Our summer

Leah Got married!!!!! Part of our family at her wedding in Wyoming
Tian- loving her pink play cell phone...the teen years are looking VERY scary
Trevor and Tian playing at Lake Michigan
We discovered our little gilr LOVES corn onthe cob - let me tell you - she can put it away too!
Tian at the temple in Nauvoo - appearances can be deceiving - she looks so sweet..

Long time, no pictures

I know it has been far too long.... but I finally had a minute!!

Tian loving the cowboy dress up
Ty teaching Tian how to use her gun...I haven't decided if this is a good thing
Yup - our baby turned 2!!! Trevor made the frosting and Tian chose the color - a cake we will NEVER forget
Gotta love those boots!

More Klondike photos and TJ's masterpiece

TJ snowshoeing - not as easy as one would think
TJ coaching Trevor during a skill event

Our house has hot water base board heat and I drew a picture of what I wanted and TJ was able to create this!!! So much better than the beautiful painted metal in designer 60's colors!!!

Klondike Derby or Insane Asylum??

With the Boy Scouts TJ, Trevor and Tom particpated in an "extreme" event. First, they created quincys ( a snow hut) and slept in them over night. I think the temp was 7!! The other boys and leaders had the sense to go into the scout masters after a few hours... The next morning they packed up and headed to the derby itself which consisted of a sled race and various tests of skill.

School doesn't have to be dull...

No children were harmed in the production of this project... It was papier mache masks this month. We are studying Africa and the boys were to make tribal masks. I will post a finished product when they are done. We had too much fun making them. Let's see, covering your brother's face with plastic wrap, shoving straws up his nose, covering him with slimy newspaper and lying on the dining room table - could an art project get any better?!?!

January 2007

Great Winter Fun???? The boys taught Tian how to use a squirt gun. Yes everyone and everthing is soaked. Usually she is so busy concentrating on moving fingers she doesn't realize she has hit you, but she does have incredible aim...




Here Tj and Trevor participate in their youth goup's annual ice cream sculpting contest - yes it is outside, yes it was FREEZING and yes and the kids go to ( had to) eat it when they were done

Christmas 2006

Ty's brothers managed to find the best gift of the season - a replacement BB gun for Ty. You'll have to ask him why he needed a replacement. It has something to do with trying to shoot a match out of the old one...no it didn't quite work like he imagined.










Tian, our little elf, got a kitchen set. Funny, how Mrs. Santa knew that Santa should have put this together before Christmas, but Santa insisted that the elves had somehow assembled it already ( I don't how he thought it was possible in that little box...) Santa did not leave WI until well after 2 am...He should really listen to the Mrs :o) hint, hint



Trevor finally go the electric guitar he had been pining away for. What was Santa thinking!!??? All he plays is Ozzy Osbourne's "Iron Man" over and over and over....( note the burnt orange cushions in the window seat - somehow Tom found a way to get me to stop talking about wanting a window seat and still feel like he won the battle )


TJ got his much longed for hip waders - we are hoping this is not a fashion statement...remind anyone of Steve Erckle??

The dolly- mama

Tian received a beautiful new dolly from her Aunt Nicole. In her red China dress she seems so sweet. We left the pictures out of "baby" being thrown at her brothers. Overall, she is a good littly mommy, but is very annoyed when we pretend the dolly is insisting to be held with Tian's trademark "up" demand.


Gotta love that carpet :)
Here Tian is enjoying "second breakfast" with big brother TJ. At this point in the morning she has already had breakfast with dad, her own, a taste of Trevor's and now has moved on to another victim.

The Rocky Horror Boxing Show...

Yes, Tom couldn't resist seeing the latest installment of Rocky. The 4 boys ventured to theater last night and all came home singing its praises - they give it 2 gloves up

Tom was surprised when the boys flew home from the theater and started digging through boxes to find the gloves....



Here Ty is putting up a valiant fight in Round 1

Tom declaring a victory -

Tom giving it up to the heart of the real champ

December

Tian and TJ

Tian having her first tea party. She may not be good at pouring drinks, but she makes up for it with cuteness

Finally pics from December

Tian playing peek-a boo
Tian is an incredible girl ! At 16 months, she helps unload the dishwasher. Unfortunately, she doesn't care whether the dishes are clean or dirty... Here is she clapping for herself after throwing a handful of silverware in the drawer . Note those beautiful kitchen cabinets and the floor is to die for ( painted plywood)
The look. This is the look that means " I said I want it and I am not giving in...ever"

still more...

TJ sledding out back during our 12 inch snowfall in late November

The back of our palace

Not a great picture of ou rlittle elf, but had to show the proof a "dimple"

and yet, there's more

Tian and Bootsy Barker ( the cat) enjoying and "All American Breakfast"

Tian in pigtails for the first time

Trevor and Ty built a forge in the backyard. The made a brick oven and are using a bicycle pump as a bellows and a piece of granite for an anvil. They are hammering some rebar to make swords. ( I know a little ( a lot) scary, but they are having fun by the hour)
PS I don't think the swords ever turned out like they imagined.

more pics

TJ is a hit at our church Halloween Trunk or Treat. He is "the monster" and sits in the back of the car. He enjoys giving little children nightmares...

Tian's reaction to tasting the inside of her pumpkin

Ty really getting into it..

Months of pics

This is the deer TJ is waiting for everey morning while sitting in a tree. He took this with a "Trail Cam" he received as a gift from the Winterset Vet clinic. Need I say how much he loves it...

Tian trick -or -treating. She couldn't quite figure out how come everyone only gave her one piece of candy. After all, she is the Empress, however, she usually managed to talk them out of a dozen or so..

Long time no write...

I know, I know and yes, Tian has changed a lot since October, bt once we found the computer we had to find the mouse and once we found the mous we had to find the keyboard,and once we found all that,where was the camera, the passwos to add to the blog etc, etc?.. you get the picture.

We are in our new "home," but hardly settled. We will probably be in boxes for months to come... Tian is a great help and has mastered the skill of dumping faster than any child in the world ( Yes, I am sure) She can also climb and get in precarious situations quite masterfully and even on occasion has been caught running with scissors. She is a woman of extremes and keeps us on our toes day and night. It would be difficult if she weren't so darn happy and cute all the time. Just when you want to throw her out the window she grabs both sides of your head and plants a kiss that could melt an iceberg and then wraps her little arms around you in a way that could make Attila the Hun go soft. Her brothers are completely and happily at her mercy . Did I mention Tom? It could make a sick to see how tightly he wound around her finger...

The boys are adjusting and Tom enjoys his job. The people seem genuine and the work is interesting. Does it get any better? TJ has even mustered the courage to go out a few times. Trevor and Ty have enjoyed sledding until they are nearly frostbitten. I just hope to get a shower every couple of days...

I will post some pictures and some of our '60's palace" to boot. And for all who are wondering, the boys and I tore up the carpet in the kitchen ( plywood is better than carpet I decided) and the "Jeffrey Dahmer" ( in other words, could fit an entire human body comfortably inside ) chest freezer that was in the kitchen ( did I mention in avacado green?) has found a new home in the basement.

Tara