i'm proud of my rat pack.

I'm proud of the way the kids have really stepped up to help in my time of need. Rebecca loves to be in charge and be a little mother. I came downstairs one morning and all the kids had already all worked together to clean up the kitchen except for Rachel (because she was still in bed or something) because her job was outlined for her in this note left by Rebecca.

I then went to my office and found this note for me. Rebecca had assessed our food needs and made this list for me. Talk about service!! I can't wait until Jacob can drive and I will wake up to the food already bought and put away. With Rachel gone at camp right now, Rebecca has taken on even more duties. Today she learned to do laundry and did all of it, down to folding. I love that girl.
After they get their jobs done, they all hang out together all day. They haven't wanted to go to friends or leave and do anything, they are content to cozy all day together going from one activity to the next. When Jacob is up and happy, everyone is happy. (I should make a plaque that says that in my house.) He rallies everyone and keeps them all happy and positive. He is the one that leads them from one thing to the next. They play video games, then a board game, then pool time, then a movie, then cozying in bed and reading a good book. He lets them have slumber parties in his room every night too. What a good brother. I love that he loves to be home and hanging with his sisters.

I have a lot to be grateful for. These summer days with all of my baby chickens safe at home cozy and happy will be my favorite memories when they are grown. Oh please don't keep growing! I have a feeling that Heavenly Father knew that it would be too much for me to lose Jacob when he leaves on a mission in 4 years. He needed to make sure I had another little boy who will be four. A four year old boy is all about mom, and rules her heart. Heavenly Father always takes care of me. I like that.

that's the way we roll.

i told dave last monday night that i was sad to not be spending the fourth with family for the first time in like forever. His reply, "well i can leave tomorrow." Is there another family as crazy as us? So, i stayed up until 1 am in the garage routering (is that a word?) around 150 wood plaques for one of the crafts for girls camp. Rebecca and Jacob sanded my completed work. I was glad that we didn't get any complaints from the neighbors. Rachel did laundry and threw in a few outfits for each kid. We finished up errands in the morning, loaded the car, and away we sped to lake tahoe.


I can't explain the ecstasy that i feel with that first inhalation of sweet pine goodness. I have been so aching for it. In fact, melanie got a picture of me at the pioneer trek just standing with my nose to a tree. I swear it was a Jeffrey pine, which is my favorite. It has the sweetest smell. trust me. There are few problems in life that can't be solved with a trip to tahoe with a little john denver playing and the sweet scent of the pines wafting in through the open car window. I slept every night on the couch next to an open window. The smell and cool mountain air lulling me to sleep despite my discomfort. Well, the benadryl helped too. smile. oh and the law and order til all hours.


i love all of these pictures because well, they aren't in my professional opinion good. But they tell a story, and give a glimpse of how things really are right now. Unmatched outfits, dirty faces, unbrushed hair, and total relaxation. I took so few pictures (not even a picture of the lake). But i knew that I already have a million great pictures, and i am secretly planning another trip back this summer. (I'll let you know the day of dad and kathi, ha ha). I just didn't have the energy. This darn pregnancy thing. smile. I wish especially that i had video of the party games at rebecca's birthday party. We did our family classics. The cotton ball game (where you blind fold the person, spread cotton balls all over the floor, and give the player a spatula and bowl. You time how many cotton balls they can get in the bowl in a minute. It is hysterical! Try it!) Also, dropping clothespins into a mason jar while standing on a chair. Kenny was at his competitive best! He insisted on always going last. It was fun to see Kathi and Sophia learn this family tradition as the newest additions to the family. Kathi gave kenny a run for his money too.


without further rambling.....

This is a must do on every trip. The jumping over the hedge. Lizzie was the one to be initiated this trip into the tradition. It took a lot of goading but she finally DID IT! Leah as you can see still struggles. She is sure that she broke her ankle in this picture.
Jacob is quite confident in this skill now. He is their trainer. ha. (Leah still getting no sympathy.)

I know this picture fills you with longing Kelly, Nicole, and Gloria.

i love this kind of happiness. It is written all over her face.

ok, my dad has become seriously obsessive about garage saling. He now does it religiously and says that he has "the eye." Than he peddles his deals on ebay. He always carries in his pocket this little magnifying glass to check out if jewelry is real. He confiscated some of the things the girls were wearing from the dress up box because they were real silver. Above Leah is showing him another piece of jewelry she found. He had her hold the old Polaroid camera that he just bought at the garage sale down the street. hysterical.

No trip to tahoe is complete without a trip to Sprouts on the way to the lake for some organic goodness. One of the best things about tahoe is it isn't a fashion show. The more unkempt you are the better. We fit right in. ha ha. only the tourists wear make up and dress up.

my favorite from sprouts.... the ATOM bagel (avocado,tomato, onion, and monterrey jack cheese with seasonings and green onion). It is out of this world and didn't make it to the beach, i'll tell you that.

uh- oh. Look what we saw as we pulled out of the parking lot. giddy-up.

we came away with this beauty for $4.50. The girls are in playing office heaven now.

One more stop for slurpees and corn dogs at the 7-11 on the way to the lake

and we are on our way. Wish I had pictures of the girls building sand castles and floating on rafts. next time.

what has gathered such a crowd?

a special fourth of july cake. i love all the expressions here. (i wish i had pictures of your gorgeous fourth of july bbq spread kathi. As dave said it was our best meal all week! Probably all year! so delish)

and here. Where is rachel you ask? She left with KEnny, Leticia and Sophia. (She babysat Sophia while they both worked that night. Although we rarely saw her the whole trip. She spent most of her time cozied up somewhere reading. Remember those 30 plus books she checked out from the library?

So that's it. I always cry when i leave tahoe and this was no exception. It was hard to even think of going back to the desert, but Rachel needed to be home for girls camp. The minute she gets home, off we go again. This time to Utah. i love summer.

i'm sad, and i need a good cry in the shower.

(i'm sad, but i haven't lost my sense of humor. Isn't this hysterical?)

i am not ungrateful or unhappy, just sad tonight.

i'm sad because i threw up this morning, and i am still so struggling with feeling well. feeling good is a fleeting thing with me.


i'm sad because my husband said when i asked him if he missed me while i was gone (and told him to be honest) he said that "things sure went smoother with me gone." (i wasn't mad, just sad, because i know what he said is true.


i'm sad because i don't even like my own company. I miss the real me. (please don't let this be the real me).


i'm sad that i don't like being pregnant, and feel guilty to say that because it is such a blessing and so many would do anything to be in my position. (and i am grateful, but i still abhor it)


i'm sad because i felt like such a useless loser at pioneer trek compared to everyone else (and that is what life is all about... comparing ourselves to others. ha ha. i am just kidding.


i'm sad because after doing the pioneer trek, i think i shouldn't go to girls camp. sniff sniff


i'm sad because i had to cancel photographing a wedding that i really really was looking forward to in Oct. sob sob


i'm sad that i don't have my mom to call and i miss her a lot, a lot, a lot.


i'm sad because my sisters won't even come and visit me!!!!! (although, i kinda don't want them to, because i am scared i won't be any fun.)



Don't worry, i won't be sad tomorrow. I will tell about my amazing experience at trek, and why my husband/father is so spectacular and list all of the things that make me happy. But, tonight i just need to allow myself to be sad.

Lots of updates.

walkers, your photo shoot is up. Just click on "client proofing" on the side bar. Enjoy.


baby update: They were worried because of my age and a measurement on the baby that it had Downs syndrome. After more tests and ultrasounds everything looks perfect. He is growing healthy and strong and kicking me all the time. I am 19 weeks, and yes, I still feel lousy a lot. Such is life.


house update: The house that we bought is slowing being renovated. Slow because of me, and my not feeling well enough to pick out what needs to go in the house. I want to publicly apologize to my general contractor for being the worst customer ever! I am way too tired and grumpy( I should say irritable) to be doing this (and moving, ahhhhh!)


summer update: The kids just play with friends all day. The loft in our house is currently a barbie town, and there isn't a clean towel (or at least dry) in the house from all the kids swimming all day.


Jacob just got back from scout camp exhausted because they woke up at 4:30am every morning and went to bed at 10pm. It didn't help that the whole camp got the flu, including him. Doesn't that sound awful! He swears that they had to walk 3 miles each way for meals, and the black eye that he came home with is from wrestling with a bear (aka a bottle rocket). He is happy to be home, but now leaves tomorrow at 5am for the pioneer trek (more info on that when we get back). I do too in fact. I am going as a photographer.


Rachel is in reading heaven. She would read in bed all day if she could. I would too come to think of it. She came home from the library with literally 30 books in a huge bag. She is getting really good at cleaning, after a lot of training over the last few months. Yes, the training was painful for both of us. Her laundry mistakes have given us lots of pink clothes and shrunken items. I can't complain though, right?


I am still laughing over something Rebecca said to me the other night as I sat editing at the computer. She walks in and says, "I heard that some scientists think we come from monkeys. Me, "uh-huh." To which she replied, "Where'd the monkeys come from, geniuses." She is so funny.


You can now call Dave, Colonel Ives. He made Lt. colonel last month. Yeah Dave! And it looks like we are in Arizona until he retires. After his last heart attack, they said that Europe is out of the question. Which is sad, because we have been trying to be stationed there his whole career. The up side is that he can never be deployed over seas. So I am thankful for that. Notice that I said "I".


Last but not least, I think I will be hanging up the camera (at least professionally) for awhile. What little energy I have each day needs to go to something like making dinner. smile. We'll see how things go after the baby arrives. I'm sure my life will be a lot easier with 6 kids instead of 5. Ha, Ha. I say this all casually, but it actually has been very hard to come to this decision. For many reasons.


Well, that's it for now. No deep thoughts, just the facts. I have time to get maybe four hours of sleep. How does this happen to me? big sigh......

Lennon

Today Rachel had a little best friend. They hung out all day. Rachel did her hair and make-up and than paraded her around for us all to see. I had to take her picture. How could I resist. Is she not the cutest thing you have ever seen? She couldn't stop rubbing her lips together like above. The lip gloss felt so good. She felt she needed more. She was so excited that she was wearing mascara. When she told me she was, she said the word mascara in a reverent whisper. Such delight.

Rachel and Lennon together. Come over any time Lennon. You make us happy.

thought i'd share...

.....just a few more of this yummy yumkins.

the happy family.

Which one is your favorite???

great wall ideas.

Head on over to this sight for some fun ideas to hang your pictures. Thanks for sharing Rebeckah. http://rebekahwestover.blogspot.com/2009/06/using-photography-to-decorate-your-home.html