More pics!

Jonny and Tyler play Mariokart on the wii.
Nonna and Papa with the grandkids!
James and Logan snowball fight.
Papa on the sled with Logan and Lucy.
James on the sled with Logan and Lucy!

The First No-Al

Here's a pic of Rach, me, Jonny, and my Mom & Dad- the only sibling missing is my brother Alex who's serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It's our first "No Al" picture. We sure are excited to talk to him on Christmas!!
Katie loves her Daddy!
Logan was thrilled to play in the snow.
Papa on his tractor with a scoop full of grandkids.
Uncle Jonny taught Lucy and Tyler how to whip up some goodies in the kitchen. Nice face, Lucy!! haha What a sweetheart she is!

Words to live by

Ty to James: (string of vowels and consonants James couldn't decipher)
James: what?
Ty: huh?
James: yeah?
Ty: Uh-huh!
James: Give me five. Good talk.
Ty gives James a five and walks away with a smile on his face.

hahahahaha

More Thanksgiving fun!

Tyler sang Jingle Bells again and again on the karaoke machine!

Logan, Lucy, and Tyler had a blast being pulled in the sled behind Papa's tractor. (The big kids had fun with this as well!)

Gracie, Rach, Marsh, and Lucy pose for a photo op.

Katie, Cari, James, Logan, and Tyler copied them. :-)

Batman Thanksgiving

Katie and cousin Gracie
Tyler Bug
Logey Bear
Tyler and Papa play Batman

Logan's Championship Game

Logan's final basketball game was today- I'll post pics later- he LOVES his medals! They won with a shot at the buzzer- it was much more exciting than I imagined a 5-6 year old game could be! :-) The best, however, was this quote when I asked him how his coach liked his Christmas brownies he gave him. Logan said, "My coach said, 'Logan, you didn't have to do that!' and I said, 'well I already gave them to ya, so...'"
ha ha ha I thought that was so funny- and SO Logan. :-)

Family Fun Week

This week was "Family Week"- a suggestion from our Church to turn off the TV, computer (and any other distractions that remove us from family) for the hours of 5-9pm, and enjoy family activities instead. We had a ball! Here are just a few pictures from one of our nights of fun.

Here are James and Tyler working our favorite train puzzle. We then discussed how the Earth rotates, and how all the planets move around the sun (thank you for that deep question, Logan). And after we finished the science lesson with the globe and flashlight, the boys began chasing the beam from the flashlight that James kept moving around the floor. Needless to say, the boys were VERY keyed up and had a great time. (They also slept really well, which in any parent's book means it was all worth it!)

Sweet Katie enjoyed watching her brothers be crazy- and is welcoming in the Christmas season with her "Ho Ho Ho" sleeper (Thanks Jana!) You only have a first Christmas once, right?! :-)

Superheroes

Those of you who know Logan well may know of his Superpowers. Others of you may have only suspected it. Here is a picture of him as he turns himself into a giant and uses Super-strength to hold up our wall as it started to fall. (Notice he is flying as well...)I barely caught this shot as Logan can run with Super-Speed and also disappear.

Here he is teaching Tyler to use Super powers. Tyler's a tad unsure of his ability to use Superpowers.
He then realizes he's a Super-ninja, and breaks bad for the camera. :-)
Sure love my Supermen!

Remembering Luke

We made a trip to Georgia this weekend to place Luke's headstone. It's been a long time coming, but quite honestly I just couldn't have done it any sooner emotionally. By taking the time I did, I was able to design his stone exactly as I wanted, and get it perfect. It came out BEAUTIFULLY! You can't quite see the detail in this picture unless you click on it to view it full-size, so I'll describe it.

Luke absolutely LOVED trains. He would point out each and every time he heard one. One time in particular we were on our way to church and we had to stop for a train. Luke and Logan were ecstatic!!! They kept pointing at it, laughing, watching intently as it went by. Luke wanted to know where it was going, and we determined it was going to help someone, or deliver packages to someone- and who doesn't love to get a package?!

On a more difficult note, on the last night he was on earth as his little spirit slipped away, I heard a chorus of train whistles. I can describe it no other way- not just one train, but a CHORUS of trains. I knew my baby was safe, and would be until I saw him again in Heaven. As hard as giving him up was, the train whistles brought a moment of peace. Every time we hear a train, Logan says, "Luke's saying 'I love you!'" and I think he's right. Anyway, a train was a must.

On each car, I put Luke's nicknames. James called him, "Daddy's Buddy." I called him "Lukey," and Logan called him "Doot." (That was his attempt at 'Luke'- and Luke called him "Duh-Duh"- his attempt at Logan. ha ha) Next is his name and the dates, and finally I wanted to share our belief in eternal families, as that's the only reason we've been able to find peace through this whole thing. I wrote, "The next time we hold him, it will be forever."

I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will see Luke again- and not just see him, but hold him, hug him, talk to him, and raise him. I am SO grateful that James and I were sealed for eternity, and that as long as we live worthy of these promised blessings, we WILL have our family together in heaven. I can't tell you how I look to the day when I will get to run toward those pearly gates and pick my sweet little Lukey up again- I imagine him running toward me just as fast as he used to with that big happy smile on his face and a giggle to match. I love him so much, and though placing that stone was hard, I know our separation is just for now. I will see him again. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have because of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I'm so grateful James shares this same knowledge, as this tragedy could have easily pulled us apart. He is such a strength to me, reminding me to keep an eternal perspective, thereby bringing peace and hope back when it slips away.

My hope is that we can raise our children to remember that the struggles and trials we have here are just for now, and our Savior is ready and waiting to take whatever pain or struggle we may have- we just have to give it to Him. And when you keep a larger perspective, it really is ok to smile.

So go hug your babies- and thank God for the blessings he's given you in your life. :-)

I looked out the window and what did I see....

How cool is this?! The boys were out playing, James was mowing the lawn, and I glanced outside to see this in the field behind our house!! What an awesome sight!

Here are the boys being goofy as they watch the balloon land. They're so much fun!

Halloween Fun Run

Isn't this a great idea? All the kiddies showed up to have a "Halloween Fun Run" to work off all the candy they'd eaten the night before! They each got a number, healthy snacks, and water of course! It was so cute to see them running in their costumes- Tyler decided against one, though, and Logan only wore his the first time around. The kids had so much fun breaking the finish line (which the parents lovingly put back up for each and every runner to break.) It was a wonderful morning- I definitely want this tradition to continue!! Thanks Jenn & Ned!

Here's Logan, Round 1.

Tyler ready to cross that finish line "fast."

Tyler celebrates his great run with Daddy.
Logan, Carter, and Tyler Round 2.


Tyler had a ball!

The boys had a great time, and the parents had fun watching! :-) Nice job, Boys!

Happy Halloween!!

This is Red Dino-Ranger Logan and Spidey-Ty making muscles before the Trunk-or-Treat.

The next day was Trick-or-Treating in the neighborhood, so we had friends over for dinner and then the guys took the kiddies around while the ladies kicked it handing out candy. Right before leaving, we were all searching the house for Tyler's Spiderman costume- no CLUE where it had gone! After a quick dash downstairs to the dress-up box, we came out with the Flash costume for Tyler. He LOVED it! The funniest part was when he responded to the question of who he was with, "I'm Batman."
Miss Katie Faith wore the traditional baby Halloween costume in our family- the bee. Luke & Logan made adorable bees 5 years ago, Tyler was a happy little bee 2 years ago, so it was only fitting for Katie to also be a bee. I was not content with this, however, until James said she would only be fit as a "queen bee." So here she is wearing a crown to display her royalty. :-)
I LOVE THIS BABY GIRL!!!

This next pic is from the "Trunk-or-Treat" at church- everyone decorates their trunk and the kiddies go up and down the parking lot Trick-or-Treating at each car. It's so much fun- some people really get into it! The boys had a great time going around, but by the end of the second row of cars they were ready to find Daddy back at our car and chow down on some of their goodies. :-)

I love dressing up- this year I was a cow girl, and James was a cow (a Chick-Fil-A cow to be exact). He was such a good sport- he even wore a huge aluminum foil ring on his nose to give himself the "Bull" look. (It's not pictured- I wish I would have taken one of him with it!)

Pretty in Pink

One of the best things about a baby girl is getting to paint her teeny little toes! :-) Here are Katies cute little feet with pretty pink nails- I think she likes them. It's crazy how small those little toes are, though! This bottle of nail polish is going to last for YEARS! ha ha

Air Logan

Logan has just begun his basketball season, and he is LOVING it! He got "10 shoots" at practice last night.. we're still working on the lingo.
Hands up, defense...and offense....ok, everybody, hands up! :-) Watching these kiddies just learning the rules is so much fun.

Katie's Blessing

Katie loves her Daddy!

Proud Mama with my sweet Baby Girl!

Papa & Nonna were able to visit for the day!

Mimi, Devin, Becky, and Hillary all came as well!!

This is the one picture we got with Tyler actually standing still...unfortunately Katie didn't enjoy waiting for him to cooperate. :-)


Here's my little wild man after a very tiring day.

He rarely falls asleep on anyone, so this was a real treat!

Theme In Blue

Logan had to write a poem back at the beginning of school based on one we read, and this is how it came out:

Theme in Blue

I make you brave and help you do flips.

I am called a Power Ranger suit.

I help you go fast and turn around some.

I am called a Blue Ranger Bike.

I keep you warm and help you sleep.

I am called Batman Pajamas.

I've had it on our fridge because it always makes me smile, and figured you'd all enjoy it as well! :-) Can you tell he's still into superheroes?

Red "Sparrow" Night

Are you dreaming? Nope- this is a homemade copy-cat Red Robin Guacamole Burger and fries (hence, we called it "Red Sparrow"). It is SPECTACULAR! It's James' fave thing to order if he's got the chance to eat out, and I thought it'd be fun to try to surprise him with it at home. It came out perfect! The recipe is below- I believe the order of the stacking is what seals the deal... 1. Make seasoning for meat and fries: Combine 3 T salt, 1 T tomato/basil/garlic soup mix- I used Mrs. Dash seasoning, 2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.
2. Make guacamole: (The last time we had Red Sparrow night, we just used avacado smooshed up by itself instead of guamcamole and we thought it tasted better- plus it was way less work.)
3. Toast bun
4. Season meat with mix you made above, and grill. We used the really lean ground beef, and it was delightful! I kind of think the actual Red Robin uses not-so-lean beef. :-) I'll leave that up to you!
5. The stacking of the sandwich. Burger goes on the bottom bun. Top with guacamole, melted swiss cheese, bacon, (onion- we skipped this), lettuce, tomato (from our garden!), and mayo.

This is now probably our favorite meal. And if you thought the burger at Red Sparrow was good, check out the freckled lemonade!!

I had a little snaffoo with the 'dream like' look I was trying to create with this picture, and didn't notice until it came up now. If I hadn't gone overboard, you'd see beautiful strawberry lemonade with strawberries gently floating in it. This is the highlight to Red Sparrow night, so I recommend making this regardless of the poor quality picture above! :-)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves.

3. Add 1 cup of lemon juice, stir, cool, and pour into a pitcher.

4. Once it's cool, add 1 pint of strawberries, stir, and refridgerate until chilled. (I used frozen strawberries twice, and fresh strawberries once- the frozen strawberries were better, but the fresh ones were healthier- you take your pick!)

5. When ready to serve, add 2 cups of water, stir, and serve. It is TO DIE FOR!!! :-)

To finish off Red Sparrow night, we added steak fries (Kroger brand) and cooked them with the seasoning above. They came out just like Red Robin. The coolest part about the meal? It cost us about $12 all together and fed our entire family. Compare that to a $30-plus ticket at Red Robin, and I think you'll agree that Red Sparrow is the way to go! :-)