The Marshalls

No more 1 year olds for us

2012-01-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

Which is kind of sounding sad to me, but I am coming to grips with it. Good thing he's little and isn't walking yet. He is a whopping 17 lbs putting him in the 1% for his weight. Rex is such a sweet little guy. He is happy, calm, cuddly and awesome. He is crawling, going up stairs, pulling up to furniture and beginning to cruise the couches. He still sucks his thumb and will go to anyone who wants to hold him. Rex loves his siblings and is very much loved by them.

Rex had a low key birthday. Matt got him some Krispy Kreme's which he inhaled. Then we let the kids all pick out a present from Target. Donovan wrapped the presents while the others frosted and sprinkled cupcakes.

Since Rex has everything he needs plus some, we didn't buy him any presents. Instead we added our money to the money his grandparents generously gave to him and opened up a savings account. Sorry Rex, but you'll thank us later!

A first for Cameron

2012-01-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

I love that Skate City gives free skate coupons to our kids every time they have a break from school. This was the first time that Cameron tried skating with the big kids. In the hour and a half that we were there, I think Cam went around the rink a total of 3 times. Not bad. And he looked real cute.

Then he was done. He wanted to join Rex and me on the sideline. We're more fun.

I am looking forward to the time when all of us can go out and skate together. Taking pictures while holding a baby is fun and all, but I'd like to get out there too!

Presents

2011-12-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Everyone seemed pretty happy about what they got for Christmas.

Cameron's presents mostly fell under the "Star Wars" genre.

Nina's presents could be divided into 3 categories: art, sparkly things and dolls.

For Howie, this Christmas was the year of the Spy. He acquired several items that I'm certain will annoy Nina. He also got some books, video games and unmentionables.

I hate when I sit down to blog and realize that I forgot to take a few pictures. So it would appear that Donovan just walked over to a neatly arranged pile of presents, sat down, and smiled for his picture. I vaguely remember him opening a few.

I do remember putting Rex down for his nap before we opened presents. It was just easier that way. And I do remember giving him the opportunity to open his own presents. But when you just sit and look at this pile of stuff and don't do anything with them, and when you have 4 older siblings who like to open presents, Rex didn't stand a chance. So yes. In this case, Rex was placed in front of a neatly arranged pile of presents and smiled for his picture. Don't be so slow next year Rex.

And Matt got a sweater.

Christmas morning

2011-12-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

It was torture for all the kids to wait those 2 long hours to see what Santa left them. I feel like they brought that on themselves though. Seriously? Why do kids think they need to wake up so early? But anyway, when we were ready, we had them line up on the stairs youngest to oldest and wait for us to give them the thumbs up to break through the barrier.

And break through they did!

The anticipation was too much for Rex to handle. Although it could have been the madness that ensued after the paper wall was torn down. One can't be too sure. But I can assure you that he has since recovered.

Nina was the lucky recipient of a stash of markers, colored pencils and paper. Santa must have forgotten her tendency to pair up markers and walls/doors/counters/dressers.

Donovan seems pretty excited!

So do these two.

Donovan loved his new Wii game.

Howie wasted no time plotting how to use his new spy gear.

Cameron and his new Millennium Falcon were made for each other.

Everything's ready

2011-12-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

Since we figured the kids would want to wake up earlier than we would, we made a newspaper barrier to keep them from peeking. There were actually 2 barriers, one at the top of the stairs and another covering the entry to the living room. So even though the kids woke up at 5 a.m., they didn't see anything until we gave them the okay at 7.

The children were tucked all snug in their......

2011-12-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

sleeping bags on the floor of grandma and grandpa's basement. Well, some got a couch.

Gotta love Donovan and Howie Tebowing

Temple Square

2011-12-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

We made the trek out to Reno for Christmas this year. We thought it would be fun to surprise the kids and keep it a secret until we left. Matt and I packed their suitcases and all the presents into the car the night before and in the morning we woke the kids up, told them to get dressed and get into the car. The reaction wasn't as good as we hoped for. Once the kids got in the car, they put on a movie, started to play their video games and didn't ask where we were going for a long time. When they finally asked what we were doing, we told them we were going to see some famous lights. They pretty much just said, "oh, okay" and left it at that. So 8 hours later we pull into Salt Lake and head over to Temple Square. It was totally crowded and freezing. The beauty of the lights was lost on our kids. They were tired, cold and cranky. I don't blame them, it had been a rough day of video game playing and movie watching. So after we finish at Temple Square, the kids ask us if we were going back home now. Just to give some background information - the car was packed with suitcases, presents, sleeping backs and blankets. All they had to do was look behind, in front or underneath and they would have noticed everything. We told them we thought they would be lousy detectives because they are no good at gathering evidence. So they look around and come up with their guess: "We're spending Christmas at Temple Square!" We left it at that and headed to the hotel. They do deserve some credit though, they ended up figuring it out later that night.

Nina's ballet recital

2011-12-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

We found such a gem with Miss Muffie. She has to be the best ballet teacher for young girls in the whole wide world! And lucky for us she is in Littleton. Miss Muffie puts on two recitals a year, right in her basement. She taught the girls a cute little Nutcracker performance. We all loved it!

After the show she gives all the girls a gift. This year it was a snow globe with a picture of the class inside. Nina was happy to get it.

Howie's Baptism

2011-12-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

Howie was baptized on Saturday, December 3rd by his dad. Both sets of grandparents flew here to witness this event and we were so grateful they did. Howie asked his uncle Zach to give a talk on baptism and his Grandpa Marshall to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. His uncles Chris and Adam gave prayers and Donovan played a special musical number. We were so proud of Howie's decision to be baptized. He is a very special boy and we know he has a bright future ahead of him.

Bass Pro Shops

2011-12-02T21:10:00.001-07:00

Matt loves to take the kids to Bass Pro Shops any time of the year. He and the kids love to check out the fish and wander the store. I usually go along because I'm a good sport. But at Christmastime, I don't mind going at all. They have so many activities set up for the kids and I love watching them have fun. Sometimes I have no clue where they are, but my motherly instincts let me know they are having a good time. That's what I tell myself at least.

And as an interesting side note. Howie knows all about Santa, yet he is totally freaked out by him this year. He won't go near him. In fact, at our ward Christmas party, he found the farthest room he could and hid there until Santa was gone. He told me, "there's no way I'm sitting on that creepy guy's lap." Just thought I'd document that.

Cute and Crazy

2011-11-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

Cute

Crazy

Cute

Crazier. And maybe kind of cute.

Howie turns 8!

2011-11-28T20:26:00.001-07:00

I think that Howie had a great day. We did the usual Krispy Kreme breakfast and Chuck E. Cheese dinner. In between I brought him cookies to share with his class and put together a little treasure hunt to find his stash of presents. Being the exact opposite of an awesome mother, I didn't take very many pictures and I gave him an IOU for his birthday party. The treasure hunt was well documented thanks to Howie's father.

Howie had to decide how much he wanted to find his presents. In the end, he thought touching Nina's barbies was a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to find his presents.

Howie ended up with an airsoft rifle and pistol compliments of Grandma and Grandpa Marshall, night-vision goggles thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Bentley, and a pocketknife from us. He can do some serious damage in the dark. We will all beware.

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-11-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

This wasn't my favorite experience. I was a little frustrated, but hopefully the kids won't remember that and will just remember the fun parts of decorating the tree. Nina and Cameron were bugging us all day to get the tree and decorations down. The house wasn't very clean, but what's new? We finally got the stuff out, but we couldn't pull Donovan and Howie away from their video game. So Matt, Nina and Cameron began putting the tree together. Then the lights wouldn't work so Matt spent several minutes fidgeting with each light trying to get them to work. The whole time Nina was begging to put up all the "most special" decorations. I kept trying to give her assignments, but they weren't special enough. Then after Matt figured out the lights, we get them hung, and all heck broke loose. There was a mad dash to the ornaments and a fight over which one belonged to which kid and "he hung more up than me" and "she took mine" and bla bla bla. In the end, everything looked fine and everyone seemed happy. Well, most people.

The Lights in Littleton

2011-11-25T22:10:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite traditions. Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, our cute, historic downtown has it's lighting. Santa makes his way along the main street in his sleigh and as he reaches each street corner, the whole section lights up. The lights are so beautiful! This year we were a little late arriving so we went straight to the end where Santa turns on the lights of a huge Christmas tree. Matt took turns lifting up all the kids above the crowd to get a glimpse of Santa. The wind was so crazy making it slightly miserable, but when the kids saw Santa up close and saw the lights around us suddenly turn on, they were so happy and excited. It was well worth the cold and crowds.

Howie giving Nina a better view.

Turkey Trot part II

2011-11-24T13:46:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine told me about a free Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning and I'm so glad she did. Donovan and I ran a 5K together 2 years ago and I have been wanting to run another race with him. This was such a perfect fit for us. It was a low key event and did I mention FREE?! I was so proud of Donovan! He chatted with me, ran the whole time and beat his last time by over 2 minutes! I hope this sweet child wants to run with me in the future. It would be so enjoyable.

Southglenn Lights

2011-11-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

This event kicked off our Thanksgiving break and the start of the holiday season. All the local schools are competing for money from the mall by accumulating points from purchases at stores. The mall awarded bonus points to kids who attended this lighting so we thought it would be fun to attend and nice to add more points for our school's total. We saw the line to meet Santa and decided we would just enjoy him from afar.

Cameron dressed in his very best.

These two got busted for climbing in the empty fountain.

Our little stroller enjoyed it's last outing. It lasted us 10+ years. I think it had a good life.

Donovan and Howie were fighting. Nina was pouting. Cameron was cute and Rex was taking it all in.

Turkey Trot

2011-11-18T15:25:00.001-07:00

Donovan, Howie, and Nina got to participate in their school's annual Turkey Trot. They all started out with a bag of tickets with their names written on them. When they completed a lap, they got to put a ticket into a drawing for a turkey. Despite their stamina and many, many laps, none of our kids came home with a turkey. The exercise was lots of fun though.

Guess who finally learned how to crawl

2011-11-12T21:35:00.003-07:00

I'll give you a clue, it's one of these guys:

Believe it or not, this is our first child to crawl. Donovan went straight to walking. Howie scooted around on his bum until he walked. Nina followed Howie with the bum-scoot. Cameron also. But Rex! Thank goodness for Rex. I was beginning to think it was me. And for journaling purposes, last weekend Rex learned how to clap and wave. And he is a lean, mean, weaned machine. And he still doesn't have any teeth. And I got rid of our changing table. Just saying.

Thank You Grandma and Grandpa!

2011-11-07T21:49:00.003-07:00

Dear Grandma and Grandpa Bentley,

Thank you so much for the gift cards to Dairy Queen! Our parents took us tonight and we all picked out our favorite treat. Our mom was super awesome and forgot to bring her camera. We just want you to know we loved your gift!

Love,
Marshalls 1-5

Devil Leaves

2011-10-30T22:00:00.000-06:00

Every fall when the leaves start to fall, we frequently see our kids outside running around in the blowing leaves. I decided that this year I was going to figure out how this game they call "devil leaves" works. From what I observed, they start out on guard, sometimes armed with sticks, light sabers, and swords. When the wind blows around a pile of leaves - one of two things happens:

1. The kids take their weapons and charge the devil leaves.
2. The kids run for their lives away from the devil leaves.

Such a versatile game.

Pumpkin carving

2011-10-30T18:12:00.000-06:00

Not much to report here. We finally let our kids carve their pumpkins after days and days of waiting. A super nice couple in our ward let our kids each pick a pumpkin from their little patch. We were so grateful! Howie carved his entire pumpkin himself this year. Nina and Donovan both picked patterns from a book we have. I did Nina's and Matt did Donovan's. Cameron just wanted the "most scary face you have seen", which Matt was able to pull off. And Matt helped Rex carve out a cute little face. So Matt, stud that he is, out-carved everyone this year.

Boo Ball and Trunk or Treat

2011-10-28T21:01:00.001-06:00

We made it to a couple of fun Halloween activities Friday night. We started with our ward's trunk-or-treat. Everyone dressed up except for me. I'm kind of a party pooper that way. Or maybe it's a vanity thing. It's just that unless I have a rockin, awesome costume that I look absolutely fabulous in, I'm not going to dress up. Sorry.

But these good looking people did dress up and had a lot of fun collecting candy from everyone in our ward.

Matt made me laugh with his french accent, Donovan donned a scary skeleton suit, Howie hid his face in a ninja mask, Nina's nautical mermaid costume was splashy, Cameron kept his cool just like Obi-wan would, and Rex ribbited all night long.

We had to leave the church a little early to get to the school for the annual Boo Ball.

Rex didn't know what to think about everything.

Howie and Cameron jumped right into the fun and games. Cam even won a big plate of cupcakes at the cake walk.

Several kids from one of the high schools set up a bunch of minute to win it games that our kids loved.

Besides all the games, a good friend of ours was the DJ for the family dance and it was a blast. Donovan took off with his friends right when we got there and we didn't see him til the end. Even though it feels crazy sometimes, I do love activities like this.

And this is a picture of Nina and her friend Bella trick-or-treating in Downtown Littleton. So cute!

Party in the classroom!

2011-10-28T14:44:00.000-06:00

I feel like I'm finally getting adjusted to having that little 5th wheel we call Rex. I feel like I can do a few extra things like help out at school parties and clean the kids' bathroom.

In Donovan's class, they made Frankenstein hands and played other games.

Howie's class also made those popcorn hands and enjoyed some snacks and fun with friends.

Nina's class made little ghosts, ate snacks and sang Halloween songs.

I'm so glad I made an effort to get to these parties. I really loved seeing our kiddos having fun with their friends.

I did a little baking

2011-10-28T13:14:00.002-06:00

Just a little, only about 175 cookies. Thankfully for my scale, they are all going to the kids' school for classroom parties and for a cake walk tonight. Cookies work for a cake walk right?

I saw this fun idea online and wanted to give it a try.

Now I will be doing dishes until I go crazy

hmm.........might be too late

Library Parade

2011-10-27T10:25:00.002-06:00

Cameron goes to story time at the library every week. This week, there was a costume parade before the stories. Cameron decided to be a knight for this parade. All the kids lined up and marched around the library stopping for little treats along the way. Then they listened to stories and enjoyed cookies and juice. During the stories, Cameron kept yelling out, "Oh yeah! Check this out!" He was busy inspecting his treat bag and was most excited about the tattoo and smarties. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know the librarian was reading stories. Rex dressed up like a little frog minus the hat that he didn't want to leave on his head.

We both tried to look our best for this picture.

October Snow

2011-10-26T12:43:00.001-06:00

7 inches of snow on October 26 - right on track for Colorado. It seems like we are always trick-or-treating in the snow and cancelling soccer games because of blizzards. Cam and I went out to shovel snow this morning and decided to play for a little bit afterwards. (ps. I hate playing in the snow. So does that give me extra awesome mom points?) We tried to make a snowman, but the snow wasn't packing that well so we made a snowboy and a snow pumpkin.

Thanks for the craft!

2011-10-25T16:46:00.000-06:00

Dear Grandma and Grandpa Marshall,
Thank you for the Halloween craft you sent us. We had a great time coloring them and are excited to see them decorating our dining room.
Love,
Your 5 far away grand kids

ps. our parents are taking us to Target this weekend to buy something sweet with the money you sent us.

Halloween 5k

2011-10-23T11:19:00.001-06:00

I have been pretty motivated to lose baby weight since Rex was born. Something about knowing that I'm not getting pregnant again makes me feel like working hard to shed those pounds and inches that have accumulated over the past 11 years. One of the things I'm focusing on is trying to run faster. So for the past couple of months I've been training for a 5k and I ran it over the weekend.

Matt was so supportive as I was training, and I loved how he and the kids came to cheer me on during the race.

And for my own record, the official time was 25:15.

Cameron + desitin =

2011-10-14T11:45:00.000-06:00

a big mess

No Bakes

2011-09-25T11:51:00.003-06:00

Just because there is no baking doesn't mean there is no mess!

and as a side note - Cameron regularly wanders around with only one shoe on. I don't know how it doesn't bother him.

Out of practice

2011-09-11T21:28:00.003-06:00

I am not so hot at blogging these days. Maybe I can attribute that to the fact that I really haven't been so hot at taking pictures. And maybe I can attribute that to the fact that I haven't been so hot at remembering to bring my camera along with me. And maybe I can attribute that to the fact that I haven't been so hot at having a brain that works. And I'm pretty sure I can attribute that to the 5 little lovelies that I call my children. But at one point in time, I remembered to bring a camera along with us on a trip to the mountains where I remembered to take some pictures. And I am remembering to blog about it. I am awesome. And hot.

And so here is a recap of that blessed day.

The kids found some safe pockets of water along the river where they could play

Rex was cute and sat on a blanket in the shade

I learned that Matt is fully capable of taking Rex along with him on all future fishing trips

The kids climbed up this little rock hill

And surrendered themselves to my every demand

Matt caught a fish

A long time ago

2011-08-24T19:59:00.002-06:00

Actually I think it was only a month ago. But it was before summer was over and before school started and sucked the life out of me in 8 short days. We took the kids to a ghetto amusement park and they had the time of their short little lives. It's times like these that make me so happy we have little kids. And also make me wish they were all older. It was fun to watch them run from ride to ride. It wasn't fun holding a baby who wanted to be in his bed. It was fun seeing the huge smiles on the kids' faces as they spun, whipped, floated, bumped etc. It wasn't fun telling a 3 year old he was too short for some rides. It was fun watching the kids try to maneuver through a glass maze. It wasn't fun helping 2 kids use the bathroom while holding a baby. Gross. I'm pretty sure we'll trek out there again next year and have another night of fun!

First (and second) Day of School

2011-08-16T14:38:00.004-06:00

I'll tell you what, the first day of school was very exciting. So exciting that I forgot to take a few pictures. The second day of school was also exciting, and I got the missing shots of the kids and their teachers. Not a tear was shed. Except maybe from this guy:

He doesn't like being away from his beautiful bride. He might have mumbled something about not feeling ready for another year, but I can't be sure.

The only thing Howie was excited about was that he would get to see his friends again.

Maybe a couple of us were happy to see this one in the care of someone else for a part of the day.

We were all up and ready to go on time. I'm documenting this to show that I did it at least once.

And everyone's first impressions of their teachers appears to be favorable. Let's hope it's a great year!

Rookie Season

2011-07-24T14:56:00.005-06:00

We are proud of our two rookie baseball players! I'd say they both had great seasons. The league we found was perfect for their ability levels. They learned a lot, and also had a lot of fun. A double bonus I suppose. We also liked the fact that twice a week, the whole family got to enjoy a few hours outside enjoying those nice, warm summer evenings.

A couple of notable stats for Donovan. He never stuck out. He struck out one batter. He made several outs in the field. He was always smiling.

Some notable stats for Howie. He only had to use the tee once. He caught a pop fly his very first game. He also fielded several balls and helped to get some outs. He smiled part of the time.

I think everyone is looking forward to next summer.

The Worst Campout Ever

2011-07-08T17:30:00.005-06:00

It started out so beautifully.

We had been looking forward to our annual camping trip with the Milligans and Lips for a long time.

We got to the campsite, unloaded and set everything up.

The kids ran around and explored, found weapons and made forts.

We started a fire and cooked our dinner.

Some of us even ate our dinner.

And then it started to rain, so we headed to the car for shelter. But it rained and rained and rained. For 6 hours. Which isn't so bad right? Except that our tent majorly leaks when it rains. And the rain soaked Rex's crib, most of our blankets, and all of the kids' backpacks with their dry clothes. Big deal. So since their wasn't enough dry bedding for everyone, we split up. Matt took Nina and Cameron to the tent while Donovan, Howie, Rex and I slept in the car. We contemplated driving back home and coming back in the morning, however it's hard to do that when your car battery decides not to work. Luckily it stopped raining a little after midnight. Just in time for Cameron to puke all over Matt and himself. So Matt cleans that lovely mess up and at about 4 am, he starts to fall asleep. But it was hard to stay asleep when your air mattress starts to deflate and the kids start caving in around you.

To make a long story short, we packed up in the morning and went home. After Paul and Rachelle helped us get our car to start again.

It'll be better next year right guys?

A Happy 4th

2011-07-08T17:15:00.005-06:00

This year our Fourth of July included some water balloons.

Chickens.

Otter Pops. Which are so much better than any of the cheapo kinds. Just saying.

And some food. I got some help to make these beauties. I made a bunch of other stuff, but nobody helped with that. Just the cool stuff.

Bet you want to know what we did with the chickens. You'll just have to come next year and find out. All I will say is that it's crazy. Okay, not really.

Zoo Friends

2011-07-08T17:01:00.002-06:00

We really don't have any friends at the zoo, but I took our kids to the zoo and I suppose we are friends. Matt thought hiking to some remote mountain lake and fishing sounded like more fun. To each his own. For me, it was a day of enjoyable weather, no field trips, and behaving kids. I even took them in that tropical place. By myself. Some of you will know how awesome that makes me.

I am glad they moved the hippo to a shaded spot. It makes for happy climbers.

And happy on-lookers.

And happy peacocks.

A bonus

2011-06-26T21:33:00.002-06:00

Having a house full of boys is wonderful for so many reasons. Father/Son campouts are just a bonus.

We have a sitter

2011-06-23T23:09:00.003-06:00

Well almost. He can still be a little tipsy. I can't decide if I'm happy about this. I love that Rex is growing and developing. I'm a little excited to have no more cribs, diapers, carseats, diaper bags, etc. I can't lie though, it's a little sad to think that these are milestones we won't see again. But Rex seems happy, and that makes me happy too.

I like this baby. He makes me smile.

The joy of a pool

2011-06-17T20:34:00.004-06:00

It brought out the smiles in everyone.

Grandpa and Great Grandparents

2011-06-14T15:43:00.003-06:00

My grandparents invited us over for lunch during our trip. They had a yummy spread of soups, sandwiches, salads and cheesecakes. It was fun to eat and chat and eat some more. Before we left, we managed to find all our kids and gather them into one room for a quick picture with their great grandparents. We actually took two pictures, but Nina wasn't sitting so lady-like in the other one. She was thrilled to take another one.

Rex and my grandma spent some time together after a BBQ at my aunt Julie's house.

And he and my dad shared many a quiet moment together. Rex loved bonding with his grandpa.

The Truckee River

2011-06-14T15:29:00.004-06:00

While we were in Reno, we took a trip to the river walk near downtown. There is a cool kayak course and some huge, climbing-friendly rocks along that part of the river. We watched a few kayakers having some fun, then wandered up and down the path. The river was running pretty high and fast, so we didn't let the kids get too close. Just close enough for them to throw some rocks into the river.

And to get a group picture.

It was a little windy that day.

But everyone had a fun time.

I Love Matt

2011-06-09T22:57:00.004-06:00

I love that he's a teacher. I love that because he's a teacher, he has a long and lovely summer break. I also love that he takes the kids to the pool and plays with them in the water so that they have more fun and I don't have to get into a bathing suit yet. I'm putting that off as long as I can. And I love that he took the 4 oldest kids fishing today and helped them to have a fabulous time. They each caught a fish and he got a picture of all of them.

Thanks for giving everyone a fun day today Matt.

Sweet Dreams

2011-06-05T21:03:00.002-06:00

These were the sleeping arrangements during our stay in Reno. We comfortably fit 4 kids in one bedroom and let one crash in our room. I have to admit I was doubtful that anyone would get any sleeping done with this setup, but happy that I was wrong. The three older boys shared a bed with ease. Nina loved her little closet bed and the privacy it afforded her. And Rex was a respectful roommate who let us sleep without interruption for a good 9+ hours a night.
I'm pretty sure I should thank my brothers for graciously giving up their rooms.

Love the Gills!

2011-05-28T23:19:00.002-06:00

They are one of those families that you wish lived next door to you. We were happy to get a chance to visit with them for not long enough on the way out to Reno.

Brian and Matt go way back. Back when they were 7, maybe 8. Back when they hung out every single day, riding bikes, playing sports, going to dances, wrestling, going to Scout Camp, etc. Best friends and college roommates, sadly separated by marriages and jobs. So when those two get back together, their inner children awaken and they pick up where they left off.

I didn't get pictures or video of them playing 1 on 1 or the intense game of tetherball. I was busy wiping the tears away. And probably holding a baby.

Our kids also had a great time playing together. We really wish we could see them more!

A few accomplishments

2011-05-18T09:10:00.007-06:00

We will start with Nina. She always reminds us "ladies first". Nina graduated from preschool and in a few short months will be in all day kindergarten.

She also loves a wild ride. But I don't have any pictures of her being a fabulous mother's helper. She helps me anytime I ask her. From helping Cam get dressed, to keeping Rex happy, she does her best to make things easier for me.

Donovan participated in his first Pinewood Derby. Maybe I'll do a post with more about that. Maybe.

He also did an impressive presentation on George Washington.

Rex keeps growing.

And continues to be cute and happy.

Cameron is wearing underwear at night.

Because he got potty trained in a day. The only time I've ever tried this method and with Cam, it totally worked.

Howie finished another soccer season.

He averaged about 3 goals a game.

Matt earned his first Master Angler Award

for catching this beauty

He also got the high score on one of the games at Chuck E. Cheese's. I'm so proud!

I ran a 10k last weekend and lived to smile.

I also spiced up our marriage after this little number. Our YW Presidency did a Jackson 5 number for a youth talent show. I'm the hottie in the middle.

He's 3!

2011-05-11T10:11:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated 3 years of joy brought to us by Cameron. We kept things pretty low key and let Cameron pretty much do what he felt like. Not a ton different from most days, but just enough extra to make it a special day.

Super creative Star Wars cake that I made. Made sure it was transported safely from the store that is.

We put together a little scavenger hunt for our Star Wars fan.

And I think he was pleased with the treasures he found.

He was also pleased with his Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

And his trip to Chuck E. Cheese's.

He was happy to turn 3 and we are happy he's our little buddy.

Easter

2011-05-07T11:40:00.003-06:00

These 3 lovely pictures are all that I have from Easter. We did have an Easter egg hunt. And we colored eggs. And we had a family get together that involved food. And we had a nice FHE about why we celebrate Easter. And we were invited to our friends house for an Easter Sunday dinner. I guess I was too busy stuffing my face with food to take any other pictures.

The Sad Truth

2011-04-23T22:17:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in a room with Donovan and Howie when I hear this conversation:

Howie - Think about it Donovan, there's no way Santa can be real.

Donovan - Yeah he is Howie.

Howie - There's no way he can really go around to every single house all in one night. And he can't fit presents down chimneys. And there is no way anyone could survive living in the North Pole.

Donovan - Yes he's real, he just magical Howie.

Howie - Do you really think he could fit that trampoline in his sleigh? I think mom
and dad just bought it at Walmart and put it together themselves.

Donovan - Mom, Santa's real isn't he?

Me - Go talk to your dad.

So Matt has a little talk with them and reveals this sad truth. Howie was fine afterwards - it was just as he suspected, but the truth was harder on Donovan. I asked him how he was doing and he told me he was kind of sad. But then he says, "at least we still have the Easter bunny". I could have died! And I had to catch Howie as he was about to say something like, "seriously Donovan?" The look he gave Donovan was hilarious. I didn't have the heart to take away this last glimmer of hope. But it didn't last. A few days later Donovan found my planner and saw that on my to-do list was fill eggs and baskets. He sadly approached me and said, "Mom, the Easter Bunny isn't real is he?" I gave him a big hug and said, "no, he isn't." It was so sad! Donovan is such a sweet and innocent boy, I hope the world is kind to him.

She came, she worked, she left.

2011-04-15T20:24:00.002-06:00

This last week was quite a whirlwind. I don't remember much, but I have been left with some pleasant changes. My mom came for a "baby visit" and helped me get my life back in order. And by help I mean she did a whole bunch of work while I complained about anything I could think of. I have pictures of some of what she did, but sadly none of her.

She took a disaster of a storage room and turned it into this:

She put together a collection of family pictures in our dining room:

She made Rex an official member of our family by adding him to our fireplace mantle:

And she stained this desk that Matt has had unfinished since he was in high school:

And in her free time she managed to mop our floors, clean our kitchen, babysit our kids, make a perfect chicken pot pie, clean our kitchen again, fold our clothes, pick up our living room, wash off marker from cars and desks and any other surfaces Nina victimized, clean the kitchen again, make lots of food, clean up our basement and clean the kitchen one more time. I love my mom and how generous she is. She does so much to ease our burdens and I hope I can one day be like her.

3 months and still a dream

2011-04-05T13:39:00.004-06:00

I am going to admit something, and don't judge me. The whole time I was pregnant with Rex, I cringed when I looked at little babies. They are SO HARD. They don't sleep, so you don't sleep. They cry a lot. And this thing would be attached to me one way or another for a long time. Like over a year. Who in their right mind would want something like that??? I wasn't sure I really did. But I did feel like it was right that one more child belonged in our family and I kept praying that we would be able to handle this last one.

And this last one is a complete angel.

I have heard people say that a new baby brings a measure of peace along with it. I'm not sure I noticed that on the last maybe 4 go-arounds. I can't say for sure though because a lot of my life is a blur. Like the months after every baby we've had. And like a year after Cameron.

But even in our noisy house, I do feel more peace than I did before he was born. I also feel a little more disorganized, but I've made peace with the messes that I will be seeing for the next lots of years. We're going to be great friends, me and those messes.

And I don't mind because I have this little guy to hang out with.

This total dream of a baby.

ps

2011-04-05T13:31:00.003-06:00

I hate this game too:

In this game, you have to line up all your clean Star Wars ships with your dirty hands before they all take off and shoot the bad guys.

But I really like this boy. He can be quite entertaining.

I hate this game

2011-03-31T16:59:00.002-06:00

This picture was taken after Cameron took every lunch box, lunch bag and water bottle we own, lined them up in the kitchen, then ran full-speed through the barrier as many times as it took to make it look like this:

Some Rising and Shouting

2011-03-19T21:44:00.003-06:00

March Madness is truly the most wonderful time of the year. And what made it even more wonderful was the awesomeness of my dad and brother in finding us tickets for both BYU games. Matt, Rex and I got to go to Thursday's game. It wasn't the most exciting game, but a win nonetheless. Then Rex escorted me to a much more exciting game tonight. Matt won dad of the year as he took the 4 other kids to watch the Rapids play in their home opener. Add the two soccer games of Donovan and Howie and it was a great day of sports for us all.

Found some common ground

2011-03-11T09:13:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure of the exact saying. Or if a real saying even exists for that matter. But the one that I'm thinking of essentially says, "if your daughter sometimes drives you crazy, start by finding something you both have in common and before you know it your daughter will start behaving like an angel and you will become the best of friends". I'll continue looking for that exact quote. But until then, I did find something we had in common. We should be excellent friends any day now!

And that commonality? We both wish we had another little girl in our family.

A 2 month dream

2011-03-07T21:41:00.002-07:00

Lately whenever I sit down to post something, I find myself wishing I would have taken more pictures. That is definitely the case tonight. We love our poor 5th child, and we will try to capture more of his life. Time has flown by since Rex was born. We are slowly getting to know him. What we have learned so far is that he is a dream. He is a calm, low maintenance little guy. It would appear that he is very curious about his surroundings. But he could also just be in shock from all the chaos. He doesn't seem to mind being passed from person to person allowing everyone a chance to hold him. He sleeps okay at night, we're not going to complain. But he sleeps very well during the day.

Yes. This is the only picture we took on Rex's blessing day. Thank goodness my dad had his camera.

A bygone birthday

2011-02-27T15:33:00.006-07:00

Ten days ago Nina joined the 5 year-old club. We even celebrated it. She had a low key party where she and a few friends decorated cupcakes and made valentines. The thing I liked the best was the fact that she invited 2 nine year-old girls who pretty much rocked. They supervised the younger girls during the crafts while I cleaned up messes, got new crafts ready and what not. We had a crazy cousin party for all the January and February birthdays (6). We put together a scavenger hunt to find her stash of presents. We got her the obligatory Krispy Kremes and we took her to get her ears pierced. I think we did a fair job celebrating. We even let her wear this out in public.

I am reassuring myself that I'm not completely forgetful, just sort of. We did a lot of fun things for Nina's birthday, I just forgot to put up a post about it. And I forgot to make her a birthday cake. And I forgot to take a picture of her newly pierced ears. And I forgot to make her the birthday dinner she requested. That might be all.

Basketball fans

2011-02-19T13:08:00.003-07:00

Having a baby in January had 2 disadvantages that I want to complain about. The first is that Rex was more susceptible to getting RSV. Check. The second is that it would make it really hard for me to attend some cool basketball games. Check. But Matt and the boys got to enjoy some games in January.

Matt, Donovan and Howie met my brother Chris and his two boys and ventured down to Colorado Springs to watch BYU have a little fun with Air Force.

Of course Jimmer was the highlight of the evening. I was told the boys gave Jimmer a high five, but I think Matt was a little slow on the click.

Matt is going to be slightly disappointed with this part of the post because I can't remember 2 key pieces of information.
1. Who the Nuggets played
2. Which Nugget player's sweaty headband Howie caught

A super-nice couple invited Howie to stand in front of their seats so he could reach the players as they walked into the locker room. He got to give Nene a high five.

Those were some pretty sweet seats guys. Go team!

Brothers

2011-02-13T14:04:00.004-07:00

We gathered our 4 boys together for a few snaps.

And they graciously allowed Nina to sit in on one shot.

Celebrating 1 month

2011-02-02T22:20:00.002-07:00

Rex wasn't feeling too good over the weekend and on Monday we ended up taking him to the ER. Turns out the little guy had RSV. After a couple of days in the hospital, he looked and sounded a ton better. Aside from that little episode, the past month has been quite enjoyable as we bond with our new baby.

Two weeks later

2011-01-19T10:25:00.004-07:00

and so far we think we're going to keep this little guy. We feel like he's brought a measure of peace and love into our home even though sometimes things get loud and crazy. Everyone here loves Rex and he is usually being held by someone. Rex is like any other 2 week old baby. He eats frequently, sleeps sporadically and is flying through diapers. He even gained a whopping 9 ounces. I find it hard to take pictures of him, especially compared to all the pictures we took of Donovan when he was a baby. We will work on that. So here's what we have for now:

Roller Derby

2011-01-12T16:10:00.003-07:00

As if life isn't crazy enough at our house, the kids have started playing this new game. It's nice and safe and super quiet. They roll around our house trying to catch each other. The boys use their rollerblades and Nina uses her skates. They also roll around to get food out of the kitchen, to use the bathroom, answer the door and it gets better (and safer). They go up and down the stairs in this sturdy footwear too. So far the injuries have been minimal and I hope it stays that way.

Baby Rex is here!

2011-01-03T21:17:00.003-07:00

We had a nice little surprise Sunday night. Matt was at a meeting and I had just sat down to relax after putting the kids to bed when my water broke. That has never happened before and I kind of didn't know what to do. Once Matt got home we threw together some things and headed to the hospital. Our wonderful friend Rachelle came and held down the fort for us. A few hours later the tiny little guy was born. 5 lb 3 oz and 18 inches long. So he keeps in line with the other small babies we've had, but holds the record for the smallest. We are excited that he's here!

Christmas morning

2010-12-28T21:36:00.003-07:00

It wasn't the most beautifully captured morning, but I can assure you that we had a wonderful morning.

The line up. So photogenic.

Opening presents.

Posing with presents. Matt and I feel like it's a success that we got half of our kids pictured with their presents. The other half did nicely too.

The big news of the day was the present from Santa. The kids came downstairs fully expecting to see presents all over the living room that Santa had left. Their expressions were pretty funny as they tried to figure out why there were no presents from Santa. After looking around, they finally noticed a note from Santa telling them that there was not enough room to bring the present down the chimney so he had to leave it in the backyard. They looked out the window and saw that Santa left them a trampoline. We have no pictures of their reaction. Or of them jumping on it. Or of the trampoline itself. But trust me, they all loved, and continue to love it.

Christmas Eve presents

2010-12-28T21:25:00.002-07:00

Traditionally Santa makes an appearance during our family Christmas Eve festivities, but it appeared that Santa was too busy to sit and chat this year. This year Santa doorbell-ditched us leaving a big, red sack of presents on the porch. No one seemed to mind which was a little bit of a relief, and our kids seemed to enjoy their presents. Also a relief.

Santa and a gingerbread house

2010-12-28T21:18:00.002-07:00

We worked long and hard to make this beauty.

And everyone was still smiling when it was all done.

Way to take charge and run the show Matt.

The only time our kids sat on Santa's lap was at our ward Christmas breakfast. Howie didn't feel the need to join in with the rest of the family.

Skate City

2010-12-18T12:20:00.003-07:00

Last year when we went to Skate City, only Matt and Donovan skated. This year we rolled out two more participants with Howie and Nina. Both were a little reluctant at first, but by the end, they wanted to keep going around "just one more time". I hear there are already plans to go again during this Christmas break.

Cam decided to be a Jedi and blast the bad guys who were skating.

And this was me at 35.5 weeks.

Not Cameron too!

2010-12-11T16:40:00.003-07:00

On this fine day I learned not to go upstairs to fold clothes. And just to be safe, I might not do laundry ever again. It's not worth it. Here we have Nina's apprentice Cameron demonstrating a skill Nina perfected early on. That of making a mess with products that are hard to clean up. Cameron chose butter. The huge tub of butter. I have a couple of pictures. But not included are pictures of butter on the oven, fridge, carpet, coffee table, DVD cases, couch, hallway floor, or the bottom of his shoe. This only took me 1 hour to clean up. Not too bad.

Happy Birthday Howie!

2010-12-04T23:08:00.004-07:00

Although this is a week late, here are the festivities from Howie's 7th birthday. Can I just say we love Howie. He is such a helpful, thoughtful, smart, loving and all around awesome boy. We are grateful to have Howie in our family!

Howie requested a red turtle bomber birthday cake. Sadly for Howie, he was not blessed with a mom skilled in cake-making. And lucky for me, he doesn't seem to mind.

Howie wanted Krispy Kreme for breakfast, mac and cheese for lunch and waffles for dinner.

Opening presents after completing a treasure hunt.

And a combined birthday party with his best friend Kyle.

Go Rapids!

2010-12-04T22:52:00.002-07:00

This is for Matt. He's sort of in love with the Rapids. I'm not going to accuse him of being obsessed. All I will say is that I think he was excited that the Rapids won the MLS Cup. He went to 2 playoff games. One thanks to a friend of ours who hooked him up with some awesome seats, thanks again Paul! He read probably every single article and comment made on online soccer forums. He of course watched the big game, then carted us all off downtown to the little celebration the city held in their honor. Go Matt and go Rapids!

Thanksgiving pictures

2010-12-04T22:36:00.003-07:00

I was trying to think back to Thanksgiving and nothing notable came to mind. We had a nice dinner with Jill and Adam and I guess the food was fine because I remember we all felt full. Then I browsed my pictures to try to jog my memory and apparently these are the only pictures I took on Thanksgiving:

Then I remembered that the kids were loud, sneaky and messy. And a little cute.

5:45 a.m.? Really?

2010-11-21T15:27:00.003-07:00

I guess it's not so bad to be woken up at 5:45, at least if this is what wakes you up. It's important to catch these sweet moments. They are great medicine during the sour moments.

Howie reading books to Cameron.

Gee, I'm stumped!

2010-11-17T10:39:00.003-07:00

Nina was equally at a loss as to who could have written on Cameron's face.

I know what Howie can ask for this Christmas

2010-11-07T20:15:00.002-07:00

Halloween

2010-10-31T20:51:00.005-06:00

Our Halloween festivities this year included 2 trunk-or-treats, 9 costume possibilities, 2 school-sponsored family events, picking 9 pumpkins, 1 chili cook-off, 2 costume parades, carving 4 pumpkins, 1 night of trick-or-treating and lots of candy for Matt and me to inspect. The kids kind of drove us crazy with their costume choices. Not that we didn't like their ideas, we just didn't like them changing their mind after we got the costumes they asked for all ready.

Nina the snow queen (not the fairy)

Cameron as Obi-Wan (not the clown or the lion or the dinosaur)

Howie as Tony Stewart (not the vampire)

Donovan as Jeff Gordon (not the pirate)

Remember this game?

2010-10-18T19:46:00.004-06:00

A little Family Home Evening activity and blast from the past.

What's new with Howie

2010-10-12T21:18:00.002-06:00

Basically he lost one thing and gained another. On Saturday, Howie was engaged in a pillow fight that resulted in a lost tooth. The tooth fairy's reimbursement went straight to his "leopard gecko" fund (which saw a massive increase with the $5 he earned from the 5 goals he scored earlier that day). On Monday he adopted his very own leopard gecko from a wonderful friend of ours. Needless to say, Howie is quite a happy boy.

Kids' Pics

2010-09-28T14:04:00.003-06:00

I like these 2 today

2010-09-21T13:03:00.001-06:00

Donovan's new specs

2010-09-17T09:40:00.003-06:00

So when Donovan failed his eye exam when he was 7, it wasn't totally because he wasn't paying attention.

Having a sporting time

2010-09-15T08:43:00.005-06:00

When you can spend $36 and take your whole family to 2 sporting events, you can't pass that up! First up was a trip to the Air Force Academy to watch them play BYU. Sad outcome, but fun dressing up, singing the fight song twice and seeing the Cougars (and a flyover).

Nina was in fine form.

Cam was beyond excited to wear his Cougars shirt and see BYU. I know his face doesn't show it, but I am being serious - he was really excited to go. Not sure if it was what he was anticipating though.

We made Howie wear a BYU shirt, which he immediately covered up with this bright orange shirt. He didn't want to be there and he certainly didn't want a picture taken. He cheered for Air Force.

Next up was a trip to Coors Field to see the Rockies play. Love the cheap tickets and the nice ushers who hook you up with much better seats. Another sad outcome. And Howie cheered for the Padres. Noticing a trend? Howie does not root for the home team.

Nina and Dinger. Cam was too afraid to go near him.

And the boys cheering for the Broncos.

Donovan's field day

2010-09-10T22:14:00.005-06:00

Our kids' school holds their field day in the fall. That fall day was today. Cameron and I made it to Donovan's portion and enjoyed following him around some of the stations.

Howie's field day

2010-09-10T22:03:00.003-06:00

We weren't able to stay that long for Howie's field day, but we got to watch him play games at a few stations. It seemed like he had a fun time.

A horrible picture of one of his favorite stations - throwing a wet sponge at a 5th grader.

Another Weekend

2010-08-29T10:16:00.002-06:00

Who doesn't like to kick off their shoes and relax over the weekend?

All of these were in the living room this morning. Just a note, on Friday morning I had our living room all cleaned and picked up. Then the kids came home from school.

This weekend

2010-08-22T21:15:00.003-06:00

Cameron ate his ice cream cone like a beaver.

Jill had her baby. Another girl. Shocker.

We watched the Western Welcome Week parade.

Nina and I had a girls night out.

Back to reality.

Back to School

2010-08-16T21:59:00.003-06:00

Wishful thinking?

Off to preschool.

1st Grade

3rd Grade

This one will be missed the most.

There's really nothing special to report. Some were really excited to go, some not so much. No one was late. No one cried. Everyone got picked up on time. I think it was a success.

A fine start today

2010-08-11T09:47:00.003-06:00

Sometimes he seems cute and sweet, but I know better. So before 10:00 this morning, I'm ready to ship him off to whoever will take him. It started today at 6 am. Not a horribly obscene hour, but Matt and I were both totally sick last night and hardly slept at all. Cameron slept in his big boy bed last night. Again, not a bad thing, except that means he was free to get out of bed in the morning when he was ready, not when I was ready. So he energetically announces that he's awake and tells us to wake up too. Aww, that's kind of sweet right? I don't think so. Especially when he tells me he wants breakfast nonstop until I have his plate of food in front of him. Literally nonstop. Like he barely took time to breathe. Then he bit Nina so off he went to timeout. The whole 2 minutes of his timeout he kept telling me, "I don't love you anymore mom!" Then as I was in the shower, he took my makeup bag and decorated his face, all while singing the cleanup song. And to finish, he emptied all his diapers off his shelf, dumped out a glass of milk, changed his outfit 3 times and told Donovan, "Try again poop head." I'm tired, I don't feel well and Cameron is not in the running for the favorite child contest today. How has your day been going?

Colonial Williamsburg

2010-08-06T15:43:00.006-06:00

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We had to wait next to this horse until it walked away so that Nina could hear the horse's "clippity clops". It is a sound that warms Nina's heart.

5 points if you can tell me what the name of this game is. It was a hit with the boys.

I personally could have spent all day wandering around this place. Matt will be taking me back without the kids someday. He will also bring lots of money so we can properly patronize all the shops and restaurants. And to really win me over, he will rent one of the costumes - preferably something that includes those sexy breeches and stockings. I can't wait!

Donovan's 9th Birthday

2010-08-06T15:22:00.002-06:00

We were in Virginia on Donovan's birthday and it was fun to celebrate it with all the family he only gets to see once a year. Donovan isn't a fan of cake and ice cream so he opted for a giant cookie with sherbet. He enjoyed the family, food and presents.

We didn't get any pictures of his "party" in Colorado. He invited some friends over for a night at Lakeside Amusement park followed by a sleepover. I appreciate how easy Donovan is to please!

Happy Birthday Donovan!

2010-08-01T15:18:00.003-06:00

Donovan has been such a wonderful 8 year old, I just know he'll be the best 9 year old. I love how lovable and genuine Donovan is. I love his forgiving and innocent nature. He is caring, thoughtful, and a smart boy who really loves life. As I looked through pictures of Donovan to use on this post, I realized that I don't take a lot of pictures of just Donovan. But, I also realized that he is always playing with others and involved in group settings. That's very fitting with his social personality. I sure love you Donovan! Have a great year!

Busch Gardens

2010-07-28T08:06:00.005-06:00

We went to Busch Gardens with all our Virginia cousins minus Ella and Isaac. Even though it was so stinking hot, the kids had a great time. I'm not a big fan of displaying pictures from amusement parks since it can get pretty repetitive: here are our kids on this ride, here they are on this ride, here they are on another, and hey, look at them on this one. Despite that, I'm doing it anyway. Forgive me or get over it.

River part I

2010-07-26T07:18:00.005-06:00

The first stay at Matt's parents river house proved to be quite eventful.

There was an intense game of Wipe Out.

After the kids caught minnows in the minnow trap, they set them free.....in the swimming pool (nasty) where they tried to catch them again.

We cracked up several times.

The boys battled on the slip-n-slide

We hung out on the tube. Less people seemed to fall out when it was on dry land.

We went on a boat ride.

And of course we fished, even in the dark.

The Olympic Training Facility

2010-07-19T00:17:00.002-06:00

This place is pretty cool. After we dropped Brooke off at the airport, we took the kids to check out the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Our plan is to inspire them to become amazing athletes and earn us lots of money. Real people live and train there to try to make it to the Olympics. Seriously. I know everyone else knew that, but I didn't. Glad we went. Go USA!

And that's what my belly looks like 14 weeks pregnant. I'm real excited to see how much the next 26 weeks add.

Scheels

2010-07-08T13:51:00.003-06:00

Scheels is this huge sporting goods store and it was our first time there. It is by far the biggest store of it's kind I've seen! I am pretty sure it has stuff for every single sport you can imagine, like pet training for example. And I didn't even imagine that one. So logically our pictures from Scheels have nothing to do with sports, except maybe the first one.

Artown - Reno

2010-07-08T13:07:00.005-06:00

My parents planned several activities for us during our visit. Artown was a fun one. The kids got to do a lot of artsy things like:

Help paint a mural

Decorate shirts

Play games

And their favorite, get their faces painted

Thank goodness

2010-07-01T22:11:00.004-06:00

Thank goodness for water. Without it I wouldn't have had anything to post this summer.

Thank goodness for a sassy girl. Without her I might not appreciate peace having never experienced insubordination.

Thank goodness for food. Without it Cameron would be making non-stop demands of me.

Thank goodness for a brother to wrestle with. Without him, I might be asked to play.

Chatfield

2010-06-26T11:59:00.004-06:00

All of you who live close to real beaches, I am jealous. We settle for the swim beaches of nearby reservoirs, complete with grainy sand and goose poop. The kids don't seem to mind at all, so I won't complain in front of them. They had a great time at Chatfield last week swimming and playing in the sand.

Kitchen Helpers

2010-06-22T14:27:00.004-06:00

When strawberries went on sale for $0.88/lb, I kind of bought a lot.

A little help was very much welcomed.

We shouldn't need to buy any jam for awhile.

And this is a frequent scene that is probably familiar to so many people: chairs and kids lining the counter while you try to cook. Sometimes there is even room for me to help.

Today's special? Chocolate chip pancakes.

Passing the time

2010-06-18T23:48:00.005-06:00

While Matt was living it up in Costa Rica for 15 days, we were super lucky and got to stay home. Me, alone with 4 kids. It was totally awesome. I tried my darndest to find things to keep us busy, happy and free from fighting. On the other 14 days I just tried to keep us all alive. Here is a small sampling of what we did.

We made monkey cake and got to eat it in the living room while we watched the USA/England World Cup game.

We went to the luau portion of Youth Conference where we ate, danced and used permanent marker on the gym floor.

We got a babysitter for the little ones, dropped Howie of for a sleepover at Kyle's and watched a Rockies game.

We made some pretty nasty doughnuts that nobody wanted to eat.

We ate lots of popsicles to keep cool. That and popsicles need to be eaten outside which means that the kids were outside. Which coincidentally means that it was quiet inside.

We tried to keep our garden from withering away.

We anxiously awaited Matt's arrival at the airport.

Well most of us did.

Everyone's doing it

2010-06-09T20:51:00.003-06:00

okay so maybe not everyone is doing it at this very minute, but I bet most people have done it. Myself included, I totally remember doing this when I was a kid.