Happy 11th Birthday!

I still can't believe these boys are 11! It just doesn't seem that long ago that they were my little babies. Noah came up with the idea for a raspberry and cream pie - it turned out amazing! Luke requested raspberry chocolate cake. The boys and I went to a movie this afternoon while Sophie and Jason were at the temple. When they got home we had the boys party and cake and pie for dinner ;)

Christmas 2018

Christmas Eve

Luke carved me a bird for my collection, Noah illustrated a scripture & Grace made me a Christmas crown :)

We changed one tradition this year and had the kids open their sibling gifts on Christmas morning. It was the first thing they wanted to do when they got downstairs. Seeing all 4 kids so excited about giving while Santa gifts were all right there wrapped and waiting was really cool. Luke could hardly wait for me to open my bird. He worked on it for a long time. 

Snow!!!!

This is the view from my front door right now. I love it. I miss the snow living here and am always so excited when we get some. All 4 kids are outside playing right now with friends. I love that too. The house is quiet and warm from out wood stove and peaceful.  Now if I can get something done today instead of snuggling up with a book ;)

 So Grace may not be quite ready for motherhood, which is totally fine. She has years to wait. This girl put her heath class robot baby in the washing machine at 11:30pm because she couldn't get it to stop fussing. We are all still laughing about it. She had tried wrapping it up in a blanket and putting it in the closet but could still here it crying, so she brought it downstairs and put in the washer.

Sophie, Grace, Abby Waters, Caiden Arny

The girls had their Winter Orchestra concert this week. They all played great. It is hard to believe these girls are all so grown up! 

Happy Thanksgiving

The Pikes and Sam and Allie came for Thanksgiving. It was super fun to meet Allie - she is wonderful! I worry that it was too wild and crazy for her, our house is pretty small for 12 people, including 4 loud boys. We (Pikes, Sam, Luke & I) ran the Greensboro Gobbler on Thanksgiving morning. It was soo fun. I think it needs to be a tradition. All around us were families celebrating together. The run raises money for First Harvest Food Bank. Luke got super festive and ordered a turkey hat weeks ago to run in.

It was all of the boys first 5K. I was so proud of all of them! Seeing these 2 cousins running together was so sweet. Tal actually threw up twice before we left for the race, but he was determined to run. Luke beat me by about 10 seconds - he had a kick left at the end and I so did not. I was happy with my  10 minutes miles ;)

After delicious turkey dinner we played the annual Hardy Bowl. It was so fun, super warm temps, Molly barking up a storm. Em is seriously amazing and got this selfie of us all on the trampoline. Luke being Luke front and center...

Day after we kept our newish tradition of getting outside to enjoy nature. We hiked in Haw River State park - super close, mostly just a pretty walk in the woods, but lots of fun. Ben and Sam pulled this tree down and the kids took turns bouncing/hanging on it. Ben is the master of always creating fun - seriously!


I am grateful to have family that is so loving. I feel blessed that our family is full of incredible people I love to spend time with.

Halloween 2017

 Super Girl, Weird Dad, Lucy Carlyle, Antony Lockwood, George Cubbins - characters from Lockwood & Co book series. Grace made business cards to hand to people when they asked who she was...we had fun making the costumes. Rapiers, salt bombs, chains are for fighting ghosts.

 Grace's pumpkin is SMOAK - a name and symbol from one the shows she adores, Luke did Harry Potter w/wand, Sophie's pumpkin is obvious, Noah did 3 cute faces, you could turn his pumpkin around and get a different face. This one was the cutest.

Not sure what Noah is doing here....

We met our neighbors, the Dogetts, this summer and asked if the kids could fish in their pond/lake.  Jacob Arny has caught the biggest fish so far, 6 lb bass. Luke has had so much fun fishing there! 

Luke & Noah's soccer team

WWII traveling airplane exhibit. I let Noah get out of school a few hours early and he and I went. I can't remember what the planes are, Noah could tell you. They all still fly which is super cool. Noah was in heaven. It was fun to see him so excited. When we first got to the air field a WWII bomber was doing a fly by. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Noah - it almost brought tears to my eyes. 

Puppies at the Farmer's Market. Sophie and Grace tried REALLY hard to bring one home. They were super sweet, but would get huge and take sooooo much work to teach and train. The puppy Grace is holding was named Greg and she LOVED him. Puppies this young just let you hold and love them.

Talus Baptism - September 2, 2017

Pikes before the baptism

 The kids and I drove to Richmond for Tal's baptism. He was baptized in the Pikes much played in and beloved James River.  

The confirmation was just family and a few friends from the Pike's ward. Tal asked Noah to say the opening prayer, Luke to talk on baptism, Grace & Sophie sang I am a Child of God with Sophie playing the ukulele and Grace led the music. Both grandma's shared their testimonies and Bayden said the closing prayer.  I was proud of my kids and there was a sweet spirit there.

  We had a blast the night before the baptism at the Pikes. Emilee is seriously always fun. My kids adore her.  We went out for pupusas as a huge group in a small restaurant where no one spoke english and then went back to the Pikes's and played silly games. It was fun to get to know Ben's parents and just hang out and laugh together.

I am so grateful for my family. Mom and Dad go into the MTC tomorrow morning, it was the last time we will see them before their mission. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of them with me and my kids. The older I get the more I appreciate and realize what a blessing I have with my parents and brothers and sisters.

First Day of School 2017

 5th Grade - I can't believe this is the last year of elementary school for these boys!

8th Grade - and I can't believe this is the last year of middle school for my girls! Time goes so fast...

Last week of Summer

Eclipse viewing

We didn't get to drive to SC to see totality. It was kind of a bummer. Noah was sick and I just didn't feel good about leaving him home for the day while the rest of us went. Seeing the eclipse  still fun. We ended up driving quickly north and west of home as clouds came in and a thunderstorm over our house. We watched first from a cemetery in Madison and then from the Wal Mart parking lot in Mebane when clouds covered the cemetery view too. Cool stuff! Krispy Kreme had chocolate glazed donuts to celebrate the eclipse. They actually were gross, way too sweet, but fun to get on our adventure! We did decide that in 2024 we are all going to drive to Ohio to see totality ;) Boys will be 17 so maybe we actually will. I really, really want to see totality!

 

Last picture is of Luke fishing at the Dogett's pond. We met Jane at the Farmer's Market and she said the kids are welcome to fish, have to have an adult which is kind of a bummer. I totally would let him go by himself if they would. He has only caught little bass so far, but Jane told us there are huge ones in there, also big catfish. I guess someone in the family used to stock it regularly and you are supposed to take over a 100 lbs of fish out every year! So we told her we would start bringing home what we catch, even the little stuff to feed to the chickens. Luke ordered a new pole online and was excited about trying it out. It got caught in a bush and broke in 2 places, was a huge bummer. We are going to see if the company will let him return it, not sure since it was user error.

He and I were at the last Farmer's Market yesterday morning. We have sold almost all of the honey we were hoping to! One of the organizers of the market and another farmer found out that Luke was there trying to make enough for a new pole, they are both local men from here in Summerfield. It was a super slow day, not many customers at all. At the end of the morning as we were packing up they called Luke over and gave him $15 each and said that a boy needs a fishing pole. I thanked them, as did Luke, lots of times. So many good people in the world. I wanted to tell them no, one is a fire fighter and one a farmer, both with young families. I think they are probably less financially secure then we are, but felt like we should just accept gratefully. I did tell them Luke had been praying to make enough and in "Southern speak"thanked them for being Godly men. When this world seems so crazy and out of control with hatred and anger, I want to remember how full our world is with good men and women who love and serve and create peace and love in their lives with the Savior's teachings.

Girls Camp

 Maxie B's was before camp! Every time the Cobia's come back to visit I remember just how much I ADORE them and it makes me miss them all over again. Starting at the left is Mariah, Alena (the only pic I have seen of this child where she is not making a weird face is the family picture hanging on the Cobia's wall, cracks me up!) Sophie, Grace, Nicky, Leslie & Noelle. Jen was not quite back with her cake yet. The Cobia/Hardy Maxie B's date has become a tradition.  If I remember right this was only the 2nd day the girls had been back from Saudi Arabia and they were freaking out about how good the cake was ;)

It was soo hot. I think it is my last Girl's Camp for a while - the heat was hard for me this year. Probably because we had AC in the cabins and going into the cool air periodically does not acclimate  you to the horrid, muggy heat when you are outside! Seriously - mid 90 degree temps with humidity in the 80's-90's also. Now I'll stop complaining - because Girls Camp is awesome and I did have fun. Our ward was camping by ourselves this year and I loved it. The girls bonded from spending so much time together - fun stuff, spiritual stuff, silly stuff. 

I can't believe that Grace & Sophie are 2nd year campers already. I was in charge of the 1st year girls - we had fun. When our trail cleaning/marking was done during service time I took them down to the Haw River to play. Most of them had not been in a river before and were nervous about snakes, etc. It was funny to me because these 6 girls were so loud, I'm sure any wild life within 5 miles of us had left long before we got there!

 

Sophie, Mariah, Grace & Echo Ide

I am so glad to get a picture of Echo with the girls, even if it is a funny one. What a blessing she has been to Grace and Sophie! She has reached out and included them from their first day in YW. She is fun and smart and relaxed and has a strong testimony. She is going to be missed!

Farmer's Market & stuff...

The kid's first farmers market. They did so well - sold almost everything we brought!

This picture of the boys we used to advertise on Facebook to come to the Farmer's Market. This year for the first time I planted flowers in a 4 foot strip right in the middle of the garden. It has been SO amazing to see them grow so well. The sunflowers are enormous! And beautiful, and I have fallen in love with Black Eyed Susans. They grow really well here and I didn't know! Most of the flowers are perennials. I ordered some lavender plants that were developed for the south.  Lavender do not like humidity at all - they are doing so well! Will bloom next year.

Sophie got braces this week. I think she looks so much older in them! The salt water pool at girl's camp turned her lavender hair blueish gray - she like it.

Happy 4th of July

 We drove to Mt. Airy for the 4th again this year and watched the parade in exactly the same spot as last year! I love the store behind us, each of the 2 times I have been there I have found something unique and fun to buy that was inexpensive. Small town 4th of July is just fun. It is a little over an hour to drive, but so relaxed and low key. The parade is full of antique tractors and cars, politicians, military, kids groups, etc. My favorite is the family that dances down the road in the parade. I guess each year they have a huge family reunion in Mt. Airy. They all wear matching T-shirts and dance to cool music. Even the Grandmas and Grandpas boogie a little here and there - it's fun.

Mt. Airy is the birthplace and hometown of Andy Griffith. Mayberry was based on it. We cracked up at this water! Luke planned all week to make a dessert for the 4th. Such an awesome kid!

A few more Utah pictures...