New Hair and Fake Fingernails

I love my friends. They have been so helpful since we got got the kids. Roxanna came over and gave the girls a hair cut. They were so excited. Especially Lilly. She knew that she wanted an A Line Bob. She LOVED it!!

Julia took several inches off and it looks wonderful. It fits her perfectly.

Emma got a trim. She looks so beautiful!

The girls have been begging for fake fingernails since they got here. Their dad brought them some and they were so excited to put them on.

Ewww! What am I doing?

This belly button thing was starting to gross me out. I swear I was doing it wrong. I finally talked to a friend and she told me to drown it in rubbing alcohol, which I did and what do you know, it fell off.

Gross belly button but perfect baby.

I sometimes wonder what the heck we were thinking when we agreed to take the kids. Then I get a moment to myself with this cutie and I melt.

The trip to Salt Lake

We all packed in the car to head to the city. Jesse forgot to bring his sunglasses so he wore my bling, blings. I think he loved them a little too much!

We each had our assigned seats.

Hey look, I finally got a picture of myself.

The girls were so excited the night before that they couldn't sleep. I was laughing to myself when I realized that they have only been to Salt Lake one other time, so this really was a big deal to them.

I am glad that we got to go together.

Thank you Uncle Cory and Aunt Katie for letting us stay with you and thanks for watching the kids while I had my class.

The girls loved meeting Aunt Katie. Of course she had a craft for them and she did their hair so they were in heaven.

Pinewood Derby 2009

Each of the kids got to make their own cars this year. Of course we waited till the last minute. Is there any other way to do things?

Each kid had a different car and painted them their own special way. Julia and Lilly had sponsors. They cut wrappers from their Halloween candy and glued them on the sides. They are so creative.

Cameron built a tank. He did a great job, especially with the paint.

Enjoying the race.

Emma with her broken leg finds a place to rest.

Halloween

Emma went as a Genie.

Julia was a Gothic cheerleader.

Lilly was a hippie. (She said a hippie from the 80's, like that was sooooo long ago, I set her straight).

And I know that no one was surprised to see Cameron as Harry Potter. Got to love it! I haven't had to make or buy a costume for him for 4 years now.

Thanks grandma for babysitting Christian for us so we could all go trick-or-treating.

I have loved having so many kids in our home. It is so funny because there are so many things that they do that I remember doing as a kid. When is is just Cameron it is so different. We enjoy him as he is being an only child but we have loved experiencing so many different things. The best Halloween experience that Cameron has never done was the GREAT CANDY EXCHANGE!

I honestly couldn't leave the room once they all dumped their candy out. I was mezmerized. I felt like I was seven again.

They swapped and got the things they wanted. They donated to the parent fund. Jesse got all the sweet tarts. I got all the colored tootsie rolls.

Too much fun!!

Our new adventure

Our newest adventure began a few weeks ago. Our 3 nieces and 1 nephew came to stay with us for a few months.

This little guy is sooo sweet. We love having them all here. They are a joy to us.

Christian never really roars. He is such a great baby. He makes tiny grunt noises when he gets hungry. When he is awake he is content no matter what is going on. It is so wonderful to have him to hug and squeeze.

The clubhouse

So it is a really bad picture but I wanted to put at least one picture of the clubhouse being built. It is a really great space for kids. Cameron's friends were there to help and they had so much fun.

The project that started it all.

Jesse called me while I was at Wal-mart and said that they needed a pulley. I have learned not to ask, but this was the result.

They built a ledge off the back of the deck and made a lift. Cameron spent hours out there that day and still to this day when I can't find him, he is usually out back lifting something in a bucket. I think he has convinced his dad to put a pulley on the new fort they are building. Pictures of that are coming soon.

Another weekend project

We were out in Salt Lake and decided to kidnap Jaren. He stayed with us for a week. During that time we didn't see the boys except when they were hungry. They always had a project going outside.

On Friday they were really excited about the fire pit they had built. They were begging us to make a fire in it. I think they did a pretty great job. They carved out part of the dirt hill and put the stone bottom with rocks around it. Really cool or HOT!

Getting help from an adult with the fire. The were soooooo excited!!!

Gooey marshmallows....

and hot dogs for dinner.

That's random

Cameron called me one day while I was gone to see if he could take a picture with my camera. It is always a fun surprise to see the world through 10 year old eyes.

Of course some pictures of Luke.

This is the reason he wanted to take a picture. The sky was really pretty and my camera doesn't do it justice.

Who doesn't like a picture of themselves in the bathroom?

Bye Nick

Little Nick went home in September. We are so grateful to have had him for 6 weeks. He was a joy and a blessing.

Thank you to all the friends who pitched right in with clothes, bathtubs, swings, bouncers and bottles. We are so lucky to have such great friends. The moment we found out he was going to stay with us we were overwhelmed by all the support. THANK YOU!!!

It was really bitter sweet to see Nick go. We hope the very best for him. We pray for his mom that she will make good choices for their life together. We thank Heavenly Father for the time with Nick.

Ohhh!!!

Is there anything cuter than a boy and his dog? Welcome to the family Luke we are glad you are here!!