Family Pictures~

Finally I am posting these!!  This fall I got very nervous and really insistant that for the first time we get some professional pictures taken of our family.  I never really am sure what is going to happen in this family!  I got in touch with a good friend from my Macaroni Grill server days who is an amazing photographer.

(plug - Kate Benson Photography)

The only sad thing is that from the day I talked to her to less then a week later the leaves went from gorgeous and vibrant to sticks!  I still love them though.  I have had the hardest time deciding what to do with them all, but now I know which one I want to enlarge and put out.  It's just a matter of financing the project!

I love her work and I mostly love that she was able to get so many great pictures of Mason.

The day we went was FREEZING!  I feel like I tortured my poor kiddos.

My mom came along to help take care of the kids and help get their attention.  Thanks a million mom!

Since we've never had pictures taken before, other than my mom or dad coming by to take one out in the front yard, I was clueless with choosing outfits and deciding things like that.

Our kids were all great sports and Kate was adorable with them.

I hope I can go back to her every year.  I feel totally spoiled!

This is my kid that I have the hardes time getting a picture of him looking at a camera!  We bribed him...

Here is my top reason for wanting these pictures.  This sweet boy can't seem to catch a break.  His Dr.'s have been worried about his prognosis for this winter and flu season.  I absolutely had to have some great pictures of what he's really like.  Kate gave that to me.  Thank you again.

And this one just is changing too fast!

My 3 angels.

Happy 7th Birthday Ethan!!

I hoped it wouldn't come this fast, but my oldest son is now 7!  Ethan was pretty excited about his birthday until the night before when he realized that he in fact would no longer be 6.  He didn't like that much at all.  We had to get used to the idea, but I think he's OK with it now.  He started off his birthday having a special day skiing with his dad.  He hoped to have a whole party join him like he did last year but it didn't work out.  On his actual birthday he had some family over to celebrate with cake and ice cream.

He helped me decorate the cake.

The next day he had his friend 'Clone Wars' party.  It was a huge success.  (Thanks to my husband who came home from work to help and save me!)

The gifts...

Ethan desperately wanted a Lightsaber cake.  I had some good ideas but no time or skills to pull it off.  This is what we came up with.  The boys all thought it was awesome!  I liked it because it was super easy.

He got every wish!

I LOVE YOU ETHAN!  I hope that year 7 is the best yet...

Wishful

Spen and Ethan have their ski passes again this year.  That means Saturdays without them.  Ezra isn't a fan.  He really just wants to be one of the big boys and do all of the big boy stuff.  On this day he had to wear Ethan's old goggles around all day to feel a part of the skiing thing.

I'm not kidding.. He wore them all day.  If they came off this is what I would find... 

Ezra trying desperately to get them back on!

Things I Want to Remember for 2009

January
*Mason's miraculous recovery
*Ethan's skiing trips
*Sledding in the front yard

February
*Emergency surgeries
*Comas
*Snow
*

March
*Ezra cutting 2 Teeth!!
*Spring and Winter weather!
*Lots of pinching.

April
*Spencer scaring the sense out of Ethan one night! (hiding in the dark, waiting for him to sneak out! Spen has NEVER laughed that hard!)
*Wearing green so to avoid April Fool's pranks!
*Ezra's Adoption Finalization
*Ezra's Sealing
*Spencer loosing his job
*Ezra getting 2 top teeth!
*Dad day at Ethan's school.

May
*Mason turning 5
*Mom day at Ethan's school (Ethan saying his poems over and over... His part was that he was 'purple pansy that makes you want to sing'!)
*Planting our garden
*Ezra saying, "go away"
*Ezra crawling
*Road Trip to Las Vegas!
*Too much painting!
*Mason wearing a yoda hat all day.
*Saying goodbye to our Cassie
*Memorial day in Las Vegas -- long overdue.
*Ezra crawling all over in Las Vegas!!

June
*Swimming lessons
*Mason following Ezra around like his shadow
*The 'non-sleepover!'

July
*Lizett, Cindy and Grandpa coming for the 4th of July
*Fun family trip to Park City for the week!
*Presidential suite
*Ezra's constant eating everything on the floor
*Fireworks
*Hartshorn visitors for Evan's baptism
*Eating from our huge garden

August
*Stewarts visiting from Illinois
*Shaw visiting from Washington
*Tent sleeping in bedrooms and the basement
*Lake Powell. Always too short! Perfect weather.
*First day of 1st grade!!! 2 recesses without the teacher watching! Art club, Orchestra!
*First day of Kindergarten! He can't be this old?!
*Loosing my Honda Odyssey (sad) and having to buy a grand caravan to replace it... (sad) while Spen was gone for 2 weeks!

September
*Ethan starting to eat 'hot lunch'  very exciting!
*Mountain biking with Ethan
*Soo much Uno!!
*Ezra standing, but not on purpose!
*Emergency Root Canal
*Ethan's mouth sugery predicament

October
* Las Vegas trip for conference...
* Las Vegas trip for hole diggin.  Fun times in hospital with swine flu.
* Ethan gets swine flu
* Turning 31 - lame
* Spen turning 33 - funny!
* Halloween, Anikin Ethan, Yoda and Pumpkin Ez, Pirate Mason, Ladybug mom, and swingin' dad
* Ethan's Halloween program at school

November
* Spen gets a job!!!
* Ezra climbing everything!
* Hosting my first Thanksgiving ever.
* Ezra officially deciding to walk on the 20th
* Ethan's violin / orchestra concert.
* Missing Black Friday shopping with my sister...

December
* Ezra watching snow for the 1st time.
* Ezra's 1st haircut on the 7th.
* Helping at Ethan's school.
* Ethan playing Superman on the piano.
* Building Mt. Everest
* Getting a job.
* Finding all of Ethan's lost items at school
* Christmas lights at temple square with all the fog
* Checking Ethan out of school "for no reason!!"
* Skiing
* Generous friends and family
* Secret Santa
* 12 days of Christmas prizes
* Christmas break with kids.
* Tax school over!

Best Brothers

Ez and Mase love each other so much I can't stand it.  They look for each other to play.  Ez is much more interested if I sit Mason upright though.  When I do he walks right over and plops down on him.  Usually there are kisses involved and lots of hugging and nuzzling.

Mason has always been so careful to be soft with Ezra which is interesting because with Ethan he just wants to wrestle!  I love when they play.

This Happens WAY too often~

I honestly walk into a mess like this at least once a day...

You may be asking yourself why I haven't taken precautions against such messes?..  Well, that is a fine question.  This kid is a smarty.  He knows exactly what he wants and looks for an opening.  If a door is left open by anyone for a few seconds -- he makes his move.

This is actually the day I personally installed 5 locks on various drawers in the kitchen.  He stayed one step ahead of me...  Thanks to the people at Safety First I don't have to clean up plastic bags anymore!  The worst is that Ez ropes Mason into his crimes.  Mase is fine playing doors until Ezra comes in and makes a discovery.  He takes things to Mason to throw and rip.  They are a dangerous pair these two!

Violin Recital (Orchestra Concert) 2009

At Ethan's school they have some after school activities that you can choose to participate in for a very low cost.  One of these activities is Orchestra.  The first graders all play the violin.  Ethan has LOVED it.

He'll come home and practice occasionally and he really enjoys it.  He would love for me to put him in lessons.  He's pretty good for a kid who just started!

They held a concert for Christmas this year and it was fantastic.  These kids really are amazing.

He's been on a little break for Christmas and he is so excited for Orchestra to start back up! 

I'm just a proud parent...