Birthday Girl - November 21

Happy 6th Birthday, Sweet Sabrina!

Cowboy Zane - November 18

Danny: "Zane, do you want to wear your cowboy jacket this morning?"

Zane: "Yes, need hat. Need boots."

And that is how he went to school this morning!

Thank Yous - November 13

Monique has been learning how to write her name and signing thank you cards for birthday presents was the perfect way to practice!

Our Gourd Family - November 2

One of our favorite fall traditions...

Five Little Monkeys - October 31

The kids dressed up as "Five Little Monkeys" for Trunk or Treat at our church. Aren't they just the cutest?

October Updates - October 28

Just some quick updates on each of the kids...

Wyatt's newest fascinations are his toys cars (notice they are all sorted by color) and maps of any sort (something which thrills Danny!).

Sabrina is such a big helper, always ready and willing to do whatever needs to be done - she even asks to change Zane's diapers!

Colter got some new shoes this month. He is loves them because he says they make him jump really high!

Monique spends her days taking care of Baby Emma. She is even learning how to multi-task!

Zane just loves life! He is such a joy and loves to make us laugh.

And baby number six is growing and growing...

Fall Leaves - October 24

The leaves are finally starting to fall off the trees and the big kids couldn't wait to get outside this afternoon and start raking them into piles. Can you tell we love fall around here?

Happy Birthday, Monique! - October 21

We had the party early, but today is the real day. Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl! We love you so very, very much!

Baby Doll Birthday - October 18

Monique celebrated her fourth birthday with a baby doll party. All of her friends - and their favorite dolls - helped her celebrate the important occasion.

We started the party making burp rags for the girls (and the brothers!) to take home for their babies.

Later we enjoyed baby doll cupcakes, complete with pacifiers.

and the girls played with their dolls and took very good care of them.

Monique was very excited to get lots of "girlie" presents on her special day (notice Zane eyeing the Barbie!)

Today - October 13

The weather was absolutely beautiful the past few days! Here are just a few random snapshots of our afternoon spent outside...

Colter and Sabrina riding their bikes...

Monique practicing the hula hoop...

Wyatt drawing on the sidewalk...

and Zane enjoying a messy snack of oven smores!

Painting Pumpkins - October 10

One of Danny's patients brought by some mini-pumpkins for the kids, so we decided to paint them today. Zane didn't quite get the concept of painting a face on his pumpkin (he just painted the whole thing black!), but they had fun and now I have something to decorate the front porch!

Aspen and Elk - September 30-October 3

We usually take about a week or so every fall to enjoy the changing aspen and bugling elk. Because of the move and the baby we didn't have quite as much time to take off this year, but we did manage to sneak away for a few days. Danny's blog (www.griffisfamilyoutdoors.blogspot.com) has all of the details...

Happy Birthday, Aunt Megan! - September 29

We celebrated Aunt Megan's birthday with her on Saturday, but today is the official day! Happy Birthday, Aunt Megan!

Bike Ride - September 26

Today was the "Cattle Country Stampede" - the official name for our annual Dimmitt bike ride. Since Colter got to go on a special backpacking trip with Danny last month, it was Wyatt's turn for a little adventure. Danny asked him if he would like to ride in the 10 mile bike ride. This was very sacrificial on Danny's part because he would have loved to have done the 60 mile ride, but biking is Wyatt's favorite thing and Danny thought this would be a great chance for him to experience his first organized ride. Wyatt agreed without hesitation and started riding his bike everyday to get ready!

The kids and I made signs (Zane had one too but he was afraid it would blow away!) and found a spot early in the route to cheer them on. When the lead pack passed us the kids were cheering loudly and were disappointed when they didn't see Wyatt and Daddy. I assured them that they would be coming and sure enough, a couple minutes later we saw them down the road. Wyatt got really excited when he heard us cheering for him and saw the signs.

Wyatt was the youngest rider by about 12 years and certainly had the bike with the smallest wheels. It was cute watching him pedal so fast and Danny pedal so slowly as they tried to stay together.
Wyatt kept up a pace of about 10 minutes per mile and finished the ride with a huge smile on his face. It was such a good experience for him and one he certainly won't forget!

Football Time! - September 25

The kids have been anxious to go to a football game for many weeks. We live close enough to the field that they can hear the scoreboard buzz during the afternoon practices, so they are always asking if it is a game night. Tonight was the first home game we've been in town for, so we dressed in our Bobcat purple and headed to the football stadium. As cute as these little cheerleaders and football players look, my favorite thing about this picture is that they are all holding hands. I love that my kids love each other!

Learning - September 23

One of my favorite things about being at home with my kids all day is being able to see everything that they are learning. Here are their latest accomplishments...

Wyatt is learning to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the piano...

Sabrina is learning her numbers to 20...

Colter is learning to read...

Monique is learning to write her name...

and Zane is learning to pedal his tricycle (although it's still faster to just push with his feet!).

Toad Races - September 17

Our backyard has been full of toads lately and the boys (especially Colter) love catching them and playing with them. Today they ran inside to tell me about the toad races they were having on the back porch. So very funny...

On your mark...

get set...

go!

Just the girls... - September 11-12

Danny and the boys left Friday morning for a backpacking trip this weekend (check out his blog www.griffisfamilyoutdoors.blogspot.com for details on their trip). Mom drove up from Lubbock for a girls weekend. Here are just few of the fun things we did...

On Friday morning we made these super cute pillows from ribbons and fleece. The girls love the way they look on their beds!

We spent some time Friday afternoon scrapbooking. I've already trained the girls well - according to them it is not a "girls weekend" unless scrapbooking is involved!

Saturday morning we went to the fair parade. The girls had been asked to ride on a float and they had a great time throwing candy and waving!

It was a fun weekend and we were so glad that Noni was able to spend it with us!

Tractor Pull and Pet Show - September 10

Today was the first day of Castro County Fair, which is always marked by the pet show and tractor pull.

Colter has been catching toads in our backyard on a daily basis for the past several weeks. I asked him if he would like to catch one to take to the pet show and he excitedly agreed. His toad (which was a little on the small side) won the award for "Best Bait"!

Colter has been waiting for two years for his turn at the tractor pull. This year he was finally old enough and he made the most of it. He pedaled that tractor as far as his little legs would take him and all of that determination paid off...

when he won first place in the 4 year old division! He was so proud of his medal!

Sabrina also did the tractor pull and won a ribbon. She was a little upset that she didn't go as far as Colter (after all he is her younger brother!), but then she realized she had beaten one of the 5 year old boys and that made her feel better!

This was Wyatt's third year doing the tractor pull. He also won a ribbon and pedaled hard all the way to the end. He was so proud of himself!

Meeting Baby Grady - September 4

We went to Lubbock today to meet Grady Hubert Thomson, my brother and sister-in-law's newest addition. He was born two days ago and the kids have been very anxious to see him!

So sweet...