The Zoo

The kids had a day off from school on Yom Kippur, so we went to the zoo. It was beautiful outside and we had a great time.
The kids got to play in the big tree house in the Australian adventure, and they liked this snake that is at the bottom of the tree. They were really cute chasing each other through it.
Here are the kids in the petting zoo part of the zoo. Rhyan kept chasing this one particular goat around that didn't want anything to do with her. It was pretty funny to watch. I have a video of it, and if I can get it to upload I will put it on.

There was a condor that was showing off while we were there. The kids loved him, and I have to say, his wingspan really was pretty impressive.

The Apple Farm

Mayson had a field trip to the Apple farm in October and had a great time. They got to pick apples and grapes to eat, got to listen to a story about Johnny Appleseed, and got to go inside he big freezer that they keep the apples in. Rhyan had a fun time too, and Asher as usual was just along for the ride.

Pictures of Everyone

Here are just some cute pictures of everyone. This first one is of Larry & Rhyan at the park. We had a beautiful Saturday and decided to take advantage of it. Rhyan decided dad needed to ride on the alligator with her... don't they look cute!
This picture is the first time I came in and found Asher on his tummy in his bed. Once they can roll over on their own, that whole sleeping on the back thing is hard to enforce!

These two pictures were the kids sitting in the front room watching a movie and eating popcorn. It was one of the night Larry was out of town on an interview and we were all hanging out having a fun night. Asher loves his little bumbo. He likes to be able to sit up and feel like a big boy. Soon he'll be able to do it all by himself.

And here we have Rhyan with her "Melmo Hat." Melmo is what she calls Elmo, and apparently she thinks that this works great as a hat!

Cub Scouts

Kaleb got his first merit badge last month. He had actually earned it in August, but due to some scheduling issues, it wasn't given to him until October. He was really excited & we're proud of him and his Bobcat status!

Asher is Four Months Old

Asher was four months old on the 7th. Amazing... it goes so fast. He went to the doctor today and he weighed in at 16 lbs. 14oz. That is a mere 2oz. short of 17 pounds! He is in the 90% and is such a chub. The doctor was laughing about how heavy he is. He is really cute though, and everyone just loves him. Rhyan tells everyone all the time now that Asher is her baby brother! He rolled over for the first time today. Once he realized he could do it he got this huge smile on his face like "look at me mom! I'm so cool!" Then he kept rolling over. I can't believe he is already doing that... where'd my newborn go? He is also sleeping through the night now, most of the time. He goes to bed at about 7:30pm with the kids, and we've had a few nights where he hasn't been up til after 8am! Hallelujah!!

Misty's Quirks... as if I have any!

Okay, so Becky tagged me. I'm supposed to write down my quirks. I tried to tell her I don't have any, but I don't think she believed me. I guess I don't want to disappoint her with my lack effort, so I suppose I'll try to come up with something...

1. Lets just say this one has to do with nurture, not nature. I can't park my car next to another car unless I am in an end spot and park either over the outside line, or on the curb so I am far enough away from the spot next to me that no one can hit my car with their door. If an end is not available, we park out in the outskirts of the lot... between two cars is a very bad option. If I cannot find a suitable spot, I circle the parking lot in search of my best option. If by chance, I am forced to park in a spot I do not like, it drives me crazy while I am in wherever I was going. I keep thinking of my car getting a ding in the door. anybody who goes anywhere with me... you now know ahead of time. Thanks mom... this one's your fault!

2. I am a perfectionist and have an eye for detail. I like everything a certain way. Any little thing that is not how I think it should be, is damaged or broken or just somehow not right, really bugs me. And mind you, these things are normally not major things. They are typically tiny, seemingly insignificant little things that most normal people probably would not notice. That's why it's called a quirk, my friends! (man, I've been listening to too many McCain speeches!) I have learned that if I start a sewing, art... oh, pretty much any kind of creative project, it always takes longer than I would anticipate to finish, because everything has to be just perfect.

3. I like things to be in their spot. For whatever reason I seem to come up with "this is the spot where such and such should sit," and that is where that item has to reside. The remote controls and the coasters, for example. I am constantly putting them back in their "spot" because they get moved. My kids toys for instance... everything has a specific bin, or shelf, or other spot it belongs. When I pick up, that is where their toys go. When they pick up, not so much... then I rearrange. I have definitely had to tone this quirk down since I've had kids..

4. I like things to be clean. I can't stand a mess, and though my house is definitely not spotless now that I have four kids, I have certain things that really bug me. As my friends have pointed out to me, my faucets get polished because they are not "shiny enough" and tooth paste would never be on my mirror because would drive me crazy! This one too I think I can thank my mom for.

5. I have a thing with locking doors. I have gotten better about this over the years, but I definitely check the doors on a regular basis to make sure they are locked, and definitely before I go to bed at night. This goes for the car too... I push the button a couple of times to lock it as I'm walking off. Sometimes, because I'm dealing with kids and can't be positive I hit the button to lock it (remember, after I park I have a ways to go to get to the store, so I have time to forget such things), I then stop, take the keys out of my purse from across the parking lot and lock the car again. I'm starting to sound a little crazy, aren't I?! It's a good thing my list is almost done.

6. I don't like to be late. This is not saying that we are never late, but when I know I am running behind I get really frustrated, and very anxious. Suddenly I kick into high speed, and get very uptight (yes, I do get uptight sometimes...) about getting out of the house. I'm sure my kids can attest to this.

7. I love popcorn! Anyone who hangs out with me much knows that I have a weakness for popcorn... we go through a lot of it at our house. This one is thanks to my dad... he makes awesome popcorn!

Well... I'm sure you would all love to hear more about me, but I can't imagine that I have any more quirks than that. Okay maybe a couple more, but hey, that's why you all love me, right! It's like I tell Becky when she laughs at me when I park my car, "You knew what I was when you picked me up!"

Okay... I tag Natalie, Emily and Alesha!

Lacey Visits Us

Lacey came out to visit the same day Becky left. It is always fun to have her, and the kids were excited to see her. She said the only thing she wanted to do while she was here was go to the outlets and go to the West Side Market to get her dried strawberries and turkey jerky. Apparently she has been here a few times if she has specific request... and not the tourist site type requests! Not only did we accomplished those things, but we also went and picked raspberries one day. The kids had a lot of fun, and I think Lacey did too. We made large quantities of freezer jam with the raspberries... mmmm!!
We also went to the rain forest out at the zoo which is always fun. These next two pictures make me laugh. You see Lacey searching for a frog of some sort, and then the look of triumph at having found it. If you could read her thoughts I'm sure it would be something like this... "Okay, where are you. I know it says you're in there... Hey, I found it, I found it!! I saw the frog!!" Just teasing you Lacey, you know we love you!

On Sunday before she left, we went out to Kirtland and did the tour of the temple. It is always a neat experience to go through it. Last time Lacey was out here it was closed, so I was trying to hoist her up to see in the window, in the middle of January with the snow and ice. Let me tell you, it was quite the comical event. I think this time went much smoother! We had a lot of fun with her here, and I can't wait to see her again in January!

Misty's Birthday Surprise...

Okay, so I am officially married to the coolest husband ever. On Friday night before my birthday, my birthday surprise showed up... Becky!! Apparently he and Becky have been in cahoots for the last few months planning this, and she flew in from San Diego to hang with me for a few days. I have to say, I think it was the best birthday present ever. My life has been sad and empty since my best friend Becky moved away and left me in June... okay, so maybe not that bad, but close! Either way, I have missed her a ton and cannot tell you how happy I was to see her and be able to hang out and play. Larry took a couple days off work to hang out with us and help with the kids so the we could go play! Like I said... coolest husband ever! I guess that's why I love him so much.

Misty's Birthday

Okay, so besides the awesome surprise of having Becky come out for my birthday, Larry also took me to the spa for a massage and facial.
Once again.... the coolest husband ever! The kids were off school that day for Rosh Hashana, so Julie watched them for us in the morning, and after the spa we all had Chipotle for lunch, and hung out and relaxed. Of course, after Chipotle mid-afternoon, no one was hungry for dinner, so we went to Coldstone and called it dinner. Come on,
how can you top ice cream for dinner! I have a feeling the next time I ask one of my kids what they want for their birthday
dinner, I aleady know what the answer will be!

And this is what you get when you feed your kids ice cream for dinner...

Picking Pumpkins

We went to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins for Halloween this year. The kids had a great time running
through the field and finding the perfect pumpkin. Now all we have to do is get them all decked out for halloween!

Picking Apples

Rhyan and Asher went with me to pick apples for apple butter. We have a big fruit farm out here that is a lot of fun for the kids. Rhyan loved picking the apples... Asher was maybe not quite as entertained by it.

Rhyan loved the apples. I don't blame her, fresh from the tree they are really good! As you can see... one in each hand is the only way to go. Then again, the apples didn't sound quite as good when she realized that they also had donuts!
She was also impressed with all the pumpkins they had. She wanted to get one, but at our house that is something we do as a family, so she had to wait.

No picture mommy!

We were sitting in the car waiting for the kids to come out of school & Rhyan was being grumpy because she needed a nap. I had my phone out and decided to take a picture of her. She scowled at me and said "No picture mommy!" When I took one anyway she put her hands over her face and yelled "no picture, no picture!" It was pretty funny. Apparently she didn't want any photos to document her grumpiness!

Asher's 3 Month Pictures

Here are Asher's three month pictures. I don't think there's really much to say here... he's just adorable!!

The Hurricane Hits Cleveland

Well, Wes & Emily want to get all the glory from living through the hurricane, but the remnants of hurricane Ike came through Cleveland last night, and we got quite the storm too. We had some serious wind gusts, surprisingly not a ton of rain, but when we went out this morning it was amazing how many trees, branches, fences & power lines were down all over everywhere. With all the debris on the ground, I swear it looked like a tornado hit. Apparently there were six deaths here due to the storm, and huge areas of Cleveland are out of power. They said on the news the 84 of the 88 counties in Ohio have been declared state of emergency. Last night when Larry & I were sitting on the couch, we were watching the fire show as the sparks were flying in the air from the power lines behind our house. I'm really glad nothing started on fire, but it was kind of cool to watch! When we were out today there were telephone poles down that were snapped in half. There are streets that are all blocked off with police tape to keep people away from the live lines that are down. The kids had fun looking at everything as we walked around. I can't believe we didn't lose the tree in our front yard as much as it seems to be struggling. Thankfully we only had a few branches down in the backyard, nothing too major. I'm just kidding about Wes & Emily by the way, we know they were much worse off than us, and we're really glad that they are okay, as well as Larry's family down there!

The Mystery of the Missing Camera

Well, unfortunately we may have a dry spell in our pictures on the blog. My camera has unfortunately disappeared. It coincidentally coincided with the delivery of our new fridge, but I am sure the delivery man had nothing to do with my camera walking off. The fact that I know it was there before and now it has mysteriously disappeared means nothing. Larry thinks it has been misplaced, but it has been over a week now, and it hasn't turned up. Luckily I had just downloaded all of the pictures off of it, so at least we didn't lose any of them. So, until it turns up or we have the money for a new camera, pictures may be a little more scarce. I'll try to get some on my phone, and maybe use Larry's camera that he takes to the clinic with him. Either way, we aren't trying to neglect all of our faithful blog viewers, we just might not have much to post. Hopefully it turns up soon!!

In his Sisters Footsteps

Well, ever since Mayson I have been anti-thumb and pushing a pacifier. I have always hated pacifiers, but I figure it's easier to take away than a thumb. Mayson cured us of thinking it is cute. Either way, Asher refuses to use a pacifier, and wouldn't you know it, just like Kaleb and Mayson, the kid loves his thumb! What to do? I have to admit he looks really cute, and when I want him to go to sleep I get really tempted to just let him do it, but then I remember our four year old Mayson who wouldn't quit until we bribed her with all that is good and exciting to a four year old. I don't know what to do with him. He is the baby after all, does that mean he's going to get to do whatever he wants?

Three Months Old

Can you believe it... Asher is three months old. I can't believe he is that big already. And when I say that big, I am not exaggerating. The kid weighs about 15 1/2 pounds. For those of you who saw Rhyan and thought she was fat, he has over two pounds on her at the same age! He is very tubby. The thing is, he doesn't look that fat, he's just heavy! He is smiling and jabbering, he is trying to play with toys, and he is just so dang cute. Everyone loves him and he knows it. He is definitely a mama's boy right now though, which is okay with me. He goes to bed between 7:30 & 8:00, and most nights he's been getting up about 6:00 or 6:30. He eats & goes right back to sleep, so not too shabby! We thought he looks pretty spiffy in his church clothes... such a little man!