So, back in May....

I just found my little folder that I had kept my papers in from "interviewing" the kids on our Las Vegas trip.  I had asked them all the same questions and they all loved answering them ;).  And I wanted to post them on the blog, so even though they're possibly a little out of date, I think I will.... here goes:

1. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
Erika- Pink, Noah- Yellow, Luke- orange, Bradley- green,  Kelly- orange, Charity- Lime Green, Me- Purple, Nate- Green

2. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TOY?
Erika- Baby, Noah- "garbage truck, but it's already broken so maybe I have to give it away", Luke- Mario Control Car, Bradley- claw machine, Kelly- dolls, Charity- "Fluffy" (stuffed dog), Me- Kindle Fire, Nate- helicopter

3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT?
Erika- Mangoes, Noah- Peaches, Luke- Mango, Bradley- mango, Kelly- mangoes, Charity- Watermelon, Me- Strawberries, Nate- Pear

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
Erika- Curious George, Noah- Smurf, Luke- Phineas and Ferb, Bradley- Superhero shows, Kelly- Shake It Up, Charity- Shake It Up, Me- Dancing With The Stars, Nate- Celebrity Apprentice

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO EAT FOR LUNCH?
Erika- N/A, Noah- Meatballs, Luke- Ramen Noodles, Bradley- hot dogs, Kelly- Ramen Noodles, Charity- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Me- Jalepeno Poppers, Nate- Sandwich

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OUTFIT?
Erika- Shirt, Noah- "the tiger hirt that goes to the tiger pants" (jammies), Luke- Phineas and Ferb Shirt (orange and white stripes) with Black and red shorts,  Bradley- snake shirt with black basketball shorts, Kelly- Pink sparkley ruffle shirt with pants with blue belt, Charity- light blue shirt with black shorts, Me- Blue shirt, Black short pants, Nate- Shorts and T-shirt

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GAME?
Erika- N/A, Noah- arcade games (shooting ones at Nickelcade),  Luke- Galaxy Mario 2, Bradley- Super Mario Brothers, Kelly- Animal Jam, Charity- Smarty Pants, Me- Banana Grams, Nate- Basketball

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SNACK?
Erika- Pancakes, Noah- crackers, Luke- chips that you eat on your fingers (Bugles), Bradley- oreos/cookies, Kelly- pretzels, Charity- graham crackers, Me- Nutella on bread, Nate- Spicy Chips

9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL?
Erika- Babies, Noah- cheetahs, Luke- kitten, Bradley- bunny, Kelly- cat (orange tabby kitten), Charity- dog, Me- Penguin, Nate- Cat

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG?
Erika- "We Will Rock You", Noah- "I wuv to see duh tempo", Luke- "I Am A Child of God", Bradley- Smurf Song, Kelly- "Dynamite", Charity- "Stuck Like Glue", Me- "I'm Yours", Nate- "Someone Else"

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
Erika- "this book that me holding":), Noah- "dinosaur one which is broken", Luke- "all the books that are mine, that have my name on it", Bradley- Superhero books, Kelly- The Name of This Book Is Secret series, Charity- Diamond Back Cave, Me- Divine Signatures, Nate- Book of Mormon


12. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Erika- Lukey, Noah- Charlie, Luke- Carter Summers, Bradley- Aiden Hunsaker, Kelly- Sariah, Charity- Annie and Kelly, Me- Nate, Nate- Me :)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Erika- N/A, Noah- Same as Brad, Luke- "leprechaun kind" (Lucky Charms), Bradley- "leprechaun kind", Kelly- Cap'n Crunch Berries, Charity- Blueberry Muffintops, Me- Blueberry Muffintops, Nate- Granola

14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO OUTSIDE?
Erika- tramp with Bradley, Noah- Tramp, Luke- tramp, Bradley- tramp, Kelly- trampoline, Charity- Play with Buddy, Me- watch kids play, Nate- work in the yard/go on walks

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK?
Erika- juice, Noah- mango drink (??), Luke- lemonade, Bradley- Soda, Kelly- Pink Lemonade, Charity- Sprite, Me- water, Nate- Egg Nog

16. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY?
Erika- N/A, Noah- Easter, Luke- Christmas, Bradley- Christmas, Kelly- Christmas, Charity- Christmas, Me- Mother's Day, Nate- 4th of July

17. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO TAKE TO BED WITH YOU AT NIGHT?
Erika- turtle, Noah- Monkey, Luke- kitty "Cutie", Bradley- turtle, Kelly- nothing, Charity- Fluffy and Books, Me- Nate, Nate- extra pillow

18. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO EAT FOR BREAKFAST?
Erika- Dippy eggs, Noah- crepes, Luke- crepes, Bradley- crepes, Kelly- crepes, Charity- crepes, Me- waffles, Nate- some sort of omelet

19. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?
Erika- Popcorn, Noah- Pancakes, Luke- Pizza, Bradley- Pizza, Kelly- Tangy Meatballs, Charity- Tangy Meatballs, Me- Wingers, Nate- Beef Stroganoff

20. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Erika- Dolphin, Noah- Father, Luke- Grocery Store (cashier), Bradley- inventor, Kelly-a Vet, Charity- Teacher, Me- Nurse, Nate- Chef

That was fun.

Pregnancy Journal

- 7-31-12
I will try to keep this short since I'd like to update after my appointment in 2 days, but I just HAD to post about yesterday.  It was Luke's day to stay for 10 minutes.  Erika had taken a long nap that afternoon, so they were both up at night with Nate and I.  And just as usual, I got talking about the baby coming with Erika.  I've tried to prep her a lot on the whole hospital stay, how Mom will be there for a few days and then we can bring Wormie home, and how "Wormie" will be called something else once the Doctor takes him out of Mom's tummy.... the works... and in the process of describing this to her, Luke pipes up, out of nowhere! in the middle of his computer game and everything!  Turns around and says, "I think we should name him ________ *insert name that Nate and I have been leaning toward for the baby*".  And this is TOTALLY out of nowhere!  I really doubt that he's heard us talk about it because we've been so careful, and I don't even know if he knows anyone with this name!  It was so crazy!!  I know I'm cheesy, and I could be wrong, but I'm taking this as a sign.  I think Luke knows his name!  Sure solidified things for me.  This will definitely be his name ;).  Nate doesn't have to be all cheesy about it like me, because apparently he was set on the name :).  Erika gave it her stamp of approval as well, which I thought was cute.  Maybe we'll get brave and tell the kids before he comes.... not sure.... but until then, it will be a secret.  I love little things like this that help me to feel sure about a name.  Most of our kids' names have had a moment like that where I just knew!  Sure takes out a lot of the guesswork and worry for me :).  We'll call it a cute, little, tender mercy.

What a cool big brother!

Saturday, Bradley was being a bit of a pill, and I had been disgusted with him for most of the morning.  But just when I thought I couldn't take any more of Erika's crying, he came in and saved the day.  Totally took her under his wing and even painted her nails like she had been wanting!  What a cool big brother.  I'm not sure where he got the motivation to help her, but hey, I'll take it!  I was so grateful!  I took some pictures, but just in case I take forever to post them, thought I would document it. Oh! Kelly joined in halfway through as well, and at one point they were both painting her toenails.... it was pretty cute to watch, and listen to.  They're sweet to her.  I'm so grateful!  7-28-12

Beehive Beauty Pageant

Kelly's big day finally came!!  She has been SO anxious for her beauty pageant ever since we started even talking about signing her up for it.  She had her outfits all picked out for weeks!  I have to admit I was a little nervous for the whole thing!  But she was so excited, it was fun to see her get so into it!!  She practiced for a good hour the night before, having me give her pointers (as if I would know ;) ), and critiques.  She looked so brave when she was practicing, I was sure she'd get a little stage fright whens he got up there in the real thing.  I tried to pump her up for it anyway though.

We got there very early, got signed in, got her number, the program, our tickets and some goodies :).  Then sat and waited!  The waiting part was killing me!  There were lots of girls around and we kept wondering which ones she would be competing against.

We were finally seated and immediately, Kelly and Charity left the auditorium to go practice some more.  I thought it was cute and so big sisterly of Charity to want to do that with her.  I think Kelly appreciated it.

Then it started!!  The 6-7 year olds were first.  They were cute, Kelly loved watching them, she kept giggling :).  Then Kelly's 8 and 9 year old group was up!!!   The "Beach Wear" was first.  I was SO NERVOUS!!  She was not!  She came out on stage and just SHINED!!!  I couldn't believe how cute she looked and how animated she was!  And this is a totally new thing for us, we've never done a pageant before, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but Kelly did SUCH an awesome job!!!!  She surprised all of us with her bravery!!  She didn't seem nervous at all!!  And she'll tell you, she wasn't nervous at all!  She did great!  She and I raced out to go change into her "Patriotic Wear" and then waited for her turn with that. 

She was so sweet about EVERYONE'S outfits and complimented several people backstage, and later, I was so proud of her!  She kept talking about how cute everyone looked and how cute she looked, and she just seemed so content with it all!  If I had been her, I don't think I would have been so generous with the nice thoughts!  She's a sweetheart!  She did really well when she went on stage the second time too!!  She just blew us all away!!  She had some pretty amazing cheering section as well!!  We all cheered real loud, and yelled her name ;).  She loves that :).  So do we of course!  She did so well!  I really couldn't have been more pleased with how she did, she was so brave, so cute and had so much fun.  I was really sure she was going to with one of the place trophies.

 

Jauslin brought her a rose... so sweet!

We had a pretty good turn out for the cheering section!  Aunt Heidi, John, Charity, Grandpa Hatch, 

Me, Nate, Steve and Jauslin.  Kelly's doing her gang pose :)

She did win a cute Bumblebee trophy, along with a cute blue, monkey stuffed animal, and a cute tiara.  She loved the trophy and was so excited to get "another one" to go with the one she got at her dance recital.  She should be so proud of herself.  I hope she knows how much we love her and felt proud to be her family there.

We celebrated at Olive Garden afterward.  With just two big girls with us, we couldn't resist the temptation to go somewhere nice ;).  Unfortunately Grandpa and Steve and Jauslin couldn't join us, but we did have a lot of fun with Heidi and John there.  Good times.  Kelly is already pumping herself up for the next pageant!

Happy 33rd Birthday, Nate!!

Kelly was our camera girl... these were during our "Happy Birthday" song:

Something happened on Nate's birthday this year that I usually don't let happen and that is, I relaxed.  And now I'm regretting it a little.  Why is that?  I was mad at myself for waiting for the last minute to get his gift.  We had been planning it for weeks, Bradley and I, but for some reason, I just let it slip through the cracks, and then when we went shopping for it (the day before, how embarrassing), we couldn't find what we wanted!!  BUMMER!!!  We settled on a snow cone maker even though we had been wanting a Slushie maker!  We did find a cool little fishing pole lighter, which happens to be a really good little find :).  But I was slightly disappointed with the rest of Nate's gift.  I'm still searching online to find the perfect slushie maker, but in the meantime, I just have to feel like he got jipped. Okay, enough negative.  We did manage to have a little bit of fun on his big day!  We let him sleep in.  Much to Bradley's dismay.  This kid was HILARIOUS.  He was SO gungho, and SO excited for Nate's birthday this year.  It was adorable how into it all he really was.  He came in my room bright and early asking if he could wrap Dad's presents, then kept coming down needing further instructions and such.  He was SO cute!  I made him wait a little longer to let Nate sleep in and it drove him crazy.  He was really annoyed.  When Nate "finally" got out of bed, Bradley was right there, ready to shower him with gifts :).  He had wrapped the snowcone maker separate from the flavors and then in another package the chocolates and lighter.  Nate was SO surprised! 

(this is the first year in a while I have sacrificed getting him something I wanted to get him for something the kids wanted to get him.  I have it all set that Father's Day is the day for the kids to EACH pick out a gift, and his birthday is the day that we get him one big gift from all of us.  And usually that gift is my idea.  I gave in this year, and now I know why I had it the other way.  I am left wanting.  I am going to have to just buy Nate all the random stuff I had thought of (not nearly as exciting as the stuff the kids pick out, I'm sure) in the weeks following.  Ya live and learn!)

Here's the goods.

Our kids LOVE birthdays!!  They're soooooo good at celebratin'!  Kambree too ;)

After presents, Nate made us all snow cones :)  Isn't that how you would want to spend your birthday? :)  It was fun for everyone actually.  I think Nate had fun even. 

I just took this of Erika because I think she looks hilarious when she sits in her car seat like this.  She knows how to make herself comfortable :)

Hey, Heidi, is this lady-like? or no?

Singing with the radio while Nate ran into a store.

Then we loaded up the car and went up to Murray Park for some picnicking fun with our friends the Clemens' and the Stricklands.  What fun!!  I seriously LOVE hanging out with my old Taylorsville friends!!  I wish I could explain how pleasant it is.  How relaxing, how therapeutic it is.  I just LOVE them all!!  It blows my mind that we went 3 years in that house and hardly said two words to the Stricklands, but now I feel like we're such good friends :).  And the Clemens', it's just so fun to get together.  I miss having friends with kids my kids' ages, and having them get along so well.  Our kids really do.  It's nice.  I just wish we could get them to move back!!  Anyway, it was a fun picnic, we even walked around the park a little, Julie rolled down the hill with everybody, thank goodness we had a fun Mom in our midst!  And we saw where we used to go to feed the ducks.  Good times.  I loved that park.

 After the park, we came home for a few minutes, just long enough to take a little breather, and then headed out for Red Lobster!!  This was the part of the day that I considered just for Nate!  He has been wanting to go to Red Lobster for quite some time now, and with the added company of many of our family members and friends, we were able to have such a FUN, memorable time!  I loved it!  The food was great, I got to sit by my sweetheart, and birthday boy, everyone else helped with my kids (mostly my Dad and my Mom, which was funny, but worked out I guess), and chatted it up with all the rest of the group.  It really was a lot of fun.  I hope Nate enjoyed it.  I know he loves to have his family there, so that meant a lot that so many came, I think we had 20 show up!  I wish I'd taken a picture, but I was afraid everyone would boycott.  We had Nate's parents, my parents, Lynn, Ali, Austin, Jen, Nancy, Meg, Chris, Stephanie and Chris were there for part of it, and then our six adorable kids (who did VERY well, for the whole restaurant setting), and us.  I thought it was great!  I wish they'd been able to figure out our checks a little quicker, but now we're just getting nitpicky :).  They were nice enough to provide a candle for Nate's cheesecake and I was so happy I remembered to bring a cake :)

We couldn't get enough of the lobsters in the lobby :).  Erika and Noah were fascinated.

The kids couldn't believe we didn't have any ice cream with the cheesecake, so we stopped off at Cold Stone on the way home.  Nate was feeling like spoiling the kids all day, this was more proof of that ;).  We had so much fun sitting outside talking and eating our ice cream.  It was a really nice time.  Our kids are so fun to hang out with!

Nate and I had planned on going to see Batman that night, but we were just so exhausted, it didn't happen. Overall I think it was a good day!  I hope Nate enjoyed it!