What do you get...

What do you get when you have a 4 year old, a 3 year old, and a 2 year old together?

A whole lot of FUN!

Chocolate

Hailey LOVES chocolate!! About once a day she will come to me and say, "I meed choklite". She gets really put out if I don't have any. It is a real "need" for her, I guess.

Young Love

Today while I was watching my friend Hannah's kids, Gavin and Hailey were watching Brendan play the Wii, they decided to snuggle up in the same chair. It was so cute and he just kept stroking her hair and when I went to take their picture he wrapped his arms around her. Love was really in the air!

A Camping We Will Go!!

I am not a camper, to say the very least. I don't enjoy getting dirty and sleeping out in the cold. But several months ago, Corey's dad drew out for the elk hunt (I'm definetly not a hunter either, but I guess this is a really big deal because the hunt is so limited, only 11 people drew out for it) and really wanted everyone to come and make it a family campout. I knew my kids would have the best time and have not been camping very much, so reluctantly, I agreed to go. Friday we packed up and headed out to meet up with everybody, we were kind of in a rush to get there and get set up before dark, but we did it-barely. The place where we camped was really nice, but the dirt was like fine powder- everytime you stepped dust clouds went everywhere. I'm not kidding when I say my kids were covered head to toe in dust and dirt
.

These pictures don't even do it justice- These were taken when they were reasonably clean. But they had the best time. They had all their cousins to play with and they could just run free. They built a fort and they would play for hours there and only turn up when they were hungry and would crash at night because they had played so hard.

There was a small mountain just north of where we were,Carter was dying to hike it and kept saying how he wanted to get to the top of it, and I just kept thinking that he didn't realize how high it really was. But Corey took the boys and thought he would let them see how far they could go.

They set off and I was shocked a little while later when I spotted the orange spots moving through the trees and they were really high up the mountain. They made it as far as they could before it was just too steep and then came back down-I was so surprised that Brendan kept up the whole way. They were so proud when they got back to camp, they had filled their pockets with flint and rocks they'd found (which ended up in the wash) and had some practice with the BB gun along the way-gotta pass off scouting stuff some how!

This was their view from the top

When we were packing up to go home, the kids were just begging to stay another day, and I actually wished we could just because they were enjoying themselves so much, but I really was looking forward to a long, hot shower. I just wish camping wasn't such a mess to clean up from. I think I did six loads of laundry yesterday and there was so much dirt in the bathtub. I hate to say it, but I think even after all that, we will have to try to go a little more often.

Is this Dangerous?

Carrying your bike up the stairs while wearing your brother's flip flops- perfectly safe!

I caved and Wii love it!!

I have always been opposed to getting a game system. I didn't want my kids to get so caught up in video games and not be able to think of anything else, but over the last little while my kids have broken me down. So we finally decided to get a Wii. I wanted to save it for Christmas, but Corey didn't want to wait that long. So in the weeks that we were debating the issue, Carter was looking for something and found it. So Corey won and went ahead and set it up. I have to admit it has been a lot of fun- even though there has been some fighting and frustration because of it-and I'm kinda of glad we got it

I took this video of Kayden playing because he can't sit still while he's playing. You would think that it's virtual reality because he will stand up and make all the moves that he is doing with his controller. I caught him just a few seconds to late though to catch the dancing around the room moves.

I just wish I had a video of Corey. Many nights I've come downstairs and he will be in the middle of a boxing match really working up a sweat. And we have some wild bowling tournaments. I have to get in some practice for the next time I bowl with my family. I can't be humiliated again!

More for me than anyone else...

Since Hailey is the youngest and the only girl, I tend to take a lot of pictures of her. She is always a lot more willing to let me too. And really I just think she is cute, so I need to do something with all of them. Here are just a few of the most recents ones I've taken.

Dirty face and all, still cute!

Better late than never!!

My kids have all started school now-the older boys started last week- and Brendan had his first day today. Kayden is now in 4th grade and Carter is in 3rd. It blows my mind that they are that old already- I kind of wish I could just keep them young a little longer, but is so fun to see

them grow and change too.

I realize that this is not a good picture. I took them out front right and started to take pictures and Kayden kept closing his eyes. I told him I couldn't take pictures of him with his eyes closed and that really upset him and started a whole lot of drama. So he was trying his best to put on a good face, but the damage was already done.

Brendan had to make sure he had a picture in his new blue shirt before he left for school. He started a new preschool, but still has some of the same friends in his class- he was really excited to get back into school-he gets so bored without his brothers at home.

Hailey just didn't want to be left out!