A Happy Halloween!

What a busy fall we've had- school days, anniversary celebrations, family visiting, pumpkin picking, trick-or-treating, baby showering, and flu recovering. Whew! We also enjoyed a visit from my brother, John, for a few days- what a fun uncle!! Earlier in October we went down to Salt Lake to bid farewell to Richard's parents who left for their mission October 19th. They arrived in London this past week- we are so excited and proud of them! Clara is walking- hooray! She still waddles like a bit of a drunken sailor, but she is so proud of herself- she laughs the whole time. She also says, "Dank-oo!" to thank us whenever we put food in front of her. She is too cute! Halloween came quick this year and we had fun at the pumpkin patch with our neighbors (the Thomas'), my sister Karen and her family, and Richard's sister, Shantel and her family. We will post more pictures soon as our "Tinkerbell" is turning three this week. Hope you are all well. Love, Steph

Saying "Goodbye!" for 18 months.

The farewell dinner at Cherlyn's house.

Two blonde "Snow White" cousins, Lucy and Eliza.

The train ride at "This is the Place" Monument Park.

Cute Laurie with Clara.

Clara agrees, "This IS the place!"

Grandma and Grandpa with the Grandkids

It was a gorgeous fall day.

Grandma Etta to the Trick-or-Treating rescue!

Our goblins- Hannah ( A 50's girl), Clara (Raggedy Ann), Lucy (Tinkerbell), and Jake (Indiana Jones).

At the Nursing Home with friends, including Holden and Megan.

Hannah with her friends, Kailey and Ellie at a local performance of Beauty and the Beast.

Lasagna anyone?

Jake launching some pumpkins in the slingshot at the patch.

Hannah's first pony ride.

Best buds- Holden and Jake.

Lucy is deciding.

On the wagon.

Lucy's preferred outfit these days- she has nothing underneath!

Clara's plummer-bum. This is how she sleeps every night.

Crazy kids!

Jake's seat in his classroom at Back to School Night.

Hannah lost her two front teeth.

Dana at her baby shower.

There They Go....

Jake and Hannah are off to school! Hannah started kindergarten and Jake is in the first grade. They are getting so big! We had a wonderful summer together. There were many bike rides, trips to the park, to the zoo, a session of Vacation Bible School, two sessions of the neighborhood kid camp, baseball camp, swimming lessons, a float down the river, campouts, a trip to Utah, and lots of playdates with friends. Whew! Hope you enjoy the pix.

A Jolly Holiday!

What a celebration! We had a lot of fun this 4th of July with friends and neighbors. We had a BBQ with the Thomas family and Grandma Etta (of course)! We went swimming in the backyard, lit fireworks with more neighbors, and ate too much junkfood. It just doesn't get any better! Jake was so excited about the $10 worth of fireworks we splurged on this year- that shows you how cheap we are. He would cheer and dance when Richard would light each flower, tank, or our grand finale, the Panda that pops firework. It doesn't take much to make him happy. He also had a blast on the Father Son Campout at the end of June- we definitely have two Little Mountain Men in the family. The girls stayed home for Girl's Night, with pedicures, treats, and some Dress-Up. Clara finally started crawling on Father's Day and quickly learned how to pull herself up. It took a little while for her to figure out how to get back down in her crib. She is so happy to be mobile and finds so many things to discover and put in her mouth. We love her cheesy grin. Jake finished baseball camp last week and he starts swimming lessons with Hannah this week. Then it is on to potty training for Lucy. Busy, busy! Hope you are all well and happy and enjoying your summer. We feel so blessed to live in this great country, surrounded by so many good friends and family. We'll post more soon!

Littles growing BIG!!

School is out, Clara turned one, Hannah danced a duet in her recital, and Jake has graduated from kindergarten! We've been super busy, but busy having fun. The kids are loving the warmer weather and we have all been healthy for several weeks now- yeehaw!! Hannah took a little while to recover from having her tonsils out- they were pretty gigantic the doctor said, but she busted right through Jake's popsicle record of 21- she ate a whopping 24 the day of surgery. She is now the proud record holder at the Southwest Idaho Ear Nose and Throat Clinic. Go Nan! Richard had a great 36th birthday, his parents even joined in the celebration with a visit from California. Clara turned one on May 28th and was a little pokey from her nap. She wasn't so sure about all the attention, but as you can see from the pictures- she warmed up to the idea of cake and presents. Jake and Hannah wrapped up some of their toys to give her, it was very sweet. Lu had fun (doesn't she always?!) helping Clara navigate her new walking toy. Clara still won't crawl, let alone walk, but she is getting closer. She is content just to sit and suck on her two fingers. She's a gem. Thanks everybody for the great gifts. We feel so blessed. I'll post more soon.- Steph

Happy Spring!

We made it through another winter and are so excited to see our tulips peeking out to say "hello!" We had a wonderful Easter holiday weekend. We took a two day break from our "Hundred Healthy Days of Eating" program- we all ate way too much candy! We are back on track now and off of sugar, nuts, dairy, and wheat. You gotta love allergies.
Jake had his tonsils and adenoids out in March over spring break and set the new record for consuming the most popsicles post-op day: 21! Hannah is determined to beat him when hers come out next week. We'll see... Jake is loving school and is really good at math. I can't believe he will be in first grade! He is almost done with his wrestling season and looking forward to swimming lessons and baseball this summer.
Hannah is getting ready for her ballet recital next month and is all registered for kindergarten- wahhhhhhhh! She has grown up so fast and will be sorely missed by her mom. She is my greatest helper around the house and with her little sisters. She will be such a great little mommy.
Lucy is still a busy two year old who loves to ask, "why?" after every statement. She is a funny girl and tries to mimic Hannah any way she can. When asked to do something she doesn't want to do, she'll say "I ti-ya" meaning I'm tired. Then she'll change her mind and say, "Okay, Mommy." She is very independent and loves to get into things. We found her during General Conference in a bag of candy I thought I had put away for the easter egg hunt. It was very quiet and it took me a while to find her- covered in chocolate!
Clara is still our little birdie girl who sings and chirps all day long. She still won't crawl, but I don't mind. Mobility is overrated in my opinion anyway. I know she'll be everywhere with Lu, soon enough. She loves to rock in her exersaucer and is still a big fan of sweet potatoes.
Richard is doing great at work- no worries so far. He loves his job and is staying super busy. He really is the best dad and husband in the world.
I'm doing great, loving my life and feel so blessed to have each day with my loved ones. Life is good. I'l l post more again soon. -Steph