Don't Eat Pete

Don't eat Pete is a family game that we used to play when I was a little girl. It is so simple yet incredibly fun for kids. I remember getting so excited and nervous when it was my turn. As we got older we would play tricks on each other to make it a bit more interesting.  There are lots of memories with this game that I hope to continue on with our children. 

The game goes like this, you get a muffin tin and fill each cup with whatever candy/treat you want. Then one person leaves the room while the rest of the group picks one of the cups to be Pete. The person who was out of the room comes back in and starts picking candy from any cup they want. If the person picks the cup chosen to be Pete then the group yells, Don't Eat Pete as loud as they can. Then their turn is over. VERY VERY simple, but so fun.

Dad doesn't think he can be beat. HAHA We shall see.

Andrew did great his first round. He got 10 marshmallows before he got Pete. 

I love what Emeri did every time some one went. She couldn't handle the suspense so she would cover her ears with her hands. HAHA She was too smart during her turn though. After her 7th cup she picked Pete and while we were yelling, Don't Eat Pete, she quickly grabbed the rest of the marshmallows with her other hand. Austin and I were too shocked and hysterically laughing to get after her. She was so fast to grab the rest of her treasure.

These pictures were of the three younger kids on the airplane ride home from Seattle. Jenna and I took all 7 of our kids, ranging from ages 6 to 5 months on a 6 hour flight. Man...we were crazy, but hey, we got to see family for a whole month! It was well worth it.

Andi May

 After returning home from our Ohio trip last November, it took Austin only about a week to convince me that we could get one of my Aunt's puppies. The future responsibilities for our kids helped me feel more inclined towards a dog and of course holding the 7 day old pups made my will that much weaker also. So, I agreed and the date was set for Austin and Mitchell to drive back up to Ohio to get a pup and have it back before the kids and I returned home from Seattle. I was pretty excited I had to admit. Through the whole month of December, the excitement of having a puppy for the kids was all I could think about. A fun thought during the holidays was pondering if the puppy that I held and took pictures with could be the puppy we might get. I like to think so but I am romantic and sentimental that way.
The night we came home I walked in the door and this little fluffy sausage came waddling towards me. IT WAS ADORABLE!! She was so cute. I held her on my lap while Austin got the kids out of the car. Once they walked through the door they paused and humongous smiles spread all across their faces. They were shocked and excited all at the same time. They timidly walked towards her not sure to trust her but not able to stay away from her pure cuteness. After a few days with her they quickly lost the shyness and loved on her to death. That night we named her Andi May.

I joke to myself that if Andi knew what kind of family she was going to come home to she would not have come. HAHA The kids do everything with her; she is a new playmate that happens to be fluffy, can't talk, and very small.

Isaac had a fun time with Andi in the stroller. She actually stayed there for awhile. Austin did tell me he picked the calmest puppy in the litter.  Andi puts up with everything from these kids, her personality couldn't have been more perfect to mix with our crazy lot.

Isaac also loves to take Andi around on her leash and pull her in the wagon. 

 
These two sweeties were threading these giant beads in the house and wanted to bring them outside so they could play "snakes." HAHA Silly kids. The other picture is of Andi with her favorite stick.

 Andi even got to play boat ride with the kids. She didn't like this one so much but they wouldn't let her get away from it. Isaac pushed the box back and forth through the house for about 15 minutes. Poor Andi endured it all.

 Silly Isaac even used his head to push them a few times. I was actually impressed by his strength and endurance. Andrew and Emeri were having a blast. Andi, not so much.

 This idea was the kids scariest of all. They put a box on top of another box with Andi on the bottom and Emeri on top. The weight was VERY unbalanced so I told Isaac he had to go slow. It worked for a bit but my nerves just couldn't handle it.

 These pictures are of Andi trying to escape her boxed in area to be with us. She tried any hole or crack she could. Sometimes I would see her with her nose out and her eyes following me. Of course I had to take a picture of that. IT WAS SO CUTE! "Umm don't worry guys, I am cool, I am not stuck, just desperately trying to get as close to you as possible."
 
 This was Andi's absolute favorite place. Whether it was Austin's legs or mine, this was Andi's safe haven. She always wanted to be curled up next to us or cuddled under our legs.

Oakley's is 6 months!

Our beautiful Oakley girl is now 6 months old! She is half way through her first year of life. Oakley is such a little darling and loves to smile at whomever. During her entire 6th month Oakley had the privilege of being at Grandma and Grandpa Ralph's house. She had everyone in their house wrapped around her little finger. They all loved to hold her and make her smile. Her two front teeth that came in last month really poked out, you can see them on the bottom of her mouth in the picture on the left.

Grandma Ralph found this dress for Oakley. The hair bow was the one she wore for our family pictures.  They went perfectly together, and her skin looks beautiful in that dress.

Oakley has really started sitting up all by herself this month. I still put the pillows on both sides of her for precaution but she didn't need them.

Snow Day

All month long the kids wanted to go play in the snow. Living in Texas, they don't get many chances for some good quality snow. So, after Christmas we found a day for them to experience some true snow up in the mountains. I stayed behind with Oakley but our kids went off with Grandpa Ralph and had a grand old time. After putting on layers and layers of clothes, I finally had all three kiddos ready for the snow.

Isaac had a great time throwing snowballs at people. 

Emeri was so excited to go! She looked liked a strawberry golden marshmallow! 

Jenna is so prepared! The kids enjoyed a tasty lunch while playing in the snow. In the other picture Isaac is trying to be silly and climb on the snowman they made.

Hugs for Mr. Snowman

The gang huddled around Frosty.

Emeri was this happy for about twenty minutes I was told, after that it became this.................

a sad cold Emeri. 

Christmas Day 2014

Christmas day at my old house with all my siblings was a Christmas to remember. We sure have grown in number since I was there. I love seeing that growth in this picture. It makes me happy. The picture of Emeri with Aunt Sarah is so adorable. While waiting to go see the Christmas tree, those two were busting out some Frozen songs and impersonations. 

Little Miss Hadlie loved the sorting bucket I got her! Yes! Score! 

Aunt Beka is an incredibly talented person. She crochet these hats for the kids for Christmas. The boys got their favorite Ninja Turtle and Emeri got an Elsa hair hat. AWESOME! I also got a scripture bag to take my scriptures to church in; all made by my sister's magical hands. Thank you Aunt Beka!

These two buster pants were so adorable when saying thank you to each other for their gifts from one another. We had a cousin gift exchange and Nathan gave Andrew that green gun and Andrew gave Nathan that flying Toothless toy. We were able to capture their sweet sides during their embrace. So cute!

Emeri got this microphone from Grandpa and Grandma Ralph. It played the Elsa song that everyone is obsessed with, including our 2 year old. Emeri got into character so well. She loved pretending to be Elsa. Best gift ever for her.

These two cousins had each other for Christmas too. They both got each other a sports ball. Josiah got a soccer ball and Isaac got his first and long awaited basketball.

Here is Oakley during her first Christmas! She loved hearing the paper crinkle and grabbing it to put in her mouth.

This sweet girl got 12 Frozen cardboard books from Miss Gracie. Emeri never let them go throughout the rest of our visit. She loved them, they were the perfect gift for her.

Here are the boys, after our traditional stairway picture, while going through their stockings. The pictures are kind of blurry but that just shows how crazy they went. I couldn't get them to hold still for a second, let alone for a picture.