our cool visitor

Well, Max called him a spider for most of the day, but I finally got him to say he was praying! LOL! This little guy was on our screen for most of the day, but I found him later on the side of our house. (I thought they were always green, but learned they can be brown also.) Max thought he was pretty cool, but didn't want to touch him :)

he could go all the way ...

Grant had a touchdown his first game and an almost touchdown last week. I actually thought he had one, but obviously, I was too far down the other end of the field! LOL! He looked awesome, juking his way around the players! It was exciting! Here's the sequence: (By the way, Grant's #90 on the gray team)

getting the handoff

fall sports season is upon us ...

So, Katelyn's playing volleyball, Grant's doing football and that leaves us busy on Saturday mornings! Here are some pictures of Katelyn at her game a couple of weeks ago ... They have some work to do as a team, but Katelyn's improved a lot from last year!

no reason ...

besides it was just too cute not to share!

I got some hats in that I ordered for my business and had to test one out on Blake. I have a really great hat for girls ... need to borrow someone's little girl now!

Blake - 5 months

Have I said how fast time goes by? Oh, yeah, several times now, haven't I? It's amazing to think that Blake is 5 months already. He's growing every day, doing new things and making us smile. He's getting better with his hand-eye coordination, loves to be tickled and thinks his big brothers and sister are the coolest! They definitely can make him smile.

Here he is in his Nebraska attire (thanks, Aunt Julie!!). He would say, "Go Big Red," but he's kind of mad at them right now for being soooooo pathetic! Just kidding ... that was his mom talking.

Apple/Raspberry Pickin' in Tehachapi

Grandma Gotcher has started a new tradition ... last year, she discovered that we could go to Tehachapi and pick our own apples and raspberries. This year, Blake got to be part of the tradition (Katelyn is in Lincoln with Daddy). It was a perfect day ... the weather was not too hot, not too cold. Our first picking was apples ... and then we drove up a little further to the raspberries. Max made a new friend. He was not too happy to have to leave his kitty friend. The kitty followed him everywhere and was so friendly. It's too bad Steve's allergic ;)

Here are some photos from our day!

This is so funny ... Izzy singing!

Max and Izzy are quite the pair. They are seriously like siblings, playing together all day. It's quite funny to hear Max say, "Izzy QUIET" when Izzy is barking. You can hear them fighting in the other room (or hear Max telling Izzy what to do!). But yesterday, something really funny happened. Max happened to be yelling (for whatever reason I don't know) and Izzy decided to join in. At first I thought it was a fluke, but most of the time we can get her to do it over and over. Here's what they do:

Blake - 4 months old

I know everyone's probably tired of hearing me say this, but seriously, where does the time go? How can Blake be 4 months old already. I miss his baby-baby stage, but yet love watching him get bigger and smarter! He is ALWAYS smiling (unless he's hungry or tired) and the kids really love having him around. Max is always saying, "Blake cute." He is so good with him. We haven't started eating solids yet, but make take that on later this month. We'll see!

Blake ... playing around

It's so fun to see Blake getting bigger and learning new things. He loves to play on his tummy and always rolls to it if I put him on his back. It's annoying at times (especially when he's supposed to be napping), but I'm glad he likes to play with his toys like that. He's chewing on everything and getting better at using his hands. Here he is at his favorite spot!

Where did the summer go?

I can't even believe how fast this summer went. Between swimming and hanging out with friends, it just flew by. I was sad to see summer go, but we've settled into our routine again and the kids are enjoying their new year. Katelyn LOVES her teacher ... we never hear the end of it! Here they are on the first day ...

Blake ... is now 3 months old!

Well, I'm a little late getting these taken, but at least he's not 4 months ... yet! I have a week to go.

Here are a few from our session today!

the kids

Well, I should say the "big" kids, since Blake isn't in here. I needed help setting up my lights before a shoot, so the "big" kids jumped in and goofed off. Here's one that's not too goofy! And one that is! LOL!

Vacation Bible School!

Wow, I'm tired! We had VBS this week, and it was exhausting (I was the photographer for the week), but fun! The kids had a really great time and learned a lot! Max was in the nursery, but they brought the older kids in the nursery out to recreation time and music time. It was such a blast to watch him sing along and do all the motions! He did such a great job and loved it!

Here are some pictures from our week!

I guess I could take pictures of ...

my big kids lying around watching TV all day or playing Webkinz on the computer, but it's just not as cute as Max. It's just not. In fact, it's more irritating than anything, so they're usually being sentenced to more chores. Maybe I should take a picture of that?? So, Max has been his entertaining self as usual. Today was definitely his day for that.

Scenario #1: (this picture were staged, as I wasn't "ready" for what was happening when it happened). Max walks out into the living room with my deodorant, applying it correctly to both armpits! At least he's learning proper hygiene at a young age, right? (Photos courtesy of Katelyn)



Scenario #2: Because he knows he can't run outside naked (although he's tried several times), Max decided to get himself fully dressed in order to go follow Daddy outside. He put on everything by himself, and actually got the shoes on the right feet. However, the shirt was inside out and the shorts were on backwards, but what do I care ... one less kid to dress every day!!!! Woo hoo!!




Scenario #3: This we label as "The Breakout." Of course, we had to put chain locks on all the doors about a half a year ago, because Max had figured out how to get outside with the other locks ... too many times we found him chasing Izzy (who loves to escape also) down the street. So, tonight we find him first trying his little stool and when that didn't work, he pulled out the big guns ... the barstools. Yep, that works. Now what do we do? And notice he's naked again! (Photo courtesy of Katelyn)

How did I miss these?

I was looking back at some old pictures (wondering if I'll ever have the time to get my own pictures printed), when I came across these. I had them ready to add to my blog and everything, but I don't think I ever did it.

Max has discovered that he can climb on stools, chairs, pretty much anything to access what he wants, and usually what he wants is something sweet (sounds like his mom, doesn't it!). I heard the chair moving, and came out just in time to catch him in the act ... of course, I had to get the camera out!