THE RATLIFF'S

Paige is 15 months

2012-02-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

There is alot of pictures on here, but I havent updated about Paige in awhile. She is 15 months and in everything and on everything. Im pretty for sure there isnt a sink or toilet she hasnt been in. She constantly puts her legs through any type of bars and gets them stuck. She is always stuck in the bars of her crib or highchair. She loves to get up on top of the kitchen table.Drives us crazy. She loves to help do laundry. I prop her up on the washing machine and she throws the dirty clothes in , then claps for herself. Its pretty cute, she has only fallen in a couple times :) She is a jabber box. I don't think any of the other kids jabbered as much as her.She says Dada, daddy, ball, cheese, cheese ball, uh oh, I think she has said grandpa, bye,bye. When we drop Peyton off at school she is always saying bye bye,clear down the road. The other day I swore she said a whole sentence. One of her first words other than Dada was cheese. She loves her some cheese. She gets so excited for it. The other day I was holding her in the pantry and she looked up and said cheese ball. Yep that's right she will say cheese ball but not mama. She has said it before , but its only been a couple times. Though she will run through the house yelling daddy. She has become a daddy's girl lately. He will sit and hold her and she will just fall asleep. She loves to eat oranges, grapefruit, cheese of any kind, and fruit, green beans, spaghetti, pretty much anything these days but she really loves citrus. She likes to dance, take baths, play outside and get into everything, and if she sees a chicken walk by she will squeal with excitement.

Sleepyhead

2012-02-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Paisley can never just sit down with 1 book. She always has to bring a minimum of 3 but usually its more like 12. She will just sit forever and read the books. This day she must of just wore herself out reading because she just fell asleep reading then fell over.

Groundhog Day

2012-02-09T19:55:00.001-08:00

Peyton made a groundhog hat at school. When he came home I asked him if the groundhog saw his shadow. He said he did. Then I asked him what that meant, He said It wont be Christmas for 10 years. What????

Temple Update

2012-02-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

The other day after the dentist, me and the kids drove by the temple. It is almost done. Just a couple months till the open house. The kids are way excited. I was telling them about the open house and they were like then we get to run in it, I was like NO NO NO. I think they got the temple run and open house all mixed up/.

Chicken update

2012-02-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

well they will be 5 months in march. They are basically full grown, or so I would hope. We had an incident a couple weeks back where I went to lock them up one night and they wouldn't go in the coop. So i looked in there and there was an owl under the heat lamp in there. I turned on the light and noticed 3 dead chickens in there too. Then I flipped out I called Ryan out and we attempted to get the owl out. I was in tears, crying uncontrollably. I was a mess the rest of the night. Ryan cleaned up the dead ones for me ,the next morning I went out to feed them and I found one of their heads in the coop. That dang owl had decapitated one. It had also seriously injured another, and it died later. That was a bad day for the chickens . Fast forward 2 weeks and I am home with the girls while Ryan is at church and I look out the window and see what I thought was another owl out there with a chicken. I grab a baseball bat and run out there, it flew off, but not before eating the whole head off another chicken. I was just ticked this time. Thinking back , I am wandering if the second time was an owl or not. I am thinking it was a hawk this time. Since then I haven't let the chickens out of the coop, which is driving me nuts, I want free range chickens, not ones locked up in a coop all day. That would be pointless to having your own chickens. Ryan might try to build a chicken tractor for me to put them in. that would be great

The Park

2012-02-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I took the kids to the park one day at the end of January. It was almost 70 degrees that day! Nuts for January. We haven't been to the park in awhile since moving. The girls played in the swings almost the whole time. That is the only thing Paisley ever wants to do at the park. It is her favorite.

Cute Kids

2012-01-29T13:50:00.001-08:00

The kids were all looking sharp today for church. The girls finally got to wear the skirts grandma Ratliff made them at Christmas. They were so cute. I found some zebra stripe shoes for Paisley to wear with hers. The boys were all snazzy in their suits. I'm pretty sure they both had toothpaste all over them by the time we left for church.

Time out chair

2012-01-29T13:45:00.001-08:00

We bought this cute little time out chair at a flea market a few months ago. It has gotten lots of good use by Miss Paisley. Paige uses it alot to but not because she is in trouble she just likes to sit in it. Especially if someone else is in it.

Funny Stuff

2012-01-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

Peyton- Peyton took his costume to Grandma Ratliff to see if she could fix it for him because it was ripped and falling apart. Grandma said she could, but it would have to be a little bit later. She couldn't do it right at the exact minute he wanted her too. So he told her, " I should of taken it somewhere else"

Preston - Preston tells everything like it is. My mom was making him lunch yesterday. He always says he wants the same thing everyday. But it has to be just like he says it. " 2 peanut butter honey sandwiches on a plate" Well my mom made him his sandwiches but she snuck some chia seeds on his sandwich. He took a bite out of the middle and saw what was on it. He said very loudly in Preston's way " I did not ask for pistachios on my sandwich." My mom said I didn't put pistachios on your sandwich. Preston said well what in the heck are they?

Preston- The primary chorister came up to me the other day and said she just loves having Preston in primary. He always tells her he is going to come up and be her assistant. Then he goes up and helps her conduct. He loves conducting. In Family home evening he loves to get up and do that when we sing.
She said one time he told her " I'm going to sing Praise to the Man in the microphone. So thats what he did, he got up and sang the song in the mic in front of everyone in primary. More than I could do thats for sure.

Kaleidoscope

2012-01-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

We went to Kaleidoscope for my cousins daughter Emily's birthday party. The kids haven't been there for a couple years. Peyton is really into art lately so he had a blast. They had this new room that was all black light. They got to paint and take pictures and everything glowed.

Primary Pancake Pajama Activity

2012-01-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

The kids had a primary pancake pajama day at our ward. They got to wear their footy pajamas and eat yummy pancakes with tons of whip cream and sprinkles. They had a good time, I think Paisley and Paige even had some pancakes. The kids like anytime they get to wear their pajamas out. I think they get that from me.

Air Zone

2012-01-29T12:20:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Ryan stayed home from work and we went to airzone. We had a groupon and I wanted to see what it was like. I liked it alot better then the one like it in Liberty. There is more inflatables. The kids all had a blast. They all went down the slides and loved them , except Preston ,he hates slides and stuff like that. They had a big bounce house with basketball goals inside that was a favorite.

Christmas get together-The Dobie side

2011-12-27T12:43:00.000-08:00

We had my family side of Christmas get together yesterday. The kids played so well together. Melissa and me played zumba2 forever and we also played just dance. My 80 year old grandpa even did the mashed potato dance on the wii. It was fun to watch.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas this year. We slept in til almost 9. Then we opened presents. Everyone had a 2 hour nap and we had our traditional ham dinner. Then we just played with everything for the rest of the day.A pretty relaxing day.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-27T12:16:00.001-08:00

This year the kids drew names so they could exchange presents with each other. I was just planning on us paying for the gifts and them picking them out, but before we left they were all digging in there piggy banks because they wanted to use their own money to buy the gifts. I thought it was so sweet, so we let them use their own money. Peyton got Paige a ball and bath toys. Preston got Paisley a recorder and a mermaid for the bath. Paige got Preston a mini light saber and the things you put in water and they grow. Paisley got Peyton a whoopee cushion and a air horn. Everything for the dollar store.(my kids don't have that much in their piggy banks :) Grandma and Grandpa and Joe came over in the afternoon on Christmas Eve so the kids could open the presents from them. Grandma made the girls the cutest skirts and matching shirts and the boys pajama sets. They are awesome. Peyton got a skateboard he has been wanting. The other 3 got the kitchen of their dreams. Preston was so excited. They all were. Later the wymores came over and my parents and we played zumba and just dance. So much fun.

Our 8 year anniversary

2011-12-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

December 13, 2011
This year we decided we wanted to go to Lamberts for our anniversary dinner. I have been 2 times before , but with kids and it gets a little crazy with them. So it was just the 2 of us. It was awesome. I enjoyed it tons. The food was amazing. All the times I had gone I always got chicken. This time I got the chicken fried steak. Amazing. Ryan got the pork chops and they were even more amazing, so amazing that he got a 2nd plate. After eating way to much we headed to the bass pro shop down there. It was really neat. There was a alligator in there and I swore it was fake but after watching it for a few minutes I noticed its eyes moving. After that we got a hotel room and just relaxed. Thanks to grandma and grandpa for watching the kids. It was our first trip alone without kids or being pregnant in 7 years.

Peytons happenings

2011-12-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

Last month Peyton got the Self discipline award for kindergarten and got to be in the paper. He was so excited. He also wrote a letter to Santa all by himself. They didn't correct their spelling or anything and they published it in the paper also. He has been going around telling everyone he was in the newspaper twice. We are so proud of him.

Crown Center and Cabelas 2011

2011-12-27T11:32:00.001-08:00

The kids had fun playing at Crown Center this year. There was hardly anyone. They played in the crayola place for awhile. I got one picture of them on Santas lap , Paige was not impressed by him. She did like playing on all the slides and stuff there though. Then we headed outside to play on the outside stuff. Preston found a giant nutcracker and a spaceship and was in heaven. After that we headed to the chocolate factory, always my kids favorite part of the trip. We saw a statue they had built entirely out of Legos and it said it took 150 hours to make. It was pretty neat. We are definately looking forward to Lego land opening in the spring. After Crown center we headed to Legends to Cabelas to look at the fish and some cross bows (we need one). It was a great day one we look forward to all year long.

Deer

2011-12-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

We have these does that come out about everyday in the back of our land by the pond. They are fun to watch. They sometimes drink from the pond.

Ward Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-03T19:54:00.001-08:00

Tonight was our ward Christmas party. We had dinner and sang some Christmas songs. The Bishop did a little Rudolph the red nosed reindeer act tonight. The kids really liked it. Rudolph shaved and had to brush his teeth, and exercise. I think his wife was his hands, it was pretty funny. Then the kids got to see Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. The boys did great. Paisley wouldn't sit on his lap. I attempted to sit Paige on his lap , but it didn't turn out very good. All well I know one of these years she will. We all wore are Ugly Christmas sweaters.

Grandma's Birthday

2011-12-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

The "Its a squid" moment

Grandpa opening nuts

On Sunday we celebrated grandma Ratliff's birthday. Everyone went to her house and ate yummy lasagna and had cake. Ryan made her 3 wise men out of screws to match Mary, Joseph and Jesus, that she already has. Peyton and Lani wrapped up a treasure chest earlier that day and Peyton was so excited to give it to her. In it it had a drawing Peyton did for grandma and as soon as she opened it he said "Its a squid" it was so funny. The treasure box also had a couple packs of fruit snacks and a couple coins off of grandmas dishwasher. I think that was all in their but I'm not for sure. He is so sweet, he loves to give and make people things. The kids played with the nativity grandma got and grandma and some of the kids played games and the kids ate alot of nuts that night.

Christmas tree Farm

2011-11-27T07:51:00.001-08:00

We went to the Christmas tree farm yesterday to help grandma and grandpa and Lani pick out a tree. It was FREEZING! Peyton got to ride up front on the carriage ride. The kids enjoyed the sleds. IT was so cold, Paige only lasted a few minutes outside before I took her back inside, everyone else stayed out looking for trees for a long time, I cant imagine how cold they were because i was cold after only a few minutes. Paige enjoyed watching the horses from the comfort of our warm Suburban. Lani even got a little tree this year. I am waiting for the day that I get to get a real tree, one of these days, when I don't have tiny babies:)

Hair

2011-11-27T07:48:00.001-08:00

I saw this thing on Pinterest for making your hair have big curls in the morning, and it looked awesome. So I tried it on Paisley first. I put her hair up in twist while wet, the only problem was the bobby pins came out at night , or she ripped them out, the ones in the back did well, to bad the front ones came out.

Family Bed

2011-11-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

Our bed is not big enough. Some nights all the kids, besides Paige come in our bed, it is so crowded. See that spot by Peyton , that is where I was sleeping, or attempting not to fall off the bed.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T07:20:00.000-08:00

Paige eating a yummy roll, she has dip all over her fingers, she loved that dip

I just took a couple of pictures . We went to my parents for a little bit in the morning. The kids played on the hay bales for awhile. We ate a little bit there. Then we went to Ryans parents and ate a ton of yummy food. We hung out there all day, then I ate again before I left to go black friday shopping.

Chubby Bunnies

2011-11-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

For Family home evening the other day we played chubby bunnies. I haven't played since I was in high school. Note, the next time I will get small ones for the kids. I think they all got 1 in , Peyton might have gotten 2 or 3. Ryan and I both got at least 6. We couldn't stop laughing to try more.

Time Out for Women 2011

2011-11-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

November 4-5, 2011

Misty, Laura and Me went to Time out for Women this year. We got a hotel room and had a blast. Friday night we went to the cheesecake factory. We got appetizers and cheesecake. So good. I got the idea from going to a Time out for women a couple years ago with my mother in law and sister in law, and it was so much fun. We stayed up talking that night til after 4:30 in the morning. Then we were up a couple hours later. There was some great talks, I especially enjoyed Mariama Kallan's talk, She is an amazing woman,and I enjoyed Jericho road, which I wasn't sure I was going to. It was such a blast but I was so beat the next day. I am so grateful Ryan and his dad watched the kids so I could go and have a good time with my good friends.

Bat Turkey

2011-11-18T09:51:00.001-08:00

Peyton's class had to disguise a turkey to go with a Thanksgiving book they were reading. I had been asking Ryan to help him with it for days. Well I woke up the day it had to be turned in at 5:30 and started freaking out cause we hadn't even started it. Me and Peyton ended up getting it done, but I know it would of looked better if Ryan would of done it.

Paiges 1st Birthday Party

2011-11-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

We had lots of family over for Paige's birthday party. We had grilled food and my new favorite chicken pablano soup. We had yummy country mart cake and Paige got some cool new toys,overalls, and a quilt made by Grandma. Next we just had the kids go crazy with toilet paper, a lot of balloons and bubbles. Then we got out the parachute and played a little with that. It was alot of fun and it wasn't to bad to clean up either, the kids enjoyed helping me pop the balloons.

Paige turns 1

2011-11-18T09:15:00.001-08:00

November 6, 2011

Paige is a year old. I cant believe it, it has gone by so quick. She weighs about 22 lbs. Which is only 2 lbs less than Paisley. She wears alot of Paisleys clothes. She is tall. I haven't taken her to the Dr. for her yearly appt, but I know she is tall for her age. She loves to climb. She will climb anything. She still doesn't sit down in her high chair to eat, she has to stand. She loves to give open mouth kisses. She loves babies. She hugs them and rocks them and picks at their eyeballs. Almost daily she is climbing on top of the boys bunk beds. She got her big girl car seat and loves being able to see. Now she can watch movies in the car, yay. She can entertain herself which is nice, if I am busy she will go get in the cabinets and empty them and bang glass bowls together, she will also go play with her toys and read books. She loves to read books but SHE has to turn the pages, I think that is her favorite part. She loves animals and squeals in excitement to the point that it hurts your ears. She loves her siblings but can dish it out pretty good to Paisley. She is weaned now, I really didn't want to, I probably would of kept on nursing for months but she really didn't mind giving it up. She still loves her binky and is probably more attached to it then any of my other kids were. I think Ryan spoils her more than the other kids, and I am just fine with that. She had a rough start.

New Stake Center and Temple Pics

2011-11-18T09:06:00.001-08:00

Photo by Kirk Woods from Kearney 3rd

They would not hold still, this is a good as it gets

photo take by Peyton Ratliff

November 6, 2011

We went to the dedicatory service and part of Stake Conference at the new Stake Center. After a hour and a half or more of sitting there they were done, so we went outside and took a few pictures. It was a beautiful day. It is pretty but not as big as I thought it would be, there was people in the primary room, the relief society room and at least 2 other rooms and that was just half the stake. The grounds around it are pretty.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

This year Preston was a storm trooper, Peyton was Jack Sparrow, Paisley was Rapunzel, and Paige was a doggie. We started out trick or treating at my friend Laura's neighborhood, after a few houses the kids just kept asking if we could go to grandmas. So we loaded up and headed to both grandmas. At my parents Paige was hilarious chasing the dogs she would scream because she was so excited then she would just laugh. It was awesome. I'm pretty for sure we will probably just go to the grandmas next year only. Thats what my kids like most, and Grandma and Grandpa Ratliff always have the best treats. Bags of chips, little cookies, fruit roll ups, gushers,big bags of skittles, Lots of milky ways and a ton of other yummy candy bars. So good.

Halloween Happenings 2011

2011-11-02T18:38:00.001-07:00

We made several Halloween treats this year. We made smore's spiders which are super yummy. They have melted marshmallow and graham crackers inside with chocolate frosting on top. They were pretty good, and fun to make. We also made mini pumpkin pies, which I will definitely be making again. They turned out really good, and I couldn't keep Ryan and the kids out of em. I made the kids pancakes for breakfast that were supposed to be orange and look like a pumpkin. Note to self don't use whole wheat flour. They just ended up brown. We made jello worms which were awesome,the picture doesnt do them justice, they even have the rigid part like on real worms. You let them form in a bendable straw,so cool. We played a game called don't eat Jack. I'm not really sure what the purpose is, but the kids get to eat alot of candy and they think its fun. Saturday night before Halloween we took the kids to the Lathrop fire department , they were doing free dinner and games for the kids, they had fun but it was seriously crowded.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-02T18:28:00.001-07:00

We had a nice warm night to carve pumpkins so we did it outside this year. The older kids had no problem touching the "guts" this year. Paige didn't want to touch them at all.

Peytons Parent Teacher Conferences Fall K

2011-10-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

Peyton's Kindergarten picture

Ryan went to parent teacher conferences on Monday. The teacher said Peyton is very smart. He is one of 6 in his class that can count to 100. They do a testing called Dibels at his school.They were supposed to know 10 in September, Peyton knew 30. They tested him again in October, and he knew 52. The goal is for the kids to know 30 by Jan. He is doing very well. He is reading small books now. It is exciting. She said things that he needs to work on is volunteer more and be more vocal( I know he didn't get that from Ryan). He needs to work on slowing down and writing more neatly and holding a pencil correctly. Well maybe if i could figure how to show him, because he is left handed I cant seem to get him to hold it the right way.

They have a stop sign in their class and when you are misbehaving you get your name put on their and it just means you need to stop what you are doing wrong. Well Peyton came home a couple weeks ago and told me that he got put on the stop sign and was acting all glad about it. He said he got put on it for not slowing down. Well I was like ok, just try to slow down next time. At conferences on Monday, the teacher told Ryan that Peyton walked up to the stop sign one day and put his name on it,and went and sat down. He wasn't doing anything wrong and the teacher didn't tell him too. She asked Peyton why he did that , he said he just wanted to be on the stop sign. We figured out he did that while Ryan was on nights, he always seems to act up to try to get attention when Ryan is gone alot. The other day he also said he wanted to be late to school, because lots of kids are always late. I guess he is just wanting to experience everything.

The thing that makes me and Ryan the proudest is what the teacher said about Peyton's kindness. She said he is very kind to others. He is very patient and includes all friends. Peyton has a handicapped kid in his class. The teacher said that all the students are nice to him, but Peyton is exceptionally nice to him and really goes out of his way to make him feel comfortable and help him. That makes this momma proud!

Peyton is loving Kindergarten, I love hearing about everything when he gets home from school. Peyton wanted to ride the bus home , so I take him to school every morning and the bus brings him home, which he is one of the first stops, so hes not on there too long, and he loves it.

Preston is so funny

2011-10-27T19:12:00.001-07:00

October 2011

At the ward trunk or treat we were walking back to the suburban to get ready to go trunk or treating and parked next to us was Andy Johnson. He drives a mini cooper. As we are walking back to the suburban Preston says in his normal LOUD voice, look someone has a midget car. I start busting up and Andy Johnson was standing right there and turned around, and gave Preston a hard time about it. It was hilarious.

Sunday was the primary program. Preston has never been in one before. Well as luck should have it, he got to be the first kid to say his part. He steps up to the microphone and lets out a big breath right into the microphone. Then his teacher whispers in his ear what he is supposed to say, he says really loudly into the mic, "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY THAT" everyone had a good laugh, then he went on to say his part. I got several comments afterwards on how funny that was, the primary president said that was the best beginning to a primary program she has seen.

Words that Preston loves and thinks are hilarious and will say them over and over and drive u crazy

Coconut
Budget
Bagel

Trunk or Treat

2011-10-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had our ward trunk or treat at the Walkers again this year. We had a hayride, chili and cornbread, and a big bonfire.

Outdoor Fun in October

2011-10-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was gorgeous outside for late October. We played with the chickens alot. They are getting big just after a week and a half. We brought a couple chickens outside and let them explore the grass. Some of them followed us wherever we would walk, Like we were the mother hen. The kids loved it when they would follow them. They held them alot and Paige squealed in delight alot. Ryan and I started cleaning out the chicken coop, its going to take us awhile. The kids played in the sand pit (empty pool spot) forever. I found so much sand in their hair it was nuts. Ryan also assembled my bike carrier that I have had sitting in the garage for 2 years. I rode with the kids around in it, they loved it.

Big Trouble

2011-10-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

October 2011

Paiges favorite thing is to play and splash in toilets. Peyton left the lid up and look who found it, only this time she decided to climb in and play.

The Driving Range

2011-10-17T20:45:00.001-07:00

October 15, 2011

We had a groupon for the driving range that was going to expire in a couple days. Ryan and I really wanted to go out on a date but we didn't have a babysitter, so we decided to just try and take the kids. I am so glad we did. It was a lot of fun. It was awesome outside, the kids loved it. It wasn't crowded at all. Paisley was the ball setter. She handed everyone golf balls and set them on the tee for them. She loved it and it kept her busy the whole time . Peyton and Preston both did good. I didn't do so well. I have been before and I did so much better then. I think I was scared I was going to mess up Ryan's expensive driver. I whiffed a bunch. Next time I am taking the cheap driver. Even as bad as I was it was still a blast to go and have everyone in the family enjoy it and have fun . We ended the evening by going to Five Guys and having some yummy cheeseburgers!!

Paisleys hair

2011-10-17T20:40:00.002-07:00

Sunday Ryan had to work, so I had to get everyone ready for church by myself. While I was getting ready Peyton got Paisleys high heels on and fastened and he decorated and fixed her hair. I already had it in pigtails he just decorated it. It was so sweet of him. I don't know what I would do without him. He is such a big help.

Baby Chicks

2011-10-17T20:35:00.001-07:00

We got baby chicks this week. They are so adorable. We got 26. We know at least 25 are supposed to be hens, but the exotic free one we have no idea. We have alot of different varieties. We have ones that lay brown eggs, white eggs, and ones that lay blue, green or light pink eggs. Come March we should be getting our first eggs. The kids love the chickens. They are always wanting to hold them, Paisley even asked to bring one in the house. Hopefully they will always love them because I am counting on the kids to help take care of them when they start laying.

New Fish

2011-10-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Grandpa went up to Iowa this past week and bought a ton of baby fish to stock the pond with. He got bass, bluegill, sunfish, minnows, and a couple grass carp. I think he got 280 something . Come a couple years hopefully there will be alot of fishing and eating going on.

The Snake

2011-10-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Meet the newest member of our family. We are keeping this snake for my nephew Porter till he gets back from England. Ughhh I HATE snakes. They just creep me out.

Paige is 11 months

2011-10-17T20:04:00.001-07:00

October 6, 2011

Paige's big accomplishment this month is she started walking. She started a few weeks before she turned 11 months. Even with it being my 4th kid to start walking it is still so exciting. She is so funny she loves to take a few steps then do belly flops. I don't know how it doesn't hurt. She loves to play in water especially open toilets. She is a really good eater. She still refuses to sit down to eat. So she fell out of her high chair the other day and bonked her head. When she gets really excited she screams/yells. So anytime she sees an animal she is usually screaming which terrifies the animal. I painted her toes for the first time the other day. They were so cute and chubby, although i didn't get a picture. She is always wanting to get out the door and take off. She has to try and keep up with her siblings. The other day we found her on the stairs to the boys bunk beds 3 or 4 up almost to the top. She is a climber. We had a step ladder in our living room for awhile , she would climb it and just hang out there forever. She also got another tooth this month. She now has 3.I am enjoying Paige so much.

Worlds of fun

2011-10-17T19:47:00.001-07:00

We went to Worlds of fun one last time for the year. We went on a sat night which had perfect weather. It was the busiest I have ever seen it. We had to park in the grass by the Patriot. We almost left but decided to go in and see how crowded camp snoopy was. Lucky for us camp snoopy wasnt busy. I think everyone was just there for the haunted house thing they have right now. The kids had alot of fun . Paige had fun playing with Ryan.

Miss Paisley

2011-10-17T19:40:00.001-07:00

Paisley is so silly. When I put her to sleep for her nap I often find her in her room still awake usually with a million books spread all around her. Lately she has been making a bed in a little basket and reading. She also has decided the best way to play soccer on the deck with the boys is in high heels.

Baby Brock

2011-10-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends from growing up, Megan, had her first baby. He was born September 30th. He is her first. He is precious. Ryan and I stopped by one night before we went out on a date. She delivered in the same hospital and was in the same room that I was in. Walking in the smell reminded me of having babies and going to all the Dr appts there. It ALMOST made me wanna another baby, almost. It didn't help that before we left we watched the general conference address about having children.

One last trip to Oklahoma

2011-09-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

September 24-25, 2011

Saturday morning at 6:30 am, I loaded up the kids and headed to Ryan's work to pick him up. Then we made the trek to Tulsa. Ryan attempted to sleep on the way there since he had worked all night but he didn't get much sleep since Paisley freaked out the whole time that she was tied up. She hates to be restricted at all. Then we all played Just Dance on the wii, it was so much fun and we laughed alot. The boys had T pd their parents room that week, they brought it out into the living room and spread it everywhere. Paige was loving it. Then we all headed out to Joe's Crab Shack. Ryan, Peyton and Paisley all ate crab legs for the first time and loved it. The boys danced alot. Our waitress had Chris and Linda get up and be a crocodile and a bunny and chase each other while the whole restaurant sang happy birthday. I still cant believe Chris did it. After that we went outside and the kids fed the ducks. Paige squealed at them the whole time. There was this time when the adults all laughed at something and she copied and made the exact sound, it was so cute. After that the girls headed to Jamba Juice. I have been wanting some since I had some 9 years ago in Utah. Before we went to OK, I had Ryan go to the store to order a cake to bring down for their birthday. I told him to get a Phineas and Ferb, he ordered a MY little Pony. I know Chris appreciated it. Ryan thought it was pretty funny. Lani, LINDA, me, Ryan stayed up that night til 4 in the morning just talking. Around 4 we snuck into the kitchen and had some cake. We had to Ryan was low. 3 hours later Paige was up ready to go . A few hours later we loaded up a snake, 2 girls, 2 sad crying boys, and 2 parents with 3 hours of sleep. On the way out of Oklahoma we stopped and ate at the McDonald's that is over the highway. Then everyone was slept the entire way home but me. At least it was a quiet drive home. We are sad they are leaving the country , but will be so happy when they return.

Peyton turns 6

2011-09-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

September 21, 2011

I cant believe my first born is already 6! wow. For his birthday he requested pizza( of course) He wanted a strawberry cake too We decorated for him while he was at school putting streamers and balloons all over the house. He got a new Lego game for wii -pirates of the Caribbean. He also got some Lego's. My parents gave him a pair of overalls, he has been wanting a pair for awhile now because he wants to be a farmer. My dad gave him a gourd, because Peyton gave him one for his birthday a few weeks before. He is going bowling and out to eat on a date with grandma and grandpa lightning McQueen. I love Peyton . He is such a good sweet easy going kid. I don't think he has a mean bone in his body. I couldn't ask for a better first born to be an example to his brother and sisters.

Dads Birthday

2011-09-26T07:34:00.001-07:00

My dad turned 56 the other day and we had him over to celebrate. We made grilled chicken , pork steaks, coleslaw and mashed potatoes and for dessert the famous Jello Cake-its a family favorite. Peyton had gotten a gourd at school a day before and he loved that gourd. But he really wanted to give it grandpa. He is so good at giving.

This is how we Roll

2011-09-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

The other night I took the kids out to play. It has been so beautiful at night. Preston has recently started to ride a bike. He had no interest in it till lately. I thought for sure he would be another Ryan. Paige hopped a ride with Peyton in the hot wheels jeep. Just like she always does, she refused to sit down and had to stand the whole time. The sky that night was beautiful.

Hummingbird

2011-09-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we had a hummingbird stuck in our garage. It took it forever to figure out how to get out. It finally figured out it had to fly a little bit lower to get out.

Paige is 10 months

2011-09-23T07:28:00.001-07:00

September 06, 2011

Another month has flown by. Paige has been super busy exploring everything in this new house.She is really into climbing on everything. She is starting to talk more. She says Da Da,Thank you, yes, and can bark like a dog. She is waving bye bye too. She is still pretty squishy

but I think she is slimming down :( She loves to play in the toilet water so we have to keep a close

eye on her. I believe we failed the other day when we found a huge piece of french toast floating in

our toilet. So gross. Speaking of gross things one day I was in the kitchen making breakfast and

she was playing on the floor by me, I was done so I went in the living room, when i go back 5

minutes later, there is a dead frog with its legs all spread and bent all over the place. I thought it was

a dead dried frog by the way its legs looked but Ryan picked it up and it was a freshly dead frog. I

don't know what she did to it, or where it came from, but she messed that frogs legs up, I am just

hoping it didn't go near her mouth.

Paige loves her siblings, she lights up when Peyton comes home from school. We love her so much.

TadPoles

2011-09-23T07:25:00.001-07:00

The kids went out with Uncle Aaron( my brother) to the pond and caught some tadpoles. Paisley carried the bucket up to the house, but tripped and wiped out in the garage, she may have lost a few tadpoles and water along the way.

True Devotion

2011-09-23T07:23:00.001-07:00

The guys were trying to catch some fish to eat for dinner, it started pouring down rain. They stayed out there though for a long time in the rain and caught a few that we did eat.

Last Get Together- or so we thought

2011-09-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

Logans emeny(as he calls it)

Labor Day we went to grandmas to have a last get together before Chris and Linda moved to England. We thought it would be the last get together for at year or more so I was snapping pictures of the kids that morning. We had some yummy grill and bbq food and just hung out. One time during the day we couldnt find Logan anywhere, everyone was looking outside and in the house. Melissa said she seen someone in our suburban. He has hid in there before to try and come home with us. Well later that day I knew they were getting ready to leave, so I crawled in their car and hid in the back(sweated my butt off, it took them forever to find me). It was pretty funny. Peyton cried when they were leaving and after they left for awhile. He even was still upset at school the next day, the teacher told me. He told me when he blew out the candles he wished that we would never forget them. Well after he was so upset we decided a couple weeks ago to have one final trip down to Oklahoma to see them and pick up the snake(not excited at all about the snake) I told them we will keep it for 2 years they stay longer than that I am letting it go :)

Mini Birthday Celebration

2011-09-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

We had a mini celebration for Peyton's birthday while Porter and Logan were here. We thought all of the cousins were gonna be here,but I didn't know they were going out of town. We had cake and sang happy birthday. Grandma read a ton of books, we watched a ton of Kid History. If you haven't watched it yet check it out on YouTube. Kid History episodes 1-6. They are stories told by their kids about when the adults were kids growing up. The kids tell the stories in their versions. The sweetest thing , Logan wrote Peyton a song, he worked on it all day, then that night he got out the guitar and sang it for him. I didn't get a picture but i did record it on video. It was really special for Peyton.

Sleep

2011-09-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

I don't know how she fell asleep like that it doesn't even look comfy.

Its weird I have a million pictures on my camera of Chris rocking Paige to sleep. Its almost like someone took my camera and every time he put her to sleep someone took a picture(Linda). It was nice while they were here to have him putting them to sleep, it gave me some free time.

Falling asleep everywhere

2011-09-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Paisley has been falling asleep in lots of different places lately. Dinner table, Reading books, and she fell asleep on aunt Linda after swimming in the pond one day. She came in had a shower and while Linda was brushing her hair she passed out.

Fun in the Pond

2011-09-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Them target diapers are pretty absorbent , impressive

September 02, 2011

Chris, Linda, and the boys came up to spend some days with us before they leave to move to England. They got here late Thursday night and my kids were already asleep so they didn't know they were here. We put them in the same room and in the morning when my boys wake up you here"Porter" really loud by Preston in his Jersey accent. Then it was a chain reaction everyone waking up and playing. Not even 10 minutes passed and they were all out at the pond at 7 am . We had them come in and eat breakfast, then they got into the costumes and were a million different superheroes. They did about 5 costume changes each. Later that day we ended up going outside to feed the fish . It started by Porter getting in a little bit , then more,then Logan got in, then they swam to the tree that had fallen down in our pond, then it was like everyone wanted in. Eventually even Ryan and Chris got in , they were trying to tie a rope around the tree to pull it out. They said when you got in your feet sunk in the mud halfway up to your legs. gross. When they got out, it made there hairs on their body look weird. They were in the water for quite awhile. Everyone was pretty gross, so they had to come in and shower so we could have family pictures.

Bayer Day

2011-09-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

August 27, 2011

Ryan's work had a day where you could bring your family and get a tour and see how stuff works and we could see where Ryan works. They had food, and a ice cream truck and inflatables. The race car in the pictures had a grill in the back. I didn't get to take pictures inside the plant. I do know now that I could not work there because I am really sensitive to smells and it stinks in spots. I also could not climb super high like Ryan does and work on very hot machines and blowers and stuff. Thats why I am going to work on the inside and be the lunch lady at his work one day!! ha ha

Biscuits n Gravy

2011-09-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

August 26, 2011

We love homemade biscuits n gravy. We eat it quite a bit, I try to make it a little bit healthier with some whole wheat flour, flax seed, and wheat germ. They may not sound the best but they are yummy. The boys like to help out. They were loving making different shapes . Peyton made a airplane biscuit and Preston made a turd (which he refused to eat after it was cooked. I'm not sure what he thought it was going to taste like)

Shipping to China

2011-08-21T14:50:00.001-07:00

Ryan is always telling the kids hes gonna sell them to the Chinese. Well Pay Pay is all packed up and ready to go. That box is actually pretty little , I cant believe how small she is and she fits rather well. At least shipping wouldnt be too much:)

Peytons Drawing

2011-08-21T14:47:00.001-07:00

Peyton was looking at this months Friend magazine, which had pictures of President Monson on the cover. He decided he wanted to draw one and send it in. I think he did a pretty good job.

Peytons First Day of School

2011-08-21T14:36:00.001-07:00

August 17, 2011

Peyton had his first day of Kindergarten. He is going to Lathrop this year. They only have 4 school days, but they are longer. They get Mondays off. His teacher is Mrs. Gordon. She seems really nice. The night before school Peyton got his blessing and me and Ryan teared up, but there wasn't any tears from us the next morning like I thought there would be. I am excited for him to learn new things. Ryan took off work that day so I could take him into class. He had no problems. I was so excited to pick him up that day and learn about his day. He went on a treasure hunt and found a bag of candy with a pen and a notebook. He had snack time and they had goldfish and he brought the rest home to share with his siblings. I thought that was so sweet. He even thought of his family at school. So far, so good, he is loving it and I am loving when I get to see him at the end of his day and hear about everything he did .

Ponds, Frogs, and Wet Dogs

2011-08-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Since we moved to our new house the kids are constantly outside. They have a puddle in the front driveway that they call their "Pond." They play in it almost everyday. I even let Paige play in it the other day because she has really been wanting to get down and explore. So she tried eating a million rocks and splashed around in their pond. They are even finding frogs in it. We have so many frogs at this house. Not only is there giant bullfrogs in the big pond , but there is tons of tree frogs everywhere. On windows, doors, the garage, everywhere. The kids ask every night to go frog hunting. They love to feed the fish and just run and ride bikes. Their television watching has probably went down by 50%. The only down side is more dirty laundry for me and the fact that they come in smelling like wet dogs. yuck.

The low of ALL lows

2011-08-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

August 15, 2011
I am writing this down mainly just to remember all the details since this is my journal. The other morning I woke up and Ryan's alarm clock going off for a long time, usually he shuts it off after one beep. I said are you gonna shut that off and he just stared at me, so I reached over and shut it off for him. I rolled over and I could hear him being restless , so as I laid there I began to wonder if maybe he was low. I was so tired and remember just wanting to say oh hes fine and just go back to sleep, but my mind wouldn't let me, so before his alarm went off again I went in the kitchen and got him a cup of juice, when I came back his alarm was going off again and again he wouldn't turn it off, so I told him to sit up and drink this juice. When he is in his lows he acts like a 2 year old, really silly and stubborn. He wouldn't hold the glass, so I held it for him and he kind of set up and leaned over and I had to lift it up and hold it while he GULPED it down. Then he layed down , but he was staring into space and not blinking. I was saying Ryan are you gonna get up and go to work. Ryan, and all he would say is WHAt in a creepy mean voice. So i went and got him more juice and some peanut butter on a spoon. I gave him some more juice and he still wouldn't hold it. I then asked him if he wanted any peanut butter and said YES really harsh. Then he ate it off of the spoon really weird. Then laid back down still staring. So I'm starting to get freaked out, I turn on the light, (Peyton is in bed with us but still not awake) and i go and get some fruit punch drink with tons of sugar. By the time i get back the alarm is going off again and Ryan is laying down and kicking his feet and saying What what what what to the beat of the alarm clock. I tell him to sit up and drink this, but this time as i am giving it too him, he chokes on it and he starts coughing and it gets everywhere,so I pat his back to help him, then he loses it. He turns on me, for whatever reason I will not know. He starts hissing at me and growling and yelling and lots more hissing, so I flip out and burst into tears, and yell at Peyton to get up and Ryan looks right at Peyton and lets out a huge Hiss. Well that terrifies both me and Peyton so we run out of the room to the other side of the house, I tell Peyton to go in his room. My heart is pounding and I am sobbing. I am scared to death and don't know what to do. I run around looking for my phone , and i cant find it anywhere. I don't remember if i used our house phone or my cell but i called 911, and tell them for 10 minutes what my address is, and tell them that my husband is having a diabetic low and he is getting violent and I have small children in the house. After I get off the phone with them, i start walking back towards our room to check on Ryan , the minute he sees me( and i am not even close to the doorway) he starts hissing at me and on all 4s on the bed. So then i am super scared, I run and call Ryan's mom, and as soon as I start talking I lose it and cant get my words out because i am so scared. I hear Ryan shouting out curse words in the bedroom , which he doesn't do. I am terrified, what if he comes after us and he has no clue who we are and he hurts us.So i am still talking to Ryan's mom on the phone and I thought i explained it and she knew who i was, so i am talking to her, then all of the sudden Ryan comes out in to the kitchen, and he is like Whats going on, what happened, and i am still bawling and talking on the phone, once i know he is out of the low i give the phone to him and get away from him, because i am still trying to process everything. All i hear him say to his mom is, you are my sister? Then he hangs up. I thought he was completely out of his low, but apparently after talking to him later, he doesn't even remember talking to his mom. I tell him to get dressed because the cops are coming , then he is really confused. Why are the cops coming? He has absolutely no clue what happened. I called 911 back and told them no to come because he is out of his low now. Come to find out later Ryan's mom had no idea who it was talking to her on the phone, because i woke her out of a dead sleep. She thought it was something to do with her sister and some guy named Ryan.
Well after everything calmed down i was still shaky, and trying to figure everything out. IT was like a scene from the movie the exorcist, i have never seen a scarier movie, the hissing and turning on me has totally freaked me out. When Peyton woke up I talked to him about what had happened, and explained it all, I noticed his hair was matted down from prob crying himself to sleep. He has been doing OK, the first night when it was dark he was scared to go to bed, which i cant blame him, I DREAD night time now i wish i could stay awake all night. Once the clock hits 3 I just lay there and keep wondering if he is going to go low and go crazy again.
I also cant stand hissing noises or loud yells of any kind. They freak me out. Just last night Peyton heard a noise on TV and he didn't like it because it reminds him of that night. Preston was acting like a dinosaur the other day and making a weird hissing and yelling noise and i had to tell him to stop because i got the chills.
I looked up stuff online, and it talks about if diabetics go low they can have seizures and get violent and have no clue what they are doing because their brains arent getting any sugar , it scares the poo out of me. I don't know how much I can handle. I could of handled a seizure better than hissing and turning on me. I just keep thinking it was like he was possessed. Even as I type this I am shaking and trying not to cry.
This isn't his first bad low ,but definitely his worst. He has drove to Kearney and then woke up while driving, eaten paprika, then woken up, beat him self up and called himself stupid and flailed around on the floor saying curse words, and not had any clue he did it.I'm not sure if its all caused by lows, or if he has a sleep problem to , but the time he was violent to himself in the kitchen he wasn't asleep , and he still doesn't remember it, so it makes me think it is All do to diabetes. Somethings got to change, until then I am gonna pester him to check his blood all the time.

Paige is 9 Months

2011-08-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2011
Paige is 9 months, wow! She is everywhere now, exploring everything. Which she has dropped weight since the last month, she is under 20 lbs now :( That means she will prob be thinning out alot more over the next couple months. She is standing without holding onto things for longer periods of time. She loves food, she doesn't like the textures of somethings though. Like applesauce and bananas. She is always under the table eating the leftovers from her dinner. She has reached the stage that drives me crazy where they wont sit down in the high chair. Paisley did it too, She just wants to stand and eat the whole time. She still has the loudest scream I have ever heard, and she uses it to get your attention. But she is still a super easy baby and a super smiley baby for sure.

Our New House

2011-08-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2011

We bought a new house!!! It is in Lathrop, someplace we werent ever looking to move. It is a perfect house for us. It has about 3 1/2 acres, a pond, a shop and a 3 car garage. It also has 5 bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths. It is at the end of a road, with a big paved driveway for the kids to play and ride bikes and I love that. I think one of my favorite things though is the covered porch. We have spent several evenings outside, and I love it. It also has 2 saferooms in the basement, which I love because of the crazy tornadoes there has been this year. The people who lived here before didnt ever sweep or dust, and they had dogs, so I am thinking as soon as our other house sells, carpet will be the very first upgrade. There are several things that I want to upgrade and finish (like a theatre room down stairs) but I have to be patient till the other house sells.Who knows how long that could take? SO sell already old house!

Table Rock Lake

2011-08-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Logan and Paisley did the little piggies for a long time

August 5, 2011

I decided last minute to take the kids down the lake to spend a few days with family that was already down there. I am so glad I did. I drove down Friday night with the 4 kids by myself. They did really good, Paige cried the last bit because she was tired but didn't want to be in the car seat anymore. Marcy and Ted were the only ones down there that new we were coming. They stayed in a hotel that looked like a castle on the outside, when we pulled up the boys were so excited. Peyton kept saying "I'm dreaming, this must be a dream." We waited in the car a little bit till everyone got back to the hotel, then they pulled up next to us and they still didn't have a clue. Grandma opened the door and immediately Logan and Peyton and Preston were hugging. It was a nice surprise. The next morning we went out on the lake and it was a perfect day for it. We swam in the water , then did some tubing. It was hard to convince my kids to pee in the water because they are used to us telling them not to pee in grandmas pool. It was Peyton's first time tubing and he liked it, but he wouldn't let you go to fast. Paisley even went , she said she wanted to go with grandma, they had a little tipping problem , but Grandma took good care of Paisley. I didn't think Paisley would do it again after that, but she did later with Uncle Chris. Preston wasn't interested in tubing , so he just rode on the boat and ate 4 donuts, then passed out. Linda and I went tubing and it was a blast. We had quite a few spills and crashes. One time Linda was falling off and I was still hanging on , so she grabbed onto my arm and held on dragging, so I was keeping us both on. It was a blast. The boys stayed in grandma and grandpas room and stayed up late every night. Paisley slept with Chris and Linda every night in the weirdest positions. On Saturday we all went to Lambert's( the home of the throwed rolls). IT was super yummy

Random Pics

2011-08-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

Paisley picked out these high heel church shoes and she didnt take them off for days

The big bad wolf and the 3 little pigs

2011-08-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

July 25, 2010

We have tons of boxes around since we are moving so the kids decided to act out a story of the 3 little pigs. Peyton, Paisley, and Paige were the pigs, and Preston was the big bad wolf. It was fun to see them act it out, and for them to try and fit 3 piggies in a little box, and I'm not sure if Paige thought that part was fun. But for the most part she loves to be included with the other 3 playing.

Paige is 8 months

2011-07-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

She makes this face all the time, she looks at you like your stupid

July 6, 2011

Paige is 8 months , Wow. I know I say it every month but she is growing up to fast. She is starting to get places very quickly. She loves food, she is mainly on table food now. She loves swimming she has been to oceans of fun twice and grandmas a bunch and loves to splash in the water. She isn't very good at taking naps, probably because her siblings are too loud and wake her up. She is walking along things and moving from one thing to the other. She even stood for a few seconds a couple of times without holding on to anything. She is really clingy to me lately, I cant even walk to another room without her freaking out. She loves Paisley's hair , she is always getting a hold of it and pulling it.She went to the doctor the other day for her 6-9 month checkup, I am two months behind so they combined them. She got 3 shots. She weighs 20.5lbs, the 83rd percentile. She is 28 1/8 inches long, the 80th percentile, and her head is 17 3/8 the 65th percentile. She is still super squishy and I love it.

Fishing , Frogs and Family

2011-07-16T10:49:00.001-07:00

A big thanks to my sister in law Melissa for taking all of these pictures for me and sending them to me. They turned out really good.

Saturday everyone got together at fosters and fished, went frog hunting , made foil dinners and shot guns. The kids all had a really good time. Paisley is the only one of my kids that fished, and she caught one with grandpas help. It was definitely hot and humid, but the kids didn't seem to mind. I love seeing the kids outside playing in the dirt instead of inside by the TV.

Swimming

2011-07-16T10:33:00.001-07:00

I took the kids over one day to grandmas to swim with Porter and Logan. Watching 6 kids in a pool ages 8 months to 8, not bad, made me think I could handle having more kids, haha joking. It was actually easy the boys played well and even taught Peyton to swim. It was so cute. Logan would tell Peyton put your hands straight like an arrow and in like a chicken. Well whatever he told him worked. Peyton was swimming under water that day. He still has to use goggles but it is a HUGE improvement. Now he is in love with swimming. He does flips under water and cannonballs off the stairs. I love to see him loving it. Paisley and Preston have also done really well this year and Paige loves it too.

4th of July

2011-07-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Photo by Melissa
Long day for Paigey

On July 3rd we went to Kearney and watched the fireworks display they put on there, it is always good, the traffic stinks though. The next day we went to my parents for a little while. We shot off a couple of fireworks. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Ratliffs. We ate alot of good food and made layered drinks and had yummy cheesecake. The kids swam a little bit and then later in the day shot off more fireworks.

4th of July Outfits

2011-07-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

July 3, 2011
Grandma Ratliff made the girls some adorable patriotic dresses. They wore them to church and got lots of compliments. They were so cute. I painted Paisleys fingers and toes red white and blue, and she loved them. Thank you grandma for the dresses.

The Park

2011-06-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Paigey Poo loves the swings, so does Paisley

The other day we took a quick trip to the park, we picked up some juice and some donuts from the store and got to the park at about 8:30 at night.( we have been so late with bedtimes lately) WE were the only ones there. It was so nice out, almost chilly. We all played , then some people started shooting off fireworks there so we got to watch some of those, the kids loved it.

Our 4 P's in a Pod

2011-06-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Fathers Day 2011

2011-06-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

This year we let Ryan sleep in and we made him biscuits n gravy and the kids brought it to him in bed. After that we gave him his gifts. The kids each got to pick him out a gift. Preston got him flip flops for oceans of fun, Peyton got him a Batman T shirt, Paisley wanted to get him cheeseburgers but those don't wrap so well so we settled on Beef jerky. I got him a Michigan watch and some Nike gel sandals ( so comfy). He is a good daddy Provider and we all love him.

Peytons T Ball

2011-06-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Peyton has done great this year in T Ball. He has improved so much from last year. He is a great hitter. We found out yesterday that he can hit from either side of the plate. He is left handed, but he usually swings right handed, but yesterday he did left and did great.

Prestons 1st T Ball Game

2011-06-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

The Stance

The sand pit

I know he cant see under that thing

Crumbs all over her face

June 09, 2011

Preston had his first T Ball game the other day and he did so good . Preston is really good at following directions, so he tried to do everything everyone was telling him to. Ryan told him how to get in the ready stance and he did that stance the whole time, it was so funny to watch his facial expression when he did it. When someone hits the ball all the other kids run to it in a group, and Preston was a go getter, he was even fighting over it with another kid(who I thought was a girl, but no just a long haired boy). It surprised me that he was as aggressive because the boys are usually laid back and not competitive. I liked seeing him get after it. There is a sand pit there, i have love/hate feelings about it, I love that it keeps the other kids occupied, but i hate the mess. Paige just sits in the stroller and eats, Shocking I know! Good Job Preston, I love watching you

Paige is 7 months

2011-06-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yes this is the contents of what I found in her diaper(minus the watermelon seed)

June 06, 2011

Here it is another month gone by, I swear she just turned 6 months. This has been a huge month for her. She has two bottom teeth, (good for her, not for me). She also has mastered crawling and she is now pulling up on everything. I didn't think she would be doing that already because of her chunkiness but she is, and she is doing it a couple weeks before Paisley did. She eats anything and everything. The other day I was changing her diaper and I saw what looked like a piece of paper, so i picked it with a diaper wipe to see what it was. It was a piece of a band aid wrapper, upon moving the poo around, I also found a watermelon seed, and two of Paisleys hair rubber bands. Holy cow! How did she eat this and when and how did she not choke. Time for me to start vacuuming everyday and making sure that stuff isn't on the floor. Nothing is safe.

Teething has been hard on us, she is usually a really good baby but with this teething stuff, she doesn't hardly sleep and her scream is ridiculous. I went to put a swimsuit on for oceans of fun and the ones I have are super tight on her thighs. They are the ones Paisley wore last summer. 18 months. This is crazy to me, I put a 24 month one of Paisley and its falling off. I am excited for Paige to be getting around, it gets more fun, but it makes me sad how quick its going.

Fruit Snacks

2011-06-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

Daddy and the kids went to grandmas one night, and i was at home. When they got home they were all asleep, Ryan carried them in and put them in bed. Peyton came out and pulled a wadded up fruit snack wrapper out of his pocket and pulled out 1 white fruit snack.(my fav) He had saved it for me. He is so sweet, he always shares his white fruit snacks with me, I love him

Preston Turns 4

2011-06-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

05-25-2011

The night before Preston's birthday Ryan and i hung decorations all over his door down the hall and in the kitchen so when he woke up , there was balloons and streamer everywhere. Ryan took the day off work for his birthday too. Preston wanted biscuits n gravy for breakfast , so we had that, then we headed to Chuck e Cheeses when we heard there was bad storms coming so we went back home and were in the basement for awhile t ill the tornado warning was gone. Then we had his birthday cake, sooooo good. Then we headed back to Chuck e Cheeses. Then we headed to Toys r us where he got to pick out a few gifts. He chose a grabnabber and Nerf swords. Then we headed home and had some pizzas, and he got a few more gifts. On Sunday at Grandmas we celebrated his birthday some more with family. Grandma made him a birthday cake and it was so yummy. Probably my favorite next to country marts. So good. Then he got some cool gifts from Grandma and Grandpa and his cousins and uncle and aunt. He finally got a bow n arrow so now i can have my tongs and wisk back. Happy Birthday buddy.

Fun in the Sun

2011-05-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Paisley looks like she is doing some type of modeling

May 10, 2011

Ryan took the day off to spend with us, so we headed to walmart and bought some super soakers. While there we also picked up our first gas grill, I am so excited, I hated waiting for charcoal to get hot. Anyways we spent alot of time outside, It was so hot out

My Birthday at home 2011

2011-05-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Somehow i was in the middle of all of these guys.

May 9, 2011

I wanted Ryan to take the day off , but he didn't. So i was home all day with just me and the kiddos, I was bummed. When I woke up that morning, I noticed all 4 kids had slept in my bed, I had no clue they had even came in during the night. We need a bigger bed! When Ryan came home that night he said he had gotten me a Kearney country mart cake(my fav)! Well he thought he would be funny and write a special message on it. He wrote Sorry for the Herpes. lol

I'm glad our kids cant read yet. He had asked the lady at country mart to write it , but she wouldn't so he bought icing and wrote it himself. My husband is just full of surprises. I was just glad to get a cake! I had plans that night, so Ryan took the boys out to see Rio, and when they came home the boys had picked out presents for me. Peyton bought me a cantaloupe, (the best one ever he says) i think so too. Preston brought me home flowers. It was so sweet of them, and they picked them out all by themselves. On my birthday I kept giving Ryan a hard time, because i wanted him to take a day off work , but he said he couldn't. Well we went to bed and we woke up at 7 and he was still in bed. He had taken the day off after my birthday so we could spend all day together , I was soooo excited! I love you babe, herpes and all. lol just joking FYI no one has herpes :)

4 kiddos + 1 dog

2011-05-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

A lady on my moms mail route had to get rid of her dog, so my mom took it. The kids love it. Its tempting to bring it home with us, but that dog is sooooo tiny ( minus the ears) if the kids fell on it , im sure it would get seriously hurt. Her name is Lily.

My Birthday

2011-05-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my birthday with family on Sunday. First at my parents house. Paige grabbed the lit candles and got wax all over her little fingers , so we put her hand in a bowl of gluten free frozen pancake mix( your supposed to use cold flour) but she had a blast playing in it,and i didn't notice any burns on her fingers. The kids loved eating the jumbo strawberries. After that we had Oreo cake at Ryan's parents for my birthday, it was super yummy and i ate way too much. I had a good birthday at both places.

Fly a kite

2011-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

May 08, 2011

The kids have been so excited to fly kites. So on Mothers day , Ryan took them out to try in my parents field. Preston lost interest real quick. Peyton had a good time. Paisley had a great time, she loved running in the open.

Mothers Day 2011

2011-05-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Paisley said she was dressed and was going out to the car for church.

May 8, 2011

I had a good Mothers day, the kids actually brought me breakfast in bed this year. Cold cereal, orange juice, and yogurt.

Paige is 6 months

2011-05-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

May 06, 2011

Paige is already 6 months I cannot believe how fast time is going. She is such a joy. I haven't taken her for her check up yet, but according to our scale at home she weighs 19 lbs. Right before she turned 6 months , she started sitting by herself, a week after that she started scooting. Now she is everywhere, nothing is safe, especially paper. Now she likes to stand if she is leaning on something and bounce. She loves to bounce. She loves her jumperoo. I have been letting have taste of some of the things we are eating, and she loves them. She loves watermelon. She sleeps in her crib most of the night, usually around 4 i will bring her in our bed to eat and then we pass out. She loves outside, and to watch her sister and brothers play. I know it wont be long till she is running with them. She loves her daddy. If he starts talking or she hears his voice , she will stop nursing to look around to find him. We get lots of compliments on her eyes and her smiles. There are also comments on her chunkiness ALOT. And she is our little chunk. We couldn't of asked for a better 4th baby. She is so easy going. She still wont take a bottle, but i did put some juice in one the other day and she kind of drank a little. We love her very much.

1st Annual 5K Temple Run

2011-05-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2011

So we did our first ever 5k run/walk. Thank goodness grandma Ratliff was there to help us, cause we had all the kids. Ryan had to work. It was a lot of fun just to be a part of. When all of the kids were in the stroller it was at least 115lbs. That is alot to push up hills! The kids ran some of it. Peyton and Preston ran for awhile at the beginning I couldn't keep up. Then they got pushed for awhile , then near the end Paisley ran quite a bit, and they ended up all 3 of them crossing the finish line by themselves. Paige slept the whole time. I loved seeing all the people with all the kids participating.Our finish time was 1 hour and 6 minutes.

2011-05-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

I added a picture of the new bathtub on the old post of bathroom renovations

Worlds of Fun

2011-05-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

April, 2011

We bought season tickets for the family this year for Oceans of fun and Worlds of Fun. We got a good discount from buying them early and through Ryan's work. We are already enjoying them. We went the first day it was open and the following weekend. Peyton is getting old enough to ride more rides, he rode his first roller coaster "spinning dragons" and the finish fling, the barrel that spins and you stick to the wall and the floor drops out, I think that was his favorite. They are adding a bunch of new rides to planet snoopy so it will be a good year to have a pass. We cant wait till it is warm enough to start going to oceans of fun, just meeting Ryan there after he is off work and staying till it closes , then having the kids exhausted and falling asleep on the way home :) I am so excited, not very excited about the whole swimsuit thing though:(