4th of July!!

We had a great 4th of July weekend this year!! Mostly because Sarah came to visit!! Though the trip seemed way too short, we sure packed a lot in! We started off with a parade in front of Hollie's house! It was fun! And long! The boys kept asking if it was over yet!! (I'd like to give a special thanks to Hollie who took all the pictures and posted them on her blog for me to steal!! Thanks!)

Elijah was entranced by everything!! He was jumping up and down and cheering and everything!
After the parade, Sarah and I took Xander, Isaac and Dallin to Lagoon. I was afraid that they'd be too scared to go on too many rides, but they did great!! We had a lot of fun!! (I'll post pictures of that later!!)

After Lagoon we went to April and Joe's and had an awesome BBQ and watched their cul-de-sac of Fire!! The boys had tons of fun, but were pretty worn out by that point!!

And Saturday we got up and headed to Matt & Joy's for a few hours. We had a good time there visiting with them. The boys LOVED their baby Sammy. He's so adorable!! They were taking pictures of him non-stop, and Isaac just couldn't take his eyes off of him. He even was telling us all that Sammy looked just like him!! He loved that baby so much he keeps asking for one at our house!! But all the boys agree they want a sister. (Where'd they get that? :o) ) I'll post those pictures of the boys and Sam later, too.

After we got back, Jordan took the boys fishing with the rest of his family. It looks like Elijah and his cousin Cherish had fun together.
Then Saturday evening we went back to the Finley's for another fun party! We had water balloons and it quickly turned into a free for all with any water you could get! I think the best part was the fight between Jordan and his Dad. It was hilarious!
At least until I got caught in the middle!!

We ended it with a pinata- which always goes over well with the kids!! (Notice me in the background going in for a bag of Skittles!)

Pics of the House...

Here are a few pics of the house, for those who are interested... Jordan had some fun doing before and afters... Not that we're totally done, but it shows how far we've come so far!!

Elijah the animal lover!

So, Xander came running over to me this morning saying "Mom! Look at Elijah!!" And just then Elijah came around the corner and showed me a mouse he was holding!! And it was dead! Not rotten or anything, just freshly dead (not that that really helps)!! And he was so proud!! He was holding it so carefully and sweetly! So, I called Jordan over and he hurried and grabbed the mouse from him and got rid of it. So, I take Elijah inside to wash his hands really well. And he is just so sad that Dad took his "pet" away. So, he finally stops crying when we get back outside, but he starts looking around saying "Where my pet go?"
Anyways, in the process of looking for his missing pet, he finds an injured wasp crawling around on the ground and sets his hand down, so it'll crawl up on his arm.
He comes over and shows me that it's just crawling around on him, so I tell him that we don't play with dead animals or wasps, and I flick the wasp off. Then Xander decides he should put it out of it's injured misery, and squishes it. Needless to say Elijah was not a happy camper that we wouldn't let him play with any "pets". He was so sad! But, he was so sweet to both of them!! It was cute. I often find him digging in the dirt trying to find his snake pets, too. Why he picks my least favorite animals to play with, I don't know. Where's a cat or dog when you need it?

"Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree!!"

I had to get this on video! He's just so cute!!
WARNING: YOU MAY WANT TO HAVE THIS VIDEO ON MUTE WHILE ENJOYING.
WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TRAUMA THAT MAY OCCUR BY NOT ABIDING BY THIS WARNING!! (It sounds like we're singing in slow mo and I'm completely out of tune. But, what's new?)

The fire pit...

So, last week we randomly decided we wanted to have a cookout. So, we just dug a fire pit. (One of the nice things about having over 6 acres to play with!) It's been so much fun. The last couple of Sunday nights we've roasted hot dogs, sang songs with Jordan playing guitar, and had s'mores. The kids love it, as well as Jordan and I. Anyway, I was able to get a few pictures before it got too dark yesterday, so enjoy! FYI- We're planning on making this pit into a nice campsite, so if you feel the urge to go camping, everyone's welcome to come visit us!! Or, if you don't like camping, we have tons of extra space inside the house, too!



Jordan has taught the boys how to build a proper fire, and we've had a few talks on roasting stick safety. (That's an important one with 4 boys.)
This is Elijah hiding in "the jungle". That's what they boys call it.
The view from our backyard... the temple is gorgeous at nighttime!

Kids Say the Darndest Things...

Tonight we had cereal for dinner, which by the way, I've never done. Surprising, I know.
Anyway, as I'm sitting at the table enjoying my food, I overhear the boys' conversation over at the counter.

Isaac says, "Wow, Elijah is really enjoying his Marshmallow Ladies."

Xander, of course, has to correct him and says, "It's Marshmallow Mateys!"

Then, I hear Dallin pipe in, "Yeah, if it was called Marshmallow Ladies there'd be boobs in it."

Nice, huh?

The boys in action!

Hollie and James and family were able to come up and visit this last weekend. It was so much fun! I loved having the company. Of course, I'm not going to complain that Hollie spent the whole time cleaning my kitchen, too! She was also nice enough to spend her Saturday morning taking pictures of the boys in their soccer games. She did a great job! These are my favorites:


Jordan & Elijah

Xander & Isaac

Dallin

Isaac as Goalie

Xander's "Boom goes the dynamite"

FYI...

Isaac has had pretty severe headaches and nose bleeds the last couple of weeks. The doctor set up a CT scan and lots of blood work, so we can find out what's going on. His CT scan came out clear and we are waiting for the blood tests to come back. He's been doing a lot better this last week, though. Allergies, anyone? I'm guessing that's it.

Easter Pics...

Here are some pictures from Easter when we were at the Finley's. The boys had a great time finding Easter Eggs and playing with their cousins.

Tribute to the Farley's

Well, Alecia and the kids went back home yesterday. (Sniff sniff). The boys and I are sad that they couldn't stay longer. It didn't seem like 3 1/2 months! It went by fast! I think of Alecia as I drink my Dr. Pepper. I have no one to meet me at Great Harvest Bread for lunch, or anyone to chat with while I'm waiting for the kids to get out of school. Sigh. It's a sad day at the Finley's. No one will call me at 8:30 in the morning to tell me Kohl's has a huge sale!! Oh man!
Isaac was kind of excited though because Aidan left a whole bunch of polo shirts for the boys to use for school, a couple pairs of shoes and his extra soccer clothes. Isaac wear's Aidan's hiking boots everyday now (he even tried to wear them with his church clothes today). On Saturday, when he was getting ready for soccer, he decided he wanted to wear Aidan's old soccer shirt instead of his. I said, "Isaac why don't you wear your other shirt?" and Xander said, "He wants to wear everything of Aidan's now, his shoes, his shirts..." and I said, "Whoa, do you wish you were Aidan?" and Isaac got all serious and said, "No, I'm glad that I'm Isaac, but I do wish I had big hair like Aidan."
IT WAS HILARIOUS! He was dead serious too. It was cute.

WE MISS YOU ALECIA, AIDAN AND SARAH!!

Elijah loves to help Dad work on the house!

Especially when he's naked...
(Elijah, not Jordan. Scared you for a minute, huh?)

He's so funny! He even got a big ol' screw in there and everything!!

Soccer Pics

Today the boys had soccer games at the same time at the same field, so I was able to snap a few pics. You can tell that Aidan and Dallin enjoy talking while on the field.

Xander's Persuasive Paper

Every now and then for school, Xander has to write what they call a "persuasive paper". It is where (obviously) he tries to persuade someone to do something. This last paper was so good, I had to share. Who wouldn't buy them the dart guns?

Wow, It's been a while!

So, this year has been a whirlwind! My goodness, it's non-stop. We've been remodeling the house without rest since we moved in the beginning of January. (I'll snap some pictures soon). And the house is really coming along! We're excited!
More recently, the 3 oldest boys Xander, Isaac and Dallin have started soccer. They love it so much! And I can't believe how naturally talented these kids are in all aspects! We won't be surprised if Dallin takes after Xan and is asked to skip a grade from kindergarten. He reads simple words and asks for spelling bee's all the time. He says, "mom you can have me spell 5 words, bat, rat, cat, dog, or I am Sam." He's so funny! Xander got straight A's on his report card again. (No real surprise there for those of you who know him. In fact, his lowest average score in anything was 102%) And Isaac is really taking giant strides in his work. His real love is art, though, but his artistic abilities are amazing! The detail he uses most 6 year old's wouldn't even think to include. He's amazing. And who would have thought the the little uncoordinated guy that broke his arm falling on carpet would be the fastest runner! Yes, the same one who ran into walls. Literally at full speed. Elijah is awesome. I don't think I've ever seen a 2 year old so smart. He does everything the older boys do, but what is amazing is he understands and comprehends what they're doing and can do things almost as well. It's not very often you come across a 2 year old you can explain things to and he'll listen because he comprehends full conversations! And he is the happiest thing you'd ever see! So excited about life and his brothers! Amazing, all of these boys! I just can't believe that I have been blessed and trusted with these obviously special children! What a joy they are to me! Each one is EXTRAORDINARY in there own special ways even by worldly standards, and that is awesome. We work hard as parents, and I'm starting to realize that this time that we devote to our kids is doing something incredible. I'm thankful I'm able to stay at home to teach them. And that they have this hunger and love for learning!

House Photos!

So, this is it! The house we're buying. This is BEFORE remodeling! FYI.

Family Photos!!

I'll put the real ones up when we get them. These are obviously just snapshots of the real ones...but they'll do!!

Family Photos!

It's that time!! Fall in Utah!! I love it! We decided to get some new family portraits done and take advantage of the beauty that surrounds us every day! Enjoy! These are only some I've received back so far, check back later for more posts. And don't be afraid to leave feedback!