I've not been keeping up with this, but here are some pictures!

This is what we've been up to the last 6 months!

our 2010 Christmas DRIVE to Grandma and Grandpa Foreman's!

We survived the 27 hour drive up there and the 27 hour drive back with 5 kids, ages 3, 3, 2, and 4 months, and our 13 yr old. Guess which one was the first to cry??? Yep, it was Hannah, the 13 yr old! She realized as we were driving out of town that her beloved ipod all of a sudden had NONE of her previously downloaded songs or movies (that she used her own gift cards to buy)...which was what she was counting on to get her through the drive and drown out the sound of her crazy younger siblings....somehow while she was charging her ipod using my computer the night before, it synced with a different library on my computer and then she had nothing for the drive. Oh, the tears and drama...and the attitude. And we couldn't turn back since we were trying to get out of town in a hurry to get ahead of the big storm. Moral of the story---double check your sanity devices well before getting on the road!
The toddlers all actually did really great, we borrowed dual screen dvd players and they helped a ton! Lia did alright too, the drive back was harder on her than on the way out there, but overall the trip wasn't nearly as bad as I was anticipating and we didn't have to threaten to strap anyone to the roof. I packed lots of snacks and suckers for the kids and toys/trinkets that they've never played with before. We saved about $3500 by driving and were lucky not to have any van trouble or have to deal with bad roads. I don't think we'll do it again for a while (after Lia gets a little older, since by summer when we visit next, she'll be mobile and will really hate her car seat!) Thanks for all of the prayers!!!

Jackson turned 2 on December 13th!



Lia and Great Grandma Artz



I tried getting all of the kids to cooperate for a picture with Great Grandma, but the boys were being difficult.

Lia had lots to say!

Jack got some Thomas bath toys and fell asleep holding them, Aunt Linda liked holding Jack.

Jack could play trains all day long.

Ethan getting Brian with snowballs!

Ethan loved being outside

We went to Aunt Judy's house to swim, it was so much fun!

Lia laughing with Grandpa Foreman, she thinks his white beard is funny!

Brian did a great job on the snow castle, I can't believe I never used buckets to make cool stuff like that when I was younger.

Auntie Katie and Lia, she only sucks her middle fingers!

Grandpa, Jack, and all of the stuffed animals he slept with!

Lia and I really liked the recliner

Happy Lia

Lia's 1st Christmas

Great Grandma Artz holding Ethan and Amber

Ethan loved his new shirt

 

The awesome Snow Castle Brian built with the kids, Grandma Foreman got inside

Amber and Me

Auntie Jackie and Amber

Me, Brian and the four little ones, I gave them suckers so they'd sit there for the picture, but no one wanted to look at the camera besides Jack.

Ethan got some new dress up clothes and had to bring them to Grandma Artz's house!

Auntie Katie, Auntie Jackie and  Lia and Amber

We've been back home for a week and we miss everyone already, I also miss eating my moms cooking and all her help with laundry!

Fall Fun!

We've had lots of fun this fall, Halloween time is always extra special since Grandma Foreman usually comes for a quick weekend to visit us. We had a great time trick or treating with her and miss her already! Lia has been growing so fast, she's already going on 4 months old! She's smiling and laughing and rolling and sleeping nearly through the night...this week she moved in with Amber and Ethan now sleeps in Jack's room. So now we've got a girls room and a boys room, I was kind of sad about separating the twins, but they were excited about it. This morning, Amber looked to find Ethan in the living room and asked him right away "how did you sleep in your new boys' room, Ethan?" It was so sweet! The boys did pretty well, I was very worried, but after an hour of Jack talking to Ethan, he finally gave up and fell asleep too. I could hear Ethan snoring in the monitor while Jack just kept on talking to him and about him. That boy has too much energy and doesn't need much sleep.

Here are a bunch of pictures I've taken the last couple of months...enjoy!

Jack sees me swaddle Lia and he likes his bear to be swaddled too :)



Lia likes to be swaddled, even in her carseat




ready for their 1st sleepover with their cousins!



Fun jumping on our bed

all the kids got horse rides at the Galluping Grace Pumpkin Patch

pumpkin bowling

Jack loved playing in the corn pit, Grandpa should build us one of these :)

Lia and me

Amber liked playing in the corn too!

I tried to get a cute picture of these three but it didn't really turn out

we all walked through the corn maze

and took a picture at the look out area

there's a great view of the Sandia Mountains

having fun jumping in straw

Hannah, on a very important call :)

and we shared some kettle corn

they got too tired and Brian carried them on his shoulders

Amber playing with Lia

if you look closely you can see that she got the beautiful long eyelashes too, they're just too blonde to see very well!

wrestlemania with Brian and Legos on the side

Jack trying to fool us with his sweet face

Hannah was a cat for Halloween this year

Grandma and Lia having fun with bathtime

Jack being himself

Hannah and Amber

We started  a little fire in the chiminea, Grandma chatting with the twins

getting ready for trick or treating

we're all finally dressed

Minnie, Mickey, & Donald

Grandma playing balloon baseball with Ethan

Grandma and Lia

Jack and Grandma playing

we got dressed up for a Trunk-or-Treat in our neighborhood



my cow slippers and Hannah's horse slippers now belong to the twins!


Wow, I'm finally finished with getting these pictures on here, and all 4 little ones are still napping!!! Wooohooo!