Mini Van Life For Us

Auntie Mesha Visits

2012-02-05T13:25:00.006-05:00

Before I talk about our week with Mesha here are a few random pics from the past week or so. Pepper always loves to put on her ballerina pajamas when people are over so she can show off her dance moves. Such a cutie.

Pepper likes to take pictures, especially of Hazel. I was pretty impressed by this one.

Winter days equal lots of dress up time. We like to tell stories during dinner and every story features Princess Pepper and Jedi Morgan.

Our mall has opened a play area that is just perfect for us. I meet with friends at least two mornings a week to mall walk and then we let the kids play. Mesha was a trooper and joined us for this morning ritual three times.

Pepper has gotten very into skirts and tights lately.

Something we did last year with Mesha was going to the local animal rescue to pet the kitties. We haven't been since but were all excited to go again with Auntie Mesha. This little kitty was named Morgan.

She was perfectly happy in human Morgan's lap. Morgan did really well holding them. Pepper was happier to pet from a distance.

The weather here has been so crazy lately. Every Saturday morning for the past three weeks we have woken up to snow. But during the week it has been sunny and in the 40s. It was so nice this past week that we were able to go to the park and for a few walks.

Auntie Mesha taking good care of Hazel who was trying out the Ergo carrier for the first time.

Abby, Ben and Becky met up with us to also enjoy the freakish winter weather.

Yep, we hit up the kitties twice in one week.

A very happy Mesha. She's like the kitty whisperer.

On Friday morning, we took the kids to story time at the Nature Center. That night we got a babysitter and joined some friends at a new fancy burger place called The Rail for dinner. It was a lot of fun to go out with other adults. Hazel still tags along but she was a good baby and just hung out till she fell asleep. After a great dinner, the ladies went home to the kiddos while the husbands went to the movies. We are really great wives:) Next time we're going to switch! Saturday Mesha had to go home. We all miss her but are so glad she came to play with us for a whole week. Can't wait to see her out west this summer along with the rest of her family. We love you, Auntie Mesha!

Morgan Turns 5

2012-02-05T13:15:00.011-05:00

Once again, Morgan asked me to make baked donuts to bring in for his birthday snack. I didn't have the right ingredients to make a traditional chocolate glaze so I put frosting on instead. I don't know if it was the frosting, the new recipe I tried or the fact that the kids are a year older but they went over great and a lot better than last year. Pepper was super happy to be at school and a part of the festivities. This girl cannot wait to go to school!

Later that same Thursday (there was no school on Friday,) Morgan had his 5 yr doctor appointment. He was pretty stoked to wear the robe because it seemed like a backwards jedi cape to him. He was also excited to show the doctor and the nurse his Star Wars underwear. It's the little things in life. He was not super excited to get his booster shots so that he will be ready for kindergarten in the fall. Like always he was a trooper and the nurse was so surprised she gave him two lollipops and a sticker. Morgan weighed in at 52 lbs, this kid is no lightweight but was still in the normal boundaries for body mass index. Good to know.

On Friday morning, I took the kids up to Romp n Stomp in Medina. They have been begging me to go there and since Morgan had the day off of school and it was his birthday weekend, I relented. Unfortunately, no friends could make it that day but we ran into some old Little Gym friends and ended up having a fabulous time. We love this place and they added more time to the open play time without raising the price so it's now even better.

The big slides are always the crowd favorite.

After an hour and a half of free play they deflate the bouncy toys and have a story/music time and a craft activity for about a half hour before another hour of open play time.

They love story time.

The activity was to make masks.

The birthday boy is a star!

Friday night, Cody and I were up very late getting ready for Morgan's big, huge birthday bash. I had asked Morgan weeks ago what kind of party he wanted. He insisted on a Star Wars/Scooby-Doo party. I love a good party planning challenge but I must admit that this one almost broke me. From now on we are sticking to one theme because I felt like I was planning two whole parties but not doing them both justice. Anywhoo, here are the cupcakes I made.

Cody was the genius that came up with putting cards on the cupcakes and using marshmallows to stand them up. Such a great husband; I couldn't party plan without him.

I ordered some special cookies from Heather's bakery for the goodie bags.

I thought they turned out so cute and tasted great as well.

I got very stressed about this party not only because of the dual themes but because Morgan wanted to invite A LOT of his friends. There are 11 kids, including him, in his preschool class and he wanted to invite everyone. I thought for sure most of them would be busy but I was wrong. Only two girls didn't make it. He also has a lot of friends at church so we were going to have a big crowd. I wanted to make sure everyone had a good time and didn't feel overwhelmed by the number of kids. I wanted to make sure the adults were happy as well and everyone was fed. In the end we had 15 kids, including Morgan and Pepper and Abby's little brother, Ben.

Most everyone wanted to be wherever Morgan was so here's part of the group eating lunch with him.

The kids started arriving at noon on Saturday the 28th. This was our first party where we let the parents drop off the kids. Luckily, some of my friends from church were nice enough to stay and help out along with one dad of a school friend. After everyone arrived, we started with a Scooby-Doo mystery game. I told the kids a story about a grumpy old wizard who likes to steal birthday cupcakes. I showed them a picture of Cody wearing a bunch of winter gear hovering over the cupcakes. I told them the Mystery Inc. gang got called away so they had to find the clues and stop the grumpy old wizard. They split up and searched our first floor looking for winter gear from the picture. Once they all found them, I told them I heard the wizard in the basement and handed them all silly string (grumpy wizard catcher spray) and told them to go get him. Only a few were scared of Cody and Pepper was not happy watching everyone attack her daddy. Also, note to everyone, do not use a lot of silly string in the basement because it will stink forever! Overall the kids seemed to have fun with the mystery.

The rest of the party eating in the dining room.

A Shaggy and Scooby sized spread for everyone.

Jack showing off the rest of the grub. Such a great smile.

After filling up, the kids were ready to play again. This time we sent them down to the basement for jedi training. They each got a glow stick and Cody had hung some wiffle balls from the ceiling for them to try and hit. They could also try to balance some balloons on them by using the force. After a while of playing, we told them that some jedi and princesses were hidden in the balloons and they needed to save them by popping the balloons. Again, not all of the kids enjoyed the noise but overall they had a great time. Any kids who didn't want to go in the basement just played nicely in the playroom or hung out by the snack table. So it all worked out and everyone was happy. Thanks, Auntie Mesha for the great party ideas:)

Cupcake and ice cream time. I will post all the videos of the party later. After cupcakes, Morgan opened his mountain of presents and then the kids just played until their parents came to get them. I know I shouldn't stress so much but I'm so glad it all went smoothly and everyone had a great time. Hazel even slept up in her bed for most of it and then happily hung out in Heather's arms until the end. Such a great baby that one!

Morgan with his present pile. I prepped him beforehand about being excited about every present no matter what it was. Morgan was great about telling everyone thank you although he didn't really have to "act" excited because he got lots of super fun stuff. Towards the end of the party Pepper asked me to take her upstairs so she could take a nap and fell instantly asleep. I also pretty much crashed after the party...for a little while at least because shortly after it was over I took Morgan and Hazel and drove to Cleveland to pick Auntie Mesha up from the airport.

Daddy and Hazel watching Morgan open his presents so he can start playing with them.

On Sunday after church, our good friend, Sharon, drove up from Cincinnati to spend the afternoon catching up with us. Mesha, Sharon and I grew up in New Jersey together and have remained friends ever since. We were roommates in Payson, Utah before Cody and I got married. It is always fun to get together and never seems like any time has passed. Lifelong friends are great like that:) Oh, and for those of you who know us, we are kneeling down. I didn't shrink and they didn't grow, teehee.

Morgan showing off some more birthday gifts. Us ladies chatted while Cody made us a very yummy dinner. Then Sharon had to head back home. Auntie Mesha brought a R2D2 cake pan from Utah. She made and decorated an awesome cake for Morgan so we could have a little family celebration on his actual birthday.

Mesha hard at work. You'd think this was a smile but this is her concentration face. Makes me smile!

The amazing finished product.

Morgan was pretty excited, which is probably why he kept calling it a C3PO cake.

Mesha also brought him a R2D2 popcorn bucket she picked up at Disneyland.

Morgan showing off the rest of his goodies from mommy and daddy and Gramma Goodier. Morgan was a very lucky boy and had a fantastic birthday weekend. He got lots of calls and cards and was grateful to everyone who helped him celebrate. I will post more about our week with Mesha next and also put up the videos from all the festivities. One of my favorite parts of the whole weekend was Sunday morning when Morgan and I were snuggling on the couch before church. I told him the story of the day he was born. He loved hearing about it and kept asking for more details and what happened next. I think I will have to make this a yearly tradition because is was so great to relive that special time when I first became a mom. I love you my little man and am so grateful to be your mother!

Our January and Hazel 3 months

2012-01-30T08:40:00.004-05:00

Hazel at 3 mos

Such a ray of sunshine on these gloomy days.
Trying to capture her big smile. She looks like she wants to box me.

A blurry half smile.

So here a bunch of pictures of Hazel having tummy time.

Ooooh, what is that?

What is my crazy sister doing?

Holding hands.

Pepper not wanting to be left out of a photo shoot.

Pucker face.

We have learned to blow bubbles.

Getting tired.

Morgan taking some pictures.

Such a good big brother.

My friend, Jen Lloyd, came over a few days after we got home to fix my hair cut from Alabama. It did not take her long to make it look a million times better. Thanks, Jen.

Hazel and I just chillin.

Hazel is not impressed.

Last week we had National Pie Day. I did not realize this until the last moment so I quickly scrounged up what I had in the house and made a banana cream pie with a meringue topping. Here's the pie before it was cooked.

It was a little over brown and I forgot to add the bananas because I was talking with my mom, but it was super yummy and we had the bananas on the side.

Sorry, it has taken me awhile to update this but here you go. Also, Morgan had his birthday on Sunday the 29th so there will be a lot of updates shortly.

Promised Videos

2012-01-07T15:19:00.002-05:00

So here are all the videos I promised in my last two posts.
First up, we have Morgan starting off his preschool Christmas Program with a line from the movie "Elf."

Next is our little Christmas Eve gathering with Becky and her kids:

Followed by our Christmas morning when the kids first come down the stairs:

Here's the one where I open my ipad. Please, ignore by stellar knife handling skills. It was early and I was distracted:

Finally, here is Pepper dancing around to the music from her princess microphone in her Rapunzel dress with her new Rapunzel doll. Enjoy:

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T16:22:00.004-05:00

We drove home from Robin's house on Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day cleaning up from Christmas while the kids rediscovered their Christmas presents. Pepper's Rapunzel doll came with a matching dress up dress. She LOVES being twins with her doll. I got a great video of her dancing around in it that will come shortly. I promise!

Hazel and Avery on New Year's Eve. This picture shows the state of our life right now. We invited two couples over to celebrate the new year. We ate lots of yummy food, chatted and played games and this is the only picture I took. Avery is about four weeks older than Hazel.

I spent sometime the other day while holding Hazel waiting for a smile. I finally got this one and then of course as soon as I took it she gave me a big open mouth one. Oh well, she's pretty cute no matter the size of the smile.

Hazel has discovered the joys of sucking on her hands. Only problem is she can't control them so she has to just hope she can catch them whenever they fly by. This is an awkward photo but a great shot of her chubby cheeks. She's our kid alright!

On Monday afternoon, we turned Pepper's crib into a day bed. Over this vacation she discovered she could get out of her pack n play. I wasn't too worried until we got home and she discovered she could do the same with her crib. So we decided she was old enough to call it good and keep her from hurting herself. Next stop is potty training. My little girl is getting so big!

Pepper is very proud of her new bed, which apperently makes her wake up early from things because nap time and mornings are not quite as happy and peaceful as they used to be. Ugh!

Morgan's picture of Pepper when I wasn't watching my camera. Pretty good.

Morgan and Pepper getting ready for their first sled ride in our backyard. I am so glad this weather waited until we were home from our travels. Such a blessing!

So our backyard provides a great sledding hill for little kids but unfortunately we need to work on the stop. Morgan thought it was funny but Pepper was not amused by this ending to her fun ride. I had to stand at the bottom after this and kick them off to the side at the end. We'll need to come up with another plan.

Nonstop Christmas Fun

2012-01-04T16:12:00.010-05:00

Morgan's preschool had a Christmas Program the last morning of school before vacation. Morgan was the only 4yr student who was given a line and then he decided to share with a girl in class that he REALLY likes named, Sarah. They opened the show and I was so excited to see him do his line. We had been practicing every night before bed and he was super excited. They said, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." Sound familiar?!

My mom sent these crazy "ear muffins," as Morgan calls them. They were a big hit.

Our tiny tree on Christmas Eve before Santa arrived. I think we will need a bigger tree next year!

On Christmas Eve, Becky and the kids came over to help us celebrate. Cody and I got ambitious and planned a not so kid friendly dinner of cheese fondue and crepes. The adults enjoyed the food but not all the craziness of preparing such a meal with multiple little peolple that you have to keep busy while it cooks and away from the hot cheese pot. Ugh, one day these meals will be fun. After dinner, we read the Christmas story while the kids placed the corresponding characters in our Little People Nativity. Once I get all my videos on Youtube I'll share them.

The last thing we did was take the kids outside to throw some food out for the reindeer. Can you tell how cold it is by my family's dress? Yep, we're good parents.

Morgan's new photo face. He's so helpful trying to get Pepper to look at the camera.

Christmas pajamas.

Christmas morning we all got up early thanks to Morgan. We kept the kids upstairs while Cody went down to get the camera ready. Luckily, Hazel slept through the whole thing so we were able to concentrate on the other two. We had planned to just open a few presents before 9 am sacrament meeting but ended up finishing the whole tree and making it to church on time. Yep, we're that good! Once again videos will be forthcoming.

Morgan showing off his new lightsaber that lights up and makes noises and his Star Wars robe/blanket.

Pepper was very glad Santa brought her a doll house and Gramma Goodier gave her this awesome Rapunzel doll.

Our Christmas church clothes.

Hazel was very cute as well but snuggled so well that we just left her there.

Hazel in her adorable Christmas outfit. I guess we can't be happy all the time:)

After we got home from church, we hurried up and finished packing while the kids played with their new toys. Then we got in the car and headed over to Cody's cousin, Robin's home for Christmas dinner. Khan and his family was there as well. Khan got all the cousins new nerf guns and tons of extra bullets. While the rest of us got ready for dinner the kids had a massive gun battle in the basement. They had a blast. I am so grateful that we have family close that we can enjoy these moments together. We spent the night there and then got up and drove to my sister, Kim's house in Huntsvilled, Alabama for a few days.

I was not so good about taking pictures. Hopefully, my sister's will send me some more soon. But here is Jill snuggling Kate on the couch.

My mom doing her favorite activity no matter whether she's on vacation or not. Seriously, my mom LOVES doing laundry. I do to so I can't mock too much.

Cody and Mike helped the kids put together some gingerbread trains. All eleven of my parents' grandkids were together and boy o boy did they have a good time. It is so fun being able to get together with our families. I'm glad we're all within driving distance of each other.

Jacob and Joshua working on their trains.

Pepper playing with my new ipad. I had no idea Cody was going to get me one and was quite shocked to open it. I have a video of it that I will share because it is pretty funny. The kids are really loving my new toy. So am I! Thank you, Cody!

On Wednesday night, Mike got us all tickets to go to a minor league hockey game, the Huntsville Havoc. All of us went, except Pepper whom we left home with a babysitter. I love that Pepper could have cared less that all of her cousins were leaving her to go somewhere. She was so excited to play with the babysitter and go to bed. Such a cutie!

The boys hanging out at the game. All the girls were in the row behind us. Nathan works for the team doing all the stuff between periods or during time outs. He throws t-shirts and other fun stuff like human bowling. He kept trying to throw shirts to us and finally my mom caught one. It was lots of fun.

Hazel enjoyed her first game and hanging out with Auntie Kim.

I also did a last minute decision to cut my hair. This is not the best picture, I swear it looks better than this. I'm going to donate the hair again. It was time for a change. We headed back to Robin's house on Thursday morning. We were a little worried how Hazel would do on her first big trip but she was her usual awesome self. She slept most of the time, would wake up to eat when we stopped for lunch or gas and then go back to sleep. She rocks!

Shortly after we got to Robin's house, we left the kids with her kids and some friends and headed to a local bar for 25 cent wing night. We had to laugh at ourselves that we had, "a baby...in a bar." She luckily slept through most of it and then was happy to hang out with this nice lady who wasn't eating and wanted to hold her. We had a blast hanging out with the adults and man o man those wings were GOOD!!!

Another shot of one of my kids enjoying my Christmast present. Pepper is also having a blast with Aaron.

Andie's big grin.

Ali taking it easy.

This picture made me laugh. Morgan and Aaron both playing games on their different devices while sitting next to each other. Boys and their toys!

Thanks to everyone who spent the holidays with us and shared their homes. We had such a fantasic week, even with Cody and I getting a nasty cold. Happy Holidays to all!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T10:35:00.001-05:00

you.

Christmas Season Full Speed Ahead

2011-12-21T12:34:00.006-05:00

We have been very busy the past week or so with lots of Christmas activities. There have been quite a few late nights but so far we are surviving and having a great time. Last Friday morning, we had a Christmas craft playgroup, which doubled as a farewell party for our friends Sarah, Eleanor and Penelope who moved to NC.
We have such a fun playgroup. I am so grateful for them all and glad that I have an opportunity to serve everyone by organizing it. I would be lost without all my playgroup and moms club friends.

Friday night, we got together with Jen, Brent and Ava for dinner and to see the holiday lights at the Medina County Fairgrounds. We went last year and had a blast so we decided to make it an annual tradition.

Ava and Pepper getting ready to head out.

My favorite was this Peter Pan inspired display. Different groups set up their own displays and everyone who drives through has to vote for their favorite. My picture doesn't really do it justice but someone spent a lot of time on that pirate ship and I applaud them.

Another fun one.

Saturday evening, we went to a Christmas potluck dinner for our local moms club. I had worn my hair in braids the day before and Pepper decided she liked the look. This was my first attempt and french braiding all of her hair and she was very cooperative. I think she was happy with the results as well:)

She is wearing the new charm bracelet I bought for myself with my birthday money. I got three charms, one for each child. Pepper helped out the process by breaking a very nice snow globe in the store while I was buying it. Luckily, they didn't make me buy that too or this would have been a REALLY expensive charm bracelet!

Not perfect but pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

At the dinner. Pepper dragged this chair over from the room I was sitting in to the middle of the hallway. I guess she wanted to make sure she didn't miss any of the action.

Those shoes really make the outfit!

Just a shot of the beautiful home where the party was. I am really glad I joined the local moms club group. It has been a lot of fun getting to know more moms outside of church.

The girls and I after the party. Hazel was a big hit, when she was awake. She is now almost 11 lbs and still the best baby in the world!

Please, oh please, someone tell me how to get Pepper to stop scratching her nose. This girl is going to be permanently scarred if she doesn't stop soon. I can't get the cuts to heal because she just keeps digging them. I have tried keeping her nails short and neosporin but she still wakes up with dried blood all over her nose. Ugh!

The festive boys.

This is my super fantastic CTR 8 primary class. I am heartbroken that I do not get to teach these kids anymore. These kids were so fun to teach and are at such a great age. We would actually have discussions and they were still excited to answer the questions and participate. Next year they are moving me to the Valiant 10 and 11 year olds. Let's hope they still care as well:)

Monday night, we went over to Becky and Jerry's house for dinner and to decorate cookies. I had spent the day making all the sugar cookies and we were letting the kids decorate them to take to some neighbors. Well, the kids kept eating and licking their cookies so the adults had to decorate as well.

Pepper was very proud of her sprinkle cookies and Ben was having a good time as well.

The girls getting ready to go carol.

Ben joined them.

And we finally got Morgan to join the picture.

Ben is six months younger than Pepper, but I think he is going to be taller than her any day now.

Our little group did not have the best of luck for the second year in a row. We finally had to all cram into our van and ride around the corner to the home of one of Cody's home teachees. In the end we finally managed to give away all our goodies and sing to some people. The kids were very excited to sing "Jingle Bells" to anyone who would listen. Becky made some delicious truffles for our plates, so too bad to the people who we saw through the shades but didn't answer their doors!

I'm not sure why I have deemed challah to be my official holiday bread but I made some for Becky on Monday and thought it looked rather nice.

And to finish off this post here is a cute picture of Hazel sleeping.

First Snow...kind of

2011-12-14T12:12:00.002-05:00

Last week we had our first taste of snow for the season. It pretty much all melted by the time we picked Morgan up from school at 11:30 but the kids still insisted on getting all suited up to play outside. Luckily, our neighbors back porch still had some snow.
These were happy children.

Morgan's attempt at a snow angel in a few centimeters of melting snow.

Pepper's snow angel.

Hazel is getting more bright eyed everyday. She will sort of smile every once in awhile and has started making really cute cooing sounds.

She is still the best baby ever and we are super excited to spend everyday with her.

Last Saturday, Cody decided to use his "man-of-the-house" skills and clean the gutters. We have some pretty high gutters so I was worried and wanted to pay someone else to do it. Cody insisted and spent most of the day doing it. However, he was so proud of himself, and still is, that I couldn't help but take a picture to commerate the event. Great job, honey!

Getting in a festive mood

2011-12-05T11:07:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning, we took the kids to Chik-Fil-A for a pajama party and free breakfast meal with the Santa Cow. Pepper, of course, wanted nothing to do with the cow and kept a close eye on him the whole time we were there. Hazel slept through it and Morgan had a great time. I love that restaurant!
After that fun, we headed over to Home Depot for the kids workshop. The kids made snowmen napkin holders. My mom will be happy to know we have napkin holders now since she was trying to get us to buy one the whole time she was here. :)

Very proud and slightly blurry carpenters.

Their favorite part was painting. My favorite part is that is was washable paint. We managed to get it EVERYWHERE! (I have such a hard time letting my kids do crafts because I hate the mess and chaos of it all. I really need to work on that!)

I was thinking I hadn't taken a lot of pictures of Hazel, third child syndrome, so I thought I'd try and take some cute ones last night. The camera was acting weird, thank you, Pepper, so this is all I got. Even though it's blurry I still think it captures how proud she looks of herself for flinging her arm in the air.

At six weeks, Hazel is just starting to smile and focus a little more.

Oh, at her month appt she weighed 9 lbs 12 ozs. That is one pound less than Pepper at a month and two pounds less than Morgan at a month old. She really is my smallest baby; I wasn't just imagining it.

And this is just a funny picture of her face. She really doesn't look like this but it made me laugh so I thought I'd include it. We haven't been up to much around here just shopping, wrapping and hanging out. We hope everyone is having a fun December and slowly getting ready for all the craziness. The kids and I are really enjoying the Barenaked for the Holidays album that has been playing non-stop in the car. Jingle Bells rules!

Happy Turkey Weekend

2011-11-28T08:56:00.003-05:00

Morgan sporting the indian costume he made at school. Anytime I ask Morgan to show me something or to take a picture Pepper always joins in. She cracks me up.
Morgan's indian name was "Growling Bear." Seems very fitting to me.

We decided to stay home this Thanksgiving holiday because I didn't want Hazel around too many people in close quarters. Luckily, our friends, the Lloyds, were also staying in town and we decided to celebrate together. The day before I spent baking two pies, mincemeat-chocolate chip cupcakes, sweet potatoe cassarole and rolls. Pepper was my little helper for most of it. Morgan helped for about a minute but Daddy was home too so he had better things to do.

Hazel's 1st Thanksgiving.

She kept up her usual angel babyness and slept most of the day/evening in her car seat.

Ava always has the coolest toys. These kept Morgan busy most of the afternoon. Especially, having to rebuild every time Ava knocked it all down. Good thing he really likes her and she's not his sister or there would have been a lot of tears and possible blood shed. (just kidding...kind of.)

My traditional apple/dried cherry pie. Pepper helped with the cutouts.

Ava and Pepper getting ready for movie time and then bed.

The Lloyds watching "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," in their movie room.

Morgan taking it easy on the super huge bean bag.

Morgan being a nice brother and playing dress up with Pepper. We had a lot of fun being together as a family on this long weekend but I am glad school is starting again tomorrow! Morgan and Pepper do better with breaks from each other. Me too!

Saturday night we decorated the Christmas tree but for some reason I completely forgot to take pictures. It was a little choatic trying to keep Morgan and Pepper from breaking everything and stay calm. Hazel slept through it all of course. Yesterday afternoon Cody and the kids decorated our front tree. It was a little rainy and cold but they enjoyed themselves.

We are very excited for the Christmas season to start. I am especially happy to start listening to christmas music non stop.

In honor of the holiday weekend, I just want to say how grateful we are for our little family. Life may not be perfect, or our parenting skills, but we wouldn't trade this life for anything in the world. We are also grateful for our friends and family that live close and far. Life is much sweeter with all of you in it. Thank you for all you do!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Breakfast with Santa

2011-11-21T09:33:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday morning, the kids and I headed out to the Smucker's Store & Cafe to have "Breakfast with Santa." We did this last year as well and really enjoyed it so despite the fact that Cody was in NYC on business, I decided to venture out myself. I was a little nervous to do something this big with the three of them myself but it went surprisingly smooth. Hazel slept the ENTIRE time. She fell asleep at home before we left and didn't wake up till we got home. Even with me getting her in and out of her car seat and the car. Such a great baby! Morgan and Pepper were also on their best behavior and we all had a very nice time together.
My little Hazel with her perfect baby face. Both of our other kids have had a lot of baby acne and clogged tear ducts. So far Hazel seems free from both ailments.

Pepper and Morgan were both super excited to see Santa. We had been talking about it all week and getting their lists ready. While waiting in line they both kept trying to see him and were perfect angels because they were both too excited to act up. Finally, we made it to the front of the line and the little one year old boy in front of us started screaming when they put his parents put him on Santa's lap. All of a sudden Pepper got this terrified look on her face and Morgan started hiding behind me. When it was our turn I couldn't get Morgan to stop hiding behind the stroller and Pepper wouldn't let go of me. I was worried. I asked Morgan to be brave for Pepper. I tried to lure him out by asking him to go show Santa his list. Well, that was all Pepper needed to hear because she grabbed the list and headed right over to Santa and Mrs. Claus and started telling them all about it. Well, Morgan didn't want to be left out of the discussion of his list so he marched right over as well. Smucker's Santa and Mrs. Claus (same ones from last year I believe) look so fantastic and are super, super nice. They made the kids feel totally at ease and they crawled right up into their laps. I was worried they wouldn't want to hold a new baby but they were both excited and held Hazel with no problem.

I was so happy with this picture! Such a great first Christmas picture for Hazel. This is totally what Cody and I are going to do with our retirement!

After the picture, I told Pepper and Morgan to tell Santa what they wanted. Pepper piped right up, "I want a big bed, a dollhouse and one doll." Mrs. Claus couldn't believe how well Pepper spoke and so clearly. Morgan's list had binoculars, a lightsaber that actually glows and a keyboard and guitar that, in Morgan's words, have buttons that work and has batteries. He was very big on everything having batteries. I guess he's caught on to my game of letting the batteries die on everything or never putting them in and saying the toy is broken.

After visiting with Santa, we headed over to the cafe for breakfast. You didn't have to buy their $3 breakfast specials to get the picture time with Santa and you take your own picture so that part was completely free. I love this place! Pepper of course didn't eat anything because she doesn't like breakfast food but Morgan and I enjoyed it while she ate goldfish.

Hazel sleeping through all the fun. The store is always decorated so nicely. It makes me want to buy all the different china and decorations.

An elf came to entertain the kids for awhile and dance with Pepper. Pepper wanted to know who the elf was and I said the lady in the costume. Morgan informed me that those were her real clothes and she can never take them off. It is really funny this year with Morgan. He is getting old enough to try and figure everything out but still young enough to believe and not question too much. We really have to be on our game.

A little sister diaper changing time.

I know a lot of people don't want two in diapers but it's really not proving to be a problem and at least right now I don't have to worry about anyone having accidents.

She's such a big girl now!

This one is getting bigger everyday as well.

Pepper is doing really well with Hazel and the whole transition thing but she has been a bit more emotional. Especially, when you try to reprimand her. If you get too harsh with her she completely falls apart and then you get no where. It is such a learning process to see that we can't discipline her the same way as Morgan. Definitely something I need to work on as a mother!

And finally, a grumpy fairy queen. She wanted her picture taken but wanted to look sad in the picture. Such a great look don't you think?

Oh, and yesterday I discovered this little gem. Hazel's first curl. Morgan thought it was awesome and kept playing with it. He just loves Hazel and can't stop talking in this high pitched baby voice to her. I told him he could talk to her with a regular voice but he just couldn't do it. It was pretty funny.

So we have managed to survive without Gramma, barely. Cody left two days after my mom and was gone for three days. I was a little panicky at first but it went pretty well. I was a little grumpier than I needed to be but on the whole not bad. Of course, Morgan did pray that "Mommy would stop yelling and hitting," but I don't think any of us were too scarred by the whole experience of being on our own together. And for the record, I don't hit but spank and only on a rare occassion. Yelling however I do WAY too much of. I have to work on that...just thought I'd clear that up:)

Fall with Gramma Goodier

2011-11-16T20:55:00.000-05:00

Sadly, Gramma Goodier had to go back to Florida this week. We're not sure how we are going to get along without her but I guess we'll find out. We had a lot of fun spending this fall with her and are so grateful for everything she did for us. We're most grateful for her time. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So here are lots of random pictures from the past few weeks with Gramma. Newest favorite picture ever! Enough said!

This past Saturday morning Cody needed to finish raking up the ton of leaves that were still in our backyard so that they could get picked up this week. Since mom, the kids and I were not going to be very helpful, we asked a young man in our ward to come help. Daniel was a huge help and Morgan and Pepper loved playing with him. Oh, and Pepper is screaming because one tiny leaf went down her shirt.

These two are such great helpers.

Gotta love that big smile.

Camera shy.

Just an example of how we like to save space around this house. If you can't tell Morgan is sitting on my side and Pepper is on my legs. Thanks guys for making me feel wanted.

Pepper pretending to be Mrs. Potato Head.

Saving more space while mommy tries to have a snack.

Big smiles for time spent hanging out with Daddy.

Pepper has finally been allowed to watch some movies on the "baby tv" and she is very proud of herself.

"Sisters, sisters...there were never such devoted sisters!"

Hazel looks super excited about this whole matching hat thing.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to get Pepper to stop scratching her nose?! Maybe one day her nose will heal.

This past Sunday was stake conference but since Hazel and I were not going, everyone decided to stay home. It was a really nice day, cloudy but warm for fall, so we decided to take a long walk to see a big wasp nest mom had spotted driving home one day.

We were all very excited to be out of the house and run off some energy.

We made it to the wasp nest.

Cody and his big girl enjoying the fall weather.

Thank you again, Gramma Goodier for coming and spending so much time with us. We loved having you here and are so glad you finally made it for the actual birth of our newest baby. We already miss you like crazy. Come again anytime:)

Hazel, Hazel, Hazel...yay for baby Hazel!

2011-11-15T17:38:00.006-05:00

So here's what you've all been waiting for. Tons and tons of pictures of Hazel...mostly cute pictures of her sleeping but every once in awhile she has her eyes open. We are just loving our little miss Hazel. She is such a sweet baby and hardly ever cries. When she finally does make a noise, besides squeaking when she's trying to wake up, all you have to do is pick her up and she stops. Where has this baby been all my life?!

She is all cheeks!

Such a cuddly little pink girl.

Always such a great place to take a nap, on daddy's chest.

Or Gramma's.

This girl can sleep through anything, even oddly positioned arms.

She has really long skinny feet and toes. Oh, and for those who understand I think I finally have a child who inherited my toes. Sorry, Hazel.

This picture just cracked me up. Doesn't it look like she's hanging on a wall or something.

Her "I'm filling my diapers right now" face.

More fun expressions.

"Life is so hard I guess I'll sleep some more."

"What did you call me?"

"Ooohhh, that sounds fun, let's do that!"

Morgan just can't get enough of his new baby sister and makes sure he includes her in all prayers. He gets upset if anyone forgets to mention her. Such a good big brother...at least to this sister, kneeling on the back of Pepper's neck earlier was not his finest moment.

Pepper's new favorite picture face.

Hanging out on the new blanket Grandma Adams made for her waiting for her first regular bath.

As with everything else in her life, she quietly enjoyed the new experience.

We are just loving this little baby to bits. I still look forward to her sleeping in her own room through the whole night, but right now I couldn't ask for a better baby. Seriously, she only wakes up like once a night...I'm sure I'm jinxing myself here, but I really could not have asked for a better baby.

Baby Blessing Weekend Fun

2011-11-15T15:16:00.008-05:00

We decided to bless Hazel a little sooner than we did with the other two because Cody's parents were coming to visit us the first weekend in November. We were so excited to have them come for a few days and to meet Hazel; this was also the first time Papa Adams would see our new home. They arrived on Thursday, Nov. 3rd after the kids were already in bed. Morgan and Pepper were very happy when they woke up Friday morning and had two more grandparents in the house. Later that day my dad, Papa Goodier, flew in from Florida. We were a very happy house.These two clicked right away. You can tell by the smile on Hazel's face. Grandma Adams was thoughtful as ever and brought lots of fun games and puzzles for Morgan and Pepper.Pepper showing Grandma how much she loved her fairy princess costume.

Hanging out with Papa A.

On Saturday morning, Cody and his parents took the older kids to Home Depot for the kids workshop. They had a lot of fun making picture frames.

He's so proud of himself.

Pepper getting lots of great help from Papa A.

Then everyone came home and worked on raking up all the leaves in the top part of our backyard. Morgan and Pepper were super helpful.

Saturday afternoon, Khan and family arrived. The kids were very excited to see their cousins. The whole crew after sacrement meeting on Sunday. On the far left is my mom's half/birth sister, Katrina and her husband, Tim. They drove up from Detroit on Sunday morning for 9am church. We were excited to see them again and have them meet Hazel.

When Cody started the blessing the mic wasn't close enough to his mouth because we couldn't hear anything and then we could barely hear for a few words. Finally, the little boy who was holding the mic must have moved it closer because we could finally hear. I was stressing because everyone came from so far to be apart of this wonderful blessing and then we couldn't hear. Our dressed up family of five.

Thanks to Jill again for the use of her beautiful baby blessing gown. Gramma and Papa Goodier in their traditional baby blessing pose. Hazel was a perfect little lady and slept through all of sacrament meeting and then just hung out while everyone came to meet her. After church, Cody and his mom made a huge delicious meal for everyone and we all ate and ate. Then the kids played until it was time for Khan and family to go home. Karissa was very excited to get a chance to drive again. Something to look forward to in about 10 years, a teenage driver. And this is where Hazel and I were found after everyone but the grandparents left. Morgan loves to talk to Hazel while she is sleeping or just hanging out. If she is awake she will just stare at him. He likes to tell her stories and the other day he talked to her so much that she fell asleep. It was so cute. Pepper hanging out with Papa G. Surprise, surprise my dad is doing something on his computer. He even made himself a little makeshift desk area. At least he had Pepper to keep him company. On Monday, two friends were nice enough to watch Morgan and Pepper so all of the adults could go out to lunch to celebrate my dad's early birthday. Hazel of course joined us and like the good little baby she is she slept through the whole thing.

After lunch, we did a little furniture shopping in an attempt to finally fill up some of our empty rooms. I have been wanting a recliner for a long time so we headed to Lay-z-Boy first. We lucked out with finding a big, comfy chair with extendable footrest that was on sale. I wondered if we should get the extra wide chair and then I remembered that wherever I sit, the whole family sits. For example. Yay, for the new chair! And for a fantastic weekend full of family and celebration of baby Hazel.

All Halloween Fun

2011-10-31T12:24:00.010-04:00

Not to upstage Hazel's big arrival but I had to post about all the fun Halloween fun everyone is having. And how fabulous the kids costumes were, yet again, completely due to the amazing skills of my mother-in-law! Thank you, thank you, thank you for being so great and willing to make the perfect costumes again. Morgan with his awesome Jedi costume. He changed his mind often as to which Jedi he would be and would change colored lightsabers depending on who he was. I love his stance. Morgan and Daddy showing off his skills. Love my big dimpled Jedi. Pepper was super excited to show off her fairy princess costume. It is safe to say she LOVED it! A vision in pink. A friend of mine here offered to help me make a jedi cloak for Morgan. I found the pattern online and mom and I went to get the fabric two days after I got home from the hospital. No rest for a mother of three I guess. Heidi has some mad skills; big thanks to her as well.

On Wednesday the 26th our ward had their Halloween Carnival and Trunk or Treat. Just for fun I thought I would post pictures from the past couple years of the kids and their little buddies at the ward trunk or treat. Abby, Jack and Morgan October 2009 October 2010October 2011Morgan and Jack have the best "super hero" poses, they just crack me up. And now for the next round of kids...Ben and Pepper October 2009 Ben, Gwendolyn and Pepper October 2010
October 2011
These three are not easy to take a good picture of but boy are they cute.

And now for party fun. Becky's awesome way of announcing their big news. I love Jerry's, Man in the Yellow Hat, costume. Pepper was so excited to come home and tell me that Ben was Curious George and Jerry was his friend. Jack and flapper Heather, who won the best costume award. Pepper taking a water break. Jedi Master Morgan fighting with Zeus while Pepper yells at them. Sounds like quite a party. Now for the real fun. Pepper is a big fan of trick or treating if you couldn't tell. On Thursday morning, Morgan's school had a Halloween Parade at the end of school that the families could come and attend. At first they sang some songs and played around, and then they walked around and showed off their costumes. Pepper and Gwendolyn were very happy to join Morgan and Jack for all the fun. Luckily, Morgan's teacher is super nice and walked around holding the girls hands. I have some videos that I will post later. Akron City had Beggers Night on Saturday night from 5-7 so we invited some friends over to help us celebrate Halloween early and go trick or treating in our neighborhood.

Here's Pepper showing off Ava's amazing Rosie engine costume that Jen was amazing enough to make. The group is ready to go. Heather and I stayed home with Hazel and Gwendolyn to hand out candy while the rest of the group went to gather more. I love how patiently Morgan and Jack are at the door...or not. No idea but very funny. I think Morgan is trying to get Pepper to look at the camera. I love how she is just taking it and not screaming. This is her life. I love my little fairy princess off on her quest for candy. Hazel was a little lion.

Our friend Sharon gave this outfit to Morgan after he was born and I have put all three of them in it. I'll have to find the pictures and see if you all can guess who is who. After all the candy collecting, we had a pizza feast and let the kids run off their sugar high for awhile. Thanks to everyone for helping our family have a great Halloween and adjust to life with Hazel.

Baby Hazel Jean's Grand Entrance

2011-10-26T12:51:00.014-04:00

My mom and I heading into the hospital at 6:30 on a pretty dreary Friday, October 21st morning.

Don't worry Cody didn't miss out on the fun, he's taking the picture.

It was pretty nice showing up to the hospital calmly and in zero pain. Not a bad way to start a labor and delivery. When I got to the hospital I was already around a 3 or 4.

Hanging out waiting for all the IVs to get up and running. Trying not to smile and look like I'm having a tiring and miserable labor.
It took awhile for the contractions to get to a place of discomfort because they were afraid to turn the pitocin up past a 1 because they were waiting for other medicine to get in me and they knew my past history of fast deliveries. They broke my water around 9 am and increased the pitocin. About 10 am found me in increasing amounts of pain and sitting on a birthing ball. No, I did not know Cody was taking this picture because I was busy breathing through a contraction. Not the most flattering picture but it does rightly capture the moment. Still in pain but now trying not to laugh.

Up until this moment I was still going back and forth about getting an epidural. Since I've done it twice before, I knew I could probably do it without the drugs. I was also a little (ok, a lot) nervous about getting the needle stuck in my back. But once the contractions started coming on top of each other and I knew what was in front of me I opted for the drugs. I knew I could do it but why go through that pain if you don't have to?! Before the epidural was around a 5.

After the epidural, which was not super fun but also not horrible, kicked in I was feeling pretty awesome and in zero pain. My kind of labor! That lasted for about an hour until around 11:20ish I started feeling some waves of discomfort only on my left side. This of course started happening while Cody, my mom and the nurse were all gone getting lunch. Luckily, before the nurse left she checked me just to make sure and I was around a 7, so she knew not to take too long. When everyone got back I told the nurse (who was amazingly awesome, I really luck out with nurses) and she had me roll onto my left side. The discomfort turned into pretty intense pain and they had someone come and give me another dose of medicine. It did not help at all and they kept losing the baby's heartbeat, so they would have me roll back to my back to find it and then roll back onto my side only to lose it again. I was not worried though because I could still feel Hazel moving. I was feeling all of the labor pain on my left side and nothing on my right side; it was very weird and not too much fun. So the anesthesiologist that put in the epidural came back to see what he could do and gave me another dose of medicine. After a few more contractions and no lessening of pain, my nurse said, "Let me just check and see what is happening with this baby." She quickly announced to the room that we were having a baby right then and ran to get the doctor. Dr. Ross arrived, she also delivered Pepper, and they had to all help me get into the right position because after two extra doses of medicine I could not feel anything from the waist down, except for all the contraction pain on my left side of course. They told me to push with the next contraction. This was the most interesting part for me. I grabbed my legs, put my chin into my chest, held my breath and then...imagined what it would feel like to push. I thought for sure after the first "try" everyone would tell me to stop pretending and actually push but instead they announced that there was a top of the head. Then they told me to wait for the next contraction, THAT I could feel, and then to "push" again. I pretended to push again and presto, Hazel Jean, made her grand entrance into the world screaming with all her might. According to Cody and my mom, as she came out Hazel turned her head from looking at Cody to looking at my mom. And in keeping with the tradition established by her big brother and sister, the first thing Hazel did when placed onto my stomach was to pee all over me. However, Hazel took it one step further and kept peeing on all the nurses as well.

Hazel Jean was born at 12:29 pm.

8 lbs 11 ozs and 20 1/4 in Gramma's first picture. I was so excited to finally have my mom in the delivery room and she was over-the-moon excited to be a part of the whole process. She was a great distraction and comfort and I only wish she had been there for the other two. Hazel screaming and the doctor getting the cord ready for Cody to cut. The moment from Cody's perspective. As always, I could not have gone through this experience without my rock. He is so great about staying calm and supporting me with all the decisions. He is also great about rubbing my back during contractions and telling me I'm doing a great job. Man, I love this man! Daddy cutting the cord. Morgan saw this picture and said, "Ugh, look how dirty she is." Newborn puffy face. Having our first skin to skin moment. Brave face from Mommy. First bath for Hazel.

I love how in this hospital everything happens in one room, labor, delivery, recovery and all things to do with baby. They have a cart waiting for her where they weigh and measure her, warm her up, clean her up and do anything else they need. All the doctors and nurses come to you to check on you and the baby. If I hadn't asked the first night for them to take her to the nursery for awhile, which the were reluctant to do, Hazel and I would never have left that room till it was time to go home. Taking it easy under the warmers. A great shot of my IV and Hazel learning to eat. Hazel with her "spa" look. That is the look of total relaxation.

This is also a great shot of her cheeks. One of the nurses said 4 of her 8 lbs were in her cheeks. Because Hazel weighed a lot for her gestational age they had to test her blood sugar and she was low. After I fed her a little, they tested her again and it was still low so they had to supplement some with formula. I love this look of her just putting up with the whole burping process. I wish o' wish I could wrap up a baby as well as the nurses. Such a sweet little Hazel burrito. Morgan and Pepper were so excited to come see their new little sister. They both kept ooohing and aaahing and wanting to touch her sweet little baby toes. They were both so cute. My two girls. Gramma Goodier with my crew. Our family of five. Taking a cue from other friends we had some presents ready for Morgan and Pepper from baby Hazel. Morgan showing off his new Captain Rex blaster. Baby Hazel brought Morgan and Pepper cameras so that they could take pictures of their new sister. It's a bit blurry but I loved this picture of Pepper taking a photo of Hazel and I. A shot of Daddy. Such a proud big brother. Pepper is so excited to have a baby sister. She kept telling everyone about her baby sister. So cute. Super dad! Poor little baby feet that kept getting pricked in their heels. On Saturday, when they came to visit, Pepper was starting to have a problem not being able to crawl all over Mommy and have me to herself. I love my big girl's pouty face. Don't you just want to give her lots and lots of kisses?! I do! I often say that newborns are not my favorite stage of babies but I LOVE moments like this.

Hazel is turning out to be quite a snuggle bug.

Yay for little baby bums in the air.

By the end of our two day stay we had quite a list of nurses going. I was starting to get a bit confused by who was who but nevertheless I am so grateful to all of them for taking such great care of us.

One of my all time favorite pictures of Cody and one our new babies.

Sunday morning, Cody and Gramma took the kids to church. After sacrament meeting, Cody came up to the hospital to help Hazel and I get ready to go home. The labor and delivery floor got a bit busy right when we were trying to get checked out to go home so we didn't get out of there until after 2pm. I was getting anxious to get home and have our family all together.

Hazel all snuggled into her car seat with Auntie Jill's blanket and the hat we bought for her after we found out she was going to be a little girl.

Ready to roll home.

Hazel's first car trip.

Our first night as a whole family together was on Sunday. Pepper showing off the new trampoline that came home right before Hazel did. I hope this will help keep the kids entertained and tired during these long winter months to come.

Morgan taking it easy with his super manly fuzzy pink sweater vest.

Our family of five hanging out on the couch.

We are so grateful to have baby Hazel here safe and sound and home. She is only a few days old but already turning out to be one awesome little baby. She is a nursing champion and rarely cries, except during diaper changes. I love her sweet little baby spirit and watching how Morgan and Pepper just light up when they talk about her or watch her.

Thank you, baby Hazel for joining our family. We love you!

(I will make another post with videos as soon as I get them uploaded.)

Getting Ready for Baby Number 3

2011-10-26T12:33:00.005-04:00

Baby bump at 38 weeks.

October 14th
Pepper hiding under the bump.

We are all very anxious for baby Hazel to come out and join us.

Gramma Goodier took Pepper and I out for some pedicures before Hazel's arrival.

Pepper loved it and sat perfectly still. Such a big girl.

Pepper is loving all the extra time with Gramma Goodier; especially while Morgan is at school and it is just us girls.

Morgan created a "desk" for himself under the tv.

Morgan's little friend Jack has joined his preschool and last Thursday they had an open house and a small concert put on by the kids. Here's Jack and his class.

Here's Morgan and his class performing a song about spiders:

Morgan leaving the stage with his class and teacher Miss Susan.

Naked baby bump at 39 weeks, October 20th and the night before the induction.

All smiles and roundness knowing our new little girl would be joining the family the next morning. As huge as I felt I amazingly somehow only gained 16 lbs with this pregnancy. I guess that comes with already having extra weight from the brother and sister that came before:) Either way I was very ready for this pregnancy to end and have our little lady on the outside. Thank goodness for big babies and fast deliveries for giving me the excuse to get induced a week early!

Jester Fall Family Visit part 2

2011-10-12T10:21:00.018-04:00

On Saturday morning, we enjoyed a super yummy breakfast courtesty of Cody.
Pepper insisted on sitting next to Uncle Mike. Lucky Mike.

Morgan and Pepper loved having their cousins here. Morgan and the boys got plenty of lightsaber action in and luckily the weather was so nice that they could do it all outside.

Later that morning, we headed out to Ramseyer Farms for a fun day of fall of fall festivities.

Here's the pumpkin pyramid and patch.

Mike, Kim, Nathan and I waiting for Gramma and the rest of the kids to come down the corn slide.

The little kids area.

One of many mazes.

Mikayla making a smooth landing.

Morgan spread eagle.

Pepper wishing she could get in on the action.

Gramma splashing down.

The corn isn't as soft as it looks.

This was a 1968 combine that is now a play area and slide. The kids loved it!

Cool shot down the slide.

A haybale obstacle coarse. Morgan being a very helpful big brother...at the moment.

Pepper driving a haybale tractor.

Joshua getting ready for the wagon train ride.

Morgan's excited.

The group.

Morgan feeding some hungry goats.

Going for a big hay wagon ride.

Pepper is ready to get going.

Mikayla peeking out from behind my big belly.

The little ones checking out the animals while the big kids went in the corn maze with Mike, Kim and Gramma.

I love this shot Cody took of the little ones on the fake tractor.

Heading into the maze shaped like the world.

Nathan in the maze.

Joshua and Jacob eating their way through the maze.

Cool shot from Gramma.

Spud launcher pros at work.

The kids playing in the corn wagon. Their favorite. We were here for quite awhile.

Ben the cutie!

Morgan with corn stuck behind his ear. He had no idea.

Taking a break in the train with a lemonade on a hot day. Rough life.

Pepper finally got to go down a corn slide in the playground area.

Such a fun day and beautiful weather. We could not have asked for a better time.

Later that afternoon, we had a little celebration for my birthday. Since we forgot to do Pepper's princess pinada on her birthday, we decided to do it for mine.

Pepper sporting her Little Gym unitard. So festive.

What a look!

Joshua gave me a hockey puck. Such a generous little guy.

The kids helping me show off my loot.

Hooray for candy!

This is a little out of order but here were the three older boys on Sunday morning before church.

On Saturday after we fed and bathed the kids and put Pepper to bed, the adults headed out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. We went to a local chinese restaurant called House of Hunan. It was really nice to get out and just chat with my mom, sister, brother-in-law and husband without any distractions.

After about five different hints dropped to various people in the restaurant by my mom, the waiter brought me some ice cream with a sparkler. Not my favorite picture but it was a great night.

Thank you Jesters for coming to visit us again and for bringing Gramma:) We are very glad the weather worked out better for us this time and that we live close enough to get together a few times a year.

Jester Fall Family Visit part 1

2011-10-12T10:11:00.005-04:00

I figured I should blog about Kim's family visit the second weekend in October before our new little lady came into the world. I put the pictures up early last week but then never got around to actually posting them. Then I started having contratctions last Thursday night and got excited that things would finally get going but then they stopped and nothing much has been happening since. I keep holding out hope but I figured I should finally post these pictures now that I still have some time on my hands.

So Kim and family, plus my mom, showed up on Thursday night, October 6th for their fall break. We were all very excited to have lots of family and cousins here to play with and the weather was absolutely beautiful, which made it even more exciting.Friday morning we headed outside to explore some of the woods and metroparks near our home.

Here is Pepper showing off her butterfly wings at the Nature Realm.
Joshua posing with a snake that was making the rounds.

Nathan, Joshua and Pepper checking out the birds and chipmunks.

Taking a break for a picnic lunch on one of the decks around the Nature Realm.

Morgan and Mikayla enjoying the sunshine.

Uncle Mike supervising Pepper, Joshua and Ben.

Nathan and I taking it easy.

Pepper sucking someone else's drink dry.

Kim and Jacob enjoying the beautiful fall colors.

Gramma Goodier enjoying having her family together in nature.

A "cousins on the rock" picture. Nice of Morgan to pose and completely block Pepper out of the picture.

After lunch, we took a nice stroll around the herb gardens and then Pepper and I went home to take naps. At 37 weeks I only had so much energy to walk around.

The rest of the group decided to hike around the trails and of course Jacob needed to climb some rocks.

Kim, Mike and the hiking crew.

Nathan, Joshua and Jacob showing off the pretty lake.

Mikayla doesn't look that excited to still be in the woods.

And Jacob in a tree.

That night Cody and Mike took the three older boys out to a Lake Erie Monsters hockey game. They gave out poster boards at the game to the kids so they could make their own signs. They also got $1 hot dogs and sodas, their hair spray painted and a shot on the jumbotron dancing.

Meanwhile Mom, Kim and I took the little ones to a playplace and an early dinner.

All together a pretty great day.

Smucker's Fall Festival Fun

2011-10-03T11:10:00.004-04:00

Pepper picked out her outfit today and was quite proud of it so I thought I'd take a picture. She was a willing model just not good at staying still.

Sorry they are all blurry but isn't she just the cutest?!

Last Saturday we headed out to the Smucker's Store and Cafe in Orrville to enjoy their Fall Festival. We met up with friends and enjoyed all the activities.

Morgan, Abby and Jack with the statue Pillsbury Dough Boy, none of them would get near the real one.

It is not easy getting a good picture of all three of them. I tried...I really tried.

Gwendolyn, however, was a natural.

After we ate some yummy foods and tried to keep the kids from breaking everything in the store, we headed outside to paint some pumpkins.

Heather helping her little lady.

Pepper and Ben helped each other while Jerry and Cody were busy not helping them.

Great job dads:) Just kidding. We were really happy to have the daddys with us on this outing. PJ was also there just not in the picture.

Ben and Pepper enjoying a lollipop break.

Not Jerry and Ben's best picture on the hay ride but too funny not to post.

Cody and Morgan sporting understated smiles.

Abby and Becky sporting lollipops for the ride.

Pepper was really having a good time just not in this shot.

A nice group shot of the happy, smiling...I mean lost in thought and slightly cold party people.

After the hay ride, we headed home for nap time and General Conference. We spent a quiet Sunday at home organizing and trying to get the kids to watch conference. Good times had by all.

35 Weeks and Lots of Fun

2011-09-27T09:43:00.006-04:00

Here is the baby bump (mound) at 35 weeks.
Last week for playgroup we went to Bauman Orchards to pick some yummy apples.
Jen and Ava met up with us, which was such a nice treat since we haven't seen each other in forever. The girls were very happy to be together but Ava was missing her boyfriend, Morgan. That's what you get for liking older men who go to preschool:)

Ava and Megan enjoying the farm animals. Pepper took one look at them and didn't want to get out of the wagon. Not a fan of farm animals I guess.

Pepper was so freaked out by the animals I barely convinced her to walk through the hay bale maze once. I couldn't even get her on the slide. Now you know how scared she was.

Pepper was much happier outside the barn helping me pick apples.

And of course eating them.

The girls with our spoils.

This was the best shot I could get of these two. Great smiles but too bad no one wants to look at me.

Pepper and Ava enjoying their treat for being such good helpers, little apple shaped bottles of fresh apple juice. Yummy!

Now, I just need enough energy to make a really delicious fresh apple pie!

Last Saturday morning, the 24th, we loaded up the kids plus Abby and Ben and headed downtown to do the Akron Marathon Kids Fun Run.

All the kids were super excited as you can tell. We were worried it would rain but it ended up being a beautiful morning.

Since the little ones and strollers go last, the race had some entertainment for the little kids. Pepper joined right in because she wanted to get closer to the "ballerina."

Marching along.

Morgan was too shy to join but had to give his sister instructions, like always!

Becky was part of a relay team and joined us just in time for our little race to start.

Finally, it was time to take off and boy did Pepper take off!

Everyone was excited to start running.

However, Ben didn't last too long and was back in the stroller with me for a nice slow walk through the one mile race.

Good form Morgan.

Here's a video Cody took of the kids running. Unfortunately, I had the camera most of the time and was so far behind everyone that I didn't catch anyone crossing the finish line and getting their medals. Pepper was super excited though and on the way to church on Sunday kept telling me that she had run a race and got a medal.:

After the race, the kids got their goodie bags and treats and we all sat down to enjoy the musical stylings of Zobapago, a local children's band.

Pepper caught sight of the ballerina again and didn't let go of her till we finally had to drag her away. Here's a video of them dancing together:

After the break, we had to walk back through the course to get to our cars at the starting line. By the time it was all done I was exhausted and having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. I decided to take it easy the rest of the day because my mom comes next week and I am going to try my best to keep this baby inside until she gets here!

Sunday afternoon, we tackled some projects in the basement trying to find all our baby stuff and get prepared. We also brought the pool inside and filled it with balls. Pepper was quite happy about this and also about me taking her picture.

Pepper trying to be the photographer.

Cheesy, cheesy.

Morgan wanted his picture taken as well but has a hard time standing still. It is hard when you have such awesome Jedi skills.

So that was last week, good times but I'm still tired thinking about it!

Morgan's 1st Day of School + 7yrs of Marriage Celebrations

2011-09-19T12:16:00.004-04:00

So fall is officially upon us here in Northeast Ohio and I must admit I am rather enjoying it. The wet weather is not my favorite but I love going for walks with the kids and not feeling miserable (pregnant waddle aside).
Last Tuesday we went to meet Cody for lunch at Smuckers one last time before Morgan started preschool and wouldn't be able to go anymore. This was how they looked when we got home and were "hiding" in the door.

The next day, Wed. Sept. 14th was Morgan's first official day of 4yr preschool. He will be going every morning from 9-11:30. His school, Woodland Preschool, was just voted one of the Top 10 Preschools in Akron. I'm so glad we live so close to such a great school with amazing teachers and staff! I asked Morgan to pose for a "first day" picture and Pepper insisted on going first.

Looking good Pepper!

My big, big boy!

My kids who insist on dressing themselves if you couldn't tell. Yes, those are sparkly Christmas socks Morgan is wearing with his new Clone Wars shoes.

This past Sunday, the 18th was our 7th wedding anniversary. On Thursday night, Cody brought me home this beautiful bouquet of roses. Cody has always been so good about bringing me flowers on special occassions and I never seem to remember he's going to do it. Such a good hubby I have!

He brought them home on Thursday night, because Friday afternoon the kids and I picked Cody up from work early and headed to Columbus. Cody's cousin, Robin, and her family met us at the temple and were kind enough to take our kids home for the night. So Cody and I checked into our hotel, got milkshakes and went to see a movie, The Help. Such a lovely, lovely date night!

Saturday morning we had a big, yummy breakfast then headed back to the beautiful Columbus Temple to do some sealings. Such a great way to celebrate your marriage and wedding day!

This is me not knowing how to pose and feeling uncomfortable in front of the camera as always.

Showing off my 34 week belly with a fantastic backdrop.

I keep thinking I don't look that big till I catch my reflection somewhere. Yep, I'm that big!

The happy couple after all these years

(and yes I was being sarcastic because I realize 7 is still only the beginning.)

After the temple, we headed over to Robin's house to hang out with everyone for the rest of the afternoon then head home. Not surprised to find this when we got there. They were having an epic lightsaber battle on the trampoline. Thank you, Aaron, for being such a great sparring partner for Morgan!

Morgan showing off his jedi skills and Aaron probably nursing his most recent wound.

Andy was nice enough to wake Pepper up early from her nap so we could all play together. She really liked playing with Uncle Cody; who doesn't?!

Later we found Aaron and Morgan defending the home from invaders. Not sure if that is a common problem but I know I felt much safer.

Pepper joined the watch.

After a very yummy pizza dinner, we packed up the kids and headed home. We needed to be home for church on Sunday because it was Morgan's first primary program as a Sunbeam. He did a great job speaking his line, sitting with his class and singing the songs. I was sitting with my primary class and couldn't see him very well but a lot of people said he was quite entertaining. I wouldn't expect anything less from my son!

Cody and I are so grateful for our family that live close by and are willing to help us, even with last minute notice. My kids had the best time and can't wait to get back together with their new cousins again! We are also so grateful for our marriage and the knowledge that we get to be together with our family for time and all eternity!

I love you Cody; you are and always will be my favorite!

Super Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-07T17:53:00.007-04:00

Before I launch into our fabulous Labor Day Weekend pics and stories, I just wanted to catch up on the end of August. The last playgroup activity for August we went to a sprinkler park in Barberton. We got there a little early to let the kids play on the playground and hopefully warm up. It was a bit on the chilly side.
Morgan was immediately stoked about the whole thing and spent most of his time in the water. Pepper did ok but a lot of the other kids felt how chilly the water was and were more interested in the playground. At least they had options and we had the whole place to ourselves.

Krista trying to get the girls, Pepper and Sophie to check the water out.

That is a whole lot of freezing cold water. Brave boy.

I only convinced Halle to try out the water again by promising to take her picture.

What a girl will do to get her picture taken.

Another library storytime, this time the kids worked on some colorful paintings.

Ok, so now on to our Labor Day weekend. On Saturday morning we drove to Cody's cousin, Robin's, house near Dayton. She and her family just moved here in June and we are so excited to have more family nearby. We got there around lunch time on a VERY hot afternoon. But that didn't stop the kids from heading outside to jump on the awesome trampoline.

Gotta love Pepper's awesome hair! Robin's hubby Chris supervising the crazy kids.

Khan's family also came up later in the day. That is Kegan getting some serious air.

The three other girls watching Pepper jump.

Our best group shot. Starting from the left: Ali (13), Morgan (4), William (5), Aaron (10), Pepper (2), Kegan (12), Karissa (16) and Andy (6). The two missing are Theron (18) who stayed home to work and Antonio (15) who must have been inside trying to escape the madness.

I know it is blurry but I love the various stages of flying and falling in this picture.

Cody took all these fun pictures while I sat inside in the comfy coolness chatting with Robin and Joanna. I cannot tell you how excited we all are to live near each other. None of our families have lived near extended family before and we are all so happy that for the most part the kids are all close in age. Pepper is a little young, but luckily she is so darn cute everyone was constantly playing with her and entertaining her. I barely saw my kids the whole time we were there. Perfect!

Karissa's 16th bday was on Wednesday but since we were all together we had a little celebration for her. It is not easy to get a picture of Karissa and I'm sure she would not be happy with this one:)

By this time of night Morgan, William, Aaron and Kegan had not stopped running, jumping and playing lightsaber battles. They were the four sweatiest boys. It was kind of gross and amazing at the same time.

Nice cheesy grin from Pepper. And surprise, surprise she's sitting in Ali's lap. I don't think Pepper walked much the whole time we were there either between Ali and Antonio. I need those two to live much closer!

Youtube always draws a crowd. And this is finally Antonio in a picture.

Pepper with her new best friend.

I had to showcase the crazy wallpaper in Ali's bedroom that she graciously let us use. Robin's house was previously owned by some pretty eccentric people who had a little too much money and time on their hands. It was an awesome house though with lots of room for the kids to run and play while the parents could sit and chat and actually play some fun games.

But seriously, isn't that the craziest wallpaper?! And it was only just a taste of what the other bedrooms had as well.

Sunday afternoon, after sacrement meeting, we all drove down to Khan's house to hang out and for us to spend the night. Khan's work just moved into a brand new building that overlooks the river in Cincinnatti. Every Labor Day the city sets off an amazing fireworks show on the river and Khan's office let people (13 and older) come watch in comfort. It was AWESOME! We all hung out in the kitchen area, ate pizza and watched the fireworks that were eye level with us. Meanwhile all the poor suckers outside were standing in the pouring rain. I never want to watch fireworks another way again.

Those lights at the bottom were on top of the water. Such a cool effect. We were on the 25th floor so most of the fireworks were eye level but we could see all the way to the river and above so we saw everything.

A shot of me at 32 weeks. Not the best shot but you can see the belly pretty well.

Better shot of me but not the belly.

We had such a fun night and weekend. Monday morning, Khan, Cody and Theron went shooting with the priesthood in their ward while Joanna and I hung out with the kids. Pepper had had an allergic/asthma attack during the night and woke up with a puffy face but after some benadryl and a blessing she was just fine. So besides that little hiccup, we had a fantastic weekend getting to know more of our family and having fun with everyone. We can't wait to get together again.

End of August

2011-08-29T10:27:00.007-04:00

So it has been so long since I put these pictures on here and thought about them that I'm not even sure what I intended to say. This was another library storytime. They were celebrating the end of the summer with books about summer and school starting. Then they gave the kids ice cream and sprinkles. Not bad.
Yay, for cold ice cream!

On August 20th, we tried to go to Loyal Oak Lake again but in the late afternoon to have a cookout as well. Rain and thunder closed the lake so we headed back to our house with Anna and her kids for an impromptu kiddie pool swim and hot dog grill.

The kids seem to get over the disappointment pretty well.

Cody was gone off and on a lot toward the end of August in NYC so one night I took the kids over to Becky's for dinner, bath and movie. Remarkably all the kids are somewhat modest in this shot.

Becky, Pepper, Abby and Ben clean and waiting for the movie to begin.

Enjoying an end of summer day at Hardesty Park with some snacks.

Morgan, Lord of the jungle gym.

The second to last playgroup in August we went berry picking at Rittman Orchards. It was a gloomy, somewhat cool day so I was very worried. It turned out to be the perfect weather and we all had a fabulous time!

The kids LOVED rasberry picking. It was nice and grassy, the bushes were low and easy to pick from and the berries were super delicious. Pepper noticing that the few berries that made it into her bucket had been once again eaten.

Sweet Ava was doing a better job of filling up her bucket and not just her face.

Pepper just gave up on the pretense of her bucket, I think Jack was running around with it on his head anyway, and concentrated on stuffing her face.

Super berry pickers!

Next we picked blackberries but this was not as kid friendly. The bushes were really big and had huge thorns. Plus the blackberries are tart and not to everyones liking. Luckily, there were more red rasberry bushes right next to these so the kids were entertained.

After successful berry picking and ice cream eating, the kids were very happy to run and climb around outside the main barn. Such a cute place. I totally reccomend to anyone in the area!

I finally got around to joining the West Akron Moms Club and have been having a good time meeting more moms and kids for my kids to play with. Also, they give me lots of great ideas for my own playgroup. One of the moms hosted an end of summer water party and picnic in her backyard.

It was a very lovely day.

On Saturday morning of the 27th, we made our second attempt at Loyal Oak Lake and this time we were very successful. Anna and her kids joined us again and this time sunny, watery fun was had by all.

Morgan loves his mask.

Pepper loves this slide.

We never could get Morgan to go down it but Dominic and Natalie gave it a go. That was a pretty big feat for Dominic, especially letting Cody catch him.

Here's a little video of the lake:

That night our Relief Society had their annual "Girls Night Out." We went down to one of the sister's houses that lives near a lake and has a boat. We also brought lots of yummy food and had a grand ole time.

The scenery and the great conversations were by far my favorite parts...oh wait the food was pretty great too!

Ali securing the boat while we all gave her a hard time about falling in the water. It was such a great night and I was very grateful for Cody who stayed home with not only our kids but Becky's as well after being in NYC all week and getting home late Friday.

It was the perfect way to end the summer!

Pepper's Big Beast Little Gym Showcase

2011-08-23T20:10:00.003-04:00

Every Monday morning this summer we have headed to the Little Gym for Pepper to participate in her first official class. We had enough membership points to get the summer semester free. Pepper had an absolute blast and loved every second of it. We are not going to continue there because it is too far away with Morgan being in preschool every morning and the new baby's arrival. I will have to find something closer because Pepper LOVED it all and was very good at everything. She's a natural.

Here she was trying to do a crab crawl in her big frilly princess skirt she insisted on wearing.
Helping everyone with the parachute. She was always good at staying with the group and doing what the teacher asked. Her attention span is much better than Morgan's was at this age.

Exploring on her own.

Another monkey in the family.

Despite the look on her face in this picture, Pepper loved the balance beam. Again, much different than Morgan who took a long time to warm up to it.

Here she is showing off her skills on the lower beam all by herself.

Such a daredevil in pink.

She was so excited to get her first medal.

Morgan has all his medals hanging in his room so she was happy to now have one of her own.

Here are some videos of Pepper's last day and all of her skills:

Making the Most of August

2011-08-16T16:18:00.000-04:00

So this will be yet another random updating of things we've been up to the last two weeks or so. Last Wednesday night Cody and I went to a movie premier, One Fall, that was partially backed by Richard Smucker. It was a fun night of getting dressed up, getting our picture taken on the red carpet and watching a free movie with free popcorn.

I have been nesting with the other two kids' rooms. I'm not sure if that is still considered nesting but I'd like to have their rooms "done" before the next one arrives and I never get anything done. So here is the latest with Pepper's room. I made the curtains and if you don't look to close they're pretty perfect.
I made these letter boards shortly after Pepper was born. It only took me over two years to complete this project. Let's hope it is not a trend.

We got these shelves, pink baskets, chair and ladybug lamp at Ikea at the beginning of the summer. I love, love, love them!

Another view of the curtains. I will eventually replace the plastic shelves with somthing a little nicer but they work for now. I must admit, I really love decorating this room. Poor Morgan keeps wondering when I'm going to get more stuff for his room. Boys are just harder to decorate for I think...or maybe it's just that my brain works in pink.

During the summer every Thursday morning we have headed to the main library in Akron for their fabulous storytime. I wanted to make sure we had at least one educational weekly scheduled activity and this one has been perfect. Two weeks ago it was a music theme and the kids were given instruments and had a little parade.

Last week was a dance theme. Pepper and Morgan really enjoyed both weeks. So fun.

Two Fridays ago we headed out to Loyal Oak Lake with the Smedleys for a morning of swimming and playing. It was a perfect day and not too hot but enough sun to offset the slightly chilly water.

There was a slide in the water that Pepper must have gone up and down a couple dozen times. Such a water baby.

This last Friday, Aug. 12th, was Family Day/Open House at Smuckers. After naptime, we drove out to meet Daddy at work and have a fun outdoor dinner.

There were a lot of tiny flies, which did not make the meal super fun with bug-aphobic Pepper but we were all just excited to be with Daddy.

We got to tour the buildings and see a lot of the new construction. We also got to take a tour of the original Smucker family home that sits at the front of the property. It was really fun to see but it was a little crowded and full of antiques. Not fun with two curious little kids running about. Luckily, Pepper wore her squeaky shoes so she was easier to keep track of. Here's a shot of the dining room. In the back there is a picture of Tim and Richard Smucker as children, just like in the commercials.

Saturday, the 13th, we headed back out to Orrville to go to the train show and rib fest. We did this last year without Cody so we were excited to go again this year with him.

That is the old train depot behind them, which is now the railroad museum.

Despite their faces, both kids said this was their favorite ride.

Next we went on the big train for a very slow, yet air-conditioned, trip. The kids were a getting a little tired and hungry but once it started moving they had fun. The trip was made a lot more fun by our new friends who just moved into our ward at the beginning of the summer. Krista, the mom, is due the very beginning of October. I'm only slightly jealous:)

Waiting in line for the track car rides. Pepper's feet just keep growing this summer and now she is into some of Morgan's hand-me-down shoes. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind and just gets excited about new shoes.

Cody, Pepper and Morgan squished into the front of the track car.

I thought this was the best ride because these things really cruise down the tracks.

Anybody have any idea what this weird bean tree is? We changed Pepper's poopy diaper under it and I thought it looked like an alien tree.

And finally, one shot of Cody enjoying the rib fest. Unfortunately, by this point we were all tired, hot, cranky and it was nap time. So we didn't get to enjoy the live music and bouncy castles that were also there. Oh well, there's always next year!

I know for some of you the summer is already over but I am glad we still have a few more weeks left. This summer has flown by as has this pregnancy. I am already at 29 1/2 weeks. This little girl will be here before we know it!

NYC BFF's

2011-08-15T16:34:00.005-04:00

A week ago Sunday, we were super excited to host our great friends from NYC, Ashley and Minde. They had both been out in Utah visiting family for over a month and were headed back to the city. We only had them for a short lunch visit but we were grateful for every second. Although, the kids haven't seen each other in over a year and half they were instant best buddies again.
For those of you who don't know the back story, Minde, Ashley and I have always been pregnant at the same time. First, we had our boys only a few months apart and then we had our girls. Eleanor and Pepper were actually born only two minutes apart. Of course, by that time we had moved to Ohio but it doesn't matter. We are all linked just the same.

Good luck trying to get everyone to sit still and look at the camera, not to mention smile.

Here's the whole crew plus Minde:

Eliot, Chase, Riley, Eleanor, Pepper and Morgan

The girls.

Eleanor has a fantastic smile. Such a cutie!

Our boys.

I should have posted pics of them since they were babies. I'll have to do that after the next set:)

Yay, for lifelong friends!

And of course, we are all pregnant again! Minde and I are both having girls, while Ashley decided to mix things up by having a boy this go around. And once again, we are all due a few weeks apart.

It was so fun to have them visit and to catch up on each others' lives.

Cody would have loved to catch up with Tyler and Bryan also but we'll happily take what we can get:) It was so fun to have our kids get together again and hopefully we'll be able to keep the tradition alive as the years continue.

Extra Summertime Fun

2011-08-04T09:05:00.010-04:00

In case anyone is keeping track, I'm currently in my third trimester.

This was a picture of me at 25 weeks.
When we got home we found this little baby next to our garage. I guess the mother figured it was a nice quiet, protected spot. That was until we showed up again.

The next morning I found the mother nursing the baby at the bottom of our hill. Once she saw me taking the picture, they didn't return, until a few days ago when I saw them, plus a few extra deer, wandering through our backyard.

Besides playgroup, I have been trying to keep the kids busy with different activities. Heather had luckily made quite a nice list of things to do so we joined her, Jack and Gwendolyn on a few activities. This is an indoor playplace called Amazone.

Jack and Morgan were off without a moments hesitation.

Pepper helping Gwendolyn explore the toddler area.

Happy little ladies. Gwendolyn just turned 1. I think she's going to catch up with Pepper soon!

Jack and Morgan, two crazy monkeys.

Pepper and Morgan not looking at the camera. Per usual!

The first Friday we were home, we headed out to the Touch-a-Truck Show in Cuyahoga Falls. We got there a little early and played on the playground till it opened.

Once inside we headed straight for the bouncy castle, of course.

Pepper was only slightly freaked out by this remote control mini bus. She tryed to put on a brave face.

Heather helping the kids climb into the big truck.

Morgan loved getting to sit in the drivers' seats.

Bucket boy.

Morgan, Abby and Jack. The three muskateers together again.

Waiting with excitement to sit in the police car.

Very cute prisoners.

Hanging out in the back of ambulance.

Becky helping Ben and Abby to get in on the action.

Firefighter Morgan.

Pepper taking her work very seriously.

We worked up quite an appetite touching all those trucks to we took a break to have some pizza and snow cones.

Trying to get the last precious drops.

Captain Morgan taking a much needed break.

So lest you think we are always on the go doing fantastic and exciting activities, here are some pics of our normal afternoon shenanigans. Here are Morgan and Pepper playing dress up and then showing off their moves:

This was a Saturday morning masterpiece built with Daddy.

Then there was a big battle and a huge mess. Yay for playdates with Daddy.

We love time with Daddy!

We've also been trying to keep busy by visiting and playing with our friends. The other day we went over to some friends from church who have 4 boys who are big Star Wars fans. They have lots of dress up clothes and toys. Morgan was very excited but not to wear the head gear. So Pepper decided to be Anankin from Clone Wars. Freaky isn't it?!

Pepper is a big Yoda fan...at least in theory, since she really has no idea who he is just that Morgan talks about him a lot.

Morgan was very excited to wear Anakin's outfit and to try out some new lightsabers.

So that's a taste of what we've been up to this summer.

Summertime Playgroup Fun

2011-08-04T08:57:00.008-04:00

Luckily, while I was vacationing in Florida, Heather generously volunteered to help organize playgroup for me. Thank you, thank you. The week we got back we had a lovely day at Anna's pool to look forward to. My kids were stoked because they were having a horrible withdrawel from Gramma's pool.
Happy boy.

Some new friends who moved into the ward, Krista and little Sophie.

Yay, for friends, sun and water fun.

A couple weeks later we headed over to the Akron Zoo to check out some of the new areas.

Everyone really enjoyed the zoo animal carousal.

We were very happy to have our friends Jen, baby Addison, Erin and Colin join us too. Erin is Morgan's good friend from the Little Gym.

Here's Colin.

After we hiked up the big hill we headed over to ride the new train. It was a tight squeeze, especially for me, but we all managed to fit. It wasn't a super exciting ride but the kids enjoyed it. I don't think kids ask much from a train; just that it exists mostly.

The maze was a fun new addition.

Jen and Ava also drove up from another ward bounderies to join us.

Such a fun day.

Pepper staying in the shade and close to the food.

This pirate ship kept the kids busy for quite awhile. It also turned their feet and behinds black. Lovely.

In the Jellyfish exhibit, we got to touch some marine life. Good thing Pepper is usually game for most anything and that these animals are not much bigger than her little hands.

Morgan showing off his rock climbing skills.

Last Wednesday, we took our little adventure crew over to the Nature Realm in Akron. This is one of my favorite places near our home, no matter the season or weather. It was an overcast day but we all still had a great time checking out the animals inside and taking a walk through the herb garden.

Pretty Abby showing off this fantastic little water feature with the pretty lily pads.

I swear I need one of these in my yard.

Especially if this little cutie will always look this happy.

After our walk, we had lunch out on the back deck over looking a pond.

I am so grateful for playgroup. I really believe it is vital to stay-at-home moms with small children. I don't know what I would do without all of these fantastic women and their support and friendship. Thanks everyone for a great summer.

Too Much Fun to Let it Go

2011-08-04T08:48:00.008-04:00

Last Saturday, we were lucky enough to be invited to join are friends' Jen, Brent and Ava on their boat. It was a perfectly, beautiful day and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Pepper catching some rays.

Ava having a dance break.

Pepper is always happiest with a bag of anything chip related. This is how she spent most of her time on the boat.

Morgan and Cody checking things out at the front of the boat.

Pepper and Morgan watching Brent water ski.

Brent out on the water.

Jen having a turn on the wakeboard.

Pepper was really enjoying helping Brent drvie the boat.

Ava and Jen taking a break.

Perfect boating day with awesome friends!

After boating and a quick dinner, we headed over to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Balloon Festival. This is our third year of going and second year with the Lloyds and once again it was a fabulous time.

This is the first year the cake actually made it into the air (while we were attending at least), and it flew right over us. This balloon is seriously massive!

Lovely Ava, always on the go!

Pepper was really excited about this piggy balloon. She clapped every time a balloon went up in the air.

The piggy had a tail. Heehee.

Thanks, Brent, for being such a great sport. Pepper was his little shadow.

Morgan saw these lightsaber type swords on the way into the festival and in his words, "I just can't get them off my mind." So finally Cody was nice enough to wander around the festival to find one. This was one happy kid.

Very happy kids sharing a big ice cream cone.

The party people.

It was a very, very long and fun-filled day.

It is days like this that make you want to never let the summer end.