Summer Fun - Man, it's been a while!

It's been a while since I blogged. Hope you enjoy the photos of what we've been up to lately. After this post is another post I made time for today, too.

This spring we had rain. And then more rain. This desert was sure surprised!

But even with all the rain, Miranda Joy still needed more water in her diet, apparently...

And so did Polly Pocket and her friends.
(is that Corey's tongue sticking out? Hum..wonder if Chelsea knows?)

And spring sports...Chelsea getting her game face on...

Jared ready to run one back for a touchdown...

And Corey running down the sidelines...
(Yes, this is a posed photo. Corey just couldn't get in on any plays on the side of the field where mom sat with her camera. Of course, when she didn't bring her camera he ran right in front of her! So, one day after a game he was happy to run right over so I could catch him in action. I believe he said "here mom, I'll even look serious for you". Didn't know he could be serious!)

Washer-repair day. Enough said.

Here would be Ms. Chelsea (playing the role of Sharpay Evan) as she sleeps with her HSM mask on. No kidding. The girl can sleep with this on and even "needs" it sometimes. Of course, the first night she tried it on for size she woke up around 1am crying out for mommy. When mom got there she had a scared look on her face and said she couldn't see anything and forgot where she was. Mom and dad tried really really hard not to giggle about this one the next morning as she recounted how scared she was.

And when city-folks want to camp without the hassle of actually camping, here is what they do: head to the backyard with flashlights, snacks, books and cell-phones (to call mom inside if they run out of something - duh!).

Summer Fun

My sister and her husband came for a visit (drove from IL with two kids - man, they're brave; or nuts?!) Here would be more of why I haven't made time to blog for a while:

Getting ready for fireworks on the 4th of July.

One neighbor brought their new dog (which is the size of a small rat), another family brought over their talking parrot (which apparently is very nervous and needs psyche meds) and other neighbors brought their children. It's become a little tradition at our house to light fireworks in our driveway. And, of course, Jared went on his annual "bug hunt" looking for a bug to "light up". Boys - yuck! See Kyle's chair (it has been retired to the garage)? If anyone out there wants this chair, it's free! Call me and I'll put it in the driveway for you. Did I mention it's free?! Kyle and this chair have been friends since BEFORE I ever met him! Yikes!

Other things to do when the cousins come over: put the baby in a cave while the older kids climb the walls.

Or, ask your children to sit on a fake dragon and pretend it's eating them. (Shouldn't they look scared at least?)

Ahhh...here is the scared look on the girls' faces. But why are they scared? Maybe it's the smiling boys who were sitting across from them?

This will go in my "all time favorite photo" collection. Miranda and Daddy - bonding.

Other miscellaneous playtime activities at a local rec. center - of course the play area was for kids 12 and under.

And finally, our Lagoon Day...
Roller coasters, bumper cars, train rides, water rides - you name it, the kids did it! No fear in this crowd.

Bedtime, of course, had to include stories. So, dad helped out too.


And that's what's been going on around here during summer vacation. We only have 6 weeks because of year round school, so we're cramming as much as we can into them. Obviously!

Denver Broncos Season Tickets

Year after year after year, I waited. And, as fate would have it, the email finally arrives...15 years later.

Yes, I now have the opportunity to purchase up to 4 season tickets to the Denver Broncos. I first signed up on the list back in 1994 hoping that some day I could purchase season tickets to the Broncos. Back then, I had assumed I would be living in Denver and not Utah where I currently find myself.

Now, 15 years later, I have until June 10 to decide if I want to purchase or go to the back of the line and wait another 15-20 years.


Now, I really like the Broncos. But who are they really, today.? They have a new coach, that in my opinion hasn't shown me a reason to buy said season tickets.

#1.) He ran Jay Cutler out of town to Chicago, the only Broncos player jersey that I've purchased (that was good for 5 months).

#2.) He hasn't addressed the Defensive problems while at the same time has made the offense look much worse.

Putting that aside, I still have a dilemma. Did you notice the respond by date? Yeah, June 10. Should I pass on this opportunity and wait until 2024 for another chance at season tickets OR could I get season tickets as an anniversary gift? Its the gift that keeps on giving, 10 times a season. Hmmm?

Well, at least the Broncos are the local broadcast game here in Utah for now. I guess I'll have to settle for watching them over the airwaves instead of in the stands.

For Mother's Day...City-girls on the farm?

Here would be our annual "look into the sun, try to smile without squinting so mom can see her big-kids looking nice for Mother's Day" photo. Of course now that the boys are bigger they pick out their "dress clothes" which include clean tennis shoes (as opposed to the mucky ones they usually try to wear) and a button down shirt that is not tucked in. Not bad, eh?

This year the girls went to Wheeler Farm. Our church has an annual mom and daughter's day event and this year we tried to country-fi our city-self's for a few hours. You can put a city girl on the farm, but that doesn't mean she truly appreciates the smells, dirt and piles of who-knows-what you just stepped in! It was a fun day for all of us - really. Fed and pet some of the animals, milked a cow, went on a hay ride, learned a line-dance and showed the girls how people "used to go potty"...they said "oohhh gross!" That's my girls!

It's A Boy! (second post for the day)

Kyle and I went out on a date this weekend (with Jared in tow) to "The Apostles of Comedy". They are a 4-man group of Christian comedians - yes, Christian comedians. They are hilarious and don't use any offensive language what-so-ever! We laughed for a good two hours (or more). If they come to your area, get a sitter for the younger kids and go! You'll laugh and you'll be blessed! They also promote World Vision's mission while on tour and we ended up leaving with an 11 year old boy whom we will be sponsoring.

Fernando lives in Mozambique (the south eastern part of Africa) with his parents, two brothers and one sister.

After 7 days of "God Stops" (a term we borrowed from Beth Moore), we knew he was to be part of our "spiritual family." Kyle is VERY relieved! He was thinking we may be headed to another country to adopt - again. YIKES! This is much, much, much easier! The paperwork only took 5 minutes! And, we didn't wait 2 years for a referral! If you'd like to add a child to your "spiritual family", consider going to World Vision's website (or just click HERE).

A very special Sunday

Corey was baptized today! After taking the class for kids at our church, doing "homework" with minimal complaining and getting over his nervousness...he did it! Looks like he had a little fun, too! We're very proud of him.

When we got home we played outside for about 4 hours and then a Utah rain storm moved in (the storm where rain comes down fairly hard for about 5 minutes and then the sun comes back up and you wonder where the clouds went). This is what appeared immediately after the rain:

This is what Corey said: "Hey mom, I got baptized today and look; God sent me a rainbow".

Two years ago...this was Jared's big day.

Miscellaneous Happenings around here lately

"Mama, Miranda get dressed, ok?"

This would be one of many, many outfits we've seen this past year, and the older MJ gets the more creative the outfit. Look closely and you'll see bobby socks with dress shoes, some sort of decorative skirt underneath a decorative skirt over a leotard. But wait...the sunglasses and pack-pack are essential "add-on s" apparently. Hum...wonder if she'll be a clothing designer when she grows up?

When I grow up I want to be a "Veterarian!"
(pronounced Vet-er-air-e-an)

We love the words Chelsea has come up with over the years. Our personal favorites would be "electrickity" (pronounced e-lek-trick-ity) for electricity and "pupcakes" for cupcakes.

Ahhh...Easter Fun!

We had some serious egg-coloring going on around here. Corey was far too busy playing to stop and do a "crafty" thing and Jared lasted about 4 eggs worth and he was done. Guess tweenagers just don't color eggs like they used too.

Easter Morning:

Miranda Joy sure enjoyed this Easter more than the last. She was all smiles going through her Easter "bucket". The kids and us parents have nice Easter Baskets around here - somewhere. I took them out before getting ready for the Easter Egg Hunts the kids had this year, placed them carefully on a shelf downstairs and after putting the kids to bed late Saturday night, they were gone! Good thing we had a "fall back" or we would have been in trouble hours before the Easter bunny was to arrive!

Our church has an Easter Egg hunt after the service each year and this year (and the last several years) we were "invited" to put things together for it. Here would be my two helpers who spent more than three hours stuffing between 750 and 800 plastic eggs with me. Jared and Miranda joined in after Corey, Chelsea and I got a good start, but Miss Chelsea helped me the entire three hours. Thanks, Chelsea!

When we bought our house 8 years ago, there were 6 kids on our street. Look what happens on one street in Utah (10 families live on our street). Not pictured would be three teenage boys and Jared who said they were "too old" to come play with us.

Look who now has earrings!

She's been asking for "pretty ears" like Chelsea. And since Chelsea was four when she got her ears pierced, we figured MJ could handle it, too. Here she is waiting for the pretty ears...

Here she is after the "shock" of what the pretty ears felt like.

Those of you who have been following our blog know that MJ hardly ever cries, but this is what her "I hated that, make it stop" face looked like. Unfortunately, we still had the other ear to do.

Don't worry, though, because by the time we left the mall she was happy again and from then on she has shown everyone her "pretty ears". This mother is hoping that now that her little girl has earrings, people will stop calling her "dude" and "sport" when we're out in public - wearing PINK!

MJ loves to "help" with everything. So, no matter what the task, she's all for it. On the left would be her making Rice Krispie treats...what kid wouldn't like that? On the right would be her helping mom with chores...and liking it! That's just wrong.

Not many pictures of Jared this last month; he's been busy growing up, I think. So, one night I asked him to help with dinner and I was completely impressed and amused! He was grossed out, couldn't believe that this is what raw chicken felt like and that he had to dip it in "goo" and then actually eat it for dinner. It was hilarious and the video camera also came out to play so we could get his commentary, which went something like this:

"Oh man, this is...yuck...oh...gross...it keeps sliding out of my hand...now my hand...ooohhhh...gross....and we're actually going to eat this...."

If you click on the photo you can see his disgusted face.
Thanks Jared! Dinner was yummy and I know how much it pains you that you agreed.

2nd post of the day - Important Info here!!!

Please check out this new blog:

ifwehavefaithofamustardseed.blogspot.com

The Davis family (our travel buddies) are adopting again! And, God has told them where (not China like they thought, and not a girl, either). Their story of how they know their son is waiting for them is on the blog they started for Noelle, so click "Davis family" over on the right side and scroll down just a little bit to read "Big Announcement". Or, you can just click HERE.

If you like Lia Sophia jewelry, or know someone who does, here is your chance to buy something nice and bless my friend and her family!!! This friend is donating all of her commission to their adoption. You have to place an order before April 11th. The info on "how to order" can be found by clicking the above link. Be sure to order using the hostess's name: Tonya Davis

Will you consider placing an order to Bring Jonah home?

Kyle, if you're reading this, I'd like an early birthday present...maybe some Lia Sophia jewelry! Just think, your shopping will be done months ahead of time!

The ugly, red, angry stage (and other stuff, too)

Here is the "ugly, red, angry stage":

No, we're not talking about our "all-smiles all-the-time" Miranda Joy, but rather her scars in "doctor lingo". We went in for her 3 month follow up and her doctor said the redness is very normal and to just keep putting vitamin E on it twice a day. Okay! We have noticed the redness slowly going away, but never knew that scarring had and unofficial title. So, the plan for her little face is to do nothing for another 6 months (YEA!), then see where she is. Then, they will remove the tiny dot of a nevus in the corner of her left eye, and a residual area just in her hairline. Then, with lazors, some of the scarring on her face can be minimized even further. And, her left eye will have a "lift" so it opens as much as her right eye does, and her right eye brow will be slid back over. Phew! I think that's everything???

Meanwhile...

This would be Miranda getting ready for bed recently. She was so proud of herself and commented on how pretty she looked. Wouldn't you agree? Who knew that Jazmin and Dora could make such a beautiful combination - to sleep in! And jelly sandals??? Who wears those anymore, much less sleeps in them?

Oh, and just so you know that we are trying to incorporate some Chinese culture into her every day life as much as possible, here she is using chopsticks! They are the most kid-friendly kind I've seen and now she thinks she should use them for any dish...even ham and crackers and macaroni.

We have a 6 year old!

The best part is when she tells us how old she is now and gives us a "high 5" and a "thumbs up" each time. And, of course, we tell her to smile beside her cake and she has to pose.

This would be what Chelsea brought home from school this week. She told us at the beginning of the year this little boy would kiss her hand, say "I love you" or both and she didn't like it. He's laid off some, and Chelsea has learned to say "I don't' like that, please stop saying that to me" (ahhh those words made her dad feel much better). She opened it and wanted to immediately rip it up and throw it away (after making a dreadful sigh) and I begged her to let me take a picture first. This little note now peacefully rests in the land-fill (garbage day was yesterday).

And for her birthday (and because MJ is tooooo big for the toddler bed), the girls got bunk beds. Miranda has fallen out once in less than a week! Don't worry, she didn't even know she fell out. I heard a thunk, went to check on the kids and found her in the middle of their room, rolling around on the floor with one finger in her mouth and the other hand twisting her hair into a knot...just like she was sleeping.

The boys love a good "girl party". Here they are cooperating with mom so she could get at least one picture of them celebrating Chelsea's birthday. Thanks boys!

Last month was Jared's birthday and look who has decided that he's old enough to play with fire...I mean light his own candles. Not sure what Corey is doing here, but he's smiling and it's the only one of him on my camera that does him justice.

Photo Shoot Photos (2nd post for the day)

We had Miranda Joy's 4 year old photos taken last week and re-did some family ones. She looks so different...and notice whose lap she is sitting on in the bottom photo! You've come a long way, MJ!

Chelsea begged for one of just her and her sister. Who could say no to that?

We were in and out in under an hour! The kids all did amazingly well - and no complaining! Who gets family photos taken without someone in a sour mood or smiling "wierdly" when everyone else has the perfect smile? We've never had such luck...ever. Thanks, kiddo's! (PS) They got an ice cream treat on the way home for their exceptionally cooperative behavior. Who cared that it was 30 degrees?)

Happy Birthday MJ & Happy 1 year home!

Look who turned 4!

She loved her presents - especially the singing HSM cards.

The girls attacked that poor ladybug. Of course, since most of the girls still 'swing like girls', the ladybug was only injured. It took an older girl (one who didn't swing like a girl) to help the candy find its way out.

Here is MJ dancing with her friends during "musical dress-up". Of course, we played HSM and had an in-prompt-too sing-a-long. She loves to put make-up on, and now she can help others look pretty with her new vanity. One of her friends even gave her a lucky envelope with $$ inside.

After the festivities, we set up the rather large stage in the living room and the girls had a little dance-off. Corey participated. Jared tried to watch the end of the Superbowl with his dad...of course Troy and Gabriella were a bit louder than the T.V. What a good sport the man of the house was yesterday; letting Miranda celebrate her birthday while the Superbowl was on. Thank You Sweetie!

The brothers had little to do with the party, but did a good job entertaining the older siblings...playing Wii, of course. So, since they aren't in any of our b-day pictures, here they are playing Jr. Jazz (well, at practice, anyhow).

Just for fun, here would be Miranda Joy's last years birthday photo. Of course she was sick, on her way to the doctor and just threw up. Yuck! Not to mention, she'd been home less than 24 hours with her new and crazy forever family! This year was much better for her!