Games, Lips, and Mohawks

So here we are again. Life trucks on, dragging us along with it :D Ok, it's not that bad :D Not even! The kids are anticipating Christmas now, and hoping for snow :D I'm hoping it doesn't get too cold!

Kay Leigh is super cute, and talking more and more, and getting into things, and getting frustrated because she can't keep up with her siblings.

But she's cute, so we put up with her :D

The two older kids have discovered the xbox, courtesy of daddy, and are quickly getting very good at it. They do zone out a bit, as shown by the next two pictures...

I think Beka is getting Greg here, she looks slightly happy...

Things look a little grim in this one :D

Carolyn had a birthday, got lots of stuff, and got with her birthday money, some Dora glasses, and her backpack that she's been wanting for months, and now carts all over the place with her :D

Kay Leigh says, "want some lip balm Carolyn?" Carolyn says no but...

she gives in at last.

Prairie day at Master Club, and I don't buy stuff for costumes. We rummage through what we have and come up with our best. Pretty good??

The two of them...

Greg was supposed to be something from Thanksgiving, so he picked Squanto. One cut up t-shirt and a mo-hawk later, we were ready!!

He's pretty cute I think :D

Carolyn didn't have a dress up night, but she felt left out, so we did crazy hair (her request), but then come picture time, she was sooooo tired, this was the best I got.

Headbands, Balls, and Parents

I found a post I never published!!

This is Kay wearing a headband, we'll have to help her a little with her fashion know-how :D

My ring that Travis got me for our tenth anniversary!

Greg's awesome Lego original creation! And big smile!!

Carolyn was taking pictures with my camera, and took a picture of her favorite toy, her big bouncy ball with a handle, you should see her flying around the house on it!!

Mom and Dad with the kiddos, back in October! I am sooo behind on this one :P

That was a fun surprise!

Green, Big Brothers, and Checkerboards

The kids go to a program our church has for kids every Wednesday night during the school year. And every so often they have special nights. This was Wear Your Team's Color night. So, we put as much green as we could in her hair without painting it, and markered her face up with washable markers. It turned out pretty well, I thought :D

Pretty scary, huh???

Greg's giving his little sister a piggy back ride, pretty cute, huh??

One of those rare moments when they aren't driving each other nuts :D

So this is Greg's special hair for Crazy Hair Night. I shaved a checkerboard pattern, on the bottom half, and then did stripes on the top. He didn't win, but he was very pleased with the result.

He got to wear it for a couple of day before I finished the haircut :D

PJ's, School, and Legos

Just a few random pictures of the kiddos, doing whatever it is they do, 50 million different things everyday :D

Kay Leigh is first, standing very proud in her "new" pj's. I'm still using some of the clothes Beka had, a few things have lasted through both of the other girls. She doesn't care if they are hand-me-downs....yet!

This is Kay and Carolyn, sharing a sister moment, I love how Kay Leigh is laying there just like a big girl, on her tummy with feet up in the air :D She tries so hard to do everything the big kids do!!

You know, with all that activity, Carolyn just falls asleep sometimes, although she rarely takes official naps anymore. She is sleeping peacefully, and Bogey has taken the opportunity to curl up by her feet, you can see his rear sticking out!

Beka is hard at work, doing her school, this happened to be writing practice, thank you cards. She wrote a note in each and then her favorite, drew a picture in each. That girl would sit and draw all day long if I let her :D I was the same way, loved art.

I just have to tell this story again :D Greg earned money for a lego set, a $15 one, so it was fairly large. We took it home, and he begged me to let him put it together. I though, "yeah, sure, I'll end up doing it for him, but sure!" Well, he sat down, and followed the direction with input from me once or twice, telling him he'd missed step. I was very proud of him. Forgot to take a picture of the finished project though, bad mom, BAD :D

Birthday's, Horses, Pinatas

I forgot that I never posted about Beka's Birthday, I need to get on the stick :D

Can you believe my firstborn turned eight????? I can't.

She is growing up :D That's good!

So we start with a pictureof the birthday girl...

And this is her bag to color herself, she loved this and carries it EVERYWHERE :D

Oh, and if the gift you got her isn't on here, it's not because she didn't love it, it's because mommy didn't take enough pictures :D She loved all her presents!!

New outfit for her big doll

An umbrella, which is the envy of her siblings...question, what's the attraction of the umbrella? I don't ever remember wanting one or even thinking they were that great, but my kids think they are the cat's meow...

Getting ready to open gifts, with a couple of helpers standing by in case she needs help...

The CAKE, I made it and it didn't look too bad, for a change :P

She wanted a pinata, but I wasn't about to pay for a cheap candy filled thing, so we made our own, and it was GREAT. It lasted a while too, so they got plenty of enjoyment out of it.

Beka, swinging like a girl...

Greg swinging like a man child...

Carolyn's swings were just plain scary, she'd let go of the bat half the time...

Kay Leigh just watched, fascinated.

All in all, a fun time was had by all, especially the birthday girl :D And that's a successful party!

Fish, Pools, Vacation!

So we went on a family vacation the week before Travis went back to school. First one ever! It was really fun actually, we just stayed in town to keep it easy and cheaper, but we got a hotel, so we'd have a pool to swim in, and we went and visited a few places. The first pictures will be of the kids at the Nature Center, they have a neat little museum with stuffed animal and skins the kids can touch, and then you go on a walk and see great big fish in a pond, and fish behind glass wallls. They love it, as love as we keep movin' along :D

This is one of the viewing windows.

Carolyn had to try out the bear den...

And Beka put her hand in a bear's mouth...

Kay Leigh was generally not impressed...

(can you see the scab on her nose? She fell at the park and skinned up her nose)

Well, of course Greg had to try it too...

This is as close as you can get to a cougar and live to tell about it :D

Beka liked the quail.

Playing in the pool was a big deal of course. Beka in goggles was charming...

Carolyn was cute...

Kay Leigh actually got in and enjoyed it!!

Carolyn was swimming with her float suit, and arm floats, she's very brave in the water.

All five of my cuties :D

Greg being a goof, and Trav and Kay having a talk.

Kay is very thirsty!!

Carolyn is telling me something about the salad I think :D

We had a really great time, I think, just a few disasters. We'll have to do it again sometime! For now though, Travis is back in school and we're ready for another long haul!