Christmas has begun!

All four kids in front of the family tree.
Hello Kitty.
Another Sponge Bob to add to our tree.
Hello Kitty...yes both of the girls picked out the same ornament this year.
Buzz Lightyear...I think he just likes it because it lights up.
Definitely one of my favorite ornaments this year....awesome!
Mom's ornament....oh how I wish I could play a little better. Practice, practice, practice...

With Thanksgiving out of the way...I am allowed to decorate for Christmas now! Yay! The kids are each holding the ornament they picked out for this year. They each get a new one every year and it is really fun to go through all the old ones each year as we decorate the tree.

Family Pictures 2011

Thank you to my good friend Kelli Bramble for such cute photos of my family. You can check her out at kellibramblephotography.com

Hey! When did we get so many kids?! LOL

Halloween Time!

The kids got a ton of candy this year. The weather was perfect for trick or treating so we lasted for three hours and then decided to head home.
Half way through trick or treating we stopped by the neighborhood park where all of our friends were gathering for hot chocolate and donuts.
The next day i actually convinced my kids to sell their candy to a dentist for $1 a pound. The girls both got $5 (which was the max) and Logan got $4 (I'm pretty sure that's because he ate a lot before selling it.)
I was in charge of Lyndie's class Halloween party this year. It was a lot of work, but all the kids helped me get things ready and were a big help. I had 4 other moms come and help with the party too, so it was a big success.
The kids' school hosted a Monster Mash Halloween dance this year. It was a lot of fun. The girls are going under the limbo stick here.
I paused the kids to take a picture and this is Mallory telling me to hurry because the limbo stick is coming.
Halloween parade of costumes.
more parade...
more parade...
This is before the dance. We sat in the school for a few minutes until Jeremy could get there and join us.
These are my activity day girls and the cute Halloween wreath we made together at my house.
Here is my finished product.

It was a busy Halloween, but a fun one!

Finally!!!

So, it's not a baby grand, but it gets the job done. I have been dying for a piano for years and I finally was able to go get this one. I love it! I love to play and have been doing so everyday. I'm kind of hogging it from Mallory who is actually in lessons and needs to practice.

Life with #4 (Sawyer)

Sawyer is walking pretty much everywhere now and doesn't stop for too long. He is pretty daring and goes head first down the slide at the park. I have to be careful to watch him because he will do it even when I'm not looking.
We also discovered that Sawyer has an egg and peanut allergy. This is at the doctor's office while he is having the test done. The top two are the controls: one positive, one negative. The other five lines are the five allergens they tested him for. Eggs and peanuts are the bright red ones on the left.

We found out the hard way about the peanut allergy. I fed him his first peanut butter and jam sandwich, which he loved. As he ate it he was starting to itch his face and turn red and it didn't dawn on me until he was almost finished that he was having an allergic reaction. His eyes were starting to swell and so I got nervous and gave him some benadryl. About an hour later, he threw up all over himself. The next morning is when I called the allergist's office to make an appointment. We are now proud carriers of an epi-pen. He will be tested again in a year to see if he has outgrown it or not.

First Day of School 2011

First day of Kindergarten for Lyndie!!!!
All the kids from the "hood" standing at the bus stop. This year there are about 29 or 30 kids.
First day of 4th grade for Mallory and first day of 2nd grade for Logan.
Back to school is always an exciting time for everyone...especially me! But really...it is hard to adjust to the loneliness that comes when the house is almost empty.

Swimming!

This summer we were able to do a lot of swimming thanks to my brother John and his wife Brooke. They have a pool at their complex and have been great at inviting us to go swimming with them.

Silver Lake

These are all the neighborhood kids that went with us to Silver Lake. It was a lot of fun and beautiful. It was nice to get up in the mountains and enjoy the cooler air also.

They have a boardwalk built around the whole lake, so it is a very pretty walk to take.
The girls love to hang out together. Such cuties!

First Day of School

Mallory is starting 4th grade and has Mrs. Dawes. Logan is starting 2nd grade and has Mrs. Neria. They were both so excited to start school. It was a fun summer, but a long one and they were ready to go back and see their friends.

What we've been up to...

Our first "zucchini babies" of the season...
Kindergarten shots...yay!
Sawyer's First birthday!!!!!
Mmmmmmm...cake.
Happy Birthday to Annie, Mallory, and Sawyer!
Parade of Homes..."UP" house.
splash park
splash park
splash park