Fashion Show

When Aunt Shari came to visit, the girls decided it was the perfect time to put together a fashion show. They love to dress up and show off, especially when Morgan helps them with their hair, makeup, and dresses!
They started out as fashion models, as evidenced by these videos.
Emily needed a little bit of coaching at first, but eventually she figured out how to prance and show off!


Kira was clearly experienced and didn't need any coaching!


Addy decided she liked to spin, so much so that it was making the rest of us sick!


We had fans in two different states! Here are some of the Utah fans. (Don't they look excited!) Cole also served as janitor. Those feather boas tend to make a mess!
While the Fashion Show was going, we were in the middle of Skyping with the Chicago family so we could wish Tabby a Happy Birthday and they could wish Brady a Happy Birthday. So every time the girls came down the runway, they also had to go wave to the computer and the family there!
Grandma saw the magic of Skype, although she still might be a little confused as to what was going on. I don't blame her, with all of the chaos and talking and yelling and laughing, I was confused as well!
Round 2 down the runway was the princess run.
Addy was Princess Aurora.
Kira was Cinderella.And Emily was Princess Jasmine. (Showing off her midriff, much to her Father's dismay!!)Round 3 was the action round.
Emily came and performed as a ballerina, while Kira was born to be a cheerleader!


Addy was a gymnast, although she could do better at this now that she has actually started going to gymnastics classes!


Finally, they all took a bow, along with Morgan and Brady, who were the show coordinators and wardrobe managers.
A job well done all the way around! It was certainly entertaining!

I Can See!!

Last fall, Emily brought a note home from school stating that she had failed the vision screening and should be taken in for an eye exam. She had just recently been to the doctor and passed their screening, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Over the course of the next several months, I began to notice that the child who reads everything she can didn't read things that were farther away. When I probed her on it, she would tell me she couldn't read it or it was too far away. So, I finally made an appointment and took her to the eye doctor. It only took the first row of shapes before it was obvious that she was going to need glasses. The doctor eventually explained that she was going to need glasses anyway because she had two nearsighted parents, but her constant reading had actually sped up the need for them. Who knew reading really is hazardous to your health!! She was a little nervous at first, but when they showed her all of the frame choices, she was in heaven. I bet she tried on 10-15 pairs before she found the ones that she liked. Then she was disappointed when she found out they had to order the lenses and she had to wait to get them. Every day for the next two weeks she asked if her glasses were ready. Finally, they arrived and this is the adorable result!
Who knew our cute girl could get even cuter with glasses on!

When you are the 4th Child!

When you are the 4th Child,
This is what you get to wake up to, if you are lucky (or not, depending on the day!).
When Addy has a friend over, Kaitlyn gets a bonus face to wake up to!
When you are the 4th Child of a sports family,
These are the toys that get left around for you to play with.
When you are the 4th Child,
Your Mom often gets distracted and forgets to put a bib on you. This is the result!
When you are the 4th Child,
Sometimes you get so tired you just put your head down on the floor and take a nap.
When you are the 4th Child,
You eat whatever you can get a hold of, including a barbecued rib on the bone!
When you are the 4th Child of a family that reads a lot,
This often happens. First she looks at it,
Then she lays on it,
Then she tries to eat it. Then it gets taken away and she screams!
When you are the 4th Child,
There is always someone to play with you. (Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's not so good!)
Usually there are a lot of people to play with you!
When you are the 4th Child, or any child that has bad ears,
This is what you look like right before you go to have tubes put in them! At least she got a new stuffed animal out of the deal!?
When you are the 4th Child,
You are so loved you can hardly stand it! We love you Baby Kates!

Weekend at the Cabin

The weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day (or Equal Rights Day as it is known in Utah), the kids had a 4 day weekend. So, some friends of ours invited us and another family to go to their cabin for the weekend. They had fun things planned for the cold weather, like snowmobiling, but because there was no snow, we had to improvise.
My kids had just as much fun on the 4-wheelers and they didn't freeze nearly as much as they might have otherwise!
They had horses to feed and pet.
We like to refer to Josh as the "Horse Whisperer". When he was around, the horses came running.
It took a few tries for the kids to get used to the horses eating out of their hands, but I think they all eventually got the hang of it!
Ok, maybe Addy never did get the hang of it!Family picture time!The horse wanted to be in this family picture!
The kids, of course, were entertained by pretty much anything. Including playing King (or Queen) of the Rock!
Or watching the big boys play on their various electronic devices. How did we used to be entertained!
Even though there wasn't any snow, the ice was still frozen enough for us to go ice fishing. I was very, very skeptical at first, but in the end we all had a blast. It was probably the most fun thing we did all weekend long. They even caught 2 fish. Not enough to keep us from starving, but enough to make the kids happy!
Chad's first attempt at ice fishing.
Thankfully we had Connor to show all of us what to do!
The kids learned the trade from their buddy (almost cousin) Brock.
They also learned to never trust Kim with a fishing pole. She and Emily managed to tangle the line, much to the dismay of the boys!
Still trying to untangle it. "Women! Can't do anything right!!"
Eventually they caught a fish.
And they all stood around and watched it flop on the ice.
I thought the girls would be squeamish and stay away, but Addy wanted to be as close to it as she could!
All of the kids posing with their catch.
The girls wanted to be in a picture with just them and the master fisherman. While everyone else fished, Kaitlyn bundled up and enjoyed the scenery.
Eventually the sitting and waiting for the fish to bite bored the kids, so they moved on to just playing on the ice.
Who knew a sled on the ice could be so entertaining!





Eventually being out on the ice took it's toll and it got really cold. At that point, the kids became mounds of blankets!
Baby Kaitlyn
You can identify Addy by her pink boots.
I think Cole is the pile of blanket in the back!
Overall, we had a great time and a relaxing weekend. Thanks to great friends!

From Scrawny to Chubby!

Kaitlyn has finally made her way onto the growth charts after being a runt for most of her life! This video shows why. If I don't spoon the food in fast enough she starts kicking. This was far enough along in the feeding that she didn't scream every time I paused like she often does. Hopefully this passion for food does not lead her into childhood obesity too quickly!



If I quit before she's done, Kaitlyn takes matters into her own hands. More than one bowl of baby food has been knocked across the table or onto the floor when I leave it too close to her! You'd think I'd learn by the 4th child.

Hopefully her love of carrots, green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, and squash continues. I can only imagine how excited she will be when we bring out the good stuff like apples, pears, and peaches!

Our Christmas Best!

It's a really funny thing that I hated wearing dresses when I was little, but I love to find matching dresses for my girls to wear on holidays. Oh what have I become!! Oh well, they are cute and that's all that matters!!
My handsome son who is growing up far too fast for my liking, as evidenced by his pants that don't fit.
Although we need to work on his picture face!
My Emily who looks cute in whatever she wears, but looks especially beautiful here.
The full length shot that shows her favorite black shoes. (I think they are her favorite because they are fancy. Have I mentioned that I can't believe we share the same genes!)
Addy-cakes, who can make you want to laugh and yell, usually all at the same time!
She was also quite proud of her shoes. Hers were red sparkly hand-me-downs from cousin Kira.
My sweet baby Kaitlyn,
Who was not an easy subject to photograph. She always seemed to get a hand or foot in the way, but she was still cute even then.
Apparently I tried to get too many pictures because this was what I got when I tried to take one of them together.
Or perhaps this one is a better one!
Since I really wanted one of them all together, I tried again later at a new location. Thankfully the results were much better!
Not perfect, but then neither are my children! But, I still love them so much I can't even express it.
I was sad that Chad had to leave before we could all get a picture taken. He even had a red tie on to match us. Oh well, at least they will have one picture with their mom in it!
After we got all of the ones that I wanted, the rest of these pictures were bonus ones.
The girls, my sweet angels
I hope one day Kaitlyn appreciates how much Addy loves her, but definitely not yet!Ditto for Emily's love. She might appreciate that a little sooner than Addy's though!
As we were taking pictures, the other kids around didn't want to be left out. This is my cousin's daughter with the girls. (Her green is the perfect compliment!)
Cousin Blake and Weston sat still just long enough for this picture.
And possibly my favorite picture of the whole day. It brings to mind the song lyrics, "You would cry too if it happened to you." If you know Blake and Addy, you have no doubt why Kaitlyn is screaming bloody murder. (And if you only know one of them, they are kindred spirits of stubbornness and destruction and love all rolled into one!)
I love you Cole, Emily, Addy, and Kaitlyn!