Love This Kid!

At the Salsa Fest they have a car show.  Hunter always LOVES to see all the cool cars.  

This was his favorite this year!

I love listening to Hunter talk about old cars and trucks!  I love to hear what he wants to do in life when he is older.  He has such high goals for himself and I know he is going to do great things with his life!

This is a pretty rad paint job!

What a fun time and a fun kid!

Absolutely love him!

Mailbox Surprise

It was a great day today!

When I stopped to check the mail, I found this little guy sitting right by the mailbox.  Grant was thrilled!  He couldn't wait to show his brothers the turtle!  

The kids had a fun couple of days with this guy and then we decided to just let him roam our backyard.  He soon found a way out and back into nature!

Grant said it was, "the best mailbox surprise EVER!"

I'd have to agree.........heck he was even FREE :)

Besties

After Grant's Bike Birthday party Lexi stayed a little longer then the other kids.

These two are best buddies at preschool.  We love Lexi!

After the party Grant let Lexi paint his fingernails....

Then Grant painted Lexi's.  It was quite the scene!

Of course Grant didn't do it quite perfect enough for Lexi's standards so we had to redo her nails.  

It was so fun to watch these to giggle together!  They sure are fun kids!

Best Buddies

This is Grant with his best buddy, Lexi Walter's.  They are two peas in a pod!

They love being in the same preschool class again this year!

Together they had enough personality for 10 kids!  They really are two characters and just make you giggle when you are around them!

When I first asked Grant who he wanted to invite to his birthday party this year, his response was, "Well I think I'll have a party with just Lexi and me!"

Yep, she is his best friend!

Happy Birthday Grant

Thanks to Mrs. Verdugo, Logan's school teacher this year, we have had some awesome cakes for our kids birthdays.  She made this bike cake for Mr. Grant's bike party and it was perfect!

Happy Birthday Grant

Grant was super excited about his party.  He wanted to have friends over to race on a race track.  So because he has an awesome daddy and we have great neighbors.  Justin made a little track in the Smith's side yard for Grant's party.  Of course Grant enjoyed being on the tractor "helping" Justin make the track.  That was a birthday present in and of itself!

Looks like he is excited for his party to start I'd say!

Graham Saline, Grant and Lexi Walters

Mr. Grant is all ready to race!

Here is the bicycle crew.....The Davis boys, Shupe Kids, Smith Kids, Allen kids, Lexi, Graham Saline and of course our crazy group.   Some of the kids were a little late so they aren't all in this picture.

Grant and Graham taking to the course first!

Grant smoked him...

Look at the smile on his face!!!

Victory!

Kirsten did a fabulous job as the race starter!

Logan and Jaten ready to race....

...neck and neck...

Logan is able to pull ahead for the win!

Justin even got involved in the racing!  I can't tell from this picture who looks happier, Justin or Hunter!

Ryker and Logan taking to the track!

There were a few tears from Grant when his bike wrecked going up on of the small hills.  But it's his party and he can cry if he wants to........that kind of our birthday moto.

His tears were short lived and it was on to more fun!

The kids then rode their bikes through a little cone race path.

Next it was cake time!!  Woot Woot!

Grant really loved his cake!  He said it was "pafict"!

It's say the bike party was a huge success!

After cake is was present time!

Hope you enjoyed your bike party Mr. Grant and that you had a wonderful birthday party!

Happy Birthday to Our 5 Year Old

Happy 5th Birthday Mr. Grant!

We let him open a couple of presents on his actual birthday since his party was a few days after.

 He thought that was only fair!

I think Ella Jane loved Grant's present as much as he did!

Grant got these huge pop up tents!  They make a fabulous tent and Ella love crawling through them following Grant.

5 Things I love about Mr. Grant!

1.  I love listening to his reasoning........he is super smart and clever!

2.  I love that he wants to give me hugs and kisses overtime we leave each other.  I treasure it!  And heaven forbid I leave the house and didn't give Grant hugs and kisses he lets me know about when I get back.

3.  I love seeing how much he loves his brothers and sisters.  He is such a great big brother to Ella!

4.  I love his humor.........some of the things he says just makes he die laughing!

5.  I love his sweet personality and that if he can tell I am having a hard day he asks if I need my feet rubbed.  He rubs my feet better than Justin does!!!

Happy birthday Grant!

We LOVE You!

I Can See Why!

Hunter is obviously my first son.  So this is my only experience the raising an 11 year old son.  I have seen big leaps in Hunter's maturity level in the past 6 month or so.  Not that he doesn't still act like a kid or still need correction and direction on how to behave.  But I have witnessed an increased ability to control this actions, tongue and desires.  I am beginning to understand as to why boys receive the priesthood at 12.  

This picture was taken when we were hiking at Upper Arcadia on Mt Graham.  Hunter was super concerned about Grant being on the side of the trail where the cliffs were.  So he always made sure to switch sides with Grant so that he would be safe.  We had a wonderful talk on our hike.  We talked about how beautiful the mountains are and how much our Heavenly Father and Jesus must love us to create such details things for us to explore.  It was wonderful to hear Hunters insight

I am so grateful to know that I belong to Heavenly Father's church and it is his plan.  He knows at what age our spirits are ready to accept additional responsibilities.  I am grateful for the lessons I am learning by being a mother!

Put Myself to Sleep!

Poor 5th child.......... no one even pays enough attention to her so she has to bounce herself to sleep!

Actually it's a pretty darn cute process to watch Ella bounce herself to sleep and we are ALL paying attention to her when she does it!

She does this so much I am starting to think maybe we should just put her in the bouncer at night.  When she starts to wake up a little she just starts bouncing and in an instant she is right back asleep!

Oh what fun she is!

Laser Gun Party It Is!

Hunter decided after seeing how cool Kiersten's laser tag birthday party was, that he wanted to do the same thing.

And wow I did not realize that having fourteen 11 and 12 year old boys in a passenger van would be 1,000 times louder than a group of 13 and 14 year old boys and girls!!!!

These boys put Kiersten's group to shame in the loud department!!!

It was a fun time and I think everyone had fun!  Laser gun wars, pizza, soda....whats not to love about an evening full of that!

First Time....

Hunter had is first ever camp out as an 11 year old scout!

To say he was excited would be a huge understatement!  He has been waiting for the day he could go on camp outs for years!  Since we are just beginning the scouting journey we had to buy a few supplies for Hunter and the younger boys to use.  I found a good two man pop up tent and ALL the boys were excited about that!

Even though the only got to go camping at the Discovery Park which is only 10 minutes from our house, Hunter still loved it!  He loved cooking on the open fire and sleeping in the text!

Made for one happy guy!

Silvio's Exchange Trip to California

Silvio was able to go on a trip with the EF group to California!

He was pretty excited about it!

He had a wonderful time with all the other exchange students!

Silvio really enjoyed going to California with other exchange students.

They went to Universal Stidios, Knotts Berry Farms, Hollywood, Santa Monica Pier and much more.

Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.

And trip that involves the beach is a good one!

We were glad he was able to go have those experiences!

Looks and sounds like is was a blast!!

"Best Day!"

This kid just cracks me up constantly!

He told me this was a "Best Day" because he got his own Cinnabon cinnamon roll from Burger King all to himself!  I love that I get him home for one more year before he starts school!  I will be super sad to not visit with him all day.  He has a fun personality!

Angels Among Us

Remember Hunter's pride and joy?  The snake skin tie he got from his Grammy Cluff.  Well he wore it to the football game after dance on Thursday.  But he insisted on wearing the tie to the game!

After the game he went to a friends to stay the night and the next morning when he got home he no longer had his tie.  His friend couldn't find it at their house, it wasn't in his dance bag, it wasn't in the van or the truck.  It was no where!!! And Hunter was devastated!  He kept thinking he had left it at the dance studio, so he didn't get too worried right at first.  

I was 100% sure it wasn't at the studio because I had watched him put it on after I picked him up from dance.  But we asked everyone at the dance studio and Kiersten looked when she was there the next day.  With no luck we weren't finding his treasured tie!

Friday morning we had even all loaded up in the car and went to the football field and searched all over.  No Luck!

I asked friends if they remember seeing Hunter wearing it at the game.  Some thought they saw him wearing it at the beginning but couldn't fully remember. We asked people all weekend about this tie.  Both Hunter and I had been praying we'd find the tie.  As the weekend went on I thought the chances of us getting the tie back were less and less likely.  

Sunday evening I was checking out posts on FaceBook and I decided to post a picture of Hunter's snake tie and ask my FB friends for help getting it returned to us.

I didn't give it much thought but I had great hope in my heart that someone would see the picture of Hunter wearing the tie and then get it back to us.  Monday morning we all got ready for school like normal.  Hunter went out on the front patio to look for shoes and laying right on the door mat was HIS TIE!  

No note, just the tie!  After he brought it inside and told me where he found it, we knew someone had returned it.  We were full of gratitude!  Hunter and I knelt in his room and he offered a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for his tie being found and returned.  It was a special moment as Hunter said that prayer he started to cry.  It was wonderful to witness Hunter's tenderness when praying.

I love living in this wonderful little community!  Pima is full of great people and we can not express that gratitude we have for whom ever put the tie on our front mat.  

What a miracle it was to get his special tie back!

The experience makes this tie even more special to Hunter and us all!  He has worn it to  church so many times........ it will forever be his favorite one!

Bath Time

Ella Jane LOVES her bath time!  

This is usually a time she spends with her daddy!  He is so good to help bath babies!  Look at those adorable rolls!  She is 24 pounds now and she looks it!  We love our chubby baby.  She wears size 18 month clothes even though she is only 9 months old.  Yes she a fluffy girl :)

She loves slapping the water with her hands and getting water everywhere!

Ella is 9 months old now and we don't know where the time has gone!

She is such a sweet baby and we can't imagine life without her!

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Happy Birthday to our oldest son, Hunter!

On his actual birthday I checked Hunter and his best buddy, Carsen Davis, out of school for some lunch at the Taylor Freeze.

I'm so grateful Hunter has Carsen living right down the road.  He is a great friend to Hunter.  And just a little silly as well!!

This two characters ate all their lunch and then devoured a banana split!

They made me laugh so much during this lunch my stomach hurt!

Hunter was THRILLED to get this rattle snake tie from his Grammy Cluff for his birthday.  

He has been wanting the rattle snake skin that he tanned made into a tie for quite some time.  What a sweet Grammy to sew through rattle snake skin!!!

Hunter had to wear his tie to school the very next day to show all his friends!

He also loved the drum stick pencils I have him.........not sure his teachers loved them but he sure did!

11 Things I Love About Hunter

1.  His funny personality!

2.  He ability to have an adult conversation with you.......many times people have told me he is an old spirit in a young persons body!

3.  His desire to be helpful with his younger brothers and little sister!

4.  He is so quick witted, even though that sometimes end up in arguing, I love how fast he can come up with things.

5.  He is so very smart!  Everything about school comes super easy for him!

6.  His sense of style!  This guy always wants to match and loves to shop for clothes as much as Kiersten and I...........well maybe not as much but close!

7.  I love seeing his excitement for hunting!  He loves anything and everything to do with hunting and shooting!

8.  I love that he is so versatile..... one minute he can be at dance class and the next minute he is skinning a rattle snake. 

9.  I love watching him hang out with Kiersten........they have this sweet bond that is fun to watch!

10.  I love how he wants to choose the right and tries to be a good example when he is around friends!

11.  I love his smile and laugh!  He can be so silly at times and it makes me smile!

I love so many things about my Hunter!

Can't believe you are already 11 years old!

Love you!