Molly Tate................

Molly was a blast to take pictures with! What a poser! She was so excited to get dressed up and she even requested special jewelery. We just took these in the backyard and I absolutely love them, what a sweet girl~

I am a princess..........

She was supposed to be in bed. Dad let her up. She turned to me and said, 'I am a princess'. Pretty much sums it up~

Really..................

I like to be on top of things. I like to be in control. I like to have my house clean. I like when my kids obey and say things like 'Yes Mom!'. I like reading to quiet kids. I like bedtime.
God gave me Tallis and oh how I like her! She is NOT quiet. She is hard to control. She is into EVERYTHING. I cannot seem to stay on top of her next move. She says things like 'NO!' alot. She seems to have a knack for making messes while I am nursing. But, she is amazingly good at going to bed! I love her and I know that she is going to be amazingly fun her whole life. This picture is baby powder on my wall and all over the lamp. She told me yesterday, "I don't want to wear panties, I want the number four diapers.". Really??? She told Grandma that some poor woman's 'butt was way toooooo big' in Walmart. She tells her Dad and I that if someone throws us in the trash she will hold on to us and save us because she is a super girl. She is the first child to force us to put covers on the outlets, only after sticking two small metal diary keys into a socket at the same time. She came out and said 'It burned' and sure enough she had two little black thumbnails. Really??? She is 'my girl' right now, she said that Molly could be 'Dad's girl'. She makes Grandma laugh and I am thinking that maybe there is a reason for that. She insists on doing everything 'herself' which turns everything into a fight if we try and help. Although, I am amazed at how much she is able to do on her own. Things have truly got to be her idea but what a fun girl, most of the time~

Skate Parks and Picnic Lunch..............

Sawyer's birthday gift from us was a skateboard with an extra 'deck'. The very first thing he did was ask Sidon to pick the one that he wanted. Super sweet of him. When he thanked us for his skateboards he said, "I'm so glad you got one for Sidon so that we can do this together.". File that away in the 'proud of you' file~

We woke up early and got ready for Church in Donnelly. We made it ON TIME! Church was wonderful, it always is, and very needed. The boys were all over making sure that we had pads and skateboards loaded up! McCall just happens to have a pretty neat skate park complete with picnic tables and bleachers. We grabbed lunch and made our way to the park. Maggie grabbed the scooter from Grandma's house so that she wouldn't miss any of the action. The weather was great and the sunshine felt good on our backs. Fun day with Papa and Grandma~

Donatello................

Walker wanted to make eye contact with him, funny boy!

Ahh, tempting fate and sticking that finger out there just far enough!

This was a fun day at the school! The first grade classroom received a special guest for the winter. This tortoise belongs to a teacher in McCall but he thought that he needed to send him 'south' for the winter! He didn't get so far south to enjoy warm weather and the beach but he did make it to Council! The kids loved trying to coax him out of his shell and he did oblige a few times. I told Tallis to be soft with him and quiet, I don't think that either one of those words are in her vocabulary. She snuck up to him and then jumped up and yelled. I was not pleased but at least he didn't leave any droppings on the floor out of sheer terror! Donatello is six years old and has a life expectancy of at least one hundred. Make that ninety-seven, Tallis took at least three of those and gave him gray hairs. Sorry Donatello!

Tulee 2 months old..............

Just some fun pictures of this little girl that looks like, well, everybody! She has such a sweet personality, she reminds me of how Molly was at this age. I love her 'red' hair and hope that it stays with her for awhile!

Sawyer is 10...............

We have a lack of pictures because we had a combined birthday dinner with Brian. Sawyer's Birthday is on September 14th and Brian's is the week before on the 7th. We met in the middle and enjoyed both of their favorite birthday dinner, stuffed manicotti, homemade french bread, salad, German chocolate cake, and strawberry cheesecake! It was alot of fun and we all ate way to much! This was Sawyer's 'real' birthday so before he headed out to school we had special pancakes.

Smed, your Dad and I love you so much. I love how you help the girls put together outfits and convince your sister that she looks great. You are getting so big and I'm afraid it won't be long before you pass me. I absolutely love that you are such a good protector of your siblings. The way that you talk to Tulee Bell is special. You have always been my helper and you are so responsible. You are enjoying school already this year, and your teacher! You have so many things that you want to learn, how to play a guitar, how to snowboard really well, how to skateboard better. I know that you can do all of them! I'm so glad that I am your Mom and that you are my Smed.
Love, Mom~

A Good, Goodbye.............

Dan has been a part of the kids' life for quite some time. Dan has always had a fun personality and a gentleness with the kids. He was a smart horse, he knew how to open gates and even on this day was kicking the gate for more grain! We have pictures of Dan with the cousins and he has even won ribbons in the fair for his photogenic self! We learned from Kala that he was going to be put down. He had health issues that may have made it difficult to make it through a winter here. It was with some very sad hearts that we went out to Nichols to see him and say goodbye. The kids did so good, Sidon said that it would only make him more sad so he opted to stay with Dad. What a blessing of a day. The kids were able to brush him and sit on him and love on him. That is a pretty good goodbye~

Creek Fishing.................

Craig loaded all of us up and took us up Johnson Creek to try out some fishing in the creek. It was a bit hectic and finding a spot where we could all make it to the water was posing a bit of a problem. It was a short trip but still full of memories~

Busted...........

I think that it is pretty safe to say that Sawyer is an awesome big brother. He absolutely adores Tulee Bell. I came into the kitchen to this sight! My oldest big kid singing to his baby sister while they enjoyed the warmth of the dryer, pretty darn sweet~

First Day of School 2011............

It is official, school has started and I now have three on their way in the morning. Maggie had to master her bike riding skills to be able to keep up with the boys in the morning. Courtney runs a pretty tight ship when it comes to following the rules on the way to school! In a straight line, oldest to youngest, listen to Courtney!! The kids all wanted to wear their Oregon Ducks gear for their first day. Sidon and Sawyer had their clothes laid out on the floor the night before. It was a pretty funny sight to see the shirts, pants, socks all laid out like some sort of police chalk line! Maggie LOVES school and the boys are excited about the teachers they have this year. Sawyer has Mrs. Abshire in fourth, Sidon has Mrs. Fisher in second, and Maggie has Mrs. Stoker in Kindergarten.

She thought they were just fishing...............

Maggers finally was able to try out that new pink fishing pole! We loaded up and went to Ben Ross and fished all evening. We didn't catch a thing but Maggie was just so happy to use her pole I don't think she cared. I was a nervous wreck trying to keep Tallis away from the water. Nothing scared her which, in turn, scares me! Fun night~

The kids.............

The kids had to endure a photo session in the yard but they all took it in stride. One more of those things that are 'non-negotiable'! Pictures are a must! I will try for better ones at a later date but I had to snap some of the baby while she was tiny~