Christmas Traditions

One of our favorite family Christmas traditions
is going to Grandma's house and decorating
mini gingerbread houses.

The cousins all come and they have a great time
creating their masterpieces.

We know, not all the candy makes it onto the

houses!

Thanks Grandma for a fabulous night!

Fall Update

It's been a while since I have posted any
photos, so here is what we have been up
to this fall.

We celebrated Ryan's b-day late, and Jake's a
little early at the Cheesecake Factory. They
have wanted to go there for months and
it did not disappoint!



The cheesecake was HUGE!

Ryan performing in his school orchestra concert.

With some of our favorite teachers, Mrs. Case who has

taught Jake in orchestra in 7th and 8th grade, and is now

also Ryan and Hailey's music teacher. And Mr. Jones,

Jake's 6th grade teacher, a great teacher and mentor.

Jake is almost as tall as him!


Hailey in her Indian get up for Thanksgiving.

Aubrey with her team mates, the Crazy Pickles.
(Ryan also played soccer, but I didn't get any pics!)

Jake was a part of the Fiddlin Falcons at his middle school.

Jake loved playing basketball for the middle school, and

spent hours afterschool practicing.

Jake ran track again this year and did a great job!

First Day of School

Jake is going into 8th grade- same school,
no big deal.

Aubrey is 8 and in 3rd grade...she was just

ready to start school. No time for photos...

Ryan, in 5th grade, is also happy to be back

to school, but not about the photo op.

Hailey was having a hard time going into

1st grade. We took her first, but she was

nervous, so she went with us to drop off the

others. When it was her turn to go, she cried

a little, and I stayed with her for a few

minutes, then she was fine, and had a great day!

AS much as I love these kids, it was time to go

back to school and get back to their routine. And

time for me to have a little FREEDOM back! We

are all happy with the start of the new school

year!

Texas Trip!

The summer is almost over, and its time for one last
road trip to see our cousins in Austin, Texas.


The kids all had their electronics to keep them busy. Here
Hailey is showing off her snaggle tooth. We called her
"Hailey McPhee"! She refused to pull that tooth!

The kids all had a great time swimming every day,


and just hanging out with their cousins!


We went boating on the lake...

Here is Jake on the wake-board.

Here is Ryan on the knee-board.

Aubrey, Hailey and Paige on the tube!

The girls made up dance routines and bonded over the

weekend.

On the way home we stopped at a hotel, and rested from

our 9 hour drive. We had a great time in Texas! Thanks

David and Amy!

Summer Fun!

We are loving our puppy Daisey, and she is getting big
fast! She's so spoiled by the kids being home all day to
play with her.

It's so cute when she lays on her belly with her legs
stretched out!

Aubrey and Ryan ( still in their pjs)...

finding a way to stay cool when its 108 outside.

Swim team practices every morning and

night and meets on Saturdays keep the kids

busy and cool!

Visiting the Braithwaites in their new house in Prescott,

AZ! The cousins had a blast together playing hide and

seek in their big house, while Staci and I had fun

organizing and putting up pictures!

The weather was nice and cool - in the 80s, but the kids

still found a way to get wet!

My Closet Make-over

BEFORE:
These are the shoes in my closet- always a mess, and
I can never find the pair I'm looking for when I'm in
a hurry, which is always.


AFTER :
With a little help from the guys at Lowes (who cut
all the wood for me), I finally have a home for my shoes!



BEFORE:
We have no linen closet in our bathroom, since
we opted for a bath, and they put our shower
where the linen closet would have been.


After:
Now I have plenty of room for all my stuff!



Aubrey and Hailey were a big help!
We listened to Justin Bieber for 3 days straight
and had some great bonding time.



The FINAL PRODUCT:
Now I love my closet! I just want to hang out
in there all day (it's the only clean room in
the house!)