Nine & Counting

We've been married for 9 years,
have 3 kids,
claimed 6 addresses in 3 states,
earned 4 degrees, collectively,
owned 2 cars (been a one car famiy for 2/3 our marriage)
purchased 1 piece of real estate,
made 2 TV debuts,
attended 11 temples,
owned 0 pets,
explained our reasoning for not getting a pet 823 times to the kids,
had 0 fights (Seriously. Zero. We disagree at times, but we talk about it, we don't yell and insult each other's mothers because of it) and
shared COUNTLESS LAUGHS!

Create

I love this video from Dieter Uchtdorf:
CREATE
An FHE idea... share this video with your family. Read Isaiah 64:8 about how God created us. Explain that God is pleased when we create- then use playdough or another medium to create something.

Summertime Shots

Happy 4th of July!
All smiles

Baseball season

Guess who learned to ride a bike? He was so proud & he should be! He learned how to ride in one evening (abt. an hour, actually). He still needs a steady hand while he gets a push off, but he can turn all by himself and "jumps clear" when necessary (and sometimes even when it's not necessary- I think the crashing stunts were his favorite part.)

Miss H, not to be outdone, started using pedals.

Hope your all are enjoying plenty of sunshine & watermelon. What a great time of year!

New Blog

To provide amusing anecdotes and to plug his business, my husband started an HR blog:

www.hrqa.blogspot.com

If you get a minute to read and/or comment on it, we would appreciate it!
There's a funny skit for you SNL fans.

Happy 6th Birthday!

As a follow up, things went very well in NM. The kids were really good for me (mine because they were happy to be with cousins, theirs because nearly every kid acts better for strangers than for their own parents... they aren't certain of the limits and don't want to push it when there are no other credible adult witness around.) The picture above is from a hike we did to the edge of the mesa.
D celebrated his 6th birthday with a ride on a real passenger train.
He was so excited & kept saying "this is the BEST birthday I've ever had!" Of course, he only has 6 to choose from and probably can't remember 3 of those, but that's beside the point. He had fun.


Here's a funny picture of the baby:

Happy 20th Birthday!

No, not us. We are both in our 3rd decade, but our 1989 Olds is now officially 20. .Here's a few interesting facts about it...
* My husband learned to drive on this car.
* It has enough miles to have driven to the moon, explored a bit, & then enough to achieve escape velocity BACK.
* Like most older cars, it has a few quirks. The A/C doesn't work & 2 of the windows no longer roll down, for instance. The flannel ceiling is falling. The tape deck eats tapes, so we can't even hook up our portable CD player.
* My children recognize Macco logos because it's had to be repainted twice so we are not embarrassed by the rust.
* Despite the cosmetic quirks, it has really good guts and has cost us much less to repair than our '94 Ford Escort that died last year.
* The Antique Automobile club of America will consider it an antique in 5 more years.

We are saving for a newer vehicle, but have been well served by the old gray goose

Help Wanted

Help me, wise readers. I need ideas to entertain 6 children ranging from 10 yrs. to 8 mos. (Mostly the 10 & 8 year old- I know what my kids think is fun). We are going to New Mexico this week to watch 2 neices and a nephew for the brother & sister-in-law who were nice enough to babysit for us while we went to England. I think it will be fun, but am a little worried about filling the time so their kids aren't bored. I don't want to go too many places- my husband will be working & the thought of going out with 6 kids alone gives me facial ticks.
Suggestions???
Help me... you are my only hope.