Final Episodes of The Bachelor

There are very few shows I have time to watch, but The Bachelor is one I have always enjoyed. I have followed most of the seasons. I don't know really know why I like watching this show, it really is ridiculous in so many ways. The girls almost always dress so immodestly and a guy dating 25 woman at once -- it is a little much. Nonetheless, I like seeing which girls the Bachelor chooses to keep each week, I enjoy watching their fantasy dates, and I guess I am a romantic at heart because I love the proposals. I must be pretty naive to think that the shows are actually real; of all 14 seasons (11 of The Bachelor and 3 of The Bachelorette), only one couple got married and one is still together; most couples break up in less than a month after the final show. Anyway, I especially enjoyed this past season with Bachelor Brad Womack. He was nicknamed "the sexiest" Bachelor. Well, the final episode aired last night and I had been anticipating it all week. I kept wondering which of the last two girls would receive the final rose and would he propose to her. There were things I liked about each of the last two girls, Jenni and DeAnna. I really liked DeAnna's family and I guess I was rooting more for her. However, Brad really seemed happy with Jenni so I thought he would choose her. I was really shocked when Jenni arrived first at the mansion and Brad said good-bye to her. I really thought she was going to be the one! Then DeAnna arrived and I was all prepared for my favorite and most romantic part of the season when he gives out the final rose and possibly proposes marriage. I was shocked when Brad said he didn't love DeAnna and said he had to say good-bye to her. Both girls left the show devastated with broken hearts. They didn't understand how he could make such a choice when he told them both he cared so deeply about them. The final shot of the episode shows Brad with tears in his eyes holding the engagement ring he gave to neither girl. Like I said, I guess I'm so naive about this show and the people on it. I really thought Brad wanted to get married. His twin brother and younger brother are already happily married. He seemed like he genuinely wanted that for himself. I really thought he wanted to get married, just like I thought the other bachelors wanted to in many of the other seasons. Anyway, tonight ABC showed "After the Final Rose" and brought back Brad and both the girls. I had read message boards on the internet regarding the show and several claimed that Brad would actually regret his decision and give a rose to one of the girls. These boards said stuff like "My friend works for ABC and confirmed .." or "My sister went to the taping and knows .." Well, I guess I was still holding out hope that Brad would regret his decision and pick one of the girls. I just finished watching it and that was not the case! DeAnna said she would take Brad back in a heartbeat, but he claimed that he was confident that he made the right decision in choosing neither one. Now I don't know what to think. If he didn't fall in love with either one then why did he seem like he was. Is he just not ready to commit? Does he just want to play the field forever? Is he looking for perfection? I really don't know what to think about this guy. He severely broke these girls' hearts. DeAnna's heart was broken all over again tonight. I guess that strongest thoughts I have are that I am so grateful I found true love with Lloyd. I know marriage isn't perfect, but we are so happy together. It bothered me on the show when Bettina, who is divorced, basically said she expects marriage to be complete bliss. Anyone who is married knows you have to work at a marriage and sometimes it's absolutely wonderful and sometimes it pretty hard. You stick together through the good times and the bad. I am just so happy that after 13 years of marriage, I still feel like I have the "fairy tale ending" Lloyd is my everything and he has brought me more joy that I could have ever thought was possible. Please leave any comments you may have regarding The Bachelor. By the way, my favorite girl this season was Sheena!

A Visit from Grandpa Payne - Happy 75th!

We loved our visit from Grandpa Payne last week. He got to go to with us to a couple soccer games, out to Denny's and Fuddruckers (just opened in Modesto), to Costco (good thing he was there because after spending over $500, we filled 3 shopping carts), to the train museum in Sacramento, and to the temple with Lloyd. While he was here we celebrated his 75th birthday which is actually on November 26. He is in great condition and such a loving and supportive father/grandfather. Thanks for a great visit!

What a special father and Grandpa!

Happy 75th Birthday!

Our Little Guy Is Growing Up

Well, Conner is officially ten months old and it's almost breaking my heart. I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast and will soon be turning one and become a toddler. He's already getting into a lot of things like taking the tupperware out of the kitchen cabinets and drawers, knocking over trash cans, ripping up magazines, and eating anything he finds on the floor. He is still such a happy baby. He loves his dad and siblings, but still prefers Mommy since he's still nursing (I told Courtney today he won't want me when he's a teenager so I better enjoy it now). He love to be outside with the rest of the family and got really dirty on Saturday as he crawled around when Lloyd was doing yard work. He says "Dada," "Mama," and "Hi." One of his favorite things to do is rapidly shake his head; it's really cute and funny. I am trying to "eat him up" as much as I can since he's my last baby. I just recently went through all my baby girl clothes to give to my sister. It seems like these kids grow up in the blink of an eye. I feel so very blessed to have five beautiful, healthy children. My friend, Stacey, who loves photography took these pictures of Conner on October 25. Thank you Stacey, for capturing these shots of our little guy!

"Of all the blessings God sends from above, the one most precious is a baby to love."

Ten perfect and tiny little toes -- so kissable!

"Babies are God's proof that the best things do come in small packages!"

"A mother holds her children's hands for awhile ... Their hearts forever."

Update Regarding November 13's Post

I didn't mean to sound negative when I left my "I Can't Wait Until Christmas Vacation" post. I think I was a bit maxed out. Anyway, I just wanted to say things are slowing down and looking better. Last Thursday I got to go to the gym, take a shower and style my hair, do some personal scripture study, and finish my Twilight book (I'll give an update on this when I finish all three). This weekend Courtney's soccer game was cancelled so we got to clean the house and garage. Lloyd and I were so excited to have a Saturday to just stay home and get some things done. At 10 pm we went on a quick date to get some frozen yogurt from the drive thru and drop off some baby stuff at the DI trailer. It's amazing that I can be so grateful for something as simple as taking a shower and doing my hair. It really helps me to feel good!

Our Little "Stars"

The girls have recently had a few opportunities to participate in some performances. First, Courtney performed in our ward's road show on October 27. She had worked very hard with the youth in our ward on their roadshow called "CTR Idol." They did a take off of American Idol where the three judges judged how appropriate media choices were. The theme of the road show was "Take Out the Trash" as in taking out inappropriate influences in our lives. Courtney and our ward's youth did a fabulous job. Courtney had a big smile and cute dance moves as she performed.

Hannah Montana number

"I'll Build You a Rainbow" number

Our Bishopric - The CTR Idol judges

"Throw the Trash Out" Number

This was also a busy event for Lloyd. He was in charge of the roadshows for the stake as part of his calling in the Stake YMs Presidency.

The next day Katelyn and Kylie did the Primary program at church. Kristi was in charge of this one. The Primary children all did a beautiful job and the spirit was really strong. My favorite moment was when they children sang "Love Is Spoken Here." Our Senior Primary boys really shined. I really love serving in the Primary!

The Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation theme was "I'll Follow Him in Faith"

On Friday, November 2 Katelyn was in a Missoula Children's Theater Performance of Robinson Crusoe. She was part of the Frowny-Faced Tribe that had crazy hair and colorful outfits. She did a great job singing and even had one line.

The Robinson Crusoe cast

They were a cute, "scary," tribe!

Today Courtney gave her first official sacrament meeting talk on knowledge. She researched and wrote the talk all by herself. She did an excellent job and received several compliments. Kylie also gave a talk in Primary and spoke about all the things she is grateful for. She is a great reader! It's fun to see these kids really shine!

I Can't Wait Until Christmas Vacation!

As many of you know summer is my very favorite time of the year. I love the warm weather and the water activities you can do. What I especially love is that the kid are out of school and other activities, and the pace of life really slows down. Such has not been the case this fall. I try to make this blog a positive account of all that 's going on in our lives. However, today I just need to put some thoughts in writing and express how I have been feeling. We have been so busy lately -- much too busy. Not to mention that all five of the kids and Lloyd were really sick last week with fevers, bad headaches, and sick stomachs. I often feel overwhelmed, like I'm drowning and can barely keep my head out of the water. I know we haven't had any major catastrophes, but life still seems busy. Whenever I talk to Lloyd about it, he says "We have five kids. Life is going to be busy." I have a bad habit of comparing our family to some of the huge families (they have 14 or even 16 kids) that I see shows about on TLC. I always tell Lloyd, we don't even have a third of the number of kids they have and they seem to have it more together than we do (their kids don't fight, the mom never yells). I feel like I am a capable, intelligent, and organized person. I wonder why I just can't get it together. There are times I really feel like a loser. I have tried to prioritize and let some things go. I have even prayed that the Holy Ghost will give me thoughts on how I need to spend my time. I am discouraged because I haven't had or made the time to do some things that are really important to me. I really want to spend more time doing personal scripture study, but I haven't figured out a way to fit it into my day. Also, last week I only got to the gym once. Anyone who knows me know that's practically unheard of. I often don't have the time to take a shower or thoroughly blow dry and style my hair. I want to have more time with Lloyd which is so hard to do with him working nights and commuting 4 hours a day. Also, I have really been wanting to eat better, but it takes time to prepare healthy food. A lot of times I am forced to eat standing up or on the run. I started making a list of some of the things I've been so busy with. Here are a few examples of how my time is spent: grocery shopping, changing diapers, paying the bills, planning and carrying out Girl Scout meetings, feeding Conner baby food, taking the kids to dance, gymnastics, soccer practice, Activity Days, Mutual, Girl Scouts, and birthday parties, planning sharing time for Primary, attending multiple soccer games every Saturday, helping the kids with their homework and listening to them read, sorting, doing, folding, and putting away mountains of laundry (this one is almost a full time job itself), decorating the house for holidays, driving and picking up the kids from school, making beds, Family Home Evening, buying birthday gifts, taking kids to doctor appointments and picking up their prescriptions, nursing Conner, making dinner, planning and having play group, refereeing the kids' arguments, visiting teaching, picking up toys, vacuuming, family scripture study, bathing the kids, helping with many fundraisers (soccer, school, and Girl Scouts), returning phone calls (this has gotten so bad that we have ran out of space on our answering machine), scrubbing the floor, and I am suppose to do all these things (and more) with two active little boys who are always into something. I did have to laugh today when Cameron locked himself in the bathroom two times and we had to coax him to unlock the door. I have let quite a few things go. Lloyd asked me not to be the Room Mom this year and I'm not volunteering weekly in the classroom. I've had to let some things go around the house like cleaning the bathrooms and dusting. The kids aren't taking piano any more. I haven't been able to finish the book club book, Twilight, I recommended while all my friends are on the second or third book. I am glad I've let some things go, but I need to let go of even more things. I really enjoy life when things aren't so busy. This is why I am really looking forward to Christmas vacation when we get a break from school and other activities. I don't want anyone to misunderstand me or how I feel about my life. I am so very grateful for all that I have been blessed with. I plan on doing a blog later this month about all my blessings. For now I want to mention how grateful I am that I don't have to work outside of the home right now; I really don't know how I would do it. Lloyd is a great husband and father who is making it possible for me to be home right now. I also want to mention a few pick me ups or guilty pleasures I give myself. I have three shows I watch (The Bachelor, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader-Making the Team, and I Want to Look Like a High School Cheerleader Again). I also get to go on a Girls Night Out about once a month. I go scrapbooking about once a month. I try to take a nap every Sunday. I go to Book Club once a month. I go on dates with Lloyd about 2-3 times a month (it's great that Courtney can babysit now). I treat myself to a pedicure every 2-3 months. I always have a diet soda available when I need a quick treat. I am very lucky that Lloyd encourages me to take a break every now and then. Well, writing all this out has helped me to keep things in perspective. I want to end with one of my favorite quotes from a Don't Sweat the Small Stuff daily calendar my mom gave me, "It's pleasant, even peaceful, to run a household, raise children, and deal with life at home when your mind isn't filled up and overwhelmed with thoughts of how you could be doing better." I am going to try to take this advice and focus on what I'm doing right and now what I'm doing wrong.

Halloween Happenings

We had a wonderful Halloween. We really enjoyed the ward party at church. We played a lot of games and the kids got tons of candy at the trunk-or-treating. Everyone enjoyed dressing up and looked really cute!

Courntey - Our Wonder Woman

Katelyn - Our Princess

Kylie - Our Butterfly

Cameron - Our Fireman

Conner - Our Little Bear

Mom and Dad - Our 50's couple

We Have a Star!

We were so excited to see Kylie's photo and name on the front page of the Local Section in our city's paper The Modesto Bee. The article appeared in Saturdy's paper and talks about Red Ribbon Week (kids pledge to stay drug free) and her school's jog-a-thon. Kylie was thrilled and thinks she is famous now.

P.S. We were so excited to learn that our family will soon be getting a girl cousin. Karen and Matt are having a girl due in March!

Pumpkin Patch

Last Monday night, October 22, we went to the pumpkin patch for Family Home Evening, as you can see from the pictures we had a great time! We went in the corn maze, fed the fish, saw farm animals, and of course, picked out pumpkins. We cherish moments like this.

Family Updates

Everyone I've been talking to says that they have been so busy lately. I keep wondering why October is such a busy month. I mean it's not like its the holiday season. I guess it is soccer season though and that keeps our family very busy. We have at least three soccer games at different times and places every Saturday. We are so grateful Lloyd has weekends off! Well, I thought I would just give a quick update on what we have all been up to.

Lloyd is working a lot; he's trying to work a double shift every week so we can have a little extra. He is in the second counselor in the Stake YMs and is in charge of coordinating the roadshows for the entire stake. He just ordered our new pool liner and wishes he had more time to spend working on the backyard. We all celebrated when we learned Lloyd got Halloween night off.

Kristi enjoyed her half marathon, but hasn't gone on a run since. She's been doing Body Pump and Turbo Kick classes at the gym. She's trying to eat a little better to lose the last 12 pounds to get to her pre-pregnancy weight. She picks up a lot after the kids and is almost always doing laundry. She is in charge of the Primary program at church (Oct. 28) which seems to be going pretty well. She's been buying a few items from ebay including the kids' Halloween costumes and a professional flat iron.

Courtney is becoming a teenager. She is in our ward's roadshow. She also started back with Girl Scouts (Kristi is the leader). She just took her earrings out and is sporting a different pair every day. She loves to instant message on the computer and play her SIMS 2 Pets game. Courtney also loves the trophy (2nd place) she got from her last soccer tournament.

On Tuesday, Katelyn and Kylie switched back to the Standiford, the school that they went to last year. Originally, they had to go to our neighborhood school because their transfer to Standiford was denied, but Standiford called on Friday and asked us if we wanted to come back. The girls decided they would. Now all of the girls are on a traditional schedule instead of year round. Katelyn adores her new teacher. She is also back to Girl Scouts and ballroom dancing. She has improved so much in soccer and is really helping her team out this year.

Kylie is all over the soccer field! I keep reminding her not to be a "ball hog." She scores at least five goals a game (there are no goalies at her level). She has also started gymnastics. Her teacher says it comes pretty naturally to her. I would love for her to compete in gymnastics like I did, we'll see. She is such a great reader. I wish I could take the credit, but it comes from her kindergarten teacher and her own ability. She also is enjoying Brownie Girl Scouts. Kylie keeps telling us she doesn't want to grow up because she doesn't want to get her period (we're preparing Courtney for this one) or have a baby. She says she just wants to be ten years old not any older.

Cameron is Cameron - never a dull moment when he's around. He thinks some Halloween things are "scary." He locked me out of the house three times last week, lost my license(luckily Kylie found it inside a dollhouse in the garage), and throws things out his bedroom window on the second story. He also sneaks into the car to eat gum and swallow it. I think he swallowed 4-5 pieces one day. Even though he keeps us on our toes, he is very sweet. He always has a kiss for us and says very precious things. When I say "How old are you?" He says "I'm three years old." When I ask how old I am he says, "You're Sister Payne." Also, when he makes a mess in his room or breaks something I say "Who did this?" and he readily admits, "I did it!" Last week he ripped up the two framed pictures I had of the boys with their newborn pictures and footprints. Oh well! Cameron also loves going to his play group with four other little boys every Tuesday and Thursday.

Conner is now 9 months old. I keep telling him not to grow up, but he isn't listening. I love all the baby stages, but he's at an especially cute one right now! He is always smiling at us and so very happy. He still loves to climb up the stairs and continues to do the army crawl. He loves to eat and nurse. He is getting his 8th tooth. It's funny he had 7 teeth for so long and the one that is coming in on the bottom is finally going to even things up. He has recently learned how to shake his head "no" and does it all the time to get attention. Now we are trying to teach him to wave bye-bye. He loves the vacuum. He gets a huge smile on his face whenever he sees the vacuum and always chases after it. I think he looks so cute when he sits on the seat in a shopping cart. He holds the little bar and smiles at everyone he sees. I told the girls I may just have to take a picture of him in the shopping cart (Courtney thinks that would be very embarrassing). He is sleeping well. He goes to sleep around 10 and wakes up around 7. He and Cameron already really love each other. I think those two are going to be trouble together. Tonight I asked the girls, "Is it just me or is Conner really cute?" They said he really is a cute baby. We are so blessed to have him. I have to admit I love it that he can't talk back to me yet. I adore his little blonde head and precious blue eyes. He looks a lot like Kylie. I guess you could say I'm smitten with our little guy.

Well, that's life around here. I'm grateful this blog is helping me record some things about the kids. I haven't written in my journal in a long time. I'm trying to enjoy these precious years with my children.

An Adored Prophet

I had to speak in church on Sunday. The Bishopric let me choose my own topic so I chose to speak about General Conference. Even though we all know talks are not the most fun thing to do, I really considered this one a blessing. It helped me to pay closer attention to conference and review all the talks that were given (they're already available on the internet). My sweetest and most tender moment of the conference came Saturday morning. When I woke up I quickly turned to the BYU channel. I was anxious to see who was going to take President Faust's spot in the First Presidency and who would be called to the Quorum of the Twelve. After the choir sang, President Hinckley read the sustaining of church officers. As I watched him read the names including his own, my heart was filled with so much love for him. The Lord has truly given the Church a tender mercy by prolonging President Hinckley's life here upon the earth. He is 97 years old and has so much life, vigor, and love. Although he desperately misses his dear wife who died three years ago, he presses on. He is so humble and has such a sense of humor. We have been truly blessed as he has served as our prophet these past twelve years. What a precious moment it was for me last Saturday morning as I watched our sweet prophet. I know without a doubt he is a modern-day prophet and a mouthpiece for the Lord. I know he truly loves and prays for us daily.

In my talk I also highlighted some of the messages given at conference. I specifically enjoyed Elder Dallin H. Oak's talk entitled, "Good, Better, Best." In his talk he says. "Most of us have more things expected of us than we can possibly do...We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good thins we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should commend priority attention in our lives." He goes on to recount the story of Mary and Martha found in the Bible. I often have to ask myself am I a Mary or a Martha? President Oaks really emphasizes spending quality time together as a family. We should not let work, sports, TV, video games, and even church activities take away the precious time we can use to study the gospel and be with our family. For Family Home Evening, we made a chart of all the activities we do and we divided them up into categories of "Good," "Better" and "Best." We put this chart on our fridge to serve as a reminder of how we can best spend our time. I highly recommend this talk!

I also liked what Sister Beck had to say about mothers doing less. She explains that mothers choose very carefully how they spend their time and don't try to do it all. There we go! We all have permission not to be super Moms.

Well, I did not intend for this post to be so long, but I wanted to share just a few thoughts from conference. I hope the inspired words of our dear leaders will be something we cherish.

A Priceless Feeling

On Saturday, September 29, I ran the half marathon I had been training since May for. Below are a few costs I had for the half marathon.



Worn in running shoes:

35 dollars

MP3 player with all favorite songs:

85 dollars

Half Marathon entry fee:

40 dollars

The thrill of running 13.1 miles and crossing the finish line:

PRICELESS!



Yes, I really enjoyed the race along with my two friends Ann and Julie. The course race was very flat which I loved. The weather was perfect (not too hot or cold), except for a little wind. I completed the race in 2 hours and 4 minutes. Julie and Ann were 7 minutes ahead of me at 1 hour 57 minutes. I was excited that I beat my goal by 11 minutes; my goal was to finish in 2 hours 15 minutes. I think the pizza and cookies I ate the night before gave me extra energy and the songs Lloyd had downloaded for me kept me moving. I got a little tired around mile 9, but not too bad. The only mile that was hard was mile 13 because I knew I was almost there. It was such an exhilarating feeling when I finished. A runner's high really is priceless. Ann and I (and maybe Julie) are looking forward to doing a full marathon in October 2008 in St. George, UT. Something to train hard for - 26 miles is twice as many as 13!

How Well Do You Know the Paynes? -Trivia Questions

This is just a fun little quiz about our family to see how well you know us. To get the answers, click on the comment link below.

1. Where did Kristi and Lloyd meet?

2. Where did Lloyd grow up?

3. Where did Kristi grow up?

4. Where did Lloyd and Kristi go on their honeymoon?

5. What color is our house in Modesto?

6. What month was Conner born in?

7. Who is the only member of our family that wears glasses?

8. What is Lloyd's all-time favorite sport?

9. What is Kristi's all-time favorite sport?

10. What is our family car?

11. What grade is Courtney in this year?

12. What college did Lloyd graduate from?

13. What college did Kristi get her MA from?

14. What restaurant do we often go to on Tuesdays/Saturdays because kids eat free (2 kids for every adult)?

15. What is Cameron's favorite toy?

16. What school did Kristi teach at for 6 years and Courtney go to for kindergarten?

17. What is Kylie's middle name?

18. What is our cat's name?

19. What type of dancing does Katelyn take?

20. Cameron was born on the day Courntey turned what age?

21. What was the name of the dog we had for two years?

22. What color sofas do we have?

23. What year were both Lloyd and Kristi born?

24. How long does it take Lloyd to get to work?

25. How many bedrooms does our home have?

Thoughts on Motherhood

Mother's Day 2007

Being a mom is definitely my greatest joy and greatest challenge. I constantly worry if I am doing a good enough job. Am I too strict or too lenient? Am I helping my children to develop their talents or am I over scheduling them? Should I tell them what to do or have them figure it out on their own? Do I do enough or too much for them? Do they know how much I love them? Am I enjoying them enough when they are still little? I feel so inadequate at times. This job is too important to do it wrong! I have tried to let my kids know that I am aware of my imperfections and I am simply doing the best I can. I feel so blessed to be a mother. I am grateful the Lord gave me the opportunity to be a mother to the five spirits that were sent to me and Lloyd. The Lord must have had some faith in me, so I'll trust in that faith. I recently saw a scrapbook page about "50 Reasons I Love Being a Girl." Well, I have plans to do a similar one with motherhood. My journaling for this page appears below.

50 Things I Love About Being a Mother

♥I have an excuse to eat PB&J sandwiches. ♥ I get to plan fun birthday parties. ♥I have the joy of seeing my husband be a father. ♥I experienced the miracle of giving birth. ♥It helps me to appreciate all my mom did for me. ♥Christmas morning wouldn’t be the same. ♥I always have someone to go out to ice cream with. ♥I have someone to buy cute outfits for. ♥I have plenty of scrapbook pages to do. ♥I get to see my daughter’s dance recitals. ♥I can enjoy again the movies I loved as a child (i.e. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, and Midnight Madness) ♥I always get something special on Mother’s Day. ♥I’ll get to be a grandma. ♥ I can kiss my baby’s feet or neck whenever I want. ♥There’s always something to laugh at. ♥ I get to see my children learn how to read. ♥The tooth fairy visits our house. ♥I got to name my children. ♥I always have someone to say “I love you” to. ♥Swim lessons are part of my summer routine. ♥ I have learned to love the Disney channel. ♥ I get to wrap my kids in a towel after they take a bath. ♥Disneyland vacations are the best. ♥I’ve memorized the words to Goodnight Moon. ♥I get to experience the excitement of going back to school. ♥I’ve always got crayons in the house. ♥I have someone to bake cookies for. ♥I get lots of hugs. ♥I can give one of the kids the chore of unloading the dishwasher. ♥My Saturdays are never dull during soccer season. ♥I am constantly being humbled. ♥I get to smell baby shampoo. ♥I get to buy some pretty exciting toys. ♥I am never lonely. ♥I always have someone to play a game with. ♥I get to be a Girl Scout leader. ♥I’ve learned to be a bit more patient. ♥Family Home Evening is always an adventure. ♥I see a lot of smiles. ♥I still sing Primary songs. ♥I get to be called “Mommy.” ♥I always have a drawing or craft project to hang up. ♥I don’t have to work outside of the home. ♥I get to relearn the Articles of Faith. ♥I have someone to go to the park with. ♥I can share my thoughts on motherhood with other moms. ♥Usually one of my kids will get me a drink of water if I ask nicely. ♥I have some cute photos to put up around the house. ♥I can raid my kids’ Halloween candy. ♥I have an amazing husband and five beautiful spirits I get to spend eternity with.

Conner: Growing Up Too Fast

As you can see from these photos, our little guy is growing up way too quickly. He is eight months old now and starting to get into trouble. He loves to climb the stairs all the way to the top. We keep saying we should put the safety gate up, but it hasn't happened yet. In the meantime, Conner has mastered going up the stairs, but he knows better than to try and go down them. He pulls himself to standing whenever and wherever he gets the chance: in his crib, by the couch, in the fridge, by the girls' bunkbed, by the bathtub. For a while, he would pull himself up and not know how to get down. He would cry until someone helped him sit down, but now he's learning how to bend his knees ans sit down. Of course, he puts everything he finds in his mouth. He has 7 teeth now and eats just about everything! He loves Ritz crackers, bananas, and even green beans. He also still loves to nurse. I am trying to cherish eat moment with him especially since he is our last baby. We are so blessed to have our little Bubba Lou (that's his nickname).

Four Recent Birthdays

Well, a few weeks back we had four birthdays all in a row. Courtney and Cameron celebrated at Red Robin. Courtney got her ears pierced for her 12th birthday. She also had a soccer/water games party with her friends. Cameron turned 3 and had another train party this year. Kylie turned 6 and had a PJ party, but it wasn't a real sleepover. I enjoyed a slice of 7-layer chocolate cake from Claim Jumpers restaurant. Our week of birthdays is always a busy one.

Courtney with new pierced ears!

Birthday boy and girl with sundaes at Red Robin

Cameron loves his new "train" tent.

Kylie loved her PJ party!

Me and my 7-layer chocolate cake!