The Finklea Five + one surprise

Our Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-19T12:18:00.001-08:00

Yet another year that we are too poor for Christmas cards, however we decided to get a little creative this year! I don't think any words will do this justice, but let me just say from our house to yours... We Wish you a Merry Christmas, and hope this brings a little Christmas Cheer!!! Love the Finks

Big Girl

2011-12-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

Our little baby girl is almost 8 months old!!!! AAAHHHHH!!! I can't believe it! We love her to pieces, the novelty has not worn off for all of us! I just know she is going to be a turkey! She makes one little squeak, and Payton, Jaxon or Ashton are at her rescue! When I took these pictures she was barely sitting up, tonight... she crawled for the first time, which means GATES! There is a lot to get into and a big set of stairs. She has 5 teeth with one on it's way! AND SHE IS CRANKY!!! But her cranky is nothing! She is such a good baby!(for me! ;)) She seems to be a momma's girl! Go figure... like she ever sees her Daddy!

Grand Haven Christmas Parade

2011-12-08T19:41:00.001-08:00

We absolutely love where we are! It is so gorgeous where we live! There are so many things to do and see. Summer was fantastic, Fall was great, and Winter so far has proven to be just as fabulous! Last Saturday we went to one of the local Christmas Parades. It was freezing! But we had a great time freezing our tootsies off!

Overload

2011-12-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

I knew before coming to Michigan that there were going to be a lot of trees, however, I don't think I ever considered the amount of raking that had to be done. Here are a few fun pictures of the kids running into the huge pile. Take note: this was one of probably 50 times that I raked.

I enjoy being outside doing yard work with the kids, so I had been the one mostly doing the leaves. It would take me hours, and hours. One Saturday we had so many leaves that I think our land lord must have driven by and seen that we may need some help and planned to come that afternoon. Austin was didn't want him thinking we were total slackers so he got out there early that day with the boys and started raking... only to break it. Our only tool for leaves! Lets just say he was quick to replace it with something else that didn't require so much energy. I want to say maybe he broke it on purpose just so he could get a blower. It is December 8th, and we still have leaves that haven't fallen. And yes... it is December 8th and has not snowed in MICHIGAN!!! CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Christmas Concert 2011

2011-12-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Time has escaped me! I can't believe we have been in Michigan for 7 months! CRAZY! Since school has started for Payton and Jaxon life has been a little crazy.

Tonight we had a great time at the Jeffers Christmas Concert! Our two kiddos did an amazing job with all of their songs and actions. They both really got into it! Sure made us smile. Jaxon made us laugh hysterically with all his antics, he is definitely a class clown. Payton made me so proud... she reminded me of how much I used to love being in choir. I wished I had a better video camera where I could have filmed them.

Jaxon had to dress up in Christmas P.J.'s, in the picture you will find him on the front row in green pants and a red shirt. After he was done I went to get him from the band room, and his teacher took him aside and gave him little gift. His Tennessee Christmas hat he is wearing!!! He absolutely adores her, I think she is pretty fond of him too!

Payton's concert was themed around Penguins. She looked beautiful!

CHUCK E. CHEESE'S OR BUST BABY

2011-08-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

August 6th is when we celebrated Payton's birthday! It was a saturday and lots of fun things going on. We were about to make our way down to the Coast Guard Festival when it started raining. So... we came to the conclusion that with the humidity and 4 small kids, plus another family with 3 small kids... that wouldn't be much fun. We decided to wait it out and may be go later that day. We have found that weather changes pretty quickly here. You never know what will happen.

We called our friends the Miltgens and informed them of our changes and met up at Chuck E. Cheese's. Which turned out nicely. Hardly anyone was there... by the time we were ready to leave, it started filling up.

Here are some pictures of Bryton while were were waiting for our friends to show up.

We ordered Pizza and Drinks, and had so many coins the Daddys HAD to go and use some of them. They claimed "we are doing it for the children, they need all the tickets they can get!" They are only thinking of the kids!!!

The Birthday Girl!!!

The Kids got to dance with Chuck E. It was hilarious watching them. Especially Jaxon... I seriously have no idea where he comes up with his moves. They are great!

The weather cleared, it was extremely humid though! Here is Payton at the Carnival.

All the blankets laid out for the Fireworks. They are bigger than 4th of July apparently. (We wouldn't know, 4 small kids staying up til 12 pm. NOT GOOD)

Some of the Coast Guard Ships at the Coast Guard Headquarters.

We got in line to go and tour the big ship. But they had just closed it until 6 pm. Our kids were almost at their limit, so we left. Next year for sure though.

Ashton at the Carnival, and of course he wants to ride the 4 wheelers.

Payt and Jax go for the Roller Coaster.

Sunday was pretty low key. Payton chose what she wanted for her dinner which was Salsa Chicken ( a Finklea Kid Favorite) And we had some friends over to have cake. She was a little disappointed that she didn't get to open any presents this year on her birthday, but she had her entire room re decorated! And she wanted to come shopping with me.

Here we are singing Happy Birthday to Payt, we got a kick out of Bryton... she was singing too!

On a more serious note... These last seven years I have had the privilege of being the mother of one of the sweetest little girls. I can't imagine my life with out her. She is amazing! She is the greatest big sister to her 3 siblings. She is so great at helping me and doing kind things for both me and her Dad. I am often looked at a little bit CRAZY for being as young as I am and having 4 kids. I wouldn't change it for the world. They are my world! I love Payton more than words can express. She is such a joy to have in our family. I couldn't have asked for a better OLDEST CHILD. I look forward to spending eternity with this special little girl!

Daddy's Boys

2011-08-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

Little Turkeys they are... but ohhh so sweet!

Novelty!

2011-08-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

This little girl is loved! She is the first thing played with every morning! She is the last thing kissed before bed! Still after 3 1/2 months this novelty of a little baby sister has not worn off! She is so sweet! And when she gets mad... we all have a good laugh! She has one very sweet sister who is the biggest helper, and she has two brothers who adore her and are going to grow up protecting her.

We found a new park! We love parks, that is what we spend the majority of our time doing! If we are not with friends we are going to them on our own! This is one I heard about from quite a few people, it is called "Imagination Station." It was great... once my kids were in... I didn't see them until it was time to go!!!

This is Ashton's little buddy! They are the only two in Nursery... they have the whole place to themselves and they love it! We went to Greyson's house last week to play! They all had a turn being a cowboy!

Here is their pet mountain lion!!

And here is Bryton's little friend Kiera. She is a few months older! We anticipate they will be bff's!

I love music, I constantly have it playing! So the kids have a great time dancing to it!!

Austin has rubbed off on the kids! He wears headbands at work! WHY?..... well he thinks he is hilarious! And secondly... health for the patients. :) He sweats so bad in surgery that he is constantly asking the nurses to wipe his head! So he found a solution! He is pretty well known through the hospital... they refer to him ast he resident that wears the headbands!!!

Little Singers!

2011-07-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

{Water Bugs}

2011-07-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

Went to the beach last week with our friends! Ashton was crackin' me up so I had to take some pictures!

EVENTS:

Ash, lost his green ball, Greyson almost drowned (2 times), our beach umbrellas blew away (luckily the life guard saved them), fed the local ducks, first time Kiera was at the beach, first time Bryton wore her swimming suit, Payton and Rory floated on a stolen tube, and Jaxon....well he didn't lose his ear tubes!!!

The day was great, and my kids love having friends again! The miss their friends in Tennessee and Utah pretty bad. So I am glad they are not so glum these days, Especially Payton!

{2 Wheels}

2011-07-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I took the kids to the park. We met up with some of our new friends who happen to live within walking distance of the park. The little girl Rory brought her new Tinkerbell bike, which was a total hit with Ash. When it was time to go home I could not convince him to get off. I tried bribing him with a few things, nothing really worked, until....I told him that I would take his training wheels off his bike so he could ride his bike like Jaxon. "Like a big boy!" He loved that idea!

Here is the result his first time:

One proud Momma!

4th

2011-07-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

We started our day off perfectly with the local parade! It was great the kids had fun! We ended our day even better! A BBQ, and fireworks with some new friends and missionaries!

Big Sister of the Year!

2011-07-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

My little girls, I love them so much! When Austin and I had made the decision long ago that we were done having kids at 3, although I was extremely relieved I too had a little reservation because Payton wanted a sister so bad. All of her cousins have sisters and almost all of her friends had them too! Payton has always been a great big sister to her two twirppy brothers, but I couldn't ask for a bitter helper with her little sister. Bryton these days is not so mellow as she once was! Still adorable, and we get the biggest kick out of watching her. She is loved a little too much on a daily basis... the novelty of a little sister hasn't worn off yet. Austin has gone back to work, and with one thing on my mind these days Payton has been a huge help. I have lots of weight to lose. While I have been attempting to exercise while Bryton has been asleep, she still seems to wake up of it is too quiet. So Payton has been bringing her down to the basement with all of us and feeding, burping, rocking and playing with Bryton so I can get in shape!!! As they say in the South "BLESS HER LITTLE HEART" I couldn't be more grateful!!! She is my little helper and I love her so much! It kind of helps that she is so cute too:

Luddington Michigan

2011-07-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent the day visiting another coastal town. Luddington! We took the kids to the city park there to play, and walked around one of the many marinas. Every Saturday that we have lived here, we have noticed no matter what town we are in you will always be able to find a Farmer's Market. We have a little training to do with Ashton and Jaxon, before we want to make that leap into hundreds of people plus, many breakable items. Maybe towards the end of the summer (fingers crossed) if not, next summer is what we will shoot for. Another gorgeous city on the coast of Lake Michigan!

Grand Haven Board Walk

2011-07-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

We have been told for quite sometime now that this area that we live in is geared towards tourists. The summers here are crazy, there is so much to do! There are festivals after festivals! We went for a walk on the local boardwalk of Grand Haven, and made our way out on the pier to the Light House! We had dinner, and topped it off with ... of course and ice cream. We are in heaven! We absolutely love where we are, but definitely miss our friends from Tennessee!

Whitings visit Michigan

2011-07-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Our long lost friends the Whitings came to visit us a few weeks ago! They some of our best friends, and we are so glad that we are semi close to them for at least one more year!

Dutch Village

2011-07-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

One of the fabulous things about Michigan is there are so many coastal towns to visit! One of these towns is Holland, Michigan. Holland was founded by the Dutch calvanists back in 1847 trying to escape persecution in the Netherlands. This town has such a cute little Dutch accent with architecture and also in the Spring they have a tulip festival. We went to a little Dutch Village where the kids were able to walk farm animals, try dutch food, make candles and watch the dutch dancers. Here are some pictures...

Memorial Day 2011

2011-07-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Well, on top of just moving, having a newborn baby, 3 other children and a husband that just started work I have lacked in my blogging mostly because... we have just been having fun exploring Michigan!

A few things that we have realized about Michigan: 1. They love ice cream!!! There is an ice cream shop on every corner here! Even if you are in the middle of no where, there is always an ice cream shop!!! 2. As previously warned...Keep a sweater/ coat in your car at all times, you never know when the weather will change! 3. Taking a newborn on the beach... not so fun! With out fail Bryton has come away with almost as much sand on her as the older kids. 4. Don't go to the beach on a major holiday! If you hate crowds (LIKE AUSTIN)!! :) So Memorial Day we spent the day at the beach! Here are some pics of our day!!!

Michigan Residents

2011-05-28T19:21:00.001-07:00

It is official...we are now Michigan Residents! We have been here for a week and a half and we are almost all settled with only a few boxes left to unpack.

We are doing good and having fun exploring this area. The kids are in heaven from the house to the beaches to all the parks and ice cream shops.

Bryton is growing and still so sweet! She is not lacking in the

love and attention department, I can barely keep her siblings off of her.

Payton, Jaxon and Ashton are out of control. They are into everything and everywhere! During the last year we have promised our kids that we would get them bikes as soon as we got to Michigan. So earlier this week we took them to the store and got them their bikes. By the time we got them home that night it was 8pm. They weren't able to ride their bikes for long but promised them they could ride them the following day. That next morning Ashton was the first one awake, and all dressed shoes on and all Ashton yelled out at the top of his lungs "Mom I ride my bike?"

Yesterday we were getting ready to go to the store and tol

d the kids that they could ride their bikes until we were ready to go. I was in the boys room when I heard Ashton screaming at the top of his lungs outside. I opened the window and told him to stop screaming. (We moved on a road where we are surrounded by elderly people, and not sure if they would appreciate the noise.) He scowled at me and stuck his lips out, being a defiant little turkey. I said " Ashton, don't you do that or you will come inside." He did it again!!! (By this point Jaxon had come inside his room to get a sweatshirt and heart and saw everything that was transpiring.) I raised my finger and shook it at him and said "Ashton you do that again and mommy is going to come and span

k your bumb." AND THE BRAVE LITTLE BOY DID IT AGAIN!!!! I gasped and dropped the clean clothes and started for the front door. When I made it to the front door I heard Jaxon yell, "Aaaashton, RUUUUUUUUNNNNN !!!! RUN, RUN!!!! MOM IS COMING!!!!!" When I looked back at the house Jaxon had his face plastered up against the screen yelling again "RUN ASHTON RUN!!! HURRY!!

When I sped up after Ashton, that little turd smiled at me and took off as fast as he could on his bike! He looked back at me smiling the entire time he was riding off. I couldn't help but start laughing, I tried getting mad at Jaxon for telling

him to do that, and I tried getting mad at Ashton but every time I tried I just burst out laughing. NAUGHTY LITTLE BOYS!!!

We took the kids to the Grand Rapids ZOO yesterday, pretty cool! The Lion was amazing. It was right next to the window.

I will update more later of Austin's graduation and the last month catching up!

High School Musical Dancer!!

2011-03-31T16:00:00.001-07:00

Jaxon absolutely loves High School Musical 2! Obviously you can tell by this video!!!

UPDATE!!!

2011-03-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

I have been a complete slacker on updating this. Here is what is going on with us;

Austin is still gone.... but... returns back on Friday! And we couldn't be more excited! The kids haven't seen him for almost 2 months now, it will be quite the reunion. Austin is finishing up his second to last rotation in Virginia in ER and will be picking up his FINAL rotation EVER... with my OB/GYN for the month of April!!! Other than that... I am really not sure with him... I haven't talked to him much. Our schedules have been opposite with him working nights. We are just excited to have him home!

I am currently 35 weeks pregnant! Heading down towards the finish line and I couldn't be more antsy. However I have been extremely blessed to have an uncomplicated pregnancy and feel pretty good despite the fact that I am huge and ready to pop! I have been keeping busy with the kids obviously, but also been busy with little projects getting ready for our new little girl!

Payton is doing great in school, she has so many friends that I can't keep her home hardly before she is running out the door. The weather here in Utah has been beautiful, so she has been outside riding her scooter with the neighbors. Two weeks ago at school it was a pretty fun week. On Monday she had her first project due. She had to choose any animal and write a report on it and answer specific questions such as: Where does your animal live? What does it eat? What is an interesting fact about your animal? etc.

I AM SO PROUD TO SAY.... She chose a Kangaroo.... yes I planted the seed there but she decided that is what she would like to do. So we worked on it together, she typed it all up on the computer, and I helped her a little with putting it all together. She turned it in on the Monday. Then on Friday they had a Parade/ Animal Zoo. All of the kids had to make their posters so they could wear them around their neck, and then they were to dress up like their animal. Thank goodness we were living with Grandma... she had all of the Aussie goods! My mom slaved away that morning making Payton the cutest costume, with a huge Kangaroo tail made out of old mink coats and ears that went on top of the infamous Aussie Cork hat. She looked so cute! Also on Friday it was silly hat day (due to Dr. Seuss' Birthday) and crazy socks. Payton went sporting my Tennessee socks!!!:)

Jaxon... I am so proud of him. He is doing so good in his speech therapy. After a few months of trying to figure out exactly what his problem is, they finally came to the conclusion that (besides catch up from not being able to hear ) he has a forward tongue thrust. His muscle control on his tongue needs to be curved and strengthened. So with knowing that we are making some good progress. Also... some big news for the little guy, he started Pre School. There was a spot that opened up in a neighborhood preschool and Jaxon was on the waiting list, so we got in for at least a few months. He ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT!!!! I was concerned that maybe going to kindergarden next year was going to be awful for him, but this proves that I was completely wrong. He doesn't care a bit to leave. He is doing so good. He is doing really well with learning his letters, and playing catch up to where he should be.

Also some more big news about him... He learned to ride a bike without training wheels. But the kicker.... no one taught him. My cousin was babysitting my kids one day, and when I pulled up to get them... I was completely SHOCKED to see my little guy riding down the sidewalk on a two wheel bike. When I called to tell Austin, he expressed he was a little sad that he missed it.... I had to reply "Well Honey... don't worry I missed it too!"

Ashton...WOW!!! What a turkey! He is full of personality and I am excited for his Dad to come home and be in on some of that action!!! Ashton turned 3 in January, (post pictures later).He is a little trouble maker at times, and then others... so sweet! But he is very unpredictable. The pictures above are on Jaxon's first day of Pre School. Heaven forbid that Jaxon get a new back pack and Ashton doesn't... Ashton thought he was going to school too.

Ashton is doing good with talking too, we can understand him much better, and he is also learning his letters along side Jaxon.

Ashton is MR. BOSSY PANTS... he likes to tell everyone what to do, and even at times threatens them with a spank! (Wonder where he gets that?) He has completely taken over Payton's DSI and his world falls apart when someone else touches it.

The Golf cart has thankfully been pulled out of winter lock down so Ashton is one happy little boy.... until it is time to come inside!!!

All I can say... BOY IS AUSTIN GOING TO HAVE FUN WHEN HE GETS HERE!!!!

LONELY ON VALENTINES DAY!!!

2011-02-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a Happy Valentines Day!! We love you and miss you!

Wished you were here!

What a fabulous way to celebrate this day by Matching!!!!

Congratulations, and we are so proud of you and all of your hard work!

Austin matched today for OBYN residency! We will be spending the next 4 years in Muskegon, Michigan! We are pretty excited!

Jaxon and the Dentist!

2011-01-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

Poor little Jaxon has really been through it these last few months! The beginning of December Jaxon went to and Audiologist and Speech Therapist. He did not pass his screening test. They found his ear drums were not vibrating, indicating he had fluid in his middle ear. It was effecting his temporary hearing, which could have been the source of his speech delay! Jaxon made a visit to Primary Children's Hospital and had and Adnoidectomy and eartubes put in! He was a champ and did great! Last week pathetically enough, I took my kids to their first ever dentist appointment. Payton and Ashton came out fine, while poor little Jax had to visit the following day for a filling. His first cavity! Unfortunately looks like the poor kid is going to take after me. The gave him a sedative before going in, and so Austin asked if I would take some videos of him ! So here are just a few!!! BEFORE SEDATIVE

SEDATIVE BEGINS TO WORK

2011-01-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

This is where I will often find Payton on a low key day! She sits in her room reading for hours to all of her Grandma's Raggedy Ann dolls!

This is a favorite activity... playing pbskids, or nickjr or playhousedinsey.com

And Jaxon is learning to write his name!

Moms and Muffins!

2011-01-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

At Payton's school they had a Moms and Muffins morning! Every kid in the school brought their mom's to school, laid blankets down anywhere there was room and had muffins, and juice while we read before school started. It was fun to be with Payton alone, but to be quite honest... a gym floor is not the place for me these days!!

On March 15 they are having a Dads and Doughnuts! We may have to substitute Grandpa for Dad!

Pictures for Dad!

2011-01-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

Ashton is going through this phase of acting like a baby! And Payton and Jaxon cater to the whole thing! Here is Ashton acting like a baby, and Jaxon is the Daddy holding him!!

Our kids got Snuggies for Christmas!!! Go figure!! Austin is so proud! Here are some pictures of the boys!

Friday Night and Homemade Pizza!

2011-01-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

The day of these pictures was the same day Austin left for Virginia for 3 months, January 7, 2011. My cousin Shannon called and we decided to get together and let the kids play. Her husband was out of town that weekend so it worked out perfect! It got our minds off of missing Austin!

While all the little girls were in the kitchen slaving away at pizza... these two rugrats were of course... playing the Wii!

These were self posed pictures from the kids! They posed and then yelled for me to come and see so I could take a picture of them! This is for their Dad!!

Favorite Past Time!!!

2011-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hollywood Connection was introduced to us when Payton was just 2 by my sister in law Mindi! This was a hot spot for us when we lived here almost 4 years ago. It was even better coming back now that our kids our older. They had a blast!!! Their favorite thing were the bumper cars! This was our one last hoorah before Austin left for 3 months!

Look at Ashton's face!!! Let's just say that was the last time he went on that ride!

Cousins!!!

2011-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

Our kids are absolutely obsessed with their older cousins! Since our summer visit and being here for the last few months they have gotten to know some of their Finklea cousins much better. Every time we left them our kids cried, first thing they would ask for in the morning were their cousins. Jaxon and Ashton especially love their big boy cousins, and of course their Uncle "BARK!" We tried to spend as much time with the Finkleas as possible this Christmas due to the limited time Austin was here. And once residency starts... it will be very unlikely that we make it back to Utah for at least a couple years. So here are the kids soaking up sometime with their big boy cousins!

Time with the FINKS!

2011-01-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

This Christmas all but one of the 8 Finklea children were here to send their parents off on their 3rd mission. They decided it would be fun to get together and have a big dinner, with out kids. We went to the Blue Iguana where of course... Austin, Dave and Bart did their "Burrito Challenge." I think he said it was 4 pounds! They did one a few years ago that was a little more intense. Cafe Pier Ponte offered a 7 pound challenge! So for Austin this 4 pound challenge was cake!! It was fun night!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-22T20:19:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2010 was busy, busy! With lots of local family around to spend time with, we also had family in from out of town. Here are some pictures from our Christmas Eve party spent with my Cousins, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents. We were even surprised to have a visit from Santa himself!!!

Jaxon...the proud owner of a Tennessee VOLS pillow!!! I think it made Austin a little jealous!

One of my childhood family traditions was to role play the Nativity Story from the Bible!

Christmas morning!!!

3 Mission Farewell!

2011-01-22T16:15:00.000-08:00

They say 3rd times a charm! On January 3rd my In-Laws entered the MTC to serve another mission! They were called to Columbia, South Carolina for 12 months. On December 26th was their "farewell." Here are some pictures from their little open house they had at their home. Austin had a great time catching up with cousins and old friends!

December!!

2010-12-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

Here is the long awaited pregnant belly picture! I am 22 weeks!

Today was Payton's last day of school! We are excited to be able to hang out and have fun with our cousins, and all the friends we will be seeing over the next few weeks. We started the break off by having a movie night and watching one of our family favorites "The Santa Claus 3."

My Mom and I went to a cookie exchange last night. I got this recipe from Picky Palate. They were super easy and really good!

Here is a picture of Payton and her friend Ashlynn. They are so sweet together. They call each other almost every day after school. Payton has made some really good friends here, but still misses Tennessee and Virginia.

Now the most exciting thing that has happened to us this month is seeing our friends the Boyles. We have missed them so much and missed Tennessee that seeing them gave us another boost. We spent the day with Sarah and Kayson in Provo, and my kids couldn't get enough. So we are planning another little visit down to Manti this next week.

It's Official!

2010-11-30T10:27:00.001-08:00

I don't think I have officially announced, but I am pregnant! I am half way there...20 weeks! IT'S A GIRL!! Payton was the first one to know that I was pregnant. When I first told her she asked me if it could be a girl! I explained to her that I didn't really have control, but that we would just have to wait and see what it is. A few days later she came to me and said "Mom... I need to tell you a secret." I leaned down and she whispered in my ear that she had prayed to Heavenly Father to have a baby sister. A few days after that, she came back to me and said "Mom, I know I am going to have a baby sister!" Trying to not let her get her hopes up I tried explaining to her that it could end up being a boy too. With quite a bit of frustration in her voice (like she had been repeating herself a million times) she said " Mom, I know it is going to be a girl because Heavenly Father told my brain, and I have a smart brain!!" So, while the rest of the family has been waiting to find out what it is, Payton has known all along! I took her to the ultrasound and she was able to see her new baby sister move and wave to her! A pretty fun experience for all of us!

November

2010-11-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

Back in 2002-2003 Ausitn and I spent many evenings at this place. This was the dollar theater that we would splurge on going to for our dates. Since moving from Salt Lake City we haven't yet been back, so thought it would be fun to go and take the kids to see Toy Story 3 since we missed it earlier this summer. It was great! We reminisced, and the kids loved the movie!

One of the perks of being back in Utah is being so close to family of all kinds. Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, First cousins once removed and, second cousins. Last week Payton and I went on a special outing with all of the girls in my family that live here...minus one cousin (due to just having a baby). We went out on the town to see "The Nutcracker Ballet." Due to the fact we were running slightly late, I only managed to get a picture or two of Payton in the car on our way over. She absolutely loved it, and along with her "second cousin" Brynlee she was on the edge of her seat the entire time! She has been twirling around like a ballerina all week!

By November 1st of last year, all of our Christmas decorations were out! It doesn't stand a chance in our home when Austin loves Christmas probably more than I do. My kids have been after Grandma Colleen to put up the Christmas tree for a week now. Every time we all attempted to do it, something came up and the kids had to wait another day. Well, we finally decided we just didn't think it would work with us all together, I finally took the kids down and let them decorate the Christmas tree all by themselves. They had so much fun, and even Ashton was being some what helpful, and not so destructive. Here are some pictures of some proud kiddos:

Nothing like little helpers!! Ashton and Jaxon helped their Grandpa clean out his garage on Saturday! Or maybe I should say added more work for Grandpa! But regardless of the multiple times reminding boys to not touch saws and blades and harmful things, they had fun, and even got one of Grandpa's work hats out of it.

October Activities!

2010-11-20T17:45:00.000-08:00

We made it to Utah and have settled in! The kids are enjoying all of the neighbor kids! Austin is loving his rotation he is on right now, so much so that he stayed on for a second month in a row. Here are just a few of the things we did in October. Went on a hay ride and picked out a pumpkin...

Decorated and carved our pumpkins...

Jaxon learned what a cowboy was...

We made carameled apples..

Grandma carried on a tradition that she did with us as kids and visited Payton at her school. She scared her class half to death with her witches cackle.

And.... trick or treating...

Payton was a witch and Jaxon and Ashton were the HULK who wouldn't keep their masks on. We took the boys to the Planetarium...

Some of our fellow med student friends from Tennessee came to Utah!!! We met up with Tamsyn and her kiddos two days in a row for dinner! We sure love and miss them!

Goodbye Tennessee!!!

2010-11-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

After our return home this summer from Utah, we got an offer on our house. Although it is now November and we are still waiting for our house to close, we are hopeful it is going to go through. We started making plans to move closer into town, (which is what we have wanted for the last 3 1/2 years we have lived in Virginia) and packing our house for a local move. The day before I would have signed a new lease, I made the "out of the blue" and complete last resort decision to move back to Utah. You can imagine how shocked Austin was when he heard how I felt! So while he was gone for the month in Michigan, we made all the plans to move our belongings into storage and start a transitional face that would last 8 months. As hard as it is to leave so many of our closest friends, we do know it was the right decision for our family! So the following pictures are some last "HOORAHS" with our friends in Tennessee!

First Payton was horrified that she would have to leave her Tennessee friends! I was so sad to take Payton out of school because she loved it so much, and the faculty loved her. We had developed a very nice comfort zone there that was very hard to leave. Her wonderful 1st Grade teacher, and her fabulous K teacher had a going away party for Payton, full of gifts, flowers and snacks! They made her feel so special, and loved. Broke my heart to take her away. Over the course of Payton's school days she had a little boy named Adam that grew quite fond of her, he said farewell with flowers and a card.

We made our final trip to the Knoxville Zoo...

Jaxon had his last lesson with his Speech Pathologist...

A BBQ with friends...

Payton had her last soccer game...

We had one last Hoorah with the Holler...

We sure miss Tennessee!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Payton!

2010-11-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

I am very late in posting this but the last few months have been a little hectic. Payton turned six!!!! And we had a combined last birthday party with Kailyn who turned 4. Here are some pictures from their party!!

TWINS?

2010-08-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Often when I am out in public with my two boys I have many people ask if they are twins. I do dress them the same occasionally and the obvious haircut is the same.... they do look like brothers to me, but I wouldn't say they looked like twins at all. Now... I have sworn for a couple years now that if Payton were a boy, or Ashton were a girl.... those two could pass as twins.

August Fun!

2010-08-16T11:49:00.001-07:00

For the last few weeks we have been keeping busy. Just doing various things... Austin teaching the kids how to break dance: IT WAS PAYTON'S 6TH BIRTHDAY! HER PARTY IS STILL COMING THIS SATURDAY! We started the day off at a primary activity, hung out with the boys for a bit while Austin studied, and then dropped them off to him, while Payton and I headed to Knoxville for a girls only outing. Sunday we celebrated Payton's birthday with dinner and birthday cake. Austin let the kids make their own pizzas for FHE last week! They loved it! Austin showed the kids old home videos of themselves when they were little: one of their favorite things to do. Austin thought it would be funny to put Ash in the shirt he came home in from the hospital. Ash didn't see the humor in it! Payton started school today! She is in first grade! We can hardly believe how fast the summer went. But... it will be nice to get back to a schedule! She loved it and has all of her old classmates from last year with her. She didn't even want me to take her inside the school this morning. She wanted me to leave her at the door.

VOTE FOR OUR FRIEND ON SEAN HANNITY

2010-08-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

Our friend here from Tennessee Nathan Hinckley (one of our Holler friends) entered a video that he made into a national contest hosted by the conservative talk show host Sean Hannity. This contest was being held to honor the Men and Women who serve our Country. This song is an original written by Nathan's brother Derek who is singing the song in the video. We are asking everyone to go to this site for the next 3 days, and vote once a day. Send this link to all of your friends and family and help support. They are a very talented family who deserve to win because of just that. Click HERE and vote for "My Hero" by Nathan Hinckley Thanks so much!!!

Summer Vacation

2010-07-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well for the last month we have been visiting family in friends in Utah! We are back in the beautiful South! So 3 weddings and 2 family reunions later with every day in between packed.... we have some pictures to share! Our first day visiting Grandma and Grandpa Finklea Fourth of July we spent in Layton with breakfast on the roadside while watching the parade! This was the last day of my family reuinion... More pictures to come this is all I took though... One of my best friends from High School got married on July 10th. My awesome Dad drove all the way to Gillette Wyoming to attend this wedding with my while Austin was at our niece Ellie's Baptism. Here are a few pictures from Casey's wedding! Family Reunion with the Finklea Family in Pine Valley On our way home to Virginia we stopped to visit Adamondiahman. Here are a few pictures that we took, most importantly our first successful family picture with all smiles. I will post pictures of the Nead family reunion on my next post. Thank you to our families for the wonderful time that we had in Utah. We love you all and will miss you these next couple of years.

Morristown Splash Pad

2010-06-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

We are finally on our official summer break! Payton had her last day of school last Friday! It is sometimes difficult to do things through the school year with friends because some of our closest friends live 45min - 1 hour away! Tamsyn and I have been anticipating Payton's school year to be over. So... we had a sleepover this week. While Austin is busy study for boards, we took some time away from him so he could focus and spent it down in Morristown.

This is how we sun bath in the south!!!!!

1st Grade, 1st Grade Here I Come!!!

2010-06-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

My sweet little girl is a graduate!!! Kindergarten graduate!!! We are so proud of her for all of her hard work this year. I can't believe she will be in 1st Grade next year! Here are some pictures from her Graduation Ceremony on June 10th 2010:

Payton's teacher has been fabulous! Payton has loved being with her this year!

Fun Day!!!

2010-06-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

The end of school is near, and Payton's class has been filling their last weeks with some fun activities. Last week they went to the local park and had an all day filled trip with a BBQ and sundaes!

At the beginning of Payton's "Fun Day" we started off at the school with her, but with 4 little boys getting antsy to get wet we decided to go take them back to our house for some fun of their own. We were surprised that morning by an unexpected homecoming from Austin. So we had a great day with our friends the Boyles and our whole familiy!!!

Here are pictures of Payt with her little girlfriends from school enjoying all of the water slides. They had a blast even with the rain that came ealier. They played in bounce houses and had water fights with water balloons. They ate pizza and snow cones for lunch!!

After a long day of swimming and playing outside yesterday, we came in for a movie night!

Happy Memorial Day 2010!!

2010-06-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous day with our friends!

Annual Carnival and IRON MAN 2l!!!!

2010-05-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

Earlier last week this was a little outing we had going to see IRON MAN 2!!! Oh boy!!! My boys were glued! And this was the after treat!!! YUM!

2010 Carnival with BOYLES, WHITINGS, and FINKLEAS

TOOFLESS!!!

2010-05-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

Payt lost her first tooth!!! It was pretty dang exciting for us Finks! We even called Daddy on Oovoo so he could watch and give Payt moral support!!

BEFORE

AFTER

Busy, Busy!!

2010-05-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

It is always so nice to get out... without the kids!! Don't get me wrong... I love my kids, but to stay sane...a girls night out is required! Thanks to Sarah, she organized a babysitter so we could all go out!!! And all we did was go out for Pizza... and talked for hours! Ashton doing YOGA with me this week! Payton had her last day of soccer on Saturday! She got a trophy and boy is she proud of herself!!! I think I might be a bit more proud! My muscle Man!!! I had a whole loaf of Apple Bread sitting on my table... and Ashton was apparently hungry! He grabbed it and just started chowing down... carried the entire thing around with him! Playing at McDonalds!!

Can't Get Enough

2010-05-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the weather was beautiful! We spent much of our time towards the end of last week with our friends! At the park... and then back to the holler to go swimming! We couldn't get enough... of both friends and weather!! We ended ups spending all weekend with them! I can't get enough of my new camera either!!! AKA... the pictures I'm excited to see my dad this summer so he can teach me how to work this camera!

She's Beautiful and "Pretty AWESOME"

2010-05-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

Payton has her last soccer game for the Spring on Saturday!!! She has turned out to be quite the little super-star, with a running total of goals being at 26! Last week the score was 7 to 6 her team won...and she made 6 of the goals!!! She is the only girl and she loves it!!! When Payton first started she called Grandma and Grandpa Hunsaker on the phone and told them about her first soccer game... while explaining to them how many goals she got she didn't fail to mention that "Yup...I'm pretty Awesome!!!" I love that she is so full of confidence!! She is absolutely gorgeous, sweet and along with her brothers, my PRIDE and JOY!!!!

Ashton at Payton's soccer practice tonight after Uncle Nathan and Aunt Amy left him.

My smiley little boy!!!

Austin...thank you again!!! We love you, and miss you!!

Super Hero Jaxon!!!!

2010-04-19T20:31:00.001-07:00

Jaxon turned 4 years old on April 17, 2010! Here are pictures taken by our very good friend Nathan Hinckley! Jaxon has had a big year he has changed so much! From the once known, terror... he has turned into quite the polite sweet little boy! We love him so much, and he is such a good brother!!! He makes us laugh so hard sometimes! And I love that he is so desperately loving all superheros!!! He never took to balls, or cars, or anything really... but once he was introduced to Spider man... that was the beginning of a new world for him. He had a superhero party with all of his friends dressed as superheros too!!! He is still on cloud nine playing with all of his new toys!! Thank you to all of our friends who came to celebrate this very special day with us!! Favorite story of the day... Jaxon was opening an Iron Man T-Shirt and with a gasp said "GOOD NIGHT, that's AWESOME!!!" His Uncle Shane has turned him into a true HILLBILLY!!!!

Easter!!

2010-04-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been a slacker....it's true!!! Easter weekend was a blast! We spent Friday night up in the holler cooking out in the beautiful 75 degree weather! And, because of the festivities that would follow on Saturday it was only economical to spend the night. So Saturday we spent the first part of our day going to a local school ground and had our easter egg hunt. What was meant to be an almost all day event was unfortunately cut short due to extreme wind!!! Well... at least for all of the ladies!!! But our time spent there was so fun, we rode bikes, scooters, flew kites, threw footballs and just socialized. Payton took off with Mandy and Shane and all of the girls, for an all day excursion to another easter festival, while Austin, myself and the boys made our way back to the holler for some jeep riding, motorcycle riding and a few mean games of dominos. That evening all the guys took off for Priesthood session of Conference, while the moms tended to the chillins'!!! Easter Sunday was not traditional Easter dinner didn't consist of ham and potatoes, instead it was chicken salad sandwiches, (not really a man's food, but was still welcomed by the guys) And when usually spent with family, this time was spent with friends, but all the same... with people we love. The entire weekend was spent celebrating the life of Christ with the people that we love!!! Thanks to Nathan Hinckley.... I have pictures for my blog!!!

A quick update on the last few weeks here: Austin just returned home after being gone a month in Michigan for a Cardiology Rotation. He had a few days to conveniently spent with the family before he started back up today. Last Monday was the start to our fabulous SPRING BREAK!! Payton was out of school! We went to Morristown to play with Kailyn and Jovie Whiting... while their mommy was in the hospital bringing their new baby brother into this world. He is adorable!!! AND SO TINY!!!! Monday night Austin made it home to surprise the kids. We took off the next morning to visit the Whitings again in the hospital. Wednesday was packed. We spent the day shopping, hiking, playing at the park, out to dinner, and last but not least to the infamous dollar theater (which is no longer a dollar... I feel gipped!!! It is now 3 dollars. RIDICULOUS!!!) But regardless we had a fabulous time taking the kids to "How to Train a Dragon." VERY CUTE SHOW!!! And the kids loved it. Jaxon still says it is AWESOME!!! Thursday we went to the ZOO ALL DAY!!! And had our first sweltering in the sun!!! It was fun! And friday.... well scroll to the top and you'll see what we did. On a side note... We did have a little scare on Friday night. Payton fell out of a tree house, and hurt her ankle really bad. When Austin took a look at it he was pretty sure it was broken. So the issue was then trying to convince Payton that it was ok to leave the holler... she would be back after she went to the E.R. But... before they left, Austin, Phil Chumley, Jim Ford, Nathan Hinckley, and Trey Smith all administered a blessing to Payton, in the garage. Unfortunately for Payton she was in some pain, but for me it was a wonderful way to start this Easter weekend. When I opened my eyes to see all of their hands resting on my baby girl, their hands dirty, their clothes dusty, and in such humble circumstances the spirit hit me so strongly that the priesthood is real! It is times like these that I know how blessed I am to have my husband worthy to offer blessings, and to be surrounded by so many men that could assist him at the drop of a hat. Austin and Payton left and a short while later Austin called to tell me he just made it to the hospital but hadn't gone in yet. He took the ice pack off of Payton's foot to see that the swelling had gone down, and that she was walking on it completely fine. (By Saturday she was running). I do not know if her foot was broken, but what I do know is that our Heavenly Father was watching!

Kite Day

2010-03-16T05:42:00.001-07:00

Well, a little fill in on the last month. We spent the last week of February with my sister and her family in Cleveland, along with my parents. It was Austin's last week off so we took off and headed up there for some fun. We went to "The Great Wolf Lodge." An indoor water park geared towards young children. It was pretty fun! The kids had fun and that's what we were there for. We returned home to have my parents follow and spend a few days with us here. A few days after they left... Austin left. So... I am a lonesome dove now! Austin is spending his time in Michigan doing a cardiology rotation. Although that would not be his field of choice, he is learning some vital skills like: the much dreaded PAPER WORK! He spends most of his day working. Anywhere from 12-14 hours! Not much time for anything but sleeping and working. While he is gone and busy...he has three little munchkins here that miss him terribly! They have been lacking in their daily ritual of "MONSTER" aka wrestling! I try to fill that void... just doesn't seem to be doing the trick! Something about Mom not being able to handle the jumping on the gut, while simultaneously another is running towards me and the other punching me! I never thought it would come to this but I think I have to say it.... Austin can multi task WAY better in this department. We have been keeping busy with our daily routine. While Payton spends 8 hours of her day at school now, that leaves only the boys to destroy the house... .which they are very good at doing. While most of the time Jaxon would be pretty content sitting down and watching a show, Ashton is more the type of a TASMANIAN DEVIL!!! Every toy finds its way out of its designated spot, only to just lie there on the floor to not be touched, and dall for what? JUST TO MAKE MORE MESS FOR ME!!! Thank goodness for the good weather that has been coming! This last 2 weeks has been beautiful here. This week we are cooped up again, but high hopes that the clouds and rain will part soon. Last Friday, March 12, Payton had Kite Day at school. We decided to join her. The entire school was out on the field flying kites, while they were selling pizza, drinks and other snacks. I gave Payton $5 dollars to spend. And by the time she got home... she had 75 cents. I think she spent all of it on drinks. FUNNY GIRL!!! Payton with her girlfriends! Payton, Leslie,Christina

Some of the kids flying their kites...that is our white house with the red door!

Ashton and Jaxon playing on the playground

Group of teachers to the right

Jaxon after his kite crashed

Ashton going after his kite! Payton was no where to be found, she was running around with her little friends.

TAKE NOTE: visualize the group of teachers and where my house is... I will post a good story next!

Valentine's Weekend

2010-02-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we had quite the treat this last weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Finklea came to visit us!!!! They arrived on the 12th and were greeted at the front door with Payton, Jaxon and Ashton hiding behind the couch. They had been practicing jumping out and yelling surprise, but once Grandma and Grandpa walked through the door... it was a little daunting. But... at least they came out. The kids were so excited to see them, and loved them almost too much. The kids took them and showed them their rooms and were able to stay awake for a little while and visit. Saturday we took them to a Primary activity where they were able to meet some of the most special people in our lives. We later went to the Holler and celebrated little Kayli Hinckley's birthday. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with our friends in the Holler, and ended with our Valentine's dinner at our favorite local Mexican Restaurant Pelanchos. Sunday we took them to church, where we enjoyed showing them off to everyone. Sunday afternoon we went for a drive; took them to see the BIGGEST COW EVER, and we took them to the Pinnacle overlook, where we see Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Even in the dead of Winter it is beautiful. Monday was a little more relaxed, with not much on our plate, but we couldn't let them come all the way over here and not take them to the local HOT SPOT. Wal-Mart!!!!! So we made a special trip to Wal-Mart where the three little squirts were spoiled by their Grandma and Grandpa with gifts. Our weekend was so fun, catching up, talking and especially for me and the kids... getting to know Grandma and Grandpa better. We loved having them here in our home, and hope they will come again. We Love You!!!!Here are the kids anxiously waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive!

Valentine's Day Morning

Our Sunday afternoon drive to see the biggest cow, and pinnacle.

It was short lived... IT WAS FREEZING!!!

Grandma and Grandpa left, and the kids went out to play!

Let me add... the weather worked out conveniently because Payton didn't have to go to school the entire time Grandma and Grandpa Finklea were here!!!

Happy Birthday ASHTON RUSSELL!!!!

2010-01-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday ASHTON RUSSELL!!!!

2010-01-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today my baby (and final baby) was born. Now the experience... well was not so great. Maybe I will blog about it one day. It is definitely one for the books, but despite all that... our true blue critter huntin', moonshine drinkin', pot hole fishin' hillbilly made it thus far, and in the Finklea house... we deem this a SUCCESS!!!! Ashton has hit the terrible 2's that's for dang sure, but despite his tantrums, his antics, his house wrecking, his screaming, his crying and his suicide attempts (plus much, much more) he is what makes our family complete. He is the Caboose, if you will. He is well looked after and doesn't lack on hugs, kisses and all the attention. This morning he woke up quite the happy little camper which was quite unusual. Maybe he sensed that this was his special day. I don't know, but... he stayed pleasant for the entire day. (Besides his scheduled tantrums) He picked out his breakfast this morning, which by the pictures you can see was full of nutrition. Mac and Cheese!!!

While we waited for Payton to come home to celebrate, the boys spent most of the day jumping off of furniture (causing my blood pressure to rise by the minute) and switching roles of super hero duties. They ran up and down the hall all day. At one point I took a look at Ashton's arm as I as changing his diaper and noticed red marks all over it. I pulled his arm closer only to find 5 bite marks. Hmmmm it finally dawned on me when I was yelling out to him to stop crying Jaxon must have been biting him. HA HA HA I am so awesome. So...in shock and in horror. I asked Jaxon what happened....Now... because it took like 5 minutes for him to get it all out I will shorten what happened. He was Spiderman trying to turn Ashton into a Spiderman too. Well lets just say, he go into some trouble. This isn't the first time he has bitten this month. I caught him biting Paytons back last week. Anyways... onto Ashton...

So Payton came home from school and we took off for town. We picked up our friends Sarah, Kayson, and Cade and went to the movies. We saw "Alvin and the Chipmunks 2" The kids loved and and danced all the way through it. Afterwords we too the kids to McDonalds for dinner, icecream and a place to get their final wiggles of the day out. And that is where Jaxon set of the alarm!!

We got hom around 9pm tonight to finally partake of some cupcakes. Since his real birthday party won't be until next weekend, we went small scale today. And with Daddy being away, it felt like an element was missing.

I am so blessed to have my children. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity to be a mother. I love what I do and I find great success with my kids. I love being there for my kids, like my Mom was for me, and like my mother in law was for Austin. I wouldn't trade this for the world. These are my happiest days, the days I get to celebrate when my life changed, and when my most precious possessions were given to me. Happy Birthday little ASHTEWON RUSSELL DOOBER!(aka Payton's nick name for Ash) My day was topped of with a very touching and surprise visit. My doorbell rang today (which is really odd, because no one ever comes to my house) and when I opened it, there standing was Karren, Jess, and Joey Thompson with a bouquet of flowers for me. I was extremely touched and definitely had to fight back the tears! What a sweet gesture of thoughtfulness! Thank you for thinking of me!

Now... Payton has made claim on them. When she saw them after school she said "OHHHH WOW well those are beautiful. I think I should take them in my room."

AUSTIN... we love you!

Single but not so lonely!

2010-01-18T11:25:00.000-08:00

Austin is gone on his rotations, so we have been without him, but...not without other company! We spent most every day last week with our friends the Boyles, getting together at McDonalds, and letting the kids play. Since her husband is a first year medical student she often finds herself without him too, so...Fridiay night we found our way up to the Holler for some pure entertainment. We got learned on how to play some "Rook." Staying up until 12:30 playin Rook may not sounds so fun, but I come from a family of card playing fools, so I was in my element. We have made the Ausmus house our second living quarters, even equipped with beds for all. They are always so accommodating and hospitable. Saturday because of the warmer weather they kids were able to get out on the ATV's. Both Payton and Jaxon learned how to ride one all by themselves. Thanks to our friend Nathan and his enormous amounts of patients, I think our kids will be pros before too long. Ohh... and one more thing, I almost shot myself a critter. Thank goodness I didn't, I think Austin is determined to come back and shoot one before his wife. IT IS ON!!!!

This is a picture that I slipped in there with our other Hillbilly children. This has become the true nature of our kids. This was Christmas Day at the Whitings house, Ashton was found playing with Jeremy's present.

Doodle Bugs!

2010-01-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

Payton has been out of school now for 4 weeks. Two weeks for Christmas break, and two weeks because of the snow and ice on the roads. She is going bonkers! We have been to McDonalds all week with our friends, and we are wearing out our welcome there, so for the first time in a long time... I broke the bank and went and got them a few little crafts from the store! As my sister would say... My DOODLE BUGS made their own Bugs!!

2010-01-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

Monster!

2010-01-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

Before Austin left, he had one final round of Monster with the kids. AKA Wrestling! He was actually really growling at them this time so I guess it could be called Monster. Ashton is crying in almost all of the pictures, this was towards the end of the game when Austin was saying he was all done. Jaxon and Ashton wer having so much fun having Austin scare them to death they didn't want it to end. MORBID CHILDREN! But Austin gave in a few times so I could get some pictures of there faces. They are going through Monster withdrawls. I tried making up for the difference by playing with them today, but I am just not Daddy!

Super Powers!

2010-01-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

Payton:"Mom...Hmmm Can I ask you somethin'?"
Mom: "Shoot"
Payton:"Do you have eyes in the back of your head?"
Mom: "I sure do."
Payton: "Hmmmm...(pause while she taps the side of her head with her finger)...Does Grandma?"
Mom: "Yup, Grandma has them too."
Payton: "Does Grandpa?"
Mom: "Nope, just mommies have them."
Payton: "So... Does Aunt Tiffiny?"
Mom: "Yes, she does."
Payton: "Hmmmm... (long pause deep in thought) OHHHHHH !!!!!! Anastasia better be careful."
Mom: (laughing)
Payton: "Well does Uncle David have them?"
Mom: "Nope, remember just the Moms."
Payton: "Mom, Does Daddy have eyes in the back of his head?"
Mom: "No..(interrupted by Payton)
Payton: "That's right... just the Moms right?"
Mom: "That's right"

Last WHOORAAAHHH!

2010-01-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

January 2nd was a fun day out with the family. It was the last Saturday that we will be able to spend with Austin for a month. He is taking off to go out of state for rotations. So... we took the kids to see the Princess and the Frog, and then took them out for Mexican. The kids loved the movie, and Ashton thought that it was a regular little Jungle Gym. Austin... We love you and will miss you. Can't wait for February to have you home all month long.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of our NEW YEARS EVE!!!! In my opinion, there was no better way to start my year! Being with people we love. Jaxon and Payton survived until 1:30am. OHHHH how peachy they were the next afternoon!!!!!! But it was worth it! Once again we celebrated the New Year up in no other place than the "Holler!" The house was full of friends and we played games and ate all night long. We have taken up a second home at the Ausmus's house and Mandy has now decorated us a room since we are up there so often. So... we only thought it would make sense to spend the night on New Years Eve. January 1st, 2010 was spent lounging around playing "Rook" eating biscuits and gravy for breakfast and snacking the whole day through. It almost lasted another night, but our kids were so emotional that I couldn't take it any longer.

Here are all of the kids play Charades.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

We have had a very busy last few weeks packed with family and friends. I am a slacker and didn't take many pictures but here is

what I had.

Here is Ashton in one of his Christmas Eve PJ tops. He wouldn't take the dang thing off.

We spent Christmas Eve in the Holler. Mamaw and Papaw had the entire family at there house. We felt very blessed to be able to spend this special evening with them, and with Jim and Shelby Ford. We were asked to bring socks for each of the kids because Papaw had a story that he wanted to share with the kids. As he sat all the kids down on the floor Papaw (one of the greatest story tellers ever) began telling the kids about his how he would celebrate Christmas as a child. They would wake up to find fruit stuffed in a sock. One year on of his brothers received a banana, they had never tried a banana before so after his brother was done eating his banana he wanted to get a little bit of what it tasted like and tried eating the peel. His first experience of banana was not so great. After he told this story he had the kids turn around under the Christmas and see socks for each one of them stuffed with fruit. As basic as the story is right now, it was a very special experience for me to be able to hear of the humble life of Papaw when he was a child. He is one of the kindest people I have ever met, and someone very special to our family.

Christmas eve was a blast! After the kids did their thing they went off and played and the adults played Greedy Christmas. (As I know it WHITE ELEPHANT) We has a great time and were ready to get the kids home so Santa could come and visit them.

Christmas morning was fun! I love Christmas with little kids. The magic is alive again for both me and Austin, I think we have more fun then they do. After we opened presents we headed down to Morristown. There is where the Whitings live, we spent all of Christmas Day with them, where we ate and ate and ate, and played Rock Band. Seeing as how we were not able to spend Christmas with our families, we spent it with the next best thing. Some of our very best friends in the world. We love you Whitings!!! Here are a few pictures of the kids and Austin on Christmas morning.

On December 17 my Dad was in Lexington KY, on business. He was planning on driving down to stay with us for one night and then take off on Friday morning. Well when my Mom told him I would be speaking on Christmas Sunday at church, he rearranged his flight schedule and stayed the entire weekend until the next Monday. Words can not express how much I love my Dad, and how much he means to me. I will never be able to tell him and my Mom thank you enough, or tell them how much I love them. My Dad is one of my greatest Heros and I felt so blessed to have him here with us so close to Christmas. I had many special experiences with him, that I will always cherish. What topped his visit off was the arrival on Saturday afternoon of my sister Amie and her family. They were planning on coming Monday, and then when they found out that my Dad would be in town they did a little switcharoo to accommodate my request. So for 2 days we were all together with GRANDPA! And boy did those kids have fun.

On one of the occasions Grandpa was wrestling with Payton and Jaxon and Ashton(before the cousins came) he was sweating so bad that he finally had to rest for a minute. As he laid down on his back to take a breather Payton ran over to the drawer pulled out a rag and started wiping all of the sweat from Grandpas head. She then decided to do his hair, she went and got one of her princess combs and combed his hair till it was dry. Jaxon soon took over the wiping of the sweat and leaned down to Grandpa and said "Gampa...you my best fwiend."

All of the cousins had a blast together, it was sleepover mania. They all complained though about Payton snoring!!!!

After the kids went to bed... we played games all night long, and we even got Amie and Travis rocking out to ROCK BAND!!!!!

On 2 separate occasions it snowed, and on those 2 sperate occasions our power went out! One night while it was just my dad here, and another while Amie and Travis were here. Thank goodness Travis booked the EXECUTIVE SUITE at Holiday Inn Express. It fit the 10 of us quite comfortably. We had so much fun with them and it was the perfect way to start our Christmas week. We love both of our families and have been overwhelmed by the love and support that has been shown to us this year. We thank you all!!!!

Happy Birthday David and Melinda!!!

2009-12-17T09:48:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to wish my brother and sister a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the south!!!! I dont' really know if there is a difference...however I do know that BANANA PUDDING would be involved somehow!!! So... in celebration!!! We will break out some of southern goodness tonight in honor of my favorite twins in the world!!! I love you both! Happy Birthday!