You can bring a kid to an amusement park, but you can't make them smile.

I was looking through some of our more recent pictures trying to decide what might be fun to share, and I came across our November trip to the local amusement park. They had it all decked out for Christmas, and being that we live in a fairly mild climate all of the rides were running that day. We got there right before they opened and had a quick lunch then hustled on over to some of the bigger rides before the lines got too long. Rebekah is tall enough to ride everything by herself and of course that is all she would like to do all day.


This is the look of a roller coaster junkie, permanent grin.
(I don't know who the guy in back is)


Look in the second row


The day we were there Katelyn had one request. She wanted to sit with Santa and tell him what she wanted for Christmas. For those of you who don't know, the thing Katelyn wants most in the whole world is her very own pet "lion with a big mane". We have told her unfortunately until she and her siblings are less bite sized we won't be able to help her out. We didn't even go into the legality of owning and caring for exotic creatures. I guess this year she decided that she would go over our heads and ask the big jolly man himself. We went and stood in line for a very, very, very, (you get the idea) long time. For those of you who have ever stood in line with young children, you know just how pleasant this was. We got to the front, where of course they were only taking pictures and trying to get you to buy them. I don't think Santa knew what to do when Katelyn told him her request. Rebekah was horrified that Lance wanted her to squeeze into the picture, Joshua was terrified and Benjamin was just irritated that we wouldn't let him play with the toy truck prop. And the camera guy was miffed that Lance took his own pictures.


Mission accomplished!
(Sorry I don't know how to turn the picture)



"We are a happy family!"


After giving the girls both what they wanted (Rebekah was in a sour mood the rest of the day due to the effects of the coaster rides wearing off and not seeing another one in site) we thought being the generous parents we were we would take the boys to the kiddie section. Both boys love trains and we thought they would get a kick out of riding on one. They loved seeing it, and hearing it, Once on, I'm not sure that Benjamin made the connection we were on the train. I think both boys enjoyed it and I'm sure I was the only one singing on the "Santa, sing-a-long train" but all in all a fun time.





Kiddie Jail? No just waiting in line for the train.




After the train on to the really little kid rides. The ones, where Mommy or Daddy can barely squish into the seats but if your kid wants to ride a flying bug, you have to ride too. When you push the button the ride goes up, when you leave it alone you just go around. Joshua likes the safety of being near the ground with a death grip on my hand. Benjamin just wants to be the one to push the button.



Sometimes when you're going around in circles it's a little hard to pick Dad out of a crowd.







Katelyn just having a wonderful time with her
flying bug (I don't remember what she named it).

All in all we had a fun day just together as a family. However Katelyn was a touch disappointed when she didn't get a lion for Christmas.

Today we mourn the passing of Bill the Frog. For those of you who don't know we have rather nontraditional pets in the form of tree frogs. Bill has been a part of our family for the past two and a half years. Ironically after sharing our home for so long we neglected to take any pictures of him. The pictures provided are of his close friends and relations as they sit outside our front door during the summer.
Bill started out about 3/4" in length and quickly grew to about 2 1/2" inches. Mostly due to the fact that he was a pig and we readily served it up. Little Bill was every one's favorite being very active and climbing around his tank at all hours of the day or night. Many a fond hour was enjoyed in his company while coloring pictures or doing homework at the kitchen counter. Bill was always ready with a jump in your direction or a splash in the "tub" for general amusement. Bill the Frog will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by Hoppy and Kermit. When Yogurt and Jr wake up from hibernation, I'm sure they'll miss him too.

When I told the girls about Bill's passing they broke down in tears and were very upset for quite a while, Joshua asked when he would be resurrected and Benjamin just looked at us like we were all crazy. Then of course it led to the inevitable question of "can we get a dog?".


It was interesting to note that the kids all turned to their testimonies of Jesus Christ and our ability to be resurrected and reunited with loved ones as a comfort to them. I hope that as they grow older and lose those even more dear and precious to them (as happens with time), they will still be able to find hope and comfort in the same place.

New Year, New Habits?

I have come to the conclusion that I'm not that great at keeping a journal or with keeping everyone up to date with the goings on of our little family. After some thought I decided why not follow in the footsteps of my younger sisters and start a blog, thereby killing two birds with one stone. With the help of a friend, who didn't laugh too loudly when she walked me through this very simple process, I'm now on my way. Wish me luck!

Here are some recent pictures of the fam.

Ok, so I'm just learning and I don't know how to get the pictures to go where I want. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.