"I fow-teen!"

We can't get her to answer, "I'm two." When asked her age, she just says, "I fow-teen." Scary. Today she is two. My baby is already two!

She is still the one in our home that is freshest from heaven. It is often the baby that reminds the rest of the family to smile and keep priorities in order.

But it is the rest of the family that helps the little one learn and grow. As we were doing her little birthday festivities tonight I was again reminded about the importance of families. It is clear that Heavenly Father placed us in family units so we could help each other come back to him. I know these are silly little examples, but it was fun to watch the big brothers come to her aid when her little wisps of air couldn't put out her candles. (They were pretty anxious for that manly job!)

And again, helping her catch the excitement of receiving a gift.

And later, just reading to her and helping her get the most out of her new bath bubbles.

Young and old we are all here for each other. And today we are celebrating Sarah being with us for two years. Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Merry Christmas!

So much to be grateful for.

What a beautiful Christmas season!

We tried hard keep the Spirit of Christmas celebration in our home. It's not easy with all there is to do. So much to do and so little time to do it! I think we kept a good balance though. Here's a few pictures from December ending with pics of tired but happy little ones tonight. Oh how we love Christmas time!

Ghost of Halloween Past

In the Philippines it isn't Halloween. It's All Saints Day where families gather to pay tribute to their ancestors. People make tons of food, play games, lights candles, and generally hang out--ALL AT THE LOCAL CEMETERY. Missionaries serving in the Philippines use the next weeks' service projects to clean up after the blessed event. (HUGE MESS!) It's pretty cool to witness and actually a lot of fun to clean up! Sometimes graves are emptied and it was always interesting to examine the remains. We were obviously proud of this skull collection! I'm not sure I'd find this as fun as I did 13 years ago, but here's a picture from our All Saints' Day Clean-up 1996.

Jason's the guy on the top in the white hat and I'm on the bottom row second from the left. Good times!

Time goes by so quickly--now it's Halloween 2009. And even though things are still pretty crazy, life is good. Very good. All our cute kids in their Halloween duds.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (And All Saints Day!)

Fall in Love Reason #4 Grandparents!

How blessed we were to have a week with Jason off work with both grandparents coming to visit. Yes, both of them came peak leaf week (say that as fast as you can 10 times!). So we were a little self-conscious about what they really came to New Hampshire to see. :) I mean, come on, no one--and I mean NO ONE is knocking at our door in say, January. Or February. Or March. Okay, think Fall. It's still Fall. Trying to keep winter thoughts away!

Back to grandmas and grandpas. We had SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME! We so miss having grandmas and grandpas to hug and kiss and teach and love our kids. We need them! We packed in a lot of fun (and a lot of hugs and kisses!) during the time they could be here. Thank you for coming to visit us! We love you so much!!

A few pictures from the week....

Grandpa and Grandma Kemp arrived first! We went straight from the airport to the beach where there were some cold temperatures and desperate seagulls. Those birds were eating right out of our hands. And we have the bites to prove it!!! The beach was gorgeous and we had the whole thing to ourselves! What a great afternoon!

The next day was grandparents day at the school. Grandma and Grandpa spent the day in the boys' classrooms. It was a big hit.

Soccer practice, a trip to the Shaker Museum, family football, apple picking at the orchards, dinner out for an anniversary celebration, and the Quechee Antique shop (mmm...pumpkin fudge!) were next in line.

At Shaker Village

Poverty Lane Orchards

But I think our favorite was the Polar Caves. What a hidden treasure! About 15 little glacially formed granite rock caves to walk, duck, shimmy, crawl through. And stunning scenery all around! So much fun!

Just the boys.

At the mouth of one of the caves

Jason and his dad

It was hard to say goodbye, but we felt incredibly spoiled as one set of grandparents hopped on the plane to go home one was arriving!

We loaded up two cars and headed to Palmyra, NY with Grandma Stella and Grandpa Steven. Such a beautiful, peaceful place. What an amazing experience it was to be there with our family! We spent time touring the Smith Farm and just walking and talking in the Sacred Grove. The Palmyra Temple is beautiful. We prayed that our childrens' testimonies would be strengthened on this little trip. It just felt so good to be there--especially with grandparents!

Path to the grove.

Palmyra Temple. What a view!

The men of the trip. My dad and Jason.

Hill Cumorah Monument

Then, we got all touristy and stuff and headed to Niagara Falls. Cool. Very cool. Wait. Not cool. COLD!!! Very COLD!! It is hard to even imagine the grandeur of that place until you see it, hear it, and feel it. We took the boat ride down in between the big falls. AMAZING! (And wet!) It really took our breath away at every turn!

Riding in the cars and just chatting, dinner out every night, and swimming in the hotel made for a perfect little vacation. Along with dad doing some much needed home projects for the few hours we spent at home. Thanks, Dad!!

All of us were so sad to see grandmas and grandpas go home so far away. We just keep reminding the kids that in a short time we will be closer. Lots closer.

We love you!

Some more fun pics.

Fall Colors Reason #3

Good Time with Friends (mega-post!)

Even with school in session we find plenty of time to hang out with good friends! Being outside in the crunchy leaves with the blue sky (sometimes!) and crisp air is therapy for parents and kids alike. We love to spend time with friends and miss those friends that are so far away!

A rainy afternoon at the skateboard park! All the cute blond kids belong to the Helquist and Wells families.....

Skateboarding to celebrate Jay's birthday. Jordan and Jason--inseparable buddies.

The "big kids" hanging out during Carter, Ethan, and Adelaide's soccer clinic.

Apple picking at Poverty Lane Orchards with the Olsen's and Collins-Laines! I wish I were a better apple pie maker (tips welcome!). Oh well. The fun is in the picking!!

Riverview Pumpkin Farm! Carter and Ethan.

These kids know how to pick 'em.....

.......and carve 'em.

Sarah wouldn't let us touch hers!

And special visits from wonderful friends. Sarah! I don't have any pictures! Yes, Sarah and her 6 children traveled all the way across the country for a New England visit. We loved seeing all of them again!

And Jaime! Bryan and Jaime came back to the homeland to remind them of the good times! (The next part of this post should be labeled plagiarism because I stole the following pictures from Jaime's blog. So, if you want to see the real thing (and get some of the best recipes on earth and some Christmas/sewing ideas) go to Jaime's blog, here!

Anyway, here is a picture of our first little ones back in med school. Ty, Tay, and Carson. (Courtesy of Jaime!)

Here they are now. All grown up. (Yeah, Jaime's pic, too!)

And what we've added--minus Easton (sleeping) and Sarah (crying).

And just the girls. New England has been so good to us!

Thanks for the pictures! I'll let you know if I'm going to steal any more!

Amazing Autumn Reason #2

My Backyard Paradise

I love my back yard. The kids spend hours and hours playing on our maple tree swing. We live in the middle of a city, but we have "forest" right out our back door. Woodchucks, skunks, deer, opossum, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays, and cardinals all share our space with us.

If I'm ever feeling down I just look out my back door.

Lovin' the swing

After October rain.

Taking a break from climbing all over the rocks.

Light saber football something game.

Oh! Happy, happy Fall!

Why Fall Really is the Best of All Reason #1

FALL SPORTS!

We are taking full advantage of this beautiful season. We're savoring every sight, sound, and smell of our last New England fall. Here's the first installment of our dedication to Autumn in the beautiful Northeast!

This boy + flag football = H-A-P-P-I-N-E-S-S

Tyler had a great soccer team and he did an amazing job this year! It comes to an end on Saturday and we're going to miss his games so much.

Carter's soccer was just plain FUN! He had some great coaches and even better friends to play with on Saturday mornings. Ethan and Adelaide (and their moms) helped with much needed carpools, too. Carter's a natural when it comes to kicking a ball!

And Sarah got to hang out and kick a soccer ball hour after hour. Sounds monotonous to most, but for her it was perfect!

Of course we can't forget about watching good football games with friends, either! Now it gets dark too soon to continue the soccer and football seasons. And the chill gets a little too cold for even the most hard core soccer moms. So until next year......


Post Edit: I just noticed all children kicking a ball or carrying or running with a ball are sticking out their tongues. Where have I seen this before?

One Week Down

First Day of School 2009--Tyler (4th Grade), Jordan (2nd Grade), Carter (Kindergarten), Sarah (cute and smiley despite being woken up extra early!)

Can't beleive my Baby Carter is in school. According to him he is the "smartest kid in the class." How do you know that? "I just do. It's just the way it is." Oooookay. Self-esteem is important, right?

You just wonder where all the time goes.

We've had one week of school and only one note from the teacher ("Jordan needs more food in his lunch.") and one shirt worn wrong side out (Carter getting up at 5:00, showering, getting dressed, and putting on his pullover before I could see what was going on.) Let me tell ya...I'm feeling like mother of the year most of the time these days!

But! The kids love school--their teachers, their classes, and their friends. I find great peace in all of this regardless of the few minor mishaps. The boys are happy.

And I'm happy at home with my little Sarah. Ever since school started she is a little off schedule so she takes a morning nap. And, yes, I take that nap with her. It's been so nice to cuddle for a few hours. When we wake up we do all the jobs together and she loves it. I dreaded the day when school would start. But now, I'm actually enjoying a little time with my baby girl!