aLL i wAnt fOr ChriStmAs is mY tWo frOnt TeeTh

Layton lost both of his front teeth yesterday (Sunday)! A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So here is the play by play....

Apparently it isn't any easier just because your dad does this for a living! Needless to say, the tooth fairy was very generous, especially when it's both front teeth at Christmas time!

Freedom of the Seas!

Quinn and I had such a great time onboard the Freedom of the Seas. What a perfect opportunity to "reconnect and get to know eachother again! And do you know what I found out? I would marry him all over again! He is truly my best friend and there is no one in the whole world I'd rather spend time with! (No offense to you close friends out there!) :) It was a perfect week in every sense of the word and I couldn't have dreamt of a better vacation. We had so much fun surfing, rock climbing, eating, scuba diving, soaking up the sun, having dinner with friends, singing kareoke (yes, even Quinn!), dancing the night away, and those quiet moments in sweet conversation....only to name a few! We missed our kids, and were so excited to see them when we got home, but I would go again in a heartbeat..

Travel Update!

Okay, so this took place a few weeks ago, but I couldn't let it go unposted. Over conference weekend, we made a mad dash to Grand Junction, CO to see the Burtons and their new home. It was such a quick trip, but SO worth the drive! The kids played like they had never been apart and it was so fun to see Allie and Ellie get to know eachother a little more. We love the Burtons and are so grateful for their friendship and for letting us literally "drop in" for the weekend. We had quite the crew with 8 kids between the two families! I'm sure it was a little crazy, but we had such a good time.

We were able to do some hiking in Arches National Park, but it was so windy that day we were afraid it was going to blow us all off the rock, so we didn't get to stay as long as we all hoped.


We were also able to go to dinner with Jeff and Nicole Cornelious and their beautiful baby girl! They are doing well in Moab and it was so great to see them too. (Leave it to me to forget my camera)

It was a great weekend and we hope for many more to come!
Thanks Burtons!

Halloween Overload

Does everyone else celebrate Halloween as a week long holiday? I love Halloween and getting my kids all dressed up and taking tons of pictures, but it seems my kids are already in sugar shock and it's not even the big day yet! We began our festivities last night with Allie's preschool Halloween carnival...so fun! The kids really enjoy it, so you know, we do too. Poor Allie had to make due with a make-shift pirate costume...I won one on ebay, but the darn thing didn't make it in time, so I had to get creative last minute. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll actually have a real pirate costume for Halloween! We will be dressing up again tomarrow for Music Makers, then again next week for our ward trunk-or-treat, and on and on and on.....at least the kids love it and don't think I'm trying to torture them...Kate actually laughs the whole time I'm putting her in her "duck" costume! Maybe by the time Thanksgiving gets here, they'll be down off their sugar high! Happy Halloween!

Fire! Fire!

With or without grass, we decided to take advantage of what I'm sure was one of the last "nice evenings" of the year and try out our new firepit. This is the result of a family home evening project we undertook earlier in the summer. The kids were so excited at the prospect of having a campfire right in their own backyard! We had a great time singing a few songs and roasting slightly hardened marshmallows.(All I could find was what was leftover from a previous camping trip!) Only a few of which turned out a beautiful shade of black!


Update: In just a few short weeks, we are actually starting to see a slight "green haze" covering the backyard! GRASS!!

I can't wait until I'm Eight

I can't believe this day has come and gone! What happened to the last 8 years? We were so proud of Morgan and her choice to be baptized. The day was full of surprises starting in the morning when we woke up to gently falling SNOWFLAKES outside our window! Yes, only in Idaho, however I thought perfect for the occasion! Not expecting the sudden turn in the weather, it took us a while to locate coats for everyone...finally making it to the church just in time for the 9 AM baptism! It was so great to have all of our family there...my brothers came all the way from Utah with their cute kids! We love you guys! Morgan looked beautiful in her white dress, I could'nt help but marvel at how innocent and pure these young kids are. Layton and Allie were so excited all week and were thrilled when they were invited to kneel right next to the font for an unobstructed view. It was a very emotional time and I found myself wishing I had used my waterproof mascara! Then, to prove what a rookie I am, I forgot to bring a towel for Morgan to dry off with, so we had to use her coat! I made a mental note to make sure to think ahead next time! It was a very special day. I am so proud of Morgan and so thankful to be her mom!

Here is our family gathered after the baptism for a quick picture before everyone showed up for the post-game party! As you can see, Allie is entering the "cheese" phase!

What's for dinner?

This is Kate's first taste of Lasagna.....I think she liked it! Kate is definitely proving to be one of my messiest eaters...often spiking her hair with peanut butter and jelly or whatever happens to be on the menu for the day.

Precious Moments

Ground Breakers!

Grass? Who needs grass?

We have worked so hard the past couple of weeks to get our backyard in, and we only have a FEW blisters to show for it! It really has been fun though, we did most of it ourselves except for the sprinkler system, so it's fun to look out and get that feeling of accomplishment. Quinn learned a few new skills in the process too, like how to dig down a ditch bank with a bobcat and how to weld steel edging into the ground! Good job Quinn! Hopefully sometime in the next few weeks we'll start to see a little green peek out of the ground!

The Rockstar Life!

I have finally achieved it....well, almost. School is back in session, Allie started preschool, and 3 days a week I am down to ONE kid in the house! The first day I almost didn't know what to do with myself. I found myself wandering aimlessly around my house, not sure where to go or what to do first. It didn't take long though, I have found that I am just as busy as before, only in different ways. It has been so fun watching Allie get so excited to go to school. She's definately one of the BIG kids now. I am really enjoying the time with Kate...maybe one of these days we will get her crawling! Then, in about 2 more years give or take, I will really have achieved the Rockstar Life! (These are some recent pics of Allie that were taken right before school started.)

New Blogger

Hello Everyone! Knowing how computer illiterate I am, I'm suprised to see myself as a blogger, but could not fight the urge or the peer pressure to get started! I guess I'll start with a quick update on our family. We currently live in Rigby, Idaho, about 15 miles north of Idaho Falls. We have lived here for 2 years and have grown to love it here. Quinn is in his second year of owning a practice and it is busy and growing. He is loving his Fridays off and often finds himself trying to improve his game on the golf course. We have 4 kids-- Morgan (almost 8),will be in 3rd grade this year and loves gymnastics, music, and Hannah Montana. Layton (5), fell in love with t- ball this summer and starts kindergarten in the fall. Allie (3), loves bubblegum, teasing her siblings, and making everyone laugh (or scream). And Kate (13 mo.), is just simply a doll and we couldn't love her more. I am loving being a mom and trying to come up with creative ways to keep 4 kids entertained during these long summer days. We spend lots of time at Rigby Lake and the local SnowCone Shack. I am finding that any type of routine is just not possible in the summertime, and we won't see any resemblence of one until school starts. Well, that's us in a nutshell, more will come later. (pay no attention to the kid on the far left....he somehow snuck into the picture!)