Our Life

Kailyn's New Comforter Quilt

2011-12-31T05:30:00.000-08:00

Grandma Jones made a quilt for Kailyn's 8th birthday. We had seen pictures of it before it arrived but I have to tell you, it is even more beautiful in person. It is so lovely in fact that Ken decided he wanted it for himself. Kailyn wasn't buying it.

Looks like Kailyn won the battle.

Kailyn said it looks better on her bed. I think Kailyn loves it as much as her mom and dad. It really is gorgeous. Thanks Grandma Jones this is definitely something Kailyn will treasure forever.

Grandpa B Comes For A Visit

2011-12-14T22:48:00.000-08:00

For the week before Labor Day, Grandpa was able to come to our place and help Ken make bunk beds for the girls. The boys had a lot of fun together, and the bunk beds turned out beautifully.

Grandpa Supervising

Checking the lines, making it straight

Had to include this pic b/c I have no idea what that expression on Ken's face is supposed to mean.

Sanding some more.

Caden really wanted to help but only lasted a couple of minutes at a time. At one point, he decided to make a picture for Grandpa. He came into the garage and asked how old Grandpa was. Ken answered, "29." He said thanks and then disappeared for a bit. He came back with this picture saying, "Grandpa I Love You." 29 (okay 2P, but it was supposed to be "29") was written above a drawing of a birthday cake. He came out a out and showed it off then asked Ken how hold he was. Ken answered, "33." He got a slightly confused look on his face, shrugged it off, and then added another birthday cake to the drawing with the number "33" and "dad."

Pictures of the finished project (okay, this picture was used elsewhere. We keep intending to paint the guard rail on top but just haven't done it yet, so, this picture will have to do).

Ava getting really tired in Grandpa's lap.

And then she was out.

Self-proclaimed "Most Boring Grandpa in the World," as everyone who got near him fell asleep. Not boring, Grandpa! Just "comfortable" (fun to snuggle with).

We were a little nervous . . .

2011-12-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

So, Kailyn had an assignment to write a "narrative" and a "persuasive" essay for her class in school. She did a fantastic job! I don't remember writing like this until I was, well, a lot older. Anyway, her persuasive essay was titled "We should have longer school." Her narrative was titled, "Bladder infections." This is the one that made both Shelly and myself a little nervous. Click here for more details, but just realize this is what prompted a "birds and the bees" discussion with Kailyn. Shelly and I read the essays independently and both let out a little gasp of concern when we saw the title "Bladder infections." Anyway, here are the essays. I will include any misspellings and grammitcal errors to show how she wrote it.

The Persuasive Essay:
"We should have Longer school"
To: Staff
From: a student

One reason we should have longer school years is that we learn a lot more, we might even know stuff our parents don't! Example: True fact: How many curls did Shirly Temple have? 56! See, I did learn something my parents don't know! We can also learn a lot more stuff like what is lava made of? Why are our eyes different colors? Why are more people right handed then left?

Another reason is that we can live a better life because we can cover different topics like what animals are safe? What aren't? What things are safe? What aren't?

The last reason is we can be ready fo college sooner because you can be ready for harder math, harder Science/S.S., and harder everything else.

If you expanded school years everyone meets new friends, learns more, and gets ready for college sooner.

Teacher grade: graded in 5 categories. 3 "excellents," 1 "pass," and 1 "neutral" She didn't provide an intro paragraph.

The Narrative Essay:
Bladder Infections
By: Kailyn Christine Bassett

Splash! I had just thrown the fishing string into the river. I slowly reeled it in. It just got to dock but it was stuck! I couldn't pull it up, so I had to call dad. "Dad" I said. He came to help me. We pulled it up together. On the end was a big . . . clump of seaweed? Dad and I laughed and laughed!

Suddenly I stopped laughing and handed the pole to him. I said "I have to go the bathroom" O.K. dad said.

When I came back I relized I had to go again and again in fact it seemed like every 20 seconds.

We hadn't caught anything but we had fun so we went back to the car. We were camping so we went to the cabin. Dad to a comefort staition (3-5 drops of blood) and I told mom about the blood and I didn't have to go untill after about 20 minutes! So after about 20 minutes I went again and went again at 11:30 P.M.! That was sure was an exiting day!

By: Kailyn Christine Bassett

Teacher grade: 3 "excellents," 2 "pass." Comments: Very creative lead! I'm wondering about the end. There were drops of blood--were you okay?

Anyway, cute in its own way. Good job, Kailyn!

Random Kids Pics

2011-12-09T03:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random picks from our day to day (about 3.5 months ago).

How to contain Ava so she doesn't take your toys.

Grandpa Bassett came for a visit.

Caden helping make scrabbled eggs.

Not bad Caden. Keep it up, every girl loves a guy that can cook.

Kailyn decided to help out by changing Ava's diaper.

Not bad Kailyn. You're hired!

Kailyn is learning multiplication this year and has a couple programs on the computer that she uses to study. The kids love to gather round anytime someone is on the computer.

The Boys

2011-12-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

Caden has a great imagination! The other day he saw these gray tubs in the garage and decided to play with them. He immediately popped it on his back and said, "Hey Mom, I'm a snail." Then Chase and he crawled around with them on their backs. Jordan was quite miffed because there wasn't one for her. "No fair! They get a tub and I don't. Why do they get one?" Jordan those tubs have been in the garage for weeks and no one has touched them, Caden is the one that got them out and started using his imagination to make them fun.

Caden as a snail.

The fun did not end with the snails. When bath time came, I told the boys to go and get their pajamas and get ready for a bath. I heard the water running and went to check it out. I found Caden and Chase with their tubs in the bathtub and each tub filled with water. They thought it was great and were laughing and having a great time.

Wait! There's more (and you thought the fun with the tubs was over). After putting the boys to bed we went in to check on them and found them asleep in their tubs. Doesn't that look comfy?

Caden fast asleep.

Chase fast asleep.

One day I layed down for a much appreciated nap (Ava is the sweetest baby during the day but absolutely refuses to sleep through the night. Caden is not so great at sleeping either.) Ken took the boys out to the garage (Ava was napping, too) so he could do some organizing. When I woke up from my nap I was told that Caden had a surprise for me. He made me cover my eyes and go out to the garage (I thought they were going to show me the clean and organized garage.) Caden told me to open my eyes and there was Caden riding across the driveway with no training wheels. Yes, I was so surprised! Chase then said, "Me too!" and got on the scooter and rode across the driveway and said, "Surprise Mom!" (He has been riding the scooter all summer, he just wanted to be like his big brother.)

Chase is really good at riding on a scooter. Here he is on his sister's scooter.

Caden on his bike training wheel free!

Caden had apparently asked Ken to help him ride this bike (a smaller bike we have that is great for learning to ride because they can easily touch the ground). Ken started helping him, and he was doing it with no problem, so they decided to take the training wheels off his bike.

Caden was so proud of himself. He surprised me by getting dressed for church all by himself.

First Day of School (3 months ago--oops)

2011-11-16T03:14:00.000-08:00

So, this post has been done for a couple of months now, but we had so many things to catch up on that it took us awhile to get it out. Here are pics of the kids on their first day of school, back in August.

Kailyn ready for 3rd grade.

She has to meet the bus every morning at 7:20am which means waking up at 6:30am. She has done amazing at getting up every morning, even though she often stays up late reading.

Jordan ready for 1st grade. She was quite sad that Kailyn was not going to be walking with her to school everyday.

Jordan with her teacher Miss Manning. Miss Manning is new this year but seems to be doing a great job.

Caden ready for Preschool. He was SOOO excited. On the first day of school we had a little snack about 10 and Caden came up and asked if we had just eaten lunch. I told him no it was just a snack. He said, "Actually, I am going to call it lunch." Then he ran out of the room and came back a second later, "Mom, do you know where my backpack is?" I had told him that school wasn't until after lunch, nice try.

Caden tracing his name.

Caden getting ready for circle time.

What DOES she do all day?

2011-11-15T04:38:00.001-08:00

So, the other day at work, someone asked me what I do on my days off. Since I work odd hours, I guess she was curious what kinds of things I do when everyone else is sleeping. I mentioned how I sometimes will go to the 24-hour grocery store and get the weeks' supply of food/supplies (Shelly LOVES taking all 5 kids shopping!). I also mentioned how sometimes I will prepare 4 or 5 meals and put them in the fridge or freezer so Shelly will just have to warm them up at dinner time. This very astute individual immediately recognized my huge contribution to the family and asked, "So, what does your wife do?"

I was a little flustered for the moment, so I had to think of something. I said, "Well, I don't make dinner every day." But, it got me thinking. "If I pre-make dinner a couple of times a month, what DOES Shelly do all day?" So, I decided to observe Shelly on one of my days off to try and figure out exactly what it is that she does. Unfortunately, I accidentally mentioned this to her. As a result, I got several pictures of her pretending to do things all day. In fact, the only thing she really does, I think, is in the very last couple of pictures.

Anyway, here are some things she pretended she does every day:

There is a recurring story that Ava awakened at some early hour (usually around 5:30 or so) and begged for food. I'm pretty sure Shelly is just lonely, and maybe a little scared, during the night and goes in to get some company.

Shelly first directs Kailyn to get some breakfast. This morning was cereal, but 99% of the mornings she gets pancakes. Shelly will have pancake batter in the fridge, and Kailyn cooks herself pancakes. Sometimes, if there's enough time, Kailyn will make the batter herself.

While Kailyn is eating breakfast, Shelly will fix her hair. It's not unusual to have other little monsters hanging on her legs begging for food and attention.

She packs the girls' lunches. Not an easy task when you have a Jordan and a peanut free school district. Jordan lived for apples and peanut butter last year. This year, she's losing weight (can you say picky?).

While packing lunch and snacks for the girls, Caden presents requesting his morning oatmeal (yuck, IMHO).

Caden's pretty good at watching the oatmeal boil over in the microwave.

Shelly making flash cards for Kailyn's vocab and spelling words.

She found a few dishes that needed to be put away.

She acts as Jordan's alarm clock.

No snooze on this alarm clock.

This is Jordan's usual breakfast--one bowl with cereal in it, one bowl with milk. She'll take the cereal from the one bowl and dip it in the milk bowl before eating it.

Jordan looking at the homework she was supposed to have done but hasn't finished yet, wondering if her mother will help her get it done sometime soon.

Cleaning Chase's mess. She'll give Chase a towel and have him clean it up as well as he can, then she finishes cleaning it up.

The clean dishes got put away; time to refill the dishwasher.

Here's some laundry that needs a little attention.

While taking care of the laundry, Caden "touched" Jordan, leading to an all-out feud.

Then Ava woke up with some wild bed head.

Ava helping Mom finish Jordan's hair.

Ava still helping Mom finish Jordan's hair.

Now she's holding Mom's leg up.

Caden devastated about . . . something (can't remember what, exactly).

Well, the girls have made it to school now, so Shelly does her almost-daily routine of making homemade bread.

Another favorite way to pass time.

Unfortunately, I fell asleep and lost about 7 hours of Shelly's pretending. She decided to do a re-enactment of her trip to the library. She had 3 full book bags, her purse, and 3 coats hanging on her shoulder. Of course, she also had to carry Ava. Chase collapsed to the ground, crying, and Shelly had to help him along. Caden, thankfully, was good for the moment.

Several other activities of the day: exercising at the gym, making lunch for the boys, getting Caden to preschool, putting Ava and Chase down for naps, changing multiple diapers, shopping (kids' clothes, food, etc), and picking up Caden from preschool.

After school:

Directing Jordan in getting her chores done. We often hear, "Mommy, I need help. It's too hard." Jordan still needs step by step instructions on doing her chore. Sometimes Shelly writes it out for her, sometimes she stands over Jordan and tells her what to do next.

An all-to-common sight in the home. Everyone needs a little more Mommy attention.

Vacuuming up a couple of spots Jordan missed. Ava, a constant, there to help.

The floor doesn't clean itself, you know.

Directing the kids in practicing the piano.

Helping Kailyn with some of her homework

Random picture of the boys playing with each other--using books as their sliders for the floor.

Reheating one of the meals I made for her (of note, most days I don't have anything ready for her, and she's making dinner by herself).

The dishes need attention again. Like usual, after the unload, there's plenty more dishes in the sink waiting to be loaded.

Jordan got hurt, and Shelly has to inspect it and kiss it better.

And now, at bedtime, Jordan suddenly remembers the homework assignment that is due the next day.

Bathtime. We didn't have any decent pictures of Shelly helping Jordan with her bath.

Gotta do the finishing touches on brushing the teeth.

Stories before bed.

Remember that nice clean living room?

Helping the kids say their prayers.

Reading a little to Kailyn (trying to get Kailyn interested in books other than the fairy princess books she has been reading since kindergarten).

Don't look now, but I think Jordan is listening, too.

Once the kids are in bed, Shelly spends a little time recovering. Then she does more dishes, more laundry, more cleaning, and more preparing kids' lunches.

So, as you have figured out by now, all of the above is staged. Now we get to see what life is really like for a mother of five.

Manicures, foot massages (go, Ava!), palm leaves fanning your face, chocolate in hand, drinks brought to you complete with a straw, and someone reading you your favorite books.

Kinda makes you jealous, doesn't it?

Craft day and Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Kailyn painting the fairy she got for her birthday.

Chase

Jordan painting pictures for everyone.

Caden painting a blue cow.

Jordan helping Ken carve the pumpkin.

Caden helping.

Chase helping.

Kailyn helping.

Chase digging out the pumpkin guts!

Caden taking a little out.

That a girl Jordan! Now we are getting down to business.

Kailyn digging in.

Even Ava decided to dig in (with a lot of help from Ken).

"Why would I touch that?"

Caden giving a few pointers.

"Yuck! Why would you touch that stuff?"

I'm not listening! Ycan't talk me into helping!

"OK, maybe I'll try a little."

"Yuck, get the hand as far away as possible from that stuff."

Boys vs Girls. Who can gut the pumpkin faster?

The girls marking out their design.

Ava loves to hold onto my legs. This is OK when I'm standing still, but not so great when I'm trying to get the kitchen cleaned up.

Looks good boys!

Yikes! Who gave all of these kids a knife (Chase grabbed his own knife. Thankfully it was just a butter knife.)

Random Kids Pics and Halloween Package

2011-11-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

Ava is our biggest baby. Just look at those legs!

A little closer to really appreciate those rolls.

We had a nice warm spurt. The weather was perfect, so I loaded up all 5 kids so we could enjoy the outdoors.

Caden

Chase

Caden and Jordan checking out the creek.

Kailyn doing a little tree climbing.

Chase and Caden climbing the tree.

Jordan

Caden

Jordan

We found this great hollowed out tree stump. Here is Jordan peeking out.

Jordan

Caden

Chase, not quite tall enough to get his head high enough. Kailyn helped by lifting him up, but still couldn't get him very high.

Kailyn

Taking a little break.
Jordan, Caden, Chase, Kailyn

Ava feel asleep in the backpack. She looked so uncomfortable, this picture doesn't do it justice. I don't know how she could sleep.

Gathered around to listen to a story (except Kailyn who is reading on her own)

Ava checking out what mom is up to.

The kids LOVE getting packages! Grandma and Grandpa are great about sending packages for the holidays. Here they are opening up one for Halloween.

Spooky bone sunglasses and M and M candy fans.

Mystery Dinner -- Who Dunnit?

2011-11-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

One day we were at Savers (same thing as Goodwill) and Ken spotted a "How to Host a Murder Mystery Game." It was taped closed, so it was gamble as to whether or not it had all of the pieces, but for $3 bucks we decided to take a gamble. We totally lucked out! Not only did it have all of the pieces but it had never been used. It was a 1920s theme. Everyone really got into it and dressed up to fit their parts. It was a lot of fun!

Ken, Ernie G. Ambler, S. Treighton Harrow, Eddie R. Gyle, Billy "the kid" Thrower

Anna Maria Carlotta Sassine ("Torchy"), Molly M. Awbster, Silky M. Adam, Shelly, Malissa F. Orrthot ("Scoop")

The group in couples. What a lot of fun, as we tried to figure out who it was that had taken out Hal Coppone in "The Chicago Caper."

Halloween Bash at the Workout Facility

2011-11-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

A local workout facility had a Halloween bash. It was SO much fun and the best part...it was FREE!

Dr. Ava being held by Laura Ingalls Wilder (aka Kailyn), Cheerleader Jordan, Spiderman (aka Caden) with his trusty sidekick Spiderman with a Rhino mask? (aka Chase) (no idea why he wanted to wear a Rhino mask)

Ava and Kailyn

Jordan, Kailyn and Ava hanging upside down.

One of the kids' favorite part was an obstacle course that was made using workout equipment. Such a fun idea! They had mini trampolines and workout balls they had to jump on.

Chase, I mean Spiderman, playing in dried corn.

All of the kids coloring.

Chase riding a "horse" with Kailyn making sure he doesn't fall off.

Ride'em cowboy!

Caden and Ava.

Chase

Chase, Kailyn and Jordan doing horse races.

One of the things they did was have this lite up "campfire" and had a girl that was leading songs. Each child got a bag of smore's (Honey Grahams, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows).

Trying to get a picture...can be like pulling teeth when it comes to 5 little kids.

Kailyn's Baptism

2011-10-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

Wow! Can you believe we already have an 8 year old? She is such a great young lady too. She has been SOOOO excited for her baptism, mentioning it any chance she can. I found this white dress on clearance after Easter and it has been hanging in her closet since. She would often take it out to look at or to show to anyone willing to look.

I'm so glad she is our oldest. She is a great example to her younger sisters and brothers. She is amazing at sharing and looking out for them. She is pretty easy going and is good at find things to do (of course the default is reading).

We were able to have both sets of grandparents and Aunt Megan come for the Baptism. Kailyn planned her whole program picking the songs and assigning everyone with something to do. She did a great job.

Grandpa Bassett spoke at Kailyn's baptism about baptism. Grandpa Jones spoke about the gift of the Holy Ghost. They both did an amazing job, the spirit was so strong.

Our beautiful girl in white.

Kailyn loves to pose for pictures.

Kailyn with her dad and mom.

A family photo (Wow! We got everyone to looking on one try)

Grandma and Grandpa Jones and Aunt Megan with Kailyn, and of course Chase who insisted on being in the picture.

All of the kids with Grandma and Grandpa Bassett.

Gandma and Grandpa Bassett with Kailyn.

Kailyn with both sets of grandparents.

Group picture with Grandma and Grandpa Jones and Aunt Megan.

Grandpa and Grandma Bassett with our fam. Kailyn pointed out that it looks like Ken has helicopter rotors coming out of his head.

Kailyn with her dad in their baptismal clothing. Ken did a good job at making sure Kailyn went all of the way under the water. Kailyn said that the water felt really good (it was nice and warm) and wished she could stay in longer.

With everyone in town we decided to show them a little of our new town. One of our stops was to show everyone the falls.

The girls playing on the rocks and looking at this nasty water that had settled on the rocks.

Poor Chase had to be the one to actually fall into the yucky water.

Even with this wet back end, Chase was hardly phased and didn't let it ruin his fun.

Within minutes of getting there Caden made friends with this little boy. They walked all over the rocks together.

Checking out the falls.

Caden

Grandpa and Grandma Bassett

Grandma and Grandpa Jones decided to treat everyone to some ice cream. Of course the kids had to pick the most colorful ice cream they had, which promptly turned the kids mouth and teeth blue.

Jordan didn't care about turning blue, all she knew was it tasted really good.

Chase saw someone there using a spoon, so, of course, he had to get one, too.

Kailyn's Birthday

2011-10-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

Kailyn had her 8th birthday!! Can you believe we have a daughter who is 8 years old? As mentioned in a previous post, we had some visitors at our home. They all ended up leaving a couple of days before Kailyn's birthday, but Kailyn's birthday still caught us a little off guard. Between that and Ken's work schedule, we didn't get to have Kailyn's friend-party anywhere near her birthday. Actually we had it a couple of months late, in October.

Caden wonders if he should be opening a present, too?

Proudly displaying her baby's new bed . . .

. . . and reading some of the cool features to Jordan.

The obligatory "thank you" hug.

A new Sunday dress.

New scriptures for our 8 year old . . .

. . . and a scripture carrying case.

Jordan, trying to claim the bed for HER doll.

A quickly put together birthday cake so Ken could get to work on time.

Kailyn demonstrating the instant maturity she got when she turned 8.

Kinda looks like a mummy, if you ask me!

Kailyn was also able to invite some friends to for a swim party. Afterwards, the friends made some necklaces and ate some cupcakes. Here are some pictures of the guests, minus her siblings who were also present. Kailyn is grateful to have such good friends to come and celebrate with her.

Kailyn's cake was a requested cupcake with flower decorations.

Umm, I'll take that one. All reaching in at the same time.

Our New Friends

2011-10-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

In early August, there was a tragic accident on I-90 in which a family of a mother and her 6 children rolled their vehicle. One of the children passed away immediately. The other 6 passengers were taken to 2 hospitals in town. We had the privilege of having some of the family members stay with us while everyone recovered. Following are a few of the pictures of those family members.

L to R: Justin, Sue (Pam's mother), Becky (Justin's wife), Seth (age 7), Pam, Alisha

Joseph and Caden

Imani and Chase

The family gathers for a story, Joseph can't resist.

Caden's 5th

2011-10-21T01:47:00.000-07:00

***ALERT*** LOTS OF PICTURES AHEAD!!

Caden had his 5th birthday. The kid has so many facial expressions that we just had to take loads of pictures for you to try to capture the moment with us. Some of his siblings also added a few facial expressions for your enjoyment, as well.

Both grandparents gave us a chance to tease Caden and tell him that the packages and letters we were getting were not for him. He didn't buy it, though. He has a boy in his class whose name is spelled "Kaden," so we tried to convince him that the packages were for the boy in his class. We also tried to convince him that since his last name is not "Jones," the card was not for him. He informed us that since his middle name is Jones, it was still for him.

The face says it all.

LOVE the expression! Needs no explanation.

Pure joy

Chase helped wrap the present (the one Caden just opened up above) and decided it was, therefore, his. He couldn't understand when we passed it over to Caden.

Can't help the irony of the shirt.

Jordan was excited to give her present to Caden

Caden was excited, too!

Jordan explaining what it is and how it works.

The obligatory hug. So heartfelt, as you can tell.

Had to include this pic, showing how Chase ended up getting the car after all.

A light saber.

Demonstrating the power of the light saber.

The tongue helps open the package.

The funny part that we could not catch on the camera was how he was lifting the box by the wrapping paper as he tried to pull off the paper.

To get maximal pulling force, Caden put his whole body into the unwrapping.

They're both pretty excited. Chase still has the other car.

Towards the end, Caden just grabbed, pulled, and threw things over his shoulder, like the tape . . .

The parachute man . . .

The new shirt . . .

Still throwing the new shirt. We love the clothes from grandparents--it's the only way our kids get new clothes. The clothes we get them have all been through a few other children (ours or someone elses).

Ava wanted to show off her moves . . .

The lean . . .

Almost high-centered . . .

Just about over . . .

Got it. This is the shirt I was trying to get!

Caden is not a huge fan of cake, so he was excited to have just ice cream with some toppings.

Everyone helping lick the ice cream off of the candles. This is why Shelly doesn't reuse the candles.

Shelly Gets Older

2011-10-20T02:48:00.000-07:00

So, we had some guests over at our place on Shelly's birthday, so the celebration was in stages. On her actual birthday, we were able to get a few things for her, which she pretended to like. As you will see in the next few pictures, she is pretty good at pretending. Of note, these are all things she mentioned she would like to have.

Oh, yay, I get to make more cookies for the family!!

Measuring cups--hooray! I needed 2 new sets!

And a can opener! (OK, this was a surprise for Shelly and was really a Ken request)

Now she's starting to get sick of this game of pretending. Not nearly as excited about the silicone spatulas (maybe because I got the wrong ones) . . . but . . .

. . . there's always dessert to look forward to!

Ava, Ava, Where Have You Been?

2011-10-20T02:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Ava as she continues to grow!

A pianist so young . . .

. . . stopping to strike a pose . . .

followed by a sampling of the keys . . . delicious!

Time to sleep. This is our new friend Becky.

Eating just wears you out!

Deer in the headlight look--almost looks like a doll more than a baby.

Umm, Jordan, I think she's bigger than you! And she'll never learn to walk if you keep carrying her!

Aunt Megan's Graduation

2011-09-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Aunt Megan graduated from High School this year. Shelly and the kids were able to go to Montana for the graduation. Of course it had to rain almost the whole time we were there! The kids enjoyed the rain (at least the first couple of days).

They wanted to use umbrellas to start with...

...but soon learned that jumping in the rain without the umbrellas was much funner.

The girls 'helped' Grandma by taking water coming out of the rain spout and using it to ~~overflow~~ fill the bird bath.

Kailyn lost a tooth during the visit. She was very glad she caught back up with Jordan.

Grandma helped the kids make homemade pretzels.

Ava was cute as usual.

Aunt Megan's Open House

Luckily the day of the graduation the weather was absolutely perfect. Can you imagine these crazy kids stuck inside all day?

Caden and Krew making sure no one gets into the cooler before the guests arrived.

Aunt Jessica, Shelly, and Chase helping get things ready.

Aunt Ashley and Ava wore matching outfits.

I could not believe how many people showed up. It was insane! Who knew my sister had so many friends?

Kailyn, Jordan, Hailey, and Aunt Jessica with Krew

Jordan

Kailyn

Aunt Megan opening our card.

Our busy long day wiped Chase and Grandpa out.

Kailyn playing Mancala with Aunt Ashley. Kailyn played with any willing body.

Grandma did a blog post about Aunt Megan's graduation. If you can't tell, it was REALLY funny.

Graduation Day

Aunt Megan in her graduation robes.

Aunt Ashley, Aunt Jessica (holding a sleeping Krew), and Me

Grandma scouting out trying to get a picture of Aunt Megan.

All of the sisters/aunts (we missed you Uncle Scott)

Grandma and Grandpa, happy to be empty nesters.

Ava--5 months

2011-08-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

We just can't get enough of Ava. She is such a sweet, happy baby (not so good during that night but lets just focus on the positive for now). Here is a little of what she is up to at 5 months old.

Enduring having her siblings making her look silly.

She loves sticking out her tongue right now. Her tongue is out constantly.

Jordan loves to carry Ava around. She even brings her along when she is doing her chores. Here is Ava watching Jordan clean the bathroom.

Did I mention she is a very smiley baby?

She is sitting very well.

She loves checking things out.

Inspecting the bottom.

Taste testing.

She seems to like.

Rolling over to get a better look.

Pulling her whole basket toy over.

The big thing this month was that Ava tried solids for the first time. She was NOT a fan. She was not at all impressed with the rice cereal we tried to feed her. (We quickly moved on to other foods because she wanted nothing to do with boring rice cereal. Peas and green beans were a failure too. Sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, banana, and apple sauce have all been a success.)

Hmmm, what is this?

"I'm not impressed."

OK, lets try this again.

Yuck, just as gross as last time.

"Maybe, it will taste better with my eyes closed."

Ava loves to play peek-a-boo. She can even pull the blankets off by herself.

One morning Ava woke up with quite the bedhead. The kids thought it was hilarious and took the following pictures.

Camping--Day 2

2011-08-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

What kind of good morning is that?

Oh, thats much better. There is the Ava we know.

The kids were up at the crack of dawn. Mom and Dad did not sleep so well, so dad gave the kids the Ipad to play with. It gave us an extra hour of sleep, gotta love technology.

Chase was is such a hurry to get dressed that he forgot to take off his pajama shirt.

Not often we get a picture with all of us in it let alone all looking towards the camera.

Isn't it beautiful?

Silly picture.

We wore everyone out with playing and hiking. ALL of the kids fell asleep on the way home. That doesn't happen very often.

Camping--Hangin' Out

2011-08-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, Kailyn is getting so big. Here are Mom and Kailyn having a talk about the birds and the bees.

There was a playground next to our campground that the kids had fun playing on while we waited for our tinfoil dinners to finish cooking.

We have been living in flip-flops at our house. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that chase had outgrown his shoes since the last time he wore them. He kept saying, "Owie my foot."

This kids apparently loves to hang.

Sometimes even adding a little trick.

Camping is...

...SOOO fun!

Ken wanted to try out a cabin and I was not opposed especially with a baby. So we got a little one room cabin that had a bunkbed and a single twin.

The 3 oldest all wanted to sleep in the top bunk so they showed us how they could all fit.

They got just a little excited when we said they could all sleep together (PS They eventually had to be split up because they would not got to bed. Were we surprised by this?...not in the least.)

Camping--S'mores

2011-08-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

The best part of camping--S'mores! There is just something about a warm, roasted marshmallow surrounded by melted chocolate--YUM!!

Ava taste testing the chocolate for us (someday she'll learn that there is something even tastier than the wrapper).

Caden kept trying to dodge the camera.

Fake to the left.

Dash to the left.

Trying to hide behind mom.

Jordan doing her happy run to come and get some S'mores.

Trying to get a group picture...wait where did Caden go?

...oh there he is, hiding behind Mom again.

Ava trying out Daddy's hat.

Jordan eating it all in one bite.

Yes marshmallows are very messy but thats why their great for camping because camping is about getting messy.

Ok maybe we should have taken Chase's jacket off, there is no way that is getting clean without a washing machine.

"Look Mom I did get some in my mouth."

Camping--Fishing

2011-08-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

We didn't get the chance to do much camping this year...ok so we hadn't done any yet. We had to remedy this, so we packed up the kids and Ken found us a great camping spot. Ken thought it was high time we got our own fishing poles (this coming from the man that can't stand eating fish).

Getting the poles ready.

Although this looks like a fish in the picture, unfortunately it is not. The only thing we caught was lots of seaweed.

Kailyn casting.

Dad helping Caden. Caden had some of the best casts. We had to make sure no one was around, though, because he was not so good at looking to see if anyone was around him.

One thing I like about having a nursing baby is that I love reading while feeding. Ken thought I was crazy for bringing my book camping. Give me a break, it was a good book (VERY good).

Its not like I was needed, the kids were occupied drinking their gatorade. They had been asking for them from the moment Ken got them.

Who doesn't like a drink that turns your tongue blue.

Some Sleepy Children

2011-08-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

So, we caught some pictures of the kids sleeping in interesting positions lately--leaning on couches, lying on the garage floor (on a VERY HOT summer day dressed up like a bumble bee), and half off the bed. We also caught a couple of cuties sleeping all peacefully. BTW, the last few blogs have been done by Ken (including this one). As you can see, the quality of posts has gone down, and they're getting spread further and further apart. PLEASE, BEG Shelly to come back to blogging world!!

July 4 with Friends

2011-07-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Some friends invited us over to their home to celebrate 4th of July. We had a LOT of fun! We started the evening with delicious barbecue chicken and some fantastic salads. The kids ran around playing with water balloons and jumping on the trampoline. Then it was time for the fireworks. As you can see in the following pictures, the kids LOVED the fireworks and could not get enough of them!

Kailyn used Ava as an excuse to go inside out of the hot weather and to avoid the loud cracking of the firecrackers and fireworks. She's never been a fan of the loud noises of firecrackers.

Jordan waited for each firework display with great anticipation. Sadly, Jordan was not feeling well, explaining her jacket and blanket in this 88 degree temperature. She had a fever all day the next day, too. The poor kid had goosebumps without her jacket on. Meanwhile, I was wiping away sweat by the gallons.

Caden enjoyed the fireworks, but had to plug his ears.

Chase, too.

Sometimes, Chase needed a little extra help plugging his ears.

Luckily, there were treats to enjoy. This picture really doesn't do justice to the patriotic colors that Chase put all over his face. It was much more noticeable in real life.

Thankfully, there were Sparklers. Kailyn fluttering about with her Sparkler.

Caden at first a little nervous . . .

. . . then very confused

Chase ecstatic to be holding fire in his hands.

And Jordan and Ava, keeping the grass from floating away.

2011-07-11T03:19:00.000-07:00

So, turns out, Ava is pretty cute. She's our best baby, by far. Took us 5 to get it right, but we finally got a kid who puts herself to sleep. The other night, I was getting the kids ready for bed. I couldn't keep doing it while holding Ava, so I put her down on the ground. Not 2 minutes later, I found Ava asleep on the floor--she had put herself to sleep. She likes to grab blankets or anything else she can find and pull it to her face.

She's also getting strong enough to sit (taken at the age of 4 months) and stand (against the couch, also taken at the age of 4 months)

Finally, some other random pictures of our smiling little lady and a picture of her at her baby blessing.

Reptiles -n- Slides

2011-07-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

As part of our trip to the Black Hills, we decided to spend some time at "Reptile Gardens."

The lizards stopped to pose and got quite the audience

Our redheads thought it would be fun to touch the snakes

After realizing the redheads had not been swallowed whole, the brunettes decided they could try touching the snake, too.

Jordan showing Ava how to properly pet a tortoise

Ava demonstrating she could at least eat grass like a tortoise

The redheads show how it's done again. This kind gentleman wrestled a crocodile (the big ones behind him), then passed around a little guy for petting.

After much persuasion and fear of being ostracized, Kailyn finally decided to pet the crocodile.

Ava demonstrating her leg strength and balance.

Then we visited the Dinosaur Park, where this friendly triceratops allowed the kids to climb aboard for a quick picture. He had been doing it all day.

Next we went swimming back at our motel. Ava LOVED the water.

Kailyn coming down the pipe.

Caden was next, but not a huge fan, so only a couple of pictures

Chase loved coming down by himself, too.

Jordan showing how it's done

Mt Rushmore -n- More

2011-07-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Mt. Rushmore with some very good friends. Here are some pictures.

The view as you walk up the steps

The whole fam with the Guys behind

Two very good friends. The kids did great with each other--not a single fight over a 4-day period. They were best of friends.

Cute little Jordan

The kids (minus the toddlers and babies)

BFFs

BFFs 2

Two families enjoying some sun

Storybook Island in Rapid City. A park with themes from several classic stories. The kids stopped for a picture here. We walked under the bridge and through a gate 20 yards ahead, and the next thing you know, not a single one of our kids were in sight anymore! Literally, they each individually saw something they liked and scattered in 8 different directions.

Going on a train ride--what fun!

Jordan's missing, but otherwise a lot of fun!

The boys doing the firefighter thing

Zrbt time--taking turns

Tied

2011-05-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Kailyn lost her 5th tooth. Jordan and her are now tied.

Knuckle Sandwich

2011-05-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Ava is really into her hands right now. She loves to suck on her fingers and knuckles. She has also learned to roll to her side.

Anytime Caden sees me taking pictures of Ava he tries to get in the shot and then immediately asks to see what the picture looks like.

Say Cheese...

2011-05-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

I gave everyone, other than Ava, a haircut and thought it was a great time to take a quick picture. Let me tell you, there is nothing quick about trying to get a decent picture of 5 kids. This post really should be entitled say please. Chase please look at the camera. Chase please stand here (he is definitely two...stubborn!). Caden please stop posing and acting silly. Jordan please wake up you're staring into space. Kailyn please just look this way and not worry about what others are doing. Ava please don't slump, we want to see your face.

By the time I got anything decent the sun was out from behind the clouds and thus everyone is squinting.
Caden, Ava, Kailyn, Jordan, Chase

Kailyn, Ava, Jordan

Chase, Caden

Field Day

2011-05-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

Jordan had a field day that I was able to help out with. Caden came and helped. Ava and Chase stayed home and napped with Dad (he has been working the night shift). I was amazed at how authoritative Caden could be. He put those Kindergarteners in line. He would tell them to get in line in a very commanding voice. If they would say the game was too easy he quickly reponded with "Just wait it will get harder."

Caden was so excited when he was able to get his face painted like a tiger at the very end.

Jordan with her face paint

Chunky Monkey

2011-05-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

Ava is my chunkiest baby. When I go to change her diaper, I just can't believe the rolls on her thighs. I know it doesn't even compare to some of those rolly polly babies out there, but she still has a good amount of chunk. It is hard to get a picture that does the rolls justice. The checks on her face are also very full. I just love kissing them.

More is Better

2011-05-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

If one is good, than more has got to be better...right? Well, at least thats Chase's philosophy...

Chase took the cushion off of the rocking chair and is using it on top of his pillow.

At Halloween he decided to open all of his suckers and eat them at once.

Apparently, he couldn't decide which color of spoon to use.

He also loves to sleep with as many blankets as possible (trying to break that one before the hot summer comes). Oh, and he loves to have lots of books in bed with him too (all stacked up by his pillow).

Loved

2011-05-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, this little girl is loved and adored.

And she sure loves and adores her siblings

C-Dude

2011-05-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is Caden's nickname. I sure love this kid.
-great facial expressions
-easily frustrated
-extremely loving
-hugs and "i love you" that feel so sincere
-not a good sleeper
-has the best laugh
-so fun to tease because he just starts laughing uncontrollable
-loves to squeeze Chase's hands and arms in a loving way (don't ask me why)
-loves superheros
-seems to to be accident prone (just the other day Chase accidentally shut Caden's finger in the bedroom door and ripped the nail out of the bed)
-proud to be 4 years old

Our New Home

2011-05-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

We bought a house!! We are less than a block from the elementary. The home is 2900 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 3 bath, ranch style. We are excited to finally get settled. We will be closing on the house on June 10.

Our house on the right...the school straight ahead.

Back yard (unfortunately the slide you see on the left is not ours).

Caden (with his orange construction goggles on) showing off the back of the house.

Front door (stairs going downstairs on left, hallway to bedrooms on the right)

Downstairs gas fireplace.

Downstairs family room.

Budding Artist

2011-05-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

When the house we are living in first went on the market we had A LOT of showings. I would spend all of Saturday morning at the library because we had so many showings (it was too cold to go to the park). Although, not so fun it has been so much easier than our house in Toledo, OH was on the market. I think the big thing is I have a lot less going on in my life and a lot less stress overall.

That being said, things can get a little hairy in the hour leading up to the showing. The last little bit is when things always seem to go wrong, like someone dumping a box of cereal on the floor, forgetting to take shoes off and tracking mud onto my freshly mopped floor. One day, just before a showing, Ava had been very restless and fussy, I was sitting on the couch feeding her when I hear a scratching, scribbling sound. I found this all over the walls all of the way from the front door down the hallway and into the living room.

Yikes! With only 15 minutes till we were suppose to show the house (sometimes they come early) what was I going to do? Enter one of my favorite things--the Magic Eraser. The boys and I each grabbed one and got to scrubbing. We got it off of every wall and even off of the wood built-ins. Although easy to remove thanks to the Magic Eraser, I hope a certain 2 year old-- Chase-- has learned his lesson that paper is the only place we should color on.

5X

2011-05-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am 5X a mother. Somedays I can hardly believe it. People will ask how many kids I have and it just feels so weird to say 5 (Wow! I have 5 kids). It was a good Mother's Day for me. I feel so lucky to be the mom of 5 great kids. I really do love my kids to pieces and don't even want to imagine what my life would be like without them. Though exhausting at times they can be so funny, so cute, and so sweet.

Kailyn 7 1/2

Jordan 6

Caden 4 1/2

Chase 2

Ava almost 3 months

Homemade card by Kailyn

Homemade card by Jordan (Front)

The poem Jordan wrote all by herself (back of card). It says..
My mom is special
my mom is sweet
my mom is one who earns a treat
I love her and she loves me
we're special as can be
Love Jordan

Card Jordan made at school. It says...
My mom is the most wonderful mom in the world. She is as pretty as an easteregg. She weighs 10 pounds. My mom is 30 years old, and she's coot (cute). Her hair is brown and shert (short). My mom's favorite food is tockows (tacos). When she has "free time", she loves to woch t.v. (watch tv). When she was in Kindergarten, she never ever cold pipel names (called people names). I think my mom looks funny when she makes funny fasels (makes funny faces). She makes me laugh whine she tikies me (when she tickles me).I wish mom would have a picknik with me everyday. I wouldn't trade my mom for 600 amingril dall (600 American Girl Dolls) because I love her sooo much!

At church the kids filled out the above sheets. Here is what they said.

(Kailyn Jordan Caden)

My mom's name is Shelly Shelly Michelle

My mom is 30 30 29 years old

my mom likes to Help me read Harry Potter watch TV and read and take care of Ava clean the dishes

my mom has Blue blue blue eyes

my mom weighs this much about 139 140 75 pounds

My mom's birthday is on 8/11 August not in October (his birthday is in October)

My mom was born in 1981 Montana Utah

My mom's favorite food is sandwiches all different foods sandwiches

My mom likes to help me read & sew read chapter books make my bed

My mom is the best at being a mom! writing on her e-mail driving

Smiling Ava

2011-05-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

Ava is starting to smile more. I was finally able to capture her smile. Can you guess who she was smiling at? Yes, the one that can make her smile with no effort and even make her laugh...Dad.

Easter Weekend

2011-05-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend we made a trip to Montana. The real purpose of the trip was to celebrate Ken's Grandpa's 80th birthday but we were also able to have lots of fun with our family.

Our time at Grandma and Grandpa's was filled with lots of cousins and fun.

Making an Easter snack with Grandma and Grandpa Bassett.

Kailyn playing the piano for Hudson and Kelsey.

Jordan and Caden doing puzzles with cousin James.

Jordan showing off the egg she dyed.

Granpma helping the kids color eggs.

Caden and Chase playing inside a big box.

Chase looking out the cutout window in the box.

Jordan loves holding babies. Here she is holding cousin Bentley. Don't you love Jordan's toothless grin? (she is missing her 4 front teeth)

We had an Easter Egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Bassett's.

Chase checking out the contents of his egg.

Waiting for the Easter egg hunt.

Back row: Boyce and Caden

Front row: Chase and James

Back row: Kailyn

Front row: Jordan, Kelsey, and Hudson

Jordan and Kailyn looking for eggs.

The boys checking out what they got in the Easter egg hunt.

We also got to spend some time at Grandma and Grandpa Jones's house.

Kailyn, Jordan and Hailey eyeing Megan's birthday cake.

Ken (and Ava) waiting for a slice of cake.

We also went out to eat at Fuddrucker's. Here are Kailyn and Jordan sharing a drink.

We went to Wyoming for Great Grandpa's 80th birthday celebration.

There were a lot of family there to celebrate.

They had an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

Kailyn (with Chase in the background)

Great Grandpa and Great Grandma holding Ava.

???

2011-04-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

I don't even know what to say. Did he miss his face? Was he trying to clean his face with toothpaste? Who knows.

Love, Love

2011-04-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

Jordan loves to hold Ava, and I love that she loves to hold Ava.

Jordan reading to Ava.

We Love Spring

2011-04-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that the snow is FINALLY gone. The boys are loving going to the park as much as possible.

Caden Says the Funniest Things

2011-04-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

We were playing Skip-Bo as a family. Ken was not having a good game and asked, "Who shuffled these cards? Mine stink!"
Caden starts sniffing his cards, "Mine don't smell."

Caden is VERY curious about how things got their name. The other day he asked me why cashews were called cashews. I said I wasn't sure but probably someone just thought of the name. He said that he thought they were called cash-ews because whoever named them didn't like them.

We were out on a walk while our house was being shown. Caden thought he saw a hummingbird and then told me, "Hummingbirds don't sing cause they don't know the words. They would just mess up the song so they just hum. That's why they are called Hummingbirds."

Ava

2011-04-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

Long skinny fingers.

It's hard being a baby.

She had her 2 month check. Here are her stats...

Height: 22.25 inches (51st percentile)

Weight: 11 lbs 3 oz (66th percentile)

Head Circumference: 15 inches (38th percentile)

She is my first baby thats feels dense to me. She is a little higher percentile for weight than my other kids. Her head is surprisingly small (most of my kids are in the 90th percentile for head circumference.

Reading

2011-04-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

There is just something I love about my kids sitting quietly and reading books. Here Kailyn offered to read to the kids so I could take care of Ava, who was fussy.

Chase copies EVERYthing that his older siblings do and say. Here he is pretending to read like Kailyn.

To clear some confusion up

2011-04-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

Why we are moving, yet again...

When we first moved here we moved into a 3 bedroom apartment. Living conditions became unbearable when the neighbors below us constantly knocked on the ceiling with a broomstick and called the office anytime we walked around in our apartment. We started to look for a new place to rent but couldn't find anything that would keep our girls in the same school. Next we started contacting people that had their houses for sale to see if they would be willing to rent. We found a house that was willing. The owner of the house we are living in, is wanting to sell their home so they have put it back on the market.

We are very actively trying to find a home to buy. We have put in 2 offers already but both fell through. The first house was a dated home that needed updating. They were totally unwilling to budge on their asking price because they had a 2nd morgage out on home. Unfortunately, they were asking way too much and so nothing came together. The next house was actually very nearly perfect. It had everything we have been looking for. Apparantly, someone else thought so too. We got into a bidding war. The owners of the home got greedy and wanted everything even though they were asking way above market value. In the end we walked away. The price just got too high for what we felt comfortable spending. How is it that the rest of nation is in a market slump and we are in a bidding war willing to spend more than the market value on a home?! We are still looking and hoping that something will come onto the market in the next couple of weeks.

My Boys

2011-03-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to move. Things are getting boxed and moved. Chase thought it was fun to crawl onto this shelf. When I started taking pictures, Caden wanted in on the action.

2011-03-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

Kailyn had a music concert. The concert was about a bunch of squirrels and nuts. The concert was very cute and funny. Kailyn did great on her speaking part. She even did the part of a classmate who was gone. The songs were very catchy and all of my kids have been singing the songs all week. (Sorry the pictures aren't great. Ken was working so I was dealing with a fussy baby and trying to take pictures.)

Kailyn singing (she is in the front row, middle)

Kailyn saying her speaking part (at the microphone on the right)

Our cute little nut.

Quick story. Kailyn and Jordan ride the bus to school. Apparently, they are well liked by their bus driver (an older gentlemen that made a perfect Santa at Christmas time). He calls them giggle boxes. Kailyn, I guess, had invited her bus driver to the concert. I didn't even know she had invited him until he came over to tell Kailyn she had done a great job. He is a very nice man. He said that I have some great girls (I would have to agree). He said that they always say good morning to him and always say good-bye. I will forever be thankful to him because he went out of his way to make it so that he could pick up the girls right at our doorstep when we moved. Their assigned bus stop was 3 blocks away and across a semi-major road that had no crosswalk (not something they could do on their own and the weather was not something I would want to take a newborn out in)

It's so hard to say good-bye

2011-03-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

Grandma was able to come and visit and help us out. She came at a great time. We had to get the house ready to go on the market and I felt like I was making progress SO slowly. Between trying to take care of Ava and little kids that undid all of my work, I was going nowhere. Did Grandma help? Let's just say, the bathrooms are all sparkling, the dishes are done (many, many times over), the kitchen floor is clean, and I have 8 plus dinners in my freezer.

All of the kids loved having Grandma here, even Ava. Yes, she gave Grandma lots of smile. I was even holding her at church and she turns, looks at Grandma and immediately starts smiling at her. Did she smile at me? NO! Ava, why do you smile at everyone but mommy? What does a girl have to do to get a smile?

The only negative about Grandma being here--it makes me miss my family so much!

I came home from dropping Grandma off at the airport, came in the house and shut the garage door. Chase came running and said, "Oh, no. Gran-ma. Gran-ma." He tried to open the door and then tried to get me to open it. He thought I had shut the door on Grandma. I told Chase that Grandma went home. He immediately started crying and kept saying Grandma. Yes, we will all miss Grandma.

Happy Birthday Ken

2011-03-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well, Ken is officially another year older. The kids were definitely more excited for the celebration then Ken was. Ken is not much of a cake fan so he requested pie instead. We had a delicious coconut cream pie, made by yours truly. Yum! Yum!

Music

2011-03-27T18:19:00.000-07:00

All of our kids have enjoyed listening to Ken play the piano. Ava seems to particularly enjoy it. Here she is dozing on daddy's lap as she listens to him play.

Dance a Little Jig

2011-03-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

The girls didn't have school on St. Patrick's Day. Luckily, I was able to find to find a free craft and story time at the Courthouse museum, which was a good thing because the weather was not nice to be outside and we needed to get out of the house.

Checking out the display on old ice cream shops. Jordan is pretending to eat a fake burger.

I don't know why but the kids loved this car and really wanted to get there picture in front of it so that they "could always remember it."

I also learned about free Irish music playing that evening. Luckily, Ken got off work just in time to join us. The kids had so much fun. They started dancing to the music and soon others joined. They ended up all dancing together in a circle. It was so much fun to watch. The crowd really got into it and thought the kids were a riot.

Caden and Jordan (I wish I got a better picture of their face-they were smiling from ear to ear).

Caden and Kailyn dancing. Caden couldn't stop laughing.

Here they are dancing in a circle. The adults were trying to get them to dance under their arms and the kids just couldn't figure it out (it was really funny to watch)

Chase just loved playing with the balloons. He carried it around with him for the next 2 days (even took it to the grocery store) until it popped. It was so sad to see his little face when his prized balloon was no more.

Ava

2011-03-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Ava is up to 8 lbs 10oz and 21 inches (as of a week ago). The last couple of days have been really rough. She has been extra fussy (from noon on she was either eating, sleeping or crying). She is a very gassy baby (I think it may be contributing to her fussiness). Her worst days just had to be on the days that all of the kids were out of school and Ken worked everyday this week and I was trying to get the house ready so that the owner can put it on the market (not much got accomplished on that end!). She did redeem herself today when she decided to be good. Thank goodness since Ken had to work and I had all 5 kids at church by myself.

We still love her though and she sure loves to be held. She also loves Ken. She gave Ken her very first smile and had been smiling at him for a whole week before I even got my first smile! I was so excited to tell Ken she had finally smiled at me only to be trumped by the fact that she had just cooed at Ken...does that really seem fair? I don't think Ava realizes who is getting up with her at night and giving her all of those calories so that she can finally start to chunk up. Yes, they realize very young that daddy is the fun one.

(Ava 4 weeks old)

Lowes

2011-03-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Lowes has great free projects for kids on Saturdays. The kids love doing them. On this particular Saturday, the kids got to make race cars. They loved being able to use the little hammers to build something on their own.

Ken helping the kids.

Caden putting on the tires.

Chase trying to hammer in a nail.

Jordan helping Chase hammer.

Kailyn focused on hammering (did you notice the tongue?).

Jordan trying to straighten out a nail.

Shelly helping Chase.

Snow Day

2011-02-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago school was canceled for the girls due to extreme cold (-34 F with windchill). Here is what they did to stay busy.

Jordan organized a tea party.

Jordan let Kailyn use her weaving loom to weave a hot pad.

First Bath

2011-02-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

Ava's umbilical cord fell off when she was 8 days old, so she got her first official bath.

First, we had to get pictures of her hair.

Ava was not a fan of her first bath.

She was OK once she got all bundled up in her towel.

All clean.

Look at this adorable hat my sister Jessica made and sent to me. I love it! So cute. She also sent some adorable bows (I'll have to get pictures later).

Big brother Caden holding Ava.

Grandma and Grandpa Bassett

2011-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

This last weekend Grandma and Grandpa Bassett were able to come for a quick visit. We were so glad to have them come. The visit was lots of fun but way too short. We thought they were going to be able to stay a little longer when the interstate closed; unfortunately, the roads reopened later that day. The kids were very disappointed to see them go. The kids had school off Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Monday. It was great having grandparents here for part of the time to help with cabin fever. I think everyone was glad when school started up again on Tuesday. We were all getting major cabin fever since it was too cold to go outside.

Ava looks SO tiny in her carseat.

Our cutie.

Pics of Ava and her Siblings

2011-02-16T09:12:00.000-08:00

We were able to get Shelly and Ava from the hospital the day after Ava was born. The girls had school and some friends took the boys, and then the kids had gymnastics. After gymnastics, we went to get Shelly and Ava (thus the pink leotards).