Flag Football....

FINALLY!! Eli has something to call his own....he was finally old enough this year to get involved in something....and flag football it is! He is taking a 6 week clinic in flag football skills/drills...they don't actually play any games at his age....but he could not be more PROUD....to be playing "football"....(I think his Dad is pretty proud too....cause it doesn't involve girls, barbies or poly-pockets!!)

The Balloons.....

2 weekends ago....we awoke to about 7 hot air balloons landing about 3 blocks from our house.....so the kids and I jumped in the car quick and tried to get a closer look!! There is something pretty amazing about watching a hot air balloon come down and land!

Cartwheel.....

Ana has been trying master the "art" of a cartwheel.....Adi has caught on to watching Ana's cartwheels and has now begun attempting her own cartwheels.....Let's just say....she has a LONG way to go!!

Too BIG...Too Fast!

Someone sure doesn't seem like a "baby" anymore!!

Happy Birthday Suzie...

Happy Birthday Suzie!!

We love you and thank God for the wife and mother you are!

- Eric, Ana, Eli, Ema & Adi

The Birthday "Parties"....

Ema had her own little party on Friday with a friend over (who I failed to get a picture of...sorry Elle!).....but it was without the intrusion of her older siblings...so she felt pretty special....




Instead of a cake...I had a cookie decorated for her...of course she choose the cookie with the most amount of frosting....



On Sunday we celebrated again...just our family.....and she opened her gifts from us and Grandma and Papa.....


She could not have been more happy with her very own backpack...that she will actually get to use when we go to California next month!



And the grand finale of them all....THE BARBIE MOTOR HOME!!


Even Eric couldn't help himself and had to play a little.... :) (Okay maybe he was just still assembling it in this picture!)


And finally the "cake"....my very sad excuse for a cake....but she didn't seem to mind!!
Happy Birthday Ema lou lou!!

Emalee is THREE!!

Sweet Emalee is THREE today!!

1 day old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Ema brings such laughter to our home....always has something funny to add....and she knows she is funny! She also brings much "screaming" to our home....were working on that! Ema loves to play with Barbies and dolls and doing her best to keep up with Ana and Eli. She can't wait to go to school next year and she just started ballet this fall. We love you Ema and are so proud of the little girl you are becoming!! (minus the screaming!!)

Labor Day Weekend...project.....

Our entry way from the garage is quite small....the width of a standard "hallway" so all six of us coming into the house from the garage gets a little crowded....when everyone is trying to also take off coats and shoes....so this weekend we tried to remedy that problem just a little bit.
The laundry room which sits just to the left of this entry way got a total renovation.
We stacked the washer and dryer, painted the room and then added tons of shelving, storage and a bench.
My hope is that the kids will come inside and filter into the laundry room to remove shoes and maybe make the whole area just a little less crowded.