They climbed up















Slid down















and waded in the creek





















Well, except Spencer because he was ti-erd



















The babies watched from a safe distance


















All to see the turning of the season.
Beautiful ! and 25 minutes from my house. I need to stop and appreciate Utah's seasons more....they are AMAZING.

1 ringy dingy.....

HEEEEEY ! I had that first.
















Give it back Nathan.
















I didn't poke him in the eye. You have no photographical proof of that.
















I'm calling Mommy J !
















oh please ! ya wastin' my time with all of this.
















HA HA...yer in trouble. Mommy J wants you to call her.

















Give me that phone. I'll call Mommy J. I NEEDED to talk to her any ways!
















Yes, is this Mommy J ?
















Oh yes, Hi, I need a few things...can you stop by the store on your way home ?
















yes. what ?
















WHAT DID HE TELL YOU ? he's LYIN' !!


















Look, there's always 2 sides to every story.
























but....but....but
















Mommy J said she doesn't have time for this and could you please resolve it.
















Time out Nathan !
















WOO HOOOOO ! YES !
















Wha ? Like this is gonna get me down !


















THE END !


This story explains why Mommy J won't answer the calls coming from our home number during the work week any more. and also why our phone rings busy at any given time during the day.

It finally happened.

I was trying to get the house together before tomorrow. I like to wake up to a clean start. I don't like to walk in to a kitchen full of dishes, or floors covered in dirt, food, wood chips when I wake up.
I got the vacuum out. It was 8:05 pm and the babies were screaming bloody MURDER because they were tired and needed to be put down and if you would just wait one second little ones I will lay you down but if I lay you down now and vacuum you will just wake up and scream and then it will be hell getting you down again and the big kids down at all. SO. I decided to vacuum first.
There is something about the vacuum that possess my children. They grow horns and their eyes turn green and their voices hit pitches you only hear from dog whistles. They run and scream and act as if the vacuum is in fact going to suck their bodies right in to it.
Spencer was the one seized by it's magical powers tonight and ran circles around the table while I did my work.
I was headed to the office/front room and he darted in front of me and dove into the couch. Suddenly he grabbed his eye and started wailing. I sat the vacuum up and turned it off to give him some comfort. As I walked over to him, only then did I realize the blood dripping from his face.

Nice slice. Just passed his eyebrow. 3 stitches. didn't even flinch.
He was as stoic and awesome as they come. many comments were made about how great he did.
He got a kit-kat and a new squirt gun (the plunger thing that they cleaned out his cut with) and the award for the first kid to get stitches in our family.
We wondered when it would happen.

I would have taken a picture with my new cell phone of the actual procedure but couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get it to camera. (I know...technology is not my thing)

So. on my watch. (Jan's been in Florida since Sunday) yes, a kid was broken.

at least my house was clean when the neighbor came over to sit with the other 4 :)

Sydney says

Last week while Sydney was walking along the back of the couch and jumping to its center she announced, "I'm getting married in the temple"
I responded with, "you are ?"
She very matter of factly answered, "yip"
"Why do you want to get married in the temple, Syd ?"
"because the church tells us that we are supposed to"
Nodding my head, "aaaah. I see"

This works out perfectly you see because her fiance Nate is Mormon and will one day be married in the temple himself when he decides to marry.

The next day while driving, Sydney was singing the song, missed me missed me now you've gotta kiss me. A song that her fiance Nate himself taught her. She stops and says, "mom, if Nate sings, missed me missed me now you gotta kiss me....I'm gonna. I'm gonna kiss him"

Several days later, Syd comes running in to the house excitedly repeating, "I can't believe it, I can't believe it"
She ran to the bathroom and closed the door.
I called down the hall, "what's going on Syd ?"
She says, "It's just too crazy mom. So, so crazy"
She finished and headed back down the hall to the front door saying to herself in a very Sally Field sort of way, "he loves me. he really, really loves me"

Later J came in and said..."did you hear ?"
me, "no. what ?"
"Syd proposed to Nate and he said yes"
We both smiled and after telling her what had happened in the house we both laughed out loud.

I'm tellin' ya, there is no planning and preparing for this. She's 5 for pete sake. Too young to be running around all boy crazy. What am I going to do when she's 7.

Do they still sell chastity belts ? ah screw it. nothing duct tape, a chain and some spikes won't fix.
I'm also against owning a gun. but come her 15th birthday, I'm getting one. a big one. something light weight. something automatic. and I'm teaching her brothers how to shoot it ! :)


















I believe it was supposed to end in asking. She wrote this by herself. She asked me how 'come' was spelled and we looked it up in a book...other than that she sounded everything else out. She was discouraged that she didn't finger space with and out and when I told her that it was ok, it was one word she was thrilled. SO SMART this one.

We DID it !

We took all 7 of us camping. We slept over. 2 nights. in a camp ground. WITH NO THEME PARK RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
however there was our fun friends, the forest of trees, a lake, a beach, a dead 2 ft fish half full of maggots and a boat and a tube. The kids are still talking about it.
SOOO much fun !
And then there was the food and treats and cards.
We were super nervous taking all 5....but it was great and we would do it again.

from left : Cam, Imani, Syd, Nia, Spence

Because they are super cute. no other reason.

It had to be duplicated.

















Doesn't it look like Nathan is getting ready to perform a killer "glissando" slide ? Ryan on vocals.
















Nathan takes lead on vocals. (seriously...look at Ryan's hands...you can't tell me he's not really playing...look at that form)
















WHAAASSSUUUUUUPP ?!
















Ryan's closeup. because Nathan wouldn't.