Random Pics

Baking sugar cookies w/Aunt Laura.

All four kids (see Gentry lying there?) admiring Gma Tigger's Christmas tree.

Another advent calendar activity was going to see Christmas lights. I took the three older kids & it was awesome. I love walking around the lights and listening to Christmas music. The kids loved getting dressed in their 'winter' clothes.

Gpa and Gentry

This is how Dad prefers to watch NFL games - crazy I know. It doesn't look very comfortable but hey, to each his own. For the record - Hadley and Vincent were forcing his legs up there but he was letting them.

Merry Christmas

Rainy Day

I love this rainy weather we've been having! 

Christmas Craft Weekend Getaway

Each Christmas season for the past several years, Aunt Molly takes the kids for the weekend to do Christmas crafts, decorations, the Creche festival, etc. This year was no different. Here they are decorating a gingerbread house:

Lauren just enjoyed eating the candy.
In the morning with Gma's curlers in her hair.
Lunch at Mt. Baldy lodge w/Gma and A.Molly.

Oh Holy Night . . .

Do you think Joseph had a sense of humor? Maybe, but for some reason this is not how I picture the first Christmas:

Slightly irreverent, I know, but such an accurate depiction of Vincent's personality. (By the way, Hadley is Mary and Lauren insisted on being a wise man, not an angel.)

Early Visit From Santa

For our first advent calendar activity we waited out on our front lawn with friends to see Santa. And guess what? He came with Mrs. Claus on a flatbed trailer and parked right in front of our house! It was VERY exciting.

It was a fun night and we're hoping to make it a tradition every year. Thank you Tustin PD!

Christmas on the Mind (Sort of)

Questions I (tried to) answered today:

HADLEY: Mom, when was the first Halloween? The Pilgrims had a first Thanksgiving and Mary and Joseph had a first Christmas so . . .

VINCENT: (In all seriousness) Mom, when was I baby Jesus?

Flashback

Flashback pictures from November 2007

How can you not love this little guy?

Fishing at Mt. Baldy trout ponds with gpa tractor. (Vincent is wearing Chris's childhood coat.)

Brotherly/Sisterly love at its finest.

Yippeee!

We have another thumbsucker! Love it, love it, love it.P.S. Thank you Caldwells for the awesome photo!

Gentry's Blessing

We blessed Gentry on November 8th and this is the only picture we took of the whole day. She is wearing the dress all three girls have worn for their blessing. I am sad that this is all we got of the day but glad to have at least gotten one, unlike Vincent. Fortunately, my wonderfully talented friend Stacey took other pictures which I will try and post.

This is us very rushed & very late for church.

Random Pics

The calm before the storm

This was just seconds after putting her in her car seat. Have no fear she started screaming moments after. Seriously though folks, how cute is this child? She has the chubbiest cheeks and chin ever!

Ahhh, to be young again. Here is Vincent on the kitchen floor with the latest toy catalog. He is studying it very carefully just like I remember doing with my brother & sister every Christmas.

Okay, so now this is getting out of hand. Seriously, someone is going to break the free swing we were given years ago that I am looking so forward to trashing after this last baby uses it - do not take that away from me.
Give this girl an apron
When Hadley puts on her cleaning apron she goes to town. She cleans everything she can find and keeps asking me what she can help with. Here she is displaying the cleaned up playroom. (Do you want to guess if the joker next to her helped?)

Just A Typical Saturday

I don't know what Saturday's look like at your house but here we do it in style. And yes, those are Lauren's footed pajamas with shoes, Hadley is wearing a hat and mittens, while Vincent has on shorts and a tee.

Halloween 2009

We went to an awesome pumpkin patch that had tons of rides & games.

Here is Lauren enjoying a 25 cent ride.

Here she is pointing to the machine, asking daddy for another quarter.

Daddy saying, '"No more quarters." (It looks like there were some negotiation going on)

We all remember what it was like as kids, you're dressed, all ready to go get candy & then Mom remembers she wants a picture. First she has to find the camera, find good lighting, wait for a good pose - enough already - we want candy NOW! Well, I am not one of those moms (probably b/c I have never in my life seen a picture of myself at Halloween as a child.) This is it folks - as good as it gets. Two candystripers and a doctor.

Baby Toys

It's funny how excited little ones are to play with the baby gear. Today I found Lauren had crawled in the baby swing - oh, first she turned it on for herself. By the way, this child probably spent no more than 5 hours total in the swing when she was a baby!

Want to entertain your 20 month old for a loooong time? Get out the exersaucer and plop him/her in it.
P.S. As a side note, and for journaling purposes, I took Gentry to Target the other day and for the first time since 2004 and 3 other babies I actually kept her in the car seat and strapped it on the car seat. As I was walking in I couldn't believe how lucky I was that she was content enough to just sit there and I was not going to have to unbuckle/rebuckle her in the car later. I made a mental note and was so excited that we finally turned a corner and now I could be like other moms whose babies sit in their car seat. Weeeeell, no sooner than I thought this and got into the store she starts screaming! And if you have had the pleasure of hearing my last three children scream while in their car seats, you would know that it is a bloodcurdling scream that cannot be buffered by the shade cover or any number of blankets. Luckily I brought my sling and put her in and pulled the shopping cart the rest of the way.

Fall Days

Today felt like Fall was finally here. Hadley stayed home sick from school so what could be better than a fall craft activity? They saw these made on tv so we went and picked up some birdseed, collected pine cones from our backyard & waited for Lauren & Gentry to take their naps.

It was a lot of fun. Hadley and Vincent always enjoy doing crafts with each other. Now we'll just wait and see if any birds come!

Hide-a-Key

Last Saturday Chris and I decided we'd take the kids to the beach. We give the kids naps, we get dressed in our swimsuits, pack the van, lock the house, buckle everyone up, look for keys to start the van, then look for keys to get back into the house so we can start the van. (Never mind that we just changed all the locks/knobs on the entire house two days before.)

So what do we do? Instead of calling a locksmith and waiting Chris decides that maybe he can crawl under the house an opening in an undisclosed area (just in case any of you wanted to try it). Too bad he is only wearing swim trunks and a t-shirt. Not to mention how confused the kids are that we're not leaving yet and why is daddy crawling under the house.

This is how the rest of us occupied our time:
Much later, we got to the beach where it was cold and windy but still fun to watch the kids enjoy the waves.

Lost In Translation

My good friend Eileen brought this funny t-shirt that we used to laugh about when her daughter was small enough to wear it - she was passing on the humor but I had to share (and Eileen you will get it back when you have another daughter.)

I can't remember the entire story but I think she got it from a Japanese exchange student her family hosted. Apparently this is what they try to translate 'girly' sayings and words into.

Zoom in if you must It will be worth it. This just cracks me up so much. I have to say my favorite part is to "Don't Sweet the Staff". I can only guess they mean Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. But seriously, how funny are all the girly words they tried to add to it: happy, cute, smile, and then cherrys? I have no idea what the numbers on the bottom presumably represent - any ideas/theories?

P.S. For all of you out there with little girls, let's stop throwing Disney Princess parties and start throwing Goddess of Victory parties. Can I get a shout of triumph for that one?

General Conference Weekend

Some of us got our nails done for the festivities.


Getting together with cousins means lots of baseball.

While some preferred staying in the dugout waiting for their turn at bat . . .

 
The next day was golf lessons for all those ages 4 and under (thanks uncle brookie!)

September Re-cap

Among other things that seem to fill our days, here is what I actually took pictures of:

Gentry is starting to fill out and become a little 'chunky monkey' - love it.

Took the kids to the beach for a Sunday stroll. It was beautiful and fun trying to run away from the waves.

Vincent and Daddy met with the cousins and uncles for an Angel game.

"Let's eat cake!" Lauren waiting for the twins' b-day party to begin.