St Louis...Here we come!!!!

Brie'el and I are flying to St. Louis Missouri tomorrow. I am a little horrified to be missing Halloween with my little ones. Very lucky to of had Trunk or Treat last week. When I said I would chaperone in May it seemed like a good idea at the time!!!!

I am looking forward to these things.
I will not have to hear the words " I am done!!!"
I will not have to watch Dora or Max and Ruby
I will not be changing diapers
I will not be cutting up anyone's food
I will go to the bathroom by myself
I will read my book
I will watch soccer in peace and quiet
Brie'el does not cry to get her way
I will not need to dress her


Did I say I can read my book?

It will be a soccer weekend, but I am excited to go to a new city and watch Brie'el play teams we have not played before. It will be an adventure......

See you all when I get back!!!

Kyler lost his first tooth today.....

Kyler's bottom tooth has been loose for about a week or two. There was a tooth growing in behind it. I told him that was not good so he needed to start wiggling his tooth. It was odd. The new tooth was growing in, but the old one really was not ready to come out.....

That is until Kyler got a hold of it. Pulling his tooth became Kyler's mission. His goal was to get it loose enough to put a string around it and slam the door. Where does one get these ideas. I asked him "Do you really want to slam the door on your tooth?"

So I am in the car picking up kids at soccer. Kyler needs a tissue. Blood is all over his finger. I hear him say," I really pulled hard that time!!!" Then he says, "MOM!!! You need to Yank the guts of it!!" At this point I have to park and get a tissue. After assessing the situation I realize he is right. The tooth is ready to be pulled. I like pulling teeth.(not sure why) I have never pulled a tooth before it is ready or with a string. Tissue is my friend. You get better grip with tissue in hand. Gave that baby a little pull....

Now Kyler looks like this.....



Kyler is so proud of his lost tooth. I think somehow he knows he is growing up just like the rest of the kids. They don't stay young forever.




This picture is weird. I wanted a picture of his tooth, but it was so small you could not see it. The flash was washing out the tooth. So I put my finger over the flash. This is what it did. I guess I really do have red blood!!!

Pumpkin carving

Having older kids is fabulous. Brie'el Kilean and Bryce decided they wanted to carve pumpkins. They did everything. They went online and printed faces for everyone and did it all. Brie'el even had two bowls. One for the pumpkin guts and another for the seeds. Yes she did that also. We all love to eat the seeds so this was a huge bonus!!!






Kelsey loves kittys. I found this kit last year for 90% off. You hammer in the pins and stick a light inside. She was able to do this on her own(with a little bit of help from Kilean)





Kilean did a good job....




Brie'el liked her BOO idea. It looks great. Bryce did his all on his own. Good job guys!!!



Now Kyler is another story. If you an believe it he cut out most of the face himself. I was impressed. Then he hammered in some more pegs "for effect" He had the most fun doing this and is very proud of his work of art!!!

Trunk or treat

We always have a lot of fun at Trunk or Treat...

Kelsey loves her Fairy princess costume... She had a great time with Madison.



Kyler could not wait to be Anakin. He loves Star Wars and could tell you all about each and every movie.





I can not tell you how cute Brenlie is in this Dora costume.




Kelsey and Brenlie lovd this fishing game the best. Brenlie could of spent all night playing in the water...






Face painting is always fun.






They had a blast trunk or treating!!!!

The Phoenix zoo

I was asked Saturday if I wanted to go to the zoo. My first reflex was "On a Saturday?" My friend insisted her zoo membership expires that day and it will be fun. Then I stop and think.....Have I been to the zoo with Kelsey or Brenlie? How long has it been? Let's just say I am too embarrassed to answer that!!!!

We spent 3-4 hours at the zoo. It was crowded, but we had a good time. They have added a lot of things since I have been there. I think it is time for me to get a membership again and go more often since the weather is cooling down.


This is the group. I am glad Bryce went. He was a huge help. The zoo is fun at any age!!!




At what age are you too old for slides? The kids had a fun time pushing him down this cactus slide.



Kyler wanted to make sure I took his picture also!!!



Next stop the petting zoo. Brenlie had a blast. She got to brush all the goats. This picture was taken when she first entered the area. Her first word was...."Puppy?" I am not thinking she has seen a goat this close before!!!





This is a funny story.... This larger goat (with no ears) kept pestering this little pygmy goat. It was nonstop. We all stopped to watch this billy goat bully the other one.





This I had to capture. This goat had to get up on the bench just to make a point how much bigger he was compared to the other one. I guess life is no different for the goats than it is for us!!!






The tractors. I am not sure why we spent so much time here but we did. These guys would love to live on a farm.






Did we see any animals?
I want a swing like this in our yard!!!Maybe I need to plant a tree first.



Fun day at the zoo.....thanks guys!!!

Kyler + snakes and lizards = heaven

I have been a parent for 16+ years. My kids have gone to a lot of birthday parties. This one takes the cake. Erin Ray wins with Porter Ray's birthday party. She had a reptile guy come to her house. Kyler has spent the last 3 hours talking about this snake that is around his neck. He told me about everything. More than once. Then he went upstairs to his room , pulled out all of his reptile books and told me about all the amphibians he saw at Porter's party.

This has got to be the coolest idea EVER for a boy!!! Happy Birthday....Your party rocked!!!!

Light the night walk

I am so proud of Kilean. She decided to participate in this walk. We have a player on our team whose father has cancer. He desperately needs a bone marrow transplant. He was told 6 months ago he has 1 year to live. Can you believe that? I at times feel like my life is overwhelming. I am thinking I am pretty lucky. This family's life is upside down. They are waiting for a the right match. If there is anyone out there who knows a male Filipino who would be willing to donate bone marrow.....It is a matter of life and death at this point.

On a brighter note.... here are some pictures of the event!!!!


This is Caitlin and her father



Breanna Kilean and Alexa



This is our Arsenal team




Please add this family in your prayers. They have 3 foster children and 2 children of their own. They are a wonderful family.