field trips and more parties

Ellie had her preschool field trip at Black Island Farms on Friday. The girls didn't have school that day so they wanted to come too. My kids love this place. They had so much fun playing with each other! They buried each other in corn, went down the slides, watched pig races, fed lots of animals and they got to go on a hay ride and pick out a pumpkin!

I love this picture!

                                                                  

      
That night we had a Halloween party at Grandma's  house. The kids had fun carving pumpkins, eating soup, eating scary desserts and playing games. My mom got them glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces and they were dancing in the dark with them. It was pretty funny to watch. Addie had one request to my mom she didn't want the scary song from the party last year. Well.... the kids were busy dancing away to Halloween songs and we didn't even notice but the next disc started and the scary SONG came on and Addie freaked out!!!! Thanks mom and dad for a fun night!

the yummy dessert

                                                they loved the worms sticking out of it!
                                                            

                                              
                                        



school Halloween parties

I helped with the kids school Halloween parties on Thursday. They did a carnival for Addie's party. The kids went to each station and played a game and won lots of candy and prizes. They had tons of candy and toys donated by other parents so they got spoiled!!! It was fun to see Addie with all her little friends and to see how much she loves kindergarten. They played a game where you have to guess how many candy corns are in a container and Addie guessed 130 and there was 180 so she won. When they called her name she was so surprised  and it certainly made her day. She was all smiles!

Lexi's party was a Harry Potter theme. My friend Monica planned most of it and it was awesome. They did broomstick races, made magic potions with food coloring, made capes out of garbage bags,and broomsticks out of pencils and raffia.

I was pretty sad because I took my camera out of my purse after Addie's party and I realized 1/2 way through her party I didn't have it. I got a few pictures on my phone but they didn't turn out very well. I did get a picture when she got home in her cape and holding her broomstick so she was pretty happy.

Lexi and her friend Hailey were very excited at the party. Apparently they have been wanting to play with each other for a while so they found out that we were both going to be helping at their class party so they planned that I could meet her mom and we could set up a play date. Her mom came over and introduced herself and said that we were suppose to set up a play date so we did for this Friday and they were both so excited. It was pretty cute.

 Lexi before school

 Addie before school

silly Addie bobbing for balloons

cheeeeez!

 Addie was so surprised she won the candy corns

 Her friend Tavynn had asked me to take their picture. It was pretty funny!

Lexi after her Harry Potter party

Surprise...an update!

It's been a little or shall I say a long while since I've updated. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses I just didn't do it! The kids have been enjoying their summer so far. Lexi has been doing a program at the city park called Arts in the park. She gets to go 3 times a week for two hours and play water games and do crafts. Her friend Emma signed up with her also so they have been having fun together. Addie and Ellie are in a neighborhood playschool group 1 day a week on Wednesdays and they are also having lots of fun doing that.

We are getting really really excited for our trip to the Oregon coast and the Redwoods! We are going with Matt's brothers family. We are leaving on Thurdsay and I really wish the house was clean and the car was all packed and we could just hop in the car and go... but in the real world it just doesn't work that way.

Here are some pics from the past couple of months....


My baby Harrison is now almost 19 mos. old and well it just really really stinks that they grow up so quickly. He is so cute and so much fun . Even though he is ALWAYS looking for some cupboard to open or slightly obsessed with dragging my vacuum and brooms around and down my stairs. I really like this age and I'm really enjoying watching him learn and grow. I'm really trying to slow down and soak in everything because it goes by so quickly and before you know it they are starting kindergarten . He is starting to get really shy and sad around strangers. He is a total momma's boy and I'm totally ok with this. I love his little snuggles and kisses he gives before bed. I love my sweet little red headed boy! Here are a few recent pics of Harrison.

up Adams Canyon hiking

first haircut

ALL DONE!!!

Our little Ellie turned 4 in June. She had a little party with the neighborhood play school kids. She was just happy that her little friend Carson came. She really likes my friend's little boy Carson and is ALWAYS talking about him and how she is going to marry him when he gets home from his mission. She drives her sister crazy talking about him :)


Here are some pics of her birthday..

birthday girl!

say CHEEEEESE!

Carson and Ellie being silly

opening presents

getting ready to eat cupcakes!

Lexi's class had been studying about the rain forest most of the school year. Seriously, I think this child knows more about the rain forest than me :). Each year her teacher picks a subject and they learn about it and do a huge project/display at the end of the year. Usually the display is the library but her teacher had to do it on a smaller scale this year because of health reasons so they just did their display in the class room. They turned their class room into a rain forest. They made all of the items in the class room. The children were the tour guides. Lexi was our tour guide and had a visor, name tag and binoculars. She took us around and taught us about the rain forest. She did a very good job and Matt and I were surprised how much she had learned and knew about the rain forest. I guess they rotated all the class rooms at the school and the students were the tour guides. Lexi was really sad that she isn't going to have her as a teacher anymore. She loved her! She said on the last day her teacher read them a story about the last day of school and Mrs. Porter started crying and all the kids did too. I also think Lexi was a little sad about leaving some of her friends that she has made from her class but they have kept in touch and played with each other this summer so that has made her happy. Here are some pics of the rain forest.

THE RAIN FOREST

our little your guide

Addie is now a preschool graduate and is heading into kindergarten next year. She is so excited to go to school next year she can hardly stand it. I really can't believe our "little Addie" will be in kindergarten next year. she really did have a great time at Barneck preschool. She sang her little heart out at her program. Here are a few pics of her preschool graduation.

Graduation Day!

the graduate!

YAY!

my cutie pie

a little scare

We had a little bit of a scare last night with Ellie at my mom and dad's house . After dinner I went downstairs and Matt said all the kids were being good and playing in the back playroom and to not bother them. After awhile the kids came out and said they wanted some cookies so grandma gave them some cookies and asked where Ellie was and the kids said Ellie wasn't back playing with them. I looked at Matt and he said that he thought she was back with them playing. So I ran outside in the backyard no Ellie, I ran inside and looked through all the bedrooms no Ellie. Lexi was looking worried and started to cry. I went in the front and the neighbor was outside and said he hadn't seen her. By this time a million thoughts are running through my head and my heart was beating out of my chest. Matt had his phone out ready to call 911.

Just then a police car pulls into the circle and stops and Matt says to him ........you don't happen to have a little girl with you? and he says *I do* and I look in the backseat of the car and I see my little Ellie smiling from ear to ear. Apparently she went out the front door and a couple of houses down to play with their kids. I guess she walked in and started playing. After about 20 minutes the lady that lived there called 911 and the police came and took her to a couple of houses but she had told him the wrong way. So he was starting to look the other way in my parents circle when we saw her. He said she was cute and so funny. He said she was talking away and when he asked her where she lived she told him in heaven with Jesus and that Jesus died. She had told him all the names of everyone in her family including her dog and he had them written down on his little notebook. He was such a nice policeman. When we got back I talked with Ellie and told her she couldn't do that and she told me she just wanted to play with the kids. I explained to her it wasn't ok for her to to go without telling anyone . This age is hard because she so wants to be big like her older sisters. We struggle daily with her telling me she's not little she's BIG. It's just scary because sometimes kids are just so trusting. Ellie is not afraid of anyone and will talk to anyone. So yes, it was very scary and I hope to never experience something like that ever again. Love ya Ellie Bellly!

So life has been busy. Matt has been working on the basement trying to get it finished and doing some stuff out in the yard. We have really been enjoying this nice spring weather that will soon be gone again. I went to the park today with my friend Jen and her kids. The kids had so much fun and they played so well together and we got some much needed sun which is good for my white body.

We had a nice family home evening lesson tonight on trying to be like Jesus and to love one another. The kids were really good and listened very well. We told the kids they have to do something nice for someone in the family without being told this week and they had to report next Monday. We'll see how well they do! I guess I should have done the lesson on safety and not running away from home. Maybe next week :)

It's a miracle....

2 posts in 1 week....



In March Lexi was an Oompa-Loompa in the school musical Willy Wonka. She was a little nervous when she had to audition but after she took a deep breath and got over her nerves she did great. She sang" Love Story" by Taylor Swift. After the audition I told her if she got a part in it she would have to perform in front of a large crowd and she was like "I do". They practiced long and hard before and after school. All the kids really did a fantastic job. It was so much fun to watch her. The kids got yellow t-shirts and they wore them to school that day of the musical. It was a good experience for her and she had fun doing it. Lexi was really sad when it was all over!!

the funky green wigs!

Birthday fun!

birthday girl

showing grandma Sue her presents

party at grandma Sue's

eating pizza at her party

getting ready to blow out the candles

opening presents

silly faces

CHEEEEEEEZ!!!

showing us her mad bowling skills

sleepover with her cousins and friend Jennifer

Well since March is almost over I thought it might be time to update the rest of February :)

February was busy busy but lots of fun. Matt and I were able to get away for a few days to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Lexi had her birthday and was in a school musical so she had lots and lots of practices after school.

Lexi turned 7 on the 17th. She was been really excited to turn 7. I really don't know what she thinks magically happens at 7 ?? I guess it just sounds so much older than 6... Lexi had a fun fun birthday . She really wanted to go bowling so after school we took her bowling. We went to this place by our house and they had a special where you just had to pay for your shoe rental . Then we went to pizza with Grandma and Grandpa Drown and she got more presents. She had her friend party on Friday night. She had her list of people she wanted to invite. Lexi wanted to invite all the girls in her class to her party. She has 12 girls in her class which I told her maybe half would come but 10 out of 12 came . I think we counted like 22 kids at the party but a couple of kids came late. When her friends would show up they would hug each other and jump up and down and were so excited to see each other. It was also fun to put a face with these girls that Lexi talks about. She is our little social butterfly. We also had to tease her about her little friend Mason that she had to invite. She would come home from school and talk about this Mason and we thought it was her friend Mason up the street well it wasn't. Mason turned out to be a boy and she HAD to invite him. She was really excited when he showed up. They we're always sitting by each other and she had to open his present first. It was pretty funny but if you tease her about him she gets all red in the face and gets very embarrassed . She got lots and lots of Barbies and webkinz and a really cool candy maker and other fun things.. The kids had lots of fun. It was pretty crazy for a couple of hours. Her cousins and her friend Jennifer spent the night and they had fun watching movies and eating LOTS and LOTS of popcorn and just being silly. On Sunday she had another party at Grandma Sue's and got lots of fun stuff. She was really excited about her new cd's (Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus) that Paula and Aunt Jenn had gotten her. My mom got her a new cd player for her birthday so she was all ready to go. She had been having lots of fun listening to her new cd's and counting how many cd's she has. So it was just one big birthday celebration all week which is what usually seems to happen that way. Another birthday come and gone and another year older. Really how do they get so big so quickly?? She is growing up too quickly but it's fun also. She has changed so much in the past year. She is a good kid and so much fun. We love you Lexi Lou!!