Monday, December 16, 2013

Catching up....

SOOOOOOO.... long story short (ish). During our summer vacation at Prineville Reservoir I broke my camera. You know the one that just out lived it's warranty... So I have NO pictures for many events so let me "sum it up" We went boating, imagine pictures of all my kids doing fun things behind the boat, even Ruth on the tube! Both my older brothers and their families moved closer to us. One only 3 blocks away with his wife Mechelle and their 6 kids, and the other moved to West Linn with their 3 kids. It is like heaven for us! My parents also moved to Brooks! It is so much fun and amazing for us to have our family mostly close! Just waiting for my little sister Emily to make the move. But during all this moving we had lots of cousins staying with us off and on while the parents were making the big move so it was a summer with LOTS of kids in the house! Many days there were 11 or more kids!!! You can also imagine I went to Las Vegas for 4 days to be with my sister and we got to fulfill a life long desire and see NKOTB Although I think I did post that! So imagine again if you want! Then later in the summer with no camera still I took my niece Johnnie to a One direction concert in Seattle. Since it was there I took Amelia and her friend Jocie and we stayed with my cousin over night and then went to the American Girl Doll store the next day! It was Awesome. I wish I had pictures of the banana split we shared!!! You can imagine it was HUGE and went across the entire table but the 4 of us ate that bad boy! Imagine the first day of school when Ethan went to 8th grade, Brock 6th, Amelia 4th, Hayden 1st. First year of just me and my baby Ruth home all day on our own. LOVING IT! Imagine Brock playing his first year of tackle football and loving it, Ethan running his first year in X-country loving that, Amelia doing a second season of volleyball Loved it, and Hayden doing her first year ever of soccer, and of course loved it! In the middle of that mom taught dance lessons, Brock and Amelia did piano lessons and Brock also did guitar lessons. It was a CRAZY fall and throw in the Holiday Bazaar and two birthdays. Ruth turned 4 on October 9th, and Hayden turned 7 November 10th. We took Ruth to the carousel for her big day and it was lots of fun! Hayden got to go the Chuck E. Cheese with all her cousins and she got her ears pierced. Also imagine that Hayden went from having hair half way down her back to having a super cute bob cut. It was bitter sweet but it looks so great on her and she cries a lot less when it is time to do hair! Simple enough right.... I need a nap just remembering it. After the bazaar all the sports were over and things quieted down a bit, down to just dance and music lessons. AHHHHH almost quiet (ish).
Then imagine I had a camera on Halloween and Ethan dressed as a Ranger (some book character), Brock was Percy Jackson, Amelia was an Egyptian princess, Hayden was Ariel, Ruth was "Po- Punzel" (Rapunzel). They looked great and got LOTS of candy.
I did get a camera a few weeks ago and I will share a few of the things that have happened since


We went to the carousel with all the cousins to see Santa arrive on the train! This was so much fun but super crowded! We didn't stay long enough to visit with Santa the line was super long! We got lunch and then went to get a Christmas tree
We decorated our tree
Ruth loved to catch the dog and read her Christmas books
I sewed new stockings for our family. I have wanted to do this for years! Thanks to my AMAZING sister in law I finally did it!!! (I am loving having her here I am getting to do all kinds of fun projects!!!)
I also added our 5 new hands to our tree skirt for the year! We started the second row!!!
Amelia sang at the capital with the school choir
We also had a dance recital but I have no pictures because someone hid my camera and I didn't have time to look for it. But the girls did a very good job and had rainbow colored tutus and danced to all music from Madagascar movies.
Uncle Sunny was a wise man at the stake nativity, Ethan and Brigham was a Shepard, and Johnnie was and angel. 
Ruth was in awe of the baby "Jesus" He (she) was a real baby and it was so beautiful.
After the live nativity we drove to see the Christmas lights in Keizer. We loved that! 
To top things off a truck backed into my van while it was parked, then 3 days latter it was snowy and I slid through a stop sign and was hit by and Expedition.... Our van was not "totalled" but to us we took it as a sign that we should be done. We got our insurance money out of it, and sold it after it had been listed on Craigslist for less then and hour!! (NOT JOKING!) So we just bought a newer van but I don't have pictures because we just brought it home and it is dark. So maybe I will post again soon. Not that anyone reads this anyway but for my future reading, or remembering... 
I am sure there were many other big things that happened but since there are no pictures I can't remember them now. Maybe I will remember them later and post. 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

4th of July

 For a few days before the 4th I had my neices and Nephew and we had lots of fun. We went to the park, jumped in the bounce house and got balloon animals.

 On the 4th we did our traditional stuff. Flag raising at the church, parade, big party in the back yard and fireworks!

 Ethan marched in the parade with some boy scouts as the color guard.

 Its so fun having family close enough now to come and join us for these fun things!!!
 It was pretty hot the girls were thrilled when they got sprayed with some water guns! As usual I forgot to take pictures during the BBQ so I don't have any of that. But it was fun lots of food, swimming, and friends and family!




 Fireworks are always a highlight! Even more fun with friends and family!


Vagas/ New Kids on the Block!


 I have dreamed of doing this since I was probably 9.... I was so excited in January when my brother in law Todd messaged me that my sister needed me for this! I bought a plane ticket for Vegas before we had tickets to the concert.
 This is how close we were sitting! It was so close I could have thrown something and hit the stage easy!!! Not that I would throw something at them. I'm just saying that is how close we were and I screamed when I saw how close we were! I yelled we are sitting here and they will be right there!!!! AHHHH! You get the idea!
 Here is a picture I took of Boys to Men. One of them wasn't performing but it was a good show... I wasn't super into them so I wasn't overly impressed.... but it was ok.

 98 degrees was the other opening act. They were ok. Honestly I wasn't a huge fan when they were famous so I only new a few of the songs they did, and I was not overly impressed with their dancing. The Lache brothers can dance... the other two who I don't even know were ok. Over all ok show
 I took these pictures mostly for my mom cause I think she likes Drew because of Dancing with the Stars which is where I know him from as well.

 Then the New Kids came out! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I don't know how I got a steady picture I was so excited.... lots of jumping, dancing, screaming.... you get the picture. I posted all the pictures I took that weren't totally blurry!









 Donnie



 These guys can still bust a move! They can sing live amazing too! Sometimes you get to a concert and wonder how someone got famous or how much editing they have to do in the studio to make a record sound good. No wondering here they are as good live as on album!!! LOVED IT!








 Donnie




 Jon

 Donnie





 Jordan



 Joe


 Danny


 Jordan


 When they sang Tonight they came down into the crowd! AWESOME!!!!


 Jordan Singing I'll Be Loving you Forever!
 Hanging Tough!
I did take some pictures of my nieces while I was visiting them in Las Vegas... but they are on my phone and I don't know how to get them on my computer! Sorry!