Pizza night out and the Colors of my life

Pizza Night Out

As you know, Friday is Pizza Night at our house. This past Friday we motored over to Pizza Hut on 82nd. The kids had lots of fun. When I took this picture it surprised me how grown up this boy is getting to look. Where does the time go?

All of the kids got to get something from the quarter machines. It was nice that there were girly coloring sheets.

Cleaning up after eating, she managed her hands pretty well but her face needed a little help.

Joylynn and her little man. He loves being held these days. So my to do list only gets attention when he is napping or after 8 p.m. when he is in bed for the night. He is napping right now so I can work on updating this blog.

COLORS of my life

I took a bit of time the other night to look through my fabric bin. I played and put things together and came up with a few palettes that could turn into quilts eventually.

Which ones do you like best? Now to find the time to sew!

New and Shiny Bike!

Logan ordered a bike and it was able to be picked up here in Portland. Harlan got to ride it and then took it back to the shop for some cosmetic stuff. He and Hayden got to drive up to Lacey to deliver it this week.

Check out the way we tried to protect it from road grime kicking up behind the Subaru. I can't believe they sell these bike bags to wrap bikes as gifts. What kid can't figure out what's in this package?!

Home Maintenance

I am so thankful that Harlan is able to mess with our computers when they start messing with us. He has a little helper in the process too.

Our other little helper here is doing what needs to be done on a regular basis as nails work their way up from the hardwoods as little and not so little feet walk, run, skip and dance around the house.

Happy Commuter

Due to heavy traffic on the Sunset Highway yesterday, Garrett and I decided to take NW Barnes to W Burnside into town. Along that route there is a Sunrise Bagels. We stopped in there for a few minutes, a bagel and a beverage. I brought a nice bagful home along with some yummy cream cheese! If life gives you traffic... EAT BAGELS!

A Post without pics

Biding our time with the "babies"

The terrific twosome

I've posted pictures of these two quite a few times. They are 3 months apart in age but very similar in size if not in weight (He is a chunk and she is a sweet petite). She is much more mobile than he is. She is going to be walking before we know it. She doesn't sit still for long, thus is leaning toward the camera and looks bigger than Garrett. Both of them are happy and healthy which is always something to be counted as a blessing.

Look and Find

There were a few "Look and Find" books received as gifts this Christmas. The kids can sit for a long long time looking carefully for the various hidden objects on the pages. Rowan was looking at his "Thomas and Friends" book by himself. Genevieve and he were looking at her "Disney Princess" book together. It is an excellent quiet time activity enjoyed by kids of all ages.

Occupying Miss Katie

There is not much that can slow Katie down for a few minutes better than a snack or meal. According to the bib I bought her, she gets the best kisses from her grandmothers.

She gets the best tickles from her Grampa. He was keeping her occupied while Alyssa was packing up the car to head back home.

They all took a moment to pose by the Christmas tree before they bundled up and headed out. Max was beyond excited to get back to his stomping grounds.

Gar-Bear

Somebody LOVES to get his diaper changed. I don't know if it's the freedom of having his clothing loosened or taken off or if he enjoys the one on one attention at the time. It certainly precipitates smiles and even giggles from our little Gar-Bear.

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It's actually pretty quiet around here. We got used to having 16-20 people in the house. Now that it's down to just the 10 of us it's business as usual. Work for Har, work for Rylan,work for Krystle, school for Hayden, school for Cam, school for Wyatt , play for Genevieve, play for Danika, play for Garrett and all of the above + commuting for me.

We have a very full life!

End of 2010 Wrap-up

Festive Bunch

I don't remember if I posted this photo earlier but I love these guys in their festive-wear. Wyatt is super cool in his shades. Garrett is just chillin'.

This was a season of playin' GAMES!

We adults tried to play a board game or two pretty much every evening. It was very enjoyable. We bought a new game and my mom gave us a couple, Kiel and Cherise brought one with them and Krystle bought one as well. The youngsters weren't left out of the fun. They got some character dominos and a couple of card games. Wyatt got a chess set and Uncle Kiel sat and taught him the basics. I have a feeling Wyatt is going to be asking other uncles around here to play with him before too long.

Katie's Hat and a couple of beddy boys

This little one is really great about keeping hats on which is nice because she looks super cute in each of them. What a happy girl!

With 20 people staying here for a couple of days and 16 being here for a week and a half we got creative with sleeping areas. Lyssa and her little ones were in the den. Here is Rowan surrounded by "his buddies".

Garrett sleeps with buddies too but they are on the foot end of his cradle. I found him kicking at them one afternoon when he got up from his nap.

Musical Snowmen

I picked up these musicians for Harlan to have in his music room. He moved them to the top of the fish tank so they were more accessible. They each play 2 tunes and the other snowmen join in on harmony. Pretty entertaining for the little tikes.

Another cat whisperer in the making

Peanut Butter and Ninja aren't super cool with young ones being near. They don't have a problem with Henry though. He was able to approach them and even lay his head down on them and they were just fine. Perhaps he takes after his Uncle Rylan just a tad.

Snuggles and Hugs

Genevieve and Krystle greeting each other at the restaurant in the zoo.

Bothers and sisters snuggling and mugging.

Colorful Bouquet

This bouquet that was delivered on December 17th for Alyssa has graced our dining table ever since. The color of the lilies was so beautiful!

Some of my favorite moments

Of course the favorite part of having the kids all here is those little stolen moments with each one. Henry is less than effected by my smooches but Kate looks pretty happy to be with me though she far and above prefers her mom!

Now it's 2011!

The 3 babies were in bed by this time but we let this bunch stay up until 9 o'clock. We tuned the television to CNN and watched the ball drop in New York City. They felt like they were part of the party for sure! They were soon off to bed so the adults could have a time of board games and yummy snacks to ring in the new year.

Alyssa and Cherise hanging out before partying.

Courtney and Joylynn got fancied up. Jess and Joylynn couldn't stay very late but Courtney and Charlie got to spend the night. They slept in what we've dubbed "The Polar Bear Suite". We took the table out of the kitchen nook and put a board across the benches. A double size air mattress fits in there perfectly and a sheet tacked across the doorway makes it a private cozy place. The 20 degree weather outside and single pain windows on two sides of the room make it necessary to bundle up and snuggle close!

My favorite Christmas touches

I got a fairly good sized bookcase this summer and put it on the stair landing on the way upstairs. It is filled with my books and then some. I was able to use some little houses and greenery to make it more festive. I happened to have 3 hardcover copies of Christmas stories by Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer that I was able to highlight. I love this series of books!

I apologize for the length of this post. I planned to post half of it yesterday but, you know...

All in all. we had a very blessed holiday season. We are very thankful for all of our family and friends. Each one that dropped a line, sent an email, called, pitched in or just prayed for our family made this "A Christmas to Remember"!