If Kourtney Lived in the Capital Building

We went to the Capital Area Humane Society to donate Maverick's dog brushes and leashes for family home evening tonight. On our way home we spotted the Michigan State Capital all lit up, so we decided to take a little detour to drive around it.

As we drove up towards it Kourtney said, "I wish the Capital was my house!"

Kris quickly replied, "You can't keep your room clean. How could you keep the Capital clean if it was your house?"

Kourtney's rebuttal, "If it were my house I would be the queen and I would have servants."

I Know My Savior Lives

Our ward's Primary Program was held yesterday. The theme for this year in Primary and for the program was "I Know My Savior Lives". The children did amazingly well, especially when it came to learning their parts and singing with strong voices.

Alyson and Kourtney memorized their parts and this is what they said:

Alyson: Jesus Christ restored prophets and apostles through the prophet Joseph Smith. I can listed to our prophet, Thomas S. Monson during General Conference. He teaches me to pray and to listen to the Holy Ghost when he speaks to me.

Kourtney: I will be ready for the Savior to return by building my own testimony. When I learn about Jesus Christ and follow his example, the Holy Ghost will speak to me, and I will know the church is true for myself.

We are so proud of our girls for loving church, for loving Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father so much and for working so hard at being prepared for the program. We love you girls!

An Afternoon at Peacock Road Tree Farm

Last Saturday the girls and I went to a place called Peacock Road Tree Farms located about 25 minutes from our house. We enjoyed looking at farm animals, participating in a pig race, riding a wagon and a little train, picking pumpkins, eating a donut from the "Sugar Shack", playing in the hay and riding a horse and a donkey among other things. It was a beautiful fall afternoon and one we are sure to remember for a long time!
We got there in time to see the pig races. The farmer let all the kids participate. At one point Alyson and Kourtney were the drivers. They chased the pigs with brooms (the pigs knew what to do and the kids really didn't have to chase them), and Ellary got to ring a bell.

This is a picture of Ellary dancing to some music that was being played at the pig races. If you can't tell, she's very excited!

We fed the goats. Wow-they had the biggest goats I have ever seen.

We also took a horse drawn wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch. Each of the girls chose a pumpkin. We helped Keegan choose his first pumpkin.

The "Boo Train" took us on about a 15 minute ride around the farm. Keegan loved peeking his head out the window.

As I watched the girls have so much fun climbing these large hay stacks got me thinking about how simple playtime was for children growing up on farms back in the day. It was one of the highlights of the day! I couldn't resist having the kids pose for some pictures before we left. It was a great way to end our day!

Kris' Birthday Recap

Friday was Kris' birthday. We spent it by opening presents, eating take out from P.F. Chang's (Koco was sick Thursday and Friday), then Kris and I had a date out at an MSU hockey game. He also had a couple surprises awaiting him at work like brownies and a poster that Koco and I made for him that I taped to his windshield. Kris, we hope you had a great day!

This was too funny! Ellary helped Alyson and I tape three balloons to Kris' present. Well, as Keegan does with anything remotely interesting within reach, he pulled this blue one off, and Ellary immediately began to cry and point at Keegan. Keegan immediately began to squeal and wave the balloon around, oblivious to Ellary's reaction as captured in this timely taken picture!

Kris thought he might be getting a new flat screen TV based on the size and weight of his present, and the clue I gave him (the whole family can use it), but he got a Spartan corn hole game instead. I know it's not as impressive, but it is a fun game and it was tons less expensive than a flat screen TV for our bedroom. Maybe we can go in on one next year for both of our birthdays

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We had a fun time playing Kris' new birthday present in our front yard.

Kris and I went to see the Michigan State University hockey team take on the University of Maine Black Bears. It was intense and fun and something we are likely to do again!

Babe, hope you had a great birthday. We love you so much and are so glad we could celebrate with you.

Love,

Jessica, Alyson, Kourtney, Ellary and Keegan

Happy Birthday to Kris!

Today is Kris' 34th birthday!

Happy birthday, Babe! Of everyone on this day, I am the luckiest person alive because 34 years ago today, you were born. Of all the the people your life touches, I have been affected the most and I am eternally grateful for that! I love you, and I hope, even though your day is a very busy one, that you can find some time to enjoy it, and reflect on just how great your life truly has been.

I love you!

First Tooth and Little Fists of Hair

When you have a semi-large family, there are tons of firsts...the first time a baby smiles, or giggles, crawls, or says a word...you name it. Well, with that said, Keegan has his first tooth, and it just started coming in a few weeks ago. We were beginning to wonder if he would have any teeth by his first birthday! Well, it's here, and that's for sure, one little snaggle tooth on the top so that when he even barely opens his mouth it's there for all to see.

Ellary, sweet little thing, she's pretty much past all those baby firsts. But something her little brother has taught her how to do is wrestle. Keegan is very earnest at attacking anyone sitting on the ground. And when it comes to little girls with locks of hair within his reach, he goes all out. There have been many times that he's rendered Ellary flat to the ground, laying on top of her, hair in his little fists with his powerful death grip, Ellary hollering in pain and disbelief. It's not like Keegan is on sneak attack either. You just don't think about a little guy such as himself already wanting to wrestle. Ellary is usually very gentle with Keegan, but there have been a few times that she has made moves on him first and then he cries like the little baby he is!

Kris' Akron Marathon and a Little Site Seeing Too

Kris spent several months training for a marathon which he completed in Akron, Ohio on Sept. 25th. It took hours upon hours of running morning after morning to become prepared for such a feat, and we are so proud of Kris for doing it! We were also excited to get to be there as a family to see him complete this great accomplishment.
You may recall in a post from May that Kris ran the Indianapolis half marathon with a friend named Josh, who now lives in Ohio. We stayed two nights with Josh and his family-thank you for your hospitality! Josh ran the half, so they got to run a while together.The morning began bright and early (5:00am). The kids were great troopers!

After catching a glimpse of Kris at two sections of the course (caught on the camcorder), the girls participated in a kids' 1 mile run. They received a t-shirt and a medal for running.

There were also snacks for the kids and some fun activities like face painting. Ellary really liked the characters in their costumes, but when it came down to it, she kept her distance.

This is Kris after he crossed the finish line. Wow-what a work-out. I can only imagine how exhausting running 26.2 miles would be.

Kris, we are so proud of you for fulfilling your goal. Thanks for being a good example for us. Way to go, Babe!

While we were in the Akron area, we took the day before the race to tour some church historical sites in Kirtland, Ohio. First we visited the LDS Visitor's Center (it really invites the Spirit). Then we took a tour of the non-working Kirtland Temple. So these pictures are out of chronological order, but hey, they are still here...

The old saw mill.

The Newell K. Whitney Store

Random pictures with the beautiful flowers.

We also went to the John Johnson farm in Hiram, Ohio. What a neat experience and what a neat family the Johnson's must have been.

This is the spot Joseph Smith, Jn. gave his sermon from the morning after an angry mob tarred and feathered him.

Living in the Mid-West affords us the ability to see so many Church sites and we are really grateful to have had the chance to see so many of them.