Hoosier State Deckers

Maseys Open House

2009-08-25T22:32:00.000-06:00

We have learned a few things as we have moved out of Utah. One of those is that in the midwest they have open houses for the kids who graduate from High School that are alot like wedding receptions. Some are a very big expensive deal with rented tents and catered food. Masey said she would rather pass on the whole tradition. She is a quiet, reserved person who doesnt care for crowds of people and definatley doesnt like all the attention on her. Well, it worked out nicely that a few kids in the ward decided to do a open house together. Masey and 3 other kids had it at our friends home. It turned out very nice and if you look closely you can see her picture on one of the tables above. Masey recieved some great gifts that will help her get started for college.

More 6 Flags fun!

2009-08-25T22:18:00.000-06:00

Notice Brooklyns excitement :)

This was the scariest ride we could get Kate on and it took some talking to get her on it. After riding it a few times she started putting her arms up. It goes from left to right: Kate, Brooklyn, Eli, some strange kid, Shekynah, and another strange bored girl.

We survived! This is most of us chillin while we wait for the rest of the crew so we can get outa there.

Six Flags

2009-08-25T22:09:00.000-06:00

We spent the day after graduation at Six Flags in Gurnee, IL to celebrate.

Eli loved Six Flags. He wanted to ride every ride there. He tried to convince us that he was old enough to do the roller coasters. We did take him on one that he was tall enough for called the wizzer (thinking it would scare him and he would stop asking us to go on the big ones) Nope, he absolutely loved it. He got off and yelled "That was AWESOME". Fun kid.

Kate on the other hand wouldnt even go on the kiddie roller coasters or anything that looked a little fast. And she is our sassy, spunky, 'I can do whatever I like' child. Brooklyn wasnt quite sure where she fit in. She wasnt tall enough for big kid rides yet bored to tears on the kiddie ones. Its tough being in between because she really wants to go with
the big kids.

I was lucky enough to only have to bear a few kiddie rides before I got to go with the big kids on the BIG roller coasters. Loved the Superman but realized I am not 16 anymore after riding rollercoasters all day I had the worst headache. Man it stinks getting old!

Grandpa was the designated driver for the kiddie bunch. He was happy to watch the 4 little ones most of the day (he claimed it was so I could ride the roller coasters but I think the little ones are just his speed).

Hey they do like each other

2009-08-25T21:51:00.000-06:00

Its fun to catch those few moments when the kids are loving and affectionate to one another!
Kate and Brooklyn on our road trip to 6 flags.

Hugs at the graduation.

Kate saw this picture and said "AWHH, I love Colby."

After graduation dinner

2009-08-25T21:37:00.000-06:00

We ate at Red Robins after the graduation ceremony

It was rather late and the kids were getting sleepy. But we were glad Masey agreed to celebrate with family!

After the Ceremony

2009-08-25T21:29:00.000-06:00

Proud Moma

Beautiful!

Looking up to Big Sis!
I love the way Kate is looking at Masey with such admiration.

Graduation

2009-08-24T13:05:00.000-06:00

I know its hard to tell but thats my baby walking into the graduation ceremony between 2 green guys.

One thing that was funny about this graduation (unlike ones I had been to in Utah) is they asked that you do not yell or clap when your childs name is read...WHAT! Well, we are usually quiet, reserved, rule following people but what were they going to do...kick us out - take away her diploma? The first kids whose names were read were the valadictorians and honor society kids (you know all the kids with the special cords on and such). Well they are all from uppercrust families who obey rules... so... no noise at all. Soon after they started reading kids names who were the average students you started hearing a little whistling, then some clapping, then all the sudden some horns blowing and then the full white trash came out. When Masey's name was called we screamed, cheered, clapped, whistled, stomped our feet and completely embarressed her. Hey, she had family come from Arizona just to scream at her graduation. We had some heads turn but we had a good laugh and you only graduate once!

If you look closely you will notice her smiling as she walked off the field. I'm not sure but it could be because of the hollering coming from the stands from her brothers. She couldnt get out of there fast enough, she about knocked over the boy in front of her.

Masey Graduates from Seminary

2009-08-24T12:31:00.000-06:00

I think this is a most impressive accomplishment. Especially for kids who live in the mission field and go to seminary at 6 a.m. Masey did it every morning without any complaints, in fact, she loved it. She would always say it was the best part of her day. Congrats kid!!! I am so proud of you, you continue to amaze me.

Seraphin is 13

2009-08-24T12:27:00.000-06:00

Seraphins 13th birthday cake (carrot cake)

You can see what he chose to have for his dinner...Chinese takeout. He was surprised I knew how to make carrot cake. I have a few talents up my sleeve.

You know your child is a teenager when he asks for clothes for his birthday. ( Got to impress the women) We love watching Serph mature and grow. He is a fun and important part of our family and we sure love him.

Kate Graduates (from preschool)

2009-08-24T12:15:00.000-06:00

Singing.

Getting diploma

Celebrating with friends

Lifes a Beach

2009-08-24T12:10:00.000-06:00

One thing we love about Valparaiso is its close to the beach. I think it is beautiful and about the only way to view Chicago....(from afar).
Nothing like sitting on the beach watching the kids play in the sand and splash in the water, listening to the sound of seagulls and water crashing on the beach.

This kids fast

2009-08-24T12:04:00.000-06:00

Brooklyn tearin it up on the soccer field. She is seriously fast.

She may be small but she can move. She is shy and reserved off field but on she holds her own.

Kates first bus ride and mom and me party

2009-08-24T11:57:00.000-06:00

Kate on the bus learning what is going to happen when she starts riding the bus for Kindergarten. She and Eli were soooo excited.
(Kate, I hope you are as excited when your in high school riding the bus...)

Fun day and beautiful artwork!

Eli's end of the year program

2009-08-24T11:51:00.000-06:00

Elijahs last day of preschool and they sang a few songs for us. The best part was the song "May there always be..."
The song goes through some things like may there always be blue skies, rainbows and then ends with may there always be me. Well the kids added there own verse to the song and Eli's was "May there always be Burger King" Hey he's his momas kid!

More Eli's Birthday

2009-08-24T11:04:00.000-06:00

Yes McDonalds was the dinner choice...surprise, surprise!
Eli was pretty excited about Thomas movies and Cars game!

I am always amazed at the amount of fries Eli can stuff into his mouth. He is a 2 handed McD's eater! Talent I know. We are happy that he now eats the chicken nuggets also (hey we take protein wherever we can get it).

The big present was a "ka-chow" bike! It doesnt matter how many times his brothers tell him the cars name is Lightning McQueen, he still calls him kachow. Gotta love it. What a blessing Elijah has been to our family =)

Eli is 4

2009-08-24T10:25:00.000-06:00

Here he is the birthday boy!
He was on a Thomas kick at the time...it varies from Cars to Mario to Thomas

Cant believe he is 4 already.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-20T19:02:00.000-06:00

Our Easter tradition
Saturday Easter Bunny
Sunday is for celebrating our Saviors Resurrection (and new Easter dresses)!

Booty

2009-04-20T18:57:00.000-06:00

Brooklyn checking out her spoils!

The crew dumping their booty out to start the all day feast on candy and a few hard boiled eggs!

This is Kates basket filled with jellybeans from her eggs

Kate promptly put on her easter dress...over her jammies no less, and wore it like that for most of the day. Oh and the majority of the candy was gone by Saturday night.

Easter Bunny Day

2009-04-20T18:47:00.000-06:00

Kate found her Easter basket first and was on the move to find the most eggs!

Shekynah found hers and wasted no time started the sugar rush.

Colby and Serph had a hard time finding their Easter baskets...the Easter bunny was so tricky this time

Serph was the last one to finally get his basket (after a few hints)

camping experience at the museum

2009-04-20T18:40:00.000-06:00

We tried out the canoe

and tent

and had an encounter with some wild animals. (children in the photos are much more ferocious than the furry ones)

Chicago and Lake Michigan during Spring Break. Not the best time to visit the musuem (every other parent within 50 miles had the same idea) but a good time none the less.

Note to self......never leave teenagers alone for the day during spring break...every friend they know will be at your house, eating your food, running around your home and yard, riding kiddie bikes, trikes and wagons down your grass hill, thus confirming to your neighbors that you ARE crazy, wacked out Mormons with way too many kids and complete lack of control over them.

Trip to The Shedd Aquarium

2009-04-20T18:21:00.000-06:00

This was all the kids we could talk into coming with us!
The other "teenagers" were much too mature for going to the museum.

This may look like a leafy plant but it is really a sea dragon. The kids thought these were awesome!

Colby with the Sears Tower growing out of his head

Kate was fascinated with the fish and bubble jets. She was the only one that thought it was cool.
The rest got bored and wanted to go eat. Priorities!

Masey "the traitor"

2009-04-20T12:58:00.000-06:00

Doyle took this picture to use as blackmail...imagine the horror when I view this picture online!
One word "traitor"!

Brayden 15th Birthday

2009-03-20T12:10:00.000-06:00

Brayden found his present hidden in my closet. He had a pretty great day...His friends (boys and girls) surprised him by decorating his room and covering him in whip cream. We had Chinese take out and his favorite ice cream cake.

I just cant believe how much he has grown up this past year. He is such an amazing kid. So smart and spiritual. He is a wonderful example to his siblings and parents.

Kate is 5!!!

2009-02-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Kate is officially 5 years old! We celebrated with her choosing her favorite restaurant...drumroll,,,suspensful music playing....hold your breath for it......McDonald's!! I know- Huge surprise. We were accompainied by a few extra teenagers who wanted to celebrate with us. Kate loved the extra attention.

Those very same teens were responsible for picking out the cake and gifts and I think Kate was very pleased. She got exactly what she had pointed out to us each time it was shown on TV and told us she getting for her birthday for the past 2 months. Hate to disappoint the official queen bee around here. We might here about it for years to come.
WE LOVE OUR KAKES!!!

Enjoying the snow

2009-01-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

Out of all of our kids Kate enjoys the snow the most and lasts the longest. She never comes in complaining about being cold.

Unlike Eli, who had a difficult time finding the joy in jumping off the back deck into the pile of snow. Especially when he lost his glove!

Doyle and Kate enjoyed the day of shoveling and catching snowflakes on your tongue.

Kate and Doyle were snuggling Sunday after church in his favorite chair and she told him "This is the best day of the week" he said to her "Why is today your favorite day?" and she said "Because you are home!" Gotta love it!

More Snow

2009-01-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

Kate is demonstrating how high the snow is. Whoa!

Snow

2009-01-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

We like to complain about it but it is simply serene to watch (when you are sitting on a comfy chair in your warm house, wrapped in a blanket). This is a picture of our backyard looking out into the forest off the back deck.
It is beautiful.

Masey

2009-01-16T12:35:00.002-07:00

Masey was not terribly excited to go on this trip. Over 2 weeks away from friends can be very painful in the life of a teenager. Somehow she survived by texting, minor complaining and sleeping.

We did manage to capture her smiling on a few occasions, I'm not sure if this was by mistake, courtesy or she was genuinely having a good time. I'd like to think she did enjoy (on a small scale) her time with family because we sure enjoy her.

All joking aside, she is just an amazing person and an example to me. Despite what many say, I love having teenagers in the home and they have all chosen such good friends who are delightful to have around. I am going to miss Masey terribly as she ventures off to BYU this fall (Doyle and I cant speak of it without getting emotional). We are so happy with the girl -woman- you have grown up to be.

Happy Birthday Honey

2009-01-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

OK it wouldn't be polite to list my baby's age because he will forever be 30 to me! We had a little surprise party for Doyle before we left Arizona so that my family could celebrate with us.
Now I have made a lot of stupid decisions in my life but marrying you was THE single best choice I have made. You are my best friend, support system and partner in crime. To the greatest man I know....Happy Birthday!

As a small token of my love I made Doyle his favorite chocolate mayo cake! And may I add, it was delicious.

Hey baby you are just getting better with age! I'm not sure if 8 kids is keeping us young or aging us faster. All I know is you better be stickin' around for another 47 years....opps sorry babe.

Turning 60

2009-01-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Turning 60 calls for a few things......
PRESENTS!

KISSES!

And SPEECHES!

ALL of which were heartfelt and tear filled and joyous! Happy Birthday to my hero and greatest example in life (along with Grams)! I love you! Here's to 60 more great years!

Grandpa is 60!!!

2009-01-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Grandpa turned 60 while we were there, so we celebrated man! We hit Del Taco one of Gramps favorite spots (along with In n Out) for lunch.

Hiking

2009-01-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hiking was one of the families favorite activities while in Arizona. They hiked the Superstitions and San Tans. Look, they even got Gramps up there.

Colby and Seraphin jumping the stream. Colby has 2 hats on. And Dads pretty good with the action photos.

Cute Bums

2009-01-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

We loved the cute print across the girls jammies bottom so much that we had to take a pic just of that!

Traditional Christmas PJ Pic

2009-01-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here they are in the PJ's Grams got them for Christmas Eve......its tradition.

Mesa Temple Lights

2009-01-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Mesa Temple lights were amazing. It was fun to see palm trees lit up and the lemon trees. Although it was a bit chilly that night.

From back to front: Brayden, Serf, Masey, cousin Summer and Eli.

Trouble

2009-01-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

I know what your thinking...TROUBLE.

Actually, we are really blessed with an amazing group of kids. They are all well behaved and fun to be around with just the right amount of spunk to keep things interesting and lively. We are a pretty lucky bunch!

Dad and his Girls!

Brooklyn and her wrist

2009-01-15T11:11:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe this girl just recovered from a broken wrist from falling off the monkey bars. She could not wait to get back on!

Summertime???

2009-01-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

I know what your thinking....shorts, T shirts, sun and the park.... it has to be a summertime pic right? Wrongo, this is Christmas in Queen Creek, Arizona. We had it rough. The local kids may have thought 68 to 75 degrees was a bit chilly but our kid shed their winter clothes and were basking in the sunshine.

We spent many afternoons in the park....well Doyle and Grandpa did more than us ladies. But we spent our fair share (hey we had some shopping to do).

Gramps and Grandma bought the kids a football and basketball which Serf quickly put to good use. This park is right by their house .

Plane ride

2009-01-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

This was many of our kids first plane ride and boy was it an adventure. Imagine 8 kids making their way through all the lines with their own carry on luggage and back packs. Then imagine us going through security (without Doyle) with 8 trying to get shoes off, lugguge up, back packs off, coats and jackets off, cell phones and belts off (or should I say forgetting to take them off). We were a travelers worst nightmare. We held up the line for what felt like hours. Not to mention all of this took place while Doyle was wisked off to some secret location and their mother is walking with a cane.

Serf is an old pro at flying by now but this is Colby's first. He is just hiding his excitement! Actually when the plane lifted off we could all hear him saying whoa... this is awesome!

Masey and Brayden were excited also...not. Masey was upset she had to turn off her cell phone for 4 hours. As soon as we landed it was back on again and she was texting away.

Brooklyn had to sit by a stranger but she was across the row from Dad. Her eyes were as big as saucers when we lifted off and she was holding dads hand across the aisle. Watching her face and listening to Eli, Kate and Colby's cheers made it all worth it.

We survived on suckers and Nintendo DS. The little ones did surprisingly well and the flight attendants all commented on what a beautiful, sweet family we have.

Eli and Kate's Twin

2009-01-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Eli and Kate both got American Girl (Boy) dolls that looked like them. I know, I know, all of you are thinking....boys should not be encouraged to play with dolls. I already heard it all from all the older males in the family but he loves to play with his sisters and is usually playing with one of their girl dolls so I figured at least he has a boy doll. And he was sooooo excited that it was a joy to watch. And he named him Eli AND don't even try calling his doll an American Girl doll .... its an American Boy doll.

Pre Christmas Bash

2009-01-14T12:51:00.001-07:00

This year for Christmas we found some killer deals on plane tickets to Arizona so with a little prodding and $ from Grams and Gramps we decided to spend it with family. Most of my family is now in Arizona...with the exception of us and Matt's family in New Jersey. Ohh the excitement of the first plane ride was their biggest Christmas present.

This is our little before Christmas ummm well Christmas. We did not want to pack all the presents to bring to Arizona so we had a early Christmas opening.

Wii fit was a hit.

We did not set up Christmas decorations this year and if you look closely in this picture to the right you will see our Christmas tree and one decoration (Santa). So we are Scrooge, what can I say. I couldn't see going to all the effort when we were going to be gone for 2 1/2 weeks. That and I didn't have the strength to do it.

Kate's Christmas Program

2009-01-14T12:09:00.001-07:00

Kate had a party and a program.... so cute and fun or should I say hilarious. Here is a sample of the fun.
Okay to really appreciate this you have to know that Eli is on my lap and is relentlessly trying to get his hand in the picture.

christmas parties

2009-01-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

One of the joys of having kids aplenty is the many, many, many chritsmas parties to enjoy. Did I mention many! This is one of Eli's at preschool and he was very excited and so cute.

christmas wreaths

2009-01-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

To all my friends and family I send you a virtual Christmas wreath. So sorry I could not give you a real one as they are sooo delicious.

Shekynah's 6th birthday

2008-12-01T18:13:00.001-07:00

Shekynah is 6! She had a fun dinner at McD's and then home for a pretty purple cake and ice cream and presents!

We had fun trick candles that everyone enjoyed trying to blow out. We were glad Chrisy and Deyja could be here for it.

She got an American girl doll Addy and some cute clothes from Grandma and Chrisy/Deyja. Addy has been stuck to her ever since.

Shekynah's birthday party at McDonalds

2008-12-01T14:04:00.001-07:00

How many kids can you fit in a McDonalds playland slide. Remember Deyja is 5'10".

Every birthday we let the kids pick were they want to eat. Guaranteed 4 of them pick McDonalds...the other 4 groan in protest.

Birthday Girl!!!! 6 Years Old!

After Dinner

2008-12-01T13:31:00.001-07:00

Doyle went straight for the couch and the remote for some football and napping.

Brayden headed for another couch and was out like a light.

And Masey seranaded Brayden with some Christmas music while he slept. The rest of us chatted over the leftovers while the kids played in the basement. All in all it was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Big Dinner

2008-12-01T13:21:00.001-07:00

YUM!!! Turned out so good and everyone helped out, well almost all of the kids, notice one child is missing. He is sneaky and decided the potatoes were too difficult to peel so dad took over and somehow he wormed his way out of any other work.

We really enjoyed our dinner and stuffed ourselves silly. We all went around the table and said what we were thankful for this year. Most of the kids were thankful for family, the gospel, our home all except one.... who was thankful for girls. He was the one wearing a shirt that said "I only go to school for the girls." Very appropriate. The one and only Colbster.

Last one at the dinner table. She is usually the clean up crew, finishing up the left overs.

And finally.... dessert!!!

More Thanksgiving morning fun

2008-12-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

Shekynah and Eli had the difficult job of making the most noise possible and teasing all who are working.

Masey did gravy and Brooklyn the stuffing.

Kate caught in a moment of mischievousness. Trying to contaminate all food with her fingers.

And Brayden saved the day by doing green been casserole, corn and mashing potatoes! Such a good worker.

AAHHH Thanksgiving morning

2008-12-01T12:59:00.001-07:00

This year marks the first year we have done Thanksgiving all on our own. We did enjoy having Chrisy and Deyja visit from Arizona, although I doubt they will do it again in the winter. Its freezing out here! Doyle is doing his task of peeling potatoes and he did the turkey. We all signed up for what job we would like to do to participate in Thanksgiving dinner.

I chose rolls and pie's, although I did have to supervise many of the other tasks.

Serf went for the challeging role of doing the cranberry sauce (from a can). Funny thing is it took 3 of us to figure out how to get it out of the can.

Deyja was the official table setter. It is a big job being that there was 12 of us and we went extra fancy with the heavy duty paper plates... no flimsy ones for thanksgiving dinner!

Big kids at the ward party

2008-11-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Masey and friend Becca as Strippling Warriors

Full body shot. They are so cute.

Brayden also is a strippling warrior

And Serf joins the mix as a nerd or as we like to say Erckle.

It looks as if Masey's getting married

2008-11-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

AHHH teenagers. We got a message from the "neighbors" saying they were surprised to see that Masey had gotten married and they were so happy for her. Silly kids love decorating each others cars. It continues to escalate as each kid tries to outdo the next. They also gave her a flat tire.

Also notice the fine paint job on her car! YES, her and Brayden taped off her car and then sprayed it with cans of white paint. We are officially the white trash of the neighborhood. But hey it looks a little better.... just don't look too close.

Colby is 11!

2008-11-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Our family clown is growing up!

He wanted Madden and under armour and look at this ..... he got it!

Showing us some of his moves.

It would not be Colby's party without pumpkin pie and a goofball.

Ward Trunk R Treat

2008-11-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

More Halloween Fun! This time at the church. Notice Kates friend is loving her newest Halloween creation. She is now a ballerina!

Eli as Kaachow (that's what he calls Lightning McQueen). He did not like everyone in costumes, it scared him. He did love handing out candy from the back of the van though. We pilled about 3 blankets on us to stay warm.

Girls!!!

Guess who Colby dressed up as? James Bond of course.

Fall Carnival at the Elementary

2008-11-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

The kids are attending another NOT Halloween party at the Elementary school were they play games and get to dress up. Mind you, they do not get to dress up on halloween day at school. Kate loved picking a new thing to dress up as for each event. Brooklyn had to be something scary because princesses are no longer Cool!

Kate's Pre-School "Fall Festival"

2008-11-16T18:35:00.001-07:00

Kate and her buddies at her fall festival. Here in Indiana we have Fall Festivals and Fall Carnivals but we must never use the word HALLOWEEN! We would not want to upset the... uhh.....Wickens, I guess? We had a long "halloween" season as this party was in mid October.

We enjoyed some games, pumpkin decorating and treats. It was fun to get out of the house and watch Kate have a blast. I got her all to myself too!

The Girls at Wicked

2008-10-12T22:52:00.002-06:00

We had been dying to see Wicked in New York for a few years now.... and lo and behold our family moves to Chicagoland and Wicked is playing here!

We decided that called for a girls weekend. Everyone came in from Arizona and Utah to see our new house and go to the city to see the play!

Masey and Deyja were thrilled to be considered part of the "GIRL CREW"! We really enjoyed having them come along. Beautiful and grown up.... not a good combination. At least for us moms.

Here are the girls inside the Egyptian theatre. It is such an amazing theatre, so beautiful and ornate. But nothing compared to the play! It was AWESOME! So, so, so good, man, we absolutely loved it.

Conference Sunday

2008-10-12T22:27:00.001-06:00

You would think this crew would give us some trouble on conference sunday....but....we are not above using games, candy and bribes.

Brooklyn is hoping for one more word here and using all her self control to not eat the game pieces.

Here they are playing some Conference Bingo. For some reason Kate is using 2 boards for better odds but no one could beat Serph. Candy is a strong motivater and he had lucky bingo card #7. Everyone wanted a shot with that card. For some reason the words Love, Prayer, Prophet and Jesus Christ were used often by the General Authorities. Go figure!

Chicago Marathon

2008-10-12T22:12:00.001-06:00

Chrisy and her best friend Erin DID IT!!! They ran the Chicago Marathon in 5 hours!! They ran for World Vision which helps children in Africa....cant think of a much better cause. Chrisy flew in for the weekend from Arizona just to run it (her friend Erin is in Chicagoland).

Here we are celebrating her finish! We were all so proud of her and all her hard work.

Eli kept asking her to come home with us and have a sleep over. The kids love their Auntie.

Kate rides a 2 wheel bike

2008-10-12T22:04:00.001-06:00

Kate decided she was going to ride a 2 wheeler and so....she did.

Being headstrong has its advantages!

Brooklyn is 7

2008-09-29T11:10:00.002-06:00

Here is our sweet Brooky on her 7th Birthday. She has informed us that she is much too mature for anything pink or purple (its too girly) and definitely no princesses. Oh how this mother wished for her to remain a princess loving girly girl forever.
On a happier note I do have 2 younger ones I can still indoctrinate. Brooklyn is no help on the matter though, as she insisted on her room being blue and NOT PINK. (Notice the color of the cake.)
I absolutely love the look on her face when she opened this present! It was exactly what she had been asking for but had little hope of getting because they are pricey...an American Girl doll named Kirsten (purchased on ebay!)
Her and doll Kirsten are now inseparable. Brooklyn and friend Megan play American Girl dolls for hours. Only problem is, now Shekynah and Kate are asking for one also for their birthdays and Christmas........so.... now I scour ebay, again.

Cousins

2008-09-29T09:18:00.002-06:00

Colby found his match in Mathew. Mathew would say "where's that guy?" Colby took Mathews punches like a man and dished out a few himself. Notice in one of the pictures in another post how Mathew has his arm around Colb.
This is my favorite photo of the trip. Matt and his little Maria. She is a total daddy's girl. I only wish she would have let me hold her and kiss those sweet cheeks.
Rain drenched but still smiling. All my girls loved Amber and would fight over who would sit by her.
Brooklyn and Amber where like two peas in a pod. They were stuck together the entire time holding hands, hugging and chatting like old friends. Brooky cried quite a few tears over Amber's leaving. She still asks me when she gets to ride in a plane and see her best friend Amber.

Hill Cumorah Pageant

2008-09-29T08:59:00.003-06:00

I forgot to add that we all attended the Hill Cumorah Pageant. It was amazing. We even ran into some people we knew from Riverton, Utah, whose daughter was in the show. All the kids were thoroughly entertained even with the rain.

The kids were officially introduced to "Mormon Bashers" calling us names and yelling at people with loud speakers. I think they were surprised that families would come with their children to yell hateful things at people they have never met.

Beach and Water Park

2008-09-29T08:38:00.004-06:00

We showed the fam our 2 favorite places this summer. The Water Park and The Beach. We spent many of our days at one or the other. Eli finally decided to get in the water by the end of the summer. Most days I would just watch him play in the sand.
This is beautiful Lake Michigan and the Indiana Dunes. The sand is so soft and the water gets warmer as the summer goes on. A little taste of San Diego without the waves and sharks. With gas prices so high we decided to vacation close to home.

Last stop...Valpo, Indiana

2008-09-29T08:31:00.002-06:00

Our trip ended at our house where Chrisy and Tracy joined up with us!
And....we had our first Woll Family 5K. Some of us did better than others. We found out Brooklyn is really fast and she beat all the other kids. Unfortunately, she doesn't get it from her mother, who was dead last.

Feeding the masses

2008-09-29T08:22:00.003-06:00

This is how we ate for most of our trip. It was really fun. We would look for a local park and eat picnic style. We chased some ducks and played on the equipment. Can you imagine all of us in a restaurant, well we actually hit a few McD's and we were quite a spectacle.

Kirtland Temple Ohio

2008-09-29T08:16:00.002-06:00

The clan in front of the Kirtland temple. Our favorite part of this tour was when we all sang the song "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning" in the chapel. Very moving.

Niagra Falls

2008-09-29T08:04:00.002-06:00

As part of our summer vacation we visited Niagra Falls...it was beautiful.
At least us adults thought so. The kids were not as impressed. We basically got the same enthusiasm they showed at the grand Canyon...........Is that all? Notice the look on Colby's face. Kids these days.

Sealing in the Palmyra Temple

2008-09-28T18:42:00.003-06:00

We were so grateful to have my family there!

All the family after our Sealing. They are stuck with us now! What an amazing experience for all of us. We were quite a sight and our sealer was so sweet and was brought to tears when he did our sealing.

Many photos of Trip

2008-09-28T16:54:00.007-06:00

You can view the photos of our trip to Palmyra, Kirkland, Niagra Falls and various others by going to http://picasaweb.google.com/robinlynnd

Palmyra Trip: Sacred Grove

2008-09-28T15:39:00.005-06:00

This summer we visited Palmyra, New York. Here we all are at the Sacred Grove.
Brayden told all of us the story of when Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It was so beautiful. This was one of the highlights of our trip.

The grove was so peaceful .... when mom and I got separated from the kids!

2008-09-28T15:31:00.004-06:00

Here is proof of the casualties of a mom out of commission....Eli was on time-out and fell asleep ... hum (how long you might ask?)

For those of you concerned about my health, I am doing much better but still have many side effects and a few flare ups. The ward here is awesome and came in to take the kids for 2 weeks, take them to school and doing dinners. Hey, I am just glad to be walking and typing. Love you all!

Hurricane Ike Hits Indy

2008-09-28T15:21:00.005-06:00

Well, we are pretty far away from the hurricane but it did rain HARD here. We had a lot of flooding and the poor neighbor, with the fire truck pumping water out and spewing it into the forest, they had water from the pond past their basement windows. Luckily we had no flooding as we live on a bit of a hill and we have a working sump pump.

The kids even got out of school because many of the roads were covered in water. We thought it was awesome seeing the fire truck though.

The boys enjoyed a hardy game of football in the rain. Nuts.

2008-08-28T22:19:00.002-06:00

So I am a pathetic blogger. I figure one post a year is good. Ok I promise now that we are away from family to do better and keep up.

room4smore

2007-04-02T14:15:00.000-06:00

room4smore

First post

2006-06-08T00:05:00.000-06:00

O.K. Here goes. I am starting my new blog and this is my first experience writing one. I am an expert reader of blogs and all things to do with children and adoption. I have 6 kids ages 15 to 1. The first five are biological and my 6th is from Ethiopia. We adopted him at 6 months old and have had him home for 7 months. His name is Elijah Mamush. He is so beautiful and so much fun.
I have to say adoption has changed my life. Not only did my family grow but I have had my eyes opened to the great need for families to open their hearts to children around the world. I always knew I would adopt someday. We had talked of doing it after our 3rd child was born. But the kids kept coming and we were not ready until last year. Hey, maybe we are still not ready- who is ever really ready for children. They all come with their own set of challenges. You have to be a little crazy to be a mom to many =)
When I am not so tired I will post more on our decision to adopt and where we are going next! Yep, we are not done yet!