The after Thanksgiving sillies.

Olivia, Autumn and Ella acting goofy after a long day of playing.

Troy's parents stopped by our house on the way home to Missouri. They brought along his sister kids with them. Our kids were excited to see and play with their cousins. The girls had just all bathed for the night and came out to the family room looking like this.

Andy stopped by just as we were sitting down for dinner. Coincidence? I think not.
I thought it funny that Logan and Andy were having a conversation while both doing things on their stupid little phones.

Olivia was thrilled to have some one read to her. She loved her books and nursery rhymes.

In her preschool they practice all the nursery rhymes all the time and she was happy that she could recite them to Grandma a thousand times.

Soren and Blake had a blast today outside rock hunting.

Guess what?

We have A LOT of rocks in New Mexico.

It wasn't a very long visit but it gave the kids a opportunity to play with one another and see their grandparents.

The Dog days of winter?

I know it's actually the dog days of summer. Our dogs are not liking the cold at all.

We usually leave them outside most of the time, except for Fred who wants to sleep 24/7.

Molly(top) is the most rambunctious dog we have and she loves to be out playing.

Lately all she wants to do is lay on the couch and sleep.

This is how I found Fred the other morning when I woke up. Logan had him all tucked into his bed because he said Fred was shaking he was so cold. The big baby! Fred is our laziest dog. He won't budge from the couch unless you pull him off it yourself. Then he just plops on the floor.

Izzie is our most human of the dogs. She will sit on the couch like a real person would. We find her sleeping on her back all the time.

I know the kids, Troy and I have totally spoiled our dogs.

They are worth it.

Miss Muffet Turns 5!

Our baby turned 5. How did that happen? She is growing up so fast yet still my little baby.

We had a little birthday get together with some of her friends.

Carly is telling us about Sampson, who she is holding. We had each of the girls bring their favorite doll and tell us about them. Some of them were pretty funny. One little girl told us her doll was named Carlos.

Katie, beautiful Katie. Your the only K-k-Katie I adore.

She was telling us about Sparkle, her doll.

Getting ready to sing her Happy Birthday.

She opened her presents in 2.4 seconds flat. Now that was crazy!

One of her favorite songs is "Stuck Like Glue" By Sugar Land. We let the girls dance to it.

Lo and Soren were having a good time.

I know this has nothing to do with the party. I want this little boy. He is so fun to watch. I love how he is so inquisitive and wants to look and investigate everything. He gives his mother stress, that I am sure of. He so could of been one of mine.

We had all the kids sitting down ready to tell us about their dolls and Soren wanted to sing Olivia a song for her birthday. He made it up all by himself. I am sure everyone of us were laughing hystericaly and crying inside as we watched how sincere he was about the whole thing.

I am so thankful that my children love each other.

Just another child I could take as my own. My little Lo with her Mommy Marissa.

We had a good time with all her little friends and I am so glad that I don't have to do that for a while!

A good laugh now that we are done.

We tried again to take some family pictures. Slapped some clothes on the kids, fixed their hair, herded the dogs and the kids and this is what we came up with.

By the time we got home I was laughing.

What a joke that was.

My precious daughters Ella, Olivia and Anna.

My not so precious sons with their father. Soren and Logan seem to take after Troy by playing practical jokes on me.

I hate snakes.

I hate spiders.

I hate frogs.

I tell my children not to use the word hate because it's not a nice word.

I could use it because I really HATE snakes, spiders and frogs.

OH MY!

Logan is very concerned about his looks these days.

Can you tell?

I put this one in to give everyone a conniption fit from laughing so hard.

Go ahead....I'll give you a few moments.

My baby who is not a baby any more. Olivia.

She spells her name out loud to me a thousand times a day.

Now she knows it backwards too.

Soren. Our little cowboy. He is getting his two front teeth for Christmas this year.

Ella, our middle child. She likes to remind me of that daily.

Aren't her eyes just incredible?

Anna is our oldest daughter and very well could be the Mob Boss too.

And then there is this picture of Logan. I know exactly what he is thinking.

" I am so dang good looking, come on girls."

We let the dogs swim. Pictures of that will be coming shortly. Driving home with wet dogs in the back of the suburban, not good.

Then one of them threw up.

I wanted to walk home.

Soren is being a stinker.









I think that this is the picture that I want for our Christmas card this year.

I portrays how our family really is.

Note to self:

Next time have someone take the pictures for you and not use the timer.

I am so lucky to have such a great family.

Crazy though we are.

I am always busy, stressed out and tiered.

Yes, I am very lucky.