Kid Biz

 Katelyn and Dallin were in a performance group called Kid Biz, they learned songs and dances and did performances throughout the community,  they did a great job, Katelyn even had a solo and Dallin sang in a few small groups. We weren't sure how well our kids would do preforming in front of others, we have some pretty reserved genes in our family, but they did well.

 Katelyn made a lot of friends, her favorite part was playing "Red Rover" after every practice.

 Dallin and Katelyn in all of their Kid Biz glory

Dallin, all smiles after a great performance.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 Katelyn has been so excited to decorate the house she's been talking about it for weeks, but I'm one of those who like to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas, so the day after Thanksgiving Katelyn woke up early and danced around the house singing about Christmas.  she was so excited so the kids and I put up all the decorations while Cameron was a work.  I don't think he minded.

I had seen a friend do flowers on her tree and wanted to try it. Pretty huh?

Family Pictures

 We went with some friends this weekend and took turns taking each other's pictures,  they all turned out fine, but none of them turned out as amazing as I was envisioning,

This was the best picture of Grant,  sadly, he was having a hard day and wasn't feeling all that well so this is as good as it gets. 

 Katelyn on the other hand was very cooperative and we got some cute ones of her and her missing tooth

 Dallin wanted to touch everything, she it was hard to making him sit still long enough for a good shot, he loved the tree though.  I think he would still be sitting there if we let him.

Pumpkin patch

 We went to the pumpkin patch again this year.  The kids had a great time.  

 The only free thing to do is play on the Hay stack so we did a lot of that. I'm pretty sure that's their favorite thing anyway so I don't feel like I'm depriving them.  they love seeing how much hay they can dump on each other, and if there happens to be innocent by standers... well they should have thought of that before they decided to chit chat near the hay stack.... 

we let the kids ride this train hooked up to a tractor. they were pretty excited about that, and who wouldn't be,  adults weren't allowed on this ride... not sure why not...

riding the pony's was a favorite,  they loved it.

Dallin and Grant love playing on the rock pile near the pony ride. Dallin and Grant bonked heads the  week before and Grant walked away unharmed while Dallin went to school the next day with a black eye, unwilling to tell the teacher how it happened. Thankfully I'm pretty involved at that school so they knew that it had to have been an accident. 

Katelyn and one of her best friends Anna,  they sure love each other.

Cameron found this water cooler at a garage sale and loves it, we take it everywhere, I'm not totally sure what he loves about it but he does,  I think it's kind of gross to have everyone drink out of the spout so we bring cups now whenever we take the blue water cooler anywhere.

Happy Halloween

I love Halloween, well, the Fun part of Halloween, we try not to focus on the scary part.  This year I got a little lazy with the costumes and everyone wore something from our dress up box. Grant insisted on being a Ninja Turtle, I had an adorable clown costume but he didn't want to have anything to do with that.

  it's been done before....

(Halloween 2008, Don't I look so much better with eye lashes, eye brows and hair?)

 Dallin insisted on being a green power ranger, despite my efforts to get him to choose ANYTHING else.

 Katelyn was an adorable butterfly,  She looked great and had a fabulous time flapping around the church gym

Cameron was a classic nerd,  he plays the part well.

I am alive, I'm not sure what the deal is but I can't seem to blog and and live at the same time,  I thought I would have all this time once school started but in fact I'm busier then before not sure how that worked out.
we are all doing well, Cameron is finally doing radiology and seems to like it so far, we love having him around a bit more , he works from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday.  we love having him around in the evenings and on the weekends.  he wont get any call until January, because, frankly he doesn't know enough to be left alone.  
Katelyn started Kindergarten and loves it.  last week she lost one of her top front teeth so she is official now.  she has an adorable smile.  she likes her teacher but doesn't have much to report on her day when being quizzed after school.  so currently the only thing I can get out of her is she like playing flush the toilet on the playground which I think involves sliding down the twirling slide and then running up the ladder to go down again as fast as she can, she plays with a few girls in her class... I;m pretty sure she didn't come up with that one on her own.
Dallin is in preschool, he has the same teacher Katelyn had last year.  He is gone all day everyday and I have the same internal debate that I had last year with Katelyn, I hate that he is gone all day, but I love his teacher and he absolutely loves school, LOVES it.  and it's free,  but he's gone all day and I'm not ready for that yet. but he loves it.  he is super obedient at school.  they have a school rule that while walking in the halls they have a bubble and a bear hug meaning their arms are folded and they have their month is closed with their cheeks puffed out like they have a bubble in their mouth and even if everyone else in his class is goofing off he just looks straight ahead with a bubble and a bear hug, and that's just the start, he is such a good kid,  I can't believe how big he is.
Grant gets to hang out with me all day,  we do fun things like puzzles, visiting the sick and afflicted, coloring, more puzzles, tons and tons of errands he is so excited with the kids come home from school, he misses having them around.  he loves saying the prayer for every occasion even if someone else has already started praying, he jumps in and finishes it before they get the chance.  he is a funny boy.
I am busy with RS stuff,  it's like a job, I had no idea how busy the Relief Society president was.  I don't think you can really know until you've been there.   if you have a RS president, give her a hug or send some flowers or something, she is likely putting in a lot of behind the scene hours.  I'm also trying to get the house in order.  I'm trying to go room by room and redecorate or as is the case in most rooms, decorate, and then organize.  I'm kind of stuck in the office, I've succeeded in dumping and sorting the huge bins of dress up clothes and stuffed animals but I didn't get them put away before the kids got home from school one day over a week ago and currently the entire room is covered in stuffed animals, costumes and other random closet things.  the neat little stacks long since been completely demolished.  I haven't really done anything with it since.... thankfully we can close the door to that room when we need to.
anyways life is good
I have pictures but can't get them off of my camera so that will have to wait.

ice blocking

I'm not sure who came up with ice blocking perhaps someone was bored one day, and thought I know, why don't I sit on a chunk of ice and ride it down a hill. however it happened, Katelyn is grateful that it did, she loved riding down a hill, high speed on a block of ice.

 most of the time she made it about half way then the ice would slide out from under her and she would chase it down the rest of the way.

my Uncle Andy contributed these ice block seats, yes someone actually invented seats for this sport,  I kind of think it's cheating, what's the fun in ice blocking if you don't freeze your bum?

Sarah Homecoming

 My sister Sarah came "home" from her Mission in August,  she served in the Salt Lake City Temple Square mission and will be living with Becky in Salt Lake until she goes out to BYUI in a few weeks.   we were all excited to see her and hang out with her before our Durtschi/Larsen Family reunion.

(above my sisters Sarah and Becky)

Sarah and Mom

 Sarah and Me

 our niece Chris, she is Stephen's oldest daughter, and Sarah

our niece Katie she is also Stephens oldest daughter... yup twins.

 Stephen, my brother, not sure what the face is all about...

 Dallin holding his cousin Kimmy... or Abby... I've been told how to tell them apart but I can't remember.  but in any case she is one of David's twins... yup both of my brothers have twin girls.

 Jared, Stephen's son.  

 Melissa, David's beautiful wife

 Amy, my sister, she and I are 15 months apart, we did everything together.

David's other daughter... or it could be the same one, like I said, I stink at telling  them apart.

David, my brother, he is 2 years older then me and we did not get along as kids... we pretty much couldn't stand each other until he graduated from High School and then magically we decided the other wasn't so bad. and now we get along great.

Wait a minute....

I'm pretty sure this was Katelyn's idea, I asked the kids to get their jammies on and then went back to doing the dishes when I was done this is what I found...  it's funny how excited kids get to play a joke on us.