Just the 7 of Us

Kiah Turns "8"

2012-01-09T23:50:00.010-05:00

Our sweet little Kiah turned "8" this last week. I can't believe the time has flown! We had a little "Baking Birthday Party" for her. I guess I shouldn't have called it a "baking" party since we decided the kids wouldn't really have time to BAKE the cupcakes, decorate, and eat them too! We were going to have the kid help assemble some caramel brownies that we would then bake, but we ran out of time for even that! Oh well! I think the kids still had a fun time.

Kiah helped me make some yummy Red Velvet Cupcake Pops. I hadn't made them before, and learned a lot for next time, but they turned out cute, and YUMMY!

Kiah really wanted to invite 2 of her teachers from school. I did tell her that her teachers had real lives and probably would not be able to attend ... but, she wanted to give them an invitation anyway. Both of these sweet teachers dropped by, one even stayed for over an hour. It was BEYOND NICE!

Here is Kiah with Ms. Judge (her actual teacher). Here they are decorating their chef hats!

Then they fancied up their punch cups by adding some SUGAR crystals. So fancy!

Then we decorated cupcakes! Strawberry at the birthday girls request!

This is sweet Ms. Weisser. She is a special needs teacher who teaches the kids assigned to Kiah's homeroom class. Kiah has developed a "best friend" relationship with one her classmates who is one of Ms. Weisser's students. Kiah has a very kind heart and naturally is a nurturing "mother bear." She sits by her in class and at lunch, makes sure her needs are met, and that she is happy. She truly loves to take care of her, walk her places she needs to go, and even got a special "shout out" over the loud speaker from the principal for her kindness to this special friend. But, to Kiah she just loves this "best friend" because she is kind too! It was fun to have her come to Kiah's party as well!

And EAT!

Happy Birthday Sweet Kiah! It going to be a great and special year! The best part about being eight, is she will be baptized next weekend by her Father. Can't wait!

Kiah requested to go to Red Robin for her Birthday dinner. Her dad was just fine with that! Especially when Kiah ate all the ice cream that the servers brought her when they sang, and he had to order a MUD PIE, so that everyone could have some ice cream.

That is one BIG piece of pie!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T23:05:00.010-05:00

"Silent Night" ... well not quite! Although we took some time Christmas Eve to read and act out the Nativity story, our home is NEVER silent! However, we are grateful for the Holy nature of THAT silent night long ago! Let us always remember HIM!

One present to open Christmas Eve. (Thanks for the pajamas Nana Kathy!)

CHRISTMAS MORNING!
Here were some highlights from our Christmas 2011

Puzzles (thanks Nana Kathy!) and Dollar Store light-savers (thanks Eva!)

Flashlights (thanks DAD!)

Backpacks, dolls and cars (Thanks Nana Vicki)

Make-up and bags (Thanks Nana Vicki!) Nice lipstick Malea!

Cars (Thanks Nana Kathy!)

Painted Wooden Dolls (yes, i will take credit for painting those :)

Santa brought the older girls a Make-a-Bear Set. VERY FUN!

... and a HUGE house to color and play in! (hours of entertainment and then perfect to throw away! -- Joseph couldn't be happier, well I guess he would be happier if it didn't have markers with it!)

We can't forget the $2 costumes I got on Target clearance after Halloween. Gotta LOVE that!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner with our great friends! I guess we were so hungry and it all looked so good, we forgot to get a before picture! Oh, well! Here we are 5 pounds heavier! Enjoy!

We are so VERY BLESSED! Merry Christmas to you!

A Musical Christmas Carol

2012-01-01T22:54:00.002-05:00

We have a very nice friend in our ward that gave us tickets this year to attend "A Musical Christmas Carol" at the Byham Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. What a treat! It had a great cast, amazing music, it was funny, and moving at the same time. We all really enjoyed it! We sure love Pittburgh, and we sure love kind friends! Thanks!

(it was a little chilly outside)

Our little Eva even ran into her Preschool teacher. That was special!

Then off to Dunkin Donuts for a free donut and some Hot Chocolate! What a fun night!

Tater Mater Alligator

2012-01-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

I LOVE this kid!

Gingerbread Houses

2012-01-01T17:35:00.007-05:00

Making Gingerbread Houses is such a fun Christmas Tradition. This year we we were invited to make them with some friends the Bringhursts and the Stephensons. Liz is due to have a little baby any day and she spent all day making these gingerbread house pieces -- from scratch! Bless her soul! And the Bringhurst family had us over to their home and they just moved into the area a few weeks before. So nice! It will be so fun having them here! They only live 2 streets over from us and their oldest daughter just started school at the same elementary school as the girls. Kind of sad we won't be here too much longer! But, back to the gingerbread homes and people -- IT WAS FUN! Thanks guys!

And these babies had such a blast playing with all these different toys! Hooray to friends, Horray to Christmas Traditions!

Ward Christmas Party

2012-01-01T17:07:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful ward Christmas Party again this year. A yummy dinner, a great presentation and music by the Primary, games for the kids, and a special visit from Santa's helper.

Tate was the first to greet Santa, and couldn't leave him alone!

This is a "typical" Malea stance photographed. Love it!

Fun times!

Alan and Michelle's Wedding

2011-11-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Alan Whitaker.
Sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple on November 11, 2011.

It was a beautiful, happy day. We couldn't be happier for you two! Here were some of our favorite pics we took that day!

(YES, our son is trying to Karate Chop the bride - how sweet!)

My brothers Spencer and Alan

Michelle was such a BEAUTIFUL bride! She was so great to let the girls follow her around and hold up her dress. I am sure they were driving her crazy! :)

I have to say, this is one of my favorite pictures of the year. All five of us together! Awesome!

Handsome!

Are you surprised that nobody is looking at the camera or smiling, huh -- not me!

Tricia and her cute kids.

Joseph and his handsome brother Jacob (not to say the others aren't handsome too!)

Sara and her hubby George and kids!

I have no idea what these little ones were doing (hugging, dancing, fighting???). But it sure looked cute!

Alan and Michelle had a great photographer that set up a little back room at their reception with some dress up costumes for the guests to come and take pictures in. I have to say, the kids were thoroughly entertained the entire evening running around and finding new friends for the photographer to shoot! It was awesome!

I think this speaks for itself~!!

What an amazing day!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-11-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

FAMILY PICTURES, wow! So, with all the chances we have had in the last few months to take a good family picture. Why is it that our little family can't seem to all look at the camera at the same time and smile. It's pretty much making me crazy! We had a really great friend take our family pictures this fall before we lost all the leaves. She did a great job -- was patient, funny, and put up with all our craziness. Thank you Mendy.

Here are some of my favorites:

The kids:

Kiah Spring (almost 8)

Malea Sky (6)Eva Rain (4)
Tate Joseph(almost 3)Talee Grace (almost 3)

Here is some comic relief:

"Stonewall"

Eva gets a star for this picture:

This background was BEAUTIFUL, too bad everybody was -- what was everyone doing?????

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T23:31:00.000-04:00

BOO! You scared??? They were pretty scary cute!

Trick or treating at the dental school

"Where is the candy????" First you have to smile, oh -- and put red stuff on your face!
Much better!

Way too much candy! First trick or treating at the dental school, then off to a friend's Halloween Party, then the Trunk or treat at the church and finally Halloween night. Good thing it rained and the kids were too cold to stay out long!

Dental Wives Weekend Away

2011-10-21T21:53:00.000-04:00

A group of the LDS Dental Wives decided we needed a weekend away. We didn't go far, just about an hour outside Pittsburgh to the nearest outlet malls. We spent the night Friday night, and ate and shopped on Saturday. No kids, no husbands, just food, shopping, and friends! What a fun memory! Love you ladies!

Joshua and Katie's Wedding

2011-10-17T23:19:00.000-04:00

Joshua and Katie tied the knot in the Salt Lake City Temple on October 15th, 2011. They are a beautiful couple and it was a magnificent weekend! Here are a few snapshots from the event!

Now here is our attempt at taking a family picture. I just want one that everyone is looking at the camera all at the same time and smiling ... is that too much to ask???? I guess so!

By the end it was almost comical. Get over here, stop moving, stand still, and remember you love this, so SMILE! RIGHT!

But this kid sure is cute!

Visit to the Chruch History Museum

2011-10-14T23:00:00.000-04:00

Children and PARENTS alike had a BLAST visiting the LDS Church History Meuseum, on Friday before the wedding. The area that we spent the most time in was the Book of Mormon exhibit, "A Latin-American Celebration." The entire exhibit was hands on and VERY fun!

We made quilts!

Learned to dance ...

...and share!

...and construct buildings.

...and even go fishing!

(These two boys had a blast together!)

We had an amazing time, can't you tell!

Crazy Kids!

2011-10-14T22:33:00.000-04:00

INTERTWINED!

2011-10-13T23:32:00.000-04:00

I hope they never change!

Cowboy Boots and Turkeys

2011-10-13T23:25:00.000-04:00

It was so great to stop by and spend some time with my grandparents. They have been such great examples to me, it's hard living so far away!

The kids had a blast with these boots of grandpas! Too bad these boots were too big! Well, I guess it didn't bother them any!

Nana also taught the kids how to make some edible turkeys. They LOVED IT! Thanks Nana!

Ricks Roommate Reunion

2011-10-06T21:50:00.000-04:00

The beginning of October I had a really special treat! I traveled to Southern California and met up with 4 of my roommates from Ricks College. We missed Karen, who couldn't make it last minute. It has been maybe 8 years or longer since we were all together. We enjoyed the weekend together in one of my roommates family cabin at Lake Arrowhead. What a treat to pick up where we left off without any interruption. We talked endlessly ... we didn't go anywhere fast. In fact everywhere we went it took us 2 hours to get up and go to the next stop. I think I speak for all of us when I say we left our time together better women, mothers, wives, and friends.

One of the first mornings we went to the Belgian Waffle House in Lake Arrowhead Village. This was the Peach Melba Waffle I got. YUM!

We also tried to get in a little exercise. This picture is worth a million words. Even on our hike we couldn't stop talking! Yes, and Heather always uses her hands!

Our beautiful pedicures!

Here is a collage with many of the pictures I love. Click on it to see it bigger!

This is what we are really like -- even after 15 years! LOVE YOU GIRLS!

I have to add that before we went up to the cabin I had the chance to meet up with a few of my other roommates over the years. I met Jen at a little yogurt shop the night I flew in. Then we got to go out to lunch with Rebecca before we headed up the mountain. I am so grateful for good friends.

And strange to say, but one of the highlights of the trip was a quick drive-by of the house I grew up in. I loved growing up here, and I took a few pictures for memory sake.

My house from the 4th grade until I moved away to college.
Then my parents sold it 6 years ago.

Here my dad carved Brad + Kathy. Love it!

Then here I etched my name! It's still there!

October Camping Trip

2011-10-02T23:07:00.003-04:00

We had a blast Friday night camping with the Grants at Beaver Creek. We were supposed to go last weekend, but there were Thunderstorms, so we postponed to this weekend, because it was "supposed to be" sunny. But, the weather forecasted 70% chance of rain. We promised the girls we would go before winter and this would absolutely be the last weekend possible. So, we started driving the hour drive in the pouring rain. Our little Malea said a prayer for us as we entered the camp, and as we arrived the rain had slowed to a drizzle and then completely stopped for the rest of the evening. Our prayers were answered, we had a cold (in the 40s) night, but it was GREAT! It didn't start raining again until we were cleaning up our breakfast the next morning.

The Grants made to die for tin foil dinners! A mixture of 3 meats, potatoes, carrots, onions and yummy spices. DELICIOUS!

Talee and Tate whined almost the entire night, well - until the cupcake came out! Poor tired kids.

Malea turned 6 on the 27th, so we decided to celebrate while we were there. Happy Birthday girl!

Cute kid!

Then of course we put the babies down and the "big kids" had smores. And the we put the big kids down and the even bigger kids had YUMMY peach cobbler. Again, perfection!

I bought those HUGE marshmallows, remind me not to do that again. They were so big the insides don't get cooked, and then when you put them on the graham crackers the insides squeeze out all over your pants -- right, Malea! :)

The kids snuggled together in one tent and kept each other warm through the night. But, of course the babies were up before sunrise!

Breakfast is served!

Who put the bag of donuts within reach of the babies???? Can you see that they each have 3 in their hands? I think this was even round 2! Oh, well -- were CAMPING!

Malea turns "6"

2011-10-02T23:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Malea, we love you!

Breakfast in bed.

Her caterpillar - to go CAMPING cake!

Poor Thing

2011-10-02T23:05:00.000-04:00

Don't you love when your 2 1/2 year old twins decide that they like getting and staying out of their beds, more than they like SLEEP! We are really lucky it has taken them this long to figure out that they won't always "bump their heads" when they climb out. Eva was out at 18 months. But, now that they know they can climb out, they get out at 6:30am, won't take naps, and it takes a few times for them to stay in at night. Poor kids are exhausted, and CRANKY! We just LOVE this stage!

Pittsburgh Alphabet in the park Family Fun

2011-10-02T19:25:00.000-04:00

One of the things we love about Pittsburgh are the FREE activities they have for families. Every year one of our local Parks puts on a "Alphabet in the Park" activity. They have FREE face painting, crafts, prizes, and even a free book. As you can see the kids had a great time. We missed Malea, she was attending a birthday party instead.

"H" is for HAT

"A" is for Art

Tate was meant to be a rancher! Too bad we currently have a NO PET household! :)

A friendly game of "I'll beat you so bad you'll..." NERF Basketball

2011-10-02T19:24:00.005-04:00

You haven't played basketball until you've played a friendly game of "I'll whip you so bad you'll have to stand in the lavatory the whole flight home" HORSE at 1 O-clock in the mornin'.
Coltin put on a basketball and humility clinic despite my home court advantage.
Nice job Coltin. I'm gonna take you down next time...down to China Town!

We started with the traditional

moved to the slightly less so, and then started to have some fun.

Is it just me, or do I look like a moron in this pic?
Lisa assures me that I indeed look like a moron.
Thanks love...so honest...so brutally honest.

diving jumper

slider

ride em' cowboy

down your throat

wing and a prayer

UMM...

driving, diving, off the ceiling

360 dang this was so much fun. Gotta do it again.

Fun with Julia and Coltin

2011-10-02T19:23:00.003-04:00

Julia and Coltin came from Arizona for a quick trip over Labor Day weekend. It was so great to see them! It rained the entire time they were there, and many of the "Pittsburgh favorites" were closed because of the holiday - but, it was so great to have them!

Crazy dad!

2011-10-02T19:23:00.001-04:00

All of you know that Joseph is a little CRAZY! He loves the kids and they always are up to something! We just got a new bean bag for our basement -- this is what he was up to today! NO wonder he is so strong!

There was one minor casualty. A little head bonk! Tate got a nice black eye out of it!

DAD we love you!

First day of School

2011-10-02T19:21:00.000-04:00

WOW, summer sure went by fast! Now, back to a routine! Can you tell the girls eyes are a little puffy this morning -- they were so excited they couldn't go to sleep last night, and then were up earlier than normal. Sweet girls. We sent them off with our traditional "BOO HOO" breakfast. It's sad for me to see them go back! :)

Eva even started a little pre-K program this year at the girls school. She is LOVING it!

Kiah - 2nd Grade

Malea - 1st Grade

Eva - Pre-K

Off they go!

Eva's Teacher, Ms. Riefman

Malea's teacher, Mrs. Hills

Kiah even has her same teacher from last year, lucky girl! Ms. Judge

Kennywood

2011-10-02T19:20:00.000-04:00

The kids had been working on filling a "family date pebble jar" all summer. They would get to put in pebbles for doing their chores happily, doing extra jobs, going the extra mile, happy piano, or whatever else we decided to recognize and thank them for. After filling the jar we went to Kennywood Amusement Park as a family. For those not familiar with Kennywood, it is our town's local amusement park. It is literally 10 minutes from our home, free parking, and they even let you bring in your own lunch. It's of course not free -- but, they kids have been begging us since we moved here to go and now we can check it off our list of things to do! They worked hard all summer, and we had a fun time!

First ride of the morning, first in line -- a little anxious I would say!

Soaked from the Roaring rapids.

Pitt Dental

2011-10-02T19:19:00.002-04:00

Here are our Pitt Dental Panthers. We love Pittsburgh!

Hair Cuts by Joseph

2011-07-21T21:03:00.019-04:00

Joseph played "Daddy Beautician" while I was out of town visiting my family in AZ, and Utah. I have to say I couldn't talk to him for half a day, but now I'm glad I can look back at this and the kids can chock it up for MEMORY sake. He claims "THEY MADE ME DO IT!" At least they took LOTS of pictures!

Kiah: BEFORE

(pictures care of Miss Malea Photography)

12 inches later

Kiah: AFTER

This specific picture is worth a thousand words. This is when Joseph is talking to his sweet wife on the phone, who is across the country - and tells her that he just cut 12 inches off of his eldest child's hair. I think I was silent for over a minute. Then all I could bear to say, was "please cut Malea's a little longer so that there is more room to fix it!" But, I have to say - the girls LOVED them, and they didn't turn out all that bad!

Malea: BEFORE

10 inches later
Malea: AFTER

Sweet Eva just watched the whole thing in AWE! She is 4 now and we have NEVER cut her hair. It just this year, decided to reach past her shoulders. But, we just LOVE it!

These are the girls hair cuts now - after the appointment that I had previously made before leaving on my trip. :) (except for Eva of course, Joseph would NEVER touch her hair!)

I LOVE YOU JOSEPH!

Just another day at the ZOO

2011-07-07T22:40:00.012-04:00

This Tiger took a liking to our little Talee.

Sweet Mary

Whew! Still smiling... (mostly)

Fireworks

2011-07-05T00:37:00.010-04:00

Happy Independence Day!

It seems the weather was jealous of our little fireworks show.
But when life sends rivers of water down the street...we run around and swim in it.

Kiah took most of these pictures. Way to go Kiah.

Before

AFTER

Daddy, we go to Park?

2011-07-04T22:55:00.010-04:00

Count the expressions

Daddy I don't feel so good.

2011-07-04T22:51:00.003-04:00

After fun and games at the Johansen's 4th of July Party Eva was feeling a bit dehydrated.
Didn't take long for that orange slice to put a smile back on her face.

Dress up with the Richardsons

2011-07-04T21:58:00.004-04:00

Thanks Andy and Rachel for being such great sports.

Goodnight and Good Luck

2011-07-04T21:28:00.005-04:00

Baby Chicks

2011-06-27T23:31:00.003-04:00

Some friends of ours just got 17 baby chicks in the mail. They are not more than a week old! For Family Night tonight we went to go see them. It was fun, and each of the kids got to hold one for a quick second.

Yes, Tate loved it, he had no fear!

Tate just wanted in with the rest of them. Can't you just see the wheels turning!

Dinner with Friends

2011-06-27T23:28:00.001-04:00

One of the things we LOVE about Pittsburgh is the people. We had some of our favorite friends over for dinner Sunday night. Thanks for taking such great care of us!

My "NEW" Chair

2011-06-27T22:31:00.004-04:00

BEFORE:

I bought this chair on Craigslist for $20 (with the intention to re-upholster it). It was kind of a random thing really - I don't get on Criagslist very often and we decided it might look nice to put a chair in the entry area of our basement that we are almost done finishing. So, I found this chair - and it stuck out a little too far in that space. Darn, oh well ... I guess it will have to go upstairs! YES! So, I have never done anything like this - but let me tell you - it was FUN! I am sure you will see more in the future! If only I had more space for chairs! ;)

It took Joseph and I 4 hours to pull off all the old material. Well, Joseph helped for about an hour and got about 3 times as much done as I did, in the other 3 hours I was working on it. There is a lot to be said for brute strength! I took a gazillion pictures along the way and labeled on the back of each piece the order I took it off, and any other details I needed to remember. Then I used those pieces as a template to cut the new fabric.

The "BARE" chair.

We refinished the legs, and then went crazy with the nail gun. That was FUN!
I even spilt a little blood on it - just for initiation.

AFTER:

It's even comfortable!

And if you make a new chair, you have to make a new pillow to go with it!

REALLY BEHIND

2011-06-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

So, really sorry that the next several posts all happened over a month ago. But, they are here now! Hopefully it won't take us another 6 months to post something!

Eva's Preschool Graduation BBQ

2011-06-27T21:59:00.006-04:00

This year Eva and 7 little friends have been doing a little preschool swap 1 day a week. We had a very busy learning schedule, LOTS of parties, and even a field trip. We celebrated the end of the year with a BBQ and little program. This special dinner fell on the evening of Eva's birthday, so that was pretty special evening for her.

I love that Talee thinks she is "9".

After dinner we had a little program, where the kids did a little ASL they learned in preschool. They also received an award and there "All About Me" books they had been working on all year.
Then back to food again - Cake and Banana Splits!

Our Eva is growing up!

Eva Turns "4" (and visit from cousins)

2011-06-27T21:48:00.006-04:00

Our sweet busy Eva turned "4" on May 23rd. She got to spend the weekend before her birthday with her Winder cousins who came to visit from Michigan.

Their cousins got to come pick up Kiah and Malea from school. What a treat!

Okay, so let's be honest. Tricia and I spent 85% of our "free" time behind our sewing machines or painting and glazing a (soon to be revealed) furniture project . While sewing we made a special gift for our sister's new baby, Tricia finished 2 ties, and she also made a dress for Sydney. I was working on sewing together a few things for my new chair! We stayed up REALLY late for the 3 nights she was here - and LOVED every minute of it!

Don't worry ... I think the kids had fun too!

These cute little boys are only 6 months and 15 lbs apart! SO CUTE!

Kiah's Art Show

2011-06-27T21:46:00.001-04:00

Kiah LOVES to do anything that has to do with ART! Her butterfly picture titled "Time to Fly" was selected for the District Art Show. Nice job Kiah!

FUTURE RANCHER FOR HIRE...

2011-06-27T21:27:00.007-04:00

Future Rancher for Hire...

... Discovered at the Pittsburgh Children's Festival.
Qualifications include:

"Feeding"

"Smiling"
"Grooming"

"Communicating"
"Organizing"

... and last but not least - "Wrestling."
(But he's VERY expensive!)

We LOVE the Pittsburgh Children's Festival. The city puts it on every year with FREE crafts, face painting, concerts, petting zoo, etc. It is a HUGE event too, they don't hold back on the fun! Although Tate stole the show most of the time at the Petting Zoo, the other kids had a BLAST too! They however, were a little more timid at first.

Look at these awesome face paintings!!!

But that Rancher -- he didn't want anything to do with that stuff! Where's the HORSES???
We LOVE this city!

Nana Vicki's Mother's day visit

2011-06-27T21:13:00.000-04:00

We surprised the kids with a visit from Nana Vicki a few days before Mother's Day. She stayed for about a week, and we had a blast. Thanks for Papa and Grandma Great for letting her come.

Phipps Conservatory

2011-06-27T21:00:00.003-04:00

Nana Vicki LOVES plants and flowers. I think if you asked her, they would take a close second to her 12 children and 25 grandchildren. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden was the perfect place to take Nana for a special treat. The kids LOVE the Butterfly Room, and they were even given a little finding game they played as they enjoyed the gardens.

Happy Mothers Day!

The theme for this summer at Phipps is "Fashionably Fresh."

Carnegie Sports Works

2011-06-27T20:59:00.000-04:00

After spending the morning with Nana and the family at Phipps, Daddy took the older girls and Nana to the Carnegie Sports Works Complex. This place is just perfect for active bodies and minds!

I love the tongue!

Mothers Day 2011

2011-06-27T20:55:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to US!!!!! We had a wonderful Sunday. The kids helped daddy make us breakfast...

... and Eva and Malea spent a LONG time peeling all these carrots for our dinner.

PRECIOUS!

Thank you Nana Vicki for being such an incredible mother. You and Dad taught Joseph how to love and serve, and be a great father. Thank you!

What a treat!

We are so glad you could come! Happy Mothers Day. We LOVE YOU!

Easter fun (and NEW DRESSES!)

2011-04-27T22:31:00.005-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday! Kiah and Malea woke up and found most of the easter eggs that the Easter bunny hid, before the rest of the family was even awake. Good thing the baskets were hidden so well, or they would have found all of those too! Glad they waited so we could at least get a few random pics.

Talee loved the candy (and I am just LOVING her little hair that is starting to curl out)!

The Easter Bunny left some eggs that were full of some of the true symbols of Easter (red cloth, nails, soap, am empty egg, etc.) We had a beautiful devotional after the baskets were found and talked about the true significance of the day. How grateful we are that Jesus is truly RISEN!
The picture above is the best one of the entire clan. We were running on our way out the door to church so we didn't wait for Eva to finish eating her chocolate - as you can see below!
I really LOVED making their dresses this year. I modified a pattern that I found here for those interested!

I've been wondering ...

2011-04-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

...why my girls keep waking up tired!

That sweet Eva can not sleep straight for the life of her! They normally don't all sleep together but they have had 3 days of spring break. Good thing they will only be grouchy for me tomorrow! :-)

Eva's in LOVE!

2011-04-19T20:56:00.003-04:00

This was the conversation between Eva and her dad tonight:

Eva: "Dad, we must be in LOVE because we kissed on the lips ... when I get to be like mommy, I'M going to marry YOU!"

Dad: "But Eva, I'm already married to your momma. I do LOVE you, but someday you will meet a nice boy, who is a returned missionary, and he will take you to the temple and marry you ... and then you'll have your own family."

Eva: "But, dad ... you said a boy is going to marry me and take me to the temple and then I'll have MY OWN family."

Eva: "But, dad ... I already have a family and I want to marry you."

Sunshine ... Finally!

2011-04-10T23:33:00.004-04:00

Sorry it's been a few weeks since we've posted. Here's what we've been doing the past 6 weeks.

Thanks goodness we are having a little more sunshine these days.
We enjoyed a quick trip to the park.

(yes, that is graffiti - SORRY!)

And ... Tate made friends with a neighbor dog, and tried to act like him - a little too much for my liking.

And ... these little babies are so cute, and silly! They just love playing together ...

... and helping each other!

I LOVE the sunshine!

"NO, ME DO IT!!"

2011-04-10T23:28:00.002-04:00

I heard the fridge close the other day and so I walked into the kitchen as Talee was crawling up on the little bench in our kitchen with the bread and some jam.

Mom: Talee can I make you a sandwich.
2 year old Talee: "No, I do it mom ... I do it!"

That's not the funny part - the funny part is that if she can get the lid off - she could and demands that she does, all by herself. Yes, that is my independent 2 year old.

General Conference Traditions

2011-04-10T23:11:00.002-04:00

We LOVE General Conference weekend.
Not only do we get to listen to a living prophet ... but we also love to :

1. Make some type of yummy food. This year it was the "Bunny Buns" found in the April Friend. They were delicious orange rolls shaped into bunnies. The kids loved making them and they were just yummy!

2. Watch conference in a tent, like the people during the time of King Benjamin.

3. The kids love to work on some type of "conference packet" I find on-line. This year they loved making these colored stand up prophets and podium found here.

And, Joseph and I just love to enjoy listening to conference together ... and did I mention ignoring the babies while we listen. The pictures below is what happens when we do that.

The babies took a bag of melting chocolate and took it into the "hiding" corner behind the trampoline. Oh, and they love to color too ... but, they like to use the walls! NICE!

Poor Eva is the only one who didn't get to enjoy the weekend. She spent most of it on the couch with a fever. But, luckily the throwing up didn't start until Monday. At least, lucky for Joseph that is!

Happy Birthday Ladies!

2011-04-10T22:08:00.002-04:00

I have LOVED having the privilege of having these "dental wives" in my life the last few years. It's gotten a little crazy to see each other on a regular basis, but we got together for a want-to-be Cafe Rio dinner with the excuse and an "all encompassing birthday party."
Thanks! Love you ladies!

Sleeping Disorder

2011-04-10T22:04:00.003-04:00

The above picture is what happens when you have 3 girls with VERY different sleep needs, all sleeping in in the same room (2 of which sleep in the same bed). Poor Malea just wanted to sleep, and our youngest of the 3 girls ... didn't.

Random Pics-Lisa multitasking, Joseph just Lookin Good!

2011-03-29T20:28:00.006-04:00

I know RANDOM!

It's Springtime. Hail Yah!

2011-03-29T20:26:00.003-04:00

Lisa does not think that the title is very funny or appropriate, but I do. If you had just been through a Pittsburgh winter then you would too.

Pre school Field Trip

2011-03-29T20:14:00.004-04:00

A few mommy friends have been doing a little preschool swap once a week. We have 8 kids that participate and it has been a crazy fun year! This week we took the kids on a field trip. We went downtown to the Tiny Tots Symphony. In order to get there we thought it would be fun to park at a parking garage and take a short train ride. We all loved it!

Mr. T

2011-03-29T20:12:00.005-04:00

"I Pitty the Foo!"

P.S. Joseph did this post so if the fact that he didn't delete the extra spaces between photo's drives you crazy, then I apologize.

Dr. Dad

2011-03-29T20:01:00.005-04:00

Joseph had a chance to go to the girls school and do a few dental hygiene presentations. He taught all 3 kindergarten classes, and then had a chance to stop by Kiah's first grade class as well. It was Dr. Seuss week and today was "Wacky Wednesday" so you can see mismatching clothes (malea), crazy hair, and clothes on backwards. Joseph started by reading one of our favorite Dr. Seuss books, "The Tooth Book."

He dressed Malea and a friend up like teeth and taught the kids how to floss.

It was a fun day, and the girls LOVED having Dr. Dad come to their school.

Jungle Rats

2011-03-29T19:52:00.005-04:00

Our little gymnast Eva has started taking a little gymnastics class once a week - and it is just PERFECT for her! She is fast, flexible, and daring. Her teacher Ms. Beth is energetic and kind and sings to the kids to get their attention when they are out of line.

At the end of the 12 week session, she invited the kids to bring their parents, siblings/friend inside with them to play. Tate and Talee LOVED it, and can not enter the gym again and sit patiently outside the glass watching Eva, without trying to get inside. Thank goodness the door is REAL heavy! Here are a few pics from that last class together!

SOOO FUN!!!!

Cookie Monsters

2011-03-27T20:19:00.006-04:00

The girls set up shop outside the student lounge of the Dental School this year to sell their Girl Scout cookies. Kiah and Malea sold over 3oo boxes of cookies in 2 days (including the pre-orders). The girls are really looking forward to their swimming party and other fun activities. Thanks for your support! (And yes, Malea's bangs that she "trimmed" back in December are finally starting to grow back - I know, beautiful!)

We took the whole family with us to sell. The babies stayed entertained with a Dora DVD. Thank goodness for modern technology.

Mr. Mustachio Bashio

2011-02-27T22:57:00.003-05:00

Joseph has been growing his beard out for 6 weeks now. The longest amount of time he has ever gone. All this was for the annual charity Mustachio Bashio held at the Dental School. Money is collected by students and then the winner gets to choose where the proceeds go. This year Joseph decided to come up with a very unique upper lip accessory. He said the competition was pretty impressive, but out of the 35 contestants he took home the "Best Overall Moustache" award. I have hated all 6 weeks leading to this little game. However, in the end - it was pretty fun for him!

BEFORE:

AFTER: (all cut himself)

Nice work honey. Now I finally get his lips back! YES!

One last Snow Day (hopefully!)

2011-02-27T22:56:00.001-05:00

I just LOVE Snow Days - not because we get a lot of snow! But, because that means we don't have to go anywhere. We can just all stay home and the kids can just PLAY!!! It's amazing how much they need those days. The kids loved playing outside, and especially loved the whip cream on the top of their hot chocolate after.

Too bad the abominable snowman couldn't have the day off too! He got pretty wet!

Sorry honey!

Babies turn 2!

2011-02-27T22:47:00.004-05:00

Our BABIES turn 2!

It's hard to believe that these sweet babies really aren't babies any more! It's gone by fast ... way too fast!

By the way, can you tell from the cake theme that Joseph has a little too much basketball on the brain!

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Westover

2011-02-01T20:21:00.010-05:00

Welcome to the family Rebekah!
This is a great picture! Together are 11 of the 12 Westover children! Amazing!

Of course, our kids are the ones screaming! NICE!

Yes, I made that tie! :-)

Fun in AZ

2011-02-01T20:21:00.001-05:00

Here are 4 of Joseph's six sisters - yes, they are BEAUTIFUL!

...and these cute little cousins!

Photo Contest Winner

2011-02-01T19:45:00.004-05:00

Yes, this is exactly what it looks like! Joseph getting his nose hairs waxed! Doesn't it just make you smile!

Kiah Turns "7"

2011-02-01T19:31:00.004-05:00

One year older and wiser too ... Happy Birthday to YOU!!!

Kiah is lucky enough to have her birthday in January and this year, she got to spend her birthday surrounded with her Westover cousins in Arizona. She still LOVES Scooby Doo, and I think her DAD did a pretty good job with this cake! Kiah was very specific about wanting the Mystery Machine, with Scooby, and a Ghost following it -- I think Joseph can really deliver!

Then a Scooby pinata and a little mystery hunt to find her presents!

And, even a special appearance by Kiah -DOO!

Happy Birthday Kiah -- we Love you!

On to Arizona

2011-02-01T19:10:00.007-05:00

After spending 10 days at my parents house in Utah, we drove our busy crew to Arizona to spend Kiah's seventh Birthday with Westover cousins, and prepare for Jacob's wedding. We spent our first night at Grandma and Grandpa Westover's house in Cottonwood. Notice the change in apparel from the previous posts!!!

The kids loved spending time here and loved to play in their LARGE, beautiful backyard! I think we captured some tender moments!
Like this one ... that I think I want to send to Hallmark!

And Daddy loved this picture, let me tell you (except the candy necklace of course!!)!

We even got to go to the local park and play with Aunt Laci and Uncle Jared!

Make New Friends, but keep the Old

2011-02-01T18:57:00.004-05:00

Every third day while we were in Utah one of our kids got the stomach flu - it was really weird! But, we could count on it like clockwork! Because of this we didn't get to see as many friends as we had hoped or planned on! But, we were lucky enough to see a family that lived in the same duplex as we did when we were first married. There family has grown as big as ours, but they now have 4 boys and 1 girl! Kind of fun! We had a quick, crazy, fun visit!

A Special Family Night

2011-02-01T18:35:00.000-05:00

We had a special Family Home Evening at my grandparents house before we left Utah and traveled to Arizona. It was fun to have cousins (1st and 2nd generation) together. But, it was especially great to be at grandma and grandpa's house enjoying their spirit and testimony.

This was the children's choir!

This is "Uncle Hercimer" - or at least that is who my grandpa introduces himself as!

Talee of course has to be up to something!!!

We even had a chance to sing Happy Birthday to our little Kiah (who would turn 7, the next day!).

New Years, Boring??? NOPE!

2011-02-01T18:34:00.005-05:00

Nothing for us is ever boring! Including New Years! As soon as the clock struck midnight Joseph and Spencer jumped in my parents pool, then off to tumble and roll in the snow! I know CRAZY!!! As you can see below, it was only 12 degrees outside! I was quite content playing games, but I guess that just wasn't cutting it for the boys! To each their own!

Hope to get the video posted soon!

The Greatest Snow on Earth!

2011-01-31T00:49:00.003-05:00

During the ten days we were in Utah, they had a few big storms that dumped snow! The kids LOVED it! Not only did we (mostly Joseph, with a little help from mom and big helper Malea and Cooper) build a big snow fort - but, also this HUGE snowman "Goliath". He had to have been 9 feet tall!

Love the hammer holder!

This was at the end of our late night snow fort building! Just call me "Princess Eskimo!"

... and Malea wins the award for the spending the most amount of time in the snow. She and her cousin Audrey played in the snow at least 2 hours longer than anybody else
(maybe except for dad)!

After all that - the kids were exhausted!

Movie Night on the Big Screen

2011-01-31T00:41:00.002-05:00

One of the nights we were in Utah, my brother Alan invited all us all over for a movie night at his house. He has a major bachelor pad complete with a projector in his basement! The kids loved snuggling with their uncles, watching Toy Story 3 (which we had not yet seen) and eating papa's famous caramel popcorn. Thanks Alan!

Temple Square Visit

2011-01-30T23:56:00.001-05:00

You know how sometimes you have this vision in your mind of how something will go. You try to think through and plan for all the obstacles so it will go as smooth as possible ... and then it still just turns out awful! Well, that was how our trip to see the lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City went! I just wanted it to be a beautiful, quiet, reverent experience for our little family! But, unfortunately although it was beautiful, our evening was not quiet or even reverent!

Although I brought treats, bundled the kids with layers of clothes, and attempted to go early to avoid tired babies - I didn't account for the GAZILLION other people that might also try to see the lights for FHE, nor did I foresee the uncontrollable little bundle of joy, who was either screaming, running around trying to get lost, or on the pavement meowing like a kitty. She was a piece of work! I have to say, she did get the stomach flu the next morning - which somehow made things a little better for me. At least she had some excuse for her insanely frustrating behavior. Oh, and did I say that Tate wanted to be held the whole night too? Needless to say, even though I was meeting a friend that I hadn't seen in 6 years - we didn't stay long!

This is the happiest Talee was ALL night, and this was walking into the Square! The rest of the time she was like this:
or this:
and Tate was mostly like this:

...although, this picture still turned out pretty nice! (we missed you TONS Tricia)
For those who haven't met my family - this is my mom and dad and my 2 brothers, and sister Sara. My sister Tricia wasn't able to make it from back East.

One of the reason we went to Temple Square was to meet up with a friend I haven't seen since I worked at Nu Skin 6 plus years ago. Jen, thanks for coming to meet us, even though we didn't get to say more than 10 words to each other - and my daughter screamed the whole time, and probably got your girls sick (well - it probably doesn't spread that fast!). It was still worth the night to see you! Thanks!

The evening was far from perfect - but, I have to thank my family, including my grandmother, for wanting to attend and spend the evening together. I should have just stopped for a second (although I might have lost my daughter) and realized where I was. I think that would have calmed me down, given me perspective and really helped me. I know that the temple is where you find peace!

Spencer's Homecoming

2011-01-30T23:37:00.001-05:00

On Christmas morning we woke our kids up at 5:30am and headed to the airport to catch our flight to Utah. After 2 flights and 12 hours of traveling, we arrived safely (and exhausted) to my parents house in Mapleton. It was a fun reunion, especially to see my brother Spencer who just returned from serving a 2 year mission in Alabama. He left the month that the twins were born, so it was fun for them to meet for the first time. We enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner, and then called it a night! (Winder family you were GREATLY missed!)

The next day was Sunday and full of food and friends! Spencer spoke in church, and then invited many over for lunch. It was fun to see many family members that we haven't seen in a while!

This is our sweet grandma great Whitaker that is living with my parents right now.

And this cute kid ... he just needed a big picture of him! No other reason then that!

Time 4 SNOW!

2011-01-30T23:28:00.003-05:00

Our little Eva is always in her little gymnastics leotard (as you may have noticed in other posts). If we go out she always changes as soon as we get home, and sometimes (much to her mothers frustration) she puts her clothes on over her leotard. She thought she was getting away with it this time - but, I caught her!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-30T22:34:00.002-05:00

Our Christmas this year was Merry and bright, and a day early! Santa was kind enough to visit us the morning of the 24th so we could catch an early plane the next morning to Utah. We had a wonderful and relaxing day. The BIG trampoline that Santa set up in our living room, was a BIG hit!

and as you can see ... so was the candy ... even after baths and clean teeth!

Visit from Santa's Helper

2011-01-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

At our ward Christmas Party this year we had a special visit from Santa! Or ... Santa's helper we soon discovered! The kids couldn't believe that he had asked "THIER DAD!" to help! What an honor! We all loved it!

First Piano Recital

2011-01-30T22:29:00.001-05:00

Kiah and Malea had their first piano recital the morning after our fun trip to the Nutcraker. They both practiced for months for this special recital and played GREAT!

Kiah played "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Away in a Manger".
Malea played "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" and "Silent Night".

This is their sweet piano teacher Nicole Gneiting. She is the best teacher any little girl could ask fun. She is fun and happy, and always encouraging and uplifting the girls. She has great games and incentives, which helps the kids practice (even when they don't want to!). Thanks Nicole!

I am still trying to get their videos to upload so come back so check this out again soon so you can hear them!

The Nutcracker Ballet

2011-01-30T22:28:00.004-05:00

We had a special Christmas treat this year, and not the kind you eat! A very special family friend gave our family tickets to the Pittsburgh Nutcraker Ballet.

This was so kind, and we just LOVED it!

We had fantastic seats. We sat on the front row of the terrace over a doorway, so there were no heads in front of the girls to block their view! Very thoughtful!

Then daddy treated us to Ice Cream! The perfect way, to end a great TREAT!

Thanks again Brother Reading!