Merrick and Gavin

These two are so cute together! They love to play with each other, and get sad when it's time to go home.
Merrick turned 2 in June and Gavin turned 3 in Aug. They are almost the same size. Gav is a little taller, but Merrick is the same size if not bigger than Gavin in every other way. It will be interesting to see them grow-up together.

Halloween cookies

These are the cookies we made. I know they are Christmas ones, but I couldn't find the Halloween cookie cutters. The boys didn't even notice...luckily.

Ashlyn pulled everything out of that box behind her. You would think I would remember what it's like to have a 10 month old, but I have forgotten somehow.?.

Dylan is at a perfect age for doing a project like this. He cut out most of the cookies all by him self.

Gavin ended up eating almost all of his dough. He really loved making things, like snakes, with his dough. He didn't really care too much about cutting things out of the dough as much as he enjoyed playing with it.

Happy Birthday Dylan!

Last Sunday we celebrated Dylan's 6Th birthday...where has the time gone?

When you were born we were so excited to have such a perfect little 6 lb. 15 oz. baby boy. Looking back on the times it was just you, Dad and I...are such precious memories for me. We had so much fun. Life was so wonderful and carefree.

You have always had more of a serious personality. Very observant, and smart.

You have always loved the outdoors. You practically live outside. Most of your days, even now, are spent taking walks, riding bikes, exploring the neighborhood, playing in the dirt, etc.

You are a very good boy. You know what's right, and most of the time you try and do what is right. You even make sure EVERYONE else is too.

You are a leader. I can especially see that now that you are in Kindergarten. The other kids look up to you and enjoy being your friend.

You are soooo brave. So much more than I was at your age. No matter how uncomfortable you are in a situation, like giving a talk in church, or going to school for the first time, you do it anyways. I'm always so proud of that.

I know that you are a very special person that Heavenly Father has sent to us. We are so blessed to have you as a son and a leader and an example for your brother and sister to look up to.

We love you Dylan!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!

Utah Fun!

The dinosaur Museum was a lot of fun. There was so much for the kids to do. Not a dull moment.

Popcorn...Yum!

This 4x4 was a lot of fun for the kids to ride. They could have ridden it all day long if we let them.

The kids loved the swimming pool. It had a slide all the kids really loved going down.

We got to ride on a wagon being pulled by horses. It was pretty bumpy, but fun.

Gav was so happy to ride the horse. He wanted another ride, but we only had one ticket. Maybe next time.

Gavin was talking to the horse before he rode it. He was telling the horse "hello". After the ride, he told him "thanks for the ride".

Gavin and Molly dancing at Aubrey's brother Eric's wedding. They are so cute!!

These are just a few pictures from our trip to Utah. It was amazing to me how many pictures were taken in just a few days time. We had a lot of fun, and we have a LOT of pictures to show for it. We (Gavin, Ashlyn and I) went to visit my niece Jullian and my friend Aubrey. We all have kids around the same age, so we hung out together and let the kids play. We went to the Dino museum, a water park, a petting zoo, went shopping at some really great home decor stores and spent a lot of time outside in the beautiful Utah sun. We really had a great time, thanks to Jullian. She is an awesome host. It couldn't have been a better vacation. So thanks girls for a great time. And yes...we'll meet again, 2010 in Ohio!!

Air plane ride to Utah

This was Ashlyn's first airplane ride. She did really well. Gavin was very excited to ride on a "big" airplane. He's been on airplanes several times, but he is always just as excited as the first time.

These kids are amazing! I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to have the chance to be a mother. I love all the fun, laughter, and learning it brings to my life.

I love that Dylan likes to choose the right, and wants to be a good person. I love that Gavin tries to make people smile, and be happy. I love Ashlyn's sweet spirit, and the joy she brings to our family. Every day I feel blessed because I have such a wonderful husband and three beautiful children, and they make me the happiest person in this world.

Imagination Base Ball Game

We went to the park the other day, and the kids were getting tired of playing on the toys. So Kylee, always thinking of great things to do with the kids, started a fun game of imagination base ball. The kids were totally into it! They all took a few turns pretend batting, then running the bases as the outfielders would catch the pretend ball and try to get the runner out. Even some kids from the park that we didn't even know started playing, it looked so fun.