Family Pics....2010

My plan was to wait until Spring to do new pictures, but I decided to take advantage of the winter backdrop. We've done pictures in the spring, summer and fall, but only once in the winter...and I was getting impatient for a new photo to put on the wall. I'm so glad it all went well. I've also come to enjoy the photos that show my kids' personalities best. When you see the photos, you'll know EXACTLY who I'm talking about :)

Halloween

Emilee, my little gangsta'...Haydn a werewolf...Riley a skeleton...Gracie the Frog Princess...and Jake my little vampire. I left Jake's eyes red, I thought it was appropriate with his costume. :)

This was Jake by the end of the night...

Riley after trunk- or- treating

Vampire and skeleton ...

The Gang

Halloween was a little different for our family this year. Out in Lewiston there is no trick-or-treating...just trunk-or-treating. Which is, ok...but I still find it a little lame. And for the last two years there has been an Aggie basketball game on Halloween. Our family loves to do the games, so of course we went, but I took the kids into town first to get their candy stash. Halloween is just not like it used to be...

UEA Break....Lagoon!

At the beginning of the day Jake was not willing to go on a lot of rides, but by the end....well, I think you get the picture.

Space shot...kiddie style

Ok, so I swore I had these stupid log rides down...how to maneuver so I don't get soaked,the best place to sit, and when to stand instead of sit. I was obviously wrong....

On the Train....shortest ride of my life.

Cowboy up...

This ride was crazy! Thought this was a sweet shot of Delon and the kids :)

Giant spider...

What?!....Delon at the 3 point challenge?...no way! He NEVER does this.

He did it every time we walked by...funny how he doesn't have a problem wasting money on stuff like this. :)

Poor Gracie thought that once we got on this little tram ride, we'd have to jump from the top...you should have seen me trying to get her on. Wow!

Emilee and Haydn, bottom left hand corner.

Delon and Riley...Delon is in the white long sleeved top, Riley is hiding next to him.

My little sailor...

Carousel....a must no matter what carnival or park we're at.

Zebra style...

Goofball...

So our kids convinced us they needed to go to Lagoon. Lagoon is obviously never a "need", but nonetheless we went. It's been a very long time since I have been there. Not much had changed really, but it's definitely a different experience going with 5 kids. I think the trip was a good break for everyone. We really had a good time and the weather was perfect!

Barbie Birthday!

Gracie in her Tinkerbell PJ's from Grandma

Blowing out the candles....carefully.

My pretty Gracie-girl

Build-a-Bear from Grandma

Another Barbie...you can never have too many. Her cousin Sydnee would agree. These girls are two peas in a pod!

Gracie has always been a girlie girl. Sometimes it's hard for me to swallow, but this girl is content with a Barbie in one hand and a lip gloss in another. This year she finally got her Barbie Dream House...which was a nightmare to put together! Oh, the things we do for our kids...

This year she had her cousin Sydnee come, her uncle Bryan and G&G Hillesheim. It's always a lot of fun for me to have family here. Thanks to G&G who made a special trip!

And to Gracie...thanks for the drama...without you life would be very dull!

Happy Birthday Princess:)

Jake's B-day

The gang

Blowing out his matches...yes that's right, matches. That's the way we do things out here in Lewiston.

Four years old!!

One thing you will always find Jake with is a truck.

Birthday presents...

Jake turned four on Aug. 30th. It's always going to be hard for me to believe how old he is getting. It makes me a little sad that he will too being going to school soon. What will I do with all of my free time?...Just kidding, I know that comes later. Free time is far from my reach, at least for the next 10 yrs. :) Good thing I enjoy being busy. Happy Birthday Jakey!!!

We love you:)

Back to School...

Or as I like to call it...Back to my Sanity. I love to be with my kids, but I am always ready for them to go to school when Summer ends. Jake wishes he could go with them and ride the bus...2 more years Jake, sorry.

Gracie and a frustrated Jake.

Gracie

Riley

Haydn

Emilee, my middle-schooler! I feel old!

Family Reunion in Cali

Madison, Breanna, Kennedy and Emilee....after doing their little dance number. These girls have some moves!

Picking out bracelets or "silly bands"....these are a hot item.

My handsome nephew...eww I wanna squish those cheeks!

Loungin' at the beach...this was probably our favorite day of the reunion. The weather was perfect, I couldn't have asked for more. :)

Madison...complete with sand goatee.

Gracie and Lily. These two girls have so much fun together!

Talkin' shop....

This water was pretty cold...but you know the kids can't stay out.

Men in Black...

Eating lunch on the beach...lunchables mmm.

Digging trenches

Take it all in Delon...because in a few days we'll be back home with the cows and the flies....

Paula, Me, Rachel,Diana, Mom, Brooke and Natalie

All the little girls hung out with Grandpa...

They look suspicious don't they?....those two are always causin' trouble, the kind you want to get into. :)

My little man.

Oh, to have that view from my bedroom window...

Catchin' crabs

Chilly water...crazy boys!

Grandma with Ema and Grandpa sendin' out a little peace.

The girlies

Hangin' out at a park in Gilroy (Garlic Capitol of the World). We had lunch here the first day with everyone.

The boys scheming...

Jake and Grandpa...Jake has done this ever since he was born. He used to sleep this way all the time.

Mom, Diana, Me, Robin (the perfect Host and Friend) and Natalie. It was so much fun to see Robin and her family again. We always have such a good time with them!

Robin's backyard...this pool was so nice to have in 100 degree weather. We couldn't get the kids out of it. It was a salt water pool too, even better.

Lily and Kaylee...

Gracie...not quite ready to venture off without a flotation device yet. :)

Zach, Haydn and Riley...nothin' but trouble ;)

Every other year we have the Hillesheim Family Reunion. It's been something that we look forward to because we actually travel out of state, so it's also a little vacation for us. Granted, the road trips aren't always the best, but we always end up having a good time...even if we do get stuck in traffic for 2 hrs without moving because of a big accident...no, I'm not kidding. Even so, I love my family so much and I enjoy the time I get to spend with them...even if we are a little dysfunctional. Here's to the good times we've had and to the ones still to come!