Picture day

So call me crazy but I have done away with the traditional school pictures where you look so awkward and they don't care what you look like and all you get it one chance to smile when they say cheese.  I have gone a different route.  I take my kids to get their pictures done.  I even spend less doing this.  The school pics cheapest package is $22 and I have 5 kids.  That come to a $110 bucks for pictures that never look good.  Instead I only paid $60 and will probably have them hanging on my wall for a long time.  My kids dread the day of course but then when we get there they eat it up.  Especially Elsie.

 I can't wait to see how they turn out.

This is Safe...right?

I am so excited that Jeron is finally painting my brown walls.  It is so nice that he is doing this but I will say this part of it scares the crap out of me.  I hold the ladder from the other side and Jeron just laughs at me.  He said it is so safe.  "That ladder isn't going anywhere."  I guess it will be worth it when it is all done but part of me thinks we are just being stupid letting him do this.

Getting ready for the big game

Jeron and I kind of have this unspoken rule that we can't buy stuff for our kids "team" related.  So that way I never have to see an awful Spirit, Honor, Tradition shirt on my kids.  But never has anything been mentioned about making something for them.  And lets face it we all know that I don't have to worry about that.  So this year I cut out some foam, placed it on the shirt, and sprayed Clorox over the shirt.

Here is the result.  It turned out so  cute if I do say so myself.  Then again the model makes it look even that much cuter.  

 Those blue eyes kill me.

It's JJ's turn

JJ started eight grade today.  He got to have a whole week without any other school kids at home.  He got to live it up.  But all good things must come to an end.  He wasn't to thrilled to be back to school but I could see that he was in need of his routine and schedule.  He does better when he is busy.  JJ was nice enough to let me go out and get his picture before school.  I promised I wouldn't show up at the bus stop with my signs.

 It is so weird to think that we have an eight grader.  We hope he enjoys his years.   

The end of summer is near

Summer is starting to wind down and I am so sad.  I will have to say that I love my summers with my kiddos. But with year round it has already felt weird.  

Today we set up the pool for a bit and I was clear across the yard when Miss Emry decided to go for a swim.  I ran arcoss the yard and got to her just as she fell in.  I am sure glad that I saw her.  That could  have been scary. 

After having a slight heart attack I decided to take the girls and head over to the final summer concert of the season at Station Park.  We had been bored and this sounded like fun.  

We had a great time.  The girls are so cute.  You would think they were famous rock stars with the way that they dance and go crazy.  They love to go right up by the stage and dance away.

Here is Miss Ellie having a great time.

 The girls are so much fun. 

 Not to be left out Emry and I took a pic together.  We stand a little ways away from the speakers so Emry won't have bad ears.  

 The night was almost over and the girls were jamming to the last song.  Emma got a drum stick, and Elsie got a pic.  They were so excited.   It was fun and I am glad we went for one last summer time.  

Our Monkey

 This little girl does not have her mommy and daddy's problem of being afraid of heights.  She loves to climb things and since we have been painting she lives for the top of the ladder.  

  If you think this doesn't make my heart skip a beat you are wrong.

She is just a little monkey.  She gets taken down and she just runs right back over and does it again.  

Could she be any cuter?

Oh she thinks she is so cute.  She is really such a pill.

Show and Teach

Today Elsie did her very first show and teach.  She taught the class how to change a diaper.  She did a really good job.  She was so quiet.  It was cute to watch my loud spunky monkey become soft spoken.  

Sweet baby

Today we got the special treat of taking care of Keegan.  Emry was in heaven.  She loves her cousins to pieces.  He was such a sweet baby.  I will have to say that I don't know how mothers of children close in age do it.  It was hard work.  

Back to School for Ellie

It is official D track is back on track.  We have a 3rd grader in the house.  Ellie was so excited to start third grade.  Just like her big sister Emma she too is the oldest in her class.  In her special needs class it only goes to third grade.  Next year she will be at a different elementary.  {sigh}  She looked so cut.  She for her first day.  She wanted her hair curly.  She was very particular about her looks.  She looked beautiful.

 She looked so cute in her new outfit.   

   She is the big girl on campus.  

 She was so excited to see all her friends. 

I'm going to miss this little lady.

What does cooking time look like at the Snow house

It is always crazy in our kitchen.  First of all the kitchen is too small for how many people are in this family so when I start cooking and the masses come it is cray cray up in here.  Emry is usually trying to climb all over the place, and Elsie is showing her latest dance moves or asking "Can I help?"  Usually Ellie is there too.  Today it was just these two which lessened the craziness.  

When Jeron, JJ, and Emma start walking around I can go all sorts of crazy.  Thank heavens tonight it was only two crazies instead of six.

Davis County Fair...yes please!

We headed over to the Davis County Fair for fun and heat.  Yes, we love to sweat among the beasts of the field. So fun.   I need JJ to make me another one of these.  He does so much better.

 There is also nothing more fun than holding creepy crawly poisonous, deadly, creatures.

like a tarantula 

or a scorpion 

or a dragon lizard

 and of course the snake, that matches my shirt.

 While we were off having a BLAST holding the creepy things Emry was playing in the sand box.  

 ...and this is where our night got interesting.  Every time we go to a place that has large crowds I write Ellie's name and number on her arm just in case she wonders off.  Tonight I forgot.  When we got back from the creepy crawlies Jeron was standing where I left him.  I looked around and said "where is Ellie?"  He said "I thought she was with you?!?"  This is when we realized we had done the she has her, he has her, thing.  Panic immediately set in as I looked around at all the masses of people.  There was no way I was going to find a needle in this haystack.  We went over to the stage and asked the singer to announce a missing child.  Then we split up.  Jeron stayed put just in case she came back, JJ went one direction, Emma and Megan went another.  I headed straight for the police.  Once I found the police I gave all her information and they put an APB out on her.  The problem when Ellie gets lost is that she doesn't look lost.  So any family that she is standing by will look like she belongs.  It is terrifying because normally you see the tears in a child and you know he/she is lost.  Not Ellie, she wonders and doesn't care that we aren't around.  Then I start to think of the creeps because believe me the fair as just a few there.  Now the panic has changed to terror.  I decide to make my way back to Jeron because of course I left my phone with him.  I run into Emma and Megan on my way back and they have tears streaming down their faces, along with me.  They haven't seen her.  We keep going to Jeron and JJ finds us and too has not see her.  It was looking so hopeless.  We get to Jeron and I don't see her by him.  My heart drops.  When we run over to him he immediately says you didn't take your phone, she is here.  She was here the whole time.  She must have just been behind someone because right when you left I found her.  After we had all been panicked for 30 minutes and believe me that was the longest 30 minutes of my life, she had been there the entire time.  We were all so relieved.  We immediately wrote her name on her arm and then didn't let her out of our sight the entire night.  Jeron had been standing in line for the clown the whole time this was going on and it was finally our turn.  So the nuts still got their balloons.  

 We decided to make the night quick because lets face it that really took the wind out of our sails.  So we hurried and saw the bunnies, chickens, ducks, and then we hit the petting zoo.

Elsie was in heaven.

 What was crazy to me is my non animal loving child loved it.  Ellie even fed them.

 Emry just wanted to grab them all.  She loved it.

 Emma thought the camel was pretty cool 

 When we walked out of the tent we saw the Disney "D" all a glow on the mountain.  Apparently it was started by some dumb kids.  It really started small and took off quick.  The entire crowd was transfixed on it.  

 We headed home at this point and got the kids to bed, then JJ, Jeron, and I headed up to get a better look at the fire.  It was pretty awesome.  It was spreading fast.    

As we were heading back to our house we could tell that they had gotten it pretty much under control.  It was impressive to see the firemen work so hard and do such a great job.  What looked like a horrible situation they took care of pretty quickly.  I'm impressed.

Getting ready to go back to school.

JJ is starting his eighth grade year.  We went and found his locker and to stay true to form we shoved his little sisters inside and snagged a pic of them.  We even found dad while we were there.  He is right across the hall from JJ's locker to watch over him all year long.   

 Tonight we were able to head outside and catch us some golden sunlight.  It is only my favorite and two of my favorite kids were there to enjoy it with me.  

Sweets and treats

I walked into my bedroom and found this sweet sight.  He just adores her and she just adores him. 

 She might be missing something in her diet.  Or she wants to be a dog. 

 Jeron and I snuck away tonight to see a movie.  I love spending time with this guy.  Emry may or may not have hitched a ride with us.

Hand me down

I wore this dress when I was just a little lady.  I love finding out things of mine to give to my kids.  She looks so cute in it too.  My mom made the dress so it makes it even that much more sentimental for me.