Cousin Fun

So we had a house full last week/weekend. The five of us plus two dogs plus the five McClendons and the four Waydas. Everyone was so great about the space and the bed issue. In fact...all of the kids except for Stevie and Kelly slept in the same room the first two nights. I can speak for everyone in the Hough family and say everyone loved having them here for the visit. Kelly had her moments, but for the most part she let everyone hold her. Jake and Stevie both shed some tears on Sunday when they woke up to find the house vacated.

It was two days of skiing, then the Kamas pool, sledding down the "big" hill, and many hours of playing in the snow in the backyard. Here are some of the pictures...I will post more when I find them on Steve's computer.

A few memories...
*Sam - almost had a run-in with a barbed wire fence while sledding. Was he nervous...no...just smiling the whole time coming down that hill on the oh-so-dangerous green disc.
*Drew- skied his first black diamond. I'm sure you can guess that he was with the guys and not the moms :-)
*Cooper - always wanting to play in the snow. The first person to ask to go outside and play in the morning. Found a great spot at Deer Valley to play and entertain all of the kids for a few hours.
*Luke - had a few injuries from skiing and playing in the backyard. There was a little blood and a big welt/bruise invovled. But I didn't even hear him complain. A tough one!
*Cory - loved the skiing and din't want to quit at the end of the day. Took care of Stevie almost the entire trip. Made Kelly laugh (a hard thing to do :-).
*Stevie - loved making all of the kids laugh at her wild side. She hiked almost all of the way up the bunny slope at Deer Valley at the end of the day before Dad had to run up and get her.
*Jake - followed Sam around and wanted to do everything he did. Had some good wrecks into the bushes while sledding. Did his ski school graduation run in "race" form.

My Clothing Strategy

Most of you have probably seen these orange Tennessee hoodies that Stevie and Jake wear. That is because one or both of them usually where them when we go on an "outing." They are very bright and I can easily spot them in a crowd. The other favorite clothing item for outings is a hat. Usually works good too...unless they throw it off and we lose the hat :-( If you haven't tried this strategy...I highly recommend it.

Kelly - Six Months Old

I can't believe my baby is six months old. Kelly is our bundle of joy. She loves to smile and grab at everything. We can tell that she is really trying to communicate with us...she looks right at as and just babbles and babbles. Some of you may not think she is a happy baby because of her crazy mood swings. But the truth is...she just wants to be around Mom or Dad most of the time and then she is golden :-) At her checkup she was 11 lb 14 oz and 25 inches long.

Here a few new pictures of her and of the sisters together. Thanks for the outfits Nannie!

Daddy Time

When Dad is hanging out with the kiddos, it is not uncommon to find these kinds of pictures on the camera. Usually gives me a good laugh.

Saturday Fun

Jake and I went to Deer Valley yesterday for a few runs. He has been getting good reports from ski school and keeps asking to go with us...so I thought I would check out his progress. Yep...Jake is officially a "green" skier now. Because Steve and I enjoy skiing so much, we have always hoped that our kids love to ski as well so it can be a family activity. Hopefully we don't force it on them too much...You will like it! :-)

My job at Deer Valley is all worth it when I watch him ski with me down a green run from the top of the mountain, with a grin on his face. Otherwise I couldn't afford to send him there. And I think most of you will agree that our kids probably learn skills like that better from someone else, other than Mom or Dad. Sad but true.

On the way home from skiing, Jake asked some questions that somewhat surprised me. He is growing up faster than I want, and I guess this can be the beginning of the never-ending questions. "Mom, how do our legs move." I could answer that. "Mom, how to babies get out of your belly?" Didn't know how to answer that one for his ears so I said something like "Doctors help us." Help anyone?

Stevie Kate had to stay home this time. But to be honest, she loves her Daddy. Dad wasn't going skiing, so she was perfectly content to hang out with Dad.

Baby Sophie

Here is a picture of another beautiful new cousin with Kelly. They will be pals.

Lucky Birthday

Yesterday was my lucky birthday...31 on the 31st. My new little niece was born on my birthday...Sophie Lela Draper weighing in at 7 lbs. I feel lucky to share my birthday with Carrie and now Sophie. Congrats Cody and Natalie! We can't wait to meet her.

The other lucky part of my day was going with the Berg family to the Draper Temple Open House. Named after a city in the Salt Lake valley which was named after a relative...William Draper. Jake even said, "Mommy, Draper is one of your names, not the temple silly." Ha ha. Thanks for getting us the tickets Katrina.

Yes it was hectic with all of the small children, but they all did pretty good. It was just a big maze to them and it was like playing "Follow the Leader." We kind of cheated and skipped the bus part of the tour, which would have added at least an hour to the excursion. But no one was parked near the temple...so it worked out great. (Hint hint to the rest of you with small children who are planning on attending the Open House).

Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday. I have the best family and the best friends. Loves...