Spotlight on Derrick

Derrick made wings! One of his inventions.

Derrick wanted his hair "done" so we were having fun with gel and hair spray. His sisters always get their hair done and he was so pleased to have that hair attention.

Derrick's Birthday

Derrick has turned 6! We are so HaPpY! He is such a good boy and has such a good heart. He loves to invent things and received legos and an erector set to further his progress. He loves his kindergarten class and claims he can't read but he is sounding out words really well. He even writes to his Grandma Laub about once a week. We just need to keep boosting his confidence. He loves riding his bike, playing games, doing puzzles, coloring and pretends with his sisters really well, making sure he is the prince or the male role. He has been taking music lessons and does really well playing the piano. Derrick is helpful and considerate, and makes sure I don't forget things. We feel so blessed to have him in our home and love what he brings to our family.

Science Family Night

The elementary school had a family night and they did science projects.

Samantha writing with invisible ink (lemon juice and then you heat it to make it show up)

Derrick was being held up by Samantha's one finger. Fun balancing trick!

KayDee was stabbing potatoes with straws. Straws are stronger than we thought!

The one they liked the most was a candle they put underwater and it still burned. They used a mirror box and the kids were so amazed.

Halloween

Just trying to catch up... Here is Halloween!

Sam's class

Derrick going around to each classroom for his kindergarten parade. KayDee got to go too, privilege of being little sister.
Kevin was the Cat in the Hat and KayDee was a PINK fairy
Derrick was a SWAT guy and was content to wear just the vest.
Samantha was a vampire princess.
And I was a witch but I had the camera so there are no pictures of me (typical)

Good-Bye Kyler

The kids wanted to make sure we didn't forget Kyler so here is how he fit in our lives and what we loved about him.
We had Kyler since March 2009. He was a "drop-off" as most dogs are in our town. The kids were impressed because he listened to them, and Kevin chased him out of the yard because that is what we do to all the dogs. When I came home and saw him, I just about chased him out but then I realized he was the color, size and personality of dog we wanted. He adopted us since he immediately made himself at home on our back deck.He cowered at us for about two months, suggesting he was beaten by a previous owner, and when we would throw a ball or stick he would duck and hide. We found out he was not a needy dog but he did like to chase sticks and shread them. He loved to be pet and scratched anytime/anywhere and loved it so much you would think he was being massaged by a professional.
We only heard him bark once, because there were racoons in our nut trees. He found 6, which were taken out by Kevin soon after. He chased birds and squirrels, and loved to go on walks with us. Kyler was a great camping dog and very good at riding in the back of the truck.My favorite thing about Kyler was when we would get home and he would be so excited to see us, he would "talk" to us with his "wow owow" howl. It was so sweet! We enjoyed and loved him while he was with us, and he definitely loved us. The only thing we did not like was him leaving our yard during the night. Kyler was found dead yesterday morning, Dec 8,2009, next to our neighbor's house, with a bullet hole in his head right between the ears. We aren't sure who shot him but we are really sad he isn't here anymore. We loved our Kyler and we were glad to give him a good family for a little while!

Red Mountain Trail

We attempted to go on the Red Mountain Trail but were unable to finish since Justin and Rachel's jeep kept overheating. We did make it to the Snow Canyon overlook and had fun camping anyway. This just gives us another excuse to go again so we can complete the trail next time. A souvenir we drug for a while.

Justin and Rachel pampered us with some soda.

Our Camp

Kevin enjoying our camp.

Kids waiting for the mirror to be put back on. A branch swiped it off.

Why play with Toys when we have a BOX!

Fun Kids

Samantha lost her first tooth and then number 2 the next day!

Derrick is happy!KayDee wanted to use my curlers.

Princess Boo Hoo

Samantha played the goose girl in Princess Boo Hoo for our ward party. She did a fantastic job and remembered all her lines and kept character really well. She has always performed well.

Races

We have supported many people running races this year in my family. It is fun and exciting to be part of a race even when we don't run in it. Plus we have an excuse to hang out with family.My sister-in-law Cheris ran the marathon in St. George in October.

My brother-in-law Randy did a triathlon in Vegas in October.My sister did a half marathon in St. George in November.

Fall Carnival

The elementary school has a carnival every year to fund raise and this year they had a lot of stuff to do! For $5 a person we got a simple dinner and were able to do all the activites which included rock climbing wall, blow up slides and mazes, dunk tank, kiddie games and even a swing ride. We were exhausted by the time the sun went down.Samantha was dunked-twice!Derrick liked racing in the blow up maze.

KayDee liked the train. (We don't know that girl but it made it so she could ride faster! The line was long!)

The SUBWAY

This was our group and the starting point!

We hiked in the morning sun across various types of trails-rocks, dirt, bushes,etc.This path was obviously made over time. I think we are going the right way Wade! ;)

Going down to get into the subway.

Entering the SUBWAY!

We are wet and COLD! I like this picture even though it's sort of blury since it reminds me of shivering! I would give wonderful hugs to Kevin which he didn't want but took anyways when we got through with a water passage. It made him colder somehow....

Exiting the Subway. Drying off and enjoying the warmer hugs!There was a butterfly...and some waterfalls...and gorgeous engraved rocks...and a slippery slide waterfall...and some fish which liked hands for some reason.

This was really an AWESOME hike and I would love to do it again. Next year, everyone who wants to come with us, let us know! Thanks for inviting us Wade and Sheri!

Kindergarten

Derrick is so excited to be in Kindergarten. He has even been invited to a birthday party from one of his classmates and is super excited about it! He comes home and tells us which letters he learns and reads the books to us that he has made. I've passed his classroom after helping in Sam's class and seen him smiling and enjoying himself each time, and he was giving a "play by play" on how to put his paper away one time. THAT'S MY BOY! KayDee is horribly jealous but has started taking ownership of being three and not old enough to go to school yet. Samantha remembers all the same kindergarten things and loves that he is doing what she did.
Once again, I took this picture to save us $$$. He picked his out and I love his eyes and ears in this one!

2nd Grade

Samantha is so BIG! We love her so much. She is the life of the party at our house! She loves to read to her brother and sister all the fairy books she brings home from school. She isn't too into the spelling sorts but does them anyways and math is easy when we practice. I love reading all the explanations she writes on her papers she brings home that show her sparkling personality. Kevin just smiles when she tries to explain what is happening in the next Jewel Fairy book. It is really fun to have a second grader at out house!
I did end up taking her picture so we could save A LOT of money! She picked this one out of the many.

Splash Pad

We went with the neighbors to the Splash Pad. We really enjoy having these kinds of free activities around.
Derrick didn't want to get in the water since it was really windy that day. He doesn't do well with wet and cold wind.
Samantha and KayDee decided to sun bathe to warm up a bit. We forgot swimsuits so colored unders worked well...