Some Pictures Before Christmas

Here are some pictures that have been sitting in my camera and I wanted to post them before I took Christmas pictures tomorrow.

Just a really cute picture of all 4 kids in the bath.
My friend Jennette and I drove down to San Diego to see our friends Desirae and Mandy both of whom we went to college with. It was really fun and it was so fun to see Mandy who we had not seen for a while and to see where Desirae lived. We hauled our kids down and they all had a blast!
Our Halloween costumes. Riley was the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. My mom helped me make the babies costumes and the older boys wore costumes that my mom had made for my brothers some 20 years ago.
Jensen the jester and Tyler the clown.
Callie was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She decided not to be very photogenic here.
My mom and Riley in front of the Mickey planter at Disneyland.
My mom and Callie in front of the Mickey planter at Disneyland.
Tyler's 3rd birthday present. A Black and Decker tool table. It is a big hit at our house with all of the kids. They will stand and drill forever.
Tyler chose a birthday cake that was actually called a sea monster in the book but he called it a caterpillar so we went with that. It actually turned out okay.

A random picture of Tyler and Callie. Tyler is so good with both of the babies and they just love him.

Mai piu si mangia spaghetti per cena

We thought it would be fitting to have the title of the post in Italian seeing as we had quite a messy dinner of spaghetti tonight. The title translated to english reads: Never again will we eat spaghetti for dinner. Here are some pictures to give you a visual of what dinner time is like with 4 children under 5yrs old.

Even before dinner has started cooking, we had a starving orphan fall on our kitchen floor in protest of not being fed. (notice the kitchen floor, clean....for an hour)

Yes, that is 5, count them, 5 pieces of spaghetti clinging to his face in an attempt to evade the mouth that could possibly consume them.

"You see, they are stuck right here"

Self explained

The 5 hitch hikers didn't make it. Although there seems to be a lone ranger trying to hide in the fold of his elbow.

And here's where the shenanigans start.....

Hit the plate, shovel as much spaghetti in as fast as you can, and pick your plate clean (never mind the floor, table, chair, face, arms, or booster seat though)

"Daggum, lost a few on the floor.....and here's some milk to go with it.

Still shoveling, still picking plate clean

Riley had finished what was on his plate and it looks like he is trying to steal Jensen's plate while Jensen is busy "painting" his face with the sauce he has managed to get everywhere. (even the bottoms of his feet)

As if it doesn't get worse. Once 1 starts hitting HER plate, the others join in

I don't think we have ever had a more peaceful evening of dinner than tonight. Can't you see the relaxation on Tiffs face as the children are being so well mannered?

This is just a glimpse of the floor during dinner

Ok, don't be fooled. We aren't that good to have the mess cleaned up right after dinner. This is another day. Tiff found these mini Popsicles that are just right for little people.

Riley eating a yellow popsi........what in the world? Why is Jensen stealing the picture?

We have found that the twins love love love fruit salad. We have found that Cree hates hates hates having the twins eat fruit salad. (not really. how can you get mad at faces like these?)

See?

Hollywood Bowl, Beach and Birthdays

We have been having fun this summer and there are a lot of pictures to show for it. I have been trying to be better about taking pictures for the things we do, but I realize that keeping track of four kids at these events usually comes first and the picture taking falls by the wayside. But I have managed to get most of the things we do on camera.

My mom and dad and I got to go to the Hollywood Bowl in July to the "Warner Brother's Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" show. It was a great night and so fun to see some of the Warner Brother's cartoons on the big screens and hear the Philharmonic Orchestra play the music along with the cartoons.

I took the kids to the beach a couple of Saturday's ago to meet my mom and dad there for the Young Men/Young Women's Stake beach party. My kids had a blast and the stake kids were so great to play with them and love them. Jensen building a sandcastle (the beginning stages).
Tyler playing soccer on the sand and making one of his usual camera faces.(It really wasn't that sunny yet.)
The babies usual place, the beloved (or dreaded) pack and play. (To me the beloved, to the babies the dreaded). They did love the beach and they did not have to stay in the pack and play for too long, there were plenty of people to take them out and carry them around.
We had cake and ice cream at my mom's house for my dad's birthday and for the twins 1st birthday. They got some fun things and loved their cupcakes. How can a year have gone by already?!

The best picture we could get of the twins together and holding still for a second.
Looking at the candles and wondering what to do. They had help blowing them out but did not need help eating the cupcake part.

On the Thursday of the twins birthday my whole family went to Golf 'n Stuff to go miniature golfing. My boys had never been before and they loved it. They have been asking everyday since when we are going miniature golfing again.
My dad is never in any of my posts as my aunt pointed out the other day so I am trying to get him in here. It was his birthday after all just 2 days before the twins!
My youngest brother Cory and his wife Christina and their 10 week old baby Kailyn (in the Snugli).




The closest Callie and Riley got to golfing for this trip. Maybe next time they can walk around on the course!

So here we are now just a couple of weeks from Jensen's first day of preschool (do I really have to send him? I am just dying thinking about it!) the twins are walking all over, Riley is climbing everything he can, Tyler has become quite the chatterbox and life just continues to get more and more fun!