Family Pictures Spring 2011

Nancy sent us some adorable Easter clothes this year so we knew we HAD to get FAMILY PICTURES

taken in them. Our friend who lives up the street offered to take some of us on Easter morning.

Looking at the picture of Trek & I, I see our age. I see the tired eyes & slumping shoulders. Yes, we're getting older. . . yes, we're exhausted parents of 5 lively children, but no, I wouldn't change a minute of it for anything in the world. This is picture of two

VERY PROUD PARENTS. This is a picture of two people in LOVE who are ready to grow old TOGETHER FOREVER.

The GIRLS were perfect. They LOVE pictures & sure know how to pose for them. What adorable little ANGELS I have.

The BOYS were a different story. Bladen HATES pictures with a passion. He wasn't about to smile or pose for ANY picture. In fact. . .this picture was 2 pictures taken & photoshopped together because Bladen REFUSED to get anywhere near Craiger for a photo. He also refused to smile. C'est la vie! That's how life goes & I LOVE both my BOYS more than ANYTHING.

Taking a picture of FIVE KIDS should be an OLYMPIC SPORT. I couldn't believe how hard it was to make all 5 smile at the same time. Bladen was crying for most of it & Taya was making faces at Trek & I on the sidelines. We were cracking up!

I love this picture because it shows all their personalities. Cadence (who always wants to be perfect at everything & who is "Ms. Mommy" to her baby brother) smiled like a professional. Lorien (who is my tom boy) just glows with her "Hey I'm Happy Today" grin. Taya (always the comedian) rolls her eyes in delight trying to make everyone laugh. Bladen (with two cars in his hands) stares straight into the camera wondering when all this is FINALLY going to be over. And little Craiger just sitting patiently with all the craziness going on around him. I really do have

THE BEST KIDS IN THE WORLD.

SMORES

Trek had so much fun camping that he came home & we had

SMORES

in our garage using a little charcoal grill.

Taya liked them the most (can you tell?)

FUN FUN FUN for EVERYONE.

Father Son Campout

Trek is SO HAPPY to have sons to take camping. Every year the stake here holds a priesthood commemoration father-son campout up in Watsonville. Trek was SO EXCITED to take Bladen camping.

As soon as they got up to the campsite, Bladen found a

MUD PUDDLE

(of course)

and proceeded to get a handful & put it in his mouth thinking it was chocolate. Trek said he was spitting for about 30 minutes after he realized it wasn't sweet! Silly kid! Even though he was done "eating" it, he continued to pick it up & smear it all over his coat like Bladen ALWAYS manages to do.

Bladen liked watching daddy put up the TENT.

After dinner, they made smores by the campfire. Bladen loved them of course.

Then when it was time for bed, Bladen refused to go to sleep. . . instead he got a hold of Trek's flashlight & had fun for an hour! ha ha ha.

Boys will be boys!

They woke up bright & early Saturday morning & packed up camp. The Stake YM had a big breakfast all made for everyone. Bladen loved the PANCAKES!

Before they left, Bladen found a group of trees that he apparently thought were

DINOSAURS.

Trek said he was wandering around RAWR-ing at them all morning long.

And then there was snack time right before everyone left. Mommy packed a special bag of animal crackers just for him to munch on. (What a good mommy!)

Then it was time to come home. Bladen liked being a COOL DUDE with daddy. They had a GREAT time!

Girls Night Out

Trek took Bladen to the stake Father-Son Campout over the weekend, so I took my girls out for a Girls Night Out! I asked them where they wanted to go & they all shouted "Black Bear Diner!"

They love this little diner here in town because every kids meal comes with an ice cream sundae. I seriously think that's the only reason they love it so much.

(It does have good food too.)

Cadence gets the volcano breakfast with pancakes, eggs, sausage, & bacon & eats every last drop of it.

Lorien & Taya both love the chocolate chip pancakes & they both eat every last piece as well.

I had a nice salad & then ended with some FABULOUS huckleberry & bear claw ice cream. We finished the night with a girly movie at the house. I love our little special girl's nights.

I love spending time with my girls!

Embroidering Towels

Okay, so I found a fun birthday gift that I can make all by myself! TOWELS!

(okay, so I don't make the actual towel, but I make store bought towels cute!)

I love putting their names on them as well as something they LOVE!

Cadence's friend Csepke (who turns 8 this week) LOVES to read so I did a BOOK with magic coming out of it.

And Taya's friend Sierra LOVES CUPCAKES! Fun huh?

Happy Mother's Day

Although I absolutely DESPISE this picture of me, I had to post it so you could see Bladen!

He is EATING my MOTHER'S DAY CAKE for me!

ha ha ha. What a crack up!

I had a great Mother's Day. Trek & the kids spoiled me rotten & I got a fun alarm clock/speaker system for my iphone. I'm excited because I can use it for the music class I teach at the elementary school. The kids are SO tired of TRYING to listen to music from just my iPhone. They always complain they can't hear it. They are going to be SO excited when I show up tomorrow with a speaker system. It will be fun!

Happy Little Smiles

I LOVE THIS KID!!!

Why? Why? Why?

WHY is it that my 2 year old boy can find the ONE mud hole wherever we go?

Seriously! This is a DAILY occurrence these days.

Oh well. . . these little moments make great pics.

Someday I hope HE has a little MUD MONSTER of his own so that I can pull out all these photos & tease him mercilessly!

Where's Waldo?

Taya likes to hide on mommy's bed.

Best Buds

The kids are sure LOVING having grass in the backyard. So am I!! Taya & Bladen play in the yard all day long! They are best friends & it makes me SO happy.

Blade-n Boots

My son is obsessed with shoes.

My Name Is "Trouble"

Do I really even need to write a caption on this?

Little Stinker. . . always looking for trouble!

Chicks

Lorien has such a fun Kindergarten class. This year Ms. Fairman ordered 3 eggs from a local farm along with an incubator so the class could learn about hatching eggs & how to care for baby chicks. HOW FUN IS THAT?

Well, the 3 eggs hatched & out came Jelly, Sam, & Odette.

(The kids named them themselves.)

The chicks are ADORABLE!!! Lorien is always so excited to tell me about them. She loves to hold them & they love to climb on her head & nose.

Unfortunately Odette didn't make it (may she rest in peace), but the other 2 are doing fantastic. I love going to the school to visit the chickies.

Craiger's Baby Blessing

Craiger is officially 2 months old now. It's crazy how quickly time flies. We knew my parents were coming out the first week in May so we decided to bless Craiger that weekend so they could be here for it. Then we notified Trek's parents so they could be here as well. He was dolled up so "handsome" in his little white tux. I can't believe how BIG he is now!

In his blessing he was officially given his name:

Craiger Boone Potter

on Sunday, May 1st, 2011 in Seaside, CA at our stake center.

It was fun having Grandma Kinsfather here too. We HAD to get a 4 generation picture.

It was a beautiful day with family. I'm SO grateful to be a member of this church & for being able to celebrate a baby's name & blessing. Craiger is going to be a STRONG little guy someday! And I can't wait to watch him grow into that strong young man!