Early Christmas Present

Recently our washing machine broke. We thought it was the pump. Doug removed the pump and removed the lego that was stuck in the pump. That didn't work so we got a new pump. That still didn't fix the problem. We decided to buy a new washer. I found a really good deal on a washer and dryer and decided to get both. We won't get the new washer and dryer until after Thanksgiving. This is not a good thing. Six people make a lot of dirty clothes. After, doing a couple of loads of laundry here and there at friends' houses I broke down and went to the laundromat. It was pretty awesome to be able to wash five loads of clothes at once. The cost wasn't so awesome! To add to the fun Riley got a stomach bug that was very short lived and luckily didn't make much of a mess. Three days later in the middle of the night the same bug hit Aiden. He made a huge mess, twice. So now I get to head back to the laundromat!

Poor Neglected Blog

So it's been a while. Since July in fact. We've had a lot going on. We went on vacation to Virginia, school started, Doug finally finished his Masters, and baby number 5 is on it's way! I decided to do an individual update on everyone.

Riley had lots of fun on our vacation. She enjoyed having her cousins Megan and Natalie entertain her and do girlie stuff with her. Riley started taking dance classes and she loves it. She also started preschool. She loves that too! Her teacher's name is Mrs. Riley so it gets confusing sometimes. She also enjoys torturing her brothers and can't wait for her Little brother to get here. She calls him Fluffy. That's her favorite word right now.

Aiden had lots of fun on vacation too. He didn't really like the beach too much. He had lots of fun at Jamestown, even though it was HOT! He started kindergarten this year and is doing great. He has a wonderful teacher that he absolutely loves. Aiden stays busy building Lego creations, drawing, and playing with Will.

Will had fun in Virginia too. He loved the beach and the Air and Space Museum. Will also started kindergarten and is doing great. He's having a lot fun and hates when people call him Aiden! He loves reading and playing with his brothers. He tries to avoid Riley at all cost.

Quinn's favorite part of vacation was spending time with his cousin Jack. Quinn likes Cub Scouts. He doesn't really like 3rd grade too much. I'm not too sure about his teacher. He had a great teacher last year so it's hard not too compare. Quinn stays busy making sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to, except for himself!

Will and Aiden turn 6!!!!

Will and Aiden turned 6 on July 6th. Here are a couple of pics from their birthday. Their cake has puffles from Club Penguin on it, not the Hamburger Helper guy!

Eight Crazy Years

Happy Birthday Quinn! We love you!

Quinn Turns 8!

Quinn celebrated his 8th birthday last week. He had a Club Penguin Puffle cake. Here are some pics from the blowout party!

Random Pictures

Daddy's Little Sith

Super Riley (thanks to the cape from Aunt Amy!)

Riley Ponders how to save the world today...

Darth Vader tells Perry the Platypus (aka Agent P) his evil plans to destroy the tri-galaxy area.

Will and Aiden Graduate - Again!

Will and Aiden had their pre-school graduation last month. They sang some songs and each got to spell their name into the microphone. They were really wiggly the whole time.

Their graduation robes made them look like alter boys - especially when their hats wouldn't stay on! We are proud of our little boys and are excited (if not a little apprehensive) about them going to Kindergarten in the fall.

Will

Aiden

Pinewood Derby

Quinn had his 1st pinewood derby a few weeks ago. It was a Star Wars theme, so Quinn and I built a car that looked like Luke's landspeeder. Of course, we used LEGO pieces to complete the car. R2-D2's head even spins around! Quinn placed somewhere in the middle of the pack (no pun intended - ok, well maybe a little) and got the "Best Rebel Alliance Design", which he was very excited to earn.

Quinn takes 3rd in a close race. The white car on the left was the fastest there!

Quinn comes in at a close 2nd place (middle car)

Nauvoo (Part 2)

My favorite part of Nauvoo was the Temple. It is an amazing temple and is visually stunning. The neat thing about the Temple is that you can see it from just about everywhere you are in historic Nauvoo. I can only imagine what it must have looked like back in the 1840's. Tasha and I got to attend seperate sessions while the other stayed with the kids. It was pretty impressive to walk out of the Temple and see the whole city of Nauvoo laid out in front of you, wrapped around by the Mississippi River. I am sure Tasha got tired of me stopping to take so many pictures - here are a few.

This one is probably my favorite. It was taken from Parley Street - where the saints crossed the Mississippi after leaving Nauvoo. It must have given them some hope to look back and be able to see the Temple one last time before heading out West.