Summer catch up

Yeah, not summer...these are Easter egg hunt pictures that I took and never posted.  

Squinty baby eyes...

The evidence of our first ever efforts to color eggs.

This actually happened in the summer.  

Evan had a school board retreat in Flagstaff.  We stayed at Little America while he went to meetings.  I didn't take many pictures, but this made me laugh so hard I was crying, so I thought I'd share.

Outside the truck stop diner there is this dinosaur that someone engineered so well, it is nearly impossible for kids to climb on it, as kids would generally do.  Amelia and Dylan went at it from every angle but they couldn't seem to get on top.  

Simon hovered at the tail.  I think he figured that if the older two were having so much trouble, he probably would too.

Finally, I stopped laugh-crying and gave them a boost.  

Liam's expression indicates what he thought of the whole thing.

Catch up...once again

I am so far behind, so I'll just start where I am.  Simon had his 5th birthday party on a rainy Friday last May.  We had to move it indoors last minute. It was chaotic to make the change, but I think the parents were grateful for the contained, dry play space.

This kid is such an awesome little guy!  He's as spunky and sensitive at 5 as ever, and he can't get enough Legos, dinosaurs, Hot Wheels tracks, etc.

One of Simon's favorite gifts was this Darth Vader voice changer.

His indoor party was a blast, apparently. (That's what all the kids said, anyway.) 

It was certainly better than the soggy mess that our outdoor plans would have become.

Birthday morning presents!

Crazy-eyed happiness spurred by the Roboraptor.

Here's Liam with Evan...He is growing like a little weed, is by fair our blondest child, and is such a little doll.  He refuses a pacifier and so resorts to happy screeches, screams, and squeals when it's time to be quiet.

I'm not actually sure what prompted this bed head and pajamas photo session, but there was not one picture in the several that I took where all the kids were looking at the camera.  

So, I chose one where no one was looking at the camera.

Amelia turned 12 in June.  She had a day-on-the-boat birthday bash.  The girls came back tired, waterlogged, a little sunburned, and full of crazy-fun stories of near drowning/spraining/starving experiences. Well, that was mostly Amelia. No shortage of drama here.

Her actual birthday was not quite as exciting, but still happy.

In August school started: 7th grade for Amelia, 3rd for Dylan, and Kindergarten for Simon.

A week later, Liam turned one.

His birthday was a quiet affair with grandparents and cupcakes.  He didn't quite know what to do with his birthday treat.  I think he may have touched the frosting and then tasted his finger. 

 That was about it.

He had a lot of help opening his presents and he especially loved the bath toys Amelia chose for him.  Here he is soapy, elated and double-chinned.

This darling dude gives us a run for our money.  We sleep less, mop more, and constantly re-shelve, re-stack, re-pack, and put away.*  But we love him all the same!

*In fact, this is typical...

I think he was trying to put a magnet into the Wii, after he had pulled out a row of DVDs. At least he was practicing standing...

Or there's always a Sharpie to find...