From a Child's Perspective

Someone has been a little obsessed with our camera. I have found a lot of pictures that I don't remember taking. It seems we have a little photographer who wants to be like Aunt Cristi.

This section is entitled Lighting is Everything.

Light Through a Window

Elmo!

And here we have the lovely pieces in the collection Looking Up.

The Light and Smoke Detector

The Thermostat

And of course, The Savior.

These pieces come from a rare collection capturing the details of a messy home.

Home Is Where the Mess Is

The Counter Top

The Lone Shoe

And last, but not least, we have some photos that will reveal the artist's identity.

The Little One

Dallin is growing up so fast. Here are a few pictures I've taken over the last week or so that show his personality, and believe me, he has got a strong one!!

"What's up Mom?"

He has really started talking. Even today he learned a few new words: "Barbie" (he took the leg off of one of Halley's and said, "Uh-oh baw-bie."), "home," and "glasses."

His favorite words by far are "ball," "B"-which means balloon, and "aw-wee." It took me a long time to figure that last one out, but I am pretty sure he is either saying "water" or "a drink."

He LOVES to drink anything! Anytime he sees a cup or anything resembling a drink we hear, "aw-wee, aw-wee, aw-wee!!!"
He loves to put on clothes, hats, necklaces, and anything else he can get a hold of. He really loves shoes! It's funny. When we had been stuck in the house for so long with sick kids he started bringing me his shoes and saying, "Ooo, Ooo," like he wanted me to put his "oooos" on and take him somewhere!

He is our little runner. Most of the other kids kind of enjoyed staying at least in sight of mom, not this one.

He wants to go!

Even if he can't see where he's going!

Peek-a-Boo!

And here's a random one of Bradley because he felt left out! :)

Get Me Out of the House!!!

The kids have been sick for the past week or so. It has not been pleasant. They have all had some weird virus. It starts with a sore throat, then a fever, and then a rash and huge sores in their mouths. Needless to say, we have been stuck in the house for days . . .
We couldn't go to church today because Connor (the last one to get it) had a fever last night, and he was still in a lot of pain today. So . . . I was trying to figure out a way for us all to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!! Wes suggested since it's Sunday I should take the kids around and look at the temples.
We did, and it was a blast!! I printed off some facts about temples and a few little things about each of the three temples we wanted to see, packed some snacks, and we were off!We went to the south end of the valley since there are three temples within a few miles of each other. First we went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. Gorgeous!!! I love this temple because it is the one we usually go to for a session since my sister lives right by it. I've had a few cousins get married there, and it is just beautiful. I love the view, and the kids were awe-struck by how big it is when they got up close to it.
These pictures aren't that great. It was a little cold, and I had a hard time keeping the kids focused. I think they were excited to be out! We had fun, and the kids learned a lot about temples and loved seeing them up close (even though the gates were closed).Next we went to the Jordan River Temple. I didn't realize this temple was dedicated in 1981. The kids thought that was really cool. Bradley thought it was crazy that Wes was only 3 and I wasn't even born then. :)This little munchkin was especially excited to be out in the open with space to RUN!!!!!I think all of the kids really enjoyed the Draper Temple.It is a fun drive up in the foothills, and the temple grounds were much more open. There was even another family there eating lunch.
Connor really wasn't feeling well, but he was a good sport.I love this picture. Bradley started out a little grumpy about the whole thing, but he has been talking about temples and asking questions all day. He even told me before they went to bed that this was a "really great day."
Bradley was really excited that the Draper Temple is made from granite.He has been telling me all day that granite is one of the strongest rocks. I researched it a little after we got home and found out they shipped in white granite from China to build this temple.I am so glad Wes gave us this idea. It was a such a wonderful experience for me and for all the kids - not only to get out of the house, but to feel the spirit of the temples.

Fun in the Snow

I had to go out and shovel snow so I thought I'd bundle up the kids and let them play while I worked.
Dallin had fun for about 3 minutes.Halley enjoyed watching the snowflakes stick to her hat. He he he . . . I'm not sure if Connor was having fun or not. Bradley was LOVING it.I am so glad my kids are all so dang cute!

Connor, Halley, and Our Pets

So, apparently the kids really like to use the camera if I leave it out on the kitchen counter. These pictures were taken the day after Bradley's birthday party. Halley and Connor were finished getting ready for church, and apparently the rest of us were still upstairs.Halley loves to pester Sydney, but she likes to snuggle her too.

Check out these poses!

"I am THE MAN!!"

"Yah, but I am A PRINCESS!"

Meet Finn McMissile. He is a Betta fish named after a character from Cars 2. Connor got him for Christmas. We call him Finn for short.

Bradley's Birthday Party

Bradley had his eight year old birthday party a couple days after his birthday. I told him his biggest present was going to be a friend birthday party. We don't usually do those, but I figure this is a pretty big event. He desperately wanted to have a magician at his party. I looked into it online, and they are super pricey. However, we have a guy in our ward who does simple magic tricks, and the boys love him. So, we invited Brother Davis over for a fantastic show!He even let the kids come up and help and made Bradley feel totally special.
He seriously did such a great job. All the kids were totally awed by every trick he did.My parents came over to help, and even they loved the show! Every time we see him at church the kids all go crazy!
I was so grateful that he was willing to come over and entertain all these fun boys!!Here they are enjoying yummy chocolate pudding cake and doing presents. Bradley was so excited about the cake! Wes bought a cake from Smith's for some family party a few months before this, and Bradley kept reminding me that he had to have the chocolate pudding cake for his birthday. It was cute!
He got a lot of legos which is exactly what he wanted!And here are the little ones enjoying the mess after the party!