Alex is 7!!

Alex is growing up way too fast. :( Thankfully, he still climbs in bed with me in the mornings to snuggle and still wants to tell me all about his day. If he ever gets too old for that I'll be so sad.

For part of his birthday, he got to go to Nickel City with two of his best friends. I LOVE how little boys get so into the games... just super focused, super excited when they hit the bonus jackpot, everything. I had just as much fun as them!

Fall Daze

Fall is flying by! Carmen's favorite thing right now is preschool. Any day is a good day as long as she goes to preschool. :) Her BFF is Charlotte, a new friend in her class. Highlights of the past few weeks include getting her face painted at My Kids Clubhouse and going to the pumpkin patch with her preschool.



Alex loved camping with Dave and the Father & Sons campout. He's also WAY into soccer right now. We're hoping for that first goal of the season-- by him OR by his team...


Anamarie is loving soccer also. She's getting ready to start basketball in November, and a musical theatre class. This picture was at her last book club, where she had to create a character who did something noteworthy and was in the paper. She saved a cat out of a tree.

Hayden is doing really well in competitive soccer and it is basically her life right now, with three practices a week and weekend games. The other thing going on is her "appliance", which she gets on Thursday, which will be just the beginning of a few-year teeth straightening adventure. Fun! :)

Rolling ball anyone?

The sad life of a 4th child... on a recent Saturday, Carmen had sat through an hour of watching the big kids practice for the primary program and 3 soccer games. At the end of the last game, she asked me when we were going to play rolling ball? She gestured while she said rolling ball in such a way that after a few minutes I asked... "Do you mean bowling? Do you want to go bowling?" "YES!" she yelled. So, after the soccer game was over, we all piled in the car and headed to the bowling alley. Carmen tore it up and had SO much fun. I am in love with her outfit-- she is her own stylist, and wanted those socks pulled all the way up. :)





Here's my dad, fast asleep, about 3 minutes into the primary program. I love the iphone. :)

Happy Birthday Hayden-bug!

Tuesday is Hayden's 11th birthday (and also the first day of school, but that'll be a different post). She is a full-fledged tween-- a really cute, sweet one thankfully! She still has that infectious giggle and huge smile that she has had since she learned how to smile and giggle. It seems like she has been with us for EVER, not just 11 years. I can't imagine a day without her. She makes me laugh, keeps me from crying, and is the first to offer help to anyone she sees. Love her to death. Her birthday list is: a manicure/pedicure, a new bike, and an iPod Touch...can you guess which one she is NOT getting? (sorry Hayden!) Here are some pictures of her from her competitive soccer tournament this weekend-- her team won first place. YEA! Go Hayden! Happy Birthday sweetie.



Anamarie and her Papa (Dave's dad) wrote a song for Hayden's birthday. Follow this link to see it! (Check out the backup dancer!!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPOspkQ-Vs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Getting ready for school

School starts in one week and we have been busy shopping and getting everything ready! Today we went shoe shopping and got haircuts!


Dave's reaction when I texted him this picture of Alex: "Dude-- not cool."


Alex has been begging me to get a buzz cut for about a year, when his best friend Dean got one. I haven't let him but he hasn't let down. I folded today, and now have a 6 1/2 year old army recruit. Awesome.


Ana went for a safe trim with some layers.


Hayden has been growing her hair out for a few years now, to donate it to Locks of Love. It was finally long enough today to cut and donate!




Summer's not completely over yet, so we still have to hit the pool and beach a couple times a week!


Found this cute pic of Tilly and Ana from last month.

6 month wrap up

Wow. The past six months have been amazingly fun! I've been way too busy playing to post anything until now... but here are some of my favorite pics and fun activities we've done from March through August!

Anamarie was baptized on March 12 with two of her friends from church, Ty and Bailey.


Her three BFFs from school came to support and watch. :)


Family trip to Palm Springs for spring break




crazy Hayden... no further explanation


day trip to Julian




beach trip-- down the cliffs at Del Mar 8th street


Alex at his end of the season Little League party


Yea! A new In-N-Out opened just down the street from us. Love it.


Carmen lookin cute


Posing at the Poway Train Park


Our ward YW took family pictures as their camp fundraiser this year. Here's ours:


Alex's kindergarten fieldtrip to Coronado


We took the train to Solana Beach with friends-- Chelsey captured this sweet pic of Carmen


We LOVED our little weekend trip to Puerto Nuevo! Can't wait to go back...










Anamarie's dance recital-- this was my favorite of her two costumes. I want to see if it comes in my size!



We were so lucky to be able to stay at the cabin in North Carolina for two whole weeks! We LOVED our time on the boat and hanging with family-- we came back completely waterlogged!




















While we were in North Carolina, our kitchen/family room projects were finished (well, mostly).





The big kids spent a week at Mission Bay at a water camp-- learning to paddle board, sail, kayak, go on a catamaran, and boogie board. They loved every minute!






We took Hayden and one of her friends, Carson, with us to Knotts Berry Farm. I'm SO glad that we have daredevil kids!! Dave and I took turns with Carmen and the other went on the fast, upside down rides with everyone else. Good times!




Carmen has gone through the most changes over the past few months-- stopping her naps, preferring to sleep on the floor than in a bed, falling asleep in the car or bike rides (!), and starting preschool last week. Since starting preschool, she has been overtired and very naughty (pouring fingernail polish on the carpet kind of naughty) but we're crossing our fingers that it's just a phase and things will be better this week!


What a big kid! First day of preschool:

Driving home from the first day of preschool...


Last but not least, I had a really fun work party yesterday where we went to a circus type place where we learned how to trapeze! It was REALLY scary, but a ton of fun! By the end of the party, we were swinging by our knees on the trapeze and letting go of the bar-- only to grab on and be swung by a trazpeze carnie guy. I have huge random bruises on the back of my knees today... and awesome pics to prove to my kids that their mom is cool. :)