To Kelli's we will go

This may be becoming a new tradition for us since we've done it the past 2 years.  Weekend before the 4th, drive to Kelli's house.  Can you see the zoned expressions on these 2 cuties?  That's cause there's a movie playing in front of them.  I managed to get them all up and dressed and in the car at 6am.  We stopped just outside of Idaho for a McDonald's pancake breakfast which Isla decided would be better as a hat than in her mouth.  Who knows!

And then just a quick 10 hour drive later we were in Yakima meeting our newest cousin Clark.  Isla was in HEAVEN!!!  Her very own baby.  The drive was really easy since all the kids are happy to watch movies and play ipods.  Just a few quick stops for gas/bathroom breaks/food and one long lunch break at a park and we were there.

My sister and brother in law were finally able to adopt the cutest baby I've ever seen in May.  Isla literally followed him (or the person carrying him) around the house.  She'd love a younger sibling but we're going to settle for cute cousins.

And even though it was fun just to hang out at their house we decided to venture to a neighbors to pick berries and get a few wiggles out after the long car ride.

Plus the neighbors have these fantastically fun dogs that like to be fed berries.

Ok and apparently so do these little munchkins.

Grandma Tina and Grandpa Pat came along too and helped us all find all the hidden juicy raspberries.

Someone has learned to beg like the doggies.

And this one wants to share.

Luckily the adults were able to constrain themselves from eating/feeding dogs and kids all the berries and we got to bring some home with us.  First up, a pre-bedtime snack of raspberries and cheerios.

And the night wouldn't be complete without stories and primary songs with Grandma.  You might be thinking it looks awfully bright outside to be heading to bed and you'd be right but since Washington state is so far north it seems like it's never dark in the summer.  More time to play!

Summer Fun

Yep they're random but I just can't leave these fun parts of summer out of the record.

Mom too busy/tired/lazy to get in the pool with the kids?  No problem, there's plenty of space in the hot tub for the Woodbury's and a couple extra neighbors.  You see all that dark pavement?  Yep, there's a whole lot of splashing going on.

Lego camp.  Not many kids signed up means more legos for Ethan and Joseph.

Grams is the best!  Since all of her kids had birthdays between October and January she started celebrating their half birthdays so she could get them "summer" toys they needed.  And aren't these little boys lucky she's decided to continue the tradition.  A special lunch out with just Grams and then a trip to the toy store to pick out something fun.

World Cup Final.  Sure it's during work hours on a work day, but no one will really notice at the office if just a few people sneak down the hill to our house to eat pizza and watch for an hour... or a little longer.  How many Woodbury's can you fit in our TV room?  Maybe just one more.

More lego creations for Ethan and Joseph.

Picnics in the backyard with the Daltons cause it's just too nice to eat inside.

And this one just had to be memorialized.  The crazy master schedule for the summer.  We'll need a vacation from our school vacation it appears!

Just the girl- Lost pics

Isla gets more pictures taken of her partly because she's so cute but also because I almost always have my phone and therefore a camera in my pocket.  So here's a few I found on my phone and since I'm not sure if they made it on the blog yet or not, they're going her now.
Very first picture I took of my sweet baby girl.

A few weeks old in her ruffly Sunday dress.

1 smiley minion and 1 smiley minionette

At church, in the nursing room, sitting up waiting for me to put myself back together before we go back into the chapel.

How can you not love it when her hair sticks straight up?

My little shadow who follows me EVERYWHERE.

Finding new and fun places to play.

Barely standing up.

Eating warm berries with dad.

Helping Isaac empty the dishwasher.

Licking the beaters.  Yum!

Enduring another cold, rainy peewee football game.

Playing in the leaves in nursery with her favorite twin friends Mary and Alice.

Cuddling with Miles.  Isla manages to squish herself in next to whoever is on a couch.  She really loves to cuddle.  And I just love these two together.

Enduring a dry but now freezing cold, early morning football game for Ethan.

Playing Ezi's piano in his room.

Rocking her baby in mommy's own cradle- complete with her name on the bottom.

Shopping at Costco.  Really this could be anywhere because this poor thing gets dragged around shopping A LOT!

Reading a book with mommy.  Ignore the "you're in trouble" look.  Some little boy wasn't supposed to have my phone but I guess I got a picture with me in it in the end.

Kind of neat to see all the phone pictures from the last 2 years and watch Isla grow up.

Trip to Texas- Lost Pics

Last August Taylor's cousin got married and since it was going to be just a weekend trip we decided to leave the boys home with a babysitter and just bring baby Isla.  And since my youngest brother Jeff was attending law school at the University of Texas in Austin, we figured we should see everyone while we were there.  So we flew into Austin and toured the campus and the State Capital with Jeff and had lunch with Jessica.

We let Jeff try out pushing a stroller since he'll need that skill in just a few weeks.

The visit was just a few hours but it was still nice to see my brother and sister-in-law.

And then we were off to Houston to get ready for the wedding.  Barbara came too and was very cute with Isla.  She takes her under he wing any chance she can since she's also the only girl in the family with 3 older brothers and I'm just waiting for the day when Isla announces she wants to play rugby or be a river guide.

Taylor's cousin is GORGEOUS!  and the wedding was simple and elegant and perfect.

Taylor was glad we brought Isla along.  He really wants her to be a daddy's girl and he's willing to spoil her in every way possible to make sure that's the case.  Luckily right now the only real spoiling is with cuddling.

I kind of love that her hair is at that length where it's in her eyes if you leave it down so you have to pull it up, but then it turns her into a troll.  A very cute, tiny troll.

And since it's not a true wedding without dancing, we all joined in on the fun.  Or at least everyone else did and I was happy to take pictures.

Just a short trip but enough to tucker this little munchkin out, or maybe the hotel beds are just THAT fantastic.

Primary Program- Lost Pics

So I know you're not really supposed to take pictures inside the chapel but when your building is being torn down the next week, can it really be such a big sin?

Plus the last Sunday there was also the Primary Program and the kids were just so adorable I couldn't help myself.  

This was the program and I thought it was just so neat to have individual pictures of all these beautiful, precious children of God.

There's Miles on the second row with his personality shining through like always.  And Isaac on the bottom being the handsome sweetheart he always is.

And Ethan on the left looking way older than I really think he is.

So here's my being bad shots- but really could you blame me?  Each of the boys memorized their lines and then they even had them going up in family groups to speak one right after the other.  That's Ethan with Miles and Isaac waiting right behind him.  Too cute.

And even though this one is blurry I have to include it just to document all the wonderful memories I've never taken pictures of that have happened in this nursery room.  All 4 of my kids have played and snacked and sung and danced and learned about Jesus in this very room for the past 8 years.  And been happy and lovingly cared for while I got to have a few moments peace and renew my own spirituality.

And finally this is the last piece of our old building that will be hopefully soon put into our new building somewhere.  It's a really old building with a lot of history and a lot of sentiment from people who've lived in this neighborhood generation after generation and watched their kids be blessed and baptized here and watched fathers and husbands preach sermons and had testimonies grown and nourished in such an amazing place.  But sadly because our building is on a split level and really old with no longer functioning utilities, it's just time to start over.  We'll miss you P1 ward building, but we'll sure be excited for a new building with working heat and parking on 1 level when it's slippery outside and a primary room that our kids in wheel chairs can actually get to.  I also won't miss little old ladies asking me to "just give me a little shove" on their bum to help them get up the not-to-code ramp in the chapel.  See you in a year or so!