One of those silly days.

The children were particularly giddy this day and requested that pictures be taken of their antics. Of course, the girls were just being cute, but the boys...well...you decide for yourself.

Ruth & Sabrina
Thomas & Adam (6 months old and 7 teeth)
Sabrina & Joseph
Matthew & Joseph
Matthew & Joseph again. Can you figure out what they are doing?
Ruth wanted a closeup.
Sabrina wanted a closeup, too.

Wow. Have you figured out yet what they are doing?
Joseph and Ruth. I absolutely love this picture.
Matthew & Sabrina. I love this one, too!! Anytime a picture represents children in their natural state, I love them. What a blessing to be able to capture these days with pictures. Thanks for looking.

The zoo aftermath.

After the zoo closed, we regrouped. Actually the kids played in the grass, some of the adults rested, other adults had to walk another mile to get their cars and drive them back to where the kids were playing.

Left is Adam Pederson (5 months), right is Dathan Dade (4 months).
Seth. Iraq didn't tire him out but 17 kids did. Actually I think it was the soft grass and the shade that was the draw. (Dagon Dade looking on.)
Seth again. See? Perky not tired.
How can they have any energy left?
Mind boggling.

After the cars were packed up and the kids were packed up, we decided to grab some pizza together at a Pizza Hut located right up the street from the zoo. We did take up 1/3 of the restaurant! Eight pizzas later, we were all full and headed home. It ended up being a late night for everyone, but we all agreed it was worth it. Whew!

Finally at the zoo. (April 19th)

I say finally at the zoo because we drove around for 30 minutes just looking for a spot to park. We had to stalk a couple just coming out of the zoo! After parking and eating lunch and walking to the entrance (which was no small feat considering the distance we were from it), we finally arrived. It was hot, and silly mother put sunscreen on everybody else but herself. I ended up with a nice sunburn. Here are a few pictures from our time at the zoo.

Nicholas in front of the elephants. The peacock feathers were given away due to an unfortunate encounter between a wolf and a peacock. The peacock lost.
Outside with the elephants.
Here would be the entire Dade/Pederson/Huntington group. I won't even begin to name everyone, especially since they are not lined up in nice symmetrical rows. There were 6 adults and 17 children ranging in age from 4 months up to 15 years old. It was a blast! We had strollers and kids everywhere. Not one child was ever misplaced! The kids would be in one stroller, then they would change to another. The little ones would hold hands with someone older, whether from their own family or not. It amazes me how all of the children get along with each other. When we are all together it feels seamless, like one big family, rather than OUR family and YOUR family. It's all one to me. What a blessing to have Seth with us and the Dades with us.
I can't tell which of these bad pictures is better. I am sure my finger was blurring something.

Fun on the way to Denver. (April 19th)

Nicholas wanted to go to the Denver Zoo with the Dade family for his birthday so off we went! It was a beautiful Saturday morning when we left Hayden. We stopped in Silverthorne to meet up with the Dades, and while we waited we took a stroll by the little river. There were shores full of skipping rocks and the kids enjoyed stretching their legs a bit after the 2 hour drive. Here are a few pictures from our little stop.

Darling Ruth.
Sabrina and Ruth.
Matthew having ventured out onto a rock.
Of course, Joseph had to follow suit and climb onto a rock.
The whole clan. In the back (l-r): Larry, Ellie with Adam, Thomas, Maria in the shadows, Seth with Ruth, and Brian.

in the front (l-r): Sabrina, Matthew, Joseph, and Nicholas.

Matthew's 8th Birthday. (April 12th)

Happy 8th Birthday Matthew! We had a nice quiet birthday celebration with his favorite breakfast in the morning, and the dinner of his choice. Then we proceeded to open gifts and eat some cake and ice cream.

Ahh. This gift would be the familiar whoopee cushion. What 8-year old would be complete without a whoopee cushion? This particular gift lasted a record 5 minutes before being destroyed. Never fill them too full would be the moral of this little tale.
The flaming frisbee.Nicholas, dear sweet Nicholas, always ends up near the fire. He volunteers to light the candles, thus fueling his desire to start the fire, carry the fire and look at the fire. He is always very safe and we appreciate his willingness to help.