Happenings...

I need to get back in the habit of blogging once a week, so this little ol' blog of mine can serve its second purpose: a not-too-personal journal of our family.

Points of interest since last post:

It's official: Lindsay is now TALLER than me.  I knew it was inevitable.  I just didn't think it would happen so fast.  She was officially 5'7" on September 30th.  I'm pretty sure I've still got her on weight, though.  Here is where I would add a picture of the two of us standing side by side if I weren't so vain.

Calvin turned 6 months old.  He's as cute as can be.  No teeth yet and not quite sleeping through the night, but that's the way we make 'em.  Here are pictures of our kids at 6 months old.  It's seriously weird how much alike they all look.  Literally, with the boys, almost the only way I can tell them all apart is by looking to see how old Lindsay is.  If she's 2, it's Miles.  If she's almost 5, it's Samuel.  etc.  It's so funny.   (Side note:  I know there are only 5 pictures of 6 month olds below, but I spent like an hour trying to scan one of Julia or find one in my files of pictures.  She is the one who looks the least like the others at that age anyway.  I'll work on getting her picty in here sometime soon.)

Also, here are the pictures of both Julia and Lindsay as a bunny for Halloween when they were 3.  They look a lot alike in this costume, but in pictures, they are different because of their hair.  Lindsay's is darker and curly at that age, and Julia's is lighter and straight.  Otherwise, they look awfully similar.

Halloween 2010

Here are the pictures:

Choosing pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.  Those of you from New York State will think our patch here dusty and dry, but hey, look at the beautiful clouds over the plains.

in the corn maze

A cute cow.  This little pumpkin has a story, too.   Our sweet neighbor, Jessie, showed up on our doorstep one day after we'd bought the pumpkins.  She said, "It's been bothering me all week that there are only 5 pumpkins out here."  So she pulled from behind her back this little pumpkin that she had grown in her own garden.  She said that Calvin needed his own pumpkin and that this one had reminded her of him.  Too cute.

Julia as a bunny rabbit

Wesley as an octopus

Samuel as Darth Vader

Miles as a wizard

Lindsay as an old lady.  Notice the baby powder in her hair.  We weren't sure what she was doing upstairs, but when it came time for her picture, I found her in my bathroom shaking baby powder all over herself.  Later that evening, I went to put something away in my closet, and I discovered a few of my skirts on the ground.  Had she been rifling through MY closet to find "old lady" clothes?  Am I an old lady?  sniff, sniff

the whole gang.  I think they were all yelling "Happy Halloween"!

More new pictures

The funny thing about my not blogging AT ALL lately is that my sweet mother-in-law just found out how to work this wonderful world of blogging.  As you can see from my "profile", she (and my Mom) are the number one reason why I do this blog thingy anyway!  I mean, I know the rest of you all like to see the goings-on of me and my people from a sort of curiosity point of view, but those two women, our grandmas on either side of this lovely country of ours, really do love and adore these six people almost as much as I do.  I'm telling you, Grandma Helen literally got on this blog like the day after I last posted, and I haven't posted since.  Sorry, Helen.  I'll try to be better.

And now how's about those photos of my kids!!!  Have you ever seen such beautiful photography?  My cousin, Emily Grow Walton of Barnwood Photography in Oakley, UT (just outside of Park City) took those pictures.  Aren't they gorgeous?  I have those six photos on my living room wall right now, and every time I see them I just sort of sigh with happiness.  You know, I might not parent them perfectly or model for them the perfect reaction to frustrating behavior or do whatever else it is we, as moms, think we should be doing.  But somehow by some sort of freak roll of the genetic dice, they turned out to be seriously beautiful children.  Now if I could just get them to practice the piano and do their homework...

Here's another gorgeous one of Julia I just couldn't resist posting.  And a few others...

Seriously, isn't she amazing?  Go check out her website at:  barnwoodphotography.com  If you're in UT, I'm sure she could find a way to photograph you and your family.  She's amazing with kids and just has a fabulous eye for photography.  As her father-in-law put it, she has the perfect balance between knowing the science behind photography (you know, all those acronyms for light, speed, etc.) and understanding the art behind it as well.  Plus, she's an all-around wonderful person who will totally make your family feel at ease.  Thanks again, Emily.  You are the best!!

An Up-dated Family Picture

Ahhhh, those 40 pounds I have not yet lost since the arrival of #6 are very visible in this picture, but everyone else looks so cute.  I needed to get an up-dated picture with Calvin in it on here, so I'm swallowing my pride and putting this one on.  Yes, even with my quadruple chin showing.  Sigh.  On a hopeful note, I finally bit the bullet and went back to Weight Watchers two Saturdays ago, so maybe by the time we take our annual Christmas Card picture, I'll just be down to 25 lbs overweight and only two chins.

One of those moments

         So, this post won't have any pictures, and it's connected to a sappy post I wrote when Calvin was exactly 2 months old.  (If I were really blog savvy, I'd embed the url of the post here with the "here" in another fancy color so you could just click over to it.  But lucky for you (all 2 of you who read my blog...), I've only posted 3 times since then, so you can just scroll back.  Aren't you impressed I even know the word "embed"?  I'm probably using it wrong...)  Anyway, it's connected to that other post because I had had one of those delicious moments of motherhood where you just want to "ingest" (to use my sweet cousin's word) every detail of it.  Well, I had another one of those moments two nights ago.
         Lindsay and Tim were sitting at the kitchen table doing her math homework.  All the other kids were in bed (a very important part of the equation when you want to really enjoy a moment, a peaceful moment, that is...).  I was sitting in the family room.  I looked up at the table, and there they were:  the two tall, string beans,  all arms and legs, with the exact same double layer, ear-to-ear smile stretched across their faces with the exact same dark brown eyes.  Two of my favorite people in the whole world.  Dad was being silly about something or other, and they were both laughing, enjoying working together.  My heart just swelled inside.
           Lindsay is a very complex, strong young lady.  There have been a lot of moments that have had the polar opposite feeling associated with them, so in a way, I wonder if my enjoyment of this moment was all the sweeter.  She's come so far.  We, as her parents, have learned so much.  She has probably helped me learn more about my Father in Heaven than anything else in my life.  He has given us the agency to choose for ourselves.  No one (no, not even your over-bearing mother) can force you to do anything.  As one of the dozens of parenting books that I've poured over put it, "one can only control oneself".  That has been a definite lesson we've had to learn with our little Lindsay.  It's been quite the journey with her.  I think I can honestly say I wouldn't change any of it for all that it's taught me.  Well, okay, I do wish that one afternoon in the summer of '06 when I locked her out of the house for some type of disobedience or other, so she started pounding on the front door with a hose nozzle, and when I opened the door to tell her to please stop destroying my property, she actually sprayed the hose INSIDE my house, dowsing the stairs and sprinkling my piano.  Yes, that day I'd skip....but for the most part, we have so enjoyed this wildly strong, independent soul that was sent to us.  She is one magnificent woman.  It was so fun to see her with her Daddy the other night.  I took a mental and emotional picture of that moment, and I plan to enjoy it for many days to come.

First Day of School

Lindsay, ready for her first day of 7th grade at Webber Middle School.  Don't let the smile deceive you.  The complaining about the dread of middle school (which, honestly, I get...) was a constant this summer.  Her bark is much worse than her bite (and, unfortunately, I get that, too...).

Miles and Samuel are ready for action.  These two started on Tuesday about an hour and a half after Lindsay, so I don't have a picture of them all together.  Also, Wesley didn't start Kindergarten until two days later, so he's not in the pic either.

This is the whole gang at the bus stop.  Not all the kids were there for the picture.  It's hilarious, though, because there are  8 boys and 1 girl at our stop.  They have fun.

Miles outside of Mrs. Fenn's classroom.  Lindsay had her for the 5th grade as well, so he already knows she's strict but fun. 

Samuel outside of Mrs. Moat's 2nd grade classroom.  She's new this year.  So far she has been great.  They have classroom money.  It has gotten everyone motivated.  Samuel earned $16 last week.  Also, they have contests between the different groups of desks.  If your group wins, you get to have seat cushions on your seats for the next week.  You can't imagine how much this motivates those 2nd graders.

The Kindergartener, Wesley, finally gets to go to school.  He was so excited.  Julia couldn't resist jumping into the picture.  Also, you can see "Hobbes" in this picture.  This summer my cousin's kids gave that to Calvin.

He was ready for the bus, too.  How could you not be when you get to go with your two older brothers?

The traditional picture by the school sign.  There was a total line the first day of school, so we opted to take one on the third day of school which was Wesley's first day.

Wesley already listening intently to Mrs. Krenning.  Here they are sitting on the "ocean" carpet learning where to put their lunchboxes.  Yes, I have him in all day Kindergarten.  I think that's why I'm missing him so much.  That's all that Mrs. Krenning teaches, and she is such a great teacher.  sigh

NY 2010

It was a long flight out there with a three hour lay over in the Atlanta airport.  Wesley sacked out while we were walking the leisurely mile from one gate to the next.  

Julia finally fell asleep on the last part of our flight from Atlanta to Buffalo.

Doughnuts from this delicious bakery in Arcade.

Gotta get the haircut from Grandpa Joe.

Samuel

Even Miles, who for some reason hates getting his haircut, will smile during a haircut when Grandpa Joe's the barber.

Julia and Lindsay having fun playing in the "crick" behind Grandpa's shop.

I know it's sad to take a picture of a crying baby, but I just had to get a picture of him before church in this cute outfit that used to be his Daddy's.

Uncle Kevin manning the grill with Grandpa's supervision.

Samuel and Calvin

Lovely Lynette

down by the lake

I did not even know someone did this to him, until I was looking through the pictures after we got home.  It was most likely on Michael Jackson.  I hope it wasn't too loud.  Eeks.

My two thumb suckers.  The one on the right is supposed to be a reformed thumb sucker....sigh.

Having fun on the lake

Aunt Sandi with Julia on the boat

Watching the action

How I spent most of our "vacations" this summer: on the sidelines snuggling an adorable baby

more fun in the lake: Shaylyn, Lindsay, Julia, Tristen

How much more classic summertime can you get: fishing with Grandpa

Our friend, Raymond, hadn't been swimming in decades.  Here he is attempting the tubes with Samuel.

More tubers.  This picture cracks me up, because you can see the two cousins with the way curly hair: Lindsay and Nathan.  Where did they get such curls?

The on-lookers on the boat: Shaylyn (totally sacked out), Julia, Tristen

The reason we all gathered

The Happy Couple  I'm so grateful to them for setting such a good example of love and respect for fifty years of marriage.

on some waterslides:  Julia, Miles, Samuel

on the slide at Arcade Park
Even with all the fun things we do, the kids always insist we go to the Arcade Park.  It warms my heart a little.  It is, after all, the park their Daddy grew up playing in.

Beautiful sunset out the plane window on the flight home

Wesley passed out in the stroller again.  This time on the way home.