Loren and Sandra Marks Family Blog

Harry Potter Day at the Reunion

2012-02-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of this years reunion was the Harry Potter day that Heather and Jeremy organized. The kids had the goblet of fire, a quiditch tournament, potions class, real dementors, wand making class, and divinations class.

Loren and Joe were the dementors.

Jef, Joe, and Jer were the bludgers. Mishonne got clothes lined by Logan in the first few seconds. She went back in the game rearing and ready to win.

the Pirate festival

2012-02-05T08:29:00.000-08:00

The kids got to see Mermaids and pirates at the festival. I even got chosen to volunteer for the magic show. I about peed my pants when I realized it was for the head chopping guillotine act.

Large Reptiles

2012-02-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

Grandma Marks neighbor came out with his Komono Dragon and asked if the kids would like to hold it. All but Aliyah were willing participants.

Visits with Great Grandmas

2012-02-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Great Grandma Marks made us fried chicken while we were in Brookings. Yum Yum.
We stopped in Ellensberg to visit Grandma Pat. We had a nice luch with her. I am sure she misses Grandpa Rich.

Lucian and Aria's Birthday Pics

2012-02-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun taking Lucian and Aria's birthday pictures. I took them while Nicole was at work. Aria fussed alot and Lucian would not hold still so it was a challenge.

Marks Family Reunion 2011

2012-02-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

The zip line, ping pong, tether ball, and the river are a few of the exciting things to do at the reunion.

The cousins wait all year for the family reunion so they can catch up from the past year. They get to run free at Camp Lane.

Dahlia gets a Bath

2012-01-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

Aliyah got to help give Dahlia a bath. I dont know who was more wet when she was done, the dog or her.

Spokane Riverfron Park

2012-01-12T11:55:00.000-08:00

Uncle Christopher catches Aliyah on the huge wagon slide

Aunt Donna and Grandma Maryann play hide n seek with the kids
Aliyah had a little too much fun in the sprinkler park. She even took her top off to be like Denton.

Aunt Donna took Aliyah down to the river edge to feed the ducks.

The Redwood Trees

2012-01-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

The Redwood trees are so majestic. The kids had fun climbing fallen trees.

Beach Hikes in ORegon

2012-01-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

The kids look forward to our annual hikes along favorite beach trails. This year we hiked most all of our favorite spots like Miner's creek and Indian sands and natural bridges.

Mishonne and Aliyah watch the sun go to bed.
Mom and Mishonne at the natural bridges
Aliyah gets a much better view atop Daddy's shoulders
Haley and I snuck back along the road trail

The boys made it back to the top of the trail

Family Pics Summer 2011

2012-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

I got to practice taking pictures with my family. Much to my Dad's and Loren's horror they got to spend a whole 30 minutes posing in front of the camera.

Marshmellows and Faries

2011-10-09T18:19:00.001-07:00

The grandkids love to roast Marshmellows with Uncle Christopher and Grandpa Mike

Mishonne took a growth spurt and to her mother's horror is now taller than she.

Aria gets to wear Aliya's old Tinker Bell costume. She looks so adorable, Sandra just had to get some lovins.

Haley turns "9"

2011-10-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

Haley is lucky because she gets to have her birthday each year in Washington. This year she shared it with Uncle Greg and Father's Day. It was good to have so much family supportAiyah with Grandpa Mike
Brandon with his two girls Addison and Trinity
Logan with his favorite Uncle, Christopher.
The birthday girl loves her Grandma and big sister

Grandma Maryann and her Pops Grandpa Don

Grandma Jody steals some hard to get cuddles from Mishonne

Janel quickly becomes the coolest according to Aliyah

Lucian's adoption

2011-10-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

We were so excited to be there for Lucian's adoption. He is such a special little blessing. I know he was supposed to join Nicole's family.

Haley Gets her Ears pierced in Washington

2011-10-09T16:13:00.001-07:00

Haley was too nervous to get her ears pierced when she was eight so she waited until she turned 9. It was a family affair to the mall. She was very nervous as you can see, but was very excited once she was all done. I can't believe she is getting so big. What a beautiful girl.

The kids had fun playing with Lucian in the mall play area.

A Joint Birthday Party

2011-10-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

We had a huge huge huge turn out at Denton and Aliyah's joint swim party. Since their birthdays are close together and they have friends with siblings their age we had the party together. It ended up being a much larger crowd than I thought but it was fun. They had a bug egg hunt and hotdogs.

Bella, the Bascom's dog thought she was one of the kids.

Logan gradutaes from Primary School

2011-10-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Logan had a ball at his field day. It marked the end of Primary as he knew it. They got to have a BBQ and do various activities. He looked especially funny with a kleenex box tied to his behind.

Aliyah especially enjoyed the field day since she got to jump on the Space Walk and have ice cream.

Denton boy turns 6

2011-10-09T12:06:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that Denton is "6." He loves cars and legos, so he was not too excited about getting clothes. It was funny to see the different reactions when he would open a gift. Money also got a good response.

A baby shower for Two

2011-10-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

We had a baby shower for Natalie Paries and Courtney Richardson at P.F. Changs. It was good to be with the girls. I made them hooded towels with monogramed names on them for their babbies. Yup, they are looking ready to pop...lol
Me and Amy Bascom

Softball Galore

2011-09-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

I got reeled in to coach Mishonne's softball team this year which was called Kaos, a very fitting name I must say. After putting up with the cooky coach and her drunkard ex husband many parents asked me to finish coaching the team. We had a crazy year ending with the old coach stealing money from me. Ya, it was nuts.
Haley had a ball playing on her team which was called the "Bombshells." Our freind Eric Nicols coached the team.
Logan played in a more competitive baseball league this year and found it challenging but rewarding towards the end.

Haley's Dance Pics

2011-09-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

I did my first indoor pics for Haleys dance class. I learned that I need a wide angle lens, but under the circumstances I thought they turned out cute. Haley had fun learning dance from Jessica Storey. The dance was a taught in Jessica's home and it was a small class so Haley got a lot of one on one learning. The dance recital was very cute. They danced to "Footloose" and "Here comes the Sun"

Gonzales Ward Talent Show

2011-05-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Mishonne and the YW put on a talent show with any willing participants to earn money for girl's camp. Mishonne did a silly Mary Had a Little Lamb duet with her friend Kelsie and she wrote a skit for our family to perform. It was funny and in the end she played the piano to beat out Logan. Haley was the daughter being courted by the two "boys" and Loren was the skeptical Dad. Logan also played Star Wars while Alexander Paries did a Jedi routine.

Piano Recital

2011-05-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

This was Logan and Haley's first year taking Piano from a teacher other than Loren. They both did very well at their Recital. Mishonne also did great with her "Somewhere in Time". Logan played Star Wars and William Tell March. Haley played Tschaikowsky Concerto.
Pictured with the kids is their piano teach, Ms. Gwen Verbois.

Marks' Family Easter

2011-05-08T19:22:00.001-07:00

I always fill the kids Easter baskets with one clothing item, one toy, and a few candies and hide them on Easter Sunday. We also color eggs and I hide those too. Again Aliyah was stoked since she knew there was candy involved.
We had the Mastens over for Easter Dinner. They are like family and we always have a good time with them.

I had fun dressing the kids for Easter. I always love the holidays when I can dress them all up. Mishonne hated pink so we found her a skirt with a bit of pink and a necklace to compromise.

Mishonne asked if I would curl her hair for Easter. Once all the curlers were in she regreted asking. She has a tender head and did not enjoy all the hard curlers tugging at her hair. She looked very grown up....too grown up when it was all done.

Ward Easter Party 2011

2011-05-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

The kids had so much fun at the ward Easter Party. It was Aliyah's first realization that eggs can have candy in them. She was pretty impressed.

Valentine's Fun

2011-05-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

We were excited to get a Valentine Day king cake. It was fun to see the kids enjoy their Valentine treats and to get hugs from them.

2011-05-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

It was quite a year co-coaching Mishonne's Middle School basketball team. It is a long season and Loren was very patient staying with the kids while I was away. I love seeing the girls improve and accomplish individual and team goals.

Potty Training Moments

2011-05-08T18:57:00.001-07:00

We took the plunge and potty trained Aliyah. She thought teaching her baby doll was the coolest thing ever. It took her a couple of weeks to get it down but the bribery with M&Ms and gum helped. We will enjoy having a few extra dollars now that we dont have to buy diapers. Woo Hoo!

King Cake Time

2011-01-31T09:39:00.001-08:00

We had our first King Cake of the season for family Home Evening. The kids love the cinnamon flavor from Ralph's. Aliyah found the plastic baby in her piece. She said "Ooo, the baby is all dirty and its naked." Can't get enough King Cake!

Awards 'n such

2011-01-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

Mishonne, Logan, and Haley got straight A's again this year. The Primary school had a Hollywood and red carpet theme the first quarter. This quarter they did an Olympics theme. It was fun. The kids all got a medal for making honor roll.

A visit from our favorite Army Soldier

2011-01-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to see Uncle Christopher. He was home on leave from Afghanistan and then went back to Italy. We miss him when he is gone and he is always in our family prayers. The kids hadn't seen him in 19 months and it was like he was never gone. They took him as easy as ever, even Aliyah who was only a little over a year last time. Haley stuck to hime like glue and gave lots of cuddles which I think was a therapy of sorts to Christopher who had some crazy events happen while in Afghanistan.
Denton and Aliyah got a date to the zoo with Uncle Christopher.

A Hornets Game

2011-01-31T09:22:00.000-08:00

Our friends the Perillouxs from church offered us three tickets to the New ORleans Hornets Basketball game. Loren had fun taking Mishonne and Logan to the game. The kids had a ball in the suite room eating food and drinking soda. The Hornets won by the way so it was a memorable day. Mishonne was the photographer.

My Remember When... dream gets off the ground

2011-01-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

As long as I can remember taking pictures has been a passion of mine. I decided to start selling bottlecap necklaces to earn enough money for a semi professional camera. I thought it would take about a year to earn enough money but low and behold Captastic bottlecaps took off like a rocket and I earned the money in just one month. So now is learning time for me on my new camera whom I have named Buddy. Here are some of the very first pictures I took with my new Buddy. At first my pics were really washed out and I tried every shutter speed and could not figure out what was wrong so I called Jef. He politely informed me that my lens was not on properly and too much light was getting in. Duhhhh! So as you can tell Haley is a willing subject and I have lots to learn.

I love how easily Aliyah is happy and then sad in the next pic. I think Haley stole a cracker from her bowl as you can see the sheepish look on her face in the background.

Ward Christmas Party

2011-01-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

The kids had fun at the ward Christmas party. IN the Primary nativity play, Logan was a shepherd and Haley was an angel. The youth played a part in the revised version of the 12 days of Christmas as well. Haley played a triangle and Mishonne's Beehive class were 12 maids eating milky ways.
Aliyah had a ball dancing to the Christmas music with her reindeer antlers on.

Christmas Sunday Attire

2011-01-30T16:18:00.000-08:00

Sandra loves dressing the kids up on Christmas Sunday. This year hot pink was the "new Christmas" red. Aliyah refused to wear her black church shoes so the hot pink "fwips" were her choice. The boys settled for black pants and ties. We are so grateful to attend church to celebrate the Lord's Birthday.

Decorating the Tree

2011-01-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

We love decorating our Christmas tree each year and reminiscing over our ornaments that the kids have gotten over the years. Haley and Denton were in charge of the little tree that we put the kids home made ornaments on.

Halloween Glimpses

2011-01-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

The kids had fun dressing up for Halloween parties. Aliyah was a cute lady bug. We had to get her used to it a few weeks before Halloween. At first she would not even touch it and then by Halloween she wanted to wear it all the time. Denton was an army guy, Haley was a pretty little witch, Logan a magician, and Mishonne a lady pirate.
Aliyah had a ball at her playgroup Halloween party. There were all kinds of princesses and Luke skywalker to keep them safe.

Big Girl's overnighter

2011-01-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

We had a ball up at the Richardson's camp in Mississippi. Stephanie, Natalie, Amy, and myself had an overnighter with no kids or husbands allowed. We played games, had pizza, shot bb guns, rode on the paddle boats, and hiked. It was a nice break from the regular routine.

More Fun with Grandma and Auntie

2011-01-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

The kids always look forward to frosting sugar cookies with Grandma when she comes to visit.

I had fun taking some natural light pictures of Lucian and Aria and then had Mishonne take some of me and Nicole.

Funny Faces galore. Who has the funniest face?

The kids had fun with Lucian and Aria. Aliyah even wanted to put Aria in her baby shopping cart. The little ones bathed together and rode horsey on Mishonne.

The Audubon Zoo with Auntie

2011-01-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

We were so excited to have Auntie, Lucian, Aria, and Grandma Maryann come visit us. It was our first time seeing Aria. She is so cute and Lucian is so big. We all got to go to the Audubon Zoo. After a wild goose chasing finding the zoo we had a great time.

The scout Centennial Celebration

2011-01-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

Sandra took Mishonne, Logan, and Haley to the Scout Cedntennial Celebration. It was not as hands on as we thought. It was mostly sponsors advertising their stuff, but the kids did get to see a cool helicopter and some military armor.

A last trip to the ocean for the year

2011-01-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Loren and the kids got a 3 day weekend and we found a good deal on a hotel so we took the kids four hours away to Pensacola, Florida for a day and a half trip to the beach. It was hot but the kids had a good time.

Play group at the Baton Rouge Zoo

2011-01-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that playgroup is something that Aliyah talks about now. She loves going on outings to see her friends. It was a perfect day for a trip to the zoo. Her new best buddy, Benjamin, moved in down the street. She is also good friends with Lila and Morgan and Caroline.

Crew gets a new diaper

2011-01-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

Mishonne had to come up with an invention for her TAG class. She decided to make a dipaer with a disposal insert and a leash for her guinea pig. Crew thought it was not such a good idea. He wiggled out of it and put his head in it instead.

First day of School

2011-01-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

Denton was so excited to go to his first day of Kindergarten as a big boy. He looked so handsome in his school uniform. Haley is now in third grade and Logan in fifth grade. Logan got nominated for student of the year this year and got third place out of the whole fifth grade. A daughter of one of the teachers ended up winning. He did a great job on his portfolio. So far all of the kids have all A's this year. Mishonne is in seventh grade and also has all A's. This is her first experience of being on a school team. She made both the volleyball and basketball teams. I have the opportunity to assistant coach her teams. I am pleased with all of my kids. Even Aliyah is excited to learn and do her "homework" with the big kids when they get home.

My 35th birthday bash

2011-01-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

My 35th Birthday bash was spent with a bunch of little kids and big kids, I mean my close friends. We met at the Richardson's pool and my friends Courtney and Andrea surprised me with a birthday cake and gifts. Loren later took me out to dinner and the kids got me garden decor. I don't feel a day over 29.

The Hewitts come to Oregon

2011-01-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to have the Hewitts come down to Oregon to see us. Michell is my close friend from Baton Rouge who moved back to Oregon a few years ago. We have managed to see them briefly each summer. Michell is now remarried to a great guy. I am so happy for her. Haley and little Halle were best friends and so were Logan and her son Charlie. Boy have they grown.

Visiting with Old Friends

2011-01-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate enough to get to stop and see our old friends, Kyle and Daylene Walker in Rexberg Idaho. They were our best friends when we lived in Utah the first few years we were married. IT had been 10 years since we saw them last. We each have five kids now. They still look almost the same. We hope to see them more in the future.

We also got to see the Ramsdens and Beatties in Utah like usual. We are so grateful for the good friends we have met along the way.

Families come together

2011-01-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Haley's baptism was the reason Grandma Jody and Opa and Grandma Maryann came down to Oregon. We had fun showing them our favorite places in Brookings. They even got to have some of Renee's fried fish.

We had fun hanging out in their hotel. This is the morning of Haley's baptism. We were being silly. They were here for the kite festival. Opa loved the bagel shop I told him about.
This is a most precious picture.
Aliyah Jody Marie is with her two name sakes, Great Grandma Jody and Great Grandma Edith Marie.

More from the Marks Reunion

2011-01-02T13:02:00.001-08:00

The goofy side of the Marks is the best side.

Here are some of the adults having fun too.

Bonding with family is our favorite part of the reunion experience.

Funny faces galore!

It's fun to put on our game faces on and play some ping pong, horse shoes, volleyball and badmitten.

2010 Marks Family Reunion

2011-01-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

We started an annual tradition of renting Camp Lane for the Marks reunion each year. Here is the whole gang together. We are only missing Tommy and Jacki's family. It is always entertaining to get the whole Marks clan together.

This is a glimpse at the Marks Family Sing a long night.

The kids always love playing in the sand. Some of the pics are from the Camp Lane and some are a few days before on the beach.

Here are many of the older "Re-Marks" cousins. They love being together.

Each year there is usually a new baby in the fold. This year it was baby Sawyer.

Summer Ocean Pics Atlast

2010-11-26T16:18:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to posting our summer family pics at the ocean in Brookings. Jef was kind enough to take them for us. It makes me miss the ocean so much to see these. 7 months and counting till I am reunited with it.

Haley's Baptism Memories

2010-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

Haley looked so beautiful in her baptism dress. She reminds me of an angel. Haley is such a special spirit. She if so full of love and smiles. She keeps the love in our family and reminds us to be Christlike. We took the dress pictures in Spokane above the River near Grandma Maryann and Mike's house.

Haley had all of the Brookings family there to support her at her baptism. How neat.

We are so pleased with Haley and her decision to get baptised.

Haley is well loved and supported. In addition to all the Brookings family, Grandma Jody, Opa, and Grandma Maryann drove down from Spokane to the the baptism. It was fun to have so much family for such a special day.
Haley got her own scriptures and case for her baptism from Mommy and Daddy and Grandma Maryann.

Not only was it Haley's baptism day but it was also her baby cousin, Sawyer's blessing day. They both look so precious together.

Mishonne played the piano while her aunts and uncles sang the "As Sisters in Zion/As Armies of Helaman" medley. Aunt Heidi gave the talk, Grandma Renee led the music, Aunt Heather said the opening prayer and Grandma Maryann said the closing prayer.

It is always a special time for Loren to baptize his kids. Grandpa Marks and Opa were the witnesses.

Our Baby Girl turns "2"

2010-08-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

I can not believe our baby girl is TWO. Aliyah is a bundle of energy and is just starting to talk really well. Since we have had so many birthdays lately she walks around singing "Happy Birthday" all day long. We are so glad Aliyah is part of our family.

Aliyah sampled her little cake before we lit the candles.

Aliyahs two favorite things are chips and wearing only her diaper so this picture captures her very well. lol

Camp Kingdom

2010-08-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

I have never been so relieved to have a week behind me in my life. I got called to co direct Girl's Camp this year. I thought it would be loads of fun since I love coming up with ideas. It was more work than I ever imagined. Both Melanie, my director, and my self were unexperienced with how camp runs. So we started with past year schedules and went from there. IT was definately a rewarding experience but the pressure to make it a huge spiritual experience for the girls attending was tough. I think it all went well. We had lots of compliments. I know that we will improve on many things next year, but all in all it was one of the toughest callings I have ever had but one of the most rewarding. The best part was being able to be there on the year that Mishonne got to go for the first time. I loved seeing her experience new emotions and seeing her testimony grow.

We decorated the dining hall to look like a castle. We called it the royal hall. Uur theme was "Be strong and courageous" so we went with the medieval theme. We took off with the armor of God theme from the scriptures and incorporated it into our activities and lessons. My big project was a "Castles and Farytales" Powerpoint presentation. I was surprised how into it the girls were which made me feel good becauses I spent so much time on it. The girls got a charm to go on their necklace each night. I gave them a Salt Lake temple charm for the presentation.

It was a Bi Stake Camp. Here is our Baton Rouge Stake pic.

Mishonnes leadership training group.

Here are Mishonnes big sisters, each YCl has little sisters.

I was in charge of the YCLs and help them to lead the camp. The YCLs are juniors and seniors in high school. We had 33 of them this year. Crazy.

Here are my Washington Buddies. Tiffany and Heather are from Spokane like me and Courtney is from the Pullman area. Heather and I were even at girls camp in Spokane at the same time. What a small world. Heather and I were in the YCL cabin together. It was such a blast. We had water fights with the other YCl Cabin. I think we won that one, after they held me down and soaked me. lol.

Loren sang the "Give me Faith" song that he wrote for the girls. It was special. I am married to the best man in the world.

The girls made armor of god parts for the Stake Presidency members to put on. It was pretty funny.

Mishonne was Princess Peach in our ward skit.

Kelsie, Mishonnes non-member friend came to girls camp and had a really good time. I am pleased Mishonne is such a little missionary.

Haley has a pajama princess Bday Party.

2010-08-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Haley is 8 now. She is deffinately our little princess. We had a ball having her birthday this year. It was a Pajama party complete with makeovers. They played musical pillows, pass the teddybear, and had a sleeping bag relay race.

top row: Katie, Haley, Courtney; middle: Emma, Catalina, Hannah; bottom: Lizzie, Dylan, Rebecca

Be All that you can be in the Army!

2010-08-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Denton idealizes his uncle Christopher and so he wanted an Army Party for his 5th birthday this year. We had fun making the cake and games up.

We had a boot camp relay race. Here they had to army crawl under the ping pong table.

We had fun making a battle scene birthday cake.

May Baseball

2010-08-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mishonne, Logan, and Haley did very well in baseball this year. I assistant coached Haley's team this year.
I told them that whoever hit a fly ball over the fielder's head and got at least a double they could go to a restaurant for dinner. I did not figure anyone would actaully do this since most fly balls land just past the infielders, but to my utter surprize all three of them did this so I owe them dinner at Golden Corral. I guess I will be a little more causious of my promised in the future.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day. I love Mother's Day, not only to be showered with attention but to reflect on the mothers that have been a big part of my life.
Mishonne got asked to play a difficult piano piece for the Youth Choir at church. At first it was slow learning the piece because it was above what she had played in the past. Then the last few weeks she has had some one on one piano lesson time with a good friend of ours from church to learn the song. She has practiced her heart out and did a fabulous job today. There are three vocal parts which made it the more difficult to play and she did great. The awesome thing is that her friend Kelsie that has been coming to mutual on Wednesdays brought her family to church today so she could sing in the choir. Mishonne's non-member piano teacher also came to hear her play. Grandma Hilton also came with her daughter Erica. What a neat day.

Loren said I needed to title this one "the Devil in Disguise." I guess it is because she dumped her food all over the floor tonight and screamed when no one would get her "More"

Me and the Love of my Life

Grandma Hilton and her daughter Erica

Mishonne and her friend Kelsie

Grandma Hilton with the kids

glad to see I am still a bit taller

Yeah! Mishonne did it.

Easter in Washington

2010-05-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

I got a free ticket to fly home and see my family this year. The only time I could go where Loren could be with the kids and I could fly with Aliyah before she turns 2 was Easter week. The older kids and Loren had a full week of fun activities planned and had Easter dinner at the Mastens while Aliyah and I hung out in Spokane. We had a great time minus the double ear infection Aliyah got.

My dad and I also got to tile their bathroom and backsplash while I was there. I was actually the teacher which was kind of cool to teach my Dad something. Usually I am always calling him for help.

Logan turns 10!

2010-05-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I am a little late with this post, but I have good reason. I some how deleted all of Logan's birthday pictures off of my camera card. Oh how I wish my Dad lived here when I need computer help. I recently found that these two photos magically appeared in another random folder. I am still trying to find the other ones with his cool Olympic rings Birthday cake I made him. I will add those pics if they turn out.

Anyway, Logan had a fun family party with a German Chocolate cake and Gumbo, his favorite. He then had a Winter Olympic Birthday edition party with his buddies. They got to spit beans and shoot hoops blindfolded. We now have beans sprouting in our yard. lol. Logan is a special boy and we are truly grateful he is part of our family.

New Orleans

2010-05-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our New Orleans excursion when Mom was here. My friend Andrea showed us around the French Market area and of course Bourbon Street. It was cool to see the gold sprayed man and horses.
My favorite part was getting Binets and hot chocolate at Cafe Dumont.

Avisit from Auntie and Lucian

2010-03-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

Nicole was able to come visit with baby Lucian in January. We had so much fun with them. Lucian loves his Auntie Sandra. He slept all night for me when I kept him a night down stairs. That's my boy. Aliyah especially liked having a live baby doll to play with and the other kids loved having them around. I think Auntie got humbled on the ping pong table once or twice from the older kids. OOps did I just say that? I can't wait to go see them in April.

Pictures for Grandma Jody

2010-03-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Okay so this post is for my Grandma who insisted on new pictures. I know she loves all my kids but what she really means is she wants to see the baby who changes and grows so fast. She asked for it. I am sure Aliyah JODY Marie gets these qualities from her Grandma Jody.

ADORABLE This is Aliyah in a hand made dress from Mexico.

UH OH maker- I thought I would give Aliyah a few cheetos while I unloaded the groceries. I could not see her because the grocery bags were in the way. Once they were unloaded I looked over and saw Aliyah with a few more than a few cheetos. I guess I put the bag a little too close to her. LOL

FASHION EXPERT- This is a typical fashion outfit for Aliyah. If I leave her in her diaper for too long she takes matters into her own hands.

Our first Carribean Cruise

2010-01-27T10:11:00.000-08:00

Loren and I went on our first cruise to celebrate our 14th anniversary. We got it at a much discounted price and had a ball. My mom flew in to stay with the kids and so we owe her for this one.

The first day of the cruise was out at sea, but the second day we went to the mainland of Mexico near Cancun. We opted to go see the Mayan ruins at Tulum. They were very cool and neat to see in person. It made the Book of Mormon stories more alive.
This was the best weather day we had the whole time. After the ruins we went to the Playa Maya beach. It was windy but beautiful. Here I am sporting my cute hand made hat I bought at the flea market there.

Here are some sunsets as seen from our ship. The one with the circle is from our cabin port hole. IT was amazing.

HEre are some pics taken on the ship. We had a formal dress night where we got lobster and prime rib. Yummmm! The marble stairs are on the ship. There was also a water slide and minerature golf course on the ship. Each night we came back from dinner our room was clean and there was a new towel art on our bed. The only time I felt sea sick was on the last day when I read in the window nook. Loren just happened to take a picture of me reading.

Our third day we went to the island of Cozumel. We opted to get some sun at a cool beach resort called Playa Mia. It had a water trampoline, kayaking, hammocks, a blow up ice berg and lots of lawn chairs. It ended up being overcast but it was relaxing. There we met a neat couple who said we reminded them of a couple they know from Rexberg Idaho. I asked if they were Mormon and they said yes. This started a long discussion on religion, etc. I hope we planted a seed there. It is amazing that people can tell when you are mormon just by the "Spirit" as our friends said. What a neat experience.

We met tons of neat people on the ship. Most of the workers on the ship were international and there earning money to send back to their poor families. It makes you think about the many blessings we have as Americans.

Winter 2009 Family photos

2009-12-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

Here are our 2009 Family Pics. My friend Erika Rebstock Degraff took them. She is becoming quite the natural light photographer. Aliyah did not have any interest in standing still to take pictures when she had a whole park to explore.

Crew joins our family!

2009-12-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, Loren and I, mostly I- Loren remained unfavorable, gave into the kid's plea for a guinea pig. Mishonne and I went to pick it out before she left for Wa for Christmas. A new shipment of 6 week old guinea pigs had just come in. I put my face up to the glass and this adorable guinea pig comes right up to the glass and stares at me. I told Mishonne I liked that one but she could have any one she wanted. After holding several of them Mishonne also liked Crew. The name comes from his cute hair do. Instead of have a furry head he has a Crew Cut sort of hair doo. So Crew is short for Crew Cut. He is very cute and friendly. I make our own little petting zoo area for the kids. When it was Dentons turn to play with Crew he started Giggling. I turned to see what was so funny. Crew had cuddled up in between Dentons legs next to his furry Pajamas. It was so cute. So We now have Roxanne the turtle and Crew the guinea Pig. Absolutely no more pets!

Snow in Louisiana!

2009-12-25T12:11:00.001-08:00

The girls were excited to get snow two years in a row. Unfortunately the snow did not stick on the ground to build a snow man this year. We like having the one time snow fall as long as the 70 degree weather comes back within the week like it always does.

Christmas Morning

2009-12-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

We got to have Heidi and Joe for Christmas this year. It was nice to have a one to one kid to adult ratio. Aliyah has Uncle Joe wrapped around her finger. If I tell her no she goes to Joe and puts her finger tips together which means “more” in sign language. Haley wants to cuddle or play games 24-7 with Aunt Heidi. Logan and Mishonne mostly love Heidi for her ping pong skills. It is nice to have family here during the Holidays. Wish it could happened more often.
Mishonne actually went to Washington for Christmas. She saved up her money and we told her once she was 12 and she was allowed to fly alone that she could go. She is having fun seeing her new baby cousing and getting Grandma all to herself.

Christmas Sunday Ideas

2009-12-25T11:38:00.001-08:00

I had this really great idea to take the kid’s pictures on the Sunday before Christmas since they would be in their cute Christmas clothes. Aliyah had other ideas. She thought we were playing a game of “Catch me if you can.” You can see her dashing away at any chance she got. Mishonne tried to herd her in and we finally just gave up. The only picture she was still in the other kids were doing their own thing. It is a good thing she is so darn cute.

2009-12-25T11:31:00.001-08:00

Here are some fun Christmas celebrations from December. Aunt Janel sends the kids a new personalized ornament every year. They love getting to put them up on the tree. Each year our church has a Christmas party. The Primary aged children got to sing for the party this year. Denton decided it would be more fun to play airplanes and make airplane noises instead of singing. It was quite comical.

Mishonnes Birthday Celebrations

2009-12-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

Mishonne got a big Birthday hug from her siblings and help from Aliyah opening her presents.

We always have a family party and a friends party for our kids birthdays. Every other year they get an organized party with their friends. This was Mishonne's year so we had a Pajama Party. The girls has a ball. They had toilet paper and duct tape makeovers, matress stair sledding, smores, and home made pizza along with other games. There were 10 girls so it got a bit loud at times.

Cute Kiddos

2009-12-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pics of the kids this past month. Denton and Elizabeth dressed up as Pilgrims at pre-K.
One day I was trying to keep Aliyah up until noon so she would sleep longer. She got so tired that she crawled up on Denton and fell asleep.
Aliyah likes to follow Haley around so I took a picture of her posing with Haley.
Too cute!

Thanksgviving with the Thompsons

2009-12-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time for Thanksgiving. Our good friends the Thompsons who we met in Delaware came up from Tennesse. They have three little kids the same age as our youngest three. We are so thankful for good friends that we have met along the way especially with our family so far away.

Aliyah loved having little Elissa to hug and hang with.

Halloween Fun!

2009-11-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

WE had fun Halloween night trick or treating with the Mastens. Three of the kids brought friends along so we had quite the group. Mishonne was an indian girl, Logan was a ninja, Haley was a black cat, Denton a knight, and Aliyah was a Halloween princess.

The kids had fun trading candy when we got home. I even got a few pieces that I liked.

Aliyah found the kids' stash and thought she would do some quality control checks.

Happy Fall Y'all

2009-10-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

This year I do a swap with two other moms for pre-K. We rotate teaching twice a week. I much prefer the cheap BREC Pre-K that used to be in our neighborhood but this is a good second option. The pre-Ks around our new home are expensive and I would rather spend the money on the house. So for our fall field trip we went to a Pumpkin Patch by Port Allen. It was fun for the kids. They got to pick their own pumpkin and do some pioneer activities like pump water. Aliyah liked the people and the petting zoo area.

Home Finally!

2009-10-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Move over Budget, now there's something leaner! After living out of the budget truck for 3 weeks we finally closed on our house. Check out our floor sofa and card board box side table. Luckily we kept out our matresses to sleep on. What a nightmare. We did not know from day to day how long our situation was going to last. I had to commute the kids to school 25 minutes one way for 2 weeks. Luckily Mom Renee was here and the Lablancs let us hang out at their house during the hour in between the elementary and middle school start time difference. Phew, that was close. I almost went insane.

Well here it is. Our new house. It took some miracles to get us here but here we are. It is on a dead end street so the kids can ride bikes and not get in traffic. We love bing less than 10 minutes from the church bldg. and 17 minutes from the temple. It also only takes Loren 25 minutes to get to work. It is out in the country compared to the old house and has 700 more sq. footage. Now that Mishonne is in middle school she is in a different school but the Dutchtown schools are all next to eachother. This means less taxying for me. Yeah. We are close to the freeway and so can get to places easily. I am also only 5 minutes from the Tanger outlet mall. I still have yet to go there but just wait. WE are enjoying it very much here. Thanks to friends and Mom Renee for helping us out while we were in limbo for 2 1/2 weeks.

Here is the front of the house, the garage, the work area in the garage, and the very undeveloped back yard
A funny story: Loren took Mishonne on a hike through the woods you see in the dead end picture. There is a big pond and lots of trails back there. They got to the end of a trail where it comes out on the other end of our neighborhood and a lady with a rifle comes running at them. Actually she was running with a rifle because her husband just spotted an alligator by the pond and was going to shoot it. Only in Louisiana!

These are the downstairs pics. There is a nice big entry way with an office nook, the piano room, the kitchen, a guest bathroom, and don't forget Logans under the stairs man cave. He has locked himself in there many times to read his Harry Potter books. HE just started reading them in September and is now almost finished with #4.

The cute little boy came with the house!

I just finished my bedroom last week. I saved up for 2 months to get a new comforter and painted the walls to match. Dont worry Grandma we still have our ten year anniversary quilt that will rotate with this one.
The messy clothes pictures are my unfinished closet. It is so huge that half of it is used as a closet and the other half is my new sewing and craft room. Cool!

Upstairs is the game room and kids' rooms. They are all undecorated. They will get done as time and money allow. It is fun to have a big area for the kids to play. We are getting our beloved ping pong table for Christmas.

Haley's Super Seventh Birthday

2009-06-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

My kids get a big party every other year and on the off year they get to invite 2 or 3 friends and go do something (so Mommy does not have the mess at her house). This was Haley's off year so she wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese. I found some good coupons and so that is what we did.
Notice the cool dog cake. Mishonne and I found the cake at Albertsons the night before the party. It was better than making it myself. Plus Haley is a HUGE animal lover and it was perfect.
Haley is in the pics with her friends Catalina, Emma, and Lizzy.

Denton Boy Turns 4!

2009-06-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Denton had a little birthday party at the Jambalaya water park with his friends. He loves playing in the sprinklers there. We had a spiderman theme with cupcakes. For his family party he wanted doughnuts instead of cake, hence the doughnut with candles in it. He is growing up so fast, especially since he had his tubes in his ears. He talks better now that he can hear.

Double the Trouble

2009-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

WE recently went up to Tennesse to visit our friends, The Thompsons while Mishonne competed in Destination Imagination held in Knoxville. They have a girl about Haley's age, a boy about Denton's age, and a baby Aliyah's age. Each duo created their own kind of mischief. The older girls together learned that 2 a whining is better than one. The boys learned that teasing is better done in twos and the babbies learned that exploring is more effective done together. Lets just say I am glad I don't have any sets of twins.
This is pretty hilarious if you know the story. Karen and the kids all went with us an hour away to see Mishonne perform in Knoxville. ON the way back Denton and Matt were at it arguing and what not. I told Denton to stop talking or else. Well Karen gave Matt the same warning, but he decided to back talk. Karen said if you act like that again then we are going to pull the car over. He tested her and sassed again so I pulled the car over, on the highway mind you. Well she pulls Matt out of the car, gives him a talkin to and puts him in time out. About this time I realize we are in a great kandid moment so I grab my camera. Here is the pic of Matt pouting amongst the daisies. It was priceless. After his time out we told the girls to hop out so I could get a pic of them. IT ended up being a much quieter ride home after that.

Katie and Haley in a wild daisy field. They became fast friends.

The babbies got into the garbage and pulled out the watermellon rinds and went to town. MMMM!

Denton and Matt playing nicely with the puppets. It lasted about 30 seconds.

It was really good to see my friend Karen. I got to help reorganize her basement which is the kind of stuff I love to do. We batted our eyes at some guys on the side of the road and got them to transport some free wood shelves we found.
It is always a reminder that my little family is being looked after when I see all the friends we have met along our journey the past 13 years. It is tough not living by family, but at least we have close friends to count on.

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

2009-06-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl turned one on the 10th! Wow, I cant believe it has been a year since Aliyah joined our family. She has been such a joy to us. We let her have her own cupcake for her birthday. She loved it. The sweet tooth definately comes from her mama. What a fun day.

DAncing Feet

2009-06-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Haley got to dance with her good friend Emma this year. I got to do their hair and makeup for the recital. Even though I love sports I also like to do hair.
Haley was lucky enough to have Grandma Maryann and Uncle Christopher here for her dance recital. She looked so sweet in her adorable costume. We had fun taking pictures of her at the gardens.

Haley's friend Catalina also got to see Haley dance. It was a special night.

A Bitter Sweet Mother's Day

2009-05-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

My Mom got to be with us on Mother's Day this year. I have not been with her for a Mother's Day in 13 years or more. Isn't that crazy. It was very cool to have her here. I even got asked to give a Mother's Day talk and so she got to be there. OF course I cried like a baby when I gave it but the spirit was strong. The kids got me all kinds of cute cards and gardening stuff. My favorite gift was a poem by Mishonne. She is a gifted writer.
The other crazy thing that happened on MOther's Day is that my broher Christopher got to come for a visit before he went into the army. We are so excited for him to find some meaning and direction in his life. We love him to death and want to see him happy.
So the bitter sweet part of this day was that I got to spend it with my Mom but Christopher left for basic on Mother's Day. I drove him to meet the sargeant since Mom would have blubbered.

A trip to Wisconsin.

2009-04-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

WE decided to spend EAster break by heading up to Wisconsin. It is always good to see the people who became Loren's family on his mission there. I too have a soft spot in my heart for these amazing families. We miss them when we don't get to see them for a long time. The kids had a ball playing the Wii at the Bruettes, football and little Joseph at the Neimics, and the awesome food at the Dentons.

Chic and Mom Bruette with Loren

Our gang of five with the four Bruette grandgirls. Haley made fast friends with the girls and was sad to leave them.

The Bruette girls Megan (and her husband) and Melanie and thier son T.J. with me and Loren.

THis is a cool three generation photo for Loren. He baptized Mary and her son Brian later joined the church when he was 18. He went on a mission and was married in the temple. They had their first baby, Joseph, two weeks before Aliyah was born. Cool!

Here is Aliyah being a bully and trying to take away Joseph's toys. She thinks its pretty funny.
Here is the whole Denton gang. Granny Denton, the matriarch started it all. Loren taught and baptized her and her girls. Loren got to go to the temple with their family to have her and some of her kids and her deceased husband sealed. Now there are little Denton great grandkids running around. The dominoe affect is priceless.

Here are some fun pics from our time with the DEntons.

Here Comes Trouble!

2009-04-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Aliyah is getting so big and getting into everything. Her favorites are the shoe box, the lid drawer, and the book shelves. Aiyah now climbs up on the fireplace hearth so we have to watch her carefully. The other day she was chewing on something so I ran over to get it out of her mouth. It was none other than a dead lady bug. Gross! She just had her 10 month day. Wow, how time flies by.

Here is Aliyah on Easter Day. What a little joy.

Our Little Cajun Boy turns 9!

2009-03-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Our kids are turning south on us. When I asked Logan what he wanted for his Birthday dinner he said, "That's easy Mom. I want Gumbo." When I served it he was excited and then bummed because I didn't put any shrimp in it. Instead of cake he wanted cinnamon rolls so I guess a few of our traditions have held out. Here is Logan opening a few presents, cash and legos.

More Mardi Gras Fun

2009-03-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

While Loren was out of town up to Illinois for 5 days the kids and I went with some friends to a small Mardi Gras Parade. There were lots of people and lots of drinking on the floats and not a whole lot of beads this year. At least we got some exercise walking from and to our car

.

Happy Mardi Gras!

2009-03-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Once again Mardi Gras season has come and gone. Mishonne and Logan had to make a minerature float out of paper and a box for their school parade. Each year has a theme. This year was famous people through time. Logan chose Mozart and Mishonne chose a Wright brother. They did a good job coming up with a float idea.

My Three Little Talents

2009-02-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

Mishonne, Logan, and Haley participated in their school talent show. The three of them did a group act where Mishonne played the piano while they sang "I am a Child of God." It was very sweet. Logan and Mishonne also were part of group acts for their class. It was fun to watch. I am proud of them for being brave in front of so many people.

Deep thougts on Sisterly Love

2009-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Haley and Aliyah in matching dresses that my Mom helped me make when Mishonne and Haley were that age. Every time I see my girls together it reminds me of me and my sister when we were younger in our matchy matchy dresses. Nicole and I are about the same difference in age as my girls all are. ONe thing that never changes it that the older sister is always looking out for the younger one. Sometimes it comes across as bossy. I see it when Mishonne tells Haley she is doing something incorrect and I tell her to take it easy and that Haley will get it with practice. I also see it when Haley wants to coddle Aliyah all the time instead of letting her explore and give her space. I just hope they learn to appreciate each other and their differences because someday they may not have their sister around to Boss.
My Dad once called me a "Fixer." I always want to fix things to make people happy. I am not sure if it is an older child syndrome or not and I am not sure it is a good thing. I constantly think,"well if he or she would just do this or not do that then they would be happy." I also think everyone should enjoy the gospel and what it has to offer. The problem I run into is that I can't make people's decisions for them and that is where being a "fixer" is frustrating.
I recently read the scripture that talks about not trying to fix the "mote" that is in thy brothers (or sisters) eye so much, but that we should concentrate on pulling the beam out of our own eye. This made me stop and think. I am guilty of judging others and trying to constantly in my mind decide what would be best for them. I forget that I have LOTS to work on myself. It will probably take me the rest of my life to acheive being the kind of person I want to be. THank goodness I have a wonderful husband and the Savior to help me out when I mess up. So if I ever happen to pull my "fixing behavior" on you just take it with a grain of salt and know that I mean well.

Our littlest Valentine

2009-02-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

Here is our littlest Valentine, big thighs and all. HOw come being fat and dimply is only cute when you are a baby? I have lots of dimples in unamed places I sure wish were cute.
For our Valentine tradition we each have a secret Valentine (in the family) and we each have a bag that we hand decorate on the mantle. For the week before Valentine's Day we put things into our secret Valentine's bag and then on V-Day we get to open our bags and guess who our Valentine is. My bag only had one thing in it from my secret Valentine. I won't mention any names. I am not bitter or anything. Besides V-day is more for the kids, right Loren? Oops. Did I mention a name? He did however take me out to dinner to make up for his lack of romance.

A visit from Aunt Brandy

2009-02-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

Aunt Brandy came into town for work last week and so we got to hang out with her for a while. Brandy was the first good friend I made when I moved to Baton Rouge. She will always hold a special place in my heart for her kindness and friendship during that difficult move. She also happens to be a big hit with my kids. When she came Mishonne aked if she could baby sit them again and spin in the chair. I had to remind Mishonne that she is the baby sittter now.

Smart Cookie

2009-02-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

Aliyah is our littlest smart cookie. She surprises us every day with how fast she is learning and growing. She started crawling last week (forward any how. She was crawling backward much before that) and this week is pulling up on things. Before I know it she will be a big smart cookie like her older brothers and sisters.

My snowy freezing wondeful trip to WA

2009-01-22T11:18:00.000-08:00

It was nice to spend time with the folks and have some quality time with my brother and sister, just the 3 of us.

I love my Mommy!

Really I went to Washington so that everyone could enjoy and get to know Aliyah. I took some fun photos of Aliyah with family. She is so sweet and easy to fall in love with. You can see why.

Auntie Nicole gets lots of Aliyah time. She even got to spend the night with her.

Aliyah thought Grandpa's mustache was the funniest thing ever. She got the giggles when she touched it.

Hangin' with Grandma is fun to do.

Rolling around with Dog Shelby. Shelby was very protective of the baby. She followed her around the house no matter who was holding her. Very cute.

Uncy Christopher gets some play time in too.

Aliyah liked Uncle Chris' cool hat.

Opa is a fun teddy bear to cuddle.

Watchin the game with Uncle Greggy Poo.

Grandma Jody (Alyah's name sake) has fun cuddling her snow baby.

Aunt Donna smelled so good Aiyah kept wanting to suck on her arm.

I love my Cousin Kalli. She is so nice.

13 years and Counting!

2009-01-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

The love of my life and I just celebrated our 13th year anniversary. I thank God every day for allowing me to find Loren. He has been my greatest joy along with my children. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life by his side.

Jill babysat the kids while we went out to dinner for our anniversary. It was nice to have an uninterupted time together. Mishonne took the photo. Not to bad.

Fun with Aunt Jill

2009-01-07T07:50:00.001-08:00

It was fun for the kids to have Jill here. Aliyah was all smiles for her. We tried to give her a little Louisiana cultural experience while she was here. I think she wokuld have been satisfied with the 75 degree weather we had. Loren took Jill on a swamp kayaking trip, we fed her jambalaya, gumbo, shrimp chowder, and crawfish etoufe, she got to go to an LSU men's baketball game, and Loren took her to the Baton Rouge temple.
Mishonne asked why Aunt Jill can't just come and live in Baton Rouge by us. She was even willing to share a room with her. She must really like Jill to give up her own room.

Jill was a good sport and played lots of games with the kids. Their favorite was twister. Jill beat them every time. Now I know where the kids get their competitive edge from.

Christmas morning

2009-01-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

I am playing catch up with my posts, hence the reason I am just now posting Christmas pics. It was a fun experience having Jill with us this Christmas. The kids crave family so bad that I think she was their best part of Christmas this year. Here are a few fun Christmas morning shots.

Aliyah's favortie gift was a plastic squeaky toy Mishonne got her at the dollar store. She would fuss if the kids tried to take it from her.

Much to Loren's credit, not to many men can get their hair standing that high without gel. It is our tradition to open presents with Christmas music and the straight out of bed look.

We try to encourage a hug instead of just a thank you to whom ever gave you a gift. Haley gives Logan a hug for her cool shades.

Mishonne is the dramatic one. One of her traits from Loren I am sure.

For Haley's Santa gift, he came in the middle of the night and very sneakily gave Haley a new bed.

Carrying on the tradition of getting Christmas pjs when I was a kid, each year my kids get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Magically it always happens to be new pjs. This year Grandma Maryann supplied the new pjs.

Denton loved the cool race track he got from Santa.

Guiding the way for Papa Noel

2009-01-07T07:13:00.000-08:00

We have adopted the Louisiana tradition of going to see the fires on the Mississippi river levy each Christmas Eve. The legend is that lightining fires on the levy will help Santa find the children. It is basically a bunch of piros and drunk people lighting huge fires but it has become tradition. Mainly we go to visit at our friend's home who live a block from the levy and have yummy jambalaya.

Mishonne and Logan love to roll down the huge hill going up to the levy. In the back is one of the teepee type fires. There are probably 50 to 100 of these fires up and down the Mississippi River.

Sandra and Mishonne with the fires in the back.

This year Jill, loren's sister came and
so we got to take her. She agreed it is an interesting phenomenon to witness.
Here is Jill and Haley, Jill's new best friend, on the levy.

Oh so Big!

2008-12-19T08:18:00.000-08:00

Here are the three oldest kid's school pictures (not taken at the school of course. I find ordering the high priced low quality pictures they take at the school silly, so we do our own and always get good ones.) Every time I see photos of the kids I can't believe how old they look (and cute too).

Mishonne Maryann
Logan James
Haley Renee

Believe to Receive

2008-12-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

Notice how Aliyah is the "jolly" one.

Aliyah is so cute in her little Santa Dress.
.
Denton would only get near the Santa at our church party if we all came with him.