I need more pictures

earlier this month I took a LOT of pictures of the kids hoping that some of them would be nice ones for 'school' pictures. My poor Timothy is painfully nervous in front of a camera and I have no idea why. but for all of the pictures I took of him, none of those pictures turned out well.
I've been thinking about that for a while now and about how I have posted many pictures of Connor and Ronan and Emma but not very many of the big kids. So I went looking back a bit to some pictures I took earlier this month and then didn't do anything with. I'm relatively happy with this picture of Tim. It's not the greatest picture but at least he's relaxed in it.

I'm going to have to get them up to the Arboretum at least one more time, preferably in the next week or two, just so I can get some good pictures. I need some new ones for the living room.

Eureka!

My sister and her husband are our nature consultants. I emailed a couple of pictures of the geese to them and this morning I got an answer. The geese are Egyptian white brown geese. They most likely escaped from someone's yard, but there are also some feral groups that are growing throughout the united states.


Addition: Tim's aunt emailed me this morning. {thanks for reading} :-)
she checked into the goose question and she also finds them to be Egyptian. Thank you! I'm glad I got to see them. they are a nice rarity here and I'm sure we will remember them for a long time. I might have to print them and hang them in my entry way or a little living room corner. But at least I know what they are when I look at them.

What kind of geese are these?

This morning as we were on our way into town we passed these geese on the side of the road. I've never seen this kind of bird around here before so I'm guessing that they might have been someone's pets and they forgot to clip their wings. but then maybe I just haven't been very observant.
but my bird book does not have then in it so they probably are not a common goose for Minnesota.

they let us get really close so I was able to get some nice decent pictures.

If you know what they are, please tell me.

very proud of my guy

Today school was dismissed early for a teachers' meeting. Timothy stayed after school and attended Peer Mediator's training.
They have a program at school in which the 5th and 6th grade kids can volunteer to help other kids during recess to resolve minor conflicts. It is supervised by an adult, but it is up to the kids to find a solution to any minor problem that the younger kids might have (like fighting over a swing or who gets to be friends with that kid)
He decided that he wanted to be a mediator because he felt that the other kids were doing a bad job. He said it's because he knows what it is like to be bullied and He wants to be able to stand up for the little guy.
Good for him! I know he will do a great job.

I told you they are crazy

I caught Ronan playing with the aluminum foil today. He had pulled out a big piece and then crumpled it up so I couldn't roll it back up too well. So I stuck in on his head and fashioned it into a little helmet. He then ran around the house with it on and showed it to daddy and off he went again.
then Connor wanted an "acorn" hat as well as Emma. I made one for Connor and he immediately ripped it apart.


Then I made one for Emma. By this time Ronan had had enough and was being uncooperative for pictures.
oh well. He's cute all the time.

Leaves!

Connor has been coping pretty well with the three oldest going to school, but I know that he misses them a lot. They play together all the time and they love to be outside. So while Ronan was napping today, Connor and I went outside to play under "the Two Tree". The kids named it that because it is really two trees growing so closely together. We also have a "three tree" named for the same reason. I like the "two tree" because the branches start out very very high up the trunk and they bow down all the way to the ground so it feels like it is a little room.

well anyway, we played in the leaves. I love Autumn time.

just some random stuff

I love Autumn. It is my favorite season, I think it always has been. I love the cool weather, the dry air, the wonderful colors, the reduction of mosquitoes because of the cold nights.

The last few days we have been experiencing an Indian Summer. It's amazing how terrible 80 degrees feels once you've gotten used to 70.

But this warm weather and a touch of rain a few days ago has perked up a few of my flowers.

Yesterday was my nephew's birthday. Timothy went with him and some of their friends to the park at the lake behind our house and went fishing. No one caught any fish. Most likely they were just making too much noise and being too silly. But at least they had fun and that was really what they were there for.
We went and joined them for hamburgers and cake and ice cream but the kids played for a while before the food.

Everyone had a fun time. Emma had on her bonnet from Grandma Leonnie. she loves that thing. I think she'd wear it to school if I let her.
Ronan did pretty well at the lake. He actually stayed out of the water, but then my younger sister was there and Adrienne is always popular.
If you look really closely at Ronan's head you can tell that he's had a hair cut recently. I think I did an okay job for how squirmy he was. It is a bit frizzy so it's a good thing that hair grows. :)

Bubble beard

I've always felt that Ronan's soul was old, but growing a beard already?!

Owie!

Yesterday I was very frustrated and angry so I went for a long walk. My shoes are terrible and my toes were falling asleep so I took my shoes off and continued walking and bruised my heels. OW!


My hips are also killing me. one of the several things that was bothering me while I was walking is that after having 5 kids I have gotten so fat it's very embarrassing, and no wonder I ended up bruised and beaten from a simple walk.
I'm hobbling around and I feel old beyond my years.

I need to start doing yoga again. nice and low impact but gradually effective.

photo shoot

I was taking pictures in the yard, hoping to capture a bit of Fall, and along came Emma so I used that opportunity to pose her a bit in the little play cottage.


I love this little cottage. I kind of want to decorate it for Christmas. It will be so cute to string it with lights and have a tiny evergreen in the corner inside.

and we're back

Tim is great. He got my computer going again.
(fingers crossed)

the funny little guy below

I was "shopping" around this morning for Christmas ideas and thought about this game called Spore. I thought it looked like it might be fun and wanted to know a bit more about it.
They have a demo on the site and you can build a creature yourself and give it a name, etc. Connor saw me fiddling around with it and so he had a turn.

Push the "buttons" under him. He's cute.

I'll probably be taking him off here after a while, but have fun while he's here.

probably a little slow

okay, so my computer is broken, again. grrrrr
I have no idea what is wrong with it but it will not turn on no matter what. I guess it's on strike or something. I'm getting power to my motherboard but the power switch is refusing to do it's duty.

So until I get it fixed... (Charity, tell your husband I'll be contacting him, I think) this blog is going to be a little slow going and definitely uninteresting since I won't be able to add pictures until my computer is healthy again.

please bear with me and I will send out a general email to lots of people informing you when it gets pretty to look at again.

What in the world!

a couple of days ago I wrote about Tim's and my anniversary and I posted a picture of the Temple that we were sealed in.
Yesterday it was on the news that someone had set fire to our Temple. :(

It's still standing so maybe the "silver lining" of this is that the members around here will appreciate having a Temple here a little more and won't take it for granted anymore.

She's gorgeous

I've had a couple people remind me that I needed to get a recent picture of Erica posted since I hadn't done it on her first day of school.
Today we were snapping a bunch of pictures for "school" pictures. I just can't justify spending over $20 per kid for one pose and a fake smile. I can take much better pictures at home for free.

Erica was being a bit silly but I did get several good pictures of her. She always feels so embarrassed when we tell her that she is beautiful. I don't know if she is just trying to be modest or if she really doesn't think that she is so beautiful. Well, here is proof.

Sad on a very special day

(this post is an exception to ME being the photographer. I did not take the following pictures because I am in them.)

Six years ago today, Tim and I were married. It was really really hot compared to today. it's nice and cool today, but that day it was 92 degrees when we got married, in the evening.
We were melting. Tim hadn't worn long pants since his grandmother's funeral a couple of years before so I'm sure he was dieing. but he looked so good all dressed up - he still does.
I was a lot prettier then. Now, please don't take my picture - please, please don't.even when I was largely pregnant I was pretty. but now, please don't take my picture... again.

So anyway.
Four years ago we took a little trip to the St Paul Temple and Tim and I were sealed to each other and also to Emma. My dad was a Sealer when he and Leonnie were on their Temple mission up here so he was able to get permission to be our Sealer.
Erica and Timothy were not able to be sealed to us and I can't tell you how painful that is for me and really for all of us equally. maybe someday? but probably not.
But we all went together.

The kids are so small! Look at Erica! that was 4 years ago and now she is about a half inch taller then me. Timothy is very close to passing me by. And there's my husband, still looking great.
and I'm trying to hide behind a three year old Emma. It didn't work.


Today I don't get to spend much more than an hour with my husband. He has to work tonight. We were sick this last weekend and still are. Money is always tight so we can't afford to go out to dinner so we didn't get to celebrate our anniversary yet, and we might not get to.
Today I'm kind of feeling bad for myself and for Tim. He could use nice long vacation from work and I could use a night out.

looks like I'm having a pity party for myself.

Yay, a party!

First Day

Today was Emma's first day of school. She was so excited to go, but I still had to prod her along to make sure she ate her breakfast. We got ready and sent Erica off to school, she rode the bus this morning. All the kids will be riding the bus, but for Emma's big day we drove Emma and Timothy to school.

She looks so little, now that I think about it.


I'd bet that she was the only kindergartener walking into this building with a smile on her face.


Timothy is getting old enough where he feels weird, I guess, to have his parents take him to his class so I quickly snapped a picture of him before we went in and he showed himself to class.


Tim and I walked behind her class to her room and watched from a slight distance while she hung her backpack and sweater and off she went into the room.
She is so ready for school. I think that Tim is a little emotionally wounded. Pooper didn't even have time for a good bye hug and kiss.
She didn't seem to have any patience for me to take her picture. She went into her classroom and never looked back. I'm a little sad about that as well. I had hoped that she would have had a harder time leaving us. But at the same time I'm glad that she is so confident in herself and also in Tim and me. She knows we're here when ever she needs us (for as corny as that sounds).

what happens when mom is washing dishes?

This

It was nice that he chose a color that matched exactly with his shirt ~ a very coordinated little clown.