my oh my it's been awhile

I have to throw these photos up before they drown in my catch up file...Bryn is a magnet for those seeking comfy love

this angel took her job seriously

well not that seriously

 with Bryn's organization we get a live manger scene and a musical number. Although baby Jesus (Reid) was replaced by the toddler wise man b/c he didn't like the layers he had to wear.

opening presents is always entertaining

mainly for the adults

 every holiday needs a Grinch so Garrett volunteered this year

The newest member of our family requires no potty training or food. Just treats.

 this member of the family would also like to only live off treats & not have to be potty trained

 aaand this member of the family is potty trained but still needs training

James put on a Christmas feast that was fabulous!

 baby Ninna came over to show off her skillz as a crawler to encourage Reid but he told her he won't be interested for another 2 months, she was totally bummed

 The wii usually only gets played when guests come b/c this is what happens

 Bryn & Liza whipped up some candy cane cookies all on their own, aren't they beAutiful?

 baby love

New Years Eve day they went rock hopping at Lake Tahoe b/c the weather is so stinkin' warm (don't get me wrong b/c I love warm weather but it's just so out of place)

 A Few Good Men

 A serious game of UNO

 and a serious game of eating dessert

 A round of hugs b/c the end always comes too fast

 this girl is not afraid of work, ask her to empty the dishwasher and she'll end up cleaning the entire kitchen!

 Garrett shared a room with Thomas so now every time we put him to bed in his crib he points & says "GG's bed!" (jeejee)

eating cookies just won't be the same without you guys!



Dear Aunt Jody...

Happy Halloween, finally.

now if you saw all that 'cannee' sitting in front of you I'm sure you'd be able to smile with only your bottom teeth too. Just try.

Be honest...

Have you ever thought your child was a genius?

Today I did...

genius moments around here usually make us laugh.



Who dares to compare?

I'll tell you who...

starts with a T then A then M & M then Y

You'd think she was my pediatrician who makes house calls & today's phone call came while she was at work b/c a friend of hers had a baby 1 week after Reid & she tells me that baby is about ready to crawl so "what's Reid doing?" My reply..."he knows how to lay on his back reeeal good"

I've learned not to expect much from my babies (from a few previous experiences)

even Reids baby girlfriend Ninna is only 2 weeks older & is crawling all over the place!

Although there is one thing I forgot to tell my sister...

Reid can READ

(but we'd like to keep it a secret for about 5 years)

What a difference a year makes...back then his Mom was in control

 but these days,

the two year old wins and he even wears a medal to prove it.

I saw someones competitive side come out...or twinitive side.

 Summer was first at having a loose front tooth but as it dangled she was too afraid to have me pull it & all of my great ideas could not sway her but Tessa did not want to wait another day & allowed me to tie dental floss around her front tooth & was sooo happy to lose it 4 hours before Summer!

but for the 2nd front tooth Summer was 1st to wiggle hers out & I told Tessa she had a few more days until hers was loose enough. Nope, she wiggled 3 straight hours at church & pulled it by the end of primary. 

Almost six months old

My baby's got blue eyes

 now that I'm getting normal sleep I am really appreciating his littleness & my favorite thing is changing his diaper b/c for the past couple months he giggles when I wipe his adorable little buns

and he's got

his daddy's long lashes



finding this little treasure really shows the heart of this girl...

 they went to vacation bible school during the summer and as I was giving the room a deep clean I came across this item & threw it in the trash until I decided to double check if it had been used and sure enough...

 "My prayers book. I am just an ordinary girl but I can be a missionary."

(I love how she drew the girl kneeling)

 "I pray for the homeless man that he can find money and be blessed."

"I hope I get a teacher that's the nicest."

I know her last prayer was answered & still remember the day we were driving around and answering her questions about the man on the corner (I guess our car looks like a space shuttle) Summer is a thoughtful girl & this will always remind us why we love her to pieces

Here were the happenings in the first week of August when Laura and Mia came to visit all the way from their mountain in Colorado. Went swimming for the day at Laura's friends house

 went swimming some more at our neighborhood pool

 these boys are getting bigger by the day so I must smooch them as much as possible

 Amelia had swim lessons and no longer requires flotation devices! Here she is with her buddies Tessa and Abby

 more swimming at Lake Tahoe where we met up with Laura's BYU freshman roommate and her family

(they felt the lake was at least 1 degree warmer than when they went last time)

 yes, they are running from a lake 'wave'

it may be time to hit a real beach :)

Is this Eliza annoyed that she has to share this moment with her sisters (she thinks Mia should be her very own cousin since they are the same age...sorry missy!) or she could just be focusing on trying to keep her eyes open for the picture...either way we are just happy for time we got to play swim!

Once upon a time there were four little girls who skipped off to school thinking they were all so cool with their fingernails painted a lovely shade of blue. Lunches packed, plus a snack

but there was just a little piece of info that the mom lacked...

 the last little girl has to wait one more week for kindergarten (strange, I know) so back home with me she went. A friend clued me in the night before thank goodness

 we still all enjoyed our back to school dinner to celebrate our theme this year...When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Lemon pepper pasta from Trader Joes was also tasty 

 just remember not to let anyone sour your day because it's up to you to sweeten' it up.

 cheers!