It's beginning to look a lot like....

CHRISTMAS!!!

Finally, a nice big snow storm and a break from the very cold temperatures of last week. We went from sub-zero temps to mid-thirties, it is practically a heat-wave outside. It is always nice to have a white Christmas and it looks like we won't be disappointed this year. Another week of school to go, so we are not on holiday yet. On tap this week is the ward party, McKena's choir concert, and the Morrison Family party. I really do love this time of year!

Happy Birthday Colin!

Colin celebrated his 10th birthday last Sunday. Wow--crazy that this kid is 10! He is such a good boy and we love having him in our family. Karalee made a birthday dinner for the whole family so Colin got to have dinner and cake with cousins.

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

So here we are in the midst of the holiday season. We had a great and very relaxing Thanksgiving this year. We spent the day with the Hall Family and then the rest of the weekend with John's family. We played fun games, got some shopping done (at 5 a.m.!), ate too much tasty food, and most of all relaxed and visited with each other. I can't believe December is here already. The years are just flying by!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween this year. It was great weather, great company, and plentiful treats! It was nice to have it on a Saturday and have plenty of time to get ready for the festivities. We attended a bbq with John's brother's neighborhood, then went around their neighborhood before coming back to Lewiston and visiting the Grandparents. Kade has already finished off his candy (he didn't last for very long) but the others still have a pretty good stash.

Well, this is embarassing...

The kids pulled out the Halloween box last week for dress-up and here's what we ended up with. Don't worry--this is not what he's going to wear on Halloween!

Signs of Fall

Just a random picture of Kade...

The burning bushes in Cache Valley are beautiful this year! I've never seen mine so bright red. I thought it was picture worthy.

Crazy Hair Day

Every year at our elementary they have what is called "red ribbon week." It basically is a campaign to get the kids excited about remaining drug-free. Each day they do something different like "wear your shirt backwards" or "hat day" or "crazy hair day." Since I haven't taken any pictures over the last month I dutifully got out my camera for this all important day. Last year during red ribbon week McKena made sure to pray for everyone (even President Monson) that they would "not do drugs." So far we have not let her down.

Also, this week while I was driving I pulled something out of my purse to read quickly and I heard McKena say from the back "I see a safety violation. You're not supposed to take your eyes off the road." Well, she's right, but why doesn't it count when all the kids want to change the movie, or have a drink, or need their toy picked up off the floor? I'm all for keeping my eyes on the road while driving, and I wouldn't mind a little peace and quiet while I'm at it!

Sorry for the lack of posting lately--I just haven't taken any pictures! We have enjoyed our fall and all that comes with it: homework, soccer games, piano lessons, yard work and a couple of visits from my parents.

The Baby is off to Preschool!!!

So for the first time in about 12 years I have a few hours a week with no kids at home! Kade started preschool last week and so far he loves it. He goes twice a week for 3 hours during which time I am free to roam about the stores without a care in the world. It is a good feeling, now if only I had some money to spend as I roam! Anyway, we are looking forward to a lot of learning going on with all 4 kids in school!

A Visit from Mom and Dad

My parents came down from Washington to visit for a week. We shopped and ate out and made a quick trip down to Provo to visit my brother Tyler. It was nice to catch up and relax.

Hogle Zoo

Okay, so with all the kids in school but the baby, my friend and I decided a little trip to the zoo was in order. We had a great time showing these 3 year olds all the animals!

Horseback Ride 2009

Our friends were kind enough to let us come ride their horse again this year. McKena just loves it--on the way home she suggested I go to "Horses.com or something like that" to try and buy a horse for her. Yea, that won't be happening anytime soon. But we had a nice little ride and we will be calling on them again next year!

The First Day of School 2009

As you can see, summer has come and gone once again. The kids went back to school on the 20th--I was okay with that. School years as we have known them will never be the same again, with Zack entering middle school and a 6:55a.m. school bus!!! He will have to catch this same bus all through high school! At least Zack can get up and get ready by himself, we may not be so lucky with Colin. Colin is in 4th grade and McKena started 1st. They all came home with great reports so I am thinking we are in for a good year. Happy Back to School!

Washington Vacation

We just returned from a 2 week vacation to visit my parents and siblings in Washington. We had such a good time getting reacquainted with Grandma and Grandpa, cousins, riding the 4-wheeler, enjoying the waterslide, picking raspberries and making jam, and shopping. We also caught up on a few movies that we hadn't seen yet. We were able to attend my parents' mission homecoming, which we all enjoyed. We also got to play with Lindsay and Brett and family before they moved to Florida. We will sure miss them. John and the boys took in a Mariners game on the hottest day ever recorded in Seattle. They visited the space needle too and that was their favorite. I stayed home and took on a sewing project with Brooke.

During the 2nd week we were able to go up to Priest Lake for a family reunion. This is a tradition that we still do with my Grandparents. I loved it as a little girl and now my kids love it. It is always fun to play in the sand, swim, and enjoy the scenery and food. We made the long drive home on Thursday and were glad to be home safe and sound. Now we have 2 weeks to do the school shopping and get mentally prepared to start waking up early again (elementary school does start at 9:05 am).

Summer, so far...

I cannot explain my lack of posting lately, other than I suppose we have been busy. Unfortunately, I have next to no pictures documenting the activities. Since returning from St. George we have kept busy with swimming lessons (these go on for 2 weeks, ya know), soccer practice, golf lessons, sports camp, a couple of days in SLC, and a wonderful visit from 2 of my siblings for the grand 4th of July celebration here in Lewiston. My parents returned home from their mission after 2 years but we have yet to see them--that is on the calendar next week. We are in the middle of a soccer tournament right now (4 games tomorrow). Other than these happenings it is business as usual: yard work, house work, regular work, etc. We are having a fun summer and it's a good thing because school starts in just over a month! Crazy! Happy Summer everyone!

St. George 2009

This year we had the chance to go down to Cedar City and St. George for the summer games again. It was so fun! Zack's team won their first four games easily but then lost in the championship game. Zack played the goalie most of the time because our regular season goalie couldn't come.




We took the kids with some friends to go see the play "Annie" at Tuacahn. It is a beautiful outdoor theater. The atmosphere is so neat!


I'm trying to write captions under each picture, but it is obvious I haven't figured out how to do that. So hopefully you're able to match the picture to what I'm talking about. We also did a little hiking one day and visited a cool splash park. We went to the new community pool where John, Kade, McKena, and Colin enjoyed the lazy river. It was nice to go somewhere warm keeping in mind that it was raining at home the entire time we were gone! We pulled in last night just in time for John to get ready to speak in church today--upon arriving he learned that Elder Anderson would be in our ward today (his Mother lives in our ward). John was asked to "cut his time short" for the apostle, which he gladly did. Yea...just all in a day's work around here.

This Past Week

It's official! Summer has arrived! By that I mean the kids are out of school, not necessarily weather-wise. It is nice to have the kids home, but it will be even better when we get on a schedule. I think the kids need to realize that not every day is going to be pure entertainment for them.

We ended the year on a good note. Zack is finished with Elementary school and will be going to a middle school in Richmond next year. We went to the awards assembly where Zack was awarded the "Hope of America" award, as well as an award for the most reading in the school, and some testing awards. Colin also got awards for reading and for high test scores. I went home a happy mom. Unfortunately I forgot my camera in my mad dash to get there on time. We did return to the school later that day for McKena's kindergarten graduation. She has had a fun year. I'm going to put a picture of her class this year--only 15 or so kids in it. What a great class size! She is looking forward to 1st grade and I am already fretting about who will entertain Kade.

I have worked a little this week on potty-training but with no success. Someone needs to start a potty-training business--I think I would definitely consider paying someone to do this for me! Kade was supposed to be going to sleep tonight and somehow got himself stuck under my bed! He cried for awhile (which I, of course, ignored) and then I finally sent Zack to check on him. He had gotten under there to get a ball out. John had to pull the bed out from the wall to free him. McKena (who was on our bed) blissfully slept through the whole thing thanks to John's ipod headphones.

On tap next week is a quick trip to St. George for the summer games. I hope all are having a great summer so far!

Kade's 3rd Birthday

Happy 3rd birthday Kade! He has finally figured out what this birthday thing is all about--presents and cake! He was excited about some Tonka trucks, the movie Bolt, a Cars game for his Leapster, and a toy guitar. Karalee was kind enough to wrap up his favorite meal, Mac and Cheese. I can't believe the baby is 3 already. He is growing up though, because today he announced to me, "I need to get potty-trained". Tell me about it....