Swimming in November

Yes, we're still swimming. We swam Monday night for family night. The water was wonderful.

Pets

I don't have any pictures yet, but we brought Jake home with us from Mesa. He's a French Brittany. Yes, another dog. He's really playful. He obeys better than Bella so far. And Tiger is getting huge. So, right now we have:

2 cows (Oreo already got butchered and will be eaten for Thanksgiving)
3 rabbits
3 dogs
2 kittens
Countless chickens and ducks

Plus the occasional skunk, squirrel, snake or bat.

Jay called me on Saturday while I was in Mesa and asked if I wanted to bring back a friend. I thought he meant a human. He meant the new dog. I bought a plastic tub for him to ride home in, but he kept jumping out. Just what I needed. Another distraction on my drive home. As if 8 kids weren't enough. I had to keep one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on Jake almost the entire drive. Not to mention the fact that I had to stop 3 times to feed an unhappy Suzee. It was a long drive home. And by the way, I don't even like pets. Jay owes me.

Mesa Day

Grandpa gave everyone a motorcycle ride around the back yard.

Suzee

Karen gave 5 haircuts.

Janna

Abbey

Emma

Jones

Brent and Jones

James

Rachel and Lilly

Suzee

I took the kids to Mesa Saturday for haircuts and to see Brent and Errin before they move to California.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Remember that time last week when I tried to get a measuring cup out of the cupboard, and I accidentally spilled an open bottle of hydrogen peroxide on Suzee and myself. Typically that would be no big deal, but this bottle has been without a lid for quite some time, and had become "oxidized" or something. I rinsed right after it happened, but about 20 minutes later it BURNED! I called Jay who looked it up on the internet, and it said the only way to stop the burning was to flush for 15 minutes. Who has 15 minutes in the middle of dinner with 8 hungry children? I got plates served and then got Suzee and myself in the bath. Our feet and legs were getting round white patches where the hydrogen peroxide has spilled on us. Luckily, after the bath, the burning, and eventually the white spots, went away.

Bella

Meet Bella. She joined our ever-growing family yesterday. She's about 8 weeks old, and she's a Great Pyrenees. Mix that with Tiger the LabraDane, and you get one large dog. Tiger is happy to have a friend to play with. So far Bella is very shy and calm with the kids.

Halloween 2009

Abbey the baker

James showing me his tiger tail

Emma the sorceress holding Suzee the ladybug

Lilly the cowgirl

Brook the duck

Waiting in line to go fishing for candy at our trunk-or-treat.

Lilly, Abbey, James, Brook

Emmy, Audriana, Emma and Bob

Janna the China girl (she made up her costume last minute)

Our ward soup dinner before the trunk-or-treat

Me- the Red Rider. The costume was hot... as in warm.

Saturday

Saturday was fabulous weather. We loved rolling around in the grass, until we rolled into some chicken poop. Ah, the joys of animals.

Today the weather is not so fabulous. Cold and windy.

School Pictures

Jay, Jr.- Kindergarten

Abbey- 4th Grade

Emma- 4th Grade

Janna- 3rd Grade

Lilly- Kindergarten

Playground

We filled sippies with orange Koolaid and headed out back to the playground Wednesday morning. Just as we were leaving the house, it started sprinkling. When we got to the playground it started pouring. We were stuck on the boat until the rain subsided. Luckily, I had my camera with me.