Long Time Coming

I know, dear blog, that you are feeling so very neglected. I know that I should be more on the ball and posting as soon as wonderful things happen. I just can't. I don't know what my problem is, but the first step is recognizing it right? I'm working on that one. For now, you get a fast update in pictures. Here's what has happened in our world since Halloween:
Mollie turned 5

and had a princess party

We had Thanksgiving dinner at the Sizzler (don't ask)with our Grandmas and Grandpas*We fed some ducksspent time in San Francisco with dear friends

visited with Santa

made some treats

got messy

celebrated Christmas morning with lots of presents

and had a visit from Auntie B!

*Flat Grandma & Grandpa D really wanted to join us, even though they didn't eat anything! ;D

A Few Thoughts (plus some pictures)

I know it's been a couple weeks, but I wanted to post a few pictures from Halloween. But first, I want to share a few of my thoughts from yesterday. I took the kids to our Veterans' Day parade and couldn't help but feel such a strong emotion for the men and women who serve our country and provide the freedom that we very often take for granted. I actually teared up a little when a float with a few of the families went by. These people sacrifice so much, I can't even begin to imagine living in fear of deployment, and then just wondering if your husband/wife/son/daughter will return home. It game me so much to think about, and I just wanted to say thank you to all our friends and loved ones who are serving our country. Both my dad and my father-in-law served in the army, as well as my Uncle and cousin who are currently serving, and several of our friends. We love you all, and pray for your safety!

And now for some pictures...

We actually shaved Kody's hair just for this, so that he could really look like Aang, the last Airbender (cartoon not movie)This was the only picture I got of the kids in their costumes. The girls were fairy princesses

the fabulous Dr. B was Harry Potter, and we had a table downtown giving out candy to the masses

Our good friends the Dubs came all the way from Japan just to go trick-or-treating with us!

yes, my costume was just that exciting. I needed something fast, what can I say?

Princess Mollie with her BFF Princess E!

Do you want a sucker Daddy? Psych, I'm not sharing!!

Something new!

I guess by now everyone knows we have a first grader, but did you know...

Mollie is absolutely loving her preschool class?She has also been taking ballet and loves it

Brett & Kody at the historical BYU vs. USU football game last month (31 to 16, go Aggies!) Needless to say, Brett was quite disappointed. They had a good time though!

Thanks for the Halloween clothes Grandma & Grandpa B, we love them!

A trip to the pumpkin patch with some good friends always makes for cute pictures!

PS I felt like I was doing a picture overload here, so I'll post Halloween pictures later. Don't let me forget!

My First 1st Grader

That's right folks, we are the proud parents of a 1st grader!

Of course we had to take the obligatory front door shot, ready for school!
(in my best Chandler voice) Could that backpack be any bigger??The desk shot.

He was super excited for first grade, and I know he will do great! He has several kindergarten friends in his class, as well as some friends from church. His teacher, Mrs. W seems nice too. I don't know why, but I was nervous for him this morning, and when I told him so he said "Mom, you're weak." That's right I am, but I held it together and only misted up a tiny bit!!

For Posterity's Sake

I am really starting to question whether we should be teaching our children to be totally honest. For example, here are a few conversations I've had with Mollie recently:

I have been working with the kids to be more polite, so when they demand something from me I make them stop and say "Darling Mother, you are so beautiful and the best mom in the world. May I please have..." As you will see, this has now backfired on me.

Mollie: "Mother, beautiful darling - well, I mean you aren't really beautiful today. But I really like your shirt! - Can I please have a drink of juice?"

Me: *gasp* "Just don't say it if you don't mean it."

a few weeks later

Mollie: "Mom, I think you are getting old."
Me: "Oh, what makes you say that?"
Mollie: "You have all these lines by your eyes."

a few weeks later

Mollie: (after I sang her a made-up song she requested) "Mom, I'm going to wish on the star that your voice will get better."
Me: "You don't like my voice?"
Mollie: "Well, I mean your voice is okay but it's just a little bit wrong."

There was another encounter last night, but I just can't talk about it yet. Maybe in a year or so. I think you get the idea though.

So Far Behind

I'll never catch up to where I need to be, but I am going to try. Today I just want to post some pictures of our fabulous visit with my sisters and some of their kids! We had so much fun, and there are a million pictures but I'll try to keep it simple.

"All for one!"Swimming at the pool

TJ & Kody at the Lego club meeting - you can't tell from this picture, but they really did have a blast!

Just a little casual rock climbing on a sunny day

This is Mollie in Newport saying "Mommy, thank you so much for bringing me here!"

Take me to your leader

Love these cousins!

3 braids

There's my mountain man!

Sydnie, TJ, Kassi, Mollie and Kody & Flat Grandma in the back

Ali & Syd by the waterfall, aren't they so cute!

Playing tag on the beach with daddy, always a great time!

"oops, I lost my pants!"

Oh, just a little sand surfing

My big sis Jul and her beautiful daughter Kassi, don't they look like sisters?!

Thanks for coming girls (and TJ), we had such a great time and now we miss you all like crazy! Y'all come back now!

My Guy

I love this kid! I'm a little slow on this post, but I just couldn't let it pass by. Kody turned 6 at the end of May, and I really wanted to tell you a little about him. Kody is such a sweet boy, and I'm so glad he still loves to snuggle with me and give me loves.

For his birthday, Grandma & Grandpa D gave him some money to spend in the Lego store. I wish you could have seen his face when he walked in the doors! He just stood there, dazed, almost as though he didn't know what to look at first.He spends hours playing with his Legos, building these elaborate sets. He follows me around the house, explaining what he's making and what each part can do. At the end-of kindergarten celebration, the teacher announced each child and what they wanted to be when they grow up. Most of the kids were doctor, teacher, race car driver, fire fighter, etc. Not Kody! He wants to be a Lego game creator when he grows up and I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he does!He also loves superheroes, so for his birthday we had to have a Batman birthday party. We had a fun obstacle course that Brett put together, and the kids had such a good time!After the obstacle course, the boys went on a treasure hunt to find their capes that the Riddler had hidden away! The capes were all Batman on one side and Superman on the other, except Kody's was Batman/Robin to make his a little special.Kody also loves goofing around and being silly. He's really good at making his sisters laugh (and scream at times). Don't you just love those eyes of his? I swear you could get lost in them!I'm so glad this little man came to live with us 6 years ago, he was worth the wait!

Pardon Me

I'm trying super hard to figure out how to make a photo collage from Kody's birthday, but it is proving to be quite difficult. In the mean time, please enjoy this picture from Kody's first visit with a real life Storm Trooper. Thanks for your patience!

Are Ya Feelin' Lucky?

Okay folks, I apologize for not posting our winners yesterday. I don't really have any excuses other than life got busy and I just plain forgot. I had a messy situation (no details, but Madi likes to take her diaper off now) to deal with, and then there was errands, school and t-ball.

I guess you didn't really need to hear any of that, so here we go: First, I counted all the votes. These are the 2 winners:Next my 2 helpers and I made a list of all the people who chose our winning shirts.Time to pick a winner for the "Survivor" shirt...

Sorry Kody, not your mom! Grandma B is the winner (this was completely random)

Now for the "Perfect" shirt...

Can you read that? It's Elder P from the Fresno California Mission. Way to go Elder!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped us decide which shirts to use! For the winners, we will get your shirts sent out as soon as they are printed. I had such a good time with this contest, I may just have to do it again!