Owen's Graduation

Owen was less than excited to participate in the Kindergarten Graduation Program...can't you tell?  His part was about being a doctor when he grows up.  We practiced for weeks leading up to this big day but he was still pretty nervous.  Owen hates attention or people looking at him, so I was also pretty nervous as to how this was going to play out.  But he did a great job!  He got right up there to the mic & recited his part.  We were so proud of him :)  He only half halfheartedly participated in the rest of the songs & such, but that's okay!  He has come a long way this year.  It started out kinda rough but he slowly warmed up to his classmates.  His teacher, Mrs. Fonnesbeck, was great & really helped him make this transition.  Way to go OJO!  We love you buddy!

First Tooth!

Owen had mentioned to us a few times that his tooth felt loose, but we didn't realize HOW loose it was.  Danny barely touched it & out it popped!  Owen didn't even cry or anything-I was so surprised!  He was so brave & super excited for the Tooth Fairy to FINALLY visit him instead of his older sisters!

At our house, we put the lost tooth in a glass of water by the bed.  This way the Tooth Fairy has to dip down in the water to get the tooth & leave the money (4 quarters).  In the morning the water is colored & has fairy dust in it!  So fun!

Shamrock Treasure Hunt FHE

With St. Patrick's Day coming this Saturday I thought we would do a little FHE on treasure.  So tonite for FHE we talked about 'Treasure in Heaven'.  We read and discussed Matthew 6:19-21.  I explained to the kids about different kinds of treasure, the treasure that stays here on earth and what treasure we can take with us to heaven.  They seemed to really grasp what I was getting at...especially when Owen said that Taytam was our treasure in heaven.  It just melts my heart.  How cute is that?!  Sometimes he can be so sweet...other times?  Well, anyway...it was a cute moment with Owen. :)

After the lesson, we did a Shamrock Treasure Hunt.  I had written the clues on paper shamrocks & the kids loved reading the clues then running all over the house to find the next one.  Reese was just happy to tag along.  The final clue took them to the deep, dark coat closet...they were excited to find a green glow coming from the back of the closet.  They each had a little green basket with a green glow stick, St. Patrick's Day shirt, leprechaun antennae & a handful of treats.  They were so excited! 

Saturday is a special day...

After talking to my friend today (thanks Elsha!) I got to thinking it would be a good idea to document the kids chores-it might be pretty interesting to look back in 10 years & see what the kids did for chores & how much they got paid. Saturday is our cleaning day, everyone is usually home so it is the easiest morning for us to get it all done.
So after breakfast the kids do the chores that they are expected to do each week just as part of living here & contributing to our family:
Averee (8.5)- Deep Clean Room, Clean 2 bathrooms (mirrors, sinks, toilets)
Adelyn (6.5)- Deep Clean Room, Wipe down Living Room furniture (couches, coffee table & end table)
Owen (5)- Deep Clean Room, Wipe down all Light Switches & Door Knobs
Next comes the chores they can do to earn money. The amount of these chores they do is up to them, depending on if they want to earn money or not. But sometimes if they have been naughty, or if I just feel like the house really needs it, I make them do all their money chores:
Averee (8.5)
Wipe down 1 wall of Mom's Choice $.75 (can be done multiple times)
Clean Pantry Shelves $.50
Organize Toy Room $1.00
Clean 5 Doors of Mom's Choice (front & back) $1.50 (can be done multiple times)
Clean Inside Fridge $1.00
Wipe Down Dining Room Table & Chairs $.75
Adelyn (6.5)
Wipe down 1 wall of Mom's Choice $.75 (can be done multiple times)
Clean 5 Doors of Mom's Choice (front & back) $1.50 (can be done multiple times)
Clean Front of Fridge, Back Door Window & TV $.75
Clean Entertainment Center $.50
Clean Kid Tub $.50
Clean Mom's Tub $.50
Clean Front of Stove & Dishwasher $.50
Wipe down 1 Door Frame $.50 (can be done multiple times)
Owen (5)
Wipe down 1 wall of Mom's Choice $.75 (can be done multiple times)
Wipe down Hutch & Under Bar $.50
Clean Front of Kitchen Cabinets (lowers only) $.50
Clean Front of Bathroom Cabinets $.50
Clean Front of Mom's Bathroom Cabinets $.50
Clean Baseboards in 1 Room $.25 (can be done multiple times)
Clean up Backyard (put toys away & pick up garbage) $.25
Well, that's about it. Am I a slave driver? Hopefully no one calls CPS after they read this post :0) The kids seems to actually like the opportunity to earn their own money. Plus, it gives us a chance to teach about savings & tithing. They might just thank us later. We can only hope.

Ojo is 5!

Owen is 5 already! I know I always say this but seriously? Where does the time go? Owen has grown up so much lately-is loves to wrestle with Dad, play the wii, or play with his friends. He loves to tell knock-knock jokes that he makes up. We don't always understand them but he sure thinks they are funny! He wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting & with M&M's on top. Delish! Our cousins came over to celebrate with us. Here is Brecken with Reese, she always just licks the frosting off! Each year for the kids birthdays they get to sleep over at Grandma V's house. Grandma & Grandpa take them out to eat & do whatever else they want! Owen wanted to go to McDonalds & then play the wii. Grandpa also helped Owen put his new Lego's together. What a lucky boy!

Owen's Preschool Graduation

Owen's Preschool Graduation was so cute! They sang several cute songs & did a few dances, they even sang the whole Sign Language Alphabet! Owen has grown up so much this year. He struggled at the beginning of the year & didn't want to go, but by the end of the year he was loving it! His cousin Cam Jones was in his class which made it even more fun!

Owen with his teacher Mrs. Ginny Nobis. He got the award for Most Organized...not sure where he gets that from? ;0)

Spring Soccer

Averee, Adelyn, & Owen wanted to try playing soccer this spring. We thought it would be a great idea for the girls to try something besides dance. We also thought it might help Owen get a little tougher. Danny ended up coaching Averee's team which was quite an experience. Dannys didn't love it & says never again, but we'll see. It was fun to see the kids get better each week. The season went by way too fast!

Averee liked to play goalie so she didn't have to run around so much :0)

The hardest part was keeping Reese entertained and off the field during game time!

Owen's friend Tyler Page & his cousin Cam Jones were on his team-FUN!

Adelyn and Owen were in the same league so they got to play each other... luckily there was no fist fights!

Adelyn was a great player-she is the most athletic of our children so far

Owen & Tyler Page passing the time while their sisters play each other

Hoppy Easter to You!

Each year our neighborhood does an Egg Hunt before Easter. The kids love it & we have a great time hanging out with all our neighbors & friends. Easter Morning...The Easter Bunny spoiled us this year! Then we headed to a nearby park for our traditional picnic lunch and to roll eggs down the hill. The kids love to make tracks in the dirt then race their eggs down the hill. Happy Easter everyone!

Cousin Love

Our cousin Syrenidie was in town & we got to spend some fun cousin time with her & our other cousin Ava. Syrenidie lives in Texas with her mom so we only get to see her maybe twice a year, which means we gotta take advantage of these photo opportunities!

What a cute bunch of kids!!

BOO to you!

One of the best things about this time of year is all the fun activites & festivites that go on...

The costumes: This year Averee was a Devil, Adelyn was an Angel (although usually those roles are reversed!), Owen was Mario, and Reese was a LadyBug. So cute!

Our costumes were pretty fun this year too...what do you think? It was hilarious to see everyone's different reactions to our 'announcement'

The Parties: I love parties! I love planning them, going to them, thinking about them-all of it! We have a couples costume party every year & I look forward to it SO much! Plus, there are always a few family parties and such to attend... Todd and Michelle threw a great family party this year complete with apple bobbing & Mummy Wrap-up!The Halls...what a cute senior missionary couple huh? Good thing they came cuz there were some shady characters at the couples party that needed a good missionary discussion or two!We all had a blast at the couples party this year...we played 'Minute to Win it' style games & it was pretty hilarious!

And of course, no Halloween would be com,plete until we decorate our annual 'Haunted Houses' and carve pumpkins... Until next year...BOO!!!

Back to School

Well, the summer has flown by and now we are already back to school... Averee is in 2nd Grade Adee is in Kindergarten Owen is in Preschool

Owen's Big Day

Wow! Look who's 4! Owen is getting so big so fast!Owen is so funny-he says such funny little one liners: 'Whoa dude-that was awesome!', 'What the?', 'Don't you know, silly Mommy!', just to name a few :0) Owen had his first friend party this year-so cute! Of course he wanted a Spider-man theme, and with a summer birthday we just HAD to play in the water! We filled up the pool & got out the slip n' slide. The boys had a ball! I think the popsicles were the highlight of the party :0) We love you so much Owen & we are so glad you are part of our family. You are fun to wrestle & play with & really great at sharing with your sisters. Love you Ojo!