Oh Yeah!!

Yes, I fried chicken!

And...it turned out amazing!

The rain came today...

Hip, hip, hooray!

Shucking corn in the rain...
Oh, my brother, can you see that my plants are turning pink?

This is always the first sign of fall approaching.

Soon, they will be bright red...Amazing.

Dinosaur Park...

Daddy took our three smallest sweathearts to the Dinosaur Park last week so we could get some school done.

My sweet husband is scared of the raptors.

It looks like the kids are too.

They loved the slides more than anything.
My boy... the archaeologist.
My girl... the dino wrangler.
Cave dwellers.

Actually they are touching dinosaur fossils that are embedded into the rock.

Thanks, Daddy!

You are the best!

smile?...

So, umm...Yeah, this is what you get when you ask this little man to smile.

Hmmm...

It's a little scary, if you ask me.

breakfast...

Here I sit...Lay in my bed...because my kids have not started screaming to get up yet, it has been a long week and I never do this so I might as well indulge once for ten minutes or so! Okay? Goodness, now the guilt is setting in...

I made blueberry pancakes earlier in the week. The family ate some and I threw a bunch in the freezer. They were delicious... Or so I'm told...I didn't get any because the little munchkins are fast as lightening.

This morning, I can sit...ahem...Lay...here because I am pulling some of these lovelies out of the freezer to feed the young pups. You can bet, however, that this time I am grabbing one before the moochers can steal them all.

Goodbye summer...

Our last trip to the beach this summer was filled with fun, fun, fun!

We ate, played, ran, talked and swam.

Although I am sorry to see the season end, I am looking forward to the color in the leaves changing, sweater weather, holidays approaching and please dear Lord... bring us some rain!

Goodbye summer...

Life...

While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about.

~Angela Schwindt

Sisters Day Out...

The girls decided to take a trip into Salt Lake and hang out at the Gateway Mall.They had a blast. They rode the frontrunner into town and goofed off like sisters do...
They came home laughing and telling stories of the great time they had enjoyed together.
Thanks Cadi!

Thanks for taking your little sisters out for the day and making a really special memory.

Where have ya been?...

Eight kids...

We have one who started college this year, one who goes to public high school, one who does high school on the computer at home, one who goes to elementary school on the computer at home, and one who goes to the local elemenary school, and three toddler-ish aged.

The two who go "out" to school started on Monday.
The two who go at home started on tuesday.
The little kids are adjusting to the new schedule.

Mom may lose her mind in all of the chaos.

Is anything new?

No!

The Perfect Combination...

I love pictures.

My husband loves experimenting with different photography techniques.

...add in one of the cutest kids in the world and you get...

The Perfect Combination.

Amazing...

Where did that little baby go that used to ride on my hip?

Where is that girl who used to sing O Be Careful Little Eyes...

Where is that little girl who wanted pig tails in her hair and a cute dress to twirl and twirl?

When did you become someone I could talk to...one woman to another?

When did you start growing up and start taking your sisters out to lunch and paying the bill without asking mom for money? When did you start ordering your own food?

When did you become someone I could admire and be proud of how you "turned out"?

In the end, I guess the "when" doesn't matter.

It only matters that I love you. I am proud of you. I admire you.

You are AMAZING!

...like my kids...

Kids just know how to love.

They know when you a hug.

They tell you "I love you." at just the right moments.

They can say I'm sorry and really mean it.

They know how to play and get the most out of every day.

Kids have fun and they don't worry about what anyone else is going to think if they act crazy.

...I want to be more like my kids.

Because you loved me...

I'm everything I am,

Because You loved Me...

(Celine Dion)

Oh... the power is going to my head...

A little birdie told me... that a certain young man was making fun of my blog...

Hmmmm...

I don't if you should make fun of the person with the power to upload the photos...

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!

...You know we love you... but I couldn't resist!

I can do it!

Wasn't it just yesterday that this little man needed his mama to help him do... well, everything?

Oh, how the time flies.

Now this little man is very fond of saying things like, "I can do it.".

Part of me is so very proud of the way this amazing little creature is changing and growing. I can almost see the amazing man he will be one day.

There is another part, however, that wants him to remain small forever.

In those moments, though, I think about all of the amazing things I have watched his sisters accomplish.

I remember those hugs, kisses and, yes, even the fights that make our history what it is.

I think of the pride I have in how hardworking my children have become and I know he will follow in their footsteps.

I can imagine the woman he will one day call his wife and the children who will call him daddy.

Even though I am sad to see his sweet little cherub face change into that of a little boy, I can't wait to see the man he is becoming.

I want to know that man.

I want that man to know how very much his mommy loves him and cherishes each day God gives us together.

Field Trip...

Yesterday we went here...

This is an interactive museum for the kids.

There is so much to do there.

I couldn't even add all of the pictures, because there were so many...

They were building, climbing...
The music room was a favorite for everyone.

The had all types of instruments and the children could touch and play everything.

This was the oval office.

Hello, Dear President...

They got to paint and make a fan.

Hopefully the washable paint will come out...

There are three levels to this place.

This was a photo from the top floor. EEeek!

There were dressup clothes in all of the rooms.

They had an old english room, german room, pioneer room, african room, etc...

We were all split up, running around trying out all of the exhibits when...

I came across a nice message my husband had left for me.

How sweet!

Hey, those are a couple of my kids!

Hello down there...

This is the grandma chair.

You sit here and read.

This boy was a cyclone. He was here, there and everywhere.

Poor buddy, Miranda.


He stayed to pour himself a cup of tea...

and then he was off again.

Inside the tee pee, he played the drums and enjoyed the "fire".

He dressed in some indian clothing and did a little dance for mommy.

You can always tell when a dad has a lot of daughters.

They know how to do hair and don't find it beneath them to make their daughter a tissue paper flower for her hair.

This hat was a big hit with the whole family, but I only showed you three pictures.

I figured you would get a little bored with the whole hat thing...and I didn't want my picture shown. Ha Ha... the power of being the author.

They put together puzzles, made necklaces, and ran around having a blast.

The firetruck was the biggest hit of all with the little kids.

They kept coming back for another try.


We learned about dinosaurs...

We dressed in kimonos.


We leaned about animals and fosils...

more puzzles...

another trip to the firetruck to try the clothes out...



up, down, up, down, around, in, out, up, again and again...

... oh no... I can see the melt down starting to happen... oh no...

Chess is a pretty big game around this house. (Not with me, it bores me.)

Cheyenne has never truly won her father...

UNTIL TODAY!!!!!

Hooray, Chey!!


As the exhausted big people melted and the little ones started to melt down, we decided there was only one course of action...

Let's go home!