Uncle Will and Aunt Amanda' Wedding

Will and Amanda were married on Sept. 24th in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple - it was a beautiful day for a beautiful wedding. We're very happy for them both and look forward to getting to know Will better.

Unfortunately, I only got one photo of the bride and groom and it wasn't a great shot, so I won't embarrass them by posting it here. I did manage to get a bunch of shots of my handsome young men - aren't they adorable?!

You'd think with five shots, one would have worked, but instead I have all five beautiful photos full of personality to choose from! What funny guys!

A Bunch of Random Photos from the last Month

A quick replay of the last few weeks (our trip to Utah will be in the next post!):

Joshua's second basketball accident in the last month - I think it might be time to sit out a bit - yeah, right!

Scotland is the messiest eater, but WOW does he like all kinds of food. By the way, he's still making slow progress on his walking.

This one is for Aunt Melissa (or anyone else) - isn't that a fun idea, a dorito covered cheeseball with olives?! AZ friends, sorry to blow the surprise of what I'll be bringing this year!

We went to a Diamondback game where they actually won (a first for us)! Don't you love the expression on Eli's face? He spends more than half of his life as a dog, so it's rare to get a boy smile out of him!

German is loving preschool! He is starting to sound out words all on his own and do some good problem solving with reading. The other day he spelled 'ciend' (kind) and 'hrt' (heart) - I think he's doing a great job!

A Clark Night of Firsts

1) My husband was home from work before 5pm for no reason other than to be with us.

2) For the first time in 4 1/2 years one of our boys climbed into a filled bathtub fully clothed (the water had drained by the time we found the camera).



3) Scotland took his first steps without holding on to anything! We were all on the floor talking about a cricket we had captured in German's trap (an old parmesan cheese container with a Ritz cracker in it) when Scotland wanted to touch it. He stood on his own for about 10 seconds and then took 3 or 4 steps toward the trap. We are so proud of him!

Our Labor Day Hike

We ventured with some friends on Labor Day to find some cool weather and ended up in Payson, AZ. We hiked, played at their town park, and went to 'linner' at Chili's (the finest dining in Payson)! Enjoy the pictures. And by the way, I fully intend on dressing them in matching shirts for as long as they'll let me!

It's Fall...

My neighbors put a scarecrow up in their yard, so I'm officially declaring it 'autumn!'

What we've Been up to This Week...

German's first day of preschool. I think he was a little nervous because he refused to pose for the traditional first day of school photo and insisted that Eli be in the photo with him. Eli was strong and didn't cry that first day that German parted from us, but he did ask me about 10 times when German would be home!


Our New Patio Furniture and it's box. We scored a great deal at Target a while back on patio furniture. It's been way too hot to actually enjoy the set, although we have eaten dinner outside once. We have great dreams of meals together outside in a couple of months. The box that the chairs were in has proved to have been a great investment. If I can't find Scot and the bathroom doors are closed, I know he's in the 'dog house'. Our friend Madison made us a window on the front door, so now I can look over and see this beautiful face smiling back at me. (Too bad he moved just as I shot the photo and then wouldn't pose again!)

Mickey Mouse Pancakes. We took the boys to breakfast on Saturday and as all normal children do, both older boys ordered the Mickey Mouse pancake. Of course it was huge and so they wanted to box it up and take it home for later. As we were doing so Joshua noticed that neither boy had eaten the blueberry eyes. When Joshua inquired as to why, German responded with, "I didn't eat the blueberries because I want my pancake to see where I'm putting it." What an imagination!

Navajo Lake 2010, part 1

We just returned from a fun-filled three day camping trip with the Clark family. We almost enjoyed being cold, but we definately enjoyed the good company, good food, and good scenery. We were able to meet the newest addition to the family, Amanda's fiance Will. We're excited for their wedding in September. We're also glad that Melissa was able to take some time off and fly out for the trip. Thanks everyone for good times.

Navajo Lake 2010, part 2

Our Three Camping Boys!

Funny Guys

We're proud of German for learning so young that true beauty is found on the inside. While watching a Youtube clip on penguins the other night German started laughing when the baby penguins came on. He then said over and over "I love the fat chicks!"

We got Eli new floaties at Target the other day and he insisted on blowing them up and wearing them throughout the store. Then he fell asleep on the way home. What a funny guy. If anyone is worried about the sharks getting him, don't worry- "these are nice sharks!"

Happy 1st Birthday Scoty Jones!

Our Scotland celebrated his first b-day on Thursday (and Friday). His birthday meal consisted of one of my favs, since he's too young to have an opinion and eats pretty much anything- Honey-lime chicken enchiladas. Both the older boys have their own special animal that they play with so we wanted to get one for Scoty also. The brothers picked out a giraffe and Scotland loved it! He kept hugging it and smiling. It was really cute.

Scot is allergic to eggs, so making his birthday cake was somewhat of a challenge. Someone said that sour cream would make the cake just as moist and yummy as eggs, but they were wrong! Poor guy- he just threw his cake on the floor, but he did enjoy the blueberries. We just had to keep Eli away because he kept sneaking up and snatching the berries.

Good Times and Nasty Pizza

This was all German's own idea: the parking lot at the airport (get it? all the levels of parking.) He aborted the plan after Scotland caused an earthquake and none of the cars would hold still!

We treated the boys to some fun at Peter Piper Pizza (luckily we had a coupon for free pizza, because it was far less than desirable to eat!) They had a blast! Doesn't Scot's face look great? I think he really enjoyed being one of the guys.

What we've been up to...

Here you go dad- a couple pictures of our house and a few of our boys:




We started packing our stuff and children about mid-May and finally closed the last week of May. Since then our time has been spent unpacking and mostly repairing a less than functional sprinkler system.

Our house has three of these niches (in varying sizes), which I think are way cool, but I have nothing interesting to put in them, except children, so time will tell what happens there.

Also, this 'yard' looked beautiful when we walked the house in May, but the June heat and lack of sprinklers make it look like a weed mess- it kind of depresses me. So, if you have any ideas please submit them. There will be no prize given, but entries are greatly appreciated. (This message goes out specifically to Stephanie W. - I hope you still check my blog!)

We're New Home Owners!

We signed and sealed the deal this last week and the move began. I won't lie and say it has been an easy move, but I will say that I should have shelled out for a nanny! Oh well. Now we're trying to unpack and figure out what in the world is up with our sprinkler system and freezer that won't freeze. We kind of think the previous owners wanted the home that they loved and cared for for 25 years to go to pot fast, so they sabotaged it right before leaving - or maybe that home warranty might actually come in handy! Anyways, we love the house. Maybe my favorite part is that the boys' rooms stay dark in the morning and they all sleep until at least 7am! These pictures were taken by the previous owners with all of their stuff in it. I'd post pictures with our stuff in it, but all you'd see would be boxes and toys on the floor and dying grass in the yard. Don't worry neighbors, we're working on the grass situation.

We're Proud Parents Again!

What a wonderful Mother's Day surprise! As we were eating our breakfast Joshua noticed some movement in the jar and we were able to watch as our darling Gravy came out of his (or her) chrysalis and was in fact a beautiful butterfly. However, not all creatures are born with perfect bodies and neither was our Gravy. He (or she) has one wing that did not develop fully, which inhibits his (or her) flight. Should we still send it out into the wild? We don't know.

The Annual Camping Trip

Fun times were had by all! This was Scotland's first campout and I would not say he loved sleeping, but he did love to eat the dirt and play with the kids. He spent much of his time in his high chair. Next time will be much better because he should be able to walk by then. Madison led the boys in all sorts of animal games and joined Joshua and German on a hike up a steep mountain. Thankfully, Treasure did not go into labor!

Our First Family Pet... Gravy

Week 1

Week 2

Last week we were given the opportunity of raising one very fine caterpillar. Since his adoption into our family he has grown tremendously and has officially begun the process of growing his chrysalis (formerly known as a cocoon). We'll post more pictures as he (or she) continues to transforms and eventually, in about 10-13 days, becomes a beautiful butterfly.

Note to mothers: this is really the ideal pet. It is self contained in this little plastic cup - no feeding, no poop to clean up, and you don't even have to change it's water. Plus, in two weeks we say our good-byes and he flies away to go and find more of his kind. I love an easy commitment! Oh yeah, can you guess what I was preparing as we named this little darling?