that goes along with his farm house he got for Christmas. He drives it around and makes a humming noise like a car, how smart. Grandma gave him the traditionally plate set that all the one year olds get, he loves the fork and spoon the most! When it came to the cake, the boy knew how to make a mess! The girls just giggled at him and that made him laugh more! wow, how time flies! Boston is a sweet boy and has a infectious smile and laugh,we just can't help but squeeze him daily. How lucky mark and i are to have him come to our family!

Needing to CATCH up!!!

My poor computer has gone to the repair shop! I have so much to post. Here are some post to come; Boston turning 1, our mini vacation, Boston's first steps, Addi's new bed and just about spring! WOW!!! That's sounds like a lot of work for me. Check back often, updates WILL get posted!!

Really ? A pillow case???

How cute are these?



A dress made out of a pillow case? Yup, I used the measurements from a pillow case and made my own little design. Addison has one too, but not out of the same fabric and she has 2 ties, one on each side (picture to come). Lakota and Makayla loved these dresses so much that they are asking for more. (they both want one to wear to swimming lessons in the summer). I think they turned out great and they are super fast and easy!! don't they look cute?