Josh's is 6!

Where in the world has the time gone. I can't believe this little guy is 6! It's crazy! We left California and the Marine Corps when this guy was just a few months old and now he's finishing his kindergarten year. He has some major spunk. He looks quiet and timid but he is rather loud and sometimes obnoxious. We should have realized this when at 2 months old he cried the ENTIRE time we traveled from California to Utah. And again the ENTIRE trip from Syracuse to Bear Lake. This kid did not like the car seat, the stroller, anything that strapped him down and limited his movement. He's always been a mover. He began rolling over at 2-3 weeks old. I know this sounds crazy but it's true, I have video to back it up. I know he started crawling around 4 months and walking when he was 8-9months old. This kid has been determined to move around. He might be little but he's got determination on his side.

 I love seeing the growth Josh has made this year in school. He started school a little bit behind, not knowing all his alphabet or his numbers. But he has caught up and knows his alphabet, can count to over 100+, is now reading words, constantly trying to sound out words and spell them. I had the kids write down words they knew while listening to conference. I late found Josh's paper and was so impressed with the words he was trying to write. They weren't all spelled write but you could tell what he was trying to spell. His acedmics have come tenfold. I chatted with his teacher today and she had nothing but praises for him. She wanted to let me know that she has really enjoyed seeing his mind just open up and the growth she's seen in him has been amazing. I, too, have been amazed at his advancements this year. And honestely, I give her alot of credit, she's a great teacher. I have come to realize with him that he doesn't like to let on to how much he does know or how smart he is. He kind of plays us and lets us think he's not as smart as he is. He is smart boy.

 He is such a cute litle boy. I love his true dimply smile-it melts my heart everytime. He is a spittin image of his father. Heaven help us, cause he really has his personality and temperment too.

 I hope he had a great birthday. We had to split it into a 2 day party. Because we had swim lessons on the day of his birthday and we didn't feel like we'd be able to do everything that day. So, on Monday we checked the kids out of school early and went fishing. I think he really enjoyed himself. Then we came home and let him open up his presents. After dinner, we got in the hot tub. Then it was time for cake and ice cream. So, all these pictures we actually taken on the day before his actual birthday. 

The day of his birthday, I took him a Happy Meal and ate lunch with him. I bought him some licorice ropes for his school bday treat. Later that night we had his birthday dinner. He had requested chicken legs and mac n cheese which really translated to KFC. And he loved it! And then we headed off to swim lessons and of course I couldn't deny him some dessert on his bday so we had some ice cream. This kid is a great kid. We wouldn't be the same without him. We love him so much especially his little Audrey. That girl adores her Joshy. She follows him everywhere, hangs on him, clings to him in the hot tub-never letting go of him, pulls him by the hand and takes him everywhere she wants him to be. He is quite the lady's man. He really does treat her really well and is very patient with her. I think the girls are going to be after our Josh when he's older. Anyways, for now he's our little Josh! And this is our Joshy on his birthday! 

My big 6 year old Josh fishing his heart away.

Josh with his fake smile and Lego cake.

This is my attempt at a Lego cake. It turned out ok. It was such a paint to frost and work with. Definitely recommend using fondant.

Josh was super thrilled with his new camera.

He was super-duper excited about his gumball machine. This is seriously all he wanted

This expression says it all. He had drooled over this beyblade for months.

Again he was happy to receive darts for his nerf gun.

A very pleased boy with his very own lantern

Josh's Fight

My little Joshy got in a fight on the bus the other day. Poor kid has the meanest black eye! Sadly it took us until we sat down to dinner for Danny to point it out. (In my defense they were sent directly to their rooms to clean their bedroom so I never noticed it.) The story is: he got some silly bands for his birthday from primary. Apperantly some of them were glow in the dark ones. So, Nate told him to put them under the seat of the bus were it's dark and look at it. Josh followed his brothers advice. Well, when he was coming back up to his seat he must have hit his eye on a metal part of the seat and the end result was this nice shiner. So, it was just a fight with the bus seat and not an actual fight with another kid. But it sounds like a better story. It's been a few days now and his eye is now going to that ugly green color. It really looks so much worse in person. I can only imagine how that must have hurt like the dickens. I would have been crying or swearing when it happened. As I look at these pictures, I realize I need to make my kids an appointment to get their hair done.

This is the next morning. There is still alot of puffiness left.

If it was eye shadow, it would be a great shade of purple.

Nate's 1st Pinewood Derby

March 24th our pack did it's annual pinewood derby. This was Nate's first official race as a cubscout. As a bonus, Josh and Colton were also able to race a car. At the end of the pack's brackets were all finished they opened it up to anyone else to race. Danny had made one for them to participate in. Nate chose a snake for his car and J & C's was a patriotic truck.

Nate's snake car that he painted all himself. Daddy may have help cut it.

This was made for the whole family but we let Josh and Colton take claim of it.

Our 2 cars side by side

Nate getting ready for his first race.

I think this is part of any open race with everyone. And he'd been slaughtering everyone. But this time he put his car up against another brother's car and started talking smack. And because of the smack talk he lost! Silly boy!

Coming down the track, Nate's in the lead.

Waiting for it to finish

And we have a clear winner.

Unfortunately, we think something happened to their car. It ended up with a 50/50 winning streak.

Looks like they are winning this one

A picture of my pretty girl

She kept laying all over Joshy. He'd kept moving away and she'd follow.

And the winner is: Nate. Danny handed out all the awards.

He really is a happy camper!

Danny is helping the boys hold their award. Everyone or rather every kid recieved some type of award.

They boys were more thrilled that it was over and that they got their truck back than about getting an award. 

Birthday Girl

I thought I'd post a few pictures from her birthday celebrations.

Opening up her doll house with her crasy morning hair.

Unwrapping her pillow

Getting cozy with her new pillow and quilo from Grandma and Grandpa

If this wasn't so blurry I'd consider enlarging this one of her. I love her hand on her mouth expression

This one is clear so it's the winner for my favorite. She looks so cute in her new birthday dress.

She's examining her Dora cake.

This is what it looked like after I finished. I tried giving the dress a gathered-ruffled look.

This is what it looks like after fingers have been in the frosting. I love this shot of her little hand grabbing the candle.

Happy 2nd Birthday Audrey

Happy Happy Birthday to our sweet Audrey! She's now 2 years old! We have loved having this sweet crazy girl in our family. She is a wild one for sure but we love her! We have managed to collect quite a few pictures of this girl over the last 2 years and I couldn't decide what to put on here so I put a lot. I tried to kind of keep it chronological but it may not be exact. Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Wearing one of Mommy's dresses from when she was little.

I liked this one of her fat little cheeks-I miss her little fat cheeks

I loved this one because of her fat little thighs

Look at those pouty lips and great big blue eyes

She was just learning to sit up and loving it.

I love her smile and that you can just see those 2 little teeth

Yes she got into the markers and put them straight to her mouth. She is banned from markers and crayons even still because instead of the mouth it's our walls.

She crawled into our cupboard to grab that cookie cutter and was super proud of herself.

Mesmerized by the antlers that her daddy put in front of her.

I love this cute little snow bear.

She was as happy as can be because of the corn on the cob-she loves it.

I love the back profile of her in this dress and this is the first time I was able to put her hair in pig tails.

This is just one of the many messes she has created in 2 years

She found one of the only mud puddles in the dirt and sat herself right down in it.

Again she's getting dirty but completely content playing in the sand

I love the side profile of her playing in the water

Bath time and a funny face

And another weird smile of hers

  

Her scrunched up smiley  face

Her I'm cranky, leave me along face.

Look at me-I'm being super silly face. She insisted on putting 2 swimsuits on.

Us on Sunday afternoons

This is us on a Sunday afternoon. The kids are sitting around the table eating caramel popcorn and watching a movie. We rarely miss America's Funniest Video's-it's on every Sunday at 6. That's one of our Sunday activities since we don't live near family.

And this is where I put a plug in for visitors. Obviously we are coming to Utah in July but I think there is ALOT of confusion out there that the road is a one way street. But luckily it's not! It goes both ways! I know it's a long drive, hello I do have 4 kids that I've traveled with and 2 of them from newborn- one was only 6 weeks old. It can be done. And you can count the travel days as part of your vacay and a bonus for us is that we've had some of our best conversations in the car. You can use that time to discuss so many small and important things. Just come and visit us! There is so much to do and see out here!  

This was a few Sunday's back. Danny tied some thread to Audrey's little fairy doll had it flying in the air. Audrey and Colton thought it was hilarious. She spent a good 10 minutes trying to get it and this is at the end of her efforts. She's a funny girl. But listen and watch Colton in the background cause his laugh his pretty funny too.