Let's grab something to eat!

The question let's grab something to eat is always a sentence that is followed with....drive thru or do we do it? Do we brave the impossible? Take all 5 kids into a restaraunt and SIT DOWN!!!
This past week had been very busy and very little daddy time. Saturday came and he had to go up to our church to help someone for a little while so we all went up and played in the gym while he helped. Then we headed home...we had a TON of cleaning to do. When we left it was lunch time so we thought we should get something to eat...we saw two places right away. Ledo's pizza or Glory Days...we chose Glory Days. We got there pretty soon after it opened so it was crowded at all. We got a big table since we are a big family.

This is how our meal went.

Jakey: trying to climb over the top of the bench onto the table behind us...the entire time.
the girls: we know what we want and are going to play games on the menu.
Giselle: Screams....finally get her out...trys to grab EVERYONE's drink.
Jolie: I have to go to the bathroom.
Jacob: undoing everyones silverware and dumping them on the ground...and climbing over the bench again.
Brett: I'll take Jakey for a walk while we wait for our food.
Lisa: Holding giselle giving her a taste of lemon...not bad she says but really just wants the strawberry lemonade.
Jillian: I have to go to the bathroom.
Lisa: Seriously, Jolie just went..why didn't you go then.
Jillian: I didn't have to go then.
Lisa: Great..ok go.
Our food comes-
Jacob shares with all three girls.
Brett and I start to eat as fast as we can..we know we have limited time.
Giselle: GIVE ME FOOD NOW!!! she starts with blueberries out of my salad and quickly moves to Jillian's fries.
Jacob: Grabs food off of my salad. he has mac and cheese right in front of him but of course wants my food.
Jolie: I have to go to the bathroom again....
Lisa: AHHH.
Brett: finishes food in record time..and takes jakey again for a walk.
Lisa: attempts to eat food but Giselle is just way too fussy.
Brett and Lisa: look at each other and say...let's go.
Lisa: takes jakey and giselle to car and straps them in and waits for the rest.
The rest come back and we go home...
Gee...why don't we do that more often.
I'd tell you the food was good..but I honestly can't remember!!

Strippling Warriors!

Jolie and Genna were in charge of FHE ( Family Home Evening). The lesson was on The 2,000 Strippling Warriors. They did a great job. We all got into character by becoming warriors. We read scriptures and answered questions and at the end we went outside and dug up or weapons of peace. The girls buried plastic knifes in the mulch. Everyone had so much fun and were loving the dress up part. Even mommy and daddy dressed up!! Good Job girls!!!!

Tomatoes and Cookies!

Giselle was tasting all the freshly picked tomatoes for me the other day!

She approves all these yummy juicy red tomatoes...even the little ones!!!! That bowl was picked that afternoon...we shared with our neighbors.

"Best cookies ever" Said by neighborhood children!!

These babies are SOO good. I was mucho impressed. I got the recipe from a friend and now I will pass on to you!

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding ( this is the magical ingredient)

4 cups sifted flour

3 cups chocolate chips

Cream together butter, shortening and sugars. Add eggs and Vanilla.Beat well. Combine Salt, soda, pudding mix and flour. Add to the creamed mixture and fold in chocolate chips.

Bake 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned.

Great Grandma Fox comes in town!

Don't you just love excuses to get all dressed up and look pretty? Here are two very pretty cousins...Jolie Fox and Lucy Fox. Jolie just loves holding babies!

Each family took turns taking pictures with Great Grandma Fox...our colors we chose were white, khaki and blue. Cousin Colton was hanging with some his cousins and this shot was captured...I love it!These handsome young men are Jennifer and Taylors boys. Colton and Nolan. We are lucky enough to live only a half hour away from them.

Giselle LOVED chewing on Great grandma's hand. She did that forever it made us all laugh so hard. She was even entertaining herself with sounds she would make on great grandma's hand!

A little closer up....mmm..You sure are sweet Great Grandma. We loved visiting with Brett's grandma and sure wish she lived closer to us. A few highlights were: Taking pictures, eating Grandma's FAMOUS peach dessert, playing rock band with Grandma, finding out Grandma loves twilight just as much as me...yes she is Team Jacob too! :) Most of all getting a hug from her. We LOVE YOU!

When you are baby #5...you take a nap where ever you can!

Poor little girl always wants to be where the action is....this time it is the messy computer room. Genevieve and Jillian were on the computer playing a game and she crawled under there and within minutes fell asleep. Lucky for me she let me move her to her crib with no fuss!

Let's Jam!!!

Monday morning I loaded all the kiddos up and went to our favorite orchard- Hartland in Markham Virginia! My friend Cathy and her two kiddos came as well. I didn't know it until we got there but they also had red rasberries...BONUS!!! The peaches were freestone...double bonus. Jolie wasn't super excited to pick and Cathy's son Peyton wasn't either...Jacob and Giselle fell asleep on the drive up so we left the two big kids with a movie a DS and two babies..and we picked and picked and picked. It was great. Jacob got a good nap and Giselle woke up for the last 30 minutes. She sampled quite a few rasberries...she wasn't totally sure of it. Cathy and I canned 14 jars of peaches that night..until 12:30 actually. Two of the jars broke.. in each batch. The middle jar both times but from two different boxes of jars. I think it was just too close to the heat with that kind of weight.

The next day we started much earlier and canned and canned and canned some more. We ended up with 64 total jars of peaches and jams. The kids were amazing threw it all. Really we neglected them and yet they were fine. We threw food at them every once in a while and got new games down but seriously that was all. Thanks Cathy for being such a great canning buddy!