Wind Cave

Russ and I took the kids to Usery Park to go hiking on Saturday; and Uncle Matthew joined us as well. The boys have been wanting to go hiking with Russ for such a long time and they have also been wanting some 'Camera Packs' (What Ryan calls Camel Backs) like the one Russ has so they didn't have to carry a bottle of water with them. So, we finally found some kid-size Camel Backs (they have the CUTEST kids' hiking gear out there) and headed to the beautful Arizona mountains.

I was going to take Keira as far up the trail as I could with the jogging stroller, but a couple of hikers on their way down said the stroller would never make it. So, Keira and I parted ways with Russ, Matt, Trent and Ryan and found a smoother trail that we could walk on while enjoying the gorgeous weather.

Russ said that Trent and Ryan did a great job hiking and that all the hikers at the top were so impressed that such "Little" boys had made it that far. It was 1 1/2 miles to the top where they stopped and ate the trail mix and granola bars they had packed up, and then another 1 1/2 miles down. It took them about 3 1/2 hours to complete the hike.

On the way down when they were about 100 meters from the parking lot, Ryan said, "I had wanted to go with Mom!" because he was so tired. You'd have thought that they were worn out for the rest of the day, but when we finally got home, they wanted to go to the park! So off we went....

Happy Birthday Keira!

I can hardly believe that a whole year has gone by since our baby girl was born. It literally seems a moment ago that I held her in my arms for the first time. At that moment, I never would have guessed that in one short year that baby girl would be walking, speaking a few words, wanting to wear shoes and a purse before she leaves the house and trying to do everything that her big brothers can do.

Keira has never really wanted to be a baby and she has loved reaching each new milestone as it means she is turning into a big girl. She LOVES to wear shoes and got a gorgeous pair of glittery Buster Browns for her first birthday. She learned at an early age that fashion and beauty don't come without a price as she had little blisters on her ankles from wearing her new shoes around at her party.

Keira has brought so much joy to our home this past year. She loves to give hugs and kisses and is always laughing and smiling. Her brothers love her and protect her (and tease her) and she thinks they are the greatest brothers in the world. Whenver Russ gets home from work, Keira will squeal, “Daddy” with delight and run to the door as fast as her little legs will carry her to give him a big hug and a kiss.

Keira loves to:
•Play with her Daddy and her brothers
•Follow mom around the house and help her with everything
•Put on her shoes and her purse and wave “Bye Bye”
•Eat anything that is not baby food
- Yogurt
- French Fries
- Pizza
- Cinnamon Toast
- Bananas
- Cookies
- Applesauce
•Ride on the ‘Big Red Car'
•Go to the park and play in the sand
•Slide down the slide at the park
•Ride in the jogging stroller and take a nap while mom runs
•Play in the toy room
•Sit in the forward-facing car seat
•Ride on the Rocking Dog from Ikea that Grandma Little gave us

Keira Says:
•Daddy
•Ma
•Dee Dee (Binki)
•Doll-ee
•Dogg-ee

Keira does not like:
•When mom tries to work on the computer
•When Ryan teases her too much
•Going to bed without being rocked
•To have pony tails in her hair

We love you so much, Keira, and hope that you had a wonderful Birthday!

What the Heck?

Ryan came home from pre-school the other day with the cutest little three-sided house. One side had straw colored on it, another had sticks and the last side had bricks colored on it. Then, he also had a 'Big, Bad, Wolf' puppet on a popsicle stick. They had been learning about the story of the 'Three Little Pigs' at preschool, and Ryan said he would share the story with me.

H e proceeded to tell me that the Big, Bad Wolf knocked on the door of the Little Pig who lived in the straw house and said, "Little Pig, Little Pig, Let Me In!". Then I asked, "What Happened?", and he told me that the Little Pig rseponded to the wolf by saying, "Not by the HECK of my chinny- chin -chin".

I almost died laughing, and appearantly the pigs who lived in the wood house as well as the brick house responded to the Big, Bad Wolf in exactly the same way, "Not by the HECK of my chinny-chin-chin".

The Lord Even Cares About Laundry

Although my mother would probably be appalled to learn this and claim she taught me better, I ususally throw ALL my boys' clothing in the wash together - colors and whites alike. However, yesterday as I was putting their clothes in the washer, I had just a small thought to put the whites in separately. Many times, I will ignore those little thoughts and push them aside as just that: a little thought. Thankfully, I didn't this time! When I went to take that particular load of darks out of the dryer, I noticed some blue ink spots on some of the clothing, and then noticed one of those tiny, key-chain sized store club cards at the bottom of the dryer. It was blue, and it had melted in the dryer leaving a residue of blue ink in the dryer and on many of the clothes (as mentioned previously). I had given the little card to Trent, and he had put it in his pants' pocket. In my haste to get the laundry done, I forgot to check the pockets (a MUST when washing little boy's pants), and thus the card ended up in the load of laundry.

I realized then that if I had put the whites in that load, they would have been covered in blue ink! Thank goodness most of the clothes with blue ink on them were already blue and are now play clothes anyway. I am glad I took the time to listen to the still, small voice, and I am so grateful to have that in my life. Now, if only I can have the faith and wisdom to listen all the time!

Thanksgiving

Although I didn't post anything right at Thanksgiving time, I thought a lot about the many things I am thankful for. I think like most people, I am most thankful for my family. I am so grateful and relieved each night when I climb into bed that all my babies are at home safe in their beds, and that they are healthy and (most of the time) happy.

I am very grateful for a wonderful husband who works hard to provide for our family. I am grateful that we both have parents who love us and continue to provide guidance and support to us.

It is truly the basic and simple things in life that bring me the most joy.

Another First

Ryan went to his first day of pre-school today. He has been so excited for this long-awaited event. He already has some friends in his class and his teacher is so nice. He wore his favorite color - orange, and took his beloved backpack with him.

Where Does the Time Go?

Our baby girl is 6 months old! She already crawls all over the house, and I think it is so cute that she follows me around wherever I go. She is usually smiling and if her brothers are playing with her or around her, she is in heaven. In fact, that is what she has brought to our home - a little bit of Heaven!