It's basketball time again!

I know I have had quite a few posts, but I am sick with no energy to do anything else. Yes, the dishes and the laundry are piling up but they will still be there tomorrow and hopefully I will have energy to do them, at least by Monday. If it is true it takes a week for the flu to finish then by Monday I should be feeling better. I am not looking forward to the catch-up on the house work though. So sorry for my complaining, back to the title of the blog.

It is time again for the boys to start basketball again. They were so excited to get started. They both had their first games last Saturday. Both teams won!! Yea!!! Now they are Clark 1-2, Ryan 2-0. Both teams are great, Clark's team didn't lose by much, but they are one of the best teams I think, they just need to pass the ball more.

Ryan

Clark

Emma and a couple of her friends during the game. She has to bring something to do so she isn't bored, she says.

"This month is such a special one;

It's birthday time for you.

We'd really like to celebrate Your happy day with you.

Zip-a-dee-ay and heigh-dee-ho, Here's something we can do.

We'll sing a song that we all know, Happy Birthday to you!

Yes, it is that time of year again, Dad is another year older. I think he is actually counting backwards now!

Happy Birthday Clark!!!!!

The jolly man in the red suit!!!

We finally made it to see Santa Claus. We tried to visit him last Saturday at "Bass Pro", but by the time we got there the line was forever long and we ended up leaving. We ran into a lady we knew, that was a couple of people in front of us, and she was saying that she stood in line for 2 hours. Glad we gave up and went back another day. I couldn't get the two older boys to sit on his lap but Emma was so excited, and Andrew was even happy to see him, that he even said Santa Claus. He was so comfortable with him that he didn't want to leave his lap.

Andrew's first visit with Santa. 12/13/10

These pictures were taken the day before they got sick. Glad we saw him when we did or we might not have made it this year!!! :)

Meet our newest family member....

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. This month has gone by way to fast!!! To make the story short I took Emma in to the Doctor yesterday thinking she had strep nope, that came back negative but you could tell that she didn't feel very good so they did a flu test on her and it came back positive for influenza B. I had asked the doctor a question about Andrew, bacause he was coughing and up all night, he decided that it probably was the same thing as Emma, he did the flu test and yes it came back positive. After talking to him we had come to the conclusion Clark and Ryan were just getting over it and I am suffering from it. I don't wish it upon anybody, I am so tired and my body aches, along with a nasty cough that has me not wanting to cough anymore because my throat hurts so bad an I have lost my voice. I feel so bad for the boys because I didn't think they were that bad. So I am sorry Clark and Ryan, I am glad you are feeling better. So to you all try and stay well this Christmas season!!!

Well back to the title of my post. This is our new puppy, he is an 8-9 week old beagle. We don't have a name for him yet, we are trying to decide what suits him best. He is such a sweetheart (right now). He loves to cuddle and so far (knock on wood) he isn't whining while he is in his bed. I will post some better pictures of him when it is daylight and I am feeling better.

Aggie checking him out

Pictures :)

It's that time of year again. Time to take pictures for our Christmas cards. Every one knows how much fun it is trying to get your kids to smile, be happy and look at the camera all at the same time. We tried to take pictures a few different spots, and the kids actually let us take their pictures, without complaining too much. So just to let you know this is a picture overload, some of my favorites, and some just show the craziness we go through to get pictures of our kids.





There was a dog just behind me and Andrew was more interested in that than getting his picture taken



Emma waiting for Dad to situate Andrew



Clark (13 years)

Ryan (11 years)

Emma (8 years)

Andrew (16 months)

By this time Andrew was ready to be done and these were the best we had



Our crazy kids!!!

Downtown by the creek.

Playin' at the park!

Yes, I know I did a post already today and yes, I also know that it is November 23 and the temperature was almost 80 degrees today, but I had to put on Andrew's first park experience. The kids are out of school all week so we needed something to do today. We went with some friends so that we (Monica and myself) could have a few minutes to our self while the kids played. They had fun playing on the swings and slides and the boys enjoyed throwing the football. Maybe we will have to do this another time this week before the cold front hits, unless we decide to go see the new Harry Potter movie (which we are all dying to see) while Dad is off work.




Okay, sorry back to Andrew. Emma and Grace (her friend) kept asking to take him on the swing, I kept telling them no because I was trying to keep him in the stroller for as long as possible, because once we put him in the swing I knew that would be the end of the stroller for the day. He loved it, he couldn't get enough of it. We took him out of the swing so he could go with Clark down the slide, and he SCREAMED!!! We finally got him calm enough to go down the slide and all I can say is we couldn't get him back to the top fast enough!! Needless to say he enjoyed the park. By the time we were getting ready to leave he was going down the slides by himself, Clark would take him up to the top and I would catch him at the bottom.

Pulling Clark so he could get back up to the top of the slide.

"Weeeeeeing" as he came down the slide, notice by himself. He loved it, we had the hardest time trying to leave, he wanted to stay and slide.

Youth Temple Trip :)

Last Saturday our ward had a youth temple trip. There were about seventeen youth that attended, which I thought was awesome. It was Clark's first trip to the temple, and with me being in Young Womens I was able to go and help out. It was so awesome to be able to go and help out, in the smaller temples they don't have the workers like they do in the bigger ones, so you are there to help.

Clark and a couple of his friends in the Deacons Quorum.

I have to write this down before I forget. A couple of weeks ago Clark, myself and some friends of ours were on our way to go to the temple, (the closest one is the Birmingham Temple which is about an hour and a half away). We had gone to "The Olive Garden" for dinner with what we thought we had plenty of time to eat and then be on our way. Well to start out, it took us forever to get our salad and bread sticks, then we get a phone call from another couple that was already on there way to warn us of an accident on the freeway, finally after sitting waiting for our food for an hour we had to ask for it to go. We get our food and get on our way, as we went to eat our food on the run there weren't any utensils. We finally get our forks and are on our way only to get stopped because of the accident (we figured it was cleaned up or we wouldn't have gone that way). It took us an hour and a half to go about 25 miles. By the time we got that far the session was starting in thirty minutes and we wouldn't make it. So we decided to turn around and go back on Tuesday. Out of the six of us only two of us actually made it, due to kids and business trips. We finally get there Tuesday and just as we were getting ready to go to the session the tornado sirens went off. All I could think is someone is trying to keep me from being here, but after fifteen minutes the warning was canceled and we proceeded. I was so grateful to be able to finally make it, I felt refreshed and ready to go again. Isn't it wonderful how just taking the time out of your busy schedule to go to the temple, makes you feel so much better, and things go smoother in your daily doings.

Spelling Bee!!

Ryan was in the school's spelling bee again this year. He is a wonderful speller. He was so excited when he came home to tell me that he had won his class spelling bee again. If you remember he won it last year (5th grade). I am so proud of him!!! I think I was just as nervous as he was while he was up there spelling the words. This year he made it to round four, which was really great because the words seemed a lot harder there then when we would practice. GREAT JOB RYAN!!!!!

Update on scouting: We had a Court of Honor last night and both Clark and Ryan earned at least one merit badge. Clark earned his communications and photography merit badges. Ryan earned his weather merit badge. Way to go Clark and Ryan!!!! Hopefully by the next Court of Honor both the boys will have a rank advancement. :) Isn't it great when we see our kids growing and progressing in life, they grow up way too fast, and sometimes I forget that, I need to take it one day at a time and enjoy them while they are still (kind of) young.

The tErRibLe tWo'S, already??

Andrew just passed the 16 month mark and he has already started the all out temper tantrums. Oh yes, the drop on the floor, kicking and screaming, throw the head back, that is just what we have been waiting for, NOT!!! Isn't it funny how one day they are so sweet and then the next they throw a massive fit when they don't get what they want? It makes me chuckle because he gets so mad and throws whatever he has in his hand or he looks to see what he can throw. There are times that we have to turn our heads to laugh. Oh, only if they knew how funny they look throwing their fits.

Andrew has been so funny lately, we get him dressed and he thinks he has to play/put back on what we just took off. He will walk around the house with his clothes on his head or over his shoulders. Also, if I haven't heard him and his door is open I find him sitting in the middle of his dirty laundry playing in it, he likes to move the piles around. He takes the clothes from the laundry basket to the floor and then moves them around, he is so funny how he entertains himself.



Fall is finally here. Yes, it is the middle of November and the leaves are gorgeous!!! I love this time of year, the only problem is it has been so hot for so long that I thought it was never going to come. Coming from Utah and having snow flurries (sometimes) by now, I thought fall would never get here, and just think with Thanksgiving next week, Christmas will be here before we know it. It doesn't seem like it is November, it actually feels like September (I think).


I keep passing by this area thinking I want a picture of the BEaUtiful fall colors, so today as I was passing by I actually had my camera with me, and I stopped to see if I could do it justice. Close, but it still looks better in person. I have been playing around on the internet with some pictures (on picnik.com), so let me know what you think.

(Original)

(Tweeked)

Yea for Emma!!!

We have slacked off in helping Emma ride her bike without training wheels. She has been trying to do it by herself without any luck. We noticed that she was a little too big for her bike so dad started using Clark's old one but the seat was just a little to high and she was struggling. She could do it but would wobble and we couldn't let go without her tipping. So a few weeks ago I took her out with her bike to see if it would help her get her balance and walla she took off. Yes, as you can tell her bike is really small, but it worked to help her get her balance. I started out holding her and she took off, with only a little of my help, it was great, she was cruising around the street, she was so excited, so of course I ran in and got the camera. I have to document it, it is a very big step in a child's life, to finally do something on your own. Way to go girl!!!!!







Updates on Andrew
Andrew had his 15 month check-up on Thursday this last week (11/4/10) and he is progressing very well. Yes, he is almost 16 mths, we had switched Dr.'s right before shots were due so we are behind a few weeks waiting for on opening in appointments.
His weight is 23 lbs 2 oz (40%)
His height 31 1/2 inches (55%)
His head circumference 18 1/2 inches (45%)

I found the "Tonka" trucks and lo and behold he loves them, we were teaching him how to put things in the back and go vroom. He is branching out besides kicking the balls all over he also loves playing with his trucks. Also dad was telling me, he had to pick up Andrew from the church during Young Woman's on Wednesday and all the way home he went "weeee weeee", and Andrew rode home after church with his dad and Ryan and he was doing it again. It made them giggle and it is funny to hear what they do as they grow up. He is such a character. I don't know if he got it from the "Geico" commercial or what, but it is so funny. Now he walks around the house going weeee and then kicks the ball.

HAPPY (late) HALLOWEEN:)

We have had a wild and crazy Halloween weekend. Well actually it started on Wednesday, and of course if you know me you know I am always doing things last minute. A few weeks ago I bought the fabric for Ryan's and Andrew's costumes, (I even ended up having enough to make one for dad). And on Wednesday I hadn't even started with the exception of having the picture of how I wanted it to look in my head. So as five o'clock approached (trunk or treat starts at six) I was finally doing the finishing touches on the costumes. Ryan had decided that he wanted to be a Hershey bar and we thought it would be fun to have a king size bar, a regular size bar (with the exception it had to have peanuts on it), and a miniature size bar. Everybody that we saw, thought this was so cute. Ryan was so excited, he thought it was great being the same thing as his dad and brother.


Trunk or Treat

King Size-aka Dad
Regular size w/peanuts-aka Ryan
Miniature-aka Andrew

Emma, Andrew, Grace, Samantha and Marianna. I don't have a picture of Clark, some how he escaped without getting a picture. He went as an Alabama fan. Picture an Alabama baseball cap, red and white striped polo and red and white tennis shoes. I thought Emma was so funny, one of the girls in the ward came up to her and said that she was a cute "Hippie" and her answer was "I'm a Hippie Chick".


Dad's Work

Dad and Andrew came in third place in the costume contest at work. Aren't they just so cute. Dad is such a great sport.


Trick or treating

Clark decided he would go as a "Redneck Alabama Fan". Like I said for the trunk or treat he just went as an Alabama fan, but this time he decided to dress it up a little. It was so funny as we were walking around trick or treating he would turn to look at us and the profile with the teeth and the belly was the icing on the cake, we thought it was hilarious. It reminded me of a cartoon character that I grew up with. I can't remember his name but I am going to investigate and see if I can find a picture.

Ryan, showing off his costume. I think the Hershey's bars costume turned out better than I thought they would. I love to sew and I had so much fun making them. Now I just have to figure out how to wash them.

Emma, posing for the camera. Yes, we went cheap with her costume. It had already been worn for a birthday party that she went to last month, she was okay with that and she was excited to wear it again. I think she will keep wearing the poncho and the pants (she loves the peace sign appliques on her pants). Yea I love it when it gets more than one use.


I had a hard time getting Andrew to pose for the camera. So I tried to get him as he was running off. He wasn't too sure about going door to door, but when he found out he got candy, he started running and we couldn't keep up with him.

What a great looking group!!! We had some friends over for dinner before we went trick or treating and made homemade rootbeer (some of them had never had it) and chili dogs. The kids thought the rootbeer was so cool looking just after the dry ice went in. It was great!!

Emma, Grace and Addison

Andrew wasn't to sure about going door to door but when he found out they were handing out candy he decided he was going to run to the next house. Emma tried her hardest to keep him with her.

After we had been out and hour Andrew decided he had had enough and decided to take a (very) much needed nap. For some reason we could only get him to take a morning nap and no afternoon, so he was extremely ornery and tired. But all in all it was a fun day and I hope all that came with us enjoyed themselves too!

This was my attempt to decorate the outside this year. I found the spider webs and had (little) Clark help me put it up. We had put it up a coupl of weeks ago for Ryan's party and then a storm blew through here and ruined it. So Saturday afternoon I got Clark and Clark to fix it with my help. I had some left over from the front door so I covered the plants and headstones. It was fun!!!



Clark, Ryan and Emma went to a friends Halloween Birthday party Friday night and of course I had to take a picture of his birthday cake. Yes, it looks like kitty litter. But it was sure tasty!!!