The Blatter Family

Oh Owen!

2011-04-26T15:28:00.001-07:00

Today Owen told me that he wished he could hit his head really hard so that he could be rich. I asked him why he thought he would be rich if he hit his head and he said that last time he fell down and hit his mouth, everyone gave him money and candy!
(This is actually true because he fell in a pizza parlor and there was lots of blood and so all of his little friends and cousins felt so bad for him, they gave him their coins and little toys out of the machine. A couple of them even gave him a dollar bill! It was really sweet to see their empathy!...but not so sweet now to see how Owen's figuring out how to milk it!)

The other day he asked me if everyone is a child of God. "Of course," I said, "Everyone". He replied, "Even random people? Like bald people?"

Last time we were at the dentist office for an appointment for Hannah, Owen went with me and he asked me if he could pick a toy out of the bin. I told him that those toys are for the patients and he replied, "But I've been so patient!!"

The missionaries were over for dinner last night and Owen was on one! He was hamming it up and had them rolling on the ground with laughter. I don't know what it is about this slightly inapropriate and ridiculously funny kid but he is so dang loveable.

We'll keep him!

Conversations...

2010-12-16T22:57:00.000-08:00

As Hannah was writing an addendum tonight to this original letter written to Santa...

she added a few more items that she had forgotten and then signed,
"Love,
A very, very nice girl
Hannah Blatter"
She looked up and me and said, "Do you think Santa knows that it's pronounced Blotter?"

(Do you think she's just a little sensitive to the fact that our name is often mispronounced as a very uncool internal organ that holds your pee!?)

I know I'm behind, but...

2010-12-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

I get this message from blogger when I try to update...

We're sorry, but you have exceeded your photo upload quota.

and I don't know what to do about it! And I haven't done anything about it for about 2 months or so.

Help!

*I know many of you are chuckling right now because I am just a little obnoxious with the ridiculous amounts of photos that I post. I'm just not good at editing!

Conversations...

2010-10-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

While Grandma and Grandpa Lamoreaux were visiting this summer, Owen was being extra ornery and bossy at one point and Dad said, "Owen, why are you being so rude?" Owen responded with his hands up in exasperation, "Because I want what I want...and I want EVERYTHING!" We all burst out laughing and Dad said, "I think that's the most honest answer I've ever heard."
As you can imagine that is a new inside joke in our house!

This summer we went to Mexico and I decided to get the kid's their own rolling suitcases that they got to pick out at Target. You would've thought they won the lottery, they were so excited. They took their time, debating the styles and options (in the price range given) and then rolled their suitcases all over the store until our shopping was complete. Shortly after we got home to pack, Jake told me he was done. I knew there was no way as I was still doing laundry and hadn't give him his packing check list. He insisted and I opened it up to find books/magazines/ds/stuffed tiger/toys and said "What about all your clothes?" He looked at me dumbfounded, "You mean I have to put all my clothes in there?? What a waste!"

At our soccer games this weekend Hannah had a big bottle of Vitamin Water that she did not want to share with her brothers. Grandpa Lamoreaux said, "But Hannah, you can't drink that all yourself! You'll have to stop for a potty break during your game!" She replied mischievously, "No, I'll just have an accident on the field... and while everyone's looking my team can score!!" We all cracked up!! What a cute and spunky girl! Good strategizing there Hannah!! Anything to get out of sharing with her brothers!

Celebration!

2010-09-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mamie's 90th Birthday Party and my Mom and Dad's 40th Wedding Anniversary...

Many wonderful years to celebrate!

Legit

2010-08-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

My summer endeavor...

(This is the post that caused me to run out of photo storage! Be prepared!)
So I...

with the help of some dear friends started a Show Choir this summer with about 100+ kids...

All in an effort to get my own kids singing and dancing with friends...
And it was a blast!

(L to R: Trish sacrificed her garage all summer, Taufa and her daughters did all of the choreography and ran the classes, Kristi was the business and money, and I did all advertising, communications and enrollment. My friend Nicole, not pictured, did the logo and all the t-shirts! Fabulous right? Let me know if you want her info.)

We held classes every week in a friend's garage...

Even had a recording session...

And then ended the summer with a big backyard show where the kids showed off their voices and moves...

Grades Kindergarten-1st (My Alex was in this group. 2nd from right back row)

Grades 2-3

Grades 4-5 (Jake and Hannah are in this group. Hannah 2nd from left on front row and Jake in his own row leaning forward with his mouth open on the right side!)

Middle School...

And High School...

They rocked!! And it was so fun to see the kids overcome their fears and just let loose. They also made some great friends!

Adorable children and so much fun !
Some snap shots of all the cuteness...

Until next summer...

2nd Summer Tahoe Trip

2010-08-24T23:46:00.000-07:00

August 16-22
We had the opportunity to go to Tahoe twice this summer. (I know, hate on me!)
It was so great! I went up early with the kids while John put a few more days of work in and then headed up to meet us.

The first day we met up with some of Hannah's friends from school who happened to be staying in Tahoe at the same time. It was fun to see her with her cute girlfriends...

I especially like to give her opportunities to be with girls since she's got 3 brothers! (I happened to put a bunch of animals in the beach bag for Owen and these entertained them all for hours. They even built them a pretty nifty habitat (which I failed to photograph!)

We were there with the Sharps and the Silvas...(notice the ladies holding tight to their umbrellas! It was a windy day!)

Owen had a great time playing in the sand...

And swimming in the water...

Cute and Protective older brother...

Mud Monster...

And of course...burying fun...

The next day we spent time at the docks of Chinquapin where we stay...Love these cool shots with the boat behind. He was enthralled!

Owen and Grandma...

I caught a crawdad by myself thank you very much (with much squealing and excitement--they are fast little guys!)...

And then lots of fun on the boat...

Go Aunt Kim...

Go Scotty...

(My camera was too slow (um, or me) and I couldn't get a good air shot!)
Grandma and Avery...

Isn't she precious? She didn't even make a peep! Such a sweet darling and so happy!

And Grandpa and Owen...

And with Avery...

Oh how I love these two! Grandma and Grandpa are so wonderful and love their family so much!! Their priority is making memories with their kids and grandkids and I admire this so much about them. I also appreciate being the benefactor of these wonderful trips more than they will ever know!
Aggs trying on Avery's hat...

We pulled out the knee-board first...
Awesome Jake and the knee board. I love the (sometimes false) confidence this guys shows under any circumstance!!

And the fact that he has no inner-monologue, so he's a pretty noisy knee-boarder..."Aaaaa! Whoa! You're okay! You got it! Whoa! Weeeee!" He is hilarious!...

And Alex (confident 6 year old)...

And Hannah (lovely and brave and poised)...

Owen couldn't wait to get out there too so we got out the ski trainer...

Cousin Katie was not so excited but she did it! Yay for Katie!

Cousin Sydney too was not feeling it but she perked up...

She did the motion for "cut" for quite a while though. Too funny!

Alex on the ski trainer...

Go Hannah girl!

Then it was time for tubing...

Uncle Scott and Aunt Kim went along for the ride...

Other cousins Katelyn and Natalie who are twins came up to Tahoe too during the week with Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Eric. They were hilarious. One always wanted to go faster and the other always wanted to slow down...

Looks like they finally all got on the same page!...

More tubing fun...

Watch cousin Mason (far right) in these series of shots...

Then a day at Sand Harbor (one of our favorite places at Tahoe) to climb rocks, catch crawdads, and play at the beach...

(Alex and Uncle Scott)

(Aunt Kim)

Struttin' on the beach...

Love Syd's pose...

Fun times at Tahoe!

Samson

2010-08-17T00:35:00.000-07:00

August 16, 2010
Alex got his hair cut and it was the most traumatic event ever for me!! Wow! I didn't know how attached I was to that shaggy do of Alex's! It was getting way too long and when I went in for a trim and the first haircut didn't quite work, I went back and had her go ahead and cut it all off for a back-to-school do!!
From here...

To here...

Yikes!
It was hard to get used to, but it is good to see those beautiful blue eyes of his!! I would like to say that he didn't lose any of his power by losing those locks, BUT he didn't jump off the dock this year and if you remember last year, he did one of these...

Let's hope he gets his groove back!

Happy Anniversary to Us (in August)!

2010-08-15T00:59:00.000-07:00

August 15, 2010
(Still back-blogging!!)
Pictures By Britt

12 years!!

Oh how I love you!

You are an amazing man and wonderful husband and father! The best!

I think we've done a pretty good job so far!...

With 4 beautiful kids to show for it!
Happy Eternity Baby!

Santa Cruz

2010-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

August 9, 2010
Boardwalk on one side...

Beach on the other...

After hanging out on the beach building sandcastles, collecting seashells, and catching seagulls (No, seriously. Our kids had a lecture from the life guard on wildlife conservation) we headed over to the boardwalk for rides...

Buddies...

Friends forever...

We closed the place down!!!
It doesn't feel like summer unless we've gone to Santa Cruz!

Boating at New Melones

2010-08-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July Weekend
Camping and Boating with the Andersen's.
Some awesome tube rides...

We had so much fun! I love these guys!

We didn't have fireworks up there, so we had to have something festive!

My boys...

The girls...

Fun times on the boat...

Love these kiddos of mine...

The adults...

Don't mind my thighs, just check out my air!

Gotta try to keep up with this guy...

Some swimming...

And the awesome campground Junior Ranger fun...

They were loving it!

Fun times at camp!

Just Another Summer Day...

2010-08-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

August 7, 2010
Washing cars...

Eating popsicles and lounging in the hammock...

Watermelon...

Chatting...

And of course, some grouchiness. Can't forget the grouchiness...

No more pictures Mom!

Cousins Come to Visit!

2010-08-05T00:29:00.000-07:00

August 1st-5th
Grandma and Grandpa came with my brother Steve's kids for a visit. They are the cutest boys and it was wonderful! Grandpa took us to Baskin Robbins which is something he does every time he visits.

Liam...

Logan...

My little Owen...

Hannah with her new braces...

Alex...

Logan and Jake...

We did a lot of swimming in the backyard while they were here...

We also went to Tilden Park, a favorite from childhood. The steam train was closed but we made it in time for the merry-go-round. I love this place and it brings back so many memories. It's so fun to share your favorite childhood places with your kids...

Cute cousin love...

Ring pops from Grandma for everyone...

Family fun...

Time to say goodbye...

The flights were all full (typical stand-by blues) so my dad drove them home to Washington. My dad the hero!!

Somebody Got Braces!

2010-08-02T23:19:00.000-07:00

August 2, 2010

Before...

After...

(With her friend Claire who just got new glasses)
Lots of exciting new beginings!

Tahoe Gem

2010-07-31T21:50:00.000-07:00

July 28-31, Lake Tahoe

A couple of days after getting home from Mexico we had a trip planned to Lake Tahoe. (Lovely to be a Blatter with time-shares!) We stayed for a couple of days at the Marriot Timber Lodge like last year, but thankfully the weather was better this year! The only day I had my camera was the day we went to our favorite little spot called Angora Lake. It's so fabulous and picturesque!
You have to take a little hike to get to it...(Uncle Scott came with us)...

Aggie looking shaggy!...

It's complete with canoe rentals and homemade lemonade and an ice cream stand...

Beautiful water and big rocks to play on...

Jake...

Alex...

Hannah...

Where's Owen? Peekaboo

Off on a ride...

Picking up their sis...

John helping out...

Swims them to the jumping rock...

Here John goes...

Back flip...

Awesome!
Jake standing on the edge...

Still standing on the edge...

Here comes dad and Alex to help out...

John goes again...

Jake still trying to get up the nerve...

So close...(Alex coming to join him)...

Again...no jump!!

I seriously waited with my camera poised and they NEVER jumped. Seriously! John said it was scarier than it looked!
Great day...

Love this place!!

Summer of Swim Team

2010-07-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

Go Aqua Bears!!
Another summer of Swim Team fun!

This is the "professional" pic and it cracks me up! It's cute in all it's imperfections! I don't think the guy had ever worked with 4 kids at once because he didn't know what he was doing. They're grouped nicely, but the they weren't lined up well, so the perception is all off. Hannah and Owen look like they have huge heads compared to Alex and Jake! I should've saved my money and had my friend Britt take the shots!
Here's the whole team...

Alex had a fabulous season! He was the second fastest 6 & under aqua bear (Mathew Hanson was hard to beat!!) He won silver in every stroke and was so exciting to watch! It was so fun to have a kid who actually scores points at the meet (only the first heat scores). He did a great job!

Hannah had a great season too. It was a big adjustment for her and Jake because they moved up to 9-10's which means they have to do 50's (2 lengths) and flip turns! She pushed through and worked hard and shaved off time on each stroke. Her favorite stroke was breast stroke but her back stroke was her best and actually earned her a bronze!

Jake improved in every stroke and had a great season. Last year he kind of moseyed down the lane taking his time and getting side tracked by the sky (true to his nature no doubt.) This year he put more into it and worked really hard. He is always a good sport!

Owen was an Aqua Cub this year! He got to swim with a kick board across the pool and he loved it! He loved being a part of the team this year instead of a bystander. He loved the swim cap, the goggles, the cheering...he loved it all. (And can you believe I don't have pictures of him actually swimming!?!? My only excuse is that I was a kid runner for almost every meet and it was a little crazy! Travesty!) Here's some cute ones from last year!

Buddies...

One of our awesome coaches on Super Hero Day!!

A few more cute shots...

Swim Team Award Night!

2010-07-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

My camera was dead that night, so I only have photos that others took for me and sent to me. Thank heavens for good friends with cameras!
With our favorite Coach Matt...

The boys and their buddies...

Getting awards...
Hannah...(sweet and humble, struck a little pose)

Jake... (He got up on the block and did "Rocky"-esque muscle arms with a pumping fists. So cute!)

Alex...(too cool with a shy "John" smile and hurried off the platform)

Owen...(giddy with excitement, hamming it up!)

(with the lovely and awesome new coach Jen)
Owen and his swim buddy Paolo (who broke records by the way! Awesome!) Owen adored Paolo and was always looking for him!...

Great night! Great season!

Mexico in July

2010-07-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

July 16-23
What an amazing trip!
(Prepare for picture overload!!)

We stayed at the Nuevo Vallarta house and it is seriously the most perfect vacation spot ever with the beach in your backyard. We arrived on Friday and went straight to the backyard for swimming in the pool and the beach. Saturday was more of the same! Sunday we went to church and had a great family dinner and took these lovely family shots! You really have to click on these to get the full effect--Grandpa and Alex are the best in Picture 2 and John is classic in Picture 3. The face he's making is just plain embarassing! Jake's full belly laugh head back is pretty funny too. We like to have fun!
Pictures from the first couple of days...
My cute boys...

My beautiful Hannah...

Owen officially learned to swim on this trip (no lifejacket, no kick board)...

He was all over the pool!

Lovin' his little booty crack and tan line...

Fun in the pool...

Fun at the beach...

Everyone loved boogie boarding but especially Alex. He grabbed a board every time he saw the "good waves"...

Hannah waited for the good waves too...

Owen loved to run on the beach and play in the sand...

This was our pet moth in the bathroom (he was bigger than my hand!!...)

More cute butt crack...(Can't help myself)

Love this little interchange between cousins...

Uncle James was the best and we call him the "Pied Piper"!

This is how the adults looked much of the time...

I think I read 4 or 5 books!

Owen tuckered out...

Monday we took the kids to the crazy Mexican waterslides which they love because they can go on anything and everything...

Monday night, John and I went to Punta Mita (where Grandma and Grandpa and the singles were staying) for a date night and over-nighter!! It was blissful!

We went to dinner to a wonderful seafood place on the beach...

And stayed the night in the gorgeous condo all by ourselves (We took the kids the next night and Chris and Lisa did the same thing!) Tuesday we woke up and came over to the big house for a gourmet breakfast by Francisco (the yummiest french toast I've ever had) with fresh fruit and eggs and bacon. Mmm! Chris and Lisa came with the kids after lunch.
The Punta Mita house...

Trying to get a family shot...

Jake and Alex showing off the cool entry... (the waterfalls were turned off)

LOVE this picture of Jake...

We spent Tuesday in the backyard at the infinity pool and took rides with Uncle Scott on the golf cart...

Found some crabs...

And an iguana...

Cute cousins...

We had the BEST lunch ever of fish tacos. Kudos to Francisco for the great meals!

Wednesday we came back over to Punta Mita and went to the beach club. The kids LOVE this place. What's not to love?...white beaches, comfy lounge chairs, diet coke with lime, surf boards, kayaks at your disposal...

And a fabulous pool and play structure...(yes, that's me mid-handstand!)

The kids got to do a craft this time and they were in heaven...

All the grandkids...

Lovely Aunt Kim...

Awesome Uncle James...

Cute Uncle Scottie...

The beach club restaurant...

Beautiful Lisa and Uncle Chris with Avery...

Driving back to the house...

Showing off their goods...

Awesome Uncle Chris...

On our way back to Nuevo Vallarta, we stopped at "Tacos on the Street" our favorite taco spot. Yum, yum..

The kids were in heaven with their orange sodas...

Mason takes after his dad...

Coming back to Nuevo at night... (I do love the new condo and house in Punta Mita but I will always have a place in my heart for this lovely old place!)

Thursday we spent the whole day soaking up our last day of fun...

Alex and dad went kayaking...

When the kids needed a break from the sun and swimming, they had a little time for this...

More beach time...

Avery's first experience with the ocean...(I love these shots and I'm so glad I was able to capture them!)

She is such a beautiful baby and so good-natured. The sweetest disposition ever! We love Avery!

Last beach stroll...

My sweet and pensive Jake (Love this boy!)...

Finding treasures...

Last opportunity to boogie board! The sky was amazing and the pictures don't do it justice!! Mason and Alex and I were out there 'til the bitterly beautiful end! The sky was glowing pink and purple and orange and there was perfect waves and we just rode over and over again as long as there was enough light...

Perfect end to a perfect week! It was truly amazing and one of my favorite memories!
Friday packing up and putting the boards and toys away...

Traveling...

Home. So sad to say goodbye!

Cousin Katie's Big Day!

2010-07-11T23:12:00.000-07:00

July 10, 2010
Katie's Baptism Day! Cutest thing on this planet! We love her so much!

Lot's of family...

I got to hold baby Avery "to help Lisa" so that she could be hands free to enjoy Katie's special day. (Whatever excuse I could come up with!)

Cousin Mason...

And then the party...

Love these cousins of ours and so glad we get to live close to each other! What a great day!

3rd Grade End-of-the-School-Year Party!

2010-06-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

(June 10th)
Our backyard...30 kids...face painting...cotton candy machine...popcorn machine...hot dog machine...pool...trampoline...hammock...heaven!

We hosted the party for Jake and Hannah's classmates and raised over $600 for the school! Attendance for the party was an auction item and all proceeds went directly to the school.
It was a great way to fund-raise and get the kids together for a last hurrah!

The face (and body) painting was a hit...

Thanks to Michelle!

A family from our church owns all the machines and they were a hit!

Even Owen got in on it...

Fun in the pool...

Trampoline fun...

And a little super soaker to cool everyone off...

Last Day of School

2010-06-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

Alex's best buddies Luke and Shane...

His wonderful teacher...

His fabulous performance...(2nd row from top, 3rd in from the right)

What he'll miss most about Kindergarten?...Recess.

Jake and Hannah and some friends... Right next to Jake is his "own worst enemy".

Seriously.
I asked Jake to scoot in for the picture and he said loudly, "No way, I can't. I'm not standing next to my own worst enemy." The kid just laughed and shrugged like they had had this discussion before.
Ahh, dramatic Jake.
On to fourth grade now. Where has the time gone?

Until then...

2010-06-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

Still working on a Yosemite post. Until then, you can feast your eyes on these for the time being...
A Yosemite Post of our trip by my friend Britt
She's amazing. Enjoy...
We were there. You can find us in there.
I'll do my own pics soon.

Hannah's Dance Recital

2010-06-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

(June 5th)
Oh, how I love this girl!

She's on the Mini Me Dance Team for her studio Dance Fusion, so this year she was in 4 different numbers. I wish I had gotten a picture of each costume!

She did a fabulous job, does everything full out, and sparkles on the stage. I'm so proud of her for working so hard all year for this special night!

I love her sense of humor and lively fun attitude!

She's my girl!

With some of her darling friends...

With her cousins Katie and Sydney who performed as well and her cousins Katelyn and Natalie who came to watch...

And her new cousin Avery at her first dance show...

With beautiful Grandma...

And Aunt Lisa and all the girls...

With more friends backstage...

With her wonderful teachers...

Love, love, love Dance Fusion and the wonderful teachers and choreography! To another year!
Funny Sidenote--The lipstick we borrowed was fire-engine red long-lasting 12 hour lipstick. Well, let's just say she got funny looks at church the next day when I couldn't scrub it off her lips!

Emergency Room Visit

2010-06-07T14:24:00.001-07:00

Yup. We had a babysitter lined up and a date night planned for an Amazing Race Birthday Party last month and about an hour before we were supposed to leave I hear a "Mommy!! Jake fell!!!"
Jake is crying and I'm comforting him. He says he hit his chin and it's bleeding. "It's okay honey. Calm down. You're okay." All the usual words of comfort...
(See that tile wall separating the hot tub from the pool? He slipped while running across that)

Then, "Let me take a look at it."
Um...

Ew! "Oh, wow, okay. You're okay. Alex go get your dad NOW!"
It was pretty gross. I didn't want to freak him out so I stayed really calm and acted like it was no big deal but it was split open! And there I thought it was just a little scrape!

We dried him off and got him dress and canceled our babysitter and John spent the evening in the emergency room. "Can I bring my DS?" That was all he cared about!!
No stitches, just glue.
Life with boys!

Baseball Boy!

2010-06-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

We got a Mariner in the house! Woo woo! Baseball season is almost over! Crazy! And school's out in a week. This has all flown by!
I'm so behind on posts! I got hung up on a Yosemite post (still to come) and been busy with a show choir I'm helping to start (more to come!) and motherhood and sickness and all that fun stuff! I will be back! I can't let blogging slip through the cracks! This is my family's journal!!
Stay with me!

Go Alex!!

Black Rock Ranch

2010-05-31T00:51:00.000-07:00

Memorial Weekend (May 28-31)
Still catchin' up...
Love it here.

Lots of families. Lots of fun.

Staceys, Blatters, Edgrens, Callaways, (and Greenlaws not pictured)

Playing at the beach...

Tubing...

Canoeing...

Jet skiing...

Quad riding...

Mule riding...

We made a visit to Sutter's Mill where gold was found in 1848 by Mormon settlers...

Campfire fun followed by an awesome dance party...

Oh, and some gun shooting and rocket launching...

Never a dull moment!
Funny story (in retrospect only): When the guns came out for skeet shooting, there were a couple of kids (2) led by a passionate Maren who formed a little protest group. They were anti-guns and they made little signs with a sharpie and napkins that they held up against the window that said "Guns are stupid" and "Say no to guns". Alex, my 6 year old went inside with the group and started to make a sign. Apparently he started to write with the sharpie on the marble floor and the ink seeped through!! Britt caught it in time but there was a little streak on the immaculate, expensive, beautiful floors! I ran inside in a panic and we found some vinegar and it took the mark right off but I made Alex come out and apologize to Brad. Alex was mortified and distraught and embarrassed. Brad asked him what he was going to write and Alex said, "Guns are cool" and Brad said "Oh, You're forgiven. I was more upset that you were going to join the protesters, then I was about a little mark on the floor!"

Owen and the Poppies

2010-05-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

I could eat this kid up...

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So in love. Even as he looks like he's going to strangle those poppies. Mmmm.
More to come of Black Rock Ranch.

Blue and Gold and Cub Stuff

2010-05-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

May 25th
(still a month or so behind!)
Great success. My Wolf cub den did that fabulous poster! Jake rocked the mike.

Great night. Here's some pics from the 100th Jamboree of a rope bridge that they waited 2 hours in line for. (That's nothing...they waited 2 1/2 hours for a hamburger.) Crazy!

Jake loves scouts.

Births and Birthdays

2010-05-09T22:02:00.001-07:00

I have a new niece and she is scrumptious...Avery Isabelle Barlow was born on Saturday, May 1st.

I'm in love. Seriously in love.
And last month on April 12th I had a birthday. Celebrated all week long with dinners and lunches with some of my amazingly wonderful friends...

(I didn't get the whole group, dang it. There's Lisa on the far right with Avery still in the tummy!)
and sisters...

and got some of these on my doorstep...

and many sweet calls and well wishes from the facebook world.
I am seriously the luckiest girl in the world with the most amazing friends and family a girl could ever ask for.
Love you all! Thanks for being in my life!
Love,
Annie
xoxo

Yosemite on Bikes

2010-05-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

(April 30-May 2)

I'm sold. There's no other way to go. We've been going to Yosemite every Spring for the past 5 years (almost since we moved back to this great state) but we've never brought bikes. "Too much work" scoffed my husband. I insisted this year. I made a believer out of him too!
With 7 families (half on bikes, half on foot) 14 adults and 24 kids, we were quite the spectacle with all our gear, but parking was never an issue...

and naptimes were no problem...

We hiked up to all the falls--Yosemite, Bridal Veil, Lower Nevada. I can't wait until my kids are bigger and we can REALLY hike the falls! I love this place...

Callaways took us to a spot we'd never been before called Mirror Lake. It was a great bike ride, a little steep but the kids never complained, and it was well worth it. A beautiful view of half dome and a great place to put your feet in...

Or get nekkid and jump like a banshee in...

The dads bribed the kids with "doll hairs" (said fast and slurred) to get in...

Nothing like a dare with money involved.

Even John got in on a dare. He cleared it!

Edgrens, Andersons, Suttons, Tuttles, Callaways, Blatters, Stemmons...
Want in on the action? Let me know for next year! Anyone welcome!

From there, we had plenty of log crossing...

Rock climbing...

Cave exploring...

Snowball fighting...

And snow jumping...

Forest walking...

(Love Sammie's little kick!)
And general camaraderie! Good times with good friends...

More of the gang...

Another family shot with the Yosemite Falls...

I love this place. Awe-some, Awe-inspiring! Let me know if you want to come next year!
(The best pics were all done by Britt, the rest were mine!)

Forgotton Post--One Room Schoolhouse

2010-04-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

Back in March I got to accompany the 3rd Graders on a field trip to the One-Room Schoolhouse. It's local, original, beautifully adorable and quaint, and the kids had a great time!

We all dressed up in period clothes with aprons and bonnets and straw hats...

The kids were able to experience a true school day from the 1800's complete with old wooden desks, ink writing with quills, using slate boards, and reading from the McGuffy Reader. They had to raise their hand and stand when called upon and curtsy or bow saying the teacher's name. So cute!

My favorite part was the wonderful sayings all around the room. Little lessons in morality...

Aren't those fabulous?!? I think I'm going to start posting these kinds of sayings every week in my house. I feel like teaching morals in the classroom is a lost art!
Here's some more...

Here they are practicing with ink...

And some excerpts from a book I found in the back of the room...I LOVE THIS!! Hilarious! (You can click on them to view them larger)

I cracked up when I read one of the rules of "Civility and Decent Behavior in Company". It reads, "In the presence of others, sing not to yourself, nor drum with fingers or feet." See this post about my 9 year old. I have a son who loves to hum!

This also cracked me up...

It's hard to read. It's says
"The Model Husband--Stature above the medium; chest broad; face full and limbs well-rounded; expressions lively, frank, and good-natured; fond of good living, play and outdoor life; social affections strong." (All great, but what happens to the chances of the small chested men, I wonder?)
"The Model Wife--Well-proportioned frame; eyes large and expressive; a happy combination of mental and bodily activity; features regular and expressing intelligence, sympathy and sincerity. A fine type of all womanly grace and attractiveness." (Lovely! But again, what about the too tall, pear-shaped girl who laughs too loud and can be a little inappropriate sometimes? ;)

Favorite from this page...
"Never will a gentleman allude to a conquest he may have made with ladies"
followed with...
"Never pick the teeth in company."
Fabulous!
And another favorite...

"Above all, no lady should allow herself to correspond with a intemperate man with a view to matrimony. She may reform him, but chances are that her life's happiness will be completely destroyed by such a union." I love the frankness of that. Ain't that the truth?! See the red flags ladies! If he's mean and foul-tempered now (or worse even abusive), he'll always be mean and foul-tempered and abusive!
Also, "young women were urged to be cautious, lest they be swept into the arms of a besotted heavy smoker who also used profanity."
Isn't that the best!?! You better believe Hannah will be hearing these precautionary words from her mama when the dating age begins!

And for the boys, "A man is known by the company he keeps. He is also known by his language. No amount of good clothes or outside polish can prevent a man from being regarded as vulgar and low-bred who is addicted to the use of profane words." And my absolute favorite, "The use of profanity plainly indicates that the person employing it has such a limited knowledge of words suitable to expressing ideas, that he is compelled to use vulgar language to convey his thoughts." Ha! Tru dat.

Here are the kids practicing what they learned...
bows...

and curtsies...

The class...

Lovely day...

I was inspired after this trip to check out from the library Emily Post's The Gift of Good Manners; A Parent's Guide to Raising Respectful, Kind, Considerate Children. I also checked out The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. Both fabulous (and thick) with great insights so far!
Hopefully it's not too late and I can brush up on our Morals and Manners in my house!

Conversations...

2010-04-22T08:47:00.001-07:00

love this sweet, wistful look!

Me: "Hey Owen! It's time for bed! Let's go get your pj's on. Do you wanna read a book?'
Owen: "No... Let's just talk and cuddle."

Love that! Does a mama proud! Toddler girls around the world take note! Raisin' a good little future husband here!

Pine Valley Cabin

2010-04-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

While we were in St. George, we visited the Dixie College Cabin for 2 days (a perk of my mom working for the President of Dixie). We love to visit because it's set in a beautiful little town called Pine Valley, less than an hour from St. George and it's like 10,000 square feet of fun!

It's got a HUGE great room with about 12 couches and a grand piano and a big screen t.v., 2 lofts each with a pool table and a ping pong table. Tons of bedrooms with murphy beds in each one and industrial grade carpet to boot. You feel almost like your in a church without pews!

Our great friends the Kings met us there (we did it once before 9 years ago with them and it was here that Hannah learned to walk!) Anyway, the property looked a little more like this when we got there...

and we had a crazy, blizzardy snow storm, which we weren't really prepared for AND no cable and no internet...
What do you think the men tried to do immediately?

Hook it back up...

Jason thankfully decided it was a little too dangerous.
It was FANTASTIC. We had our husbands all to ourselves. We talked and played games and ate and napped and read books and talked some more...It was so fun and relaxing.
The kids played outside in the snow...

They pretended to be ice skaters on a little patch of ice they found...

They met a friendly dog they named "Duke"...

They bonded...

They played sardines, learned new card games, made up plays and put on shows...

They rode their scooters and big wheels around in the enormous house and made obstacle courses...

They pushed couches together to make comfy pits...

We moved mattresses into one room for the official Kid BEDroom. They loved it.

These two especially bonded...(check out Amelia's smooth moves)...

We also went over to the ice covered reservoir and did some impromptu sledding and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery for as long as we could brave the cold. Forgot my camera of course.

And then it was time to clean up...(while singing the theme song to Ghostbusters)

Okay maybe everyone but Jason was singing.
Men at Work

Nothing sexier!
All the kids and Duke...

Jos and I...

John and Jason...

This about sums it up...

It was such a great trip and I love the Kings. They are so easy to be with and I love being with friends that are just easy. They are incredibly helpful and thoughtful and so comfortable and enjoyable. And our kids got along so great. No drama at all. Well, except maybe during card playing...
"The game isn't over 'til the Kings go wild!"
(inside joke from the back of the Five Crowns game box.)

Easter in St. George

2010-04-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Despite some boo-boos...(a nice little face plant after going down a steep path on his big wheel next to my parent's house.) We had a wonderful Easter.

Easter Egg hunt in my parent's backyard...

My brother and his family were there. Can't get enough of his cute kids.
Georgia...

And Graham...

Graham never did quite warm up to us, despite Jake's most unrequitted show of love and attention, but we know it's a stage and we refuse to give up on him! He will love us someday! Georgia, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of her cousins.
My brother Jon...

The boys...

The girls...

The pet toad...

I don't know where my parents were for pictures, but we couldn't of done it without them!

"I knew it was a bad idea!"

2010-03-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

As a parent, these are never good words to hear from your kid. Especially when they are heard right after a loud popping sound and a wail.

One of my boys (I won't mention names) thought it would be cool to shoot their brother in the cheek with an airsoft bb gun! Another one of my boys agreed to it! Huh?

Of course, he thought it was empty (or so he says). Of course, I didn't know they had them outside (bad mommy moment). Of course, I gave them a thorough vehement lecture complete with "You could've shot his eye out!" Of course, I tried not to laugh. Of course, I cursed their Uncle James who gave them the guns for Christmas. Of course, I cursed their dad and Uncle Scott for realizing on a camping trip that they don't hurt that much and so tried to shoot each other all weekend. (love you uncles! boys will be boys!) Of course, I said a thankful prayer that it wasn't worse than it was.
And of course, I grabbed my camera.

I think it was most poignant that he was wearing this shirt...

"I DO ALL MY OWN STUNTS" it reads.
I found the culprit like this...

He was sobbing with remorse! "I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I thought it was empty. I promise." While the poor victim was sobbing "Owww, I knew it was a bad idea. I knew it was a bad idea. I knew it." The fact that it was a premeditated idea that they both agreed to is what floors me! Can't you just picture the younger saying to the older, "Hey, what if I shoot you in the cheek just for fun?" It could be argued that Jake deserved what he got for agreeing to it!
A good lesson on listening to your instincts, I'd say.

Later the culprit told me that he shot himself in the foot (with his shoe on) "20 times" right after it happened because he felt so bad. Love it when the figurative becomes literal. Get it? "Shot himself in the foot" (I crack myself up).

A few more shots of the swelling...

About a half hour later I hear these two fighting over what to watch on t.v...
"Well, you shot me in the cheek, so I get to choose!"

I have a feeling he'll be using this as leverage for a while.

Post edit: A little while later I notice my 3 year old grab his "Juma" (his blanket) and his pillow from his bed and bring it to the victim tucking it in around him. "Here you go Jakey. A feel better." So sweet.

St. Patty's Day and Horseback Play

2010-03-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hannah's Girl Scout Troop got to go Horseback riding on St. Patrick's Day after a shortened school day due to Conference Week. Hannah was so excited!

The girls got trained on all things horses--safety, grooming, etc.

The instructor asked if anyone was nervous or scared and none of the girls raised their hand. Then Hannah's shy little arm comes creeping up. A couple other girls raised their hands too after Hannah. It was so cute--no one wanted to admit they were nervous until someone else admitted it first.
Her cute troop...

And then it was time to ride...
Hannah had the pleasure of riding Woodstock, the lone all-white and highly coveted horse. The instructor matched girls and horses according to size and Hannah was the lucky girl. It didn't turn out that Woodstock was such a lucky horse, however. Woodstock liked to go fast and literally rode the tail of the horse in front of her. Hannah had to "Whoa, whoa" ALOT and her arms got tired from pulling back on the reigns so much. But she loved it and bonded with Woodstock. Much more exciting than a boring horse!

Here's Woodstock tailgating again...

Up in our beautiful hills...

So fun! After riding, they got a delicious St. Patty's treat...

And then they got to go explore the barn and feed some animals...

They got ice-cream cones full of feed to pass out to goats, chickens and pigs...(the animals actually love the cones to eat!)

Hannah's first attempt at holding a chicken...

She got it finally. Mady of course was an old hand as she has a couple of these of her own!...

And then there were tiny baby ducklings to hold...

It was a great way to spend St. Patrick's Day!

A for Effort

2010-03-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hannah got this cute little number for her birthday back in December. We had a rainy day (or many) a couple weeks ago, so we decided it would be the perfect thing to do...
See how cute the little cakes look on the box...

Um, well, our fondant didn't really ever get to a consistency that you could "roll out with a rolling pin" and by this point in all our concocting we decided that the creamy consistency still tasted good so here's our finished product...

Not quite like the picture!
We had fun though and that's all that counts.

Two thumbs up!

Hannah's First Dance Competition

2010-03-25T17:19:00.001-07:00

(I'm a little behind as this took place on the first weekend in March!)
It was such a fun day. Total mom and daughter day and it brought me back to my dance competition days...Stage make-up, bobby-pins, loads of hairspray, costumes and all!

Her team was the cutest hobo's you've ever seen. (and very refreshing next to all the scantily-clad 6 year olds walking about backstage!! Seriously people!)
(back at the studio...)

This cracked me up... she was stretching before going on stage...

Waiting their turn...

They were adorable and did a great job! (Unfortunately no cameras were allowed in the show!)

Phew. All done.

Such great girls. Love them all. So fun!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2010-03-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

35!
I love you so much!

In the words of your mom from your birthday card (who said it so perfectly and shares my enthusiasm of adjectives!)

"We love you more than mere words can express. You have always been a delight to raise {insert be married to/be acquainted with/be siblings with/be friends with/work with/etc.}--easygoing, kind, loving, FUN, well liked by all ages, sweet, funny, helpful, energetic, Mr. Fix-it, ready to party, responsible, extremely good looking, reliable, tidy, organized, inclusive of all, good driver (despite others on the road), friend to all, tender-hearted, spiritual, loyal, obedient, and SO many more outstanding qualities and I'm not even the slightest bit prejudiced!!"

Perfect words from a mother and dittoed by a wife. And I'll add "a wonderful father and husband." You must have had some great examples in your life!

I hope you have a wonderful birthday and know how much you are loved and appreciated!
We love you!

Rainy Day and Reminiscing

2010-03-12T23:29:00.001-08:00

It pretty much rained non-stop today and we pretty much weren't prepared. No raincoats, no umbrella, nothing.
I left my house at 9:30 and didn't really come home until the kids were done with school, so from the gym to kindergarten to lunch to errands, Alex and Owen and I had to sprint from one thing to the next. At one point after a long, wet run (the gym had an annoyingly full lot for a Friday and we had to park far, far away) we hurriedly slammed our car doors, panting, soaked and laughing in the warm dry haven of the car, and I turned back to see the most euphoric look on my 6 year old's face...this serene, happy smile with dreamy faraway eyes.
"You loved that didn't you?" I asked.
"That was awesome!" he replied breathlessly with his cheshire grin.

It made me think of this day back in October...

And many other rain storms where the first thing he wants to do is go run out and play in it and often does. It made me think of a time when he was not even 2 and I was watering some flowers outside our old house and I accidentally turned with the hose and got him all wet. Worried that the shock of the water and the strong water pressure would cause some tears (his older twin siblings still wanted me to hold a washcloth over their eyes when I rinsed their hair in the bathtub! (I chalk it up to first-time parenting)) I quickly dropped the hose to scoop him up with apologies and hugs but to my surprise... "Again! Again!" my little 18 month old cried. And for a solid 20 minutes I did just that... Sprayed down my baby to squeals and laughter. "Again, again," he cried if I ever let up.
This kid has an affinity for water.

Where my twins would cling to me like starfish when toddlers in the pool, Alex would wiggle to get loose and try to push off me to swim away. He learned to swim when he was 2. He's never used goggles; doesn't like them. He eerily smiles at you underwater with his eyes wide open. He learned to dive and swam to the bottom of our 8 ft deep end before the twins (who are 3 years older than him). He does flips off of piers into cold Lake Tahoe and jumps off of boulders into Bullard's Bar. He loves the ocean and boogeyboarding and tide pools. He rides the scariest waterslides that his height will allow him (or that he can sneak onto--think "the Toilet Bowl" in a sketchy Mexican waterpark. yikes.) He loves watersports like tubing and kneeboarding and wakeboarding. I can't wait so see him dominate the 6 & Unders at swim team this summer since he was an alternate for 1st heat last year as a 5 year old!
I'm convinced he's part fish.
I'm looking for gills.

"Can I get my swimsuit and rain boots on when we get home?"
"Maybe after school, buddy. We'll see..."

My Brownie

2010-03-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

Knock-knock, ding-dong...

(Check out those badges!)
We always love cookie time around here!
Delivering to our court...

She had them organized by house and labeled with the name and amount...

Too cute!

A Mother Daughter Day

2010-03-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Hannah and I went to the Stake Activity Day Girls Fashion Show this last Saturday through church and it was a wonderful event. The girls from our church ages 8 to 11 and their moms met together for pictures, hair clip making fun, a wonderful talk about being modest and then a modest wear fashion show and a luncheon. They took our picture as we arrived and then the girls got to frame them at the end. Each ward had a theme--winter wear, lounge wear, church dress wear, sports wear, etc--and our ward was School wear. Hannah got her outfit all planned out the night before.
Every girl got to walk the catwalk...

While their outfits were shown off and fun facts were revealed about them...

They walked to the middle, twirled, and then walked to the end for another twirl. I was glad Hannah had her fun fashion show this summer to remind her how it's done!
Hannah was eating up the spotlight as were many of the girls...

Some fabulous friends...

Thanks to Britt for taking pictures!!
We continued the Mother/Daughter theme for the day by going to the mall and getting her EARS PIERCED! Wow! What a rite of passage! She's been asking since right after her 9th birthday but she and I never have a day to ourselves so it was the perfect opportunity. She brought a good friend who held one hand while I held the other! She was extremely brave, especially as there was a crying 8 month old baby getting hers done right before Hannah! She just shrugged her shoulders and said that didn't really hurt. I knew Hannah wouldn't have a problem as she never cried during her shots...NEVER!! She just looked at the nurse with inquisitive eyes, like "What the heck was that? Bring it!" Her twin brother was a whole different story with shots...cried for a full hour and then some! He still is a sensitive guy.
It was such a wonderful day with my girl and I think we need to do these Mother/Daughter days more often!
(I've gone to take head shots with her new earrings twice now and my camera's been dead or just died both times. I will get some shots soon!!!)

Pinewood Derby

2010-03-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Introducing...
"The Wave Rider"

Designed by Jake.
Dad helped make it, of course, but Jake drew out his design and then painted the whole thing. He knew exactly what he wanted.

He won "Most Colorful" and ranked 2nd or 3rd for most his races. Not enough to get him to the semi-finals but he still had fun.

Always a good time!

How to Win Their Hearts...

2010-03-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

It really is the simple things...

Priceless!

Daddy Daughter Dance

2010-03-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

John and Hannah attended the annual Valentine's Daddy Daughter Dance!
(It's the only time in the year that I can get John to wear his pink tie! Anything for his "little miss". He does adore Miss Hannah!

It was while Karli was here and we were celebrating her birthday, so I got Hannah all ready but then didn't get to go to the Send-Off. Thanks to Karen for taking some pictures!

They announced each girl as they came down the stairs and were met at the bottom by their daddy to escort them to the dance! So cute! Leave it to Karen to make things extra special!

Hannah had a lovely time and loves being with her great friends and loved especially having a matching dress with her cousin Katie! Good times!

Troublemaker

2010-02-25T18:19:00.001-08:00

Guess who got in trouble at school yesterday?
"No way!" you say, if you know this kid at all!
Yup!
He almost had to write "I will be quiet in class" 20 times but his teacher actually forgot (and if you know Jake you would be surprised he didn't remind her.)
Guess what the infraction was???...
Humming too loudly
That's my Jake!

He actually never stops humming. Usually they are the Mario songs from all the different levels of the game. It's pretty comical. Drawing and humming are his favorite past-times!

He is such a good kid and if this is the worst thing this kid ever does at school, I'll be one happy mommy! (It could very well be.)
Pictures by Britt

Owen Addendum

2010-02-25T18:13:00.001-08:00

Owen woke up dry today! (and still remains accident free.) This is too good to be true. knock on wood. cross your fingers. send good vibes. this just has to last!
Sorry for the TMI but there you go. A true family journal of a mother of 4!

Mission Accomplished

2010-02-23T16:17:00.001-08:00

Somebody's wearing big boy undies!!
Phew! It was actually much easier than I thought it would be. He just turned 3 and I was so daunted by the task that I just kept putting it off (You can tell he's my fourth child!) With my other ones, I was home more and could spend a couple of days housebound getting them trained. That was not an option with little Owester. We are always on the run. So, we did pull-ups. Something I was adamantly against with my other ones because I was afraid of regression. (Again, fourth child).
Well, pull-ups totally took the pressure off. If he had an accident, it was an "uh-oh" in a sing-songy voice rather than the yelling "aaahhh, what do you think you're doing!?!? Why haven't you gotten this? What is wrong with you?" hosing down of the days of old.
After a couple of days of pull-ups when out and underwear when home he was ready for underwear full-time (except bed-time of course) and he's only had like one accident in several days! He's so proud of himself and gets so excited! (We did give him incentive of dum-dum lollipops for pees and little cars for poops for the first couple of days.)
The only down-fall of this little independent fourth child is that he always wants to do it on his own. Usually he yells, "I gotta go potty!' but more often then I would like, he doesn't tell me and he just runs in there, goes potty and then finds me afterwards holding his underwear saying, "I did it!! Yook! It's still dry!" Which is fine with #1's but not so great with #2's!
All in all--really quick and seamless experience! And I love a little boy in his skivies! Nothing cuter!

This is the place...

2010-02-20T01:15:00.000-08:00

Our vacation spot. (Blatters got in on it years ago (like 20?) when it was just a stretch of beach before anything was built and now we usually go once a year.)
Seen through the eyes and lens of my dear friend that just went there. (Sadly, or should I say devastatingly, we couldn't go as we're already going in July with the kiddos)
John grew up going to this place and now my kids will too.
Isn't it beautiful? She so captured it and then some!

To see more from her trip click here.
And to see more of her photography click here.

Happy Birthday Owen!

2010-02-16T23:36:00.000-08:00

You crack us up and we love you!
one. awesome. dude.
You are such a joy...

(This was taken from last year's post and added some new pics...)

You came into this world and we called you "Sumo"

You were a whopping 10 pounds, 3 ounces...

Those cheeks and chubs and creases and squishiness set my heart all a-flutter.

You were (and are) pure scrumptious!

Those eyes...

Those lips...

Those cheeks...

Even though you are a little accident-prone...

And even though you like to get dirty...

You make us laugh every day with your crazy antics...

Oh Owen.
You are simply the best and I love you so much! You have a fabulous sense of humor, an expressive face and fun personality. You are adventurous and resilient and stubborn. You are so sweet and so cute and so easy to love!
Happy Birthday little man!

Karli Comes to Town

2010-02-14T22:31:00.000-08:00

Yay!
One of my best girlfriends received a truly wonderful and most thoughtful Christmas present from her husband this year (husbands of my friends living far away, are you listening?) It was a trip to the bay area to see her friends without her kiddo (bittersweet) and with some spending money!
Does it get any better than that? Little did he know he made my Christmas too! (Thanks Rob!)
We had a wonderful couple of days. She flew in Wednesday night and Thursday morning started off with pedicures. Alison met us with her beautiful belly which is due any minute...

Isn't she soooo cute!?

We had a yummy lunch at Posh Bagel where we shared a a bagel dog and a super delicious bagel sandwich...

We asked the guy to cut the bagel dog in half and he ended up cutting it horizontal and swirlyed on some mustard for us! Love it!

That evening, we went to the Smyths (they go way back with Karli) for dinner and then John took the kids home to bed and Karli and I went to the movies for a little chick flick time. "Dear John". She found her idol and we had to capture the moment...

Friday, was her BIRTHDAY day so we had a lazy morning and then decided to go get spray tans because we were jealous of our friends on vacation in Mexico. ;) Neither of us had ever done it before and were both a little petrified of a Ross from Friends incident and joked about it all morning. We got there and I went first because she was still filling out paperwork. I was nervous and listened so intently to all the instructions...especially the part about listening for the pause and beep to turn around in the booth and get your back. Well, there was no beep. There was a pause, but it came so quick and I was still trying to keep my eyes closed, lips pursed, arms up in an awkward robotic pose that I TOTALLY FORGOT TO TURN! I'm standing in the booth freezing, it's all done, and I've only done one side! Aaah! Completely naked, with my shower cap on, I meekly open my door a crack and yell down the long corridor, "Ma'am! Excuse me, Miss!... I, uh, forgot to turn!" Oh, such complete and utter humiliation! I can hear Karli cracking up yelling "What about Ross!?!?!" down the hall and the nice girl says she'll reset it for me so that I can do my back this time! Karli could not stop laughing. Nor could I really.
I know, I know. Another "Oh Annie" moment.
**(The tan actually looked good with the double dose. Not that drastic at all! I should "forget" every time!)
Anyway, we were all gross and smelly and had to wait several hours to shower. So we went to Target to get a couple "Cars" cars for her son Kade (who is as obsessed as Owen) and shopped around. After carpools and tutors and getting Hannah ready for her Valentine's daddy/daughter dance with John, Karli and I left to meet up with Alison and Lisa (Karli's fabulous friend who she met while training to be flight attendants together) for Karli's birthday dinner and movie. We went to "Valentine's Day" this time.

Saturday, Karli and I went to Napa where Lisa lives to shop at the outlets. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and we had lunch at the best burger place ever! Taylor's. It was delish! We each got a burger and then shared their famous garlic fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings! Divine! It was so fun to shop and spend time with Lisa. Alison (or should I say Ryan) was too worried about being far from the hospital if anything happened (again, any minute!!) so she smartly opted out and we missed her!

We picked up the babysitter on our way home from Napa, relieved John from kid duty all day, quickly changed, and then met Ryan and Alison for dinner and then back to our house for some nostalgic, college days game playing...good ol' school Mexican Train. Fun, fun!

It was such a fabulous couple of days and I miss her already! My favorite thing about the trip was getting asked several times if we were sisters or twins even!?! She's definitely my soul sista!
Thanks again Rob! Come back soon Karli!

Happy Valentine's Sunday!

2010-02-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world,
that he gave His
only
begotten
son, that whosoever
believeth in
Him should
not perish, but
have everlasting life."

Hope you're feeling the love today!

Piano Recital

2010-02-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

The little performers did a fabulous job!

Owen really wanted his picture taken with the piano too...

All the students...

With friends...

Always a special night!

Blatter Babies

2010-02-06T23:39:00.000-08:00

Guess who...

Did you guess?
Was it harder than you thought?
As different as they all look now, there is definitely a consistent Blatter Baby look going on here...the cheeks or chin or something? the bottom curve of the cheeks and chin? the eyes? the lips? I can't put my finger on it.
Anyway, these are all mine. All that deliciousness. I am proud.
They just grow up too fast don't they?

Disneyland, baby!

2010-02-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend when the kids had a day off school, we headed to So Cal for some amusement park fun. John had a generous client who gave him a Christmas gift of enough credit at Disneyland for the whole family to go! We spent one day at Knottsberry Farm and then 2 days at D-land!

On the steps of the Del Sol (it's a tradition--see here for our last visit in '08). It's our favorite place to stay right across the street from Disneyland. No thrills, just a motel, but we don't spend much time there anyway!

Do they look excited yet?

We spent the first day at California Adventure...It was strange to be there just with our family. Solo. Alone. Just us. Six total. Weird. If you know anything about the Blatters, you know that we rarely do anything without friends! "The More the Merrier" is our motto.
Bonding? Sure! It was actually really nice.
Owen got to meet his idol... He was a little nervous at first...

Standing very tense and nervous...

but it made his day!

The Grizzly Rapids was a hit...

Hannah opted out as it was a pretty cool day to be in wet clothes. I semi-reluctantly stayed with her.

Jake and I loved California Screamin' which was great for Jake since the last time we went (October, 2008) he was petrified with tears and snot and lots of pep talks. Going upside down was a real fear of his and he totally overcame it last time and then went right on this year without any trouble. So fun to share thrills with your kids!

The second day at Disneyland we met up with our fabulous friends, the Kings and their adorable daughters. The kids bonded and had a great time...

At lunch...

One of Owen's favorites--the wet spinning ball in Tomorrowland...

He was hilarious as usual. He wanted to go on every ride and was soo bummed when he wasn't tall enough. He would stand against the measuring sign and get up on his tip-toes and then hang his head and moan if he didn't meet the requirements. Thankfully there were many distractions or kiddie rides to take him on while he waited but usually the whole time he got left off a ride, he would cry, "I want my fwends!" He called his siblings his friends which was very cute. A couple of times he even said, "I want my parents!" over and over again making whichever one of us that stayed back with him look like a kidnapper! I tried to explain to him the meaning of parents but it clicked as well as getting him to stop asking for dinner in the morning!
The Rabbit's house...

"Whale's Mouth" as my kids call it. "Let's go on Whale's Mouth!" they say. (Otherwise known as Storybook Ride)

Jason and John and the kids...

Me and Jocelyn...

The girls...

It really is such a wonderful, magical place. No crowds. Immaculately clean. Kid-friendly.

Happy.

Oh, and John getting his BEST SCORE EVER on Astro blasters

This without the ride breaking down.

Anyone have a better score?

Another Owen Story...

2010-02-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

My dad reminded me that I must include this story...
Since the birth of Jake and Hannah my dad has always whispered a song in the ears of my babies every time he sees them. Even now he hugs them and sings this sweet song in their ear... It goes "Grand-pa lov-es Jak-ey" or Grandpa loves Hannah" or "Grandpa loves Alex" depending on which grandchild. My kids absolutely love it and they always snuggle in his lap and put their ear up to him waiting for their song.
Well, on his last visit over Christmas Grandpa gave out his songs as usual. Later, Owen snuggled up on his lap and then leaned in and starting singing in Grandpa's ear, "O-wen lov-es Grand-pa, O-wen lov-es Grand-pa" Grandpa was so touched as that was the first time any of his grandchildren had actually sang the song back to him! It was a very sweet moment and Owen loved the reaction he got so much that now he sings it to Grandpa on the phone whenever he talks to him.
Definitely worth recording!

Oh Owen!

2010-01-28T23:28:00.001-08:00

Love...this...kid!
Because the silly string ran out, they decided to use shaving cream instead...

with some good buddies (aka partners in crime)

Recent Funny Owen Stories...
One day I heard him crying and I called for him and he came to me with snot running down into his mouth and said, "Mommy help! I got bless you all over my face!"

Another day I was getting him dressed and I pulled a face because my shoulder was kinked and it hurt and he noticed and said, "Mommy, do you need a get better? Let me kiss it for you."

He's had a difficult time getting over Christmas. For several weeks after he would walk into the living room and look at the big windows where the tree used to stand and say in a melancholy voice "Chwistmas is over." and hang his head with such finality.

He also still asks everybody he comes in contact with whether it is a friend, a cashier, a teacher, random people on the street, "What'd you get for Chwistmas?" Usually they can't understand him and they lean in really close because they know he's asking something serious. He always asks again and then I help translate. It doesn't matter if he's already asked you. He'll ask again and again. The point is that he gets to tell you what he got which is always "Caws" (or cars). Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks if he gives details. He is in love with anything Cars (especially from the movie) and his favorite cartoon is Tom and Jerry.

He always tells all my lovely friends that he missed them every time he sees them. "I missed you Bwitt." "I missed you Aunt Wisa", etc. Such a flirt!

He gets his hot and cold mixed up and breakfast and dinner. Every morning he wakes up and says, "It's... morning time!" and then asks me what we're having for dinner? He is obsessed with pickles and wants to eat them for every meal. He also likes cold hot dogs straight out of the fridge (so gross!)

He cracks me up every day. He is so funny and sweet and cute and cuddly...but then spunky and mean when he wants to be. He loves using potty talk to make his older siblings laugh and he likes the word "stupid" lately which is new for us as all my others knew that word was forbidden and they obeyed! He has definitely learned to defend himself with the older brothers. He loves attention...probably because everybody loves him and gets so excited to see him--he's like a mascot! "Ohhh-wen!" they all yell and run to him with their arms outstretched for a hug. All of the kids' friends get excited to see him at school and all the youth at church love him too. He loves it.

He has a funny walk where he sticks his belly out and moves it side to side and a run where he kicks up his feet to his bootie with flourish--both of which he does to get people to laugh and he loves breaking out in a happy dance. He is a joy! He even closes his eyes and sighs when he hugs you. Irresistible! Oh Owen!

The Hike Before the Storm

2010-01-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday our friend called who knows a meteorologist, who said that it was going to rain for the next 7 to 10 days. He was going to take his family on a hike while he still could...before the constant rain kept us indoors. We were game. It doesn't take much persuasion to get us out and about!

I missed out on all the beauty and fun--I had a date with the contractor to find an inexpensive but attractive counter for our kid's bathroom! So sad to miss!

They found some cool bridges--natural and man-made...

And finished off with the cement slide...Love the joy on their faces!

Then the not-quite-as-joyful faces...
Check out Hannah's face in the next couple shots...

Open your eyes!! Scared much? There's my girl...bright-eyed!

Jake too, behind Coleman kept his eyes squeezed shut! Hilarious!...

Beautiful day!
AND, it has rained incessantly for the last 6 days and counting. Good thing we have knowledgeable friends that we listen to!! ;) Thanks Brad!
Thanks for taking pics Britt!

Beauty Shop

2010-01-18T19:17:00.001-08:00

Who knew what fun you could have with washable markers and a lot of hair bows!?!?

Yikes!

We are in for it with these beauties! Aaaaah, can you just imagine what the future holds!?! Good thing a good wipe got them all cleaned up and they have years before the real thing! I'm terrified! Stay away boys!

(Even the dolls got involved)
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!