5 years old...

Happy Birthday Kyle!

We love you!

Happy Birthday Todd!

You snappy dresser you.

Wesley!

Wes is 17 today.

There's NEVER a dull moment when Wesley is around.

We love you Wes.  Hope you have a super duper great birthday!!

Happy Birthday Heather!

Hope you have a great day.

We love you!!!

Eli & Ivy

Eli went on his first scout campout last weekend. He has learned from his brothers that there are a couple of things you MUST have if you are going to survive a campout.

Beef Jerky and Gatorade.

Sylvan went with him and judging from the amount of dirt they carried home they had a really good time.

Friday was Ivy's clogging recital.

Really good cloggers use LOTS of hairspray.

Here are Ivy and Ella on the stage after the recital. 

They both did a great job.

I'm going talk fast so try to keep up.

Somehow we seem to be super busy lately. I have no idea what we've been up to but here are a few things real quick like.

Ivy got new shoes.  They are gold and sparkly.  Don't be jealous.

We went to the Veteran's Day Parade.  Based on the contents of the parade we learned that, in Mesa, no one loves veterans more than Cub Scouts and Bikers.

I've never seen so many little boys on motorcycles in my life.

It was very patriotic. 

And also loud.

(this is not a picture of a cub scout OR a biker, according to our sources, this is a picture of a real veteran)

Wesley made a really long cardboard tube and got on the roof.  After that I don't know what happened.  I couldn't watch.  He's still alive and we didn't have to go to the emergency room so it must have been a success.

Eli got this headlamp.  He uses it to blind me--I mean he uses it to see things in the dark.  And also the dusk.  And sometimes in his closet.

Halloween

Our Jack-o-lanterns moments before they turned to moldy piles of mush.

Here is Eli in his knight costume. 

He and Sylvan worked tirelessly on the mask or shield or whatever they ended up calling that dangerous hunk of metal with it's sharp and pointy edges.  He LOVED it and it was a huge hit with everyone (except his mom who was a worry wart for Halloween).

Here we have Ella who was NOT a princess, she was a pumpkin thank you very much, and Ivy who at the last minute decided to be a (gang sign throwing) librarian.  A costume that required one eighth the hairspray her original costume, an 80's rock star, would have needed.  A much better choice for the environment (and her dad who was worried about just what kind of 80's rock star she had in mind).

Edge was a zombie. Wesley dressed up as a snarly teenager who refused to have his picutre taken. 

Pretty much his daily uniform.

Nate was that red thing.  Lovely isn't it?  

We had a great time trick or treating in our old neighborhood with Brandon (who somehow mangaged to no have his picture taken either), Ella and Jon. 

Here is Ella taking a break and checking out her loot.

Another successful Halloween.