Bowling!

Will is pretty creative when he gets bored, which is often! This is his new bowling game. He lines up his arrows for the pins and then lets the ball roll.
I don't even know where he has ever seen any bowling. . .

He's taught Sara how to fetch the ball and help set up the "pins" for him too :)

Speaking of my restless Will, the other day he came in and sighed, "I'm bored".
This is a word I wasn't excited for him to learn, and I've carefully avoided using it around him, "No you're not! You don't even know what that means!"
"Yes I do!" says Will. "It means I'm not having any fun!"
Oh well, he's nearly five! He was bound to learn it someday. . .

Ben's Favorite

Ben was very interested in my coconut cream pie, so I let him have a nibble. He couldn't get enough!

Thanksgiving at Grandma's House!

Every year I make crescent rolls as soon as I pop out of bed in the morning. This year I had three helpers!
Usually I try to poke my head around the corner so I can catch a little of the Macy's Day Parade, but this year I thought ahead and had it recorded (yes, we still use VHS tapes for this purpose!)
It gave me something to watch in the evening while I ate my plate of leftovers :)

Grandma's new table! I absolutely love it! Even Ben had a place at the table, and there weren't even leaves in it yet! So there will be plenty of room for the Sawyer family of five also!

I tried to teach Kayte and Ava how to fold napkins like turkeys, and they actually got the fan part of the napkin, so I was pretty impressed!

Kayte was most looking forward to naptime with Ava after dinner. They got the cushions off the wicker to make beds and then they laughed and talked and colored and read.
Will was bummed to miss out, but he is still taking real naps. I told him when he was five maybe he could join them.

We had a lovely relaxing day. Everyone was healthy and happy and there was plenty of delicious food to eat and plenty to take home for later. All the little kids napped and even some of the adults squeezed in a sleep by the fire.
As it got dark we packed up to head home and Dad set up his lighting ceremony. It is much like Christmas Vacation with lights draped everywhere and even four little trees lit up like Christmas trees in the front field.
Dad let off a few fireworks and then the lights came on and Kayte and Ava danced around the trees singing "Joy to the World".
It was a lovely kick-off to Christmas!

Thanksgiving Eve!

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving Eve with Joe's family by sitting down to a huge, delectable Thanksgiving dinner!
(Kayte insisted that we call it lunch).

Champagne - my favorite!

The whole family made it today, and we still all fit at the table! Last year at this time, there were three pregnant little bellies. This year, there were four new sons rolling around on the floor!


Sara wanted to head over here right after breakfast. She kept rubbing her belly and saying "I'm hungry!" in anticipation. In the end I think she ate three rolls and that's it!

Ben was thrilled to play with his cousins. Maybe Terran can teach him how to crawl?

Check out Grandpa D's new tractor!

Sara drove!

Will wasn't sure about the whole thing. . .he was content to harrass the girls from the sidelines with his water gun.

Kayte and Sara loved it!

Will will get used to it eventually.
I often have to encourage him to "be brave", only minutes before I must holler "be careful"!!!!!

The fourth child. . .

So the baby of the family has to suffer all the hand-me-downs. The good thing about being the last is, nobody cares if you break those well-used, passed-down toys.

Ben has been eyeing that silly green bird since he was two weeks old.

Give that thing a good yank. . .

. . .and enjoy!

Exhibit 1A

While Will was being disciplined for attacking his sister with his sword, Kayte took the opportunity to draw a quick sketch of how the whole thing went down:

Will is there at the top of the bunkbed ladder. Kayte is directly below the falling sword. An arrow is pointing to the spot on her head where the injury occured.
The plaintiff rests.

He said, "Take a picture of me!"

So I did.

He does look pretty awesome! :)

(He always has to make sure that the hook is on his left hand, cause that is how Captain Hook has it. Just a little bit of trivia for ya!)

North Fork Fishing

Slow but successful day fishing. Dad, Ed, and I fished most the day but we only caught this one fish and lost one other. Still beats work!

Water-baby!

Sara loves loves loves the bath! I put her in it whenever she gets restless or grumpy, and today I'm positive that she was in there for an hour, laying on her tummy and swimming around!
When she got out her bare body was all hunched over while she waited for her towel.
"Mama, I'm cold!" she shivers. "Will you take care of me?"
Ahh, who wouldn't?

Squishy hands! Not a very clear pic, but they were very very prune-y!

Just messin' around. . .

I just love it when Ben is all squishy and wide-eyed and lips-puckered after I wake him up from a nap.

He's roaring at me, the best he can!

Self-portrait :)
I got so distracted while playing, we were almost late picking up the kids from school.
He's just so much fun!!! Time flies!
(And yes, Joe, that is another 40 pictures on the computer that I will have to delete someday :) I love digital cameras!)

Jammie Pics From Christmas' Past

2007 - Cuties!

2006

2005 - Only four!

2004 - Check out Kayte, givin' love to little Will!
Hee hee!

Sabbath Dinner

Well, we are busy people these days and it is not often that we are all able to sit down on Saturday night together. But tonite, we all managed to make it, and the table has definitely gotten tight!

My parents just ordered a new set of tables that will grow from 10 feet to 14 feet and should seat 18 people, or at the very least, 8 adults and 10 kids, which is our current tally.
(This table is only 8 feet long!)


Mom took the opportunity to break out the new Christmas jammies and we took the traditional 'jammies on the couch' picture.
Next year I think we'll need a bigger couch!
(Don't they look great?)

2nd Annual Christmas Shopping Trip

Last year, Joe and I started a new tradition that we plan on doing every year! We head to Spokane for a weekend of Christmas shopping without the kids. We get some much needed R & R before all the craziness begins, and we get almost all our shopping done!
And the best part is, we get to catch up with each other a bit and go on a real date :)

Joe got in the way of my shot of the gas station! He was busy driving. . .

There it is!
This is what we paid for gas on the way there and on the way back at the Casino in Worley. (I don't know why, but I get really excited about stuff like this!)

Thanks to all four grandparents who gave up a good share of their weekend to watch our four kids for us as we ran off for the weekend! We are soooo lucky to have so many people to help love our kids!