July...I've never looked better

For those of you who did not see my facebook post (or the family newsletter...thanks a lot Mom), I thought you'd like to see my "before" shot. Some of Russ family are doing a weight lose contest. I thought everyone should see what I look like before the contest. Wish me luck!!!!

Holy fun batman! Ben and Rochelle and lot's of their clan (we missed you Lars and Hans) came out and played with us. We showed them what a northwest fireworks lawn (or cul-de-sac) show looks like...none of this Utah sparkler stuff for us!!

We convince Ben and Rochelle to let us have the three younger kids for a while before everyone else came. It was CRAZY fun!!! We're Avatar the Last Airbender ADDICTS. So they all dressed up for opening day--including Leif and Sven getting arrows shaved into their heads.

What a bunch of troopers. We all went to Shi Shi beach on the Olympic Penninsula. It was miles of hiking into the beach and then a couple days of living on it. This is after we've already hiked out, so though we look pretty hammered, it was SUCH a great memory and was so great.

Grandma Katie came to play too!!!! We baked, hiked, swam, and waited until 2PM every day for the sun to come out...I'm not going to lie, the weather was tough on me until about mid-July. We had SOOOO much fun with you Katie, thank you for coming!!

Okay, so I think it's cool that we're all exactly one head apart in height (except for Russ, he would ruin it so he took the picture...I love you snoogally-woogally pie). The crazy part is that 4 weeks later Kord was up to my nose and Hadley has grown so much that Layne only comes up to her chest.

GO THOMAS'

The kid was turning 11 and he had never had a gun cake...what kind of Thomas' are we. We rectified that ASAP!

HOLY BUSY SPRINGTIME

Congrats Kord on your Arrow of Light...followed immediately (within minutes) by your baseball game. Quite a night kid.

Case and his best bud...seriously, best bud!

Yep, that's a "5" pizza. Happy Birthday Layne

Purple Polka-dot Poodle Party

Soca star

Crazy fun with Grandpa Merrill

Thanks for coming to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie and cousins

Hadley was talking on a pretend cell phone when she turned to me, “Mom, do girls ask boys out on dates”. “No, Hadley, you wait for the boy to ask you”. So then I hear her on the pretend phone again, “So would you like a date?” “Hadley, remember we don’t ask the boy, we want them to have to come to us.” “I know Mom, I was just asking him if he wants to come to my house and eat a date…like what Jesus ate.”

Hadley's school party...They made school supply kits for kids in Haiti...and a HUGE pencil cake for Hadley.

Cousin fun gets a little tiring.

Kord borrowed a decibel meter for his science fair project. Which, of course, means that we had WAY too much fun with it. First, they stuck it in my face while I was talking on the phone(rude!)...and then they put it to Case. For the record, I hit 84 decimals chit-chatin' it up on the phone.

It's the HADLEY SHOW

WOW. It really has been the Hadley Show this last little bit.

Now I just need it to be "Hadley Lane" or Layne.

WHAT TIME IS IT...GIRL TIME!

We got to go the Cats the Musical...just the girls. Hadley and Layne were on the edge of their seats the whole time. We were on the first row, first balcony so they had a great view (thanks again Dad). I NEVER thought that I could get sick of the music, but turns out that after listening the soundtrack about a MILLION times, it gets a little old. Every time I start to lose it though, I realize how excited I am that they love it as much as I do. Girls rock!

You see, in Ms. Dallasta's class you can earn Cat Cash throughout the year. Most kids spend it in small increments...10 here for erasers/30 there for stickers. But not my Hadley, she had her eye on the prize. So she's been saving all year and got to be Teacher for the Day. Check out that teacher. There was no messing with her. By the end of the day she had her notebook all filled up with the naughty things that kids had done (I kid you not). In fact, it started at home with, "Case poosht the techer Msr Thomas" and ended at school with, "Dmechry cold me a Grandma and Alin colled me Osy Osborn". I can't make this stuff up.

All the kids go on Daddy Daughter Dates and Boys Night Outs with Dad. No one ever wants to do it with Mom. Well, my Hadley finally decided that I was good enough for her so we went out on our first ever Girls Night. It was super fun to spend a whole night with this chica.

My sweet, sweet Hadley decided to get baptized. It was beautiful. And since it was the Thomas', also eventful. Russ got her all organized and was about to start the ordinance when they stopped him so he could switch to the other side and raise his RIGHT hand not his left. Cracks me up. Grandma Jones made the dress (gorgeous) and Hadley was ALL glows the entire day. She decided that she wanted to play the piano and have her cousins, siblings and friends sing. So that's just what she did. I love this sweet, beautiful little person. Congratulations Hadley.

Spring Break

My mom was here over spring break so she got to go with Layne on her field trip to a puppet show. She's never gotten to take any of my kids on a field trip so it was super fun for them.

Case is pretty much addicted to Grandpa Jones. They just hung out the ENTIRE time Grandpa was here.

It was snowing up on Prune Hill an hour before the Easter hunt started. We're used to rain, we're not so used to cold. Another great Easter hunt memory. Kord was too old this year (crazy that my baby's too old) so he helped Case. It was pretty adorable.

LAYNE GOT THE GOLDEN EGG!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HADLEY!!!!! She got her ears pierced for her birthday.

AHHHH. Easter

Okay, so we headed off to Tillamook over Spring Break. We went to the cheese factory and (of course) had to end our trip with Tillamook ice cream. But not so "of course" is that we decided to get the "Tillamook 38 flavor tour". They call out each of the 38 flavors as they put them in the huge bowl and then sing us some crazy song about the ice cream. I could totally tell how excited everyone behind us in the huge line were. They were THRILLED to wait around while we got it. Of course, with 42 kids like we have, really it was practically the economical chose to get the crazy big one.

I love the Oregon Coast! We explorers this great area, checked out the lighthouse...

...and the octopus tree.

Momma's birthday and such

Kord (right) and his best buds

NIIICE

I went out of town for a couple days and, of course, there were some hilarious things that went down while the momma was gone. Just two:

1.Turns out Russ pulled up in front of the preschool and just let Layne out as if she’s in high school and sent her in. Obviously in preschool you have to walk the child in, sign them in, and get there stuff put away. When she walked in by herself the teacher said, “Did you drive yourself here?”

2.Russ couldn’t find diapers (which were of course in the closet) so he went to safeway and bought some. I asked him what size he got. “6”. I thought that was pretty good since Case wears 5’s. I asked him how he knew what size to get. Russ said, “one bag had a picture of a little baby just lying their doing nothing, the next had a little fat kid who could sit, one had a kid who could walk, but one had a little kid running –and I thought, ‘oh crap, my kid can run’, so I got that one”.

When I got home though, the the house was clean-ish, Russ made my favorite homemade empanadas, Kord made this yummy birthday cake(note the 30 plus 3 candles), the girls made an AWESOME music video for me, and tons of great homemade gifts. I LOVE this crazy family.

My little man and his best bud

While the girls were away (at Cats the Musical) the boys will play

AHHHH the Children's Museum. Layne, Case and I have made quite the weekly tradition (thanks Grandma for the pass)