"Sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination"

Dressed in White

2012-01-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

This is our beautiful little girl and her baptism dress. I thought it would be fun to take some pics for a book I am making her so she will always remember her baptism day. Here are some of my favorite pictures for the book. She is growing up soooo fast and makes us so proud. What a special spirit she has.

Lunch after the Baptism

2012-01-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

We had lunch at Jess's house after the baptism, as that is where we have been staying during Christmas break. Aunt Iah and Phil drove up from Provo UT to be there and Louis's parents and Grandma Lynn drove from Coeur D Alene, ID to be there. We were so grateful to everyone for their love and support for Kenda and I know she felt special.

Riley, Aunt Randi (Iah), Abby, Hayley and Kenda

Grandma Sweets and Grandma Lynn trying my amazing Monte Cristo sandwiches

Riley, Phil and Gabe

Grandpa Blake and Kenda

Grandpa Blake with Journey

Grandma Blake and Journey

Kenda's Baptism in Idaho Falls

2012-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

We are so very very proud of our daughter Kenda. She took a big step and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is a decision she made herself and she was so excited to finally become 8 years old so she could be baptized. Louis baptized her at my parent's church building. We thought it would be easier to do it in Idaho Falls so my parents could come and it would be much closer for Louis's family to drive down for it.

Bowling in Idaho Falls

2012-01-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

We decided it would be fun to take the kids bowling one afternoon. Aunt Jess was out of town and so we took her daughter Hayley with us. It was our kids first time going and it was sooo much fun. Gabe did so good getting the ball down the alley, especially after we asked the attendant to put the bumpers up. Kenda was unsure at first whether she liked it or not but I think she finally got the hang of it about a third of the way in and then started having fun. Kiah did great except for the one time she sent the ball rolling backwards into our table, rather than forward towards the pins. All in all, it was a really fun afternoon.

Sledding on Christmas Day

2011-12-27T22:25:00.000-08:00

While Mike and Phil were out on the snowmobiles, they came upon this great hill and came back to get the kids. They spent several hours sliding down the hill on tubes and then having the uncles haul them back to the top over and over again. They were soooo tired when they came home. They went to bed so quickly, I thought we might intentionally build our next house on a hill just to see if we could have an easy night more often. These big black snow sleds are actually game sleds for hunters. They are used to carry the dead deer back to camp. Grandpa bought 2 several years ago and they have been affectionately named the "Aunt buckets" because mom and dad took our aunts and even my Grandma Nelda sledding in them. The high sides keep everyone safely inside the bucket. It also fits several people at once. What a fun end to a great weekend. We left the cabin Monday morning and headed back to Aunt Jess's house for the rest of our vacation.

Christmas Morning

2011-12-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

jSo we told all the kids that they could not wake up the adults until 7am. At 4:30, the girls sneaked out of bed and started snooping through the toys Santa brought. I was able to coax them back down to bed and they woke up officially at 7:45 with the rest of the family to go open the gifts. I thought our kids were the only ones that had snuck up to check out toys but surprisingly, Hayley and Riley got up at 2:30 to look. Who knew kids could have such energy in the middle of the night.

Gabe got a flying airplane and some great trucks and cars from Santa this year.

Kenda and Makiah each got new Sunday dresses and a suitcase set in bright pink colors.

This is our poor little Journey who had to come up to the main room with the family so we could all open presents. She was not quite awake yet.

Food for Thought

2011-12-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

This is Journey's new trick. I took a few pictures to show off. :) It is as fun as watching a puppy chase his tail.

Snowmobiling

2011-12-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Uncle Matt took the kids out on the snowmobiles almost every day. Kiah was even allowed to drive by herself.....this I found out AFTER the fact. The way Matt tells the story, Kiah was given permission to drive 10 yards and she sped off and took it up and over a hill before he could catch up to her.

We were a bit unprepared with hats for snowmobiling. Luckily aunt Jess came to the rescue with this adorable and very UNMANLY little fluffy hay for him to wear. His wife will appreciate this photo in the future.

Uncle Matt with Kiah and Noah.

Random Cabin Pics

2011-12-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Island Park

2011-12-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

This year Christmas was with the Blake side of the family. We rented a cabin in Island Park for the weekend and had 11 adults and 8 kids staying there together. Yes there was a bit of drama, but overall it was a really really fun weekend. The highlight for the kids was being able to go snowmobiling in the day and then coming home to a hot tub when they were finished. The hot tub was sooo warm but the kids would keep hopping out and running around on the porch to cool off and then they would get too cold and hop back in. It was quite a fun cycle to watch. We do feel bad for the next people who have to rent the cabin after that many kids have been in and out of it.

Santa visits the Christmas Dinner

2011-12-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

Louis was still in Roatan when the ward dinner was to take place so we went without him. Santa visited the dinner and the kids got to take their picture with him. He was even kind enough to let Journey sit on his lap for a photo.

My Little Boy

2011-12-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

I made costumes this year to do a family nativity set. This is one of the wisemen costumes I made. Gabe wanted to try on each outfit to see how they looked.

Gabe and Journey

Bath Time

2011-12-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread Cookies with Kass

2011-12-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was feeling very lonely and down. Louis had been in Roatan for a week and still had one more week to go. I called Kass and was telling her how I wished some family in the ward would think to take me on as their "pet" project." I need friends so badly and am not used to being in a town where I know no one. I miss being able to call up my good and faithful friends when i want someone to share my picnic at the park with my kids or to go to Walmart with me. Anyway, I think Kass took pity on me and invited us over to watch the Christmas Devotional and to make gingerbread men. We didnt have a cookie cutter so they were all done by hand. Each of the kids helped shape their men. As you can tell, they are very individualized.

Gabe and Noah had a lot of fun playing while we were waiting for the ginger people to cook.

Thanksgiving in Coeur D Alene

2011-12-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

Suffice it to say, I am VERY far behind on the blog and I apologize to you faithful followers. I will try to get caught up tonight and keep better tabs on the happenings of our family. We spent Thanksgiving in CDA with Louis's family. The girls shared a birthday at an indoor water park called Raptor Reef and played hard all week with their cousins. Journey was a big hit with the family that had not seen her. I was so proud to be able to show her off...and share in the care of her for the week. It was so nice for my arms to get a break and have grandmas fighting over holding her. Yeah for family!

Happy Baby Girl

2011-11-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

I forgot how much fun it is to dress up my baby girls in cute outfits. With Gabe, all I could do was spike his hair. With girls they can look adorable in the simplest of hair accessories. Anyway, this morning after I got Journey dressed for church, I went looking for a hair bow and found this one in her drawer. it was so cute with the outfit, that it warranted a photo session. I love that she is soooo smiley these days!!!

Fall is Here

2011-11-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

The other day, when school was out, I asked the kids to rake the lawn. The object was to get them to work together while having fun....a topic in which they have been struggling lately. With the few leaves we had on the lawn, it actually worked quite well. Gabe was most engaged and really loved playing in them. Kiah had a hard time getting the spirit of "leaf jumping" but finally gave in and joined the other 2.

This is Garfield, the neighbor's cat. The kids have adopted him and believe in their hearts that Garfield likes it at our house more so he must belong to us. Gabe keeps sneaking over to the neighbors house (across the road without permission), so he can bring Garfield back to our side. Poor Kitty!! A rental deposit of $200 is not worth us wanting our own pet at this time, so I guess until we have our own house, Garfield will do as our "almost pet".

Counting Candy

2011-11-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

Every year, Louis has the kids take their pillowcases as bags for trick or treating and they head out for the night. I stayed home this year with Journey and handed out candy. After a very cold hour of trick or treating, they all came home and sorted their candies. It was so funny to watch. Kiah spreads hers all out on the floor so it looks like tons of candy. Kenda was separating hers into types....chocolates together, hard candies together etc...much like her Daddy would have done when he was a little boy and Gabe lined them all up in a huge long line along the living room floor. 3 kids from the same parents, and yet, very different indeed.

Halloween Costumes

2011-11-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Sibling Love

2011-11-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Daddy helped the kids carve their individual pumpkins but this time, he had a new tool from Grandma Sweets. It was an electric carving knife, like one would use for turkeys, but in a mini scale used for pumpkin carving. The kids helped clean seeds for roasting pumpkin seeds too. Kenda picked a heart pattern, Gabe picked a lion and Kiah picked the 2 bats. We didnt get to carve them until a few days before halloween with Louis's work schedule but it was a fun activity anyway.

Idaho Falls Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

The kids had 2 days off of school over the weekend and luckily, it was the same week Uncle Keegan came home from his mission in Chile. We all went up to Idaho Falls to meet him at the airport. Sorry, the pics of that are on my mom's camera and I havent gotten them from her yet. Anyway, one windy afternoon, we headed to Idaho Falls so the kids to do a corn maze and train ride at a local pumpkin farm. Jess and her family joined us.

It was soooo cold out and the kids still insisted that we go so we borrowed some winter caps from Jess and a very girly blue coat for Gabe.

The kids were very excited about the little train ride that took them all around the pumpkin farm. They walked away with spider rings, suckers and free coloring books. This is cousin Riley and Gabe waiting for the train to go.

This is our first picture we have with all 6 of us together. It was so cold and windy that it is definately not our favorite photo but it works until we can get some real family pics taken next month. It was too cold to get Journey all unbundled from her car seat but at least she was seen a bit. :)

Grandma's Halloween Project

2011-10-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

Grandma Sweets (creative as always), found this great gingerbread house for the kids to frost for Halloween. She mailed it along with some fun frostings and sprinkles. Unfortunately, it broke into a few pieces between the post office and our house. Daddy spent a few minutes stratigically glueing (is that how you spell glue-ing)...it back together. The kids each took turns working on it with different frostings and candy decorations. Thank you Grandma for a great family night.

Aunt Randi

2011-10-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

So, Randi and Uncle Phil brought their nerf guns to play with the kids. Aunt Randi thought it would be funny to put one of the suction darts onto Journey's forehead.

This is our beautiful Aunt Randi wearing Kiah's Halloween mask

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

2011-10-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Journey's Blessing

2011-10-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Blake picked out this beautiful dress and bracelet for Journey's special day. Aunt Kass and Aunt Randi came with their families as well as Grandpa and Grandma Blake. It was so great to see them all again.

Journey Learns to Smile

2011-10-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

I don't have to explain much about these pictures. She just started to smile and it is the most amazing reward after a sleepless night to see that gummy little grin.

The Lemonade Stand

2011-10-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

On their walk home from school, Kenda asked Louis if she could earn some money. She decided to do a lemonade stand and since I had a Costco bag of lemons in the fridge, Daddy recommended they make it "fresh squeezed." Daddy kindly juiced all 14 lemons with a little hand juicer we borrowed from aunt Kass. Then we sweetened it up and sent them outside. Kiah and Gabe helped her wave down cars as they went past the house. Gabe would jump up and down and run back and forth along the driveway until they would stop. He was also first to statch the money out of their hands as they paid for the lemonade. The kids made $10 from their 1 gallon of lemonade. Kenda shared 4 dollars with Kiah and 1 with Gabe. Louis and I were just impressed at how much time we had on our Saturday to spend together without the kids. We got so much done!

Sleepping Babies

2011-10-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Journey is becoming such an adorable baby. Her face is filling out and she has the cutest curly hair when it is wet.

Gabe and Journey fell asleep on the couch and I couldn't resist taking a picture of them.

La Quinta in Salt Lake

2011-10-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

The night before Lou went on a trip to Roatan, we took him to the airport and stayed the night in a hotel. Lou
took the kids to the hotel pool for a few hours when we arrived. Journey and I hung out in the hotel room. The next morning we ate a yummy continental breakfast then made our way back to Roosevelt.

Tinker Toys... Toys for All Ages

2011-09-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, my Dad bought the kids some tinker toys. We have had them in the garage, as they were a bit young for them....and I knew there were lots of little pieces that I was not willing to keep picking up. Anyway, Gabe saw them in the garage and begged me to bring them in the house. When Louis got home from work, the kids convinced him to help them build something. I have to say, I was SOOOO amazed that Louis was so talented at building tinker toy things. While the kids watched, Louis built a plane, a car ( I think it looked like an ice cream truck) and several other fun contraptions. The kids were so interested in watching him build things, that they did very little building themselves. Who knew they could be so much fun for boys of all ages?

School Fair

2011-09-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

A few days after school began, Kenda came home with a flyer about the school carnival. Louis was going to be out of town working so I walked over to Kiah's school with the 4 kids by myself. It was a bit overcast but we thought it was worth seeing what was there. It was supposed to be full of games and rides but there was only several bounce houses when we got there. I was pleased that not too many people were there in the beginning and the kids were able to occupy themselves for about 2 hours before the rain started coming and we had to head home. Luckily, the baby slept in my carrier the whole time and I could just walk around and take pictures and enjoy being outside with them.

Journey is 2 Weeks Old

2011-09-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who need constant updates on the blog and new pics of the baby...ie grandmas and grandpas, there are a few new ones here for you. She has such crazy out of control hair when it is straight, but when we wash it, it gets these adorable rings of curl. I just hope the curl stays for a bit. I was so surpised to find curl the first time I washed it, I called Louis at work to tell him she had curly hair. You would never know it could go curly though when you see it staight.

Move #13...the lucky one???

2011-09-07T15:31:00.001-07:00

Well, to those who are keeping tabs, we are on move #13, but I have a feeling this is going to be one of the last (Either because Louis will find what he is searching for in life and will land the perfect job, or because I am about done packing and unpacking and am going to refuse many more moves.) This one was the hardest for me. After only living for 3 months in Springville, we have packed our house for a new start in Roosevelt, UT. As I mentioned, I was 9 days past due and very tired. Packing and cleaning and moving took lots out of me and I am pretty sure that solidified in my mind that we, as a family, are coming to the end of our nomadic life. We now live in Roosevelt UT, in the Uintah Basin. We are about 30 min from my sister and her husband's family. I am still feeling a bit disoriented in this town, having only ventured out a few times and knowing no one. This is one of the few moves we have made, where we know no one. Usually we have made our moves within Kootenai County so, while we changed wards, we remained close with our core group of friends. It is an adjustment to me to be so far from anyone and everyone. Keep us in your prayers that we adjust quickly and can find a great job to along with our new town.

First Day of School

2011-09-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Kenda began school on the 29th of Aug this year, 2 days late due to our delayed move to Roosevelt. Kiah started 2 days later after her Kindergarten screening. They are so excited to meet new friends and start a new adventure in Roosevelt. Gabe is struggling with the fact that he has to stay home and help mom with the baby, rather than joining them at "big kid" school, but hopefully that will pass with time.

Traditions Continue

2011-08-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

At the birth of each new baby, we celebrate with a cake on their "birth" day. Louis took the kids to Walmart and picked out this cake for her birthday celebration. We sing happy birthday and then share cake with whoever is over visiting at the time.

Pics of our New Addition

2011-08-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Daddy with his new little girl.

The girls woke up about an hour after she was born and got to meet her, but Gabe didn't know we had a new baby until the next morning. He came in and I said "come see what mommy has." He saw Journey and said "now lots of babies are going to come out of my tummy too" I am not sure how to explain to a 3 year old that babies dont just start popping out of tummies. He has been convinced for several months that a baby was in his tummy too and that he was going to have a baby just like mommy was. We are going to have a hard time convincing him that there isn't one coming out of him soon.

9 Days Late...Journey Josephine Arrives

2011-08-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Journey arrived at 3:41am after only 1 hr 45 min of contractions. She was born at home with a great midwife named Cathy O Bryant and 2 amazing assistants.

Louis caught the baby when she came out and he cut the cord. I think he may take up midwifery in his free time, as he is getting quite good at birthing babies. :)

They weighed her in this little sling. It reminds me of a luggage scale, but cuter. She weighed 8lbs 5 oz and was 22 1/4 in long.

Bridal Veil Falls...1 week past Due Date

2011-08-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Louis decided that a long walk would be helpful in progressing the birth of our baby. We headed off to show Grandma Sweets the falls in Provo Canyon and to let the kids run off some energy. We spent a few hours letting the kids play in the water at the bottom of the falls while I sat in a sturdy camp chair and waited for the labor pains to begin. It had been a week of waiting..and waiting....and waiting. I was getting quite impatient and was sure that the walk should have gotten things under way.

It was getting pretty hot in the afternoon sun but luckily, Louis heard the ice cream truck pull up and he ran for some ice cream bars for everyone. He found some scooby doo bars that were so chalked full of food coloring that the kid's mouths were stained. Gabe came home with a huge sugar high......so much for running off energy at the falls.

Louis waded out into the water to play with the kids and thought this huge rock would make a fun picture. What a big change it will be to add a 4th kid to the pics.

Feeding the Animals

2011-08-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just down from our house is a huge farm with amazing animals in different pens along the road. The kids have spent many hours and several loaves of bread and celery sticks feeding them. Grandma Sweets came to help out with the new baby but after her first week and still no baby, we were starting to get a bit nervous that Grandma would be heading home before the new baby arrived.

Family and Friends Came to Play

2011-08-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

To Infinity and Beyond....Gabe turns 3

2011-08-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Way Cool Presents

2011-08-05T22:05:00.001-07:00

Gabe got a scooter, a sleeping bag set, a giant bear (Thanks aunt Randi and Uncle Phil), a Superman costume (Thanks to them again) and a Buzz Lightyear Nerf Gun (Thanks Kass, Matt, Noah and Olivia). He was so excited to open gifts and took little time to do it, even with his cousin Noah's help.

Olivia

2011-06-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Aunt Kass had girls camp to help with this year so her baby Olivia got to spend 3 1/2 days at our house. Gabe had such fun "babysitting" her. He would help get her toys and wanted to hold her all the time. He was fascinated with her and all the things she did. It was a good refresher course for me on what it is like to have a baby in the home and hopefully Gabe will take as much interest in the new baby as he did with his cousin.

Summer in Springville

2011-06-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

We found this great sprinkler ball at Bed Bath and Beyond for $10. It has been a great addition to our back yard. You just plug your hose into the side of it and it shoots water all over. The kids are finally adjusting to the hot weather here in Utah. It will be a fun Summer getting to do lots of great activities.

Last BBQ in Coeur D Alene

2011-06-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

This blog is a bit out of order but with these great photos, I couldn't help putting it in. Guy and Tina invited us up for a BBQ a few days before we moved. It was our last chance to see everyone together. Papa Guy was the evening entertainment. He hoola-hooped, shot baskets with Gabe on his shoulders and helped the kids with roasting marshmallows. It was such a fun afternoon and the kids loved getting together with their cousins before we left.

Springville, UT...move # 12

2011-06-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

To those who follow our family very closely, you will already have noticed by the new blog picture that we have made yet another turn in our road. We are now living in Springville UT. Louis is working for a place called State Fire, servicing fire extinguishers and other fire suppression systems. He has been doing it since Feb. traveling back and forth every 2 weeks. With the kids out of school, we were able to join him there. We are hoping to find a permanent house a few hours away near my sister Kassidy and her family. We are currently in a month to month rental and I am due to have a baby in Aug. By the end of Aug, we hope to have a house and baby and have the kids settled in school, which starts on the 25th. Stay tuned to see what adventures await us.

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Kiah graduated from IEGA Funschool June 1st. She received a beautiful framed certificate and Grandma Sweets presented her with a white rose. She looked so cute going up in front of the class and all of the parents to get her certificate. After the ceremony, there was plenty of cake and drinks for everyone. Gabe had lots of fun sharing in the goodies. Grandma Lynn and Grandma Sweets were both in attendance.

Swimming Lessons

2011-06-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

We decided to put the girls in swim lessons so that when Summer arrived, they would have the fundamentals down and would be able to enjoy swimming rather than worrying about how deep to walk out into the pool. They did great. After only 3 lessons, Kenda was doing the basic breast stroke and learning the back stroke and side stroke. Kiah took a bit longer but both girls have a great foundation now.

Kenda's Chocolate Cake with Tomato Puree

2011-04-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Kenda came home this week with a recipe in hand for Thunder Cake, which includes 1/3 c tomato puree. I was intrigued and told her we could make it on Sunday night. The kids helped with the measuring, Gabe whipped the egg whites and all of them ate lots of chocolate frosting. In the end, it turned out yummy and moist. You could not even taste the tomato puree. The kids did the decorating, including frosting the cake and topping it with strawberries.

Blast Off

2011-04-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

On our last full day in Idaho Falls, we headed off to Blast Off with the cousins. There was a full building of slides, ball pits, pully ropes and arcade. The kids spent a few hours between General Conference spending some of their energy. It was a great last day before we headed back to Coeur D Alene. Louis is spending the next 3 weeks working in Utah so it was only me and the kids that returned. We will see him again for Easter though and we look forward to that day......yes, I am counting down!!

Spring Break

2011-04-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

We spent Spring Break and Grandpa and Grandma Blake's house in Idaho Falls. It was a fun week spending time with them and with Jess and her family. Her new baby Colter was blessed the Sunday after we arrived. The week was spent resting and relaxing, which is what vacation should be for. The kids had a great movie night with Grandpa. He made them each individual baggies of candy and they watched "Tangled" while eating dinner and then popcorn in bed together. Poor Gabe just couldnt quite fit in the covers with all the little girls and Grandpa.

Dress Up Day

2011-03-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

Kiah and Gabe were bored the other day and decided to play dress up. Gabe dressed up with high heels and donned full glamour dresses. I had to laugh at the Little Mermaid outfit that he thought was so cute. What is one to do with 2 older sisters and a basket full of dresses and jewels? I guess this is my answer.

Kenda's New Do

2011-03-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

Kenda's hair has become so long and curly underneath that mornings are hard on the both of us. Brushing it is like running the brush or comb through a rainforest jungle. We decided it was time for her to get a cut and this is the length she chose. I think it turned out great. It will be so much easier to style and I think it makes her look a bit older too. She loves it and so does the rest of her family.

Valentine's Day with the Cousins

2011-02-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

With Louis out of town for Vday, I thought it would be fun to have a party with the cousins. Unfortunately, Keatin and Lynnae couldn't make it. I made funnel shaped rice crispie treats and then coated them with chocolate and wrapped them in tinfoil. They made great kisses with an "I Love You" tag out the top. We also purchased the famous heart shaped pizza from Papa Murpheys and had heart shaped candy. After lots of pizza and playing, the kids decorated heart shaped sugar cookies. It turned out to be a really fun evening with the cousins. Grandma Sweets and Grandma Lynn helped keep the sprinkles mostly on the table and the party cleaned up really fast with their help.

Kiah, Nicole and Kenda

Nicole and Madi

Sophia and Kiah

Gabe doing his best to finish off all of the sprinkles from every container on this one cookie.

Stoneridge Resort

2011-02-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to our timeshare this year at Stoneridge Resort in Blanchard, ID. We have had it for several years, but rarely make it up there. We opted for a 2 room unit so the kids had a hide a bed couch and Louis and I had a bedroom. We only stayed 2 nights, but the kids had so much fun. The highlight was the swimming pool. They went 3 times. Who knew our island born beach boy would be afraid of the water. I thought for sure it would be the funnest time ever getting back in the water, but we was not even interested in getting wet. Daddy was a genius to buy Gabe this ball. He preferred to stay on the side of the pool and throw the ball to the girls and have them rebound it. After the first night at the pool, he finally warmed to the idea of swimming and went in with Daddy for a bit. By the 3rd time to the pool he was playing along the steps, in a swimsuit, in the water. That is about as far as he made it without feeling scared though. Go figure.

Daddy took turns playing in the water with the kids and then taking them over to the jaccuzzi and the steam room. I went in 2 of the three times and then spent the 3rd time taking pics...which is apparently the role of a mom if they want to preserve any memories.

Snow Tubes from Grandma Lynn

2010-12-30T12:40:00.000-08:00

The kids got tubes for Christmas from Grandma Lynn. I used the air mattress pump yesterday and blew them up. There was so much snow yesterday that the kids were just itchin to get outside and play in it. I laughed when I went out to take pictures and each of them were laying in their tubes like they were beach floaties. They were building little snow castles, just like they would do with sand in Roatan. I figured they would have figured out how to slide across the snow, but instead, they turned it back into their little beach with sand and floaties.

Christmas Morning

2010-12-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

The girls begged and begged us to let them sleep by the tree on Christmas Eve. It took a lot of convincing, but we finally agreed. By 11pm, all the kids were finally asleep. Santa came sometime not long after that and the kids each got the "dream" gift they had asked for.

Kiah got a Hello Kitty Razor Scooter.

Kenda got a new pair of roller skates.

Gabe got a tool table with saws, wood and all the fun noise making accessories.

My Christmas Project

2010-12-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

So last year after Christmas I decided that I would make us new stockings. I figured it would take all year so I began sorting out what I wanted in about March.....then I forgot all about it. About the 5th of Dec, I suddenly remembered that I needed to finish 5 stockings by Christmas. A great person named Lorrien came over one morning and helped me get started. We finished the first one together and then I was set free to complete them. I finished the last one Christmas Eve. After finishing all 5, I decided Kiah's was just not quite up to par so I finished another one for her. It turned out much better the 2nd time. Anyway, these are the stockings.

Ward Christmas Party

2010-12-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Santa visited our ward Christmas Dinner this year. Gabe was more excited about getting the candy cane than in meeting Santa, but Kiah and Kenda took advantage of the time to tell him their wishes. Kiah is skeptical this year as to whether or not Santa is real. She said the other day.. "Mom, Santa is just a big trick. It's only your parents who give you gifts. He isnt real and neither are the reindeer." It made my heart cry as I listened to my barely 5 year old tell me that she has lost Christmas magic in her life all ready. Louis and I are at a loss as to what to do now. Does Santa still bring gifts? Does Kenda and Gabe get some and she doesnt? Any ideas from you other parents?? This is a new one for us.

The Festivities

2010-12-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

This is the first batch of kids to do makeup for the night. They chose makeup over musical chairs and hot potato...can you believe it?

Gwen, one of Kenda's friends was a prime example for the style of the night.

I now know that a shop vac will clean up 4 bowls of spilled popcorn in less than 5 min. The movie was a big success, minus the mess.

This picture was taken at 11:50pm, just 15 min after the last child finally gave in to sleep. They went through 50 cups and the rest of the pizza between 8pm and midnight. Not sure how 50 cups got used that quickly, but I guess it can happen. :)

The Cake

2010-12-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

So I asked the girls what theme they wanted this year. Kenda says "I want Nature." What the heck kind of theme is that???? After prodding and some compromising, we decided on a winter scene for the cake. Thanks to the fine folks at Super 1, the girls were quite pleased, and it kept me from having to be creative, which I just have the energy to be right now.

Kenda and Kiah's Sleepover Party

2010-12-11T13:55:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to save money this year, we decided to let the girls have a sleepover. We decided each could invite 3 friends and then their 4 cousins could come. Apparently it is hard for little girls to know how many that is. Kenda invited 4 at school and then came home remembering a few more from church she needed to have there. Kiah found lots of friends as well. We ended up with 16 kids for the party. They ate pizza and chips, played games, watched movies, applied lots....and I mean lots of makeup and then about half went home. The other half spent the night.

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

After the kids spent the afternoon decorating the tree, it was time for the topper. Each year, one of our kids takes turns putting the angel on the tree. This year it was Gabe's turn. He was so excited to be chosen. Daddy helped him get it up there and did a bit of adjusting afterwards to make it straight. It is one of the favorite traditions that all the kids actually remember from year to year.

Sledding as a family

2010-12-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

Grandpa and Grandma went hunting in the storage sheds for the "aunt buckets" and brought them to the house for a tradition of sledding behind their truck. This time Grandma volunteered the Yukon so more people could fit inside and witness the fun. Louis and I took the kids on the first trip. After thoroughly bundling up kids, and then ourselves, we hopped in and bucked snowdrifts behind the Yukon. It is a fun tradition we would love to continue for a long time.

Kiah's Birthday

2010-12-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

Kiah's birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day. It was 2 days after Grandpa Blake's birthday and 2 days before her cousin Hayley's birthday. We had a big combined party on Friday. Of course, Grandpa was very thoughtful and found gifts for Kenda, Gabe and Riley so they would not be left out. The kids had such fun with Grandpa this trip. He even took them to lunch on Black Friday while I shopped with my sister Randi.

Gabe's new look

2010-12-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

This is Gabe's new smile. He began when we set out to do his yearly smile and the phototgrapher said to say "cheese" and to smile big. Now this is what he does whenever he sees a camera. Then he will say in his most vain voice "mom, let me see how I look." His aunt Jess is like his second mother and sitting with her is his cousin Riley. They are just now starting to be able to play together as buddies....usually.

If you need to laugh....pause the music on my blog to watch

2010-11-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

The Wetu (Wee-too)

2010-11-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

OK, so for those not versed in Pilgrim/Indian lingo, this is a Wetu. This is what the Wampanoag Indians lived in. Kenda was given a list of fairly simple ideas for her Thanksgiving class project. Of course, she chose the hardest of the options, which was to make a model of an Indian home. Louis still holds firm to the idea that she should have baked a pumpkin pie and been done with it. However, we honored her wishes and began brainstorming how to create an Indian home. We had 3 weeks to complete it. Kenda gathered pine needles etc and we cut the milk carton. We tried a few glue options.....then we did nothing. Honestly, we had a busy month and just let this little priority slide down the list, knowing we still had lots of time. 2 days before it was due, Louis helped her glue some of the needles down. I figured we still had all Thursday night to work on it when she got home from school. Now, the story gets good when my sweet hubby surprises me with a night out. He showed up with at the house with a babysitter, and with dinner reservations. He also reserved a session for us at the temple. He then suggested that the babysitter help Kenda with some of her project that was due the next morning and we head off for our evening together. To our dismay, they did not get too far on it. We returned home from a great night together to find a half finished Wetu on the table. I warmed the glue gun up again and we set to work until midnight finishing the Wetu. The next morning, she wrote out the paper that went with it and she headed off to school. As we were glueing and cutting pine needles for this little project, we both looked at each other and realized this was what other parents had talked about.....staying up until all hours of the night working on school projects for their kids. Lesson learned: when you have 3 weeks to do a project, it is way better to work on it all week and get it done early. Kenda was so proud of the way it turned out and was excited to take it to school, which was worth the midnight hours we spent finishing it.

Roller Skating on Veterans Day

2010-11-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

We decided it would be fun to take the kids to Skate Plaza on their day off. We invited a few friends and their kids. Only Ellie and Gwen could make it. Kenda has been asking for skates for Christmas and we decided it would be better to let her try roller skating first before we bought them. She actually caught on really well and by the end of our day, she was skating pretty confidently on her own. Kiah, on the other hand just could not figure out how to keep her feet together. She spent much of the time hobbling along on the edge or split legged on the floor. Daddy sped along on his roller blades and did his best to show each of them the skills he had mastered. I skated as well with them, but prefer to stay behind the camera as much as possible. Thanks to Grandma Lynn, we were able to take both girls and spend some quality time with them while Gabe napped at her house.

Heading to Grandma Lynn's House

2010-11-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

The kids trick or treated from our house down the street to Grandma Lynn's house. They were practically running from house to house until they got there. They were treated to hot coco and some warmth until they got ready to walk back to our house.

Kenda, Madi, Sophia, Nicole and Kiah

Gabe spent the time sleeping soundly on Grandma's recliner until we headed back.

Halloween Night

2010-11-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Kenda, Kiah and gabe were joined by Madi and Sophia for a night of trick or treating. Gabe gave up after a few blocks and decided to ride in the stroller. He had missed his nap and just couldnt hold off any longer.

Kenda was a sorcerer, Kiah was a Gymnast. Herminie from Harry Potter was Sophia's costume and Madi was a Punk Pirate.

This is Louis explaining to AJ that Grandma Sweets would dress up the kids so warm under their costume that they looked like the dough boy.

Halloween Party Snacks

2010-11-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

We decided on a Halloween Party at our house this year. I was most proud of my jello molds. Each person was to bring something Halloweeny. I added raspberry coulis under my peach flavored brain and it looked awesome. The head turned out good too, but a bit too scary for the kids. One of our friends made small pieces of hotdogs with a almost slice on the tips to look like cut fingers. Another made the cute spider below with chicken salad and some olives for the eyes. Ellie's mom took jalepeno jelly and poured it over cream cheese and served it in a hankey. It was called Gazoontite. It was so fun seeing all of the creative foods brought.

Carving Pumpkins

2010-11-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

As tradition would have it, Louis helped the kids scrape out the seeds from 2 large pumpkins and then I spent the rest of the time cleaning the seeds off for roasted pumpkin seeds. Kenda picked the cat to make and Makiah picked the spider pattern.

More fun at Walters

2010-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Along with the regular fun, there was a huge sandbox filled with dried peas instead of sand. The kids spend a really long time playing in the pit and driving all sorts of cars and trucks through the peas. I caught Gabe filling each of his pants pockets with peas for the ride home.

They walked back and forth through the kiddie patch looking for the perfect pumpkin.

I think all the fun wore both of them out, as the ride home was really quiet.

Walters Farm Fieldtrip

2010-11-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Kiah's preschool class went to Greenbluff on a fieldtrip and Gabe and I tagged along to help. We went on a tractor ride around the orchard, sampled homemade cider and applebutter, and got to pick a pumpkin and an apple to eat.

The kids each learned cool facts about apples and the #5. For example: a red delicious apple has 5 points on the crown. It has 5 seeds inside and each blossom produces 5 apples. Also a cool fact is that it takes 50 leaves to make the nutrients ofr 1 apple.

Kiah learned the pumpkins grow on prickly plants.....say that 5 times fast.

Caution...Danger ahead!!!

2010-10-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well, Gabe got a new bike today because the one I bought at a garage sale didn't hold up to Kenda trying to ride it. After a few test runs at Walmart while the girls picked out costumes, he was ready to get home and ride. We put on his "not-so-manly" Dora helmet. (Daddy felt this one would do....I thought he needed something a bit more boyish that had not previously belonged to his sister). Of course, Daddy won. Anyway, the sun was bright so of course I thought he should wear his sun glasses...and it made for a cute photo. He was doing great going up and down the sidewalk and then...he over-corrected. The helmet scooted back farther on his head when he crashed. (I submit that a new one may have saved him). The sunglasses moved up to wear the helmet should have been and they smashed into his forhead when he hit the cement. He has the most gruesome L shaped indent in his forhead from the crash and he banged up his cheek and chin a bit too. The bruise inside the L is also pretty blue/green. He was not the least bit phased by it. He asked right away if he could go back out and ride again. I chickened out and kept him in for the night.

Kiah's first time on the bus

2010-09-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

Each Wed. Kiah has speech class at an elementary school in the area. She attends for 3 hours and the district busses the preschoolers to and from. This was her first experience with the bus. We met her in front of our house after school and shook hands with the bus driver and the aid. He said he wished he had 12 more like Makiah because she was so good on the bus. Yeah for public school perks !

Kenda's First Day of School

2010-09-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Kenda is going to Ramsey Magnet School. They are a science focused school so they will do additional science activities through the year. Their first project was to put gummy bears in water and hypothesize whether it would get bigger or smaller in water over time. She has to wear logoed shirts, but can wear most kinds of jeans/pants. She is having fun getting to experience lunch in a real school cafeteria and having larger class sizes. It is a good chance for her to meet new kids and experience the better end of public school.

Kiah's first Day of School

2010-09-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

In the land of regular bloggers, I am considered a huge slacker. However, I am working very hard to catch up on the kids baby books, which in my opinion is of higher priority than the blog. Here are some recent pics of the kids. Makiah is attending FUN SCHOOL, taught at a gymnastics center. She spends 20-40 min every day doing gym and the rest is doing preschool. She has come home with lots of fun
papers and projects over the last week and a half. On thursday they will be going bowling for the letter "B".

Cake and Ice Cream

2010-07-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

The employees were so sad that they were going to miss Gabe's actual birthday, that we decided to celebrate it with them so they could all share in the festivities. The kitchen made a chocolate cake covered in caramel (local favorite) and we made another cake with chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. Kiah picked the sprinkles and I "decorated"....if that is what you could call it.

This is Gabe with Daphne... (his favorite friend besides Adolpho). She is the creator of the monkey pinata and was his other mother while we were there.

Daddy helped him blow out his 2 little candles after some convincing that it was OK to do that.

Gabe's Birthday Pinata

2010-07-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

For his 2nd birthday, Daphne our friend, made Gabe a monkey pinata. After only a few swings he had busted it's head off and was heading for the rest of the body. Kenda and Kiah each got a few swings and with that, candy went spraying all over the tarp. What a cute pinata.....it was a hard thing to decide to smash into pieces, but such is tradition in Honduras.

Kayaks

2010-07-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

The kids spent as much quality time as they could during the 2 days they had together. Louis and I took the kids out on the kayaks for a while. The girls then realized how much fun it could be to have a floating diving board and spent at least a half hour taking jumps off the kayak into the water. They were so tired out by the time we went to shore.

Crazy Monkeys

2010-07-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Grandma Sweets came back to Roatan the last 2 days of our stay and brought Keatin and Madi with her. Gabe missed her so much.

This sneaky monkey got into her bag and stole her cigarettes out of her bag and then proceeded to rip them into pieces high above us while we watched helplessly. It was quite a sight seeing him holding a cigarette in his mouth.

Monkey Tour

2010-07-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to a monkey park for Gabe's birthday activity. Keatin and Maddi, the kid's cousins came as well. These were a few of the monkeys the kids played with. The set of three would not separate from each other. They would only sit with the kids if they were still together. They had so much fun trying to get the monkeys to eat the peanuts we were given by the tour guide.

Beach Days

2010-07-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Roatan Continued...

2010-07-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

The beach is our favorite activity. The kids go there in the morning or afternoon to stay away from sunburns. The water has been so nice and calm and Kenda has been a great help with Gabe in the water. I have actually gotten through 7 books since wehave been here. On Saturday we celebrate Gabe's birthday with the employees a week early so they can be part of it. He will be 2 on the 31st. I can't believe how big he is getting. He is talking pretty well and he is potty training well. The staff sure love him and all of them pick him up and play with him every chance they get. He spends evenings behind the bar with the staff getting drink umbrellas with marchino cherries and pineapple slices. He definately knows what a pina colada and a bananarama drink are. :)

Beach Days

2010-07-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Roatan continued....

2010-07-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

The kids are loving Roatan. The girls realized after the first week that it is very hard to keep their hair managable with the humidity and the sand. Finally, one of our kind restaurant staff offered to braid it for them. Gabe has been running to the beach and jumping in fully clothed. I have a hard time keeping him dry and sand-less. He is definately in his element with bare feet and sand everywhere.

Roatan for the Summer

2010-07-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

After 5 weeks of trying to post these pictures, it will finally let me. We came to Roatan the day the girls got out of school. We had a crazy layover the first night arriving in Kansas at 11pm and then we had to be back to the airport by 5:00 for a 6:30 flight. I should mention it was only me and the kids. Louis went a week early. So we got on the plane and waited...and waited, until they finally told us a battery on the plane would not charge and we needed to disembark until they could fix it. Of course, that meant that we missed our connection in Houston. By 2pm, we arrived in Houston and had no connections to Roatan. 3 very tired kids and I checked into yet another hotel for the night. We were so excited to leave all the airport terminals and be with Louis in Roatan.

Yeah Potty Potty

2010-05-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

I may be off my rocker but I think we are going to start potty training Gabe. He has insisted on sitting on the potty chair to go potty for the last week. He has actually gotten pretty good and #1 and #2 and can consistently tell me "pee" and we run in and he goes. He is only 21 1/2 months and I have been told by all the "experts" that I should wait until he is closer to 3 to start. I hate to discourage the progress he is making by holding off so I think we are heading towards training pants and all that fun stuff. Wish us luck.

4x4 ing down the stairs

2010-05-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

I should have known that eventually this would happen. Call me naive or whatever, but I had thought he had the hang of our house layout. Apparently I was wrong. Gabe apparently misjudged the amount of room between the front tires of his 4x4 and our stairs.
The truck was unhurt......Gabe not as fortunate. He will have yet another fat lip for the next week or so.

Our Toothless 6 year Old

2010-04-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

I am sure most of you have experienced this before, but it is a first for me having my oldest with less teeth than my youngest. Kenda has lost 2 teeth in the last week or so and it looks like it will be a while before we see any replacements. Daddy is having a blast ripping them out of her mouth with a piece of wet wipe as his slobber barrier. It actually works quite well because it sucks up the spit while he pulls it out and keeps the tooth from getting too slimey. She looks so cute....aka hilarious with this new look, but as they say, it came to pass...not it came to stay.

Easter Egg Hunt with Bonus Bunnies

2010-04-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Lastly, for my Easter blogging, I share a few pics of Gabe on the family Easter egg hunt. Grandma and Randi stuffed a huge...and I do mean huge bag of plastic Easter eggs with candy, dollar store toys, pennies etc. The big kids hunted eggs in the front and the little ones wtih in the backyard. Gabe had a blast! Grandma had several plush bunnies that she tried to pawn off onto us moms. When we declined, she got clever and decided to hide bunnies all over the yard too, so whatever kid found it, got to keep it. Needless to say, we have 3 bunnies....2 were the big ones that I had rejected when I was offered them in the beginning. The girls had so much fun counting up their winnings. Grandpa handed out plastic eggs with Dollar coins in each for the kids. Gabe ended up with 16 eggs and a purple and pink bunny (go figure).

Can you see the green egg hidden on the tree branch? It took him a while to see it.

The Clash of the Cousins

2010-04-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Just look at this cute innocent little face. Gabe is such a sweet, helpful little guy. For instance, he could find Noah's sippy anywhere in the house and he would come running as fast as he could yelling "baby..sippy" over and over. Even when Kass hid it in the fridge, Gabe would find it and bring it to Noah. Now, the pictures below are my confession to my sister, who trusted me to watch her son for a while when she went back to her room to shower. I got a bit carried away with dishes etc and when I turned around, Gabe had fed Noah a blue malted robin egg. Noah, as you can see is just fine and completely grateful to Gabe for the kind offer. However, my accomplice (who's name will remain annonymous) and I were both a bit nervous to have to break the news to her that we neglected her son. This is my way of finding out if she is regularly reading my blog and putting a bit of distance between us as I tell that story. :) Sorry Kass!!!

Easter Festivities Continued...

2010-04-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

Of course, no Easter would be complete without the traditions. We colored hard boiled eggs one afternoon with Aunt Jess, Aunt Kass and Hayley. The girls had so much fun and luckily Gabe took his nap for most of it. For anyone who has not heard of our family tradition of hiding baskets, I will explain. The night before Easter the kids all leave their shoes by the front door. The Easter Bunny takes a shoe and hides their basket somewhere in the house (or sometimes outside, depending on the weather). The shoe is left in the corresponding basket so when they find a basket they know if it is their basket by the shoe with it. It is a long evolved tradition that has changed a bit as marriages and in-law traditions have been added, but that is the jist of it. This year, Easter was cold and the week proceeding it was very snowy. The Easter Bunny wisely hid the kid's baskets in the house this time.

Easter at the Blakes

2010-04-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

We spent 10 days at Grandma and Grandpa Blake's house for Easter break. Grandpa decided to take the 3 oldest girls to Cal Ranch for a shopping trip. They returned in western skirts, new shirts and horses. Now, you will notice that Kiah did not get a horse. Apparently, that is because she decided to have an ice cream cone instead. In the 2nd pic down, she is posing with cousin Hayley's horse. I was so pleased with how cute they looked as little cowgirls. They had such a great time that day with Grandpa Blake.

Gabe could not resist being in the picture with Grandma and Grandpa and all the little cowgirls.

Chuck E Cheese

2010-03-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

Louis and his 2 brothers took the initiative to put together a trip to Chuck E Cheese in Spokane with the cousins. Madie, Kenda, Kiah, Gabe and Lynnae had quite a fun time. Lynnae was a bit too shy to pose with the mouse himself, but the other 3 girls did. Note to all parents, DO NOT attempt to do this on a Saturday, no matter how fun it may sound to you in the beginning. It was completely chaotic and really too busy to have peace of mind while the kids played, though I know they enjoyed it.

Valentine's FHE

2010-03-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yes I realize it is March now, but we have all been sick off and on the last few weeks and I am just now getting caught up on my life. For our Family Night, we decided to make sugar cookies. I also realize that it is not that original of an idea. We each had to pick a member of our family to make the cookie for. We each put as much time and love as one can with sprinkles and colored frosting. Then we ate the cookie we got from the other person. Even Grandma Lynn got a cookie when she came for dinner one night. The girls had lots of fun and were excited to share their creation with the person they made it for. Even Daddy got into it with a heart that had 2 colors of frosting. Gabe, of course, just ate the sprinkles he "accidentally" spilled on the counter and then used 2 knives to help clean up the frosting from the cartons.

Make Up Party

2010-02-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

So, one day Makiah comes home from school and says her cousin Sofie has invited her to a make up party. All week she talked about it. Finally I called Sofia's mom to find out what it was all about. AJ confirmed that Sofia had actually invited several of her school friends to this party, though AJ had known nothing about it. We decided to continue as planned but modify it into a cousin party instead. We had 6 little girls eating tea party treats and getting all dressed up in the bathroom together. Uncle Derek AJ, and Grandma Lynn stayed to help out with the party. The girls got their nails painted first and then headed up to the bathroom together.

Kiah insisted on doing her own makeup, along with the other girls....even mascara.

What a fun time it was for them to all get together and spend that time together as friends.