The simple things in life...

As a late Valentine's Day present a good friend of mine , who shall remain nameless (Kristine), gave my kids a sucker. Not just any sucker but a HUGE heart shaped sucker. They were SOOOOO excited because I will never let them get one this big due to childhood trauma. See, I ate one like this as a kid too fast and got sick afterwards so they kind of give me the creeps to look at and they make my stomach turn. This proves my theory that it takes a village to raise a child because even though I can not stomach them someone else loved my kids enough to pump them full of sugar for me =). And the look on their face really says it all. It does not take much to make my kids happy but with three boys ... the way to their heart is definitely through their stomach =). On a side note: no one got sick and no one ate it in one day which make it a win win!

Our fun in the Snow

We try to take a snow trip every year and this year was fun because Spencer really loved the snow! All the kids had fun but Spencer was a sledding machine! He was fearless and I was loving watching him go to town!! Jackson was having fun but he kept getting stuck on a bump that would shoot him off the path down the hill and into a snow ditch -- which didn't make him too happy. Payton just climbed the "snow mountain" and sang songs while he threw some "snow balls" and had fun. It is so nice to have the boys start enjoying things instead of having to force the kids to have fun. Good times.

Christmas 2009

Troy and I wonder each year how we will ever be able to top the year before. Santa helps out a great deal of course but this year was just as magical as years past. Troy and I got the boys some new furniture and a few things to decorate their rooms this year. They were excited and Payton has Batman, Spencer has Indiana Jones and Jackson has Star Wars. Then they got a new TV for their playroom and I think Dad was more excited than the boys but that's okay. The big stuff this year came in smaller packaging. The big boys got Nintendo DS Lites and Payton got a Leapster 2. Dad got a video game and that has gotten a lot of excitement from the kids. The boys got to pick out small gifts this year for each other and it was so fun to see them get excited to give and not just receive. Payton is still learning how to keep his presents a secret but that will come. The best part of Christmas is the time together and the excitement to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. As the kids get older the magic of the changes to excitement for more things for others and giving and that is so much fun to watch. Another great year and it is so nice to have Troy home with us. The boys and I love to just be together with dad and talk, laugh (trying to keep the potty talk down to a minimum) and eat.

Thanksgiving

We got to host Thanksgiving this year and it was a lot of fun. Well, my kids of fun ivolves good food, which we had, good company, or course and time to relax and watch a movie. It was nice to just let the kids play and they played their little hearts out!! I thought they would need stuff to do but it turned out that a bunch of open dirt fields and a hollowed out tree were all they needed. They rode scooters and bikes around and the power wheels always make for a good time. They jumped on the trampoline and played in the tree fort Troy and the kids made a year ago and the neighborhood kids have made more inprovements when the weather is nice. I believe they can even park the gator in there now in their "garage" so they just ate and played like crazy giving us adults plenty of time to relax, talk and eat. It is great to have days when you know all you have to do is hang out and eat and talk. Good times!

Payton's Thanksgiving Program

I got a chance to see Payton "perform" with his preschool friends all of their Thanksgiving songs on November 25, 2009. Payton was hilarious!!! They recited the Pledge of Allegiance and he sang his heart out and after each song he asked his teachers, "Now is it time for my sucker?" You see, they had promised him a sucker if they did well in the performance and that was all he could think about. Then afterwards he could not get enough pumpkin pie! I was laughing at him outside holding his plate and then at one point licking it -- man that kids makes me laugh!!

Spencer Turns 5

My poor Spencer has to wait and watch other have their special day and so when his birthday FINALLY comes in November he can hardly wait!! He is actually tough to buy for because he is fine with anything that is his and so mom and dad work hard to "wow" him with something he wants that is not food related =). Maybe someday he wil be a chief or a baker. This year he got a big boy bike and his very own video game -- Ravman Rabbits. It is the perfect game for him because it is goofy and he enjoys it. He also started his own collection of Bakagans and got his own Legos. But Spencer was just as exctied to receive his own gumball machine that quickly was lacking gumballs. He is such a sweet boy and said his brithday was "the best one ever!"

We love living here!

Every so often our friends from the orchard next door come over for a visit. This is Chris and Duke and the kids had a blast feeding him while we talked. I couldn't resist taking a picture to remember the moment