Robby's Birthday

So Robby celebrated his birthday on Halloween this year. He wanted to have his friends wear their costumes and bob for apples. Those were his two requirements oh and a spider cake. So we decided to do the hanging donut game, paint pumpkins(from uncle Andy), and bob for apples. Robby had so much fun and he was so excited because it was his first birthday that he was able to invite some friends.

I am so thankful for Robby. He is a little comic relief in our family. He loves to laugh and make other people laugh as long as you are not laughing at him. He is as big as Aeryka and I have been asked several times if they are twins. He loves Star Wars and any super hero. He loves Davy Crockett, Robin Hood, legos, and gamecube. He loves to run and will run all the way to school. He also loves learning to read. I don't have to ask him to practice at all. He is so excited to be reading level books. Loves kindergarten and is so excited to go each day. We are so lucky that Robby was sent to our family. We are thankful each day for him.

Halloween

Well, it is almost Thanksgiving so I thought I had better post a picture of the kids on Halloween. The girls wanted to be indian princess's and Robby wanted to be Robin Hood. Nicholas wanted to be a vet but instead he decided to get swine flu. I thought I took a picture of him laying on the couch but I can't find it. He was so sick he didn't care that he couldn't go to Robby's birthday party or trick-or-treating. The kids got candy for Nicky, which he was very happy about. Yes' i know it is hard to get a normal picture of my kids.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey everyone. Just wanted to post a little bit of a Happy Thanksgiving message. The following video is a what "not to do" with your Thanksgiving dinner. It's long (sorry, about 14 minutes) and it can get kinda stomach churning at times, but it's a good life lesson learned.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Carving

Here are some pictures of how our cute pumpkins turned out this year. My mom and Aunt Sarah came for Halloween weekend so we have a couple of extra pumpkins. All of the pumpkins that I canned this year and that we carved this year were thanks to Uncle Andy and Aunt Liz's massive pumpkin patch. Of course we can't forget Taytum who planted most of the seeds with her friend. We had so much fun carving them and eating all the yummy muffins, cookies, and pies. That we have had so far this year.

I am so thankful for my brothers family that was willing to share their pumpkins and potatoes with us. We will be enjoying it for many months to come.

Jessy is 4

Jessy turned 4. One of the joy's of living by a cousin that is only 2 weeks older than you is you get to have birthday parties together. Jessy is such a fun girl to have in our family. I did not get a picture of her cake but I made her microphone cupcakes because she loves to sing. She loves to look at her self in any reflective surface and then announce "I'M FABULOUS!" It is so funny. She loves preschool and her dolls, she is a good little mommy to them. She loves to play with her brothers and her sister. Without a doubt she is the baby of the family and allows Aeryka to carry her to bed like a baby. It is so funny to watch because Aeryka only weighs about 10 lbs. more than her.

I am so thankful that Jessy is in our family. She brings enjoyment to this family and she helps us to remember how lucky we are to have her as part of our family. We love her and we are so glad that Heavenly Father sent her to our family even if we thought that we weren't ready for another baby. I am so glad that Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us and that he knows better than us what we need.

Sweet Victory

So for the last two years Aunt Sarah and Nicholas have run in the Race for Recovery in Provo Canyon. Last year it was a very hard course for Nick, it took him over an hour and much of it is uphill. Nick ran this years race in 47 minutes. I am so proud of him he had so much improvement on this 5k. Aunt Sarah is so awesome for coming up here and running with Nicky. It is such a fun thing that they do together. Of course the best part for Nick is the sports drink at the end. Nicky is for sure one of the boys that you could say the way to his heart is through his stomach.

I am so thankful for Nicholas and the joy that he brings to this family. I am so proud of him for doing things that are a real challenge for him and not just finishing but also improving. He is a great son and I am glad that he is part of our family!

First Day of School

Well I know that school has been in for a month and a half, but I just got the pictures downloaded. So this is Nicholas's first day of 3rd grade and Aeryka's first day of 2nd grade. I know I have two more kids in school but they started later and I kept forgetting to take a picture. Robby is in Kindergarten and with the all the joy he can muster he tells me that it is bowing (BORING). Jessy is back in preschool. She is starting to remember the routines down but I believe her favorite thing is that she gets to spend 3 mornings at Nanny house visiting.

Oh yeah, that cheese ball picture is what I got when I asked the kids to stand together for a picture.

Manti Pageant

Well, we decided to take the kids to the Manti Pageant this year. I knew Nicholas would not make it through the whole thing but I didn't think he would fall asleep before it started. I also didn't know how excited a little three year old would get to see all the costumes and the pageant. Jessy loved it. She had to let out a very loud WOW, when the angel Moroni was on the top of the temple. She was the most excited of all the kids. We were also glad that Kiarwin was able to meet us there. We were not able to see them a lot during the summer so this was a fun time to get to see them.

I know I only have one picture, our camera that had the other pictures on is broken so we will wait to see if we can get some more from Kiarwin.

I am so thankful for the time that we were able to spend together as a family this summer. It was fun to get to do a few fun things together.

Family Pictures

We are so lucky to have an Aunt Sarah who enjoys taking pictures. She did these pictures this summer for us up at the BYU-Idaho gardens. Nicholas just had to have a waterfall in his picture. These pictures say a lot about our kids. The two clowns with the cheese ball smiles are pretty much like that all the time. My kids are also hand holders and I love that Robby and Aeryka are both holding Nick's hand.

So I have a friend (Krista) who ends all her blogs by saying something that she is thankful. I love that! So I am stealing that idea and I am going to try and remember to do that from now on when I blog.

Today I am thankful that I have a sister that will take my kid's pictures any time that I ask her. She does a great job and my kids love spending time with her (as do I).

15 years ago

So Fifteen years ago I was going to the temple to be married to my sweetie however, they neglected to tell us that we needed to be there two hours earlier, so yes we were two hours late for our wedding. Good Times! I can promise you I have learned a few things since then and we are not known for being late any more!

I can't believe that Ron and I have been married for 15 years(when did I go and get that old?). Ron took me out to lunch for our anniversary to our favorite restaurant (Gloria's Little Italy, Yummy). We knew with school starting on the same day with Nicky we would probably not get out during the evening (after an hour of crying and snuggling he was doing O.K.).

I am so glad that we were at least able spend some time alone together. I am so grateful for a wonderful husband who loves me and our kids. Ron is a great husband who tries to show me everyday how much he loves me. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband, a great father, and having a priesthood holder in our home!

Grandma's Front Yard

What is the best thing about grandma's front yard?? The big willow tree of course. Nicholas and Aeryka loved climbing in grandma's tree. This summer their goal was to climb as high as they could. They actually got quite high. Then they thought it would be fun to start jumping out of the tree. I am so glad that my kids can entertain themselves. Sometimes I have to hold my breath and just let them be kids, because the jumping out of the tree was not my favorite activity ever. However, a good time was had by all.

5K Run/Walk

I know it is hard to tell from these pictures what is going on but this is the cousins/ friends waiting for Nick, Aunt Sarah, Colton, Austin, Nicole, and I to come in from the 5k. The first 4 names ran the 5K and Nicole and I walked it. It was so much fun for everyone and it was fun for the younger kids to do the 1 mile run. It was really fun to just spend some time with our cousins and our friends. I hope that we all can do it next year. I know that Robby is planning on it he is already practicing.

Yellowstone

So when you are 8, 7, 5, and 3, what is more fun then having your own umbrella, binoculars, wild animals, and your favorite Aunt Sarah and Grandma? Obviously not a whole lot!! The kids and I went to Idaho for 10 days and I decided to take the kids to Yellowstone. They had so much fun. They didn't care that it was raining they had umbrellas and new sweatshirts. They loved they animals especially the ground squirrels who really wanted to share their lunch. If you have a child that loves volcanoes what is better than watching several geysers erupt? Nothing. Nicholas loved watching the geysers and the mud pots. He is also an animal lover and wants to be a vet so seeing all the wild animals was just plain awesome for him. Robby and Aeryka and Jessy liked it a lot also. However, Robby could do with out the smell. I was able to get him to unplug his nose for most of the pictures. Jessy was not in a lot of the pictures because she was napping a lot of the time. This was one of the most fun things that I have done with the kids for a while. It was fun to watch them just have an excitement for so many of Heavenly Fathers creations. The kids are at an age where they are fun to take places and see all the fun and wonder that they can find in just about anything. This has got to be one of the most fun ages that my kids have been in. Or maybe I am just learning to appreciate them and the things that they find fascinating. 

We really missed Ron, but he was at home working and going to school, which we all appreciate. He was able to come for the last weekend  that we were there. It would have been hard to do family pictures without him. Also he was their for the Scenic River Classic. I'll put more pictures from our trip up later.