Giddy-up!

It is that special time of year that I love so much. We spent last Friday at the Puyallup Fair and loved it of course! It was 86 degrees and perfectly sunny. That doesn't happen too often so we took advantage of the great weather. The kids went to school for two hours before I picked them up and they just love it when the office calls to dismiss them. They love to be the envy of the classroom. I wish the first picture was of me, but it is my sister in law, Candice. :) I have never looked that good.

Let the fun begin!

We woke up late this morning, but they still got to school on time. We just had a little extra stress. The kids are beyond excited for their first day. The car was so quiet on the way home and it was nice and peaceful to chat with Emily. We will have a fun time together while the older kids are gone learning.

A Trip to the Falls

Marshall had the day off on Wednesday so we took advantage of the sun and headed up to Snoqualmie Falls. The kids hadn't ever been there and they loved it. The observation deck was scary for them, but the hike down was worth the view. Once we got to the observation deck below the kids all wanted to climb over the deck down to the river since we could see others doing it. I braved the steep rocks with my baby and we all made it down and back up without any injuries. We could hear some screaming while we were down there and when we reached the top we knew why. Some lady had tried to climb over the gate at the higher observation deck and had fallen to a ridge and needed to be rescued. Every firefighter and rescue worker in the city was there to help this insane person. We didn't wait around for her to be out, but she was there for quite a while. My kids were very worried about her. That just added to the excitement of the day. On the way home we stopped at a road side fruit stand and bought the best nectarines of the season!

Hiking the Y

This summer our family was able to go to Utah for the month of July and we had a blast. Marshall was working at a sports medicine clinic and having a great time while I took the kids to water parks and playing with their cousins. On Pioneer Day we spent the morning hiking up to the Y in Provo then having a big breakfast and Allan's house. We left the little ones with a baby sitter, but Tyler and Hannah were tough enough to make the journey.

Happy Easter

We had a wonderful sunny Easter. The kids went to an Egg hunt yesterday in the rain, but loved every second of it. Tyler found one of the "special" eggs that had a $1 in it. I hope you all enjoyed this special day!

Pinewood Derby Time

We had a great family night at the Pinewood Derby on Wednesday. Tyler and Marshall had so much fun designing the car and they were pumped to race it. They couldn't get the weights to stay on so they looked good so they ended up putting BBs in it. Tyler thought it was cool to have ammo in his car. There were 32 heats and Tyler ended up second overall. Tyler is on the far left in the group picture and is behind Hannah in the first photo. Hannah is with her cousin, spencer by the track. The second picture is Marshall playing Samantha like a guitar. That is what it looks like anyway.

Until next year...

You got me!

Available or single: Very married...almost 12 years now.
Best friend: Marshall and Heather
Cake or pie: um....both
Drink of choice: good old fashion water or fresca
Essential items used daily: lip gloss from brass plum, baby wipes
Favorite color: to wear...black, to see...yellow
Gummy bears or worms: neither, I like starburst though
Hometown: Lacey, WA
Indulgence: A blizzard after going to the Seattle temple. Dairy Queen is awesome.
January or February: February, it is one step closer to sun
Kids and names: Tyler 9, Hannah 7, Sara 4, Emily 3, and Samantha 3 months
Life is incomplete without: Marshall and kids, they make everything worth it
Marriage date: August 11, 1995
Number of siblings: 1) Aaron 2) Allan 3)Kirsten 4) Heather 5)Stephen
Oranges or apples: both
Phobias or fears: A fear of leaking in public (I am currently breastfeeding)
Quote (favorite): "I love you till the numbers end" (Marshall)
Reason to smile: Marshall thinks I am hot, even though he isn't blind.
Season: Summer time. I LOVE the sun and water.
Tag 3 people:
Unkown fact about me: I never cry, okay about once a year
Vegetables you don't like: I think I like them all, canned peas don't sound good though
Worst habit: I eat too much, if I didn't exercise I would be as big as a house.
X-rays: No thanks, but had a few
Your favorite food: I love seafood (salmon) and salads
Zodiac sign: Taurus

yummy oranges

Don't you remember doing this as a kid? Cut up oranges just take me right back to half time on the soccer field. Love them! Oh and the kids are pretty cute too.

Big Sister, Little Sister

Hannah asked to hold Samantha while she watched a movie and they ended up snuggled together for quite a while. I came out to check on them and I couldn't help but snap a picture of this. I am so blessed to have children who love each other...on most days. I guess it is kind of like them against us!

Samantha with her dad

These are two of my favorite people. I realized last night that I haven't taken many pictures of Samantha so here are a couple new ones. The infant stage is quickly passing by and I am sad to see it go. She is such a cute cudley thing. Last night I woke her up after sleeping for 8 hours and going 9 hours without eating! I have never had a baby give me such a good nights sleep.

Samantha's Blessing

Samantha was blessed on Christmas Eve and it was wonderful. Having her surrounded by the Priesthood and given a blessing by her dad was a beautiful event. This is such a special time of year when we celebrate peace, love and purity. I pray I can be the mother that Samantha needs to teach her those principles.

Merry Christmas

What a fun time of year. My kids only have two more days of school and they can hardly believe all of the great things that have been happening. On friday we had a huge wind storm that shut down the power in the area. They were so excited to wake up and find out they had no school! It was Marshall's birthday so I took him on a date in the afternoon and the kids went to Red Robin with Grandma. Grandma and Grandpa had a huge tree on their roof, that is still there, but they are doing fine. Luckily there doesn't seem to be too much damage.

This is my favorirte time of year. I hope all of you are having a great holiday! Can you believe we have so many kids?? I can't!

SNOW!!!

The kids are in heaven with their school being closed one day this week and delayed the next. Tomorrow looks like it might be another free day for them. It is Tyler's 9th birthday today and he feels like this snow storm has come just for him. It really is more like a dusting of snow, but with the ice that just won't melt the roads are hard to drive on. The joy that I see in the kid's eyes when they looked outside and it was white was wonderful. There is nothing like a snow day!

Halloween

My blog woudn't be complete without some of our family Halloween pictures. I will put several up of the last few years. This year was very cold...but dry! The rain held off until yesterday when the storm came and doesn't look like it is going to leave in the next two weeks! It was kind of soothing going to sleep last night with the rain against my bedroom window. I grew up with that sound and it kind of took me back. Maybe that is why I slept so well last night. Anyway, back to Halloween. The kids had a blast at trunk-or-treat and then we went trick-or-treating in my brother-in-law's neighborhood. All the houses are close together so it was fun, even though my pregnant body was aching after just three streets! The first picture was taken last year '05, the next two were our Halloween we spent on Statia '04. By the end of the night their make-up had sweated off! The last two are this year. Enjoy the pictures!

Iowa State Football

Marshall and Emily all dressed up ready to watch Uncle Walter play some football.



Marshall and Tyler went to Oklahoma last weekend to watch Walter play and had a great father/son trip together. I was pretty jealous that they were in some warm weather while we are here in wet Washington freezing! Go Iowa State!

Pumpkin Patch

I took Emily on Sara's preschool field trip today to the Pumpkin Patch in Nisqually. They had such a great time riding on the hay ride, choosing a pumpkin, going through the hay maze and petting the animals. I didn't get a picture of Emily with the kittens, but she loved them! The animals and hay were making me sneeze, but it was all worth it! Of course Emily was all over the animals and I had to protect them from her, but Sara was keeping her distance. I love the fall!

Warm weather in WA

Our temperatures almost hit 80 degrees today and we took advantage of that. I took the kids to Sunnyside Beach in Steilacoom along with my sister in law, Marnie, and her son Spencer. My kids were collecting seaweed and having a great time. Being a local girl, I know that when days like this come we have to go out and enjoy it before the rain comes!

Kids in a box

My kids received a package and they were more excited to play in the packing peanuts! They had a great time, but it took the rest of the day to clean it up.

Do the Puyallup

We spent a great day at the Puyallup fair last week. The kids love to go and we have made it an annual tradition, when we are living here that is. The pictures weren't that great, but here are a couple. Marnie, my sister-in-law and her son Spencer, are hanging out with my girls in this last picture. Emily was sad that she didn't get to go on any rides, but the cotton candy made up for it. The other kids went on several rides and they all had fun seeing the stinky farm animals and eating the greesy food.