Sleeping Princess!!

Our sweet little #5 is ALWAYS wanting to wear pretty dresses and fancy shoes!!!  She has at least two dresses on at the same time in this picture.  Often she will have on a couple fluffy skirts underneath her couple of dresses! I guess she thinks the more fluff -- the better!!   She will also walk around holding her blanket on her head while it dangles down her back as her LONG HAIR.  She walks around like that for hours.... you would think her arm would get tired!!! Then she twirls and dances and does her 'pretty walk'-  it is really funny!!!  She is at that stage where she still needs a nap, but if I put her down, she won't go to sleep at night time.  So she often falls asleep wherever she lands!! 

 

Dad is trying to wake her up for dinner!!! Precious girl!!

Comfort Seekers and Tin Foil Dinners!!

I always tease Shane because whatever he is doing.... he has to make it COMFORTABLE!!!  So, the other day, he was washing dishes (I should just be grateful for that alone...not many husbands will do that... with a smile too!) Anyway, he is so tall, that he has to bend down to reach the sink and he says it hurts his back!  So he decided to pull up a chair and to make himself comfortable!! What really made it funny was the fact that he opened the cubboards so that he could stick his legs underneath the sink!  That's a whole lot of effort for some dirty dishes!!!  I just had to make fun of him a little for it! 

My Boys just love TIN FOIL DINNERS..... so they have been making them themselves in the fire pit in the back yard!!!  AHHHH!!! Fire and Food..... it doesn't get any better than that for a teenage boy!!!

#2 is the PYRO of the family....

Practice Makes Perfect!!

Number 3 has been playing the violin with a new teacher this year!  She is really enjoying it and is getting better all of the time!!  It has been fun to watch her play and grow!!!

Desert Rats!!

Our Favorite Desert Pastime....

 Bub.. just chillin on OLD YELLER!!!

 #1 - on his favorite- STROKEY!!!

LITTLE BLUE!

 The 'posh' ride!!

 Training em' young!!

Now she thinks she can drive too! 

 Meet the newest member of our family!!   BIG BLUE!! 

Now- we have the same amount of machines as drivers... the problem is... we are getting more drivers every day--- they just  keep growing!!!  It won't last for long!!  

He Passed!!

#2 turned 12 on February 10! He had a great birthday and was really excited to reach the 12 year-old milestone! He is now a Deacon and this past Sunday PASSED the sacrament for the first time! He was so excited and asked us several questions before so that he would know what to do. His big brother is the Deacon's Quorum President, so he had the right person to talk to about the logistics of passing the sacrament. #2 happened to be the one that would pass it to the Bishopric... and after the meeting started, a member of our Stake Presidency came and sat on the stand. That threw off his 'who is presiding' plan-- So, Shane had to do 'sign' language to show him who he had to pass it to first. He figured it out and did a great job! Now, Shane and the two boys are all together on Sundays and for weekly YM activities. Shane was the scout master, but is now the 2nd counselor in the YM Presidency.... This is the first time the two boys have been in the same church class! It is kindof cool!!! At least when they go on a campout... they are all together!

#1 also had to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday--our ward had a speech festival and he was one of the youth that was chosen to speak at the Stake speech festival...so they asked him to give his speech in sacrament meeting--! It was a great talk! He wasn't super excited to speak in sacrament meeting AGAIN- he already did that this summer--! But he did it anyway and did well!! He wrote the speech without a stitch of help from me or Shane- he did a great job!

My camera was also having a moment during #2's birthday party! So, no pictures!!! He got a live trap, some new arrows for his bow and a new sling for his slingshot! Can you say.... "I like weapons?" He has wanted a live trap for a long time. He wants to catch jack rabbits & ground squirrels in the desert! Well, two days after he got it- someone STOLE it right out of the desert! Can you believe that? I guess the neighbors said it was a lady on her horse who took it-- I guess she stopped by their house and asked if it was theirs--She said she took it because her cats keep disappearing- evidently- she thinks the trap was for catching domestic cats!!! Whatever! Crazy lady-thief on a horse! Keep your cat in the house if you don't want it to disappear... not to mention all of the coyotes around here that could be snacking on them!! So, he only had his trap for two days!!! Bummer!!! He and Shane went to every neighbor to see if they were the ones who took it!! We still haven't figured it out.... but we are hoping to solve the mystery somehow!!

So now I have TWO boys that hold the priesthood! They are such good boys too...what an honor and a privilege to be their Mom!!

Teaching #4 to ride!!!

I haven't blogged much lately because my photo uploader isn't working... I have to load the pix with the old uploader and one at a time. If anyone knows what is wrong or how to fix it... let me know! I have been trying to post this one for a while now! #4 has been dying to learn how to ride the motorcycle- so the other day-- we gave it a whirl. It was pretty funny-- he kept going off and on the throttle, and everytime he used the throttle--his head would fall back. He didn't crash, but it got away from him a couple times! I was videoing and he almost ran me over--It was pretty crazy for a minute! He decided he might need to wait until he is bigger to ride again! We made him ride it again the next weekend-- so he wouldn't hate it... but he is a little more cautious now!! We love our motorsports!!

Sledding FUN??!?! or NOT!!!

 Getting ready to go!!!

 Notice the fear in my eyes!!!

 There is the jolly green giant!  He flies on that little pink saucer!!!

The older I get the more whimpy I am about sledding!  I just pray that every time we go.... we won't have to take a trip to the emergency room!  It seems that someone always gets hurt!! But, the kids love it and we have a great time!!  The kids are all crazy--- #5 is just a sack of flour-- she can't even make it two steps without falling down-- so someone has to tow her up the hill or carry her!! She called it 'snowin'!! She kept saying.... lets go snowin! It was really cute!  #4 is a kamakazee sledder.... taking all the unnecessary risks to get the most air and go the farthest!  The older boys are pretty crazy too!!  The hill is about thirty minutes away and quite a change of scenery compared to our mild desert winter.  It is nice to be able to still enjoy the snow and not have to live in it!  My camera died right after we got there... so there aren't anymore pictures than these!!  But we had a great time and the boys went again the next weekend!!!