Happy Birthday MaKyra!

Flour Boys

I filled a container full of flour yesterday - five pounds. Today Parker dumped it on my floor. I was folding laundry in my bedroom when I realized Gabe and Parker were having too much fun together. They were both laughing. (Usually Gabe is laughing and Parker is crying) Atleast they were playing nice together. I was ready to pull my hair out and then decided to laugh instead. Needless to say, my flour is going to find a home on a higher shelf. Kristin - this picture can go on your "scared to have a boy list."

Candy Train

Every year, my mother-in-law has the grandkids come and make candy trains. It is a lot of fun. I love helping. Well, mostly I like trying the candy.

Kyra's Smile

All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth

Well, MaKyra only needs one front tooth, but I don't know a song about that. She lost her tooth the day we got back from our trip. We tried to get her to pull it in Kansas but she just couldn't bring herself to let anyone near it. She did let me pull it at home. The tooth fairy came and left $2. I never got that much for a tooth. I guess we took inflation into consideration. I would post a picture of her "new" smile but I lost my camera. I haven't really looked for it. Hopefully Parker didn't throw it away. He likes to do that.

Nauvoo Trip

I have been meaning to write about our trip but just haven't found the time. My whole family went to visit my sister in Kansas. It was so much fun. We were gone for nine days. We drove. It is a 16 hour drive. My kids did great. Two words: DVD player. It was a life saver. How people traveled before days of portable TVs is beyond me. While we were in Kansas we traveled to: Liberty Jail, Independence, Farwest, and Adam-ondi-aman (all in Missouri), Nauvoo and Carthage in Illinois, Jamesport - an Amish town in Missouri and Union Station in Kansas City. Matt went to the Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs game. He was on the fifth row and 50 yard line. We had such a great time.

Nauvoo Trip

Orson Scott Card

I went to a forum at BYU-Idaho today. Orson Scott Card was the speaker. He did such a great job. I really enjoy him as an author. He spoke on becoming heroes in our own lives. He talked about understanding the responsibility we have in our careers, homes, communities and religious endeavors to reach out and be a hero in our own way whether it be a grand jesture or something small. I loved the message he shared. After the forum he had a question and answer period. I didn't have any questions but loved hearing others. His answers were informative and witty. It really was a great 2 1/2 hours.

Do you love Edward Cullen?

I went to a Vampire party on Saturday for anyone who loves Edward. For those who don't know who Edward is - read the book Twilight. It was so much fun. Our host, Nanette, had us share our confessions of reading the book. Did we neglect our children? What lengths did we go to inorder to read the three books? It was really great to hear everyone's stories. Mine is simply reading all night only to be extremely grumpy to my family the next day. We played a quiz game and I did horribly. I must not be the fan I thought I was. I only got one question right. Oh well, my team one anyway. The best is my friend made us all a list of what our husbands should be saying to us. They were quotes from Edward through the three books. I won't post all of them but some of my favorites are:

"You will always be the most beautiful thing in my world."

"The outside world holds no interest for me without you."

"As if there were any way that I could exist without needing you!"

"Do you really have any idea how important you are to me? Any concept at all of how much I love you? Let me attempt to explain how I feel about you." (A husband should then list all of the wife's good qualities.)

Thank you Stephanie Meyer for creating such a great story - romance, action, and great writing.

Happy Halloween

I went to MaKyra's kindergarten Halloween party. They decorated sugar cookies and pumpkins. They played fruit basket (except with ghosts, witches, pumpkins, and spiders) and pin the nose on the pumpkin. It was so fun to see the kids in their costumes.
Halloween night our ward had a trunk or treat/carnival. We eat dinner and set up tables for our candy dispersment. MaKyra was a witch; Gabe, Thomas the Train; Parker, a frog. We did well. We have so much candy it is crazy.

Mystery Party

We went to a murder mystery party at Brent and Katie's house. It was a lot of fun. We were assigned a character and had to act and dress accordingly. Aren't we all lo0king so cute? I used three cans of black spray on my hair. It was not fun. Everytime I touched my hair I would get black all over my hands. Gross. It took a few days for it to all wash out. Next time I am buying a wig. It was a great party though. It is always fun when we all get together.

It's a Pirate Party!

"It's a Pirate Party!" (It is a Wiggles' song. I know all of them.) Well, MaKyra is having a Pirate Party at dance class. Everyone is going to be pirates. I wish I could go and see all the kids in their costumes, but I will be decorating for the Halloween Carnival at Kyra's school.

I'm the Mom

I love this video. I am sure many of you have seen it, but it is on here mostly for me. I watched it on yahoo.com but didn't know how to download it. Luckily, Kari emailed it to me. I am very grateful. This song is very true and funny. It is great whether you are a mom or have once been a kid. I think we have all heard or said these things. Thanks to the lady who wrote it and sang it.

Motherhood

Today my kids woke me up before I was ready to be awake. I was tired and felt instantly crumpy. I told MaKyra she could get her own cereal because I was going to sleep longer. She complained a little and left. I laid in bed frustrated about being woke up and irritated the kids were being so loud. All that changed when I heard Kyra say, "Gabe, what cereal do you want?" I heard her pour the cereal and milk. She carried the bowls to the table. Then she said, "Gabe, can you say the prayer?" She helped him through the prayer and they ate. My whole attitude changed. What great kids! It was just one of those moments I wanted to hold on to.

Deer Valley

My brother-in-law's boss owns condos in Deer Valley, near Park City. He invited the whole family to come down for the weekend. It was a lot of fun and a lot of kids. There were two condos with 3-4 bedrooms in each. They were really nice. It was really relaxing to get away and leave life behind. Matt's family is always so much fun.

Matt's parents have 22 grandkids with only ranging from 4 months to 12 years. We were able to get a few pictures of them. My favorite is the kids with their grandparents. It looks a bit chaotic and it is a true depiction of the weekend. I loved it. It is surprising with that many kids we had no conflicts. I guess if someone didn't want to play, the kids always had some one else to play with. Some of the kids are from warm weather climates and were very excited to see the snow and play in it. It was fun to see the whole family.

Tag - I'm It

Jobs I've Had
1. Papa Kelseys Pizza Extraordinaire
2. Secretary for Ehardt Law Offices
3. Bateman's Baking Products
4. Mom
I've Lived
1. Menan Idaho
2. Rexburg Idaho
3. Hamm, Germany
4. Rigby, Idaho
Food I Love
1. Beto's Nachos
2. Tacos
3. Johnny Carinos nachos
4. Olive Garden
5. Homemade Soups
Sweet Websites I Visit
1. Local New 8
2. CNN
3. Ebay
4. Family Search Indexing
5. BlogspotPlaces
I'd Rather Be
1. Running
2. Reading
3. On our trip to Kansas
Movies I love
1. Remember the Titans
2. You've Got Mail
3. She's the Man
Shows I Watch
1. Bachelor =)
2. Smallville
People I Tag
1. Shilo
2. Devri
3. Kristin W.

My cousin Ashlee got married this weekend. It was so fun to be there. They just look so in love. The flower girls were adorable. They were Ashlee's nieces Kamrin, Savannah, Haddie and Audrey.

Audrey was hiding behind Savannah. One of my favorite moments was when Kamrin saw MaKyra and ran into our row to hug her. It was pretty cute. The whole wedding was beautiful. I am so happy for Ashlee and Dave.

Presenting the Prince and Princess

MaKyra and Gabe went to a princess birthday party for Mikayla Ellsworth (Brent and Katie's daughter). They had so much fun. I was glad I bought a knight costume for Gabe a few months ago. The kids all looked so cute in their "royal" attire.

Loose Tooth

MaKyra has her first loose tooth. After we discovered it she jumped up and down for about 20 minutes chanting, "I have a loose tooth. I have a loose tooth." She told my dad, "Guess what I have on my tooth. A loose tooth." It will still be a while before it comes out, but we get a daily update. MaKyra has been watching her older cousins lose their teeth and has asked several times over the last year when it would be her turn. She said, "I am going to be a big kid now!"

Gabe Finally Went to Preschool

Gabe finally made it to preschool and his eyes are better. He loved it!

Matt had a presentation on force in his physics class. In this movie Parker shows all laws of motion.

Gabe's First Day of Preschool

Gabe has his first day of preschool today. He also has an eye infection. He is so miserable. We took him to the doctor yesterday and now he has eye drops. His eyes actually look better today. It is really sad. He told me, "All done owie eyes." Hopefully, soon he will be.

A Day at the Park

Matt and I took our kids and four nieces and nephews to the park on Saturday. It was a lot of fun. It was great to have visitors. My kids were so excited for cousins to come. They stayed the night and went to church with us on Sunday. They were so well-behaved and did great. That being said, seven kids is still a lot!

Running partners

Gabe and Parker go running with me in the mornings. It has been in the 30's and so they get bundled up. While running on Wednesday, during the first 15 minutes I lost both hats, a blanket, and a pacifier. I spent the next 15 minutes looking for them. I guess they need to just wear hats attached to their jackets. They are great partners though. They enjoy looking around and Gabe shows me all the animals we run by and makes the noises too.

Vacuuming

Gabe LOVES the vacuum and has since he was a baby. He used to follow us around with his lawnmower and vacuum the carpet. Lately he has wanted to actually vacuum. He is only three but I thought, "Why not." It took him about 45 minutes to vacuum just the living room, but he did a great job. He vacuumed again today. Doesn't he seem happy about it? I just hope he still does when he's twelve.

School Time

Matt is back at school. He will be getting his bachelor's in Health Science at the end of this school year! We are really excited. Our kids were excited to be with Dad on his first day of school. We are proud of you, Matt!

Parker

Parker was crying in the kitchen. He climbed in this pot and got stuck. Poor cute Parker.

Who took my pictures?

For everyone who was curious, my sister Devri took my pictures when she came to visit last week. She is trying to get a photography business up and running.

Kindergarten Adventure

I always get excited for fall. It means football games, drinking hot chocolate, beautiful leaves, wearing sweaters, making soups, and school is back in session. I don't attend school, but always feel a little jealous of those who do. Well, not this year. I have been preoccupied with the thought of my daughter beginning kindergarten. My little girl has started school.
I took her to school today expecting her to seem little in this big elementary school. When we got there, I realized she isn't too little for kindergarten. She didn't seem small. She fit right in. The thought almost made me more sad. I was happy for her but I just realized she has grown up.
All in all, it went well. She loved her first day. She thought her teacher was nice and really pretty. She made two new friends and is really excited about it. Hopefully the rest of the school year will go just as great.

Our Last Hoorah!

We have had a great summer - busy days and late nights. For our last hoorah, my sisters came into town. It was a fun packed week. By Sunday, my kids were exhausted from 4-wheeling, parties, and just playing. I was pretty tired too. Being with family was just what we needed to say good-bye to a great summer. My niece celebrated her birthday while visiting. The kids loved Uncle Brad's treasure hunt.
The party was a water party with water balloons, slip-n-slide, kiddie pool, and sprinklers. The kids had a lot of fun.

Our Family

Our little princess...

Gabriel and Parker