Slacker

Holy smokes! Is Halloween really over? Or has it been that long since I've posted? I'd like to say I'm a slacker but I will just say that I was preoccupied with life, in which, I am not a slacker.
Chloe had a very important birthday. She turned 8 years old, which means she can get baptized. She was totally excited about her baptism. She got Littlest Pet Shops, a baptism dress, a gold dress, some dress shoes, a set of scriptures, a scripture bag, and accessories. It was a great day.
Thanksgiving was incredible. The family had a reunion where ALL members of the Pope Family were present. We skied, ate, attended a football game, sledded, ran, and enjoyed everyone's company.
A big part for me was watching as Caleb baptized Chloe. She was so excited. Cassi made a beautiful cake and I made a dinner to bring to the church. The whole thing went off without a hitch.
It's amazing to see the innocence and faith of your little one. It brings great comfort in knowing that my oldest three have chosen baptism and that we are all headed in the right direction. Words can't describe the feeling of joy that comes over a mom when she watches her children make righteous choices. I have a lot to learn from them.
Christmas was the best one yet. It was humble and perfect. The kids received gifts that they will probably never recall in the future. The weather was wintery and the company was loving and rich. I wonder what they will remember. Probably just the feelings that they experienced. Because, truly, it was the best Christmas ever. They woke me up at 4:30 in the morning. We sang "Joy to The World" at the top of the stairs. The feeling of excitement was pouring out of their bodies. They ran down stairs and checked out their stockings. Giggles and gasps could be heard. My favorite part was just listening.
Then they moved on to their gifts. Every got two and they were very polite in making sure everyone had a turn.
After the festivities it was time for Momma to catch up on her sleep ( or at least I thought). But I was pleasantly (and tiredly) surprised to be awakened by Kobe who had made me a bubble bath with his new bath salts and bubbles. The extra surprise was found in one of the corners of the tub where he delicately placed some of his stocking candies for me to enjoy. If it couldn't get any more precious, he walked out of the bathroom where Chance was whining. I overheard him telling Chance that mommy was taking a bath and needed the house to be quiet and he then took Chance downstairs to entertain him.
The New Year was also pleasant. A friend invited us over, along with a few other couples and their kids. We ate (that seems like a reoccuring theme in our activities;o), played games, laughed, and rang in the New Year with much love.
Next was my birthday! What a fun day. My mom and I had gone to the temple on Wednesday, where she treated me to a shopping spree, which consisted of a sweater jacket and a pair of jeans. She picked the kids up from school the next day and they wrapped gifts and signed cards (my mom is great)! The tradition in our house is the birthday person goes to bed before everyone else and they decorate the downstairs so that it will be a "surprise" when the birthday boy or girl walk down the stairs. So mom came over and assisted in that task. In the morning I woke to a beautifully decorated kitchen and presents. The best part was how excited the kids were. But, there was one surprise. Chloe pulled a smaller bag out and handed it to me. Inside was an amazing Willow Tree figurine. Her name was "Je t'aime" which means "I Love You" in French. It is beautiful. That night a group of friends invited my family to a hockey game to celebrate. It was such a great birthday.
Now here is February. I can't believe it. So what happens in February? The kids and I have been invited on a ski trip to Copper Mountain Colorado President's Day weekend, basketball games, dance performances, soccer sign-ups, Valentine's Day, kindergarten registration (can you believe that? My youngest will be a kindergartener!!), and, most importantly, Colin turns 12 and receives the Aaronic Priesthood. I'm looking forward to future temple trips with my son.
Here are a few pictures to document:

October Art

THE ART OF COSTUMING




THE ART OF PUMPKIN CARVING

Kobe got into the spirit of carving, right at the end. He did a fabulous job!



Colin took a little time to get interested. He made it through most of the process and then decided to play the computer. I think his ended up with one eye, a scar, and a nose.



Chance didn't know what to think. He did enjoy most of the process but was easliy distracted.



Chloe was in heaven, getting goop all over her hands!!! She would have gutted all of the pumpkins if the others would have let her.



THE ART OF SINGING

Chloe singing away at her October Concert Choir. She was one of the most animated ones up there. She's definately a singer and dancer.



Colin and Ann Marie make a great duet together. He really has some talent.

Stay tuned . . . . .

THE ART OF DANCING

Here is Chloe's sneak peak of a dance to come. She and her girls performed this dance at the Charity Chili Cook off! They were fabulous!

Winter in October: Sneak Peek

An awesome friend and photographer called me on Sunday and asked if I would bring the kids over. It was lightly snowing. Each flake of snow was so fragile and unique. They were perfect for picture taking. Not too heavy and not too light. And this is what the outcome was. If I do say so myself, those are some handsome kids.

The family one will have to wait until Christmas cards get sent out. So stay tuned and get on my mailing list;o)

Here's a sweet peek from Mr. Chancie Pants. This was candid. Love his little personality. That's my boy. Love you.



A rare picture of Kobe. Normally his mouth is sealed shut. I think it's precious and so is he. Love my Kobe Wobe!



Colin is cool and collected. Dang that kid. Love him to pieces.



My princess. I think she does Mini Boden proud. Love her, to infinity and beyond.



And to finish it up. Why not some true, through and through silliness. Because that's how my family rolls!!



A big thanks to Clark Sanders. His website is imagesbysands.webs.com

Seriously Random

Okay. So these pictures are completely random, but I wanted to sum up the last part of our summer.

After the older kids finished their vocal camp performance, they took a two week session of golf lessons. This is on a junior course and they were AWESOME.

After golf we headed off to California. But on the way we made a pitstop in Utah to visit one of my favorite people, Taryn Taylor and her family. It was so much fun. She took us to Gateway, the outdoor mall, to play in their water area. They play music and shoot water out of the ground. Let's just say the kids had a blast. Here is Kobe getting dried off.

What is a trip to Utah without visiting Temple Square. I loved walking the grounds with my kids. One of my favorite things we did was watch the Joseph Smith movie. The Spirit was so strong. Here is my wonderful family in front of the Salt Lake City Temple.

Now we have arrived in California. Gabrielle, Chloe, and I decided to have a girls afternoon and get pedis, manis, and massages. It was so nice.

On Saturday we went to their local park for a movie night. We got to bring a picnic and watch King Fu Panda. Hilarious!!

Colin took up boogie boarding and had a blast with a friend he met there.

The vacation wouldn't be complete without a Dodgers game. It was so fun.

We had a few beach days. This is one with Chance and the water behind him.

Here is Dallin B, Chloe, and Chance hanging out on Auntie Gay's front porch enjoying the beautiful California weather.


NOW FOR THE PRESENT.

Chance is in soccer. Yesterday he had a game and scored his first goal. His reaction was priceless.

Colin is in football. Since he is in 6th grade, he gets the ball a lot more. He's fun to watch.

Kobe is in 4th grade, so he is the older group in his football league. (3rd and 4th play together and 5th and 6th play together.) He gets the hand off. I'm just nervous someone might land on him and break him. There isn't much there to soften the blow!!


I'll have to get some pictures posted of sweet Chloe in her dance attire. She is a singing and dancing queen!!!

First Day of School

Well, they keep growing up, dang it!!!!

Chance was having a heck of a morning. Not a happy camper. He is entering his first "real" year of preschool. He goes 5 (1/2) days a week. I hope this look doesn't stick.


Kobe never expressed in words that he was excited. But these pictures prove that he is ready to go. It's so nice when a child is this happy. He is entering the 4th grade.


I didn't post all the pictures, but this is Colin's fifth take. He was being a pouty boy for some reason. He has been looking forward to this day for a while. He is the top dog at school now, 6th grade. That doesn't happen too often. But by the fifth take, he is his cutie patootie self.


Chloe is such a sweet girl. She gets up and gets going everyday without any prodding. She is happy to enter the 2nd grade. How precious is she?

Summertime

I know that the kids have been out of school since the beginning of June, but our summer is just about to start, and I wouldn't have it any other way. As I posted earlier, the kids were in a program called the Performing Arts Workshop (PAW). This year they performed Mulan Jr and were fabulous. That lasted until the end of June. At the beginning of July the kids were in a vocal camp. After two weeks of hard work, they put on a short performance, in which Colin got the role as the teacher (It seemed a bit like the Sound of Music). The kids, again, were amazing. These last two weeks have consisted of golf camp. Today they had their tournament. It was so fun to watch. I only took a few pictures before my battery ran out. I'll have to post some pictures later when I replace the batteries.
Overall, I have been very impressed with how our summer has gone. The other thing that I am impressed with is this little town of Gillette and everything it has to offer. I talked to Roo on the phone about kids and activities and it just seems like Gillette has it going on. Plus, everything is very reasonably priced. These small characteristics of Gillette are the things that make me really appreciate it. My kids are so lucky and don't even know it.
So my next challenge is going to be filling in 4 weeks of activities before school starts. Gabrielle is going to help me with that. We are going to visit her and the family for about a week. Driving will take a few days and we plan on stopping at one of my favorite person's house, Taryn Taylor. So that will bring us to almost mid-Aug. Football practice starts on the 10th (so we'll miss a few) and then school starts on the first of Sept.
Here's to a wonderful summer so far and to the last stretch that will also prove to be just as fun!

Chance's Birthday Party

What an awesome day! My parents are leaving for California and will be gone over Chance's birthday. My mom asked if it would be okay if we had a dinner for him before they leave. Of course I said yes and decided to make it the full celebration since he won't know the difference any way.
We invited two sets of missionaries, my parent's neighbors, and a friend of the family, Tammy and Sam. I made baja fish tacos with the the trimmings, homemade mini cornbreads, salad, watermelon, and great store bought cake.
Chance got some pretty cute gifts; spiderman mask and webber, bubbles, Harry Potter glasses, wand, and full Quidditch get-up, Spiderman pjs, Spiderman metal munch box with lots of treats, Handy Manny tool box, and lots of loves for all of us.
The only sad part was by the end of the night, when Tammy and I were cleaning up, Chance asked if he could have a piece of his cake. IT WAS ALL GONE!
I'll have to buy him a mini cake for his REAL birthday and let him eat the whole thing by himself.
What a great night and again, my Heavenly Father keeps reminding me what a lucky mommy I am. Chance, thanks for coming to my house to live. I LOVE YOU.