Dear Payton....

Oh how I love your cute little face- but you are SUCH a stinker now-a-days!  Really.  Mom and Dad are going crazy.  Your favorite thing to do nowadays is to spank people- anyone really.  Just the other day, we walked into the gym and you swatted some poor soul on the backside and ran off like you thought it was the funniest thing in the entire world!  You absolutely LOVE to torment your poor little sister, and even your older brother!  Sometimes it seems like your ears are painted on.  Sometimes I feel like you were born in a barn.  Other times I feel like I want to give you to the Indians.   (What Cole's dad always used to say to him- the ONE time that Cole was naughty!)  I'm sorry.  I gave you your personality.  Cutest thing in the whole wide world, but N-A-U-G-H-T-Y!!!!  Just like your Mama!  Three has been a really hard age for your poor old Mom, and I'm terribly sorry that I haven't been the best one to you for the past few months.  You just have so much energy, and alot of the time, it is a little bit much for those that are around you- namely Mindy! :)  But, with all of your craziness Payton,  I love you to the moon and back.  I love your CUTEST little smile, and you have a laugh that is absolutely INFECTIOUS!  Anyone that hears you really laugh can't help but giggle a little bit themselves as well!  You are so kind and sweet when you want to be.  You LOVE to snuggle, and you also love your blanket.  Whenever you get into trouble (and that might be a LOT) you ask for your blanket and want me to HOEMEEEEEE.  You are super quick to give kisses and hugs, and when someone is hurt you always make sure that they are okay (unless you are the one that did the hurting- then you can always be found as FAR away from that person as possible!) You are SUPER active, and that makes me so happy.  You LOVE to watch shows, and are very good at all things athletic.  You are a bit afraid of soccer, and maybe of swimming- but you are getting better, and you are a JOY to watch grow up.  Now- if we can just figure out how to get those ears to be real instead of painted on- you will be the perfect child!  I love you more than life Payton- and I am so happy to be your mama- even on those days that I maybe want to run away and join the circus.  I still love you- don't you ever forget it!

Sorry about the slightly rude picture, but that is about the CUTEST set of cheeks EVER!  He does this quite often...at least he doesn't go in his pants! :)

Love- Your slightly insane mother!

Actual Memorial Day Hike!

For the actual Memorial Day, we opted to take the children for a fun hike, and a FUN HIKE it WAS!  We seriously had such a great time!  We went on a hike that we have never done before, and it was a blast.  It was called the Maxwell Falls Trail and it was about an hour away from our house.  The kids had a great time!  It was supposed to be about a 3 mile loop, but I think that it ended up being about a 4-5 mile one- because we kind of took a bit of a detour!  We caome to a 5 way fork in the road, and we took the one that would take us the LONGEST way around.  What can ya do! The kids did great, Morgan did fabulously in her backpack, and Payton and Lincoln did great hiking!  We had lots of snacks, power drinks, etc.  which seem to help. :)  Both Cole and I are SO happy that our kids like to hike! 

Link-packin that big water pack that he wore the WHOLE time!  What a stud! We also lost his ball cap at Disneyland, so he has to wear his cowboy hat- which he doesn't mind at all! ;)

These two are SUCH great buds!  They bother each other like crazy, but they have the funnest time together!  Lately, they have been in complete La-La land with each other. 

What we deal with the majority of the hikes we go on- sticks (light sabers, swords, guns, pirate daggers, etc.)  The boys each have about 5 each at any given time that they want to carry along with us.  "But Mom!  I CAN'T put it down!  I searched and searched and SEARCHED for this perfect (insert any number of types of weapons here) and I REALLY want to take it home!!!!"

Would have been the cutest picture EVER, but Payton was busy pouting, because I would let him have ANOTHER granola bar!  Sheesh...such a mean mom!

When we got to the falls (which were only about 5 feet tall at the very highest) Lincoln found this way cool log straddling the river.  Link was Peter Pan and Cole was Captain Hoook.  It ended in disaster though, as Lincoln fell into the water, cut his knee and was soaking wet!  Oops!

We stopped in Evergreen and the kids got a lovely ice cream cone, and they were in HEAVEN!  Talk about the perfect way to top off a great hike!  Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day Camping

The weekend before Memorial Day we decided to go camping!  We went to a really fun place that was about an hour and a half away from our house.  We kind of decided last minute, so we were running around trying to get all ready before it got too late.  Needless to say, we all got packed up and up there in great time.  The only kicker was, when we got there, we told the kids to put their shoes on, and amidst all of the confusion and miscommunication before we left, the kids had NO SHOES!  They totally forgot them!  And because we were just going for a night, we didn't pack any extra pairs, so the boys had NO shoes for the whole trip!  So silly.  What a thing to forget when you go camping.  It turned out to be alright though.  It made it so that they couldn't stray TOO far away from our little camp spot!  Again...lesson learned.  We seem to be learning lots of lessons these days.  In spite of the forgetting of the shoes, we had a great time and it was a good trial run for the rest of the camping trips we will be taking this summer!  YEAH!

Playing in the tent- Notice Payton rummaging around in my purse for the iPod! Silly boy.

Gus had a great time!

Tying slip knots so the boys can learn to "rope" the pole!

Ropin' the pole!

We had tin-foil dinners for dinner, and they were delish!

Ah nuts...

No shoes

We had YUMMY smores, and the boys LOVED it!

Payton showin some 'tude.

All snuggly warm for the night!

San Diego here we COME (Actually, came and conquered is more like it!)

For a last little trip before my parents head to Deutschland and BR (Baby Rach) heads for Rome, we went on a last family getaway to San Diego!  We stayed in an AMAZING beach house and had SO much fun!  It is always so much fun to be together- even though it is MORE than crazy most of the time with 7 very rambunctious children running around.  We did a little bit of everything.  LOTS of relaxing, lots of time hangin out at the beach, some time hangin around at the condo, a FABULOUS day in Disneyland (where we only lost one wipes case, one really cute hat that I am really sad that we lost, and one pair of sunglasses), and some great time altogether.  I love my family, and we are really going to miss my parents while they are gone for THREE YEARS! (Not a big deal...not a big deal...not a big deal...) and Rachel as well while she is serving her mission- but we know that they are going to do amazing things in Germany and in Italy as well.  We had some really great devotionals each night that each of us kids were in charge of and had some great spiritual talks with each other.  Thanks Mom and Dad for the FABULOUS time!  We will remember it and hang on this wonderful trip for the next three years when we can finally do it all again!

(WOAH!!  This is aLOT of pictures!  But considering there were over 500 took, I think I did pretty great with only 39! :) )

We went to the grocery store a few times during the trip and MAN did we get alot of food!  17 people eat ALOT of food! It was so nice though not to have to go out to eat for every meal!  Here are 5 of the kiddies munchin' on some cere for breakfast!

Did I mention that I L O V E having a baby girl?!  Even though she looks like a Japanese baby (as Rocky and Courtney say) right after she gets out of the bath because her hair is STICK straight and so dark!

The kids getting ready to go down to the beach with their new "satchels" as my kids call them. (They are always pretending to be someone and with their satchels, they are Flynn Ryder.) Mylie Jane, Lincoln, Payton and Rubydoo.  I can't believe how much MJ looks Like her Mama in this picture!  That is TOTALLY Courtney's smile!

Morgs was a TOTAL beach babe!  She LOVED the sand, and waves, and everything about it. 

Lincoln was ALWAYS in the water!  He loved loved loved it too!  So cute.  The water was NOT that warm, so I am very impressed that they spent as much time in the water as they did!

Payton, too, loved the water, but his favorite part was going up into the little hot tub that we had in our house each time he went into the water!  Luckily, he as a SOFTY Grandma that will take him wherever he wants to go!  Thanks Grandma B!

My cutest Mom and I takin a ride on the beach cruisers that actually got STOLEN that very night after we rode on them down the boardwalk!  So sad that people have to steal things that someone else work so hard to have. 

These two are total kindred spirits.  Both EXTREMELY crazy, but just about the cutest kids in the land!

Lovin on the hot tub!  Many a minutes were spent in that little baby!

Even Morgs loved it!

Playing peek-a-boo- the BEST game in the land- according to THIS baby girl!

Peek-a-boo Grandma!

Each day (actually, about 3 times a day) my Mom would come out of her room with her arms full of a "little something" for the Grandkids.  They think that she is the bomb.  She gave them all a really fun bucket-o-sand toys for the beach, and they built some pretty cool sandcastles!  Cole LOVES to build sandcastles, and reinforce them any way that he can.  Smart boy- that one!

Me and Baby Rach.  I love her, and she is going to be an AMAZING missionary come August 31st!

For Mother's Day, all the cute boys gave us girls a NIGHT OUT!  WHAT!  It was SO much fun!  It was nice to be altogether and not have any screaming (or otherwise) children to take care of!  It was VEWY WEWAXING!

First, we headed out to get a Pedicure.  We had the whole joint to ourselves!  It was so much fun! I can't think of very many things that I like better than a great pedicure!  These ladies did NOT disappoint!

Then we went to Joe's Crab shack for dinner (a delicious one I might add!) Court- we still are trying to figure out why- ordered the Lobster! She isn't much of a fishy person, and having the whole lobster there for her to feast her eyes (and her stomach) on was a bit too much for her to handle!  It didn't help that it wasn't the BEST Lobster any of us had ever tasted, but it sure was funny watching her try to stomach the lobsters eyes, claws, head, body, etc. 

We had our family pictures taken while we were there, and the kids were all over the place!  They were so cute.  I can't find one of the whole fam, but you'll just have to take my word for it that they were cute!  Here's Payton and Ruby in the cutest little hug ever! 

We were right on the beach, and it was SUPER hard to try and get the kids to stay out of the water, and clean and looking presentable and happy while we took the pics, but we did it!  But shortly after, cutest little Payton fell into the water, and then proceeded to climb a HUGE mound of dirt.  He was SO dirty- and I was very glad that it happened BEFORE the pictures were taken!

Of all the kids- Lincoln was probably the hardest to try and keep happy.  It's pretty hot and cold with this kid.  He's either REALLY happy, or REALLY sad, and sometimes it's hard to convince him that he should be happy.  He broke down a few times while we were taking the pictures, but he was bribed by a sweet sucker by the photographer, so we were able to sneak in all the ones that we needed to.  This was the fake smile that he had pasted on his face for most of the time.  Cute little dude.

Mal, Court, Rach and Me.  I look like a GIANT!  Oh well...:)

Whoops, she has NO NECK, and a really round head!  But OH MY GOSH she is cute!

We did alot of this....playing the Wii!  On the way home, we asked the kids what was their favorite part of the trip, and Lincoln said "Getting presents from Grandma, and Playing MARIO KART!"

Two of their "prizes".  Some sunglasses and a color your own ball/paddle game-thingy.

My cute brothers just comin in from their boogie board/surf ride.  We did some good boogie boarding!  It was way fun!  I opted OUT of a pic with me in a wetsuit.  You saw all that in the last post! ;)

These two babies are 10 months apart, and Libby weighs the same as- if not a little bit MORE than Morgan!  SO CUTE!  And of course, Grandma B had to get them some matching swimsuits, and sun hats!

These two (mylie and link) are as thick as thieves!  They did everything together on this trip.  Sometimes they leave out poor Drew, but they still have SO much fun together.

It was just my dad's 60th birthday! (I know, can you believe how great he looks for 60!!!) All of us kids pitched in and made him a scrapbook with memories we have of him.  Here we all are looking at it together.  It's really weird...we're all big.  (Grow-up that is!)

Morgs building a castle with her beloved Daddy!  Oh man does she love him!

We went to "Seal Beach" and saw the seals and Morgs thought it was pretty cool!

The ride home in the airplane was a little bit rough!  The kids were all SO tired, but none of them would fall asleep!  That is- until 5 minutes before the plane was supposed to land!  All three zonked (and me too- I guess) and that is why we totally forgot Lincoln's bag on the plane!  So sad- all of his toys.  Lesson Learned.

Thanks so much Mom and Dad!  We will miss you more than you'll know- life won't be the same without you.