At the Roos House

We had a fun 2-week vacation this past summer at the Roos house. It was great to see them again on Sunday night. Dad Roos is always talking up his new big screen, so we had to watch the last Red Sox game (boo!) with our favorite Boston fans! Darren's brother Josh, and his darling little boy Tyler. He is hilarious, and was being such a good sport staying up way past bedtime to watch the Sox game and playing with cousins!
What a darling family! Darren's sister, Melisa, her hubby Jordan, and their three beautiful girls, Madelyn, Abby & Catelyn. They are all so fun. The girls keep us entertained with their fun giggles & amazing feats on the stairs & furniture.
Oh my GOSH how they grow up! Camryn, Josh & Jamie's baby {sorry, Jamie, I didn't get a pic of you or Dad} is the smiliest baby. It was so fun to hold & enjoy a little one! She was a tiny newborn the last time we saw her.

Fun @ My Parents' House

Great-Grandpa Bob challenged Alexander to his 1st arm wrestle. Don't ask me how he managed to go 9 years without an arm wrestle..?!
Courtney playing with my old doll house

Grandma Kathie had a tea party {homemade root beer} with the kids out on her balcony. She had ALL the goods. M&Ms, sugar, cookies, donuts-- you name it, it was there. Talk about a sugar high:)

The kids were in absolute heaven!

She also made some darling little Halloween crafts with them. Thanks, Grandma Kathie!

The Montana Smiths

My brother, Adam, his wife Tyana & their cute kiddos

Adam finished up Med school in Iowa & Ohio, and they've settled down in a beautiful little town in Montana. We loved seeing them!

Miss Katie being very obliging when we told her to pull funny faces for the camera:)Michael is such a smartie! He loved showing us his satchel and Indiana Jones whip.
This was the most darling game & the kids had fun playing together. It is fun to see Alexander being "the oldest" cousin. His little cousins sure look up to him & he loves them, too!

Family Halloween Party

First, we started off with a fun family dinner. Alexander, Michael, Katie & Courtney
Grandma Kathie had lots of fun activities for the kids to do. They played Halloween Pictionary, balloon pop, roll the pencil, and showed off their awesome costumes!
Next, we had a spooky visitor. The younger kids weren't sure about this witch-- until her nose fell off and they realized it was GramZ! She brewed up some "Gob-L-dee Gorp" {which is a concoction of coconut, raisins, peanuts, candy corn, etc} that nobody likes to eat, but it's tradition. She is such an awesome Grandma & Great-Grandma!
The Sleeping Beauties dancing {we love Auntie Rebecca!}

After we put the kids to bed, the grown-ups stayed up and talked and laughed until we cried. Somehow the conversation turned to the baseball play-offs, and Grandpa Adams disappeared for a minute. He came back and read us all "Casey at the Bat," an old but classic poem. We love staying with my Grandparents. They are always so welcoming and fun!

All Together Again

This is the 1st time in 8+ years that my siblings & I have all been together. Getting this family photo together brought me back to long trips in the station wagon, where pinching, elbowing & wet-willies abounded! That being said, it was the BEST to be all together again. I love you all so much! Ryan, Rebecca, Natalie & Adam
The whole family {remember what I said about wet-willies?}

(and that's the chair sticking out on the side)

Wishing Flowers

Courtney kept collecting and blowing "wishing flowers" at the cemetary. It was beautiful to watch the white seeds being carried by the wind. We wish you well, Grandma!
My Father, saying goodbye.

Making Cookies @ Grandmother's House

My Mom always has fun activities for the kids to do. First on the list: Cookies! The kids got totally spoiled with treats @ Grandma's house. Every time I turned around, they had chocolate or sugar smeared on their faces. I guess it's OK, since it's only once or twice a year:)
Alexander sifting flour with his Great-Great Grandma Peck's sifter.
S-t-r-e-t-c-h!
We love our Grandma Kathie! We found out the day after we left that she has pneumonia! She was still a good sport in keeping up with the kids.

Salt Lake City

Our first family stop was in Utah, where Darren's sister lives. We surprised the kids with an extra treat-- Grammy Roos was there! Mom Roos was in Salt Lake for an MS treatment, so we got to see her as well as the Cazier clan. The kiddos love to play together & they love their Grammy!
Mom Roos, Cami, Scott, Alyssa & Nathan. Thanks for the fun visit {albeit short} & the yummy chicken noodle soup!
Nathan & Alexander are best buds. Right now they're both into... you guessed it-- Indiana Jones & Star Wars. Alexander gave us all an impromptu recital on the piano, featuring songs from those movies.

Fish Lake National Forest

Road trip! 15 hours there, 15 hours back. We stopped and had a picnic here. I have to say, though, this was the prettiest time of year to travel. I was really missing the seasons & it was an unexpected surprise to enjoy a little bit of Autumn!
The kids are such great travelers. Of course, a trip to Idaho is something they LOVE! {Courtney is showing off her strong teeth skills by eating an apple without the use of her hands.}
The kids were fascinated with the sound of crunching leaves under their feet. Simple wonders! Courtney is sporting her I've-been-in-the-car-for-6-hours hairdo:)

I Haven't Slept for 2 Days...

So what better to do than make cookies? I know, I'm crazy. I promised my Primary kids {my new calling is Primary chorister} that I'd make them all cookies. They had to earn the ingredients, depending on how awesome they sang each song.
75 cookies! I stayed up late Wednesday night to finish them. With an unexpected funeral to go to, it was a crazy week. I was so sad that the Primary Program happened to fall on the same weekend. I'm sure the kids did great!

Remembering Grandma Henderson

Our sweet Grandma Hendy passed away early this morning. She will be missed! We were so lucky to have been able to see her this summer & be there to celebrate her last Birthday.

She lived in California most of my childhood, and I can recall one vacation to visit her & my Step-Grandpa when I was really little. It was our big trip from Idaho, and I remember being completely terrified of the big ocean waves, hunting for snails, and thinking what a HUGE house my Grandparents lived in {they managed a Hotel}. That's where I had my first accidental taste of coffee {something was dripping down the side of their thermos, and I just had to take a lick!}

Grandma adored animals & always had a dog that she treated like it was her child. Her dogs were always dolled up with barrettes and bows. She spoke in a very sweet, Betty Boop-ish voice.

Grandma loved jewelry and dressing in bright colors. She must be where I get my love of diamonds. She'd ask me if I knew what a carat looked like, and then show me one of her rings.

Here is my Grandma Thelma {Smith} then, on her wedding day. She & my Grandpa were such free spirits {especially for the 1940's}. Grandpa thought he would start a new trend by wearing riding gear to the wedding instead of the traditional gown & tux.

We're missing you, Grandma, but are comforted that you're free from earthly pains. We are glad you are finally reunited with your baby, Sharon, who you never got to see grow up.

I sing Angel Lullabye to the kids every night, and tonight we feel blessed to have another angel to watch over us. We love you!

Five!

The dinner request was very exotic: Tacos. Here's my beautiful 5-year-old, making herself a taco while watching Ariel's Beginning.
We love you, baby! Yes, even though you are 5, even when you're 50, you'll still be my Baby Princess. You are such a dream come true, our miracle, and you bring such joy and happiness to our lives. {and she requested the ghetto-esque cake-- "a rectangle with these sticker thingees on it"}

Rainforest Cafe

We always let the kids pick whatever they'd like to have for meals on their birthdays. When I asked Courtney what she wanted for lunch, she said, "Betunia fish sandwiches." She doesn't like fish, and has had tuna fish sandwiches maybe twice in her life.
She quickly changed her mind when I asked if she wanted to go to lunch somewhere. Rainforest Cafe, hands down! Courtney's favorite animal is a giraffe {with pokey-spots}.
Kinda spooky with all the rain, thunder & crazy animals! Alexander is sporting his day camp shirt because it has jungle animals on it. {He always has to dress for the occasion}
VOLCANO!!!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Good morning, Little Princess! Courtney was all {sleepy} smiles when she woke up. Alexander was so excited for her special day that he camped out in front of her bedroom door so he could be the first to wake her up.
We were busy decorating the night before. Alexander was on streamer duty, and decorated every surface of the house he could! My creative muse for this project was Krista, {the amazing} who posted these fun flower poms from Martha Stewart's website.
After an all-pink breakfast of Barbie cereal, pink Pop Tarts & strawberry milk, we headed into the Living Room to unwrap presents. Courtney wanted everything "Sleeping Beauty." She finally got a {non-itchy} Aurora dress that she didn't take off for the rest of the day!

In {Town} 'N' Out {of the House}

We were a little sad today.... my Mom was supposed to fly into Phoenix, but my Dad had to take an emergency trip to the hospital. We're worried about him and needed some distraction. What better than a trip to town-- the costume shop, In 'N' Out Burger, Barnes & Noble, & a movie! {the kids are on Fall Break} This is my 1st attempt to post a picture from my phone...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T {find out what it means to me}

What an awesome kid. The first award of the school year was the Respect Award, given to the student who is always ready, kind, helpful & respectful.

Way to go, Alexander! We are so proud of you. You are such a blessing in our lives, and we love you so much.

The Pie Maker

Finally! The night we've been waiting for... Pushing Daisies Season Premiere! With all the fall in the air {wishfully thinking of New England}, I was really in the mood to bake an apple pie, in honor of the Pie Maker.
The kids were fascinated with my apple/peeler/corer/slicer & wanted to help out.
The result: a very ugly apple pie {no time for perfection when you have less than an hour before the Season Premiere} that was completely delicious. I baked it @ a friend's house so I could watch the show on a hi-def big screen:)