Yes, my fifth attempt at getting a picture of my three kids together for the Christmas card…..there really were NONE that could have even remotely worked this go around.  Don’t believe me?  Well, here’s proof……

Kenzie kept wiggling out of Andrew's arms, Kayla was hiding....fun times.

I thought, let's go inside and try there. Nope, it was Kenzie's goal to get off the couch every time I put her on.

See? It just wasn't happening today.

We ended that session with a picnic lunch outside! So nice in the middle of November. By the way, Kayla's hat was not needed at all, but I had just gotten it and she HAD to wear it!

My fourth attempt at Christmas cards.  It was this attempt that I thought I had one…..until I printed it out.  Didn’t love it.  I had to really work with it to get rid of shadows and it just didn’t work.  But, I’ll share here anyway!

Kenzie wasn't too interested.....she kept trying to hide in the swing set!

this is the one I really liked on the computer, but didn't love it printed out.....

an OK picture, but my camera was at a weird angle for a christmas card....

when I finally game up on this attempt, we couldn't get Kenzie to stop posing in the grass! of course.

Kirk and I left the kids overnight for the first time and headed to L.A.  I know, it took a while to leave the kids overnight.  Like 6 years.  But, we did it and now we’ll do it once a year.  Maybe more!  Kirk had a convention out there so I tagged along.  We had such a great time.  The first full day there we spent a couple hours in the water (freezing Pacific without wet suits) kayaking.  What an experience!  Two schools of dolphins swam right by us.  I’ll admit, I was a little freaked out being in regular clothes in the freezing cold water.  Tons of kelp(seaweed) around too….which they said we would get stuck in if we fell in but not to freak out.  Whatever.  I would have.  Thankfully, we didn’t experience that.  When he was in meetings all day, his boss’s wife and I went and explored L.A.  We were really hoping to see some famous people, but all we got were the wax figures of them   Such a fantastic trip!  And, a BIG thank you to my mom who graciously came and stayed with our kids.  It was during the week, too, so she had to bus everyone around to preschool and such.  She admitted complete exhaustion when we got home!

Our resort - really nice place. Lots of good wine, too!

Kirk and I did a little bit of hiking one day while we had a couple hours to spare.

Love this picture. Immediately brings me back to that weekend.

Loved this sunset picture with the palm tree at the top.

At sunset, while Kirk and I were hiking, we spotted whales out in the water. If you look closely, you can see the sprays of water from them.

In this one, if you look closely, you can see the back of the whale. So fun to see at sunset!

Another pic of the sprays of water from the whales.

Exploring LA....hollywood walk of fame....

we then went on to see the Staples Center, Kodak Theater, and then Rodeo Drive.....

last night there.....such a great time!

Kirk and I with our neighbors, which I'm sure a lot of you will recognize! Obviously, we were the Flintstones at our ADULT ONLY party. SO FUN!!

And, all of our kiddos the next night for trick or treating. Mine - Darth Vader, Princess Lea, and Yoda (yes, with a passy in her mouth!)

Happy Birthday, handsome.  We truly can’t believe you are 6.  Where have the last 6 years gone?  You have grown up to be a very handsome, well behaved, amazing boy.  You are SO great with both your sisters.  You have become much more outgoing in the last year…..still timid at times, but definitely getting out of your comfort zone more and more.  You LOVE babies.  I can’t say that enough.  It’s like you are drawn to them and that makes me smile.  You see, people used to tell me that all the time when I was younger.  I love seeing a little part of me, in you.  We had a family party here at home for you, and you also got to have a party at the bounce place with all your friends.  Another thing I love about you?  You had to make sure EVERY SINGLE boy in your class was invited to your party.  You didn’t want to leave anyone out.  I love that you are wanting to include everyone in all that you do.  I only hope that you keep that attitude forever.

You still LOVE soccer.  Daddy helps coach and the two of you play three times a week!  I know Daddy cherishes that one on one time with you.  And, I know, you do too.  You really love football as well.  You’ve also mentioned karate lately so we’ll see if that happens in the new year.  Happy Birthday, buddy!  We love you.

I think this chair, alone, is the reason you wanted to have your party there!

going down one of the many slides in that place....

Yet another Star Wars cake. Second year for a star wars party!

You with the character. You LOVED it. Kayla and Kenzie wouldn't go near him

Kenzie got to bounce after most of the boys have left. Couldn't watch her and 15 other boys at once!

Kayla got brave towards the end and climbed the big one!

Kayla and Grandma at our family party.

Grandpa helped open up presents!

Blowing out the candles....we made an ice cream cake for the family party since we had cake the day before with your friends!

Kayla, Logan, Andrew, and Adam

Kenzie and Aunt Gina....check out Kenzie's stylin glasses!

Anthony and Kirk "fighting" each other on the wii.

All the leaves had fallen from our trees.  The kids decided we should rake them into a pile so we could, naturally, run and jump in the pile.

Kenzie would just stand next to the pile and fall down. Cute!

Thought this was such a great picture of Andrew. Can't believe he'll be 6 tomorrow.

Kayla loved just laying in the leaves!

Wondering how big that leaf pile was?....um, yeah, not big at all. See, we live in a newer subdivision with very small trees. Still, we had fun.

I thought, maybe, I could attempt (#3) to get a pic for our Christmas cards. Kenzie thought that was funny. Needless to say, I didn't get one.

I’ve decided to pursue a passion of mine.  Photography.  I’ve started a side business and so far, so good.  I’ll be adding to it in the coming year!  I love taking pictures of children, families, babies, etc.  I think it’s so important to have pictures of your family.  Memories you will forever cherish.  I would love to be a part of those memories for you and your family.  Please contact me if you are interested in making lifelong memories!

My website is here. Take a peek. I think you’ll love what you see!

I love the fall.  I love taking the kids to the pumpkin patch.  We missed out on going last year because Kenzie was SO sick.  So, I felt twice the excitement in taking the kids this year!  We had such a great time.  Before we got on the hayride to head to the pumpkins, the kids got to each do one ride.  Andrew chose the bikes/pedal cars/whatever they are called.  Kayla chose the pumpkin train.  It wasn’t busy at all the day we went so both kids ended up on their own for their rides.  We then headed to the pumpkin patch, where they all picked out their own pumpkin.  After the pumpkins, Andrew and Kayla got to bounce on this huge bubble/trampoline.  They loved it.

This also became my second attempt at getting a picture for our Christmas cards.  As you will see looking through the pictures, there isn’t even one remotely good one to show you.  Another failed attempt.  Lots of other great pictures, though!

Andrew pedaling away. I had to give him a push. Every. Time. Those things were hard!

Kayla on the pumpkin train. Don't think it was as much fun by herself, but she says she still liked it.

Playin on the hay stack, waiting for the hayride. What a pose!

Me and my kiddos!

I just loved this picture of her. One of my favs.

And, I loved the facial expression here. This girl has the funniest facial expressions!

Getting brave. Jumping off the hay stack!

Family pic. Time for the hayride!!

She seriously tried to pick up all the enormous pumpkins. This one, she actually got off the ground!

Kayla just couldn't decide which one she wanted. Lots to choose from!

She got tired of trying to pick them up. Moved on to the tops of the pumpkins that had fallen off

I just loved this pic of my hubby and kiddos. Precious.

We finally found the perfect pumpkin for her!!!

On to the HUGE bouncy pillow! The kids had a blast on this thing.

Kayla was so light she was getting bounced all over the place!

Trying to scare Andrew. Didn't work.

What did Kenzie do while the other two jumped? Played in the dirt and rocks. Had. a. blast.

OK Gina, my goal is to be caught up with this blog by Christmas.  Will that make you happy? 

Kayla did both soccer and gymnastics this fall.  While she loved both, she decided to continue with gymnastics and add in some ballet.  I have to work on finding that ballet class!  Gymnastics – I think her favorites are the uneven bars and the trampoline.

She's holding her legs up with no help!

She has to jump up to reach this bar! She loves hanging!!

She also loves jumping around!

She's ready to find out what they are doing next!

There she goes!

So, you all can thank Aunt Gina for this post.  She won’t STOP driving me NUTS about not seeing a post in a while!

We decided to take the kids to a park to try and get a picture for our Christmas cards and let them play for a while.  Good thing we did this little outing in October as it ended up taking SIX DIFFERENT tries to get an OK picture.  I’m talking 6 different days trying to get ONE picture.  16 month olds just don’t want to cooperate much.  As most of you will see very soon, we didn’t use any of these.

This is what Kenzie did most of the time - ran away from us.

I will admit, we did get some great ones of Andrew and Kayla, individually.  These are completely unedited pictures, just trying to get Gina to be quiet.