"THE DIRT PILE"

Today we took the kids up to Ritzville for Drew's birthday Party!

Leslie had a ton of fun stuff set up for them to do. They did THIS...

... and THIS...

... a little of THIS...

... of course some of THIS...

... and THIS.

After a while I noticed 3 of my kids were missing from all of the fun activities so I started looking for them and found them here... THE DIRT PILE.

(Part of Bryce and Drew's motorcycle track)

No, we didn't find them BY the dirt pile or even ON the dirt pile, they were buried IN the dirt pile!!!

These pictures were taken after we tried shaking, brushing, and beating all of the dirt off of them. They reminded me of Pig Pen on Charlie Brown. Every time the would move, a big billowy dirt cloud would come off their bodies.

I don't know how you keep your house so clean Les. Hard wood floors, one huge dirt pile right outside, and 4 little boys coming in and out all day. I think I would pull my hair out.

One thing I will say though... My kids always have a blast when they come to the "farm" in Ritzville. Thanks for inviting us.

Grandma gets a puppy

Today my mom and dad made this little purchase. Her name is Zoe.

Isn't she cute?

The coolest part about my parents getting a dog is that my kids can get their puppy fix anytime they want and I don't have to worry about poop in MY yard, or MY toys and furniture being chewed up, or hair all over MY couch and allergy problems. Thanks Mom, we're glad you finally got a dog :)

Alaina coined the term, “Crazy Wednesday”

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today.

Here's my current Wednesday schedule.

Kids get home from school at 1:50 (Early Release)

2:00 to 3:00 Activity Days (Alaina)

3:00-4:00 Cub Scouts (Ky)

4:00-5:00 Piano Lessons (Ky and Alaina)

5:30-6:30 Soccer Practice (Kase and Hailey)

6:40-6:50- Dinner ??

7:00-8:30 YW Mutual (Me)

8:30-9:30 YW Presidency Mtg every other week (Me)

10:00pm Breathe

I feel like a chauffeur all day. Today Alaina asked, from the back seat of the mini van, "Mom, what do we have left on our "Crazy Wednesday" Schedule?"

The fact that Alaina has coined the phrase made me stop and think....Yeah it is pretty crazy. The kids practically live in the back seat of the van ALL AFTERNOON from one event to the next.

I shouldn't complain too much though there is an up side to having our Wednesday packed so full... We have 6 other days of the week with not a lot going on. Plus, this soccer season has been a blessing from a scheduling perspective in that Kase and Hailey's soccer practice happens to be at the same place and time as one another. Somebody must love me :)

I remember last season NOT being Fun. Between Ky and Hailey we had 4 practices at 4 different times and at different locations.

So I guess I don't mind having a "Crazy Wednesday" once a week. Alaina, might....but I better be careful not to complain to much. Or may find myself with a truly rough schedule next spring.

Climbing Badger with a few first timers.

Before my sisters got on the road to head home this morning I tricked them into climbing Badger Mountain with me. The kids and I took Leslie, Megan, and my Mom (first timers) all the way to the top. They did great and it was actually a lot of fun to do it together and a great way to start the morning.

Sorry Brianna.. It was just too funny.

With Megan, Melissa, and Leslie all in town tonight, we decided to throw together a little granddaughter game night with Grandma Rose.

A few of the highlights from tonight were...

The yummy treats.

Fun games.

Lots of laughing.

Someone telling Megan Pratt she needed to get loud if she wanted to be heard over everyone else in the game we were playing. On our next round of the game Megan stood up, leaned across the table and screamed (and I mean screamed) the answer... simultaneously scaring a little bit of pee out of each one of us. So Funny!

Another funny moment was when Brianna starting getting super hyper, silly, and giddy. We were teasing her about acting like that and she finally said," I don't know what's wrong with me, the last time I felt like this was when I had caffeine. But I'm just drinking Cream Soda."

Here's Brianna discovering her "sparkling" Cream Soda did indeed have caffeine in it.

Ohhhhhhhh Man... I had 4 years clean. Dang it.

Whoa...why is the room spinning?

Okay maybe I'll just finish off this glass.

Here's the whole gang.

(Notice Brianna looking for someone to toast with her.)

Probably my favorite moment tonight was this...

All night the kitchen kept getting too Hot then too cold then too Hot again. Several people ended up saying, "I'm Hot". And Grandma said, "Oh don't say that." And then went on to explain that her mother always told her there were two things you should never say to a boy. Never ask a boy..."Can I sit on your lap?" or say to him, "I'm Hot".

This picture is of me teasing Grandma by telling her I'm hot and then asking to sit on her lap. She laughed and maybe even blushed a little.

Grandma, How do you know so much on this subject? :)

Things I discovered tonight...

-Megan may look Tiny and Soft Spoken but Watch Out, she can get loud if needed :)

-If you're looking for a good time... Give Brianna caffeine. I think her drink of choice is Dr. Pepper :)

-I probably sat on a few to many laps in my younger years. If only I would have known that rule. Whoops!

First Day of School

I've been fortunate enough to have had some fantastic photographers through the years. Some of the best have been Rick Reil, Damon Fairchild, and now I have my good friend, Jenne Kissell, to add to the list. I've been checking out her work over these last few months and she does an awesome job, so we had to try her out. Today I gathered up a few school supplies and asked Jenne if she would come out and take a few "Back to School" pics of the kids on their first day of school. She did a great job and the kids had a lot of fun working with her. Thanks a bunch Jenne.

Here are a few of my favorites from today’s shoot.

Yea for new pics of the kids! I’m pretty sure it’s my most favorite thing ever :)

Just ask Damon who has only shot 150 photo shoots of my kids for me.

Don’t give me a hard time, it only averages out to a photo shoot every 3 weeks :)

(I’m pretty sure my husband would be shaking his head right now to that last statement and saying, “Can anyone say eccentric ??” :)

Back to school dinner 2009

Most people would call me “the party planner.” I always seem to be planning, organizing, or throwing some kind of get together, whether by choice or as part of my church calling. It’s either throwing a baby shower for a friend, or decorating the gym for a big Young Women’s activity. Maybe planning a couples weekend get away, a lady's craft night, or having 15 families over for a potluck and pumpkin carving.

Regardless of what the event may be, as I am packing and hauling and preparing for these events, my kids are constantly saying “Man, that sure looks like it’s going to be a fun party, or event, or whatever the occasion is." They get these puppy dog eyes that just beg to be included in the fun that mom is preparing for. I can see it in their faces….."when are you going to put this much time and effort into planning a party for US?”

So, I thought it was about time.

The event…..A “fancy” back to school dinner. Something to let them know how special they are to me. To let them know they are important and always loved.

All of the kids were ecstatic to find out that all of the supplies I had been gathering and stashing away this week were all for a special night in honor of them.

Here is Dan teaching the kids the proper napkin spreading etiquette and giving a refresher course on manners at our “fancy dinner.” It’s amazing how much quieter the dinner is when the room is dimly lit. Dinner wasn’t rushed, everyone took turns eating and talking about church today, everyone sat a little taller, and asked for things to be passed politely. It was really quite refreshing.

But what do you expect when you leave the paper plates, Mac and Cheese, and Kool-Aid, in the cupboards. We should try this more often.

For most of the meal Hudson was chugging his sparkling cider, he LOVED it. Every 5 minutes we would hear him say, “more please.”

Tonight’s Menu

Filet Mignon, Garlic and Herb Pasta, Slow Cooked Green Beans, Garden Tomatoes, Sparkling Cider, and Raspberry Cake for Dessert

All of the kids contributed to tonight’s meal which made the evening even more special. Some helped cook. All of them helped set the table and decorate the room. A few went the extra mile when cleaning and preparing the home. It was a family event from top to bottom.

After dinner and dessert it was time to pick out what everyone was wearing on their first day of school then after scriptures that night Dan gave all of the kids a father’s blessing.

I hope my children know how much they mean to me. Dan and I live every second of our lives for these kids of ours. I hope the spiritual thoughts, the family scriptures, the fathers blessings, the time together, the EVERYTHING……all combine and culminate in a long lasting positive influence on my kids. You each mean so much to me. Thank you for being special. I hope your school year is a fantastic one.

Demolition Derby

Dan and I took the kids to the demolition derby tonight over at the Fairgrounds. Talk about a GREAT time.....it has white trash, hill billy, red neck fun, written all over it and is WORTH EVERY PENNY. We have so much fun watching these cars speed around the track in a real life game of bumper cars.

During the first half of the derby 8 cars at a time race around the track for about 6 laps. They cut each other off, slam into one another, drive with smoke flooding out of the hood, drive in reverse when the drive gear no longer works and the list goes on . Pretty much anything goes. Whatever it takes to ensure their car is first to cross the finish line. Once a race is over fork lifts come out on the track to carry off any non functioning cars and then another 8 cars come out for the next race.

Below is the car our kids were rooting for this year. An American army tank with a little SpongeBob riding atop. During our favorite cars second race another car smashed him into the guard rail and his car got stuck and wasn’t able to finish the race. A fork lift type of machine had to come and lift him off the wall and he was done for the rest of the night :(

The best part of course is that after all the races finish, each car that is still running enters the arena and pulls up to the guard rail. At the sound of the gun, it becomes a free for all game of "smash the other guy before you get smashed". At full speed, in reverse or forward, getting rammed from the side or from behind, or going head long into your opponent, it is and ANYTHING GOES game of bumper cars and it is a blast to watch.

The rule is that once your car can't drive anymore, because it is too smashed up or broken to go another inch....YOU’RE OUT.

LAST MAN STANDING WINS!!!

How cool is that.

Next year we might try the rodeo to see how bulls throwing grown men around the ring like rag dolls compares to metal crunching, engine exploding, race car driving bumper cars.

Ward Campout

Ward Campout - Here we come!!!

Dan came home from church a few weeks ago, totally excited about an announcement he just heard at church. He has been saying for years that with as fun as fathers and sons outings are for him and the boys, he wishes the church would sponsor or host a campout for the whole family to attend. Well, They Did....And we got excited.

The date was set for the last week of August to be held at a fantastic church owned campground called Camp Zarahemla.

We were the second family to arrive on that Friday, so we had our pick of the campgrounds. We chose the one closest to the canoe dock which butted right up against the lake. With a family of 5 kids, we had no shortage of helpers as we pitched the tent and organized the camp area.

The kids were amazed by how many chipmunks there were. They were everywhere and definitely not shy. While unpacking sleeping bags from the car and hauling them to the tent 3 chipmunks climbed in the car and started helping themselves to our food.

After our campsite was all set up the kids were ready to go exploring. They wanted to check everything out and find the perfect hiking stick and a stick to use for carving with their pocket knives. That’s right folks we let a few of our kids run around with pocket knives. Axes Too. Yikes, watch out!

Speaking of exploring and pocket knives, here are the first 2 injuries of our trip. A little gravel to the knee for Kase, and Hailey swears she got cut from the stick she was carving and not the knife she was using to carve it. (Uh Huh, yea right.)

After exploring and playing around in the canoes for a while we ventured back to camp for some dinner. Chili and Hot dogs, with a side of BEE'S. That's right, Bee's. Like swarms of them. They couldn't resist the succulent meal we had just prepared. HOLY COW, we couldn't keep them off of us for the entire meal. Where ever our plates were, they were dotting the surface of our food. Yuck!

After dinner and a quick little hike, we worked our way over to the Ward Talent Show for some improve comic relief. Our kids showcased their talents by grooving to the ever popular song - Ho Down Throw down, by Hannah Montana. Ky also remembered a few of his skits from scouts and rounded up a few kids to perform them.

We ended the evening around the campfire roasting marshmallows and dodging a couple of dozen "eye pokers" that were freely handed out to children ranging in age from "to young to trust with a sharp stick" and "younger". :) No serious casualties though, just good old campfire fun......and the chocolate marshmallow mess that always accompanies such an event.

After the younger kids went to bed and the older ones were busy running around in the woods with friends, flashlights and walkie talkies, Dan and I popped some popcorn and invited the Armitage’s down for a game night at our campsite. What a fun day!

The next day was fun as well. A service project followed a ward breakfast, and then it was time to hit the lake again.

A few of the kids even braved the cold water by plunging feet first into it from the jungle vines known as the "rope swing". Dan says he would have braved the FREEZING cold water as well, and really shown the kids how to do it with style, if it wasn't for the drive home that was fast approaching and his desire not to drive home wet. We all know it was a cheesy cop-out, but if that makes him feel better about himself and his manhood.....we can play along. Maybe next time Dan, Right? I think we’re scheduled to go back in January, you could always show the kids how it’s done then. Looking forward to that! :)