funny girl

ainsley is at a really fun age. her favorite thing to do is wave (pageant style) and say "buhbye". she does that wherever we go...grocery store, mall, school etc. she loves her brothers and sisters and can't wait for them to get home from school each day. she is really into dancing and makes her siblings crack up everytime she sways her hips.

she is growing up way too fast! at a party last night someone said to me "didn't you just have her?"...uhm...ya...where does the time go?

she is one happy little girl and we love her so much.

6 flags thanksgiving

Since we stayed home for Thanksgiving this year, we decided to go to 6 Flags the day after. It was a little cold and rainy but there was practically NO waiting for rides. The kids LOVED the snow hill and all the Christmas decorations. It was a great day!

This was at the beginning of Ainsley's 1st roller coater ride...she HATED it and screamed the whole way! She is NOT a daredevil.

Parker on the roller coaster...we did go on the big rides but I just didn't get any pictures.

Parker and Cally

McCall on the twirling ride...for some reason she couldn't make it spin like Hayden could so she gave up and just sat back to "relax" (or that's what she told Hayden)

Hayden, all smiles on the submarine ride

I'm really surprised that Austin posed in front of Batman...

Ainsley LOVED the merry-go-round.

SYTYCD

before with my girls

the superfans

Jeremy's Birthday

Happy 35th Jeremy! Thanks for being such a great husband and father. We love you!

soccer wrap up

Soccer is finally over. All three kids had great seasons. They are so thankful for the time and effort of their coaches as are we. They will miss the games, coaches, friends and snacks. WE (I guess I mean me) will not miss the 5 days a week of practices and all day games.

superfan

cally was on the pandas

parker was on the thrashers (he looks like he has to go to the bathroom...whoops)

coach jeremy

austin was on the scorpians

mascot

jayne delilah keller

isn't she cute? born wednesday, november 4, 2009. 8lbs 2 oz.

halloween

I am finally posting Halloween! Yes, we did celebrate it and it was much fun. Here are some pictures of the entire day(s).

mcCall in her pirate costume (thanks avery) in the school parade

parker indiana jones erickson in the school parade...he sure loved the whip

hayden pippi longstocking (thanks wend) at her preschool party (notice she has been working lately on her poses...if you could see her feet you would see her raised leg which is one of her favorites)

austin, we're not quite sure what he is, monster. he made the mask last year in school and insisted on wearing it. he also made his own costume...he was so proud...eek

our little princess in a much recycled costume

mcCall practiced and practiced her "aargh"

care to dance with danger?

pippi...no pose

all of them...this took much effort

with non dressed up parents...jeremy did dress up for trick or treating

McCall's Birthday

The long awaited day is finally here! McCall is 6! She hates being the only 5 year old in her 1st grade class. Her big day was filled with soccer games of course. One of the highlights was scoring her 1st goal (!!!!!) of the year and getting the "Player of the Game" award.

Her restaurant of choice was Chili's...surprise, surprise! She didn't want us to tell them it was her birthday because she would get embarrassed. She is so much like me!

She was excited to open her presents...they included a new scooter and helmet, barbies, clothes, webkins, 2 bracelets, a pink SNUGGIE and a few other odds and ends.

With her presents...

Fairy cake with 6 candles...the frosting turned out the wrong colors but it tasted yummy.

Blowing out the candles...hoping for no boyfriends.

We love our McCall. She is one of the sweetest easy-going kids that we know. She helps me so much around the house and with her little sisters. She is very conscious about doing the right thing and is so honest. Rarely, when she decides she wants to do something wrong, she will come to me and tell me before she does it...for example..."Mom, I just want to let you know that I am going to sneak some candy from the candy shelf...I just want to be honest about it!" It is pretty funny because she is so serious about it!

Long day...Ainsley is exhausted!

Happy Birthday McCall. We love you!

Best Friends

McCall and Hayden are such the little buddies. They are only 20 months apart. I remember the day I brought Hayden home from the hospital. McCall was still a baby herself and went balistic when I held her little sister. It was so hard and I thought it would be impossible for them to ever be friends. The opposite is true! They get along...perfectly ;)...most of the time. It is so fun to listen to them play house or barbies or babies. When I was pregnant with Ainsley the popular game was "baby in tummy" and everyday at least one new delivery was made! Hayden does not like McCall being in school all day and can't wait for her to get home. They still fight occasionally...and McCall does give in a lot...but I know they will be great friends forever!

Pre Halloween

I hate decorating for Halloween! The kids think our house is so boring and get mad that it is not scary. I do love to bake for Halloween! We made this fun pumpkin cake one day. Ainsley kept trying to put her hands in!

Crazy! Ainsley is mad because dad is holding her back.

Where we've been...

Soccer has started and consumes all of our time these days. 5 days a week we are practicing and playing. On Saturdays we have 3-4 games! Luckily there are 2 of us to shuttle everyone around. Above is Austin playing on his White Plus Scorpian team. He is #8 in the red.

Here is Parker posing for the picture. Sadly, we have taken very few pictures this year. Parker LOVES soccer!

This is McCall's 1st year of soccer and she is excited that her dad is the coach. She can run fast but doesn't want to hurt anyone. She is slowly coming out of her shell and recently scored her 1st goal!

Trampoline

Ainsley is growing up. She loves to play outside and jump on the tramp. She especially loves it when there are no brothers or sisters and she can "jump" by herself.

I thought this was pretty cute. She is growing so fast and I have to capture every moment! The "noise" in the backgound is what I hear all day long.

Monkey bars

Since school has started, McCall, has been obsessed with the monkey bars. She plays on them every recess and BEGS to go to the park on the weekends. She has not made it all the way across. Everyday she makes a goal to get a little further. Last week she came home and told me she had made it "4 bars"...a huge accomplishment for her. I was excited for her and asked her how it made her feel. She responded with stars in her eyes "It was my wish come true!"

The problem with the monkey bars is the blisters. Her hands are constantly hurting because of her monkey bar obsession. Luckily(?), she is building up some nice callouses and complaining a lot less.

Ainsley loves to play outside. Whenever I try to bring her inside, she runs away from me.

Here is a typical Hayden. Notice her arms...they are often covered in markers. She needs more attention than any of my other kids. She rarely will even go down the stairs if I am not holding her hand...AHH!

McCall's teacher suggested batting gloves for her new hobby. She got these for her birthday and they help a lot at home. She refuses to take them to school.