It's A Girl 2012!

Ray Family Christmas Party

2012-02-05T11:25:00.011-07:00

We enjoyed another wonderful celebration together! Darin and SueAnn's family chose our "project" this year. We were able to make donations to a program at Utah State University that helps kids with Autism to socialize. We also made donations to the Logan Food Pantry. Choosing a charity each year has quickly become what we really look forward to!
Our party was, of course, big and rowdy, and full of fun!

Above: Alexis and Kellan

Below:Ty, Rylee, and Emma

Above: Quinci and Presley

Below: Garrett
Our biggest surprise came with jingle bells on the front porch!!!
All of the children felt great excitment and anticipation from Santa's early visit.

Below: Ellen

Santa had some fun activities for the kids. He showed them some of his magic and reminded them of the true reason for Christmas, Jesus Christ.

Below: Logan and Emma helped Santa.

Each child got a turn on Santa's lap.
Above: Jocie

Below: Kelton

Charlie and Adam asked for Transformer Rescue Bots!

Above: Payton

Below: Ellen

Above: Libbie

Below: Alexis

Above: McKenna

Below: Quinci

Above: Hunter

Below: Kellan

Above: Josh, with a timid Garrett

Below: Logan

You're never too old!

Above: Kylie

Below: Ty

Above: Brennan

Below: Emma

Above: Rylee

Below: (Probably more resistant than Garrett) Kaden

First Snow (November 2011)

2012-02-05T09:02:00.017-07:00

Another Spooky Halloween

2011-12-04T19:33:00.009-07:00

We had another fun filled halloween, complete with parties and plenty of sweets!
We followed our tradition and spent Halloween night with Uncle Matt and Aunt Carolyn's family. We're down to two trick-or-treating partners. Libbie and Charlie were quick to the doors, Kelton took care of his little cousin Adi- they took their time.
Charlie had a new pleasure this Halloween, he go to celebrate at school (above)!
Of course, the annual Ray Family Halloween Party was a hit, as always! It was complete with a pinata, face painting, a cupcake walk, a bean bag toss, and other fun games. We look forward to it each year!

Hunter got talked into a beautiful butterfly, painted by Aunt Kelly. It didn't last long!
Kelton and Charlie (above), Josh and Garrett (below)

Adoreable neices come in all sizes: Libbie (above), Presley (below)

McKenna and Quinci (above), Kelly, Garrett, and Carolyn (below)

Even teenagers are pretty great! Hunter and Kylie (above), Emma- the lunch lady (below)

Ellie Girl was a princess, and Quinci was a bum (is that okay to say?)

What would Halloween be without some animals? Presley was an adoreable kitty, and Kellan made the cutest chicken!

Captain America and Peter Pan loved Paytons "dead look". It doesn't matter what you are when you're an older boy- just add some blood. You could be a zombie, a vampire, just plain dead- it all works!
Logan and McKenna found the neighbors cat, Tiger.
Grandma and Papa made very cute chipmunks!

Thanks to Aunt SueAnn, our party was the best yet! She suggested carnival style, and it turned out to be a lot of fun! Just ask Darcy (below).

Our friends Lucy and Violet came to our church Halloween Party with us. It turned out not to be a Halloween Party at all, rather a Harvest Celebration. Charlie, Adam, Lucy, and Violet were the only ones in costumes. They still had fun, but next time, I'll pay better attention!
Another Halloween tradition we have, is to do a corn maze with Darin, SueAnn, and the kids in Logan. We went, and once again, had a blast. Although, the kids never really seem to understand why we wonder around in a field of corn.

Everything else:

2011-11-03T20:22:00.008-06:00

We got back from Seattle, this summer, just in time to celebrate Kellan's first birthday!
Charlie and Adam smohered him with their affection. They even opened his presents for him!

The next little group of pictures may seem random. To me, they are just some of the most joyful moments of the summer- not to be forgotten.
From Adam, pigtails and corn on the cob (to go).

Ten boys on a trampoline, and four wheeler rides- I'm not sure which is scarier....

Hiking to doughnut falls with Daddy, and underwear heads with Lucy and Violet.
Mama turned 35 (also very scary)!

A favorite summer activity- the zoo with good friends.

Adoreable, tiny kittens at Grandma and Grandpa's neighbors house.

My brothers Ben and Darin, and one huge fish! Ben caught the fish, but Darin feels just as much joy- I think our Grandpa Ray is smiling from heaven!

We closed summer, by starting school. Charlie's kindergarten year in Ms. Haslam's class has been awesome! He is learning so much, and becoming such a big boy!
Someday, Charlie and Adam will hate me for this picture! For now, how cute are they?!

First day of kindergarten- I only cried twice the night before. I held it together at the school.....
Within a week, Charlie had gotten his first black eye at recess. Don't worry, it wasn't bullies or fighting, just good hard playing. He's trying to be more careful! He said, "Well, at least this eye pretty much just feels like the other one."

The other true sign that summer was ending, was Labor Day in St George. We had a great time with Grandma and Papa, Aunties and Uncles, and of course, all of our cousins!!!

We got to celebrate India's birthday with her, which was so much fun!

And, it was wonderful getting to know baby Eva (they should have named her Pauline, or mini me)!

The week after we returned from St George, Adam had to get his tonsils out. You just ask him, it was no fun!

We almost wished we could have left him at the hospital for his ten day recovery. Does anyone know a reasonable three year old? We're glad it's over! To add insult to injury, they're actually charging us for the surgery!

Charlie, Adam, and I spent several Sundays driving up Emigration Canyon to pick up Christian. Our rock star Dad ran to the top of the canyon many Sunday mornings. It's only 15 or so miles. Anyway, in the fall, as the leaves changed, it was a beautiful drive. Charlie and Adam enjoyed getting out at the top and playing around.

Charlie is more than ready to help take care of a new baby. We got to watch Kellan a few weeks ago. Charlie was available for anything he might need. When he woke up the next morning, and Kellan was gone, he flopped on the floor with a very sad look on his face. I asked him what was wrong. In a nice and whiny voice he said, "I want Kellan to be with us." Charlie is a very adoring cousin!

Summer Vacation (last June :)

2011-10-19T23:17:00.003-06:00

Our summer vacation was in June, this year. We were sceptical of the weather, but it turned out to be quite nice. At the very begining of our trip, we stayed at the Silver Cloud Inn, just outside Safeco Field. Our room had an incredible view, and so did the hotel rooftop, which also had a fun swimming pool.

We were there for the Rock 'n Roll run. Daddy and Papa planned to run, but Daddy had an injury. Papa did great, he beat his best time!

The night before the run, a guy who was staying in our hotel blew out 40 candles on his birthday cake, in his hotel room. Have you ever been evacuated from a hotel? It wasn't very fun, but Charlie thought it was funny (after the fact). He wished the guy a happy birthday, while Adam said, "You scawed the cwap out of us!"
We proudly waited for Papa on the street near the finish line. We were so excited when we saw him coming!

The best part of our trip was spending time with our cousins, including meeting little baby Eva for the first time. We had fun making tissue paper pom poms!

The whole reason I started knitting was for teddy bears. I thought knitted teddy bears were SO cute! I knitted baby Eva's bear with a lot of love!

Another fun activity we did with our cousins was growing dinasaurs. You put the eggs in water, then over a period of a few days, you watch them hatch.

We also enjoyed Ray's Boathouse Cafe, with it's beautiful view, and a trip to the children's museum, with our cousins.

Grandma Toni always enjoys a visit from the boys. We took cupcakes for Suzie's birthday. Charlie and Adam are very lucky to have two Great-Grandmothers still living!

Another fun activity was the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. The walrus tank was really cool. You can see that they would swim right down in front of us.
The biggest hilight of our trip was finding out that we have another baby on the way. I couldn't figure out why I was getting car sick.....needless to say, inspite of the first trimester nausea, we have been SO excited! Our next summer vacation will have a new twist!

Family Pictures (last spring!)

2011-10-19T15:22:00.009-06:00

Seeing Pink!

2011-10-02T21:41:00.008-06:00

Well, although I'm behind on my blogging, this week I have a pretty great reason to post! On September 29th, we found out that our little bundle of joy is 99% likely to be a girl!!!

Needless to say, we are thrilled! I'm busy imagining her in my mind-- blue eyes or brown, Charlie's hair or Adam's? Or, will she be her own mold completely?

Whatever she looks like, this I know to be true, our lives are forever changed. I am grateful!

Happy Birthday, Charlie!

2011-08-07T21:26:00.015-06:00

For Charlie's birthday this year, the whole Ray family got together to go camping!
Okay, maybe it wasn't exactly FOR his birthday, but we did have a fun camping trip. And, Charlie and Logan got to celebrate their birthdays together.
Most of the family made an appearance at some point. Below is our nephew Ty, with his friend.

We each took turns doing meals. One night we made home made ice cream. You can see that McKenna's ready for her Mom to give her some (above)! Jocie (below) was loving hers, too!

Charlie LOVES that his big boy cousins will wrestle and have fun with him. On this particular night, he didn't give Kaden a break.

This was our first real camping experience with the boys. Papa Dennis gifted us his tent, and Charlie and Adam thought it was great! Unfortunately, the allergies were horrible. Adam and Christian had to go home to sleep the second night, and it really took them all month to recover.

Uncle Ben and Uncle Dan shared their boat with us. It was so fun, and perfect for the kids. They had a blast!

Of course we could count on Kellan to be a happy camper!

Above: Adam and the other birthday boy, Logan

Below: 4 of the 6 Ray boys, L to R: Ben, Dan, Darin, Josh

Above: Uncle Darin and, one of our coolest cousins, Hunter

Below: Charlie, catching some air, and Daddy

Adam, Charlie and Payton found some time to just relax!

For some of us, relaxation is knitting. Unfortunately for me, I was too worried about Adam falling into the water. The poor little guy had to wear a life jacket almost all of the time. It didn't stop him from getting dirty. I didn't get any knitting done!

Cousins are the best! Above, Kelton and Adam found some shade, and below, McKenna is one of the ladies. She's really doing well wih her own knitting projects!
Charlie and Adam are so lucky to have the cousins they have. Brennan and Kaden aren't too old or too cool to hang with these little boys. It's great!

It's fun to have so many girls around. I don't always get to enjoy the giggling and chatting of little girls. They're all growing up before our eyes, and it's fun to watch. Darcie and Kylie are the youngest and oldest in their family (above). Jocie and Libbie (below) were born seven days apart.

The boys were happy to have a warm day, so they could do some jumping! Above, I caught Hunter mid-air! Brennan, Hunter, Kaden, and Payton are in the picture below, but Logan was jupming, too.

Adam snuggled into Uncle Matt and got very sleepy. By the end of the ride, he was zonked!

Darcie thought it would be a good idea to have s'mores! Jocie agreed, but her marshmallow was so big she couldn't get her mouth around it.
Special Kay indulged!
Brennan, Hunter, and Kaden brought more firewood.
Charlie mastered the golden marshmallow!

Kelton seemed pretty happy about his...

And, finally Hunter, the messiest of them all! We had a wonderful weekend! We should get to spend one weekend a month with our family. It was really great!

Done with Pre-School.....Onto Kindergarten?!

2011-08-07T20:47:00.005-06:00

So, I'm a bit behind on my blogging. Did I just state the obvious? Anyway, I thought it might be a good idea to document the end of pre-school before Kindergarten starts in a few weeks.
On June 8th, Charlie was very sad to say good-bye to his 17 everyday friends. He loved pre-school!
His teachers planned a fun program for the kids. They each got to bring home a bucket of fun things.

Yeshi and Charlie hit it off on almost the first day of school. They had so much fun playing together.
Adam enjoyed taking Charlie to school each day. He felt very comfortable in Charlie's classroom.
Charlie and McKenzie
Charlie and Lily. Lily's Mom told me that the night before, Lily had asked her what her last name would be when she married Charlie. :)
Ms. Aline was such a wonderful teacher! Charlie was very lucky!
Charlie also loved Ms. Maria. She greeted us each morning with a smile, always making Adam feel special too!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Adam!

2011-06-19T18:04:00.009-06:00

Did you know that purple is Adam's favorite color? I thought I would use it in his honor....This is Adam's portrait on the morning of his 3rd birthday. Pretty adorable! Below is a picture of Charlie, that I love. This is how he often looks when Adam has said, or done, something Charlie thinks is funny. He doesn't ever laugh out loud, he just scrunches up his nose and gives a little "heh heh."
Adam requested pancakes for breakfast. They both love to help, but Adam loves to eat the pancake batter. Charlie and I think he's nuts!

Anyone who knows me well knows I enjoy making the boys birthday cakes. About a week before Adam's birthday, I asked the boys what kind of cakes they wanted. When they said batman and cookie monster, I didn't know if I could do it. I did both cakes on the same day because I knew we would be camping on Charlie's birthday. I think they turned out pretty good. Adam had white cake inside, and Charlie's was chocolate. They were happy!
As you can see, although they both enjoyed the cookies, it was Charlie who was really the cookie monster!

We surprised the boys with this little trampoline. It fits two to three little kids at a time, or one bigger kid. Pretty injury proof, and a lot of fun!
If you can look past how dirty their bath water is, these pictures are SO sweet. What a perfect end to Adam's birthday! I'm so thankful that when Adam was born, Charlie got a best friend for life. There's no greater blessing, I'm sure of this.
My life is full.

Pets, and other things...

2011-04-30T20:30:00.010-06:00

Sometime in the begining of March, Charlie and Adam both got an infection in their eyes. It was pretty much a pain to do drops in their eyes three times a day for ten days. As a reward, they each got a fish at the end of the ten days.
On the way to the pet store, Charlie said," Why can we only get a fish, why can't we just get a dog, or something?" I told him we have to start somewhere.
Charlie named his fish Momo. Adam named his fish Grape the Grape (he really wanted a purple fish, blue had to do).

Charlie and Adam are really starting to have fun together. They play pretty well, and it's fun to hear them pretending together. They're super into imaginary play.

Cousins are always a highlight at our house! One night in March, we were lucky enough to have Ellie Girl and Baby Kellan!

We have had a really chilly spring, but all it takes is one nice day to go to the zoo.

Charlie is a really cool kid! He is a great artist (above), and he isn't always willing to go to bed. That's why it's so cute when he just zonks out where ever he is. It doesn't happen very often.
For Adam, there are no words...
Another pretty nice day brought another trip to the zoo. This time with friends.

Papa Dennis is a fixer guy. He loves his garage, and he recently installed a sink. Adam usually gets SO sandy when he's playing in Grandma and Papa's sandbox. Papa suggested that he should just take his bath out in the garage. Adam loved it!!!

It became a party, complete with baby Garrett, and some drilling for Charlie.

And, of course, when all was said and done, Charlie needed a bath too.

To celebrate the Presidents of the United Sates of America....we went to Washington (Seattle, that is)

2011-04-14T11:09:00.010-06:00

Not only were Charlie and Adam excited to go to Seattle....they could not WAIT to go on an airplane! When the flight was over, we waited to be the last people off of the plane. We were hoping that the boys could peak in the cockpit. We didn't know they would be invited to sit in the Captain's seat! Pretty cool!

For Tanner's birthday celebration, he wanted to ride the fast go carts with the big boys. It was cold, but they had fun. And, hey, the sun was shining!

Tanner's birthday celebration, Part 2: Bowinkles. This time the little boys had fun as well. At first, Adam was sad because he wasn't big enough to ride the boat ride with Daddy and Charlie. Charlie stepped in, as the big brother, and comforted him (below).

The boys had tons of fun inside. There was a big play land for Adam and Charlie, and video games for the grown up boys. Tanner and Papa Craig even played laser tag.

It was so special for us to be able to visit Grandma Toni. She is about to turn 94! What a woman. We are lucky to have her, and she deserves to see how big her Great-Grandsons have gotten!

Tanner's birthday celebration, Part 3: On Tanner's actual birthday, we had dinner, cake, and T man got to open a few gifts. It was fun to share his 14th birthday with him!

Little Fish

2011-04-14T09:20:00.003-06:00

Every Friday afternoon, Charlie, Adam, Sam, and Max get to swim together. They all take swimming lessons from the same teacher, Emily. Before and after each lesson they have fun in the pool. Courtney is nice enough to get in with the kids so I don't have to.

Whittier Elementary Pre-School

2011-04-14T09:10:00.002-06:00

I was invited to come to Charlie's pre-school to tell them about my job. Adam came too.

I think most of the children were having a good time, just not Charlie. He kept saying, "Mom, this is SO boring." That's when his teacher invited him to the apple table to color.
Each child got to sit in the chair and have their hair combed. Even Charlie took a turn. I will say, he does love school!

38 in St George

2011-04-12T09:07:00.007-06:00

Christian decided that St George would be the perfect place for him to turn 38. We invited our friends Courtney and Mitch, along with their boys Sam and Max. We had awesome weather, and a great time!

I think this is the first time that Adam has had a friend who's a boy, who's his own age. They are definitely best buddies!

Talk about BOY dominant! Courtney and I are up to our eyes in boys.....it's not so bad!

We decided that since Daddy likes food better than dessert, we would celebrate with hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon. It was popular, maybe we'll make it a tradition!

Christian let the boys open his gifts. They each took turns. He got a lot of silly little Liverpool things, a toothbrush, a gym bag, and a callendar. He was surprised, and entertained!

Sometimes Charlie goes a little overboard with his tattoos!

In the end of January, 60 degrees felt like summer! It was just enough sunshine to get us through February. There is no time better than family time!

Happy Birthday, Kelton!

2011-04-09T23:32:00.005-06:00

On January 23rd, Kelton had his 10th birthday. We were lucky enough to join in celebrating with him.
Who's the cute little baby?
Papa Dennis got an awesome scooter after his foot surgery. Libbie and Charlie thought it was super cool!

Can you believe Libbie is this little girls aunt? This is similar to the age difference between me and my Aunt Marni. Someday, Libbie and Alexis may feel more like sisters!

Uncle Kelton isn't opposed to sharing, but Alexis' Mama might be opposed to her indulging!
Brennan brought his class hampster home for the weekend. Charlie and Adam really liked it. Adam had been holding it and playing with it when he turned to me and said, "Mama, I willy wish this hamstuw was a kitty."

Somehow, the night turned into a big wrestling match! Nobody got hurt, and, as always, we were the last to leave...

Nothin' says "I have a dream" like a trip to Bear Lake!

2011-04-08T19:15:00.008-06:00

We spent Martin Luther King Day at a cabin at Bear Lake. Most of my family was there. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. We had a lot of fun!

The driveway was pretty good for a quick ride on the sled. Here we have Libbie in the blue, McKenna in the middle, and Jocelyn on the other side in the pink.
Charlie took his first little ride on a snowboard. Big day!

Adam and I had some fun on the sled!

Hot cocoa is a must after a bit of outdoor winter fun. Adam loved hangin' with his cousin Brennan....
Logan and Payton also warmed up with hot cocoa.
If there was a phone with games, the kids got ahold of it. They were pretty good at taking turns.
Uncle Josh and Baby Garrett snuggle in.
Matt and Carolyn relaxing.
Darin, SueAnn, & Hunter
The only thing that could make Charlie happy at bedtime was a snuggle with baby G.

The kids were supposed to be having a campout in the living room, but there wasn't a lot of sleeping going on.
Adam and Jocie taking turns with the game phone, again...
The big boys playing the real video games!

Luckily, we found the city swimming pool, and the kids had a great time.
Charlie, to our joy and amazement, has become quite the little swimmer. He is so fun to watch!

Between Ty and Papa, Charlie and Adam were in good hands.

Adam, naked as a jay bird, playing on the game phone....surprise! (not really)
Charlie and Adam are becoming pretty good playmates. Charlie really looks out for his little brother. Either that, or he beats him up. You never know.
Adam had a great time, but he was happy to be home, happy and exhausted!

Miss Rose Got Married!

2011-04-08T18:11:00.006-06:00

You may think that my niece, Callie Rose, must have just gotten married. On the contrary, she married Theron Whetstone on December 30th. (I'm a little behind!)
Papa Dennis with his grandkids, above: Callie Rose, below: Charlie and Adam
Charlie likes to get his hands on the camera. This is one of his works of art!
It was fun to spend the day with our nephew Ty, and Grandma Kay.
Gorgeous hair, if I do say so myself...
Callie's nothing, if not sassy!

Grandma Kay with "boyfriend"...
Great-Grandma Sheri with her grandson Adam, and her great-granddaughter Alexis Lilly. Don't you think she could just be our little sister? Adam does.
Mama loves!
Libbie, Callie's little sister, is one of Charlie and Adam's favorite cousins. Cousins are the best!
Below, l to r: Ty, Quinci, Rylee, Kalli, Ellen, Libbie, Special K (nicknamed by Adam), Auntie Marni, Christian, and Emma
I told Callie that I think she's too young to get married. If it had been anyone other than Theron, I would have put up a fight! I think she found a great guy!
Ace (nicknamed by Callie) stole a dance with the bride...
I stole a dance with prince charming...
The bride stole a dance with her Dad...
The lady Lou Lou (Libbie) stole a dance with her big brother Brennan...it was a great night!

Christmas Day

2011-02-23T11:49:00.010-07:00

Christmas morning was very exciting for Charlie and Adam. They peeked over the balcony in great anticipation, wondering if Santa came.
Santa did come! Charlie and Adam must have been on the nice list. Charlie got the batcave he wanted, and Adam got his moon dough.

We were so glad to share Christmas morning with Regalie Grandma and Papa. It made it a lot more fun!

Some other gifts that Charlie recieved: A Superhero Squad blanket, A Superhero Squad art set, a Toy Story 3 alien fishing game, a small motorcycle course, light up shoes, and batman boots, a hot wheels car launcher, and some fun legos and other building toys. What a lucky boy!

Some other gifts that Adam recieved: An alphabet train puzzle, a small motorcycle course, a pirate ship and pirate cave, megablox, light up shoes, and Thomas the train boots, and and art set. He loved Christmas!
Charlie and Adam were excited to play with their clay.
On Christmas afternoon, Darin and SueAnn came with their kids. We ate lunch, and the kids enjoyed playing with their cousins! Another Christmas came and went. We had a great time, and the boys can't wait for next year!!!

December, Part 2.....finally.

2011-02-07T00:24:00.012-07:00

One of the best things that happened to us before Christmas is that Santa came to our house on a Wednesday night. He had already left coats on the porch for Charlie and Adam a couple of weeks before, and we'd heard a rumor that he was doing visits in our neighborhood, but when we heard bells jingling on our front porch, we could not believe it!!!
Santa couldn't bring his reindeer (they were resting for Christmas Eve night), but he brought part of his magical rein. He showed Charlie and Adam how it worked.
He even let them touch it, and he showed them some of his other magic. Did you know that we each have a light inside of us? He took Charlie and Adam's lights out, then put them back in!
He told us that Jesus Christ is the reason that we have Christmas. He's also the reason that we have a light inside of us (the light of Christ). He reminded us that Christmas is about the joy of giving.
Charlie and Adam each got to sit on Santa's lap. He gave them each some candy and a stuffed version of their very own elves. Santa told them that "Elpharlie and Elphadam" had been giving him good reports on their behavior. Charlie and Adam have known that their elves were watching them! It was a very special visit!
On Christmas Eve we had a special celebration at Regalie Grandma and Papa's house.
The Grinch came (Grandma Sheri) and gave each family the book of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
You can see that Libbie liked the Grinch. Charlie did not! He was very scared, and wanted nothing to do with him. Grandma didn't want to scare him, so her mask wasn't on long.
Along with our story books we each got a stuffed grinch. (Above: Aunt Libbie and little Alexis)

Above: Todd, Alexis, and Tracy with the Grinch

Below: Brennan, Kelton, Libbie, and Kaden

Above: A loving Adam, and a less loving Charlie

Below: Logan, Garrett, and Payton
One of the highlights of the evening, was that somehow, Santa managed to drop a load of PJs on the porch for the kids! What a surprise!

Above: Grandma Regalie with Alexis and Presley

Below: Daddy, and Charlie showing something great to Aunt Ashley

Energy level winding down....for some.

The kids enjoyed opening presents from Grandma and Papa. We enjoyed watching them play with their toys!
Lori and Ashley are great Moms, and kind of like sister wives (JK)! Married to Dan and Ben, they take care of each others babies often. Kellan is 6 months old here, and Presley, just more than a year.
Does this woman look like a Grandmother??? Well, she is! This gorgeous little Alexis Lilly is Carolyn and Matt's first grand child.

For me, one of the best parts of Christmas is our annual service project or charity. This year, Matt chose for us to help the orphanage that he did service for last February. We had a lot of fun gathering toys and other necessary items for the orphans. We also raised almost one thousand dollars for them to have fresh vegetables. They rarely are able to have a balanced meal. It was a blessing to be able to do this!

Aunt Kellie and Uncle Josh keep baby Garrett fed. This little guy is a tank! So cute!

Adam enjoyed the service project as much as anyone! (Above with Papa Regalie, below with his awesome cousin Brennan)

Above: Uncle Ben with his cute little niece Presley

Below: Presley's proud parents, Dan and Ashley (with Matt in the background)

Above: Aunt Lori with her fabulous artichoke dip (one spicy, one not)

Above: the very handsome baby Kellan

Below: the very beautiful baby Presley with her Daddy, Dan

Mama love! Above: Lori and Kellan, Below: Tracy and Alexis

At the end of the night, when all of the cousins and Aunts and Uncles went home, we stayed. The boys were cozy in their new jammies from Santa, and they opened their Christmas books from Mom and Dad. Charlie got a traditional copy of "Twas The Night Before Christmas," which he thought was boring at first, then changed his mind. Adam got a much more exciting copy of a Little People Christmas, full of peek-a-boo windows. It was a wonderful night, and we were ready to dream of sugar plums. Another Christmas Eve come and gone.

December, Part 1

2011-01-09T15:37:00.005-07:00

Because Charlie missed his last day of school before Thanksgiving, he didn't get to bring his cute turkey home until December. We still loved it!
On December 2nd, Elle Girl turned 7! She and Charlie are the best of friends!
The Wyatt household has no shortage of beautiful girls. Emma is one of our faves!
I'm always a little bit disappointed when Charlie does great art work on his magna doodle. There's no way to keep it, so I took a picture. He's quite the artist.

The first weekend of December we went to Las Vegas for Christian, Ken, and Michele to run in the Rock 'n Roll half marathon. Unfortunately, on Friday morning before we were set to leave, Christian and Adam were at the instacare being tested for strep. They were both positive. Christian still wanted to go, although he was very sick. The doctor gave him anti-biotics and a steroid to heal him more quickly. Adam went to my parents' house for the weekend where the only person he infected was my Dad. My Dad only infected my nephew Kaden who infected most of his family, and coming full circle, I ended up with strep a couple of weeks later. Yuck!

I wasn't sure if Christian would be able to run, but he did. He finished in one hour, thirty-two minutes (an average of 7 minute miles). He continues to amaze us!
Michele and Ken also did awesome (Michele above in green)! They have my respect, and Vicki and I were happy to be cheering from the side lines.

Ken and Vicki spent the rest of the week in St George. We were happy to have them come to our house for a couple of days at the end of their trip.

Adam is a percocious two year old. You can't leave him alone with a marker or a baby. He loves both! With the marker he will turn himself into a piece of art. With one of his little cousins, like Garrett below, he's likely to love them to death!

November

2010-12-20T20:37:00.008-07:00

In November I had my friend Julie take pictures of the boys. They turned out to be really cute!

The begining of the month was filled with regular things, like standing outside in the rain, just so you can use your umbrella (Charlie). And, lining the markers up for something fun to do (Adam).

Grandma Sheri treated us, and many cousins, to Disney on Ice. The boys loved it! We rode the train there and back, so Charlie and Adam thought that was pretty cool!

Thanksgiving brought an adventurous drive to Seattle. We did pretty well with the weather until we got into the Snowqualmie Mountain pass. It was white knuckles for quite awhile!
We made it to Seattle on the 21st, just in time for Grandma Vicki's 60th birthday party!
That night the snow, and the sickness began. We were stuck in the house for a few days. During that time Adam got a stomach bug, and Charlie got a really sore throat that eventually turned into a strange rash on his face. Christian got sick on Wednesday night, really sick. He didn't feel better until Saturday. By this time, I felt sick, and worst of all Paul, on his wedding day. :(
Tanner is the sweetest boy, and his cousins love him. He's the best!
Papa Craig and Patty took us to Chucky Cheese! What a hit with the boys! They wouldn't have chosen anything else!

Tanner and Charlie made the best of the snow. Uncle Jeff helped them make a little snowman.

Thanksgiving dinner was nice. We missed having Aunt Susie and Great-Grandma Toni with us this year. It was just too difficult for Grandma Toni to come.

Poor Christian wasn't able to eat much. He didn't really eat for a couple of more days.

It was so cute to see the boys sleeping together, back to back. They love each other!
One of the best parts of Uncle Paul getting married is that our family grew fast! India is Adam's new cousin, along with Owen. We love them, and we love Allyson!
I had the pleasure of doing Allyson and India's hair for the big day!
The wedding took place at Allyson's parents house on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Paul was wishing that we hadn't shared our stomach bug with him. He did not feel his best. We will always feel kind of bad about this!

Papa Ken became an ordained minister on the internet, and he was able to marry them. He did a great job! My favorite part was his reference to the similarity between his and Vicki's marraige and Paul and Allyson's. He said that he had also met a beautiful woman who had two wonderful children. It was really special!
We had a hard time keeping Adam quiet during the ceremony. For awhile I was able to get hime to hide under this buffet. It didn't last long enough, but no one, but Christian and I, seemed to mind.

Allyson, you will not find a better mother-in-law than Vicki. I swear it's true!

Brothers!

Time with Papa Far Away is pretty great!
Adam LOVED these place cards that the kids made for the tables. He admired them until it was his turn to find his name and take his card. I wish I would have kept them, they were really cute!
Allyson, surprisingly, was not afraid of Paul's germs. She even sealed the deal with a kiss! I think she really loves him!
Charlie loved playing with his new cousin, Owen.

A great little family!
You know I'm a fan of cupcakes...well, it's hard for me to say this out loud....or, to write it down, because it will be surprising to all who know me. So far, Magnolia Bakery, in NYC, has been the BEST at cupcakes,for me. Okay, I have to just say it! Trophy cupcakes are my new favorite, it's just the truth. In a way, it's good news, because I go to Seattle a lot more often than NYC. There. It's out!

Charlie let us know when it was time for the party to be over. (If you look closely, you can see the rash on his peacful sleeping face.)
The next day brought another adventurous drive home. It was really beautiful in the mountains. We ended up staying in Baker City, OR that night. On Monday, we finished our drive, and we were all grumpy. We arrived home that evening to a foot of snow in our driveway, but all was well. The more distance we put between ourselves and the trip, the more good things I remember. Two highlights: Vicki's birthday, so glad we could be there, and Paul and Allyson's wedding, we will be a better family WITH them! And that's just the truth!

The Annual Ray Family (better late than never) Halloween Party

2010-11-17T22:18:00.009-07:00

The Ray Family Halloween party happened later than ever this year. Due to scheduling conflicts, we didn't celebrate until November 6th. We had a great time! No one seemed to mind that Halloween was technically over.
Our three newest partiers were shocked by how crazy things get! They all looked cute, and we loved seeing them in their costumes (l to r, Kellan, Garrett, and Presley).
The greatest thing about having our party on November 6th was that we got to celebrate Hunter's 12th birthday with him!

Crazy McKenna!
The trampoline is always a big hit! Especially if you're Adam's size. Jocie and Charlie bounced him around, along with anyone else who had a chance!

Ty dressed up as a banana. What Halloween Pary can go without a banana?!
The Wyatt girls, Emma and Quinci, were darling as ever, dressed as a princess and a lady bug.

The big kids, in this case Jocie, always like to carry the little kids around. Whether the little kids like it or not!
Matt and Carolyn also had cause to celebrate. The next day was Carloyn's 40th birthday!
Ellie girl was our greek goddess. She was as beautiful as the sunset behind her!
Aunt Ashley kind of had to protect Presley from Adam. He just wanted to love and love and love her!
One of the best things about our family right now, is that if you want a baby, you can find one. Aunt Carolyn took her turn feeding Baby Kellan.
Presley's little lamb costume was one of the cutest costumes I've seen!

Rylee (middle) and her friend Alex took time to comfort Charlie. He was suffering with the anticipation of Ty's spook alley! It was pretty good!
Nothin' better than cousin time! Darcy, Ellie Girl, and Kelton all survived the spook alley! BTW the next weekend, Kelton's little league football team to the championship. Congratulations, Kelton!
Baby Kellan (with his Mama Lori) made the cutest little monkey! These costumes were so great!
We made time for birthday celebrations. First we sang to Hunter, then Carolyn!

We played a game where everyone tried to guess the number of suckers in the jar. It was a two way tie! There were 132 suckers in the jar. Darcy guess 126, and McKenna guessed 138. What are the chances? At least they share the same house, so it wasn't too tricky to share the suckers, too.
One of our favorite traditions each year is the pinata! And, I love the annual picture of everyone lined up against the door. I left their "red eye" because they look like little monsters! (L to R, Emma, Logan, Hunter, Quinci, McKenna, Ellen, Kelton, Payton, Jocie Libbie, Adam, and Charlie) Darcy is having her way with the pumpkin!

There were a few tears shed when the party ended, but not for Adam and Charlie. They topped it all off with a nice big bubble bath!

Halloween Fun

2010-11-07T20:18:00.016-07:00

Grandma and Papa Far Away gave us our best trick! They surprised Charlie and Adam on Friday night when they showed up at our house with Daddy! Charlie was speechless when he saw them. When he could finally speak he said,"How did you get to my house?!" It was like they came out of thin air! They were only able to stay until Sunday, but we were so glad they came!
Charlie knew he wanted to be a superhero for Halloween, and BATMAN was his choice! He really wanted Adam to be Robin. Adam wanted to be Elmo. So, Charlie thought Adam could be Elmo dressed up as Robin. How else could Adam be his sidekick?
Earlier in the month...

We have a tradition with Darin and SueAnn's family to do a Halloween outing. This year we had as much fun as ever. The weather was beautiful, and the kids had a blast!

Snow came early this year. Just a bit more than a week before Halloween! Our Jack 'O Lanters had snowy white hair.

Charlie and Adam thought it would be fun for them to use the markers to color themselves. Adam said he made himself a kitty. Each one of them did their own art work. Luckily, it came off pretty easily!

Our tradition for trick-or-treating has been going on for many years, as well. We spend Halloween night at Matt and Carolyn's. We had dinner and braved the rain.
I can't believe my brother's a Grandpa, but I love being this little girl's Great-Aunt!
Kelton makes a pretty scary Uncle for little Alexis!

Our little monsters didn't let the rain dampen their enthusiasm. They were out to fill their buckets, and that they did!

What would we do without the wagon?! Carolyn said Matt keeps trying to get rid of it, but we need it.....every single year on Halloween!

Oh, I think we all remember the Halloween candy binge. What other choice is there? We just let them go for it!

Adam threw up three times the following day!
That didn't stop him from wanting more candy. On Sunday, the boys got their costumes back on and trick-or-treated at our next door neighbors houses. Then, they enjoyed their treats on the grass, in the sunshine!

It was a HAPPY Halloween!!!

What we've been up to.....for the last 2 months!

2010-10-23T22:12:00.007-06:00

How many times have I asked? "Where does the time go?" It just keeps ticking by, and life goes on. It's the everyday events that are fun and interesting. It's just what we do, day after day....
Above: Adam naps in a chair at Special Kay's.

Below: Charlie's taking pictures. I love how he captured his shadow, along with some art supplies (we can't get enough coloring)!
Charlie and Adam love each other best and most, and as Charlie would say "30-60-90 million!"
Each of the boys has a bed full of pets. This is Adam's crew!

Another activity that Adam has enjoyed this fall is making towers. We never have any clean 'kid' cups. Adam uses them to build.

While I was in the shower one morning, Adam decided to toilet paper the family room. When I got out, he got in trouble. Lucky for him, Charlie was willing to help him clean it up!

Charlie LOVES school! In this picture he's with his favorite classmate, Yeshi (sorry, not a very clear shot). He recently had a two week fall break. He couldn't wait for it to end!
It was time for a kitchen update. I let Charlie help me, just a little bit, with the painting.
Adam, zonked out on the kitchen floor.
We recently went to the dentist. Charlie had his teeth cleaned for the first time, and he did great! Even Adam got his teeth polished. We were so proud of them!

Early in September, we had our three new babies over for lunch. In this picture, Grandma Sheri is holding Kellan and Garrett.
We're SO glad that one of the three babies is a pink one! Little Alexis (middle) is perfectly gorgeous! How lucky are we?!
So much excitment for one family! Our neice, Callie, will be married in the end of December. We think she's too young, but Theron is a pretty wonderful guy!
Our biggest baby, Presley, will turn one next month. We were so glad when we got to babysit her recently. Adam had some jelousy issues, but when it comes down to it, he adores her as much as the rest of us!

Our cousins in Providence have a new kitten. Above, McKenna is holding Pumpkin. Below, Kylie is helping Adam hold him. He's an adorable little kitty!

Over Labor Day, we took a trip to St George. For some reason, the only pictures I took were these of the boys in the tub. This wasn't the only fun part, I just didn't document it. Sorry!

Two clean boys, all snuggled up.

Summer Vacation

2010-08-31T22:22:00.013-06:00

The great Northwest welcomed us with incredible weather, and a beautiful sunset!

Nothin' like a trip to Costco to start things off right. The kids enjoyed their easy ride.
Snowqualmie Falls is beautiful, even when it's under construction. In the past we've hiked to the bottom of the falls, but it's closed until 2012. We were still glad we went!

A visit to the park by Great-Grandma Toni's house, proved to be a good time for all!

The boys loved this friendly cat on Great-Grandma's street.

Great-Grandma's only 91 years older than Adam!
Baking cookies might be more work with six extra hands, and 3 extra mouths, but it sure is more fun!

We dragged our nephew Tanner around the city with us. He experienced some new things, including a fairy boat ride.
We also made Michele come everywhere with us. Lunch on Alki was a treat!

Paul's girlfriend, Allyson, lives on the Sahalee golf course. She and her kids had us over for dinner. We really enjoyed the beauty around us!

Roasting marshmallows in the back yard was a lot of fun, and as tall as the pine trees were, we truly felt like we were camping!

Adam loved eating a s'more. Charlie likes to roast the marshmallows, but he's not interested in eating them. He doesn't like how messy they are!

We visited the Ballard Locks, where boats pass back and forth between Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. The locks have been functioning in the very same manner since the early 1900's. It was pretty cool. We even saw a huge fishing boat go through!

Charlie took this picture of me and Adam in the gardens by the locks. Not bad for a four year old!
Ray's boat house was recommended to us by one of my clients. It's very close to the locks, so we went there for lunch on the same day. The view, as we ate lunch, was beautiful. We gave it two thumbs up!

After five fabulous days in Seattle, we made our way to Long Beach, WA. The weather left something to be desired, but the boys didn't care. There's something magical about the ocean, that is for sure!

Four days later, it was time to go home. By luck, we ended up on highway 14 that runs along the Washington side of the Columbia River. The views were amazing. We were so glad that construction on another road sent us this way. We wouldn't have known what we were missing. It was beautiful!
As we passed back over into Oregon, we drove on the Bridge of the Gods. This picture doesn't do it justice. It was a really cool view. We arrived home at 4:30 am. Pooped! We had a wonderful vacation!

One Fun Summer!

2010-08-24T18:33:00.011-06:00

We have had a fun summer, full of popcicles and fun in the sun! Papa Regali built a little water slide off of his deck. Just in case the kids were looking for another fun thing to do!

We spent the 4th of July in St George. What a great time to go! It was like a ghost town. The boys know that Papa will always find some money for the ice cream truck.

Adam was kind enough to share with Papa. He was walking around saying, "Papa, you too nice." In his cute little 2 year old voice.

There was a bit of time, in this fountain, where Charlie and Adam were the only kids. That would never happen any other time. Charlie was pretending to be Avatar, controling the water.

It was a lot of fun to spend time with Paul and Allyson, and her kids, India and Owen. We lit fireworks in front of the house, to celebrate the 4th of July!
India, Allyson, and Owen, enjoying the spectacular firework display!

On the 5th of July, we were thrilled to get a new cousin/nephew. Kellan Thomas Ray was born. Ben and Lori are his Mom and Dad.

Eight days later, we got ANOTHER cousin. Todd, my nephew, and his wife, Tracy, welcomed a little girl Alexis Lilly Richards. I will post a picture later.
We took dinner to Ben, Lori, and Kellan. Charlie had a great time being teased by Uncle Ben!
These are some super cute boys! Luke, Adam, Drew, and Charlie were having a good time at our summer time play date.
July 14th marke our 9th wedding anniversary. We went to Logan, hiked to the wind caves, then went to watch our nephew Hunter's soccer tournament. It was a great day! I'm lucky to have such a wonderful husband!

We discovered that Hunter wears number 20, which was special to Christian. It was his high school number.

Adam does not like to have his teeth brushed. In this picture he was hiding under Charlie's bed, so I couldn't get him!
Popcicles are essential to summer fun. In our house bibs and hardfloors are required.
On August 4th, while we were in Washington, we were blessed with one more baby! Garrett Don Ray was born. Josh and Kelly are his parents, and Logan and Payton are his very proud brothers!
Last Friday we had a little field trip to Wheeler Farm. Quinci and Ellen were with us. Grandma Sheri and SueAnn came with Jocelyn, Hunter, and Darcy. Kylie and McKenna were dropped off at the salon so that Uncle Christian could do their hair for school.
Above: Ellen, Adam, and Cici (Quinci).

Below: Charlie, Cici, and Joceyln.

Charlie and Ellie Girl are the best of friends, like two peas in a pod.
Above: Jocelyn, and Cici

Below: Adam and Charlie with Samantha; their very first babysitter. Samantha is off to college at Utah State. We will miss her. She started babysitting when Charlie was about 8 months old. We were lucky to have her!

Adam's Haircut

2010-08-15T22:29:00.004-06:00

Adam has such fabulous hair, so we've been keeping it long and floppy. But, here we are in August. It's hot, and we're tired of bed head, so Adam is sporting a new haircut. The only unfortunate thing about it is, he looks older. :( Daddy thinks he looks just like Uncle Ben?

Charlie goes to school!

2010-08-10T23:23:00.003-06:00

Today was Charlie's first day of pre-school. Adam and I were able to go with him and stay for about an hour. Charlie did great, and he seemed to like it. At a cirtain point, Charlie's teacher had the kids sit on the rug. Then, she started a game where each child would say his name. I didn't know if Charlie would say it, because I could tell he was feeling shy. When it was almost his turn, I watched him become very alert. Then, the little stuffed animal was passed to him, which meant it was time. As they said the little rhyme, he lifted up his head, like he was getting ready. Then, they said, "Will you tell your name to me?" He immediately spoke, loud and clear, "CharlieRayCole!" He was the only one who said his full name. It was really cute, and I'm sure he left an impression!

A few of our family pictures...

2010-07-25T23:01:00.005-06:00

We have been trying to get these pictures done since May! Something always came up...someone was sick....a bruised forehead....a cut lip, you get the idea. Anyway, we did them last week, and they're wonderful! This is just a teaser. She took hundreds! And, she truly captured Charlie and Adam.