FORE!!

Kyle took a golf class with several of his little friends this summer.  He had so much fun!  He was absolutely in his element - he has a lot of natural ability.  His teacher was impressed!  It helps that Mark has stuck golf clubs in our children's hands from the time they could hold a club.  We have multiple pictures of our children, before they could walk, crawling around with golf balls in their mouths.  Now they spend time with Mark in the backyard, chipping balls (nerf balls usually thank goodness!).

bookworms

I LOVE that my children love to read as much as I do!  One of the things we all look forward to at Christmas is the tower of new reading material.  I am on the lookout through the year for new books or series of books my children might enjoy.  I secretly stockpile them, just waiting for Christmas when I can finally let them loose on my children.  In the days following Christmas there's lots of playing with fun new toys, but there are also moments of absolute silence where everyone in the family is curled up in a comfortable corner somewhere reading nonstop and into the night.  I end up reading their books too!


In the pictures below, Kyle is reading to Jace.  Jace is the son of a couple of my closest friends, Josh & Sarah Carroll.  They became like family to us when we were living in Texas, far away from our own families.  They just moved back here to Arizona this summer and we LOVE having them so close again!


Kyle and Jace were holed away in Kyle's room on his bed with Kyle reading and Jace listening intently.  No one else was around.  We snuck over and peeked through the door without them knowing we were there...

Jace starting to get a little sleepy...(way to go Kyle!)

I love my little Kyle.  He's not so little anymore.  That has both a happy and a sad side.  It's so fun to watch him learn and grow and excel, but it is also a little bit hard to watch my youngest outgrow different things that are cute about being little.  But mostly it is absolutely amazing, beautiful, and fun!  I feel very blessed to be a mother to these wonderful four amazing people!

HaPpY biRThDay tO mE!

We waited a couple days after my birthday to celebrate so Mark wouldn't be working and could join in the fun.  As designated photographer you rarely show up in photos.  Thank goodness someone grabs the camera from me once in awhile so I can be a part of the fun family pictures!  My mom grabbed my camera and shot these of me before cutting into my birthday cake...

My parents and my sister, Heidi, came over to celebrate with us.


My kids are such hams in front of a camera.  Scratch that.  They are hams all the time!  They have a silly gene.  Probably got that from their dad...