So Long Thumb... Hello EARINGS

Avery was born

with her thumb in her mouth.

She has had that thumb in her mouth

probably half her life.

So when I told her if she stopped sucking

her thumb she could get her

ears pierced,

(instead of waited until she is eight)

I thought it would never happen.

*Note the pillow & blanket in most of the pic's*

If anyone would prove me wrong

it would be this determined little lady.

After cutting underneath her tongue pretty bad,

she had a hard time sucking without it hurting.

She decided to put away her

pillow & blanket,

(her other half since she was tiny)

&

stop sucking her thumb.

After a solid week,

even checking her in the night,

she has not sucked her thumb.

We went tonight & got her ears pierced!!!

Kayla checked the calendar when we

got home & figured out

Avery will be able to

change her earrings on her

6th birthday...

I can guess what she will be wanting.

Celebrating the 24th

We got together for brunch & games to celebrate

PIONEER DAY!

(Thank you Jocelyn Harris for organizing this)

Some of my favorite childhood memories

are from this holiday,

sadly living out of Utah for so long

my kids don't really have memories of this holiday

until now!!

Two legged race... Avery & McKenna won!

Sack race

Egg race

Watermelon spitting contest

Pudding eating contest... Kayla's favorite

How can you not love

celebrating such a fun holiday,

even without the fireworks.

It was a great day!

It had been awhile...

It was summer 2004,

I had two months before Avery was due,

our family drove to Circle S farms

with the Orme family &

picked RASPBERRIES!!!

You can tell how much Kayla enjoyed them

by the evidence on her shirt.

Now with two more helpers we

finally went again.

I took my kids

to a farm not too far from our home.

The drive was beautiful.

And I couldn't help keep thinking,

these are the things

I LOVE about

OHIO!

My girls did a pretty good job helping pick

& watching Evan.

It is a hard job to do when

they are so yummy to eat...

just ask Evan.

We were only able to make

3 jars of freezer jam.

Not nearly enough to last.

Hopefully we will get back

& get more this season.

Fourth, Family, & Fun

I have to start this post by thanking

my Mom & Dad

for making this trip possible.

It had been three years since my family had all been together

and had gotten a family picture.

After my sweet sister-in-law, Kara,

said she could take my family picture,

my Mom & Missy got on the computer

to find our family tickets to come.

( I was in the car, traveling to Florida at the time.)

I threw out the the idea of flying into Las Vegas

to have my kids & me, spend a few days with Missy and her fam,

then drive up to Utah for the fourth & family pic's.

And what do you know,

Missy found the tickets and made it happen.

THANK YOU!

We flew out the 29th of June to Las Vegas,

And spent two days swimming & playing with cousins.

Then we piled our eight kids into Missy's two cars

and took a road trip up to Utah, to see the rest of the family.

We spent two full days eating, playing,

& enjoying the company of each other.

Oh, and we got that family picture....

with 18 grandkids and 12 adults,

Kara had her job cut out for her.

Can't wait to see the results.

Can I tell how great it is to have both

Spencer & my parents in the same town!

Since my parents house was pretty full,

we enjoyed sleeping at

Grandma & Grandpa Elmore's house.

Though the time was short

they spoiled my kids with ice cream sundaes

& BIG yummy breakfasts.

We were happy to also sneak in a visit to

Grandma Mitton,

who lives only two houses down.

Oh, how we love to see FAMILY!!!

We then took another road trip back to Vegas,

and enjoyed a few more days before we flew back to Ohio.

Spence flew out for only the weekend,

making the flying back & forth a little painful for me.

It was well worth it.