Cousins

We are so fortunate to date-swap

with my brother and sister-in-law,

and for the kids,

it's a win-win getting in some extra play time!

Only thing is,

when they all get together,

things can get kind of loopy...

Especially when you throw in lots and lots

of marshmallows!

We love you, guys!

Can't wait for you to bring your new baby sister over!

Brooklyn,

are you sure your ready to join this rag-tag bunch?

{smile}

Getting Out The Halloween Bins...

I'm a big fan of getting the decorations up early,

and taking them down promptly!

I just know that if we wait it will never get done,

so we might as well just throw ourselves into it.

This year we had the pleasure of having my nephews over

for the tradition,

but before we broke out the Halloween bins,

...we played...

...gangsta'd...

...bathed...

...danced to Princess Rapunzel music...

(Over, and over, and over again... :)

...ate yummy burgers...

...and an even yummier Halloween treat...

{Thanks, Iris!}

...and then we got the starty parted!

See for yourself...

My favorite part?

Seeing how deathly afraid Jacob was of the theme song, Thriller!

Of course being the wicked aunt and uncle that we are,

we cranked it up!

H A P P Y  H A L L O W E E N  D E C O R A T I N G!

{And torturing your nephews...}

Bwa-ha-ha!

Oh, To Be a Kid Again...

We had the wonderful opportunity of

attending the baby blessing of our new niece, Aubrey.

Of course,

that meant all the cousins had the rare opportunity

of attending church together!

Can you tell they're happy?

The best part?

The car swap!

Whose going to ride with who to the luncheon?

Life is good...

P E A C E  O U T !



Owen & Lennon

Lennon is the oldest child of Samuel's elder (that sounds so old!) 

sister, Rachel.

Owen adores him,

and it's really sweet to see Lennon

take the time to talk and play with him.

Owen,

being blessed with three beautiful, bossy, mother-hen-like big sisters,

surely appreciates the brotherhood.

And though he tries his hardest to keep up with the "big boy's",

he's still my little guy.

Loves, Owen!

Lot's of loves!



Cake Skills

What with all of  Owen's birthday festivities

there was ample opportunity for Gabriel to practice his upcoming

first birthday cake skills.

This was a good thing.

For as you can see...

He was clearly unnerved!

No matter though! 

That's what cousins are for!

To help you along!

And of course, to share the burden!

Thanks Miss V! 

I've got it now. 

And I promise to lend you a hand when you need one too!

Love,

Gabriel

2010 Memorial Day: Traditions Old & New

What's not to love about Memorial Day?

We are FREE to live and celebrate with family, friends, and great food!

What a blessing!

Every year we hit the donut shop early in the AM and the kids and Samuel positively devour their sweet pastries. 

I pick...

at the frosting that is. 

Which, in my opinion, is the only thing good about a donut!

Unless, of couse, it's creme-filled.

In which case you would eat the filling...get it?

{Okay, I'm back from my donut-frosting tangent.}

After our suger-induced hysteria we meet up with my family

for the local Memorial Day Parade.

Watching the parade is something I've been doing

for as long as I can remember, and it's so much fun to pass this tradition onto our kids. 

And as we stand for the flag,

hand over heart,

it brings back so many memories of my Grandpa Lopez. 

I know he's there with us.

Later we met up with Samuel's family where the Wylies host an annual Memorial Day BBQ in a truly spectacular country setting.  It is a great place to relax and visit and the kids have an great time exploring.

There are tire swings...

Little toys...

Big toys...

{Note the lack of helmet.  That didn't go over so well...}

Uncooperative toys...

Tears...

Chickens...?

Wild play areas...

...and of course, smiles!

We hope you had fun celebrating too!

Super-Special-Totally-Impromptu Sleepover

We love new babies, and because Samuel has five brothers and sisters, all grown, it seems like someone is always expecting.  

A fun tradition we began years ago with his brother Joe and his family is to take each others kids when labor sets in.  

It's a blessing to have someone there for you when you need it most, and the kids so look forward to that super-special-totally-impromptu sleepover that could happen at any moment!

As much as I love the tradition, 

this momma is perfectly content with her brood of five, 

and won't need to make anymore last-minute drop-offs on our way to the hospital...

at least I hope!

The kids feel jipped for sure, but they can rest easy!

  

With the birth of Noah Edwin Elmer, their newest cousin, 

Jacob and Luke made it over later in the week for a sleepover with lot's of scrabbling around 

while their mom and dad settled in with their new baby.

  

A favorite destination:

The Park!

  

Luke couldn't keep his eyes off the playground!

  

Dad holding on to Gabriel, who soon will be running around with the rest of the bunch!

  

Is there really only two adults for all these kids?!?

My favorite part of the day was seeing Gabriel react to the swings. 

He loves it when Samuel tosses him into the air, so I thought for sure he'd get a great kick out of the swings.

  

Not so!  

He made a crazy nervous gurgling sound the whole time and was so relieved when I ended the ride!

  

For the rest, the swings were a breeze!
And so was our time with Jacob and Luke.
They are so much fun to have around, and Samuel, Owen, and Gabriel
thoroughly enjoyed having two more boys in the house
to shift the balance of power to 5-4.

Now that they're gone, things are back to normal, 

and the girls and I are once again enjoying the majority!