One Big Day!

 Today was a big day in the life of my lovely Rachel.  Her Baptism was this morning.  Yesterday we ran around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get ready.  I wanted to make sure that she had a new dress.  However, being the practical mom that I am, I didn't want to spend $60 -$100 on a dress she probably wouldn't ever wear.  Rachel is a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.  I probably cursed her with that but I do try to get her to go with other styles.  However, every time we buy something different she ends up never wearing it.  She likes comfort.  What can I say.  So, we hunted for the perfect fit for her.  Old Navy was one of our last stops and we found this really cute dress.  It was funny how much her excitement increased once we bought her that new outfit. I don't know why, but clothes really can make us feel different.  :)  Anyway, we had finished our last task and we were ready for the big event. 

 I can honestly say that nothing would be the same without our supportive families sitting in the background. They all trickled in and made it for the baptism.  Rachel was so happy to have everyone there and really loved all of the gifts.  Even when a couple of them were the same she wanted to keep everything anyway.  Family makes the world go round.  Don't know how much more I can say.

Rachel and Dad got all ready for the big moment....which literally lasted about 15 seconds.  Rachel said she mostly just felt wet after being baptized.  But she told me when she received the gift of the Holy Ghost she felt different.  She recognized that the most spiritual moment for her was there in that circle with Dad's hands placed on her head. 

It was a really happy day.  I am not really one for planning parties.  I love to go to family events...but I am not fond of taking on the stress of planning a family event.  I kept it pretty simple and all the family made up for the rest.  We had a nice lunch provided for by many wonderful family members...I just brought sandwich stuff.  They made all the good stuff.  :)  We all sat in our backyard and enjoyed lunch and chatted for a while.  It was just really relaxing and great.  It was just a wonderful day all around.  Rachel, we are so happy for you and so blessed to have you as our daughter.  Family...you are amazing. Thanks for making this a wonderful day.  :)

Silver Lake

 We had to do something today for Rachel's birthday so since it is Sunday we decided to take a walk and have a picnic at Silver Lake at Brighton Ski Resort.  Boy..it was beautiful.  A little colder than I thought though. We were lucky to get out of there right before the rain started.  Thankfully, the kids enjoyed this mountain trip more than our last botched trip. 

 We let them take a few adventures off the beaten path.  They found walking sticks way back in the brush that were the envy of every other passing child.  They used their walking sticks to test the levels of the water and pick long grassy stuff from the bottom. 

 Poor Sarah was starving.  You'd think that after parenting 3 children through their tiny years we would have learned to have food on hand at all times.  We left our picnic stuff back at the car...consequently, Sarah was a bit fussy for the walk around silver lake.  We tried to keep her occupied but by the end she was screaming.  It made our peaceful walk slightly less peaceful but we made it.  We ate as soon as we got back to the car and she was her happy self again. 

It was a quiet end to Rachel's birthday.  That's what I needed.  Three days of birthday was enough for me.  HAHA. 

Rachel Turns 8

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I am speechless.  Today my little Rachel turned 8 years old.  Look at her.  I mean really, she is just gorgeous.  I couldn't be prouder to have such a fabulous daughter.  Nate and I were talking the other night about how much she has grown up over the last couple of years.  It's like they hit a whole new phase of life at 8 years old.  For her birthday she got to pick out a new bike.  She has never had a brand new bike.  Just D.I or her brother's bike, so it was a lot of fun for her.  

 

I have such fond memories of Rachel birth.  After being somewhat traumatized by a c-section and NICU when Ben was born, Rachel's birth was nothing short of miraculous and peaceful.  I went VBAC and everything went perfectly.  There were no complications and I simply got to enjoy every minute.  It really was a wonderful day..and night.  She was born just after midnight.  She was so beautiful.  

 

Ben was Rachel's immediate best friend.  He took care of her like she was his most prized toy.  The smile rarely left his  face when he was with her.  

 

After failing on a birthday party for Ben, I had to step it up and get something together for Rachel.  I am not a party planner but we came up with a plan and made it happen.  Now, in my brilliance and because I still felt guilty about not planning a birthday party for Ben, I suggested that Nate and Ben have a boys night out while I took care of Rachel's party.  Let me tell you how that went...I will never, never do a party alone again.  Those kids were so full of energy I thought they might explode.  :) The picture below says it all.  Really, they were tons of fun and Rachel had such a great time.  It was worth the sacrifice.   We painted little animals, played games, ate pizza, opened presents and had ice cream and cake.  At 8pm all the kids left and I thought to myself...wow, my house, with all it's hustle and bustle, is actually pretty quiet.  Seven 8 year old kiddos can really ramp up the volume.  Poor Sarah.  She was terrified.  :)  However, I am pretty sure we will be known as the party house from now on.  :)

 

Well, 2 fall birthdays down.  One more to go.  :) Let's hope 5 year olds are a little less energetic.  HAHA.  

Good Plans Don't Always Work

 Saturday.  We wait for it.  We dream of it.  We want it to come all week.  This Saturday we had big plans.  We went out in the morning and bought paint for our front door.  We discussed a date we were planning on for the evening as well as a hike to Stewart Falls in the afternoon with the kiddos.  It was looking to be a great day. 

Of course, cleaning always comes first.  Uggg.  I hate that.  No fun until the house is done.  But, we did it.  We cleaned house from top to bottom.  Then we prepped the kids for a fun hike.  Now, I know all of you have kids that just LOVE to hike.  Our kids need a little encouragement.  Bribery might be the better word.  So, we stopped at the store to buy a nice treat for all of them to have on the hike.  :) Yea!  We were off.  The drive up the canyon was beautiful.  Not tons of changing leaves, but there was enough.  Ben took the above picture during the hike.

Anyway, being the good mom I am, of course I asked all the kids if they needed to make a pit stop in the bathroom of the grocery store before we left.  The younger child wisely did. The older children said they were good.  :)  So what was the first thing that happened 5 minutes into our hike.  Both older kids needed to go.  Not exactly ideal places to go on this hike.  There were a lot of aspens that don't hide much and low lying ferns.  We did our best and found spots.  I had to find some large soft leaves for wiping for one of the kids.  :)  But we made it.  Off we went.

Now, here's the thing.  We didn't do much research before we left.  We have been on the hike before and new we were headed to a waterfall.  No problem.  We hiked for about 45 minutes before we got to where we could see the area the fall should be.  Ummm...Guess we should have thought that one through.  The fall was dried up.  Rachel cried.  She had been so pleasant on the hike and just wanted to see those falls so bad.  Ben was just happy to turn back and not have to hike even further away from the car.  Emily was mad she ran out of Candy.  So, we hit strike one for the day.  Well, it happens right.  We hiked back to the car playing games like "what would I have in my dream house" and 20 questions.

Well, when we got back to the car we had a message from our hoped babysitter saying she was not available.   Sigh.  Strike two.  By then it was already 5:30 and too late to look for another sitter.  So, alternate plans needed to be designed.

The BYU vs. UTah game was going to be on at 8pm.  Nate really wanted to see it but we don't have cable.  Since my parents are out of town for a little we came up with a great plan to head over to their house and borrow their cable.  The game was going to go late so we told the kids we would just sleep over at grandma's.  They were so excited.  We got our jammies and loaded up all our blankies.  We were ready.  We got to the house and the kids ran off to play.  Nate and I tried to get set up for the game...but try as we might we could not get the satellite signal.  I am not positive if we were just tech illiterate or if maybe my parents satellite wasn't working.  Whatever it was, our plans were once again demolished.  We turned on the radio and listened to the game until half time when we told the kids we weren't going to sleep over afterall.  No reason to spend the night if we couldn't watch the game.  They were bumbed. Strike 3.

We headed home, got the kids tucked in and turned on the radio again to listen to the rest of the game.  We all know where strike four came in.  I had to listen to Nate rant and rave late into the night after that awful game.

So, some days don't go the way we planned.  :)  Oh well.  There will be other days .  

I love this picture.  It is so Sarah.  She is so much fun.  She love the tall grass.  The other kids said it was itchy.  Big babies. 

We found this wild animal in the woods. 

This was taken right before we turned back after deciding the fall had dried up. 

All the kids wanted to be Sarah.  During some of the hike they were sooooooo bored. 

What did she eat out there.  Yikes. 

Making the Announcement

So, let 's just get it out there.  I might as well.  We are going to add to our "not as little as it used to be" family.  One more bun is in the oven.  Numero cinco.  No turning back now.  So let's celebrate.  WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!! No Fear.  :)  Baby will arrive April 1st. Here's hoping it's a boy or there may be a number 6. 

10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.10.

Ben just had his tenth birthday. I am a little frightened..how far is 10 from puberty? Not far enough. :) Despite this we had a fun time celebrating. Ben got a new bike which he picked out. It is a gear bike. Bigger bike for a bigger boy. He also bought a new wii game called Pokemon Park 2. All the kids love that. Saturday we went to Planet Play for four semi long hours. The kids also loved that. Mom and Dad...well, it was super fun. HAHA. Ben is really growing up. He is a good kid. He has a mind of his own. This makes it harder to get him to do things he doesn't want to do, but it also makes him more independent and I know that I can trust him when I need him. He has a great time being a kid and luckily, he has really good friends here. Ben likes to act silly when he is in a crowd but if you get him one on one he is just happy to have your attention and talk. Ben loves his sisters and will really come through for them when they need him. He is a big fan of his dad and loves time with just the boys. Ben is a very unique and awesome kid. Happy Birthday Ben!!!

That angelic face can be so deceiving.  :)

We all love Ben! 

Look at how peaceful and sweet he was.  So cute. 

He got a rough start but has been going full speed ever since. 

School...Here We Go!

So, I know. Most moms can't wait for their kids to get back to school. Me..I would rather it just stayed summer all year. Not because I don't get excited for the kids to get out of my hair for multiple hours in the day...but because when they go back I go back. No more relaxing work free days. Boo. It has been harder this year to get back into the swing of things then any other year but I'll get there. As for the kids, they are back to coming home and answering my "How was school?" question with "Normal." That's it. That's all I ever get. "It was normal." Don't they know that I am not there with them. I don't know what normal is. GRRR.. Oh well. Emily started kindergarten this year. She is so happy to get out of the house and not be my babysitting slave everyday. HAHA. School will be good for her. She is so cute. Here are some first day pics.

Ben and Rachel..soooooooooo excited to go back to school.  Well, at least they were excited on their first day. 

Emily.  She really is excited for her first day.  :)  And I was excited for her. 

Emily had not problem coming in and sitting right down to get to work.  She comes home every day to tell me about her new friends.  Her teacher is Mrs. Crockett.  I think she will have a great year.

So Sick and Night at the Zoo. After Hours.

Things at our house during August were a little...blah. Somehow we all came down with the world's worst cold. Sore throat everyday for over a week. Yucky booger eyes. Congestion. Fatigue. It was awful. I didn't think we would make it. Somehow in there we managed to have some fun. A friday night pizza picnic helped. Everyone took turns laying under the swing while Nate dropped it from high above. Thank goodness it stayed attached to the swing set and none of us were actually hit by the swing. Shows how desperately bored we got staying in the house and trying to get healthy all week.

Sarah LOVES pizza.  She enjoyed our little backyard pizza picnic more than anyone else.

Never hurts to to some death defying "swing flying at your face" tricks.  No flinching.

Nate's company had a work party last week at the zoo. We were able to stay at the zoo until 9pm. I didn't know that was even possible. It was so fun. The evening cooled off so it was nice to walk around. We saw lots of animals at feeding time which was an interesting view. The crowds were non existent. We could enjoy every animal from the best view possible. Plus, they had free face painting, free unlimited train rides and carousel rides and free dinner. I will never see the zoo the same way again. We were coming off of a week of total sickness and it was fabulous to get out of the house and have so much fun. Thank you Parker Hannifin. :)

What happens when you get to stay at the zoo after hours.  Awesomeness.  We sat and watched this polar bear swim back and forth entertaining us by shooting himself out of the water every time he got the window.

What a snake!

Sarah loves the zoo and the train ride...she didn't like the carousel.

Just cute.  I love these kiddos.

Carousel ride ...over and over.