Soccer

Taylor's first soccer game..

I was at a church activity so I was not able to go but Nate took lots of pictures. He said Taylor played really well.

She really enjoys it.

She is kind of cute in her soccer shirt too.

Madi turns 4 years old!!

Madi's birthday was a little crazy!

Nate was in Phoenix for work on Friday the 11th (her birthday) so we planned a party for Saturday.
Things were crazy that day and Ashley (Pattie's daughter) got sick right before they were to come and Madi's little friends from the ward were running late so we had a very spread out party and just opened presents and visited as people came.

Grandma Barlow sent Madi a strawberry shortcake doll that she can do her make-up and hair. Madi loves it!

Gage... "here Madi, let me help you open it, I am strong!"

Taylor had to read the instructions on how to make the make-up work with water.

Everyone was very interested!! Amber and Amy stopped by with their kids so Madi was way excited to play with her cousins. They all were interested in this doll. Even the boys.

Madi received a Dora guitar and microphone from us and the kids. She loves it!! She sang to us... "don't go waisting your emotions..."



Because of the craziness, we were not able to do cake on Saturday so we sang to her on Monday night.
She was so excited to blow out the Dora candle.


Ps... this is her new hair cute. She usually has it up but this is right out of the shower.

Isn't she the cutest little four year old girl!!

Isaac's little nap

One day, we had a long day in town and running around so I gave all the kids dinner as soon as we walked in the door.
I went upstairs for a minute and came back down to find Isaac sound asleep with a pillow and blanket.
Madi was so cute, "look mom, Isaac fell asleep so I gave him a pillow and blanket so he can sleep nice."
Madi likes to take care of Isaac, when he lets her.
While he was asleep I tried to get some pictures of his hands. We took the bandages off a week before this and he was very protective of his hand. We wouldn't let me take pictures or anything.




Now, (Sept 26th) his hand looks amazing and he has full movement of his fingers and everything.

Ok.... we have this HUGE!! spider in our front yard. I was waiting for Gage's bus one morning and I saw it. The kids are fascinated by it. It is very fat and ugly. The body itself is bigger than a quarter.

Nate went out and caught it in a big jar and I ran it around to the kid's classroom so they could all show it to the classmates.

When Gage got home from school, we let it go at the base of the tree. Gage wanted to keep it but I explained it would die because it was not going to let it in the house and the garage was too hot. After it was on the ground, Gage had this overwhelming urge to step on it. I explained it was so big it would cover his shoe with guts!!! I had to hold him back until the spider got to the tree and then Gage didn't seem so brave.

On August 13th, I took Isaac to Flagstaff to have his fingers separated. He was so cute at the doctor. This is a picture before he went in. He was just kissable in his little hair net!!

I talked to him about what was going to happen and we took pictures of his fingers.

Let me see your hand honey.

No the other hand silly.....

This one?

I told him that they were going to make it so his fingers were apart. I am not sure everything he understood but he pointed at his fingers and said "mom?"

Right after he woke up, I was holding him while he was coming out of the anesthesia.

They would not release him until he was able to hold down liquid. They gave him a drink of water out of this little cup and he kept drinking. He drank 5 of them and they cut him off.

He was not sure of this big wrap on his hand. It only took him a half hour to get it unwrapped on the way home. I had to stop three times in the 2 hour drive and re-wrap it. I ended up buying some tape and wrapping all over that!

He is so cute even when he is drugged!!

Nate's 25th Birthday ;-)

Nate would not let us do anything for his birthday. So we made a cake and sang. The kids thought it was very very funny to have so many candles on the cake.

"Wow Dad, you are old!!"

Ready to sing????

For some reason, I don't think Nate really likes his birthdays. Is that just a polite smile?

Get ready.... you will have to blow hard to extinguish that many candles.

Wow... that is a lot of smoke!!! What if the smoke detectors go off?

And now... Dad is another year older. He is a very fun Dad. Nate works so hard to take care of us and provide for our family. He is a very good man!! We love him very, very much.

So back to real life....

The first day of school....

The kids were up at dawn I swear!! Ok, maybe not dawn but pretty dang close… They were so excited to go to school. They had each picked out their clothes the night before. They ate breakfast faster than ever and then got ready.

Each one stood in front of the fireplace and posed for me…trying to get the perfect picture.

Smile Kaydee....

A real smile.....

You are so beautiful Kaydee! Check out that toothless grin!

Now it is Gage's turn.
Can you smile a normal smile?

Ok, that is not normal...

That is a little better.

Now that is a real, sweet smile. My very handsome Gage. I can not believe that you are old enough to go to school. Wow!!!
Where did the time go? I feel like I blinked and you were grown up!

Autumn blushes when I tell her that she looks so cute in her Ladybug Dress. Grandma Barlow made it for her and it is not only darling but it means so much to her.
Thank you Grandma Barlow!!!

She still can't smile...why? She is sooooo not shy!!!

There we go... You are a beautiful little lady Autumn!

Taylor and her new hair cut.... she loves to comb her hair now... and rightly so.... she is very cute!

But she can't focus on the camera, someone is on the stairs being silly...

Tay, look at the camera.....!!

Madi isn't going to school this year but we must take her picture!!

She has the best smile of all...

And the wildest hair!

And we can't forget Isaac!!

I was lucky, I got to take all the kids to school and then spend the morning with Gage.

Here is Kaydee in her classroom. She found her desk in a flash, sat down and smiled. Kaydee loves school. Maybe it is just the thought of the playground that made her smile so.

1st grade

Autumn was also very excited when she found her desk. She recognized the name of someone next to her and hoped that it was the person she knew last year.

Gage's first day was different. We sat in the gym for a little while listening to all the new things the kids could expect for kindergarten. Then the kids went to their classroom to find their cubby's and listen to a story. The parents sat in the gym and filled out paperwork. I think Gage got the better end of the deal. I would have much rather heard a story.

This was the next day and the next, and the next, and the next.... well, I think you get the hint.
Each morning, the kids wait for the bus to come. It can be kind of confusing to guess which is going to actually stop for them. 5 buses go past our house each morning.

They wait, and play, and wait some more. They scared me the first morning by getting to close to the road so now they sit on the porch and wait for the bus. Then they run, sometimes walk, some times strole, to the bus.

And what do Isaac and Madi do while we are waiting for the bus?
Look for bugs....

Bye !! Have a wonderful day at school!!

And there is the proof that I am getting old.... Gage is getting on a school bus!!!