FIVE years old!

Birthday girls turned 5 on October 23rd!

Yummy pumpkin pancakes with warm apple cider syrup...I want them again, right now.Their big day included going out to lunch with Dad in his truck! Our girls love getting to drive in the truck...it is the sweetest ride & the color is so manly & who doesn't love rolling down their windows, taking a swig of your drink, talking on the cell phone & trying to switch gears while being thrown around inside? This truck will be with us until James retires b/c he takes care of it (too good of care) Don't get me wrong, I love it, it's just funny when we argue over who gets to take the 'van' on Saturday errands!

Every year since these girls were born I've told James that we're going to Disneyland when these girls turn 5 (I really thought the day would never come) but we opted for this place instead & for now...they don't know the difference b/c they were still jumping up & down

Summer...

"this is the best day I've never had"

"so do we get to go to kindergarten tomorrow now that we're 5?"

"why is grandpa such a good kid?"

"I like every treat except the ones I don't like"

Summer is always so full of enthusiasm, she can make conversation out of nothing. She is a happy girl that loves life and she makes our home a happy one! We love our Summer!

Tessa...

"now that I'm 5 mom, I can read"

"I don't have to practice piano...I know how, I'm 5"

" When I'm grown up I want to be a horse with wings"

"Why do those monkeys have people buns?"

"Mom can you please turn off the computer? I love it so much I can't stop"

Tess is our little cuddle bear. She can't get enough hugging & loving. When Summer falls asleep first, Tessa tells us she's lonely (she's four inches away from her.) She is tender when she expresses how much she loves us and her face is always so sincere when she says how much she'll miss someone who is leaving. We love our Tessa!

The end to a very happy, happy day.

Is is time to cut hair?

So long, farewell 'tillwee meet again!

So we decided to pose for some pictures since we rarely get pictures with the two of us and we hired Liza to do the job. But first we took a shot of Sarah Palin when she was two years old. (Amelia loves to swipe her sisters glasses) Cheese. So boring...

So we decided to run out and get a couple of facelifts...

Aunt BamBam was showered with loves and kisses!

James came home Sunday night so we welcomed him with a cake and I'm caught in action telling him "it's a ghooost"

Tammy did make the most deelicious frosting!

We tried to soak up every last minute by staying up late, watching girly movies & shows, ate some good food just so we could feel good about eating lots of treats, painted our toes, went to Six Flags without any kids (thankyou so much Lori!) Laughed while Tammy screamed on every ride (she has a love-hate relationship for roller coasters) and then the dreaded day always has to arrive to say...

bye. I put the camera away and then we cried.

On a lighter note, please sing the song 'God Be With You Till We Meet Again' and see if it gets you laughing to tears. During a Sacrament meeting we were sitting behind a row with older couples and their voices kind of shook as they sang so during the chorus of 'Till we meet, Till we meet' it started to sound just like tweety bird singing 'Silly me, Silly me' so Tammy, Joe(y), and I were shaking with laughter & had tears streaming down our faces for all 3 verses. We were in high school so what do you expect? ...Tillwee mee, Tillwee mee, tillwee meet again!

Tammy is finally here...

Here is the rundown of what goes on when a sister comes to town...

Arrives with suitcase full of goodies!

Creates new hairstyles for the girls (arn't you impressed Jody?)

I get jealous when she spends more playtime with my girls than with me..

She tries to sleep in...does she think she's on vacation or something?!

(It's 8:45am & can you tell the girls are trying to be patient?)

Since James is still out of town, this is what we are eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

to be continued when I can capture our exciting moments of...sitting on the couch.

Stinky Feet?

I do miss James...reminding the girls to pick up their shoes (he's out of town for the week) Who would have thought that these little feet could get themselves in trouble by what they wear...

And this doesn't even include the fall/winter boots. My Dad solved the shoe problem with his five girls by hiding the pair of shoes we innocently left hanging around and when we would frantically be looking for them he told us he threw them away (so harsh) but we usually found them a few days later in the garage. Now when I trip over a pair of shoes I want to yell out to blame someone but their usually mine.

the only way this problem will ever be solved in our household is to move to Africa and go barefoot. Good luck to us.

Sitting Pretty

...this is her favorite room in the house! She loves taking baths (3x a day she'll ask for one) loves to brush her teeth with 'poopaste' and of course, loves the bubbly soap for her little hands.

'that'll do mom, now give me some privacy pwease'