Family Trip - Hiking

We enjoyed a family trip to Branson, MO.

The first morning we went hiking.

We went down by the lake

and the girls enjoyed finding shells.

The boys (all the boys) enjoyed

throwing rocks and sticks into the water.

It was a beautiful morning and nice time.

Muscle Shirts

Wow, I have some tough boys in

our home!!!

Under the Table

Putting a little brother in a diaper box 

and hiding under the table never gets old.

It is always fun!

Field Trip Botanical Gardens

We took a field trip to the Botanical Gardens.

Apple Craft

During school, the kids made an apple craft.

It involved sugar sprinkles, which 

meant a lot of licking their fingers.

At one point this guy had the sprinkle container 

up to his mouth, dumping the sprinkles in -

I opted to grab the container instead of 

take a picture.

Cousins

Love these cousins

Park Fun

New Ride

Grandma brought over a new ride for Puppy J and he was having fun going "fast!"

And this is him stopping to 

say "Cheese" when he sees me taking

a picture.  I don't ask - he just sees the

phone pointed at him, and knows

it is picture time.

Fun Swinging

Bedtime with Big Sister

Big Sister wanted to rock her baby brother to bed again the other night.

This is him saying "Cheese" 

when he saw me taking his picture.

Gotta love sweet baby feet.

I'm Strong!

Puppy J has been melting my heart.  With his sweet little voice and

 all the different things he is telling us, he has been making

 us all laugh and smile a lot lately.

The other day I was in the kitchen and I hear him in the family

 room saying "I'm strong!  I'm strong!" in his tough voice.  

I walk out and see him lifting this container with books:

Later that evening he was helping me carry my laundry basket and 

once again he was telling me "I'm strong!"

New Blog Names

This is long overdue, but I am finally taking the time to update the children's names on the Blog.  The names they currently had are a little outdated.  So here we go, here are the new names!

BIG J is the only one whose name will remain the same.
  He is still our oldest and our BIG help around the home.

Although he has interests - books, robots, Michigan football, sports

Lego's and more - we thought this name still suits who he is. He enjoys being the oldest in our

home and the BIG brother to 4 younger siblings.  So, Big J will remain:

BIG J

Purple Girl's favorite color has not been purple for a while.  She 

loves all colors, but right now I think gold might be her favorite.

Either way, although both our girls enjoy dressing up in their dresses,

this lady especially enjoys putting on her high heels, special earrings and fancy dresses. 

So, her new name will be:

Fancy E

Busy Bee no longer is my Busy little girl.  I gave her that name when she 

was one and although she was a normal one year old, looking back she 

certainly was not one of my busiest toddlers.  And now, she certainly is not one of my

"busy" children.  For those who know her, you probably know her LOVE for Tigers.

So since she is pretty like a flower and loves Tigers, we are going with her BLOG name:

Tiger Lily

Little J is still our young guy, but if he knew his blog name

was Little J he would not appreciate that.  Whenever we might call him "little" in

any context, he is quick to correct us and say "I am not little, I am BIG!"

So, we needed to find a name that suited his personality and also one he would enjoy.

For those who know this man, you know his love for tractors and his

desire right now to be a farmer, so we are going with:

Farmer J

 

And finally Baby J!  Oh, I say this with joy and sadness combined, but

our Baby J is no longer a baby.  He is full toddler now, and quickly moving through

this stage as well.  He speaks in full sentences, feeds himself, runs everywhere,

and tries his best to keep up with his older siblings.  So, Baby J no longer fits this little 

man.  When you ask this boy the names of all of his siblings,

he can clearly tell you all of them.  If you then ask him what his name is, he will tell you Puppy!

He loves dogs and loves when he gets the chance to pet one.  So, we will give 

him the BLOG name that he calls himself:

Puppy J

So, to recap in order,

the new Blog names will be:

Big J

Fancy E

Tiger Lily

Farmer J

Puppy J

Love to you all!

God bless!

Best Friends

These two are so sweet.  They, like all children, have their moments- but 

they really do love one another.

Little J often tells his big sister - Busy Bee - 

"We are best friends.  I am going to marry you."

She just smiles, knowing that he can't marry her,

but I think she likes knowing how much he loves her.

Of the five children, these two are the closest in age at 21 months.

Michigan Fans

We are a Michigan Fan Family - which I am good with being that I was born in Michigan and grew up a Michigan fan.  The children are loyal to their daddy and the team that he loves.  So these two were dressed up and ready to cheer on Michigan on game day.

Chopping Wood

Big J enjoys helping his

dad chop wood.

He has a strong and good teacher :)