Fourth of July

This year for the Fourth of July we did some fun things. In the morning Michael and the kids along with Joey and Angela and their kids tried to see some hot air balloons, but the weather did not cooperate. We watched some of the parade and enjoyed a BBQ and fireworks at night. Auntie got off of work early and came over for fireworks and strawberry shortcake.

Auntie Lindsay helps Emily enjoy a sparkler. She was mesmerized by the sparkling lights.
Evan loved doing sparklers with his siblings and cousins before it started raining.
In the afternoon the kids played in the backyard with their cousin Isaac. It was very hot and humid, especially for Utah. The rain held out until that night during the fireworks.
The kids were trying to rig up an invention on the playground.
Emily was working on standing up in the grass while holding onto the red bouncy ball behind her. My guess is that she will be walking within the next 2 weeks.

Laurel's Swim Meet

This summer Laurel joined the city swim team. She has gotten up early to practice all summer long. Michael took some video of her meet last Saturday. I think that the first video is of her butterfly race and the second is her last relay.

First Solids

We absolutely love her cheeks. They are so much fun to kiss!
Her hands tend to get in the way more than anything. She probably would like to grab the bowl or my hand but that makes a big mess.
The shirt she is wearing has an angel on the front. It is one of my favorite outfits.
I love this picture. She is a happy baby most of the time and we really enjoy her.
Emily is already 18 pounds and we decided that 5 months old would be a good time to try out solids. The pictures above are of her first feeding of rice cereal. She did really well. If you notice her hand is next to her ear. She has been struggling with ear infections since before Christmas.

Valentine's Day

These are the flowers Michael had delivered to me for Valentines Day while he was gone on a camping trip for work. They came through UPS in a box and were all closed up. It took about 24 hours for them to open up but then they lasted for 2 whole weeks. They were gorgeous.
These pictures are of Emily in her new dress from Grams and Grampa. She loves to have her feet in the air, in her hands, and sometimes even her mouth.
She has a great smile and loves to be around people.
This is a good wide-eye shot of her. These were taken the day before Valentine's Day so she was almost 5 months old.

Evan and Laurel's Birthdays

It is pretty hard to believe that Laurel is 10 already. She chose to have a bunny cake again this year. We had Grams, Grampa, Auntie Lindsay, and Uncle Ryan celebrating with us so I actually made two bunny cakes.
Emily loves to chew on her fingers. She is growing so much and loves to interact with her siblings whenever she gets a chance.
The kids have had so much fun playing the Just Dance for Kids Wii game. I tried it out with the kids one Saturday. It is a workout and always a good chance for a laugh.
Evan chose a chocolate cake with caramel and chocolate chips in it with chocolate frosting. He has a great appreciation for what is good when it comes to dessert and chocolate. It must have started with the Oreo his Uncle Jason gave him when he was less than a year old.
Evan turned 7 and has a great love of Legos. He discovered Bioncles on a birthday date with Grandmommy and now has quite a few. He loves to build the Lego sets and Bioncles whenever he gets a chance.

Christmas Time 2010

We had a great Christmas with Grams, Grampa, Uncle Ryan, and Auntie. It was freezing cold but we enjoyed the warmth of family. We missed those who weren't with us, but thought of you often.

In the afternoon Michael took the kids and the dogs to the park. You can tell from the picture below that it was very foggy and cold. It felt a little like the Christmases we spent in Sacramento as children.

Auntie Lindsay was the super helper. She helped all of the kids with their presents including several science experiments, putting together Legos, helping set-up MP3 players, etc
Jonathan got his long sought after pillow pet. He was in heaven.
Evan gives Grams a big hug after receiving some fun Transformers and the Lego set he wanted.
Grampa took on baby holding duties once Emily fell asleep during all of the present opening.
Lindsay my little chef got some new cooking tools to use.

Evan wanted Spy Gear this year. He especially liked his decoy listening phone and motion alarm to guard his room.
Laurel is the newest owner in our family of an MP3 player. She loved being able to pick through our music and decide what she wanted on her player.
Jonathan in his Christmas Eve pajamas. I love the cheesy grin.
Here are all 5 of the kids in their Christmas Eve pajamas. It is hard to believe that "they are all mine." The love these pajamas and a month later they are still trying to coordinate all wearing them at the same time minus Emily who has grown out of hers.

December 2010

We visited Grandpa Higbee in December. He loved seeing the kids and meeting baby Emily for the first time.

The kids love making gingerbread houses. This one had a lot of candy on it and they loved eating each and every bite.