a LiTTLe CrAzY EyE!

So it's the beginning of the summer and we are still working on the goggles. We have a little crazy going around!
Avery seriously is convinced that her head is under the water! She is so proud of herself that she can go under now!?!

I don't even know what to say about this crazy eye!!!

Clean Up & a Hike

Brian came home from church a couple weeks ago and told me that he had signed us up to clean the flower beds at the temple at 8:00 Saturday morning. WHAT TIME on a SATURDAY!?!? I have several thoughts going thru my head....YOU signed up, what time, what day, what for? Even on the weekdays Dax doesn't have to be to school until 8:45 and most of the time Trace and Avery are just barely out of bed. The temple is a good 30 min away and I am adding up what time we are going to have to be up and ready with smiles on ready to whistle while we work. WAY EARLY!! So we got there and they sent us back to this area that clearly had been neglected (surprising at the temple) it was a jungle. I thought what in the world are the kids going to do, I could hardly pull the weeds? I was so impressed that this gardener came around and found a job for each of the kids! The men were cutting a banana tree down and she had the kids yell TIMBER as loud as they could and they thought they were so cool. Then she took Dax and told him that he looked like just the waterer that she was looking for, she got him the BIG hose and had him water all of the potted plants that hadn't been planted yet. Then she had Avery and Trace and eventually Dax carry an entire stack of the plastic pots over to another area. They worked so hard. She did take time to show them a worm and a bug some of the different things growing! What a great experience for our entire family. Who know maybe next time I will sign us up!

This is the kids stand by the PARTY TREE that we all met at when the work was done. It was hard to get Avery away from the Temple because she just wanted to walk around and see all of the "princesses" that were getting married! She wanted to get in and have a picture with them. I think that she was getting the temple and Disneyland confused!
After we left the temple, we decided to take the kids and go on a little hike. The kids had a great time and the weather was great. See I am preparing to be the camp leader!!

Trace loves being outside and going on hikes!

This is the tallest catus that the kids could see but they clearly could not see me because of the sun!

Taking a break on the trail!

Vroom, Vroom

This is the other reason that Dax loves going to Colton's house! MOTORCYCLES!!!! It is the perfect place for the kids to learn to ride and have a great time.

Preface - This is not the order that I put these pictures in....again, so stay with me as I jump around!

At the beginning of the day Dax was a little hesitant of riding because Brian was a home working and he didn't think that he had any help. So being the kind son that he is, he asked me until he saw me help unload the bike from the back of the pickup! Not pretty and not a lot of help! I assured him that help from Grandpa would be the better thing. The other real reason he was a little gunshy was the pink helmet!! But he got over that when the other choice was not riding at all. So with a quick lesson from the pro and pep talk to build confidence he was off. He really did such a good job, not to fast not to slow, just right! And the riding began!
Strike a pose, there's nothing to it!

Trace thought that riding was very cool also! I bet we could have left him sitting on the bike all day and he would have had a great day!

Dad took all of the kids on a big boy ride with wheelies and all! Dax thought that it was awesome! This is at the start of the ride. Hold on!!!

Here they are zoomin' past! Looks like a smile to me!

Now it was Avery's turn to ride by herself!! She on the other hand loved the pink helmet! I will say that I hope that she doesn't love motorcycles like the boys! Where there are bike you can count on guys with long hair and cut off jeans! Big trouble!!!! I guess most of those guys turned out pretty darn good, but you can never be to careful.

We did find out later that she prefers biking if the kickstand is down. She was really not impressed that she got a turn with Grandpa! What a face! If looks could kill........

As you can plainly see Trace was not so sure about the fast ride either! What a good mom I am to force them to go on a motorcycle ride and laugh while they are pulling away! Hold on little buddy, it will be OK!

SEE!!! Mothers never lie! Trace ended up loving the ride. What a different child in the matter of a few minutes! Oh No....what have I created, boys that love motorcycles! Some poor mother will think the same things that I am sure Grandpa Ralph thought! I just hope that my boys turn out so be so good as my dad!! Wild and crazy but good as gold!!

So now you get to see what the rest of us did while the boys bikes around! Waited and waited! But what better company to hang out with on a nice day! Thanks Hailey for letting us come and ride motorcycles at your house! I swear if you didn't know it you would think that we have two sets of twins! To fun!!

And finally......Avery never did turn the corner and love the fast ride! She left crying and that is how she got off. And she got off as fast as she could! So the worry of her being a biker chick is gone for the time being! At least Grandpa was having a great time! Thanks Dad!!

Ride'um Cowboy!

Now that is one happy cowboy! We went o Hailey's for the "branding of the cows" and Dax thought that he was in heaven! He was so excited to be able to ride a horse all by himself this year. While we were out there he told me that he did want to go to Disneyland for his birthday but that he had changed his mind to going to Colton's house because "THIS IS AWESOME!"
Avery and Kylie just a chattin' in the horses. Yes - they are also riding all by them selves! When we get these two girls together there is NEVER a quite moment! They are tooo fun!

Trace is just hangin' out on the horse! What a cute little stink!

I love this picture of my dad with all of my kids! I think that they get the love of horses from him. Thanks dad for taking them out on the horses!

I really don't know how many times they went around. All day would have been fine with all of them I think! LOVE IT!

So the kids all switched places and I wonder who thought that it is was good idea to let all of the little girls try to walk. This is how it went....step, giggle, fall down, get up, step, giggle.......! What a great Grandpa to put up with it as long as he did!

I just think that this picture of Trace and Kaycee was just tooo cute! They are just a the cutest stage in life. Love them! I just wish that they would figure out that they are good friends already! It will come someday....I hope!

This is what I call a fun game that wasn't thought thru! They hold on to the fun swinging rope with a metal clasp on it, and throw it. I wish that I had the picture of the end of the game when it first came back and hit Avery in the forehead. Then trace thought that he could get it and it hit him in the head too. Maybe next time we will think it thru.....maybe not!

Who will win?

We have been having this conversation at our house a lot lately.........When can we have a puppy??? Our kids LOVE puppies!! Right now it is easy for us to win because we have been renting our house since, forever so we tell them that we we can't because the owners won't let us. I wonder what will happen when we actually buy a home and can't throw the blame onto someone else? I don't remember being the kid that just brought home a puppy from Wal-Mart or the corner, I remember my sisters did but never me. Brian he grew up with a dog forever, they were never his dogs mostly his brothers, but he always had one. His excuse is always it's not fair to the dog to be trapped in a little back yard in the hot summers (because we will not have an inside dog!). A dog needs to have somewhere to run and play and be a dog. Sound very logical but I still wonder who will win when the kids are bawling and willing to to anything, how strong we will stand? By the way, these are my sisters dogs because her kids won!!

CAMP DIRECTOR WHAT!?!?

Okay, So I have been hounded about my lack of blogging by those I know, I am sorry and I will post some of the things that we have been up to very soon. Let me tell you my current dilemma, I am the Nursery Leader and now I am also the YW Camp Director. I know, I know, I can hear you all laughing now. Brian could hardly keep his composure when they asked me. How in the world do you get these two callings!! Have I done somthing wrong? Just tell me and I will change my ways, I'll stop yelling at my kids, I'll stop drinking soda, anything just tell me how I got stuck with changing nature and then going out in it!! I think the last time I went camping it was for Girls Camp!!! What in the world do I know about tying knots and lashing, starting fires with out matches and solar cooking! This is way out of my league. For havens sake, I flat iron my hair everyday and never go out without my makeup on. Camp is SIX days and we are only allowed ONE shower, even as a leader! WHAT!!! I have in the past told Brian, "We should going camping, Dax would really like it." His response, "He would! But my kind of camping is a hotel with a pool and 18 holes out the window." So now I am the camp director and have no idea how to camp! Then they told me that I have until April 1st to have the cheer, chant, skit, decorations and banner ready for Stake Psych Night. I am hoping that is when they say "SYCH - did you really think that you are going to be the director?" Brian told me not to get my hopes up. But there is a loophole I learned.......If you are pregnant in any way shape or form, you are not allowed to be at camp!! Tempting!??!? Brian told me to get my butt up to camp. If if you have any great ideas or any consoling words let me know I am begging for some inspiration from those that I lean on. Wish me luck!!!!

Why, To the North Pole of Course!!

This year with the help of Hailey and my wonderful mother were able to go on the Polar Express this Christmas Season. If you don't know The Polar Express has to be Dax's favorite book, movie and soundtrack EVER! We watch the movie all year round, read the book at night and sing the hot chocolate song all of the time! We know everything and every word to this movie. So when Hailey asked if we wanted some of the extra tickets that her mother-in-law had I had I just had to say yes. So Brian booked the afternoon off and we headed north to the North Pole. What Bran and I didn't realize that we really were headed to the North Pole conditions. We googled how to get there and it told us that it would take 3.5 hours and Brian of course said that we could beat that time. So left our nice warm, sunny weather at about 3:00 and went on our way. The train left at 8:00 so we thought sure we had plenty of time. As we hit 6000 feet it became as Avery said Christmas outside. She loved it until she realized that Christmas is cold! We were in a terrible snow storm and very icy roads! We were passing everyone and we were only going 35 miles and hour. In Flagstaff Avery said that she had to go to the bathroom, Brian looked at me and said if we stop we will miss the train, so we talked her into holding it. I had the kids all a present to open when we got there with some new Pj's for the train ride and it did not happen at I envisioned it. It was more Brian and i ripping open the boxes and the children's clothes off and change them and RUNNING in a blizzard to the train station as they were loading the train. We were soaking wet and out of breath. But it was snowing and made it even more real for the kids. As we rode the train and they started passing out the hot chocolate and cookies, Dax looked at me and said " Why are the chairs not turning around and tables coming up? And why they are not dancing and shooting the hot chocolate from cup to cup? " See we have seen it way to many times! But it was a great time and fun to see the kids have a shine in their eyes and smile on their faces. This is the conductor of the Polar Express.
Dax with his special ticket!

A picture of the family...we are the ones behind the snow storm!

Of course, a snow ball fight!!

Santa on the train giving all of the good boys and girls a bell from the North Pole.

Trace's 2nd Birthday!

Trace is 2!?!?!?! Wow how time flies! It seems like every time I turn around its another birthday and everyone is one year older. I remember when he was born and I thought I wouldn't ever be leaving the house again and now I can hardly keep up with the little cutie! He is truly a joy in my life! I love his little smile and his mischievous grin and even when he wants to be invisible so he puts his eyes in his arm. I love that when I pick him up from Crystal's house he runs to the door and is so excited to see me. He does a little jig and I always get a big hug before he is off again. We decided to go bowling for the party and had a great time. It was the first time that I had to bowl with out the bumpers. Very Scary! Trace, Avery, Dax, Colton, Gabi and Cambri had one lane with the bumpers and the grown ups and Cole had to actually bowl. But we had a great time and the kids had a lot of fun. Trace just thought that it was fun to roll the ball, he didn't really care about the end result.

Look I beat Brian!!! It did help that Bret bowled a frame for me and got a strike! I was taking Avery to the bathroom. I deserved a strike for that!!

Who's the baby now?

Just Some Random Good Times

Conner, Avery, Dax and Max just chillin'. They played together so well it was like they see each other all of the time. It's fun to see them with their Indy friends.

Brandon & Crhistina McKee came into town so we went up to thier hotel to swim and then we all went to Red Robin for dinner. Good times with the scary bird in yellow tights! It was great to see the Mckee's! We love it when they get sick of the cold in Park City, UT.

Dax and Avery outside in the backyard playing in the tree. Avery seemed to be a little braver than Dax but then she does have long pants on, so not as much scraping the legs. Whatever Dax!

Avery just sittin' outside in the tree.