The Many Faces of Dave

Many of you have commented about Dave's bushy face from previous posts. In my latest post (the Memorial Day hike) his beard was about as big as it has been in a while. My wonderful husband has had that beard for several months now, and really likes it. He did, after the hike, come home and shave it off though. Before he went completely clean-shaven, however, he decided to see how he looks with just a mustache. He kept it for one evening, but couldn't handle it any longer, and shaved it completely off. Now, my sweet Dave is bare faced once more. Before he shaved off the mustache, I got a picture of his adorable lip-caterpillar. Here he is making a "Dad face".

What a handsome fellow!

Memorial Day Hike

This morning, our family went on a hike with our friends, the Hendricksons, the Hamblins (except for Scott, who was working... we missed him), and the Crockers. We decided to go on this hike because several of the dads took the kids camping last night in the same spot (Green Canyon... pictured above) but got majorly rained out and had to come home. The sun came out this morning though, so we went back to hike for a while. We had a great time, and the kids did such a good job! We ended up hiking about 4 miles and it took us about 2 hours. It was a super fun time to spend as a family, and with some great friends!

What a cute family... all those beautiful little girls!

With 11 children, it was amazing that the hike went as well as it did! They did great!

Can you tell which child had the blue Gatorade?

Ciera found a walking stick, and carried it almost the whole time. She was very fond of it and wanted to bring it home. She didn't though... mean Daddy! All in all, we had a great Memorial day!

Happy Birthday Ciera Marie

It was our beautiful Ciera Marie's 9th birthday yesterday. It is hard to believe that she is already nine years old! Dave and I took her out for dinner last night and we were talking to her about when she was little, and remembering some of the things she has done. She is such an amazing girl, and we are so lucky to have her in our family.
Ciera is a sweet, caring, sensitive girl, who is a great big sister to her three little sisters. She is a great example, and always looks out for her sisters' well-being.
Ciera is a great friend too. She always tries to make others happy, and goes out of her way to include people. She is outgoing and makes new friends easily.
We are so grateful for our Ciera. She means the world to us.
Happy 9th Birthday Sweet Ciera!

Wildcat Run

Ciera and Chloe participated in their school's one mile fun run on Friday morning. Almost every student in the school ran, and Ciera and Chloe did a great job and had fun!

Chloe, before the first graders started their race...

Ciera, before the third grade race...

The big finish! As soon as Chloe turned the last corner, she started sprinting with a big smile on her face. She loved the attention of all the parents and other students as she approached the finish line.

Ciera's big finish... I actually think she walked most of the way, but she wanted to end on a high note, so she ran from the last corner to the finish line.
We are proud of them for trying, and for finishing the race. It is great that their school is encouraging the students to be active and do exercise in a fun way!

Why? (Or, the Haircuts from H-E-double hockey sticks)

I don't know what goes through the minds of Brooke and Autumn sometimes. Every time I leave them alone, they make trouble. Today, my dear friends, was no exception. In fact, I think this tops them all. I left them sitting innocently in front of cartoons this morning so I could take a shower. After I got dressed, Brooke came up to me and said, "Autumn (who is 2 years old, mind you) cut my hair." Words a mother does not ever want to hear. This is what Brooke looked like after Autumn's "haircut"...



Then, I went downstairs and this is what I found there... They had gotten scissors out of the drawer to cut out an itchy tag, and I guess decided to cut a little more then the tag.


I then noticed Autumn. She had taken the scissors to herself too. Luckily, she didn't have much hair yet anyway, so the loss of her hair wasn't as traumatic as it was with Brooke's locks. (However, it still upset me greatly.)


I was SO sad. It made me cry. I had just commented this morning on how long and beautiful Brooke's hair was getting. No longer. As I was crying, Brooke started to cry, and told me not to worry because hair "grows right back". I think she really thought it would be an instant re-growth. I told her it would take a long time to grow back and that for now, we would have to cut it all really short. (Which made her cry even more.) I felt bad about the whole situation.
After my initial shock, I took them to a friend's salon to see if she could fix their "haircuts" with real haircuts. She did a great job making them look a bit more normal!


Luckily, they are such cute girls, that even with their hair chopped off, they are still cute! Now, at least they are ready for summer with their new short hair, right. (Although, if I could choose...)

GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!

Chloe had her last soccer game of the season this morning. She was playing really well, keeping with the ball, helping to work the ball down the field, and keeping the ball away from their goal. Then, the last goal scored by our team, to secure the win, was made by... CHLOE!! She was running the ball down with another girl on our team, they were passing to each other, and Chloe took the final kick and SCORED!! We were so happy and proud! What a way to end your season! Way to go Chloe!

Breakfast Masterpiece

I wonder if great artists like Michelangelo started by painting his kitchen with yogurt. If he did, then I have a future artist in the family. It is hard to believe that two little angels like Autumn and Brooke can get into such mischief, but it is true. I left them sitting at the table eating their breakfast for a few minutes. I heard Autumn start crying, so I rushed out. She had slipped off of her chair and fallen onto the floor. (Don't worry, she was fine.) Why did she slip? She had
"painted" her chair, the table, and part of the floor with her strawberry yogurt. (I think she had a little help from her big sister, Brooke.) Sorry... there are no pictures, because I immediately threw the "artists" into the tub and cleaned up the mess. Well, maybe her work will be worth millions someday.