Turkey Day

What a wonderful Turkey day! We were so fortunate to have Uncle Pete and "Cousin Sarah" (B has to call her cousin because he has an Auntie Sarah too) here for the special day. The day started with Kent getting up and taking down the stuffing for the turkey, to Kelly's at 7 a.m. Kelly and Sarah graciously agreed to host Thanksgiving again. (They do have two ovens). :) We figure it will be at their house every year.... since they had alot to do we asked if Keegan could come spend the day with us. The boys were so excited! Keegan waited patiently for Brayden to wake up and then they decided they needed to take a shower. I know this is probably very evil, but I couldn't resist their cute bums...... After Kent made all of us a yummy french toast breakfast we decided to decorate for X-mas. The kids were thrilled! A little too excited, there was a lot of running and screaming. Everyone participated and only TWO glass ornaments were broken! Danielle squeezed a ball in her hand and shattered it, but she didn't cut herself, amazingly enough.

Ellie checking out all the ornaments.

The boys insisted on putting the tree skirt under the tree, they did a great job. It was quite a success!

Ellie getting loves from Cousin Sarah.

YAY for turkey and pumpkin pie!

Dani having so much fun playing with her cousin's toys.


I didn't get any pics. of the adults, or the wonderful dinner. We had a great time and at the end of the night we took shifts playing the wii. I think Kent was the reigning champ, with me being the biggest loser, I didn't win any rounds. As we were going home we finally let Brayden play :) he boxed Kent and did a pretty good job! Notice Kent's glistening skin, he was soaked with sweat. The whole room smelled like B.O. thanks to him and Kelly. :)

Hunter, Ally, Ellie, Brayden and Dani, only 5 of the 8 kids. We were lucky no one got knocked out with all the swinging that was going on!

Too much fun! We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends!

First Haircuts

The mullets had to go. I was very nervous taking my baby girls in to get their haircut. It was long and scraggly and in their eyes. Kym and Noah inspired me to take the girls in. Noah sat in the chair for at least 10 minutes without a peep. My girls didn't have quite the same experince. I had Ellie go first because she tends to be more outgoing and fearless, not so much with the hair though. She was saying owie before we even started. (this may be because she had to get her flu shot a couple of weeks ago from a stranger). I held her in my lap and tried to keep her arms pinned to her sides. Not such an enjoyable experience, but now she can see.

Danielle opted to not even get out of the stroller. She stayed in the stroller and screamed instead. Luckily the lady was quick and just trimmed it up. It's amazing how different they look with just a little bit cut off the front and back. They still have mullets, but maybe not so scraggly?

I tried to get their pics. after, but they didn't want any pics. taken. They stood on their heads and ran away from me. Ellie tackled Brayden and wrestled for a while, avoiding me.

Last minute fun and a sad good-bye

We had such a fun weekend with Kym and her boys. It was sad to say good-bye and think that we won't see them for a year and a half! There were hugs all around, which was so sweet to see. The kids had a great time, but I think they were all getting tired of sharing and/or negotiating everything, especially Brayden and Elijah. Being the same age made it difficult to figure out who the boss is. :)

Elijah giving Ellie squeezes.

Noah even gave up hugs to Kent.

Before they left we decided it would be good to take all the kids to the park and let them RUN! It took at least 20 mins. to track down enough coats, hats and mittens, but we made it!

Waiting to head to the park.

Danielle getting ready to take off running!

Brayden climbing and climbing.

The Langfords all trying out the big slide!

Ellie and Elijah, they loved each other!

Noah going for a ride.

Dani pulling her new friend, Noah.

Swinging girls.


Kym, this pic. is for you! I put this up all by myself! I am so proud, thanks for your help with the other ones! I miss you already!

Crazy Kid Weekend with the Langfords!

The Langfords visited us this weekend! We have been so excited and couldn't wait for their arrival! We had so much to do and kept very busy with FIVE kids 4 and under! It was so cold here we couldn't play outside so we turned the heaters on in the garage and let the kids loose. Our little Picassos.

Breakfast for the triplets!

(Noah is two weeks older than the girls and people thought they were triplets when we went out).

Wagon ride in the garage.

YAY for movie time.

Snuggles!

At High School Musical on ice. The boys LOVED it, the girls didn't last as long as they did. But we all stayed until the end (not necessarily in our seats though).

Backpack, Backpack.....

Happy 81st Birthday Great-Grandpa Pratt! This morning Brayden and I made a cake for my Grandpa's B-day. Brayden decided blue frosting would be fantastic for him. He was determined to do all of it by himself! Grandma wasn't feeling well so she didn't want to expose us to her germs. She gave us some B-day hats and we partied in the car. I hope the blue cake was yummy!

The girls have new backpacks and they think they are the coolest kids in the world when they have them on. They insist on wearing them, but then take them off in two seconds and want help putting them back on. It's a fun game! Hopefully they'll be able to do it by themselves soon! They look so cute I couldn't resist posting these pics.

What Have You Done?
I saw this on a friend's blog and it looked like fun. If you want to play, just copy the post, and bold everything that you HAVE done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (duet with Bree W. in choir, I can't believe she agreed to do it w/ me! I am a HORRIBLE singer).
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (W/ Kym in Switzerland)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (Too expensive for our college budget!)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (in the park)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (unfortunately all too often in college, again horrible singer)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (hand in high school, back in college)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

Family traditions....

When Brayden was 3 months old we thought it would be a good idea to get our first family picture. All was well and good with one content baby boy. NOW, four years later with three kids, it's not quite the same. We still get our X-mas family picture, but it proves to be a bit more challenging. In a nutshell we had to make the attempt more than once. On the way there today Brayden asked, "If I do a good job and my sisters don't, do we have to go again?!" I sure as hell hope not, I was thinking, I didn't actually say that because I want him to think it is SO FUN to have pics. taken for an hour and a half with screaming kids!

After this morning we decided if two out of the three kids look ok, we'll buy it! We got one family picture, but none of the kids together. Brayden made goofy faces and the girls were on the run the entire time! (Sarah, I tried every bribery trick I know, it just wasn't happening. Maybe you can put your running shoes on and take some at some point). :) I snapped a few of the girls when we got home becuase I wanted a full body shot, it seriously took twenty minutes to get those dang tights on! They weren't real excited about them. (I don't blame them though). Brayden was more than done with pics. so he didn't want ANY more.

As for the hair..... I thought it looked better than it really does apparently. The flash brought out ALOT of red. Over lunch Kent and I were talking about what we were going to do tonight. He suggested, "Why don't we go get another box and try a new color?" Isn't he sweet? So, tomorrow I may be bald. I guess it's a good thing we're done with pics. red hair or not.

These are a couple of my favorites from the week.... Ellie is quite the fasion guru, here she and Dani are wearing Brayden's coats. Throughout the week she insisted on wearing his sunhat, and a winter hat and a bathrobe (Which she HAD to wear to Fred Meyer) and ONE sandal that is three sizes too big. I tell you, this girl has a definite opinion about EVERYTHING! (Just like her dad). Dani seems to be a little more laid back and go with the flow (like me?).

Dani girl.

Ellie with her hat of choice.