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'

Green Acres is the place for me...

Farm livin' is the life for me (I'm sure the little husband wishes his little wife would really believe that line but we'll just keep singing...) Land spreadin' out so far and wide. Keep Manhatten, just give me that countryside!

That's exactly what we got when a friend invited us to ride her pony. She even provided a picnic snack to help strengthen these kids for the long ride ahead...and the long walk

Tessa was not nervous one bit!

Eliza was nervous...a little bit

Summer was simply nervous.

(she tried to fake it with this smile)

Then to top it off, Grandma Christy (no she does not look like a Grandma but she is definately a professional b/c all of our kids listened to her) took them on an adventure walk.

Wouldn't this be the most amazing yard to let your kids run free in?

Summer & Tessa just wanted to feel like real cowgirls for a moment, looks to me like Tessa takes it a little more serious.

While I was taking this picture Amelia sang out...

Keep Manhattan, just give me this countryside!!!

okay, maybe she just thought it

Good bye, farm life

little Amelia

So this is where we have been spending 1 to 2 mornings a week ever since Amelia was diagnosed with ITP, a childhood blood disease that is treatable. It began with one ugly bruise on her stomach & then a week later she got tiny red dots all over her forearm. The little girl on the bottom right is a friend that we have seen almost every time we've had an appointment. We count our blessings b/c we are reminded weekly that it could have been so much worse. We have the sweetest nurses who do their best to make it less painful for our little one.Amelia is now used to getting plenty of kisses from her sisters whenever she holds up her finger that gets bandaged up for the day. You can't see her finger very well in this picture b/c she's covered in chalk but she's holding it out there and will only let me take it off right before bed.
thanks to all her little cousins for keeping Amelia in your prayers (especially you brad) her platlet count is up and she doesn't need medicine this week!
That's our good news update...stay tuned for more.

An apple a day...

James is one happy boy! He finally has an apple tree of his own.

We have planted fruit trees for every home we've bought, third time's a charmer!

In Las Vegas we planted lemon, lime & orange trees in one hole so they would grow intertwined, wonder what they look like now? In Boise we planted apple, peach & cherry trees. Now we get to enjoy the fruit without having to wait!A little scrubbing makes them more beautiful so we can...

go for the BIG bite!

Come get your Free Organic Apples!!!

Stinkin' Creative People...

really know how to host a Playgroup. Just look at these few pictures & you'll get the idea...

She planned a Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory themed playgroup & that doesn't mean, throw a bowl of candy in the middle of the room & play (no, that's my kind of planning)
Yes, house was decorated too, notice the big lollipops & candy necklaces hanging on little lollipops. (Lydia on the right is wondering why she doesn't get to wear glasses like all the other kids, it's just not fair!)

To top it off, her husband is a graphic artist so he just whipped these wrappers out

please read the fine print...

Just another typical, ordinary playgroup...unless Carrie is involved!

Would have been cute to have pictures of everyone there but after taking these shots everyone showed up and we all became wild and crazy with sugar in our blood!

(I am going off sugar for an hour tomorrow)

Grandpa Bruce Arrives!

Here are a few action shots to show just why the girls love their Grandpa's visits so much...

1. He doesn't mind that all four of them stare at him while he eats his dinner.
2. Mom always makes a yummy dessert for his arrival (Chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate frosted bundt cake, did I mention the chocolate?)

3. Grandpa has better ideas on what to do on a Saturday than boring old Mom & Dad who try to trick us into thinking that house projects are fun to do, fun to do (they think us kids don't know any better...yeah right!)

4. You can only catch the REAL big ones with Grandpa...well at least Summer thought is was huge! (Can you even see it in his hand?)

5. Grandpa can't say no to the wee little girl who asks..."grapa, swing pwease?"

6. And Grandpa always knows when to catch a few of these...

ZZZZ, ZZZ, ZZZZ

Some Lovin' in the Oven

We just wanted Amelia to feel a part of the School Gang

Amelia..."going to 'cool' mom. going to cool."

After such a long, long walk down the driveway for Amelia,

and after 2.5 hours of pre-school...Summer and Tessa were just famished,

and after a full day of first grade carrying a backpack half Eliza's size...

Some definite lovin' from the oven was needed!

I agree...not too pretty...yet

What do ya' think now? mmm, mmm, good.

Until you get a little distracted & overbake a batch.

Mom, if you were here I would have kept them in 10 minutes longer!

For those two sisters who are crazy enough to be off sugar, here is a sugar-free

picture just for you...

Ahh, sisterly love.