Clouse Family

Happy Birthday Jacob and Madelyn!

2011-07-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ice cream cones on Jacob's 7th birthday! We Love you Cubby!

Austin wants some too!

For the kids big birthday party this year, we went to Lake Mary.
The kids all love being in the water. They are some little fish. This is Madelyn, her cousin Emery and her friend Paige. The girls were die-hards in the water. It started raining and everyone was done in the water but the girls wanted to go on the tube again. They are crazy! We had to beg them to come in for cake. They all had a blast!

Happy 9th birthday Madelyn! We love you!

Jackson just wanted to throw rocks in the water the whole time.

I told the boys to flex their muscles......?????? This is what they gave me?

I guess we will take it. Someday we won't be able to get them to stop flexing!

USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!

The kids cake was adventure. We were trying to find a boat that was the right size for the kids in the tube. This is what we ended up sticking on the cake. I guess they were pulled by a yacht?? (in Lake Mary??? which by the way has clear blue water :) ??)

It was so windy that we couldn't lite the candles. For the picture they are faking blowing out the candles. Ha Ha! I love kids!

Madelyn got her first wake board lesson from Brian and Faith. She loved it.

She actually got up for a little bit. It was cool!

That's her falling forward. We didn't get any pictures of her while she was up.

I guess we will have to go again soon!

Janea and I took a few kids on a canoe ride.

Even though it rained, we all had a good birthday party at the Lake!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

Josh had been looking for a Jeep for a long time. We had gone to look at several different ones but none of them were the right one. Then Austin went in the hospital with RSV in March. It looked as if the Jeep funds were going to be used up in hospital bills.

I think Josh kinda put his Jeep search to a rest for a while. In May he took a business trip to California. When he was gone I found this Jeep on Craigslist for sale. It was everything that he was looking for, so I went to Prescott to look at it. When I drove up and saw it, I got butterflies in my stomach because I knew that it was the one.

At the time I didn't even know that it was the same exact color as his Jeep from High School. I knew that it was blue but I thought it was a darker blue. So I bought it and had my brother Brad drive it up here. I didn't let Josh talk to any of the kids for the rest of his trip especially Jackson because I knew that they couldn't keep their mouth closed about the 'blue' Jeep.

Josh flew back 2 days later into the Flagstaff Airport. It was a late flight so I was just going to park the Jeep in the spot where he parked his car but Josh's parents insisted that I was there to see it. So I picked up his car earlier in the day then they came over and watched the kids while I went and picked him up in it. WOW! That was a cold ride but fun! He was soooo Happy and surprised!

Since then we have had sooo much fun with the 'blue' Jeep, as Jackson calls it. Josh drove it in the 4th of July parade with the kids! Jackson wants to go for a ride in it nearly every day.

I love you Josh!

Happy 4th of July 2011!

Austin goes to the hospital again (part 3)

2011-06-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is the ending to the story.........

Austin continued to get better each day. He started taking some of his medicine by mouth instead of IV but he had to continue his antibiotics through the IV to finish out his 14 day dose.

He got very bored in the hospital. I brought him some toys but he just wanted to go places. On Sunday night the 12th of June, he got his last dose of antibiotics. WHOOO HOOO!

We were released on Monday morning to go home. That was so wonderful to leave the hospital with him. Although he was still on oxygen, the kids were so excited to have him home.

The day before we left the hospital I found a tooth in his mouth. All he had been through and he got a tooth also. What a deal. Two for the price of one. Ha Ha!

Two days later we took him back for a check up. He was perfect! He got off of his oxygen and he is completely back to hiself, rolling, sitting up, eating everything in sight, and sleeping through the night. Yeah, no nurses to wake him up every 4 hours! The only thing that he needs to continue is his 2 anti-seizure medications twice a day. He will be on these for at least six months and then we will return to phoenix for an appointment with the neurologist to see if he can discontinue the medications.

Austin has been home now for a couple of weeks. He is doing great! He acts like nothing happened. That is such a miracle!

The Lord truly has blessed our family in the last couple of weeks. I feel like it's a miracle that he doesn't have any permanent damage. I have someone tell me nearly daily about someone that they know who had meningitis and they have some sort of lasting effects. We are so blessed for all of your prayers and faith in our behalf. Thank you!!!

Austin goes to the hospital again. Part 2

2011-06-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

Here is some more of the story......

On Sunday Josh went back to Flagstaff. I was really sad for him to go but I wanted him to be in Flagstaff with the older kids. My sister Jo lives in Phoenix and she was really good to me. She brought me lunch, did my laundry and spent a lot of time with me. Austin slowly got better. Each day he made improvements. One of the mornings that we were there he had a partial seizure so the doctors increased his dose of one of the anti-seizure medications. On Monday the nurses took him off of Intensive care status which means less cords and monitors. WhoooHooo!

On Tuesday at one point he was off of all of his cords so I walked the halls with him. It was a good change of scenery. He loved it! He smiled at every nurse and doctor that he saw. The nurses loved him. They voted him the cutest kid in the ICU!

One of the biggest risks of meningitis is hearing loss. While were in Phoenix the doctors did a hearing screen. Everything came back perfectly normal. This was a huge relief for me. I know this is the result of many, many prayers and fasting in his behalf!

We have so many people to thank!

On Wednesday he was feeling well enough to be transfered back to the Flagstaff hospital. Yippee!

After we finally got all the paperwork done to leave, we loaded in the ambulance to drive around the block and find out that the A/C was broken. It was soooo hot in the back. So we switched ambulances and we headed up the hill. Halfway to Flagstaff our new ambulance overheated. So there we were in the middle of nowhere in the back of a hot ambulance on the side of the road. Austin was such a good boy. He was very patient. We finally got it cooled down enough to make it all the way to Flagstaff. Life is great!

Since being back here, Austin continues to get better and he is almost back to his normal self.

The nurses that helped him before we were flown to Phoenix say that he looks like a completely different kid. That's a good thing.

We had a family vacation planned to leave today to go up to Utah to see our friends and Josh signed up for the Provo marathon. Being in the hospital has put a little damper in our plans but Josh decided to go anyway and take the older kids. It will be good for them to get away and have fun with dad. Tomorrow they plan on going to a water park. My good Friend Brittany is going to watch the kids while Josh runs! GOOD LUCK JOSH!

I will miss them while they are gone but they will have a good time.

The plan is for Austin to be released on Monday morning. Sunday is day 14 on antibiotics.

I can't wait to be out of here, although I have learned a lot of things while being in the hospital with Austin.

Things that I have learned or re-learned:

I love Josh! He is an amazing father and husband.

There is nothing good on TV during the day.

The morning news repeats itself every hour from 5:00am to 10:00am.

Austin is a very patient baby.

I can type one handed.

We have great friends and family.

I am an expert on the Wallow fire.

I love my bed at home.

Madelyn Jacob and Jackson are good kids.

I want to go to nursing school someday.

Jesus is aware of us.

This is a picture of our super huge room in Phoenix.

He is on a stretcher ready for transport.

Austin goes to the hospital again. Part 1

2011-06-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday May 29th we were getting ready for church and Josh was trying to get Austin down for a nap so we could all get ready. Austin was a little squirmy so Josh brought him to me and said he feels a little warm. I felt his arm and it was twitching. I took him from Josh, walked into the living room, sat on the couch and by then I looked at his face and most of his body was twitching, including his face and his eyes were rolling all around. It was one of the scariest times of my life. I said I think he's having a seizure. So I put him in his car seat, Josh game him a quick blessing and I ran out the door, put him in the car and drove like a mad woman to the hospital. The whole way I was trying to listen to him breath. When we got there, he was thankfully asleep. The ER waiting room was packed full of people but they took me in right away. By then he had a 104 degree temperature, he was screaming and they put a monitor on him, he had low oxygen and his heart rate was through the roof!

They put us in a room and we waited for a while, then a Dr. came and told us that this is perfectly normal to have a seizure after a spike in high fever. He would probably go home and never have another issue. The Dr. checked his ears, and throat. Everything was good. He wanted to run some blood work just to make sure everything was fine. They put an IV in and then we waited. This would have normally been very long and boring but since it was Memorial Day weekend, it was pretty entertaining. Alcohol, camping and ATV's don't mix well! It was a complete zoo. Drunk people everywhere and idiots doing dumb things in the woods near Flagstaff. The blood work came back negative. We were still waiting when he had another seizure in my arms. Luckily he had a IV in so they were able to give him medicine right away to stop the seizure. So then the Dr. wanted to do a CT scan and a spinal tap to check spinal fluid. The CT scan looked normal. The spinal fluid looked clear so the Dr. thought for sure it would be negative. They admitted us to the hospital. Our room was next door the the one we were in for 6 days in March. The nurse even said......"You're back?" So that evening the dr. came in and told us that his white blood cell count was 270 something and it should be below 10 which means he has Meningitis. That is a big word for an infection in the lining of the brain and the spinal fluid. It requires 10-14 days of antibiotics through an IV. WHAT!? Do you know how full my calendar is the next 2 weeks? Oh well, it would have to be cleared a little.

Josh and I took turns being at the hospital with him. He was very miserable for the first couple of days. Then on Thursday he had a great day. He was happy, eating, smiling and playing. The other kids were able to come visit. That was the thing that made him the happiest!

Thursday night my sister Ann came to stay with him while I got a break and went to Josh's softball game. While we were gone he did good. Ate and slept. That night he started another seizure. It lasted for over 2 and 1/2 hours. The nurses game him 2 doses of a medicine to stop it and that didn't work. They gave him 2 or 3 doses of another medicine to make it stop. That didn't work. At one point during the seizure while I was holding him he stopped breathing. That was so freaky!I was so glad that I was in the hospital for that! They moved us to the Intensive care unit so they could keep an eye on us better. His foot was still in a partial seizure. The dr. called a pediatric neurologist in Phoenix to ask him what to do and he said that we needed to come down there.

So 2 hours later, Austin was strapped to a stretcher and he and I boarded a plane for Phoenix. He screamed the whole flight. It was the smallest plane I have ever been in. We finally got here to this hospital in phoenix about 3:30 am. They had a million questions to ask me about the past 5 days. I finally went to sleep about 5:00 am. The next day, Josh got everything figured out with the kids at home and then he packed up some clothes and came down to join me. All day yesterday he was just drugged and fussy! He has been miserable all day. He has sooooo many cords hooked up to him and he loves to pull them off. At one point he got so mad about all his cords that they had to put restraints on his arms to keep him from pulling off the cords. He went in for an MRI in the afternoon. The MRI results were what they were expecting. There is just some infection on the brain from the meningitis which is causing the seizures. The antibiotics and time are the only medicines. So here we sit in a very nice hospital watching the Womens College World Series. The hospital has been great. It is only a year old. The hard part is the long distance from my other kiddos!

Tomorrow Josh is going back to Flagstaff to be with the other kids. The older two have 3 more days of school. I will continue to help Austin get better.

We have so many people to thank for meals, babysitting and the many prayers that everyone has given. We have marvelous friends and family! We will keep you posted for the rest of the story...............

Jackson Turns 2

2011-05-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

So I'm playing catch up, since Jackson turned 2years old 3 months ago!

Some day I'll get my act together......ya, probably not. Oh well I try!

Jackson had a great day. He started it off with waffles.

Then that evening we had a "hot diggity-dog party"

He loves mickey mouse!

Jackson is full of life, to say the least! There is never a dull moment with him around. He is super smart, which works for the worst sometimes. We love his laugh. Jackson has been our hardest kid but also one of the funnest! We are so happy he is part of our family.....well most of the time! (just kidding) We love him and would never trade him!

Baby Austin goes to the hospital

2011-03-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

My little Austin was admitted to the hospital last week and was tested positive for RSV and had double ear infections. As of today, we are still here and going on our 7th day here. It has been an adventure. He is slowly getting better. We are so grateful for our family and friends for their support and help.

Even with all these cords and monitors, he still has his happy personality!

Madelyn, Jacob, Jackson and Eli made him some get well soon signs. Sooooo cute!

Chubby little man turned 4 months old today.

He loves his dad!

Hawaii 2011

2011-03-05T20:25:00.000-08:00

For my birthday, Josh said I could go to Hawaii to see my sister Amy and her family. So Josh, me, Jackson and Austin boarded the plane for Honolulu. We landed when it was nearly dark and so by the time we got to their apartment which is about 45 min away, we hadn't really seen anything besides car headlights. So the next morning when we woke up, this is what we saw out our bedroom window. It was absolutely beautiful. This is their church building that is right behind their apartment.

The sun was shining so I bet you can guess what was the first on my list of things to do...........

...... head to THE BEACH!!!!!

This is Amy's son Brennan who is 3 months younger than Jackson. Can you tell who lives in Hawaii? There is one kid with dark skin and white hair and one with white skin and dark hair.

Get a tan DUDE!

They live a few blocks from the beach so we loaded up the stroller and the wagon and headed for the beach. On the way we passed the LDS temple that they live right next to. I was so awesome. The Temple Beach is the first one that we went to and my favorite one. It is just directly out from the temple. I just loved it!

In the above picture you can see the temple in the background.

I love you Josh! Thanks for my birthday present and for going with me!

We put Austin and Amy's little Brooke in the stroller together. Brooke is 5 day younger than Austin.

We went to Pearl Harbor.

These flowers are everywhere. In many different colors.

We stopped off to see the dole plantation and ate some yummmmmyyyy dole whip!

I could go back just to eat some more of that deliciousness!

While we were there we were lucky that BYU Hawaii was having their annual food fest. We got to sample all kinds of different food from many all of the islands of the pacific. Brennan loved the noodles from Samoa.

At first Jackson didn't like the beach; not even the sand. He wanted to lay on the towel under Josh's shirt and he ended up falling asleep. What kid falls asleep at the beach?

You can see the trail that Jackson made with his bum as he was sliding down the hill saying that he was sledding. He finally decided that the sand was OK. He never ended up liking the water. I think the waves were too loud. Wimp?

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. That was awesome. Our favorite part was when we went to the night program. It was so neat!

We took this picture on our walk back from the Polynesian Cultural Center. The mountains are so pretty! The building to the right of the church is their apartments.

Brennan fell asleep on the ride home.

This is the happy group!

Amy, I love you and miss you! Thanks for letting us stay with you. We had a great time. I am ready to go back.

Josh and I took Taylor's boogie board out and tried to learn how to ride the waves. It was very fun. Josh got pretty good. I was really good at getting crushed by the waves and getting rammed into the sand.

We went to the temple. The inside just got remodeled and it is very beautiful!

We are ready to go back.......who want to come?

2011-01-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Austin's baby blessing was on December 26th, 2011.

We had most of our family here.

Austin's older cousin Laura (of 12 days) was also blessed on the same day.

(I can't believe I didn't take a picture of them together) :(

Lock of Love

2011-01-17T09:41:00.001-08:00

I cut off my hair and donated it to locks of love.

It's only hair right?

It will grow back if i don't like it.

Maybe I will keep it short.....who knows?

13 inches!

December 2010

2011-01-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

December was full of fun as usual. Especially with one new little one in the mix.

This is the CRAZIEST kid ever! But we love him to Death!

I wanted to put this on here because this is one of the only pictures that I have of him looking. He can't hold still long enough for most pictures. He's so adorable right? Don't you just want to take him home???? You can.....really ....anytime you want to.

Our friends had a Christmas party. Here is the gang. Thanks Janae and Heath!

We had a fun time!

Waiting for the light parade to start.

BIG Brother!

Mr and Mrs. St. Nick.

This year for Josh's work party he decided to dress like Santa the morning of

so he told me to find something to go with it.

We had a great time.

This year we won an i pad. It was just pure luck.

We only put one or two tickets in the bag for the i pad and we put most of our tickets in other things that didn't have as many tickets in them.

We couldn't decide if we were going to keep it but we are really glad we did.

The kids love it of course.

Thank you Deckers!

Have you been a good girl this year?

Can you believe this was early December. The weather was beautiful!

Short sleeves????

We had an early December surprise.....Brad told us he was coming home on the 14th of December but then he showed up on the 3rd. It was a great surprise. He enjoyed his time at Basic Training and AIT Training

Jo came to see Brad and baby Austin.

Maybe some of us had a little too much fun.....???

Baby Austin

2010-11-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Josh and his boys on game day.

A big thanks to all who came to visit and helped with the big kids while we were in the hospital. We have such great family!

I am a mom of 4?!!!!! WOW!

Proud dad!

Josh had to take off his MSU shirt for a little while to put on scrubs for the operating room. Thanks for the sacrifice!

The boys trip to Michigan

2010-11-08T16:08:00.001-08:00

Josh and Jacob took a special trip with Josh's dad. They flew back to Michigan to a Michigan State football game. (there seems to be a pattern forming here) Anyway.......they had a great trip together. This trip they even got to go to midnight madness for MSU, which is the big first practice for their basketball team. They also got to go to the homecoming parade. Jacob's favorite list goes like this......1. MSU football game 2. midnight madness 3. sand dunes 4. Lake Michigan 5. Great Grandmas cooking

This picture is of the football team walking to the stadium on game day.

Lake Michigan.......soooooo BLUE!

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

Jacob got to watch the band practice before the game.

On the bridge over the Red Cedar.

Midnight Madness

Jacob also loved his first time flying. I guess I'll just prepare myself for Josh to take a trip to Michigan each fall for a football game. I really wish that MSU played a game or two in the western part of the United States. Oh well, we are hoping for a Rose Bowl appearance!

Trip to see Brad's graduation

2010-11-08T10:48:00.001-08:00

Josh, Jackson, Me, my Dad and his wife Bobbie flew to South Carolina to see Brad's graduation from his basic training in the Army National Guard. He has been stationed at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. We took him off base for a day and went to the beach in Charleston, SC. We loved it. The waves were huge because there was a hurricane coming in the next day. The waves were loud and as you can see, Jackson didn't like it. I did! It was soooo beautiful. I could have stayed there for 3 more days. It was really good to spend time with Brad. He enjoyed his training and seemed to be doing good. He is now doing his specialized training in auto mechanics at the same base. He will graduate in a month or so. We can't wait to have him home!

This was at his graduation. He is the one marching in the back left. The graduation was really neat to see.

He was showing us where he stood for formation. He was a squad leader.

This is the room where he slept.

Jackson laying down on his bunk......luckily he got the bottom bunk. I don't think he ever got the bottom bunk growing up. He was always the smallest guy who had to climb up on the top bunk.

Brad is showing us his Class A uniform. He wasn't able to wear it yet.

The entertainment while waiting to see Brad.

The airport was fun! Jackson loved flying. He still talks about going up in the sky with the clouds on a plane.

We had a great trip! We can't wait to see Brad again.

A little family stay cation

2010-09-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

This summer we took a little vacation/stay cation to the Grand Canyon before school started. The kids had never ever been so we spent a couple of days there. We even did a day hike part way down. We had a really good time.

Madelyn and Jacob really enjoyed the Imax theatre. Madelyn wants to go white water rafting. She thought that was really cool.

Jackson thought the hike was really exciting.........

One of the highlights of the trip was the huge elk that was right next to our hotel.

There is lots of wildlife at the canyon. We had a wonderful time!

Madelyn's Baptism

2010-08-23T14:25:00.001-07:00

Madelyn finally turned 8!!!!

She was so happy to get baptized. She said, "do I have to stop smiling to go under the water?" :)

We are so proud of her and her decision to get baptized.

Madelyn LOVES her grandparents! Thanks for all you do!

The WHOLE GROUP!

A big thanks to everyone who came! we really appreciate all your support!

Muckdogs T-ball

2010-08-18T21:42:00.001-07:00

This year was Jacob's first year to play T-ball. He enjoyed it. This was an interesting experience for our family. We didn't know if we should laugh or get mad at him when he was suppose to be playing 3rd base and instead was building a sand castle on top of the base. Or does dancing count as playing outfield? I guess it's all part of the learning process. :) I will stick with coaching girls!

GOOD JOB JACOB!

Tigers Softball

2010-08-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

This was Madelyn's 3rd year to play softball. She had a lot of fun this year on the Tigers doing coach pitch. I also had a lot of fun being one of her coaches.

Madelyn has gotten much better, but still has some practice to do on using her glove.....not her face to catch the ball. Nice Shiner!

Look at that amazing coach.......HA HA!

Detroit Red Wings Game 7

2010-08-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Red Wings played the Phoenix Coyotes in the NHL playoffs this year. Josh said if it went to game 7 he would have to get tickets somehow because the game would be in Phoenix. So here we are at game 7. It was a really fun game. I'm glad we had the once in a life time opportunity to go.

So Happy!

We're Back!

2010-08-08T19:27:00.001-07:00

So we got a faster computer now! Yeah it doesn't take 20min to upload one picture. There is so much to catch up on, from softball, T-ball, birthdays, baptisms, graduations, gardening, swimming, yard work, camping, canoeing, brad leaving for basic training and weddings, we have been running like crazy.

One our favorite things has been the changes to our back yard. First we dug a hole for our trampoline to make it more safe for the little guy getting on and off. Then we found a swing set on craigslist for a great deal and then we added grass! It is not finished yet, but it is much, much improved and it's been a lot of fun. There are pictures of our garden coming soon!

Here are some HAPPY KIDS!

I need to find some wood chips to cover up the dirt.

Before.........

AFTER!!!

We have enjoyed it. It was perfect timing to add the sod just before all the rain came.

Takin' a Break

2010-05-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

I truly needed a break! I boarded the plane for Texas to hang out with my little sister Ann. We had a great weekend! We went shopping, ate, got pedicures, manicures, more shopping, and just had a great time together. Thanks Ann! I had a great, relaxing, much needed weekend!

We did some research online to learn how to do fondant cakes. So the best way to learn is to try! We had a good time playing around with this cake. It's not bad for our first one!

The hardest part is mixing the fondant to the color that you want.

The finished product!

I love you Ann! I am excited for you to move here soon! Now we can go on trips together.

Spring Break

2010-04-04T20:19:00.001-07:00

Spring break this year was crazy! We had so much fun. We watched 4 extra cousins while Josh's sister and her husband went on a vacation without their kids........yeah!

The big kids played and played while little Jackson was trying to keep up with them. He got in the middle of everything that they tried to do. This is Madelyn's solution to the problem.

Thank goodness for nice weather. The first year that I can remember that it didn't snow during spring break.

Sugar cookies are always easy to make with 7 kids????? LOL

Yummmmmy!!!

We played at the park. We thought the weather was nice but as you can see it couldn't have been to warm if there is still a huge pile of snow in the middle of the park. Oh well!

It was really fun to make GREEN eggs and HAM on St. Patrick's day.

We made sure they were all nice and tired and took everyone swimming. It was a blast! Then came the fun part.....we ordered 9 ice cream cones. You should have seen the people in the restaurant stare....and the poor guy who asked if they were ALL my kids?

Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's is always a fun adventure!

See look....everyone is getting along, playing with smiles on their faces.

This is the best moment of the entire week. Getting 7 kids and myself ready for church by myself.......and you got it, we were on time! Hair combed, check, tights on, check, smiles on, almost!?

Thanks for a super fun week! Maybe next year we will reverse roles?

The Party!

2010-03-03T20:40:00.001-08:00

Jackson loves cheese....all kinds. So I made him a "cheese" cake. It was a lot of fun! We are so blessed to have Jackson as part of our family. He brings all of us JOY! We love you Jackson! Happy Birthday little man!

When we gave Jackson his cake to just smash all over his face and whatever, he seriously reached for a fork. That makes me so happy!

Happy Birthday Jackson!

2010-02-24T19:50:00.001-08:00

Jackson Turns 1!

Jackson loves to go swimming.....so that is what we did on his birthday!

We Love you Jackson!

More pictures......

2010-01-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

This guy is is 10 1/2 months! This picture is at the doctors office where he was in heaven eating the paper on the bench. Let's just say that I DO NOT sit around with this guy! He keeps me going, going, going! He is pulling himself up onto anything and getting into everything. Soooo Much FUN! His face tell the whole story!

I think that they Saw Mommy Kissing Santa??!!

Josh and I are on a roll.......we dressed up for both of our work parties this year. His party was a western saloon party. We had a great time. We learned how to play poker. Whooo Hooo!

Christmas

2009-12-30T20:18:00.001-08:00

We have had a wonderful Christmas season this year. We have been able to spend lots of time together and with our extended family. We finally found a good sledding hill in town. We will enjoy it for now until they put a fence in the middle of it. Oh well! We had a blast! Madelyn and Jacob are fearless......they went up and down the hill time after time and after time! They are crazy. That's why we love them!

I love you Josh!

You always have to have a birthday party or two during the holidays. I made this truck cake for my future brother-in-law . Happy Birthday David!

Christmas Eve.....awaiting their "softie"

Josh collects Santas. We have absolutly NO room for another single one; or so he thought! I surprised him with an 8 foot Santa. You can see it below.... he is standing on it. That was the only place left in the house without a Santa.

Christmas morning!

Jacob playing his new Wii game.

Look at all that smoke! What a bon fire! Yup I turned the big 30! Just cuz I feel and look 18 doesn't mean I am. Ha Ha!

It has been fun to have the kids out of school to play in the snow, have sleepovers and lots of play time. We can fit 5 kids, fully stretched out on our couch. I love it!

Wow, what a cute kid! He loves Oreo's. Also you can see some of the Santa collection on the mantle behind him. Josh has got to stop collecting at some point. Oh well, it's fun!

We hope you have had a very Merry Christmas and we will have a Happy New Year!

ps. sorry for so many pics.... I got a new camera :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-14T21:29:00.001-08:00

We Certainly have had our share of winter lately. Lots of snow and very chilly weather. Last weekend my dad brought his 4 wheeler and barrel train over here to Flagstaff to take all the grand kids for a ride in the Christmas Light Parade in downtown. They had a great time! My camera doesn't really take good pics at night, but you get the idea. The big guys on there were two of my brothers (or you can say they were the brakes...)

Here are the COLD spectators.......

Our little snow man ......hey, I think that he could have gone with us to the 80's party wearing that show suit! He loves it. "No Coat" he says.

More Fall Fun!

2009-12-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

Fall has come and gone! We are inside all day today with over 2 feet of snow on the ground which means no school! How Fun!

These are a little late but better than never!

One of these days I'll catch up with these crazy times!

Is that Grandma?

Gotta Love that backpack! He would go anywhere in that thing.

Party Time!

2009-12-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

For my work party this year was an 80's theme. It was a fun time! My hair was much bigger than you can tell in the picture. We looked like we were straight out of the Napoleon Dynamite movie......including the moon boots!

Thanks Josh! You look good with high tops and pegged pants!

Big Boy!

2009-11-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

I love this Kid!

More Football

2009-11-16T20:12:00.001-08:00

This picture says it all! This was Brad after the Flagstaff High School vs. Coconino High School football game. Every year our family is torn on who to cheer for and what colors to wear. Usually Josh dresses the kids in red and black. This year, Madelyn wanted nothing to do with red or black. She is an EAGLE FAN! Of course Josh rooted for the Panthers but wanted Brad to do good. Sorry Josh :( Maybe next year! We had a lot of fun at the game! Brad had quite the cheering section. Lots of family and friends! Congratulations Brad! We are Proud of you!

Go Green........Go White!

October

2009-11-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

Well October came and went..........here is some of our activities!

This month we have gone to a lot of football games on Friday nights. Brad has had fun this year playing football. The kids get so excited to watch him play. Good thing we are also Michigan State Fans so we have lots of green and white to wear.

For Brad's last home football game, I took the kids down on the field for Senior night when the parents are recognized. Madelyn was so sad when the game was about to start because we had to go back up to the stands. She Said "I am going to have to be a cheerleader or a water girl because I want to be on the field all the time. Can I just stay down here for one game?"

I'm hoping she goes the water girl route. Ha Ha! (Or maybe I could work some magic and talk her into being the mascot! That is Waaaaay more fun than cheer leading, and you wear more clothes too!)

This is after the game down in Mingus. It was a loss as you can see by Brad's happy face. Oh well.

Jackson is 8 Months!!!!!!

He is crawling all over the place. Christmas should be fun! Not!

Happy Halloween!

It was kinda nice this year....Our older two kids went to Tucson with Grandma and Grandpa. So with an 8 month old, who needs to go trick or treating? Not us! We had a wonderful weekend. Thank you Jessica, Jenna, Jacque, Grandma and Grandpa for taking them out for Halloween. Sorry no pictures yet. Madelyn dressed up like the tooth fairy and Jacob was the Hulk.

Ther First Snow of the year! The kids were so excited. They played in the whole 2 inches for an hour with their snow clothes from last year including high waters and rain boots.

The marathon runner!

2009-09-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

Before 26.2 miles............

I think that his face says, 'what in the world have I committed to?'

It was so cute. The kids wanted to run in with him. We are so proud of you for this amazing accomplishment!

.......love from your mother! I don't think that she should have gotten that close to you before you took a shower.

Holy Smokes! This is one of his feet after the race..... he was covered in dust from head to toe. Gross! At least the dust covers the blisters.
We love you Josh! Congratulations!

Sloppy Joes

2009-09-20T17:11:00.001-07:00

The definition of a SLOPPY JOE.........!

Never ending party!

2009-09-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

So we have just had one party after another....after another! Tons of fun and family time......what more could anyone ask for!
My sister Amy came for a week to visit from Seattle. We had a great time. She was such a big help to me while I was doing all the wedding stuff. Thanks Amy.......come back soon!

This is the three boys all born within 3 months. (Brennan, Rhett and Jackson)

This is what Brennan thought of Jackson........

Jackson wanted to play with him soooo much but Brennan was just too little to understand play. I think that Brennan was kinda on kid overload for the whole week. He usually doesn't have a lot of kids to be around and with all his cousins this week hauling him all over the place, he probably won't like any kids for a while. Sorry Amy.

The Parties started with a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.

Then it continued that night at the NAU Skydome when Brad got to run in the big Eagle Flag that my mom made for Flagstaff high school 11 years ago. That was really cool!

These are the little cheerleaders!

Then the next day was my sister Jo's wedding. She looked so beautiful!

Congratulations to Jo and Jason!

Jo wanted the wedding reception in Josh's parents beautiful back yard. It was pouring rain an hour before but then it cleared up and was beautiful! Here is what the kids were doing during the reception. They had a good time.

This is what my dear little son looked like at the end of the night. Oh well!

It was so great to have our entire family here. There is getting to be so many of us! (except Amy's husband Taylor who just started a new job, we missed you Taylor)

Then the next day was Brad's Eagle court of honor. It was such a neat experience. We are so proud of you Brad. I know that Mom is proud of you and your accomplishments also!

Then we ended all the excitement with a fun relaxing and much needed day at the pool.

Summer Fun!

2009-08-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

It wouldn't be summer without at least one camping trip!

We went to Lynx Lake near Prescott. Thanks Jessica and Reuben for a good time!

Enjoy these pictures of the fun!

The little cutie!

2009-08-16T14:17:00.001-07:00

Kids are so FUN at this age.........

This is a video of Jackson jumping and spinning in his jumper. He loves it. He spends a lot of time in it. Our house has the perfect wide doorway for it.

Like my Mohawk? He only has hair on top and little patches on the sides so I decided to do a peak down the middle. Jacob calls him spike. It's so cute, it stays like this through the day and even over night.

Jackson is almost 6 months old. Wow, it just seems like yesterday that he was born. We are really enjoying this stage of life with him. He is such a happy baby and is crazy like his siblings. Sometimes I wish that he would just sit still, but then I remember that I am so glad that I have very active, energetic kids who are excited about life. He wants to run and go with the big kids soooo bad!

This is a little video of Jackson sitting on the floor, throwing his arms up and down and squawking!

Happy Birthday Josh!

2009-08-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Josh! We love you!

On Josh's birthday, we took balloons to his office and had lunch at the park!

He loves POLIBERTO'S taco shop.
Yummy Carne Asada Burrito!!!

Josh is such an amazing Dad! Our kids just love him soooo much!

This is Jackson's reaction to the singers at Black Barts Restaurant where we went for desert on Monday night. He had the biggest eyes. We loved it!

This week we also celebrated our anniversary by running a half marathon together. It was such a good experience and I'm so glad that we did it together. Thank you for a wonderful 8 years! I'm so proud of you and I am cheering you on as you are still training for the Flagstaff Marathon in September. (I would too but someone needs to take care of the kids..... we can't make them ride their bikes any more, 5 miles is too far Madelyn says.) Oh well, I did mine, now it's your turn. You are going to do awesome. I love you!

We love Flagstaff!

2009-08-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

We took a drive tonight and I am just so amazed at this beautiful earth that we are so privileged to live on. I have lived in Flagstaff my entire life and I still find new beautiful sights to see!

Too Much Fun!

2009-07-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

We have had so much fun this summer.

I know it's almost over but the fun isn't done yet!

The little entrepreneur selling donuts and lemonade at 7:00am at my sister-in-law Faith's yard sale.

what would be summer without SPRINKLERS......

and tanning........

Jacob turned 5. We had a picnic out at the lake for his birthday!

We love you Jacob!

Madelyn turned 7! Can you believe it???? WOW I honestly don't know where time goes!

We are so proud of you you Maddy!

Josh and I are done with our 12 week health challenge. It was a great experience for us to start some good habits and break some bad ones. It is so much easier to do things together. Josh was one of the winners of the challenge. I am so proud of him for finishing it with a perfect score. You are an inspiration to me. We finished it running 10 miles and we are still training for a 1/2 marathon in 2 weeks and Josh is doing a full marathon in 2 months. We have both lost a little weight and are excited to continue making healthy choices. GOOD LUCK!!!
I love you!
After all the fun, I guess we had some tired ones!!!

(Do you see our cute chubby little guy? More pics of him to come.)

Summer!

2009-06-21T19:33:00.001-07:00

This is what Jackson thought about the RED WINGS LOSING game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals!

These are my BIG boys...............

......and our little mommy!

We took a little trip to the valley for some summer fun. We had a great time at a D-Backs game which was followed by a Lifehouse concert. Josh has loved Lifehouse for a long time so when we heard they were playing after the game we jumped at the chance. Happy Fathers Day Josh!

Jacob thought the concert was a little loud. Can you tell? It was a little loud but they sounded good. We were glad we went but maybe next time without the kids.???

Maddy got her rally cap on but they still lost. Oh well. We had a great time!

This is all the fun we have been having!

2009-06-04T17:00:00.001-07:00

This is my HUGE little Monster!

Don't you just want to pinch those cute little cheeks?!

He is sooo Huggable and Fun!

For Memorial Day Weekend we went to Tucson to hang out by the pool with family. This is Jacob after he blew up every arm floatie in sight and put them on his body.

We had a great time!

Congratulations to Janea and Scott. They had a baby boy named Rhett. He was 7lbs, 14 oz. Congratulations to Amy and Taylor. They had yet another Boy named Brennan. He was 6lbs 15 oz. Jackson could probably eat him. That gives my Dad 3 grandsons in 3 months. This is Rhett laying on Jackson. It didn't even bother him at all. So Fun!

(My boy needs a tan???)

So we found a Krispy Kreme in AZ........

We had Ella and Rachel up in Flagstaff for a couple of days. Madelyn loves the girl time!

Just hanging out in the woods with cousins!

We FINALLY sold our truck! Yeah!!!..........

and got a MINIVAN! Whooo Hoooo! Yup... I drive a minivan....Ya I can't believe it either!

But Hey, I'm a mom of 3 and I Love it!

Softball

2009-05-17T13:49:00.001-07:00

This year Madelyn is on the Diamondbacks. She is so stinking cute!

I love to watch her play.

She thinks that my old bat bag is now hers.... not toooo big at all!

The cool part is, that yesterday her game was on the Flagstaff High School field that I helped to build between my Junior and Senior Year of High School. I got to play on the same field for one year and now she is there doing the same thing. COOL HUH!

The BEST Part of T-Ball is the snacks after the game!

The little cheerleaders!

I am not a runner!

2009-05-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Josh and I ran in a 10K race at Ft. Tuthill. (If you are like me a couple of years ago.... you have no idea how far that is...it is 6.2 miles) I am so proud of Josh for doing this. His company was a sponsor for the race and I just tagged along. (literally tagged... along) Josh finished in 1 hour, 5 min and I finished in 1 hour 13 min. Not too bad. The whole race I kept thinking, this would be a ton easier if I didn't have this 20 lb caboose attached to me, but then I thought, that's exactly why I am doing this, to lose the 20 lbs!

Don't I look thrilled!?

I couldn't take any pictures of Josh since he finished before me so you can just see me as I crossed the finish line. Yeah!!! (see the caboose?)

Last January 1st, 2008, I ran a marathon in Texas with my friends Becky and Rana. What a great experience. I think that everyone should run one at some point in their life. I am not a runner but I was able to finish 26.2 miles. It gave me such a sense of accomplishment. Josh is training to run one in Flagstaff this September. I am proud of him and all the goals that he is accomplishing.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

My mother was an amazing woman. I hope that I am half as good of a mother as she was! I love her for the wonderful example that she set for me to follow. I miss her so much but I know that she is there whispering little messages when I need them most. I have so many good mother examples in my life. I am very thankful to my mother-in-law who is so good to our family and is a wonderful grandmother to my children and raised her son to be such a good husband and father.

We went to the cemetery to leave flowers on my mothers grave. I think that it is good for my kids because they always ask cool questions about her and life and death. It is always a learning experience to go there.

I love this picture..... for a long time, Brad did not want to go to the cemetery. (No one can blame him) I think that he has done a lot of healing in the past couple of years and has grown up a ton. He gave me the sweetest mother's day card.

I'm so glad that I get the chance to help raise him.

These are aprons that I made for Josh's mom for mothers day. One for her and one for the granddaughters when they are helping cook in the kitchen. Oh sooooo FUN!

Womens Conference

2009-05-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Becky and I went to BYU Women's Conference.

It was just what I needed to rejuvenate my life. We had a great time!
We stayed in the dorms....... exciting huh?

I'm sure they were the freshman dorms....yup that good!

I have an AMAZING husband who matched my kiddos so that I could go!
Thank you so much Josh, I love you!

One night, we went to Salt Lake to see my sister-in-law Jacque.

That was fun to see her stomping grounds and her totally fun apartment! Next time I want to meet some of your BOYS?..... and next time I will stay longer.

One night, we went out with my friend Brittany who moved from Flagstaff a little less than a year ago. We had a BLAST with her as always. She is so FUN! I miss you......when are you moving back to AZ?.......

It was so neat to see 20,000 women in the Marriott Center.

Warm Weather

2009-05-06T20:03:00.001-07:00

We love Popsicles, sunny days, flip flops and the back yard!

Today we had Adelyn and Nolan come over, it was so much fun!

We love the warm weather.....it will probably snow next week but we will enjoy it while it lasts!

2 months

2009-04-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

Jackson is now 2 months old. What a great addition to our family! We all just love him to death. Here is some new and old pictures for you to enjoy!

You gotta love baby fluids! My other kids were spitters and Jackson is not going to disappoint either.......we think that we will keep him though.

Brad

2009-04-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

Brad doesn't really like pictures, but here is what he has been up to........

He is in the choir this year and they had a concert last night. They sounded really good. He actually looked like he was having fun! After all these years of my parents begging all of us kids to join the choir, one finally does.....and all on his own doing. My dad didn't even know that he was in choir until I told him about his concert. My dad asked me how come he decided to join the choir, I said you will see. My dad figured it out when he saw 13 boys in a choir with about 175 girls. Smart Dude Huh? He really looks handsome in his tux. Good Job Brad!

Brad had fun at Mormon Prom.

Wrestling is over now but he had a good season and learned a lot for next year!

We love you Brad!

Basketball Season

2009-04-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

Basketball season was fun this year. Michigan State made it all the way to the Championship Game. Even though they lost the last game, it was a fun road! Our kids loved it as much as Grandpa and Daddy! We even ate an all green meal to cheer them on.

Right after Michigan State beat Uconn in the Final Four game, Josh and his dad headed to general Priesthood meeting a little late. This is what they wore............... How Fun!??

Oh What Fun!

2009-04-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Life has been wild and crazy but we love it!

Easter weekend was a BLAST! We had Katelyn's birthday party on Friday, Elijah's baptism on Saturday and Jackson's blessing on Sunday followed by a yummy lunch at our house. I think there were more kids than adults, or at least close to it! A big thanks to everyone who came and for your help! We love being part of supportive families!

These are all the crazy kids on the Clouse side of the family.

These girls are ROCK STARS!

What would be Easter weekend in Flagstaff without a little white stuff?

We had a great time at the Aquaplex on Saturday after the baptism. Josh snuck Madelyn on the slides even though she wasn't tall enough. She absolutly loved it. We can't wait for it to get warm and the outdoor pool at the Athletic Club to open.

ZZZZZZZZZ!

The Concert

2009-03-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Josh, his dad and Madelyn went on a three generation date! They went to Prescott Valley to the Moody Blues Concert! They had such a great time! Grandpa thought it was his favorite concert that they have done so far. (he has been to many of them) Madelyn loves their music. She knows a lot of the words .

Thanks Grandpa!

Spring Break

2009-03-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

For spring break we just took a little one night trip to warm up in Phoenix. We had a blast in the pool. It was just warm enough to want to jump in but not too hot. Thanks to Jo for watching our kiddos while went to the Mesa Temple. Then on our way home we went through Snowflake to celebrate my Dad's birthday. It is always good to see Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Dad!

I love Motel rooms! The kids had a great time jumping on the beds. (Since those are the only beds that I let them jump on.) Sorry to anyone who owns a motel! I didn't take a picture of it. Oh well it was fun! (I think that they learned it from me.)

I couldn't get a picture of Madelyn doing cannon balls before she hit the water.

She was too fast! Here is her splash though!

Madelyn

2009-03-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is Madelyn's spring school picture. Isn't she beautiful?! She is getting so old. I can't believe how time is flying. It seems like time speeds up with each child.

We love you Maddy!

Family Update

2009-03-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is what we have been up to lately!

Eat, Sleep, Poop, Eat, Sleep, Poop, REPEAT!!!

We have had a lot of fun adjusting to a new baby.

It has been a joy for our family!

First Bath

Eating one handed takes talent....... Looks like Josh has it down! Yeah!

We love you Jackson!

Crazy girl!

New Baby

2009-03-04T15:17:00.001-08:00

This is the one and only picture that you will ever see of my pregnancy.

Hope you enjoy! Ha Ha!

This is the dad-to-be getting ready for the C-Section section at 5:30 in the morning on 2/24/09.

And here is what we got........... a 8 lb 10 oz little boy......

or should we say BIG BOY!

Jackson Grant Clouse

This is a lovely picture of me after 9 bags of IV fluid. The surgery went well and I am recovering quickly. I forgot how much work babies are. He has been such a joy to have in our family.

The kids could not wait for him to come home from the hospital. They absolutely love him to death. I have to limit the number of kisses per hour. After I saw this picture, it reminded me of how much my older kids look alike. Jackson looks a lot like Jacob did when he was a baby. Both kids have been great helpers! Madelyn, the fashion expert, loves to choose his outfit daily.

Just resting ............

Josh is a wonderful father!! He has so much patience and helps me a ton!

I love you Josh! Thanks for all you do for our family!

Thanks for sleeping at the hospital with Jackson and I! I know your little cot wasn't very comfortable; let me tell you a little secret....... neither was mine. We are glad to be home!

Thanks to everyone for their love and support! We appreciate all the help we have recieved!

Hockey Game

2009-01-22T12:39:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we headed for the sunshine and family in Tucson. We had a great time. While we were there, so was the MSU hockey team. Yeah!!!! We took some of the kids to the game and sat on the front row.

So we were sitting on the front row, wearing green and every time U of A scored, the lovely hockey fans yelled nice things (ha ha), and to top it off, Josh would yell really loud,

GO GREEN, and the kids would yell back, GO WHITE!!!!

To my Luck, we won the game so I didn't have to walk out of there TOTALLY embarrassed!!

In between periods, when they cleaned the ice, the guy who drove the Zamboni, would give all the kids a high five when he passed. The kids loved it!

LET'S GO STATE!

Thanks Josh for taking us to the game!

Stylish

2008-12-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

Madelyn wanted to cut her hair. Lots of people tried to talk her out of it but she did it anyway.

I LOVE it!! It is so easy. She gets out of the bath and combs it and it just goes like this. She wakes up and it looks the same as before bed, she takes her snow had off and it looks the same. I really wish I had easy hair and could pull it off. Isn't it adorable???

Christmas 2009

2008-12-30T13:21:00.001-08:00

For Christmas this year we spent the night in this little cabin with my side of the family. We had a great time considering there were 25 people in this thing. Thanks Ann and Tyrel, you did a great job planning this year. It was soooo nice not to be the one in charge!

Tyrel made costumes for all the kids to act out the nativity. It was so cute. Thanks Tyrel. Madelyn was Mary and Jacob was a shepherd.

This is our HAPPY teenage boy on Christmas Morning!

What happend to wanting to get up at 5:00?

We Love the Snow! We finally had a White Christmas. We had a blast sledding on Christmas day and then we went sledding again two times since we got home. I love the fact that my kids can get themselves ready to go outside without my help. I can hardly get them to come in from playing outside even when it is dark and it is in the middle of a blizzard.

Since taking a picture of all 25 people was kinda out of the question, (including 9 grand kids) We just took a Skinner siblings picture. That was hard enough, (as you can see). My sister Amy flew down here from Seattle. Thanks Amy for making the trip so that we could all get together this year. I know I look lovely and huge. Oh well! Next time I see Amy, she will be too. She is expecting #1 in May. Scott's wife Janea is also expecting #4 in May. Congratulations girls!!!

Jacob's Diary

2008-12-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Today Madelyn came home from school with a little notebook that she bought in their school store. She said that it was her diary and we could not read it because there were secrets in it. So Jacob went up stairs and got a notebook and brought it down and said that it was his diarrhea and that we could not look in it. I could not stop laughing. I explained to him that it was a diary, not a diarrhea, but he insisted on calling it his diarrhrea. I love kids and words!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

All of Josh's family got together for Thanksgiving. It was crazy but a lot of fun. The kids had a great time. We had tons of food!!! Here are a few pictures of the day.

ALL the Grandkids!

Josh collects Santas. He lined them all up on the fireplace and took a picture. I said NO MORE SANTAS! Jacob counted them and said that there are 86?! There are actually only about 25 but it seems like 86! Try to find a place to put them all? Some of them are actually cool because Mrs. Clause is with Santa. We all know who does most of the work for Christmas!

But who gets the spotlight?

WE LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

CHS vs FHS

2008-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

So this has become an annual family tradition, going to the Coconino game. (or the Flag High game, which ever you want to call it?) Josh went to Coconino, and I went to Flag High, so it becomes a bit of a problem, like where to sit and what color to dress the kids in. When my little brothers were playing, of course we would sit on the Flag High side and Josh got to dress them in black and red. Now what do we do? This year we sat on the Coconino side because we went with Grandma and Grandpa who would not want to sit on the green side. I decided oh well, we can sit on the losing side, all that really matters is who wins, right? So there I am sitting with my green shirt on in the middle of a black and red crowd. Whoooooo! Both kids fell asleep but as always we had a great time! There is always next year, and the next year............

I love this picture!!

Grandmas is a great pillow! Thanks!

I will let you guess who is home and guest!?

The First Snow

2008-11-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

This was the PERFECT snow!!! It was just enough snow to be beautiful and finally feel like winter, but there was no need to shovel, there were no cinders on the road, and the snow was melted by the time the kids came home from school so I didn't have to bundle them up to go out and play! Although I am looking forward to more snow, this was a nice first storm! I love Flagstaff!

Halloween

2008-11-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Halloween. This is the warmest Halloween I can remember. In years past there was either snow on the ground or it was 20 degrees. This year was nice so we didn't have to bundle the kids up like they were going sledding. You can actually see their costumes this time.

I don't know why, but it seems like Halloween has become a bit crazy. Trunk-or-treats, carnivals, parties etc. I think that next year it would be fun to take the kids to a few family members to trick-or-treat and then just stay home and let them enjoy giving out candy to others. (That would mean less candy for me to eat.) Oh well, we had a lot of fun!

Josh is the carving pumpkin expert!!! I just watch.

Everyone at the Oldroyds for a fun PARTY!!!

Our little Witch!!!

AAARRRRGGGHH Matties!!

Becky Oldroyd makes a mean witches BREW!!

These are the kids waiting at the bus stop on Halloween morning.

Having Fun in the leaves in Grandpa's yard. I love Fall!!!

Where did Kirby go??? (Kirby is my brother Brian's little boy who is 3)

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Tucson where 2 of Josh's sisters and their families live. We went to the pumpkin patch, ate, played Wii and just hung out. (I'm getting good at the eating part, as you can see by my lovely pictures) We had a blast!!! It was good to get away and enjoy family!

Isn't Madelyn cute in a hat???

Hanging out with the BOYS!

Let's go State!

2008-10-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

So you know that Josh is a Big time Michigan State fan!!! He calls me on Thursday morning to tell me that he won tickets to Saturday's game and asked if he could go. Uhhhhhhh???? What???? The game is in Lansing, Michigan!!!!! That's all the way across the United States!!!

I tried all morning to find tickets that were under $800.
Yeah Right!!!!!

I called my sister in law who's sister works for United Airlines. She got him on the stand-by list. Did you know that stand-by really means STAND-BY? Well that is literally what he did. He flew from Phoenix to Denver to Wichita to Chicago, to spend the night and then get up the next morning and fly to Lansing with a few hours to spare before the BIG game.

Talk about a dedicated FAN!!!!

Well the game wasn't that great but he had a blast just being there. I can't wait to post pics. (hopefully he took some)

Maybe next time we should just plan the trip in advance and get our own tickets and guaranteed flights.

Or maybe not!!! It's always fun to have an adventure!!!

Finally!!

2008-10-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Yep, I finally did it. After looking at everyone else's blogs for months now I decided I just need to do it. More for my family's use as a journal than anything. Hope you enjoy!

Pictures of fun this past summer!

Josh and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas. What a Blast!