One thing off my "To Do" List!

Well Tyson is almost 6 months old and I finally went in yesterday to get some "professional" pictures done. I am the worst at getting my kids in to get good pictures done. It is an all day task and most days I don't have all day to fret about one thing. I took most of the morning finding outfits, bathing, dressing and getting everything perfect. I even timed it good so that Tyson would have time for a little nap before it was his turn. Although it took the better part of an hour working with the baby to get a good smile out of him, we finally coaxed a few out of him. I thought they turned out great.

Next job is to get the whole family in for a family picture. I would like to do it before Christmas, but who knows if that will ever happen. I keep telling myself that we need to go get new outfits to color coordinate and I would like to shed a few pounds. I can't blame the extra pounds on the baby anymore. He is 6 months old, and I weigh the same that I did a week after coming home from the hospital. I am starting to see that I will never have the perfect clothes for my family or be in shape enough to get a "perfect" picture and if I keep waiting, my kids will be grown.

Trevor was so cute yesterday and I think he really enjoyed getting his picture taken. He even tried to help coax one out of Tyson. The lady taking the pictures really wasn't in the mood to put up with me saying "one more". She thought I was being really picky, but I told her I may not be back until Tyson is two, so I am staying until I get one good picture if it takes me all day. I think she was glad to see me go.

We pulled out Taylor's pictures when he was about the same age as Tyson and we all thought they looked like twins. Trevor has a little different look, but you can certainly tell they are brothers.

Halloween 2007

Well another great Halloween has come and gone. The kids all had a lot of fun this year. Taylor, Haley, and Abbey all dressed up for school and had a fun time with Halloween parties, parades, etc. As you can see by the pics, Taylor was a "Granny-on-wheels" (He rode his scooter around the neighborhood with a couple of his buddies...it was quite a site), Haley was a scarecrow, Abbey was a princess, Trevor of course was a cowboy, and Tyson was Tigger! They all looked really cute. They all had a fun night of Trick-or-Treating and got tons of candy. John stayed at home with Tyson to pass out candy. Taylor went with a couple of his friends. So Haley, Abbey, Trevor, and I walked around the neighborhood. The girls were good sports to wait for little Trevor. He was especially slow this year because he insisted on wearing his boots that are 2 sizes to big instead of his boots that fit him. He rode in the wagon between houses, and refused to go to the "Scaredy houses". They all came back home with pumkins full of treats.

I have always loved Halloween, but this year was a little different. Getting 5 kids ready and trying to keep them all happy was a bigger job than I wanted. I am glad it is over! This is my favorite time of year though. The weather has been amazing. I love the cool, crisp mornings and the days are perfect as well. No wonder my housework has gone to pot! I don't want to be in the house anymore.....Tyson woke up this morning with a cold so I guess I will get some housework done now because I don't want to take him out and get him any sicker.

Haley & Abbey's Violin Concert

Haley and Abbey had their first official Violin performance on Friday, Oct. 26th. They both played in the Southwest Symphony Halloween Concert. They have been working really hard on their pieces and we were very proud of them both. Grandma and Grandpa Baldwin came down to watch. They were pretty tickled because they had 7 grandchildren all perform that night. Grandma Houston came as well! The girls got to dress up in their costumes and played some fun songs. It was a good experience for them. I enjoyed it as well but realized that the symphony is not a place for a 2 year old and a baby. We will have to get a babysitter for the two rowdy boys next time.

Deer Hunt 2007

Well I finally have my "Mighty Hunter" back. John had a wonderful hunt this year. He and Taylor left Friday after Taylor got out of school. Taylor gave up a soccer game to go hunting with his Dad. For those of you that know Taylor and his love for soccer, this was a big deal! I was glad that Taylor chose spending some time with his Dad over his hobby. I met John after dark on Sunday night in Springdale to pick Taylor up so he could be to school the next day. Trevor decided it was his turn to go hunting with his Dad, so we swapped boys. Taylor talked 90 mph the whole way home that night telling me all of their adventures. He loved every moment of it!

We decided to go up for FHE on Monday night to spend with John and to bring Trevor home. John had dutch oven chicken and potatoes (my favorite meal) cooked and ready when we got there. Wow! John took all 7 of us in the truck road hunting! He knows how much I enjoy being up to the Ranch and I appreciate him letting us crash his hunt for one night! We all had a great time and saw a lot of Deer. John got his buck on Sunday morning, so I didn't have to worry about seeing him shoot one while we were there. Although none of us really wanted to leave, the kids and I headed back for home right after it got too dark to see anything.

I thought that the hunt might be hard on John this year without his Dad! He said it sure wasn't the same without him, but I think he still felt really close to his Dad up there. John said something that surprised me because John typically doesn't talk like this, but he said that he thinks his Dad was helping him out this year. He did enjoy being up there with his Mom, Brother, and Brother-In-Laws! I don't think he was really ready to come home, but I was ready to have him home!

San Diego Trip - September 2007