In full Spring

A school assignment for Ethan. He dressed up as an important person for Colorado.

Panda at the park on a windy day.

Bennie's baseball team was nicknamed "Orange
Crush". He did a great job!

Sydney graduated from Kindergarten.

Sydney's dance recital day.

There were four girls in her class.

Quinn loves to get in Panda's crate and basically torment him.

August Ups and Downs

Family picture

The real us.

Ethan crashed on his scooter on the way to school. The handlebar came out of the slot and he flipped over the scooter onto the sidewalk. He was being watched over that day and was very blessed. He didn't even need stitches.

....But Helmets have become mandatory for all riding:)

Yay Seth!

Ethan Way to go!

Seth and Ethan get their Webelos August 23.

Michael and Max on a playdate.

Just thought I'd go for a little dip...in the oatmeal!

Beyblade Wars

Dad turns 35. The kids made Dad a homemade banana cream pie. Loved every bite! Seth, Ethan, and Ben babysat for free while mom and dad went out on a "lovey-dovey" date. Thank you kids! Happy Birthday Dad!

Pizza night picnic.

Michael, even more on the move.

Quinn, on the move.

These guys are looking more and more alike! Sometimes even mom mixes them up.

We had a few minutes before church started so I snapped a few pictures of the kids in their Sunday best. Ben always lights up the room.

Ethan, I love your smile:)

Sweet Seth!

Love this classic "first" picture.

Beautiful Sydney!

The day after Christmas

The day after Christmas is usually the day when I go to target and buy Christmas decorations at 50 to 90% off. Today is a Sunday so I am at home resting on this Sabbath. I find my self feeling very reflective.

Late Christmas Eve, Dean and I were noticing that it didn't feel like Christmas. The weather played a big role in that. Ususally, in our Colorado location, we get some snow in December. It has been a tradition to go sledding on Christmas Eve before our dinner. It has been sunny and in the 50s. I am not complaining. I was wishing for a mild winter. Now that I've got it, I have to accept that a mild winter includes no sledding and no cozy, sit by the fire and drink hot chocolate feeling.

Christmas Eve was wonderful this year. Dean and I finished the tile floor at 4 am early Christmas Eve morning. We got about 4 hours of sleep before we awoke and started our day. Dean made everyone a breakfast of eggs and sausage. He went shopping with the boys and Sydney, Quinn and I stayed home. I cleaned up the house and prepared the home for our coming Chistmas celebrations. After lunch and some candy making, we went to the mall to see if we could find a Santa.

I have never been to a mall on Christmas Eve. In my mind, I thought that most people would be home with their families. Apparently, that is not the case. The mall was mobbed with many people. We were not deterred. We went into the mall and were determined to find Santa and his elves. We looked around awhile and finally found him on a lower floor. After finally arriving to the line to see Santa, we quickly got in line. Only a few minutes later, a fellow who was only doing his job had to inform us that unless we had a Santa express ticket (which were sold out) we would have to get out of line. Reluctantly, we did get out of the line. Our spirits weren't too dampened. We found a pet shop with puppies, kittens, and hamsters. They were so adorable! I wanted to take one home right then. But, I had to hold back those feelings because we weren't prepared to get a puppy just yet. Oh, it would be so much fun to get a cute little doggie! But it is better to think things through and be prepared.

When we got home, we had a dinner of soup and crusty bread in the newly put together dining room to candlelight. Yummy! Afterward we had our nativity scene. Ethan and Seth did some of the filming. Then we had egg nog and an opening of a present. The kids went to bed soon after. Then Santa arrived! It was around 1 am. It was a wonderful Christmas! So much fun. Only 363 more days until next Christmas....

Sleep,

I am so sleep deprived. I haven't had an uninterrupted nights sleep for many, many years. I miss sleep. I remember when I used to go to sleep at night and know that I would fall into a deep slumber and wake up feeling bright eyed and bushy-tailed. Those days are gone. Now when I go to sleep, I wonder how many minutes of sleep will I get until I am awakened by a child who had a bad dream, a restless little one who is missing the babyhood days when they shared a room with mom and dad, a crying baby who is teething, hungry, or just out-of-sorts because of traveling or some milestone. Then there are the pregnant days when I am awakened because I am hungry, need to change position or am just restless with a growing baby inside. Someday I will get rest. But will it be the same? I am a mother now.

More Birthday for Ethan and Seth

Their party was on a Saturday. Their birthday was on a Monday. As usual, we decorated the dining room and prepared the presents. In the morning, we usually have cake, but we had their cake on Saturday, so they had ding dongs with a candle in it. They unwrapped their presents, then got ready for school. After school, later that night, we went to Target and each picked out their big present.

Seth and Ethan turn 10

Ethan and Seth turned 10 this year on October 25. We do birthday parties on the even years. So this was a party year. I knew this in the back of my mind, but life is so busy these days that I often find myself just trying to survive. As their birthday drew closer, they started talking about their birthday party. I knew that I was going to have to pull something out of a hat. So I decided we'd invite one friend each and they could go to brunswick zone and have a pizza party at our house. They each invited Ethan Wallace and Aaron Spencer. Ben and Sydney also went along with them. Michael stayed home and was not too happy about it, but we managed. They had a good night.

Monday November 15, 2010

Benjamin's baptism is coming up. We have been working to get things put together for that with the program, reserving the church, pictures, invitations, food planning. November is busy because we have Michael's birthday, Ben's birthday, and Thanksgiving which usually means traveling to Utah. This year it includes Ben's baptism and everything that goes with it. I am so proud of my sweet Ben. All of the planning and the traveling will be worth it to have family support encircling my Ben on his special day.