1st Snowfall in 2009

The boys were so excited to wake up to snow last Saturday. We got about 1/3 inch. But that didn't stop the boys from trying to sled down the hill. They couldn't find their sleds so they grabbed rubbermaid lids. Later they tried making a snowman. Parker and Mom had hot chocolate waiting for Taylor and Brayden after their fun in the snow. Parker thought it was too cold to join them. Maybe if he would have put a jacket on. :o)

2 Days Out of School!

The boys had 2 days off school last week for parent/teacher conferences. This also meant I had 2 extra girls and my niece and nephew home, too. Seven kids in my house = planned activities if I want to keep my sanity. :o)

Thursday morning we had a Kiddie Boot Camp. I found some good tunes and made up a routine the kids would have fun with and use some of that abundance of energy they carry all the time!

It wouldn't be a boot camp without push-ups

Drop and give me 20

Here they had to do lunges down the driveway and sprint back

Way to go Kiddie Boot Campers! You rocked!

Friday was our Pajama-jama-jam!!!! We stayed in our pjs all day! I put the girls' hair (those that was long enough) in rag curls early in the morning while we watched cartoons. We ate Froot Loops for breakfast (A real treat in our house), built with K'nex, did yoga, made pizzas, watched a movie, read favorite bedtime books, and ate favorite bedtime snacks!

Back Rub Train

Lexie after we took the rags out of her hair. She is so cute!

Yoga time!

Taylor's favorite pose, the Bridge.

This was hilarious! Brayden's favorite pose is the handstand. He got some air on this pose and landed right on his behind.

Parker's favorite pose, ?????? He made this one up. :o)

My favorite pose, Relaxation pose. Let's stay in this one for awhile. :o)

Pizza time!

Everyone brought their favorite blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals and made their very own space on the floor for the movie, "Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure"(Girls won the pick for the movie).

At the end of the day the house was a mess! But luckily I had 7 great helpers. Everyone pitched in and we got it cleaned up in no time. Taylor even got the vacuum out and vacuumed the house. We had a great 2 days off together!

I don't have a picture for this, but, had to tell the story of our dinner later that night. After our 4 extra visitors left we got dressed and told the kids we were taking them out to dinner. Tol won a gift certificate at the BSU dinner auction about 6 months ago. We had to use it by the 9th of November so we thought it would be fun to take the whole family out. The gift certificate was for a place out in Marsing. The boys were excited. Taylor put on his polo shirt and khakis just in case it was a fancy restaurant. We hopped in the car and away we went.

We get almost to Nampa and Parker says, "I have to go potty!" You know how kids are, they wait until the last minute to tell you they have to go. We couldn't just stop on the freeway, so we told him, "Hold it! We'll stop as soon as we can!" After a few minutes we got off the freeway and pulled into a Subway. Parker said, "I'm OK." Well, we believed him and went on to Marsing. As we drove to Marsing we went past the Sugar Beet Factory and it really stunk that night. It stunk all the way to Marsing! When we got to the "restaurant" Parker got out of the car and whispered to me, "I peed and pooped my pants." I looked down and saw the evidence. I don't think it was the Sugar Beet Factory that stunk so bad that night.

We walked in the restaurant that was actually a bar that also served food. We walked in and they assured us we could eat here with the kids. Taylor whispered to me, "Guess it's not a fancy restaurant." We had a good laugh and the food wasn't too bad. The portions were pretty big. They didn't have a kids' menu, but, that didn't matter. Brayden ate all of his huge cheeseburger and curly fries and helped Parker with his! It was a fun family adventure.

FYI: Tol took Parker into the bathroom and took care of his accident, throwing his underwear away. It's nice having all boys in times like these. :o)

Halloween

Halloween festivities started out at Grandma and Grandpa Mac's. While all the men in the family watched the big BSU game, the ladies were in the kitchen having a Halloween party with the kids. It was quite the spread with Ghoulish greens, Skeleton bones, Clotted blood dip, Boiled worms, Eyeballs, Jack-o-lantern guts, Spider eggs, and Frog juice to wash it all down. Yum, I think?!

Later, we headed out to Eagle to Brian and Lisa's house for some chili, more football, and trick or treating. The kids made a haul this year.

This year's cotumes: Tol- the doctor; Nikki - the good witch; Taylor - Willy Wonka; Brayden - Harry Potter; Parker - a fierce lion

Nikki trying to get her witch cackle down, too funny!

Carving Pumpkins

We waited until the day before Halloween to carve our pumpkins. That way they would be nice and fresh. So, Friday after school we got out the carving tools and went at it!

Brayden's

Tol's

Taylor's

Parker and I opted for the Mr. Potato Head type.

Prison Break - Run for it!

Bet, I got your attention with that title! :o)

Like I said in an earlier post, Tol talked me into running a 1/2 marathon. It was located out at the actual prison on Pleasant Valley road. We ran with friends, Alec and Kelly Arhets.

Ready, ready, ready, ready to ru-u-u-u-n! :o)

Tol finished way before me (about 30 minutes) so I wasn't able to get photos of his finish. But, he was there cheering me on at the end. I saved just enough energy at the end to sprint it out. I was spent going through that finish line. Exactly how I wanted to feel, like I gave it all I had.

Alec and Tol were good partners. They pushed each other to do their own personal best. They rocked it!

Kelly and I had such a great time training together. I am so glad we did it together. We helped each other keep going and get out of bed those days we would rather not.

The weather was windy and cold. I was cold before the race. During the race I felt great. After the race we were all freezing. We grabbed our free breakfast and headed home.

RESULTS:

Tol: 1:41

Alec: 1:44

Nikki: 2:11

Kelly: 2:15

A Few Moments from Preschool

Three days a week I have preschool with Parker and Levi. So far, we have learned about ourselves, our bodies, the 5 senses, families, leaves, transportation, fall, colors, shapes, and Halloween! I love seeing them grow and learn right before my eyes. Here are a few photos from our preschool.

FALL and LEAVES WEEK:

We went on a walk and picked up various leaves, brought them home, sorted them into colors and glued them on our paper tree in the hall. They really got into this project.

They raked leaves.

Then jumped in the huge pile!

One day, for snack we had granola bars and spinach leaves. I was surprised at how much they loved the spinach. They asked for seconds! (I did tell them it would make them strong)

TRANSPORTATION WEEK:

We made cars out of cardboard and went to a drive-in cartoon

We took the city bus downtown

On the bus.

Parker and Levi thought it was weird we didn't have to wear seat belts. I kinda wonder why, too.

We floated in a raft and sang songs

We have lots more fun planned for the rest of the year. On to letters next week. This is my last year doing this. I can't believe Parker will be in Kindergarten next year!

Photo Shoot! October 6th

We decided to take our own "school" pictures this year. Before it got too cold, I took the boys one day, after school to the Train Depot and shot pictures of them. They are so photogenic that it was easy and a lot of fun. I did have to keep them focused at the job at hand. It was getting cold and dark fast. They wanted to explore....boys will be boys. Overall, they were very cooperative and had fun, too!

Brotherly Love

Taylor 5th Grade

Brayden 3rd Grade

Parker Preschool

We decided to take our own "school" pictures this year. Before it got too cold, I took the boys one day, after school to the Train Depot and shot pictures of them. They are so photogenic that it was easy and a lot of fun. I did have to keep them focused at the job at hand. It was getting cold and dark fast. They wanted to explore....boys will be boys. Overall they were very cooperative and had fun, too!

I told Taylor to be himself. :o)

When it was Brayden's turn for pictures I couldn't find him. All I heard was, "Come find me."

I asked Parker to open his eyes more, and this is what I got. :o)

I love these last three photos and my trio. They make me smile. I am one lucky mom to have these three amazing children in my life. My goal is to enjoy every stage of their life and not wish any of it away. (Well, maybe the talking back moments, whining, and tantrums. :o))