Snowy Days - January 28-30

Just a few of my favorite pictures from all of our snow this weekend...


attempting to ride bikes

wrapped up with my sweet baby

a little walk

having "snow" much fun together

long legs make great snow angels

Zane: "I need to hold Sabrina's hand!"

snowman at Noni and Papa's

the aftermath of six kids playing in the snow!

Mommy Monique- January 23

Monique has always loved playing with her baby dolls. We have enjoyed watching and listening to her while she takes care of them. She takes it all very seriously and having Laurel around the house has given Monique even more reasons to practice being a mommy.

While I was taking pictures of Laurel the other day Monique came in with Baby Emma and asked if she could use the little camera to take pictures of Baby Emma. She says she is going to scrapbook them after we move!

But by far the funniest thing she has done was when I was sitting in the chair feeding Laurel today. Monique climbed up beside me with Baby Emma and said "She's hungry," as she pretended to nurse her. She is such a little mommy!

Just one of the things... - January 22

that made me laugh today!

You know you're moving when... - January 21

you answer at least half of your kids questions with "It's packed".

in an effort to clean out the freezer, you feed the kids strawberry ice cream cones for a snack in the middle of winter.

the kids don't mind it when you pack their toys because they're busy playing with all of the boxes!

Sisters - January 19

So grateful for my girls...and so happy they have each other...sisters are a blessing!

Box Tunnel - January 17

Wyatt, our resident engineer, created this box tunnel in the middle of our living room. The kids spent the rest of the afternoon crawling through it while Danny and I packed and packed and packed some more!

From My Chair - January 16

This was the view from my chair this evening as I finished feeding Laurel and got ready for prayer time with the kids and Danny...I am so blessed.

Baby in the Mirror - January 15

The kids love that Laurel is starting to actually look at them when her eyes are open instead of just starting into space! She is becoming more and more alert every day.

Helpers - January 14

Since Laurel's arrival the older kids have become very helpful with our daily activities. Their favorite jobs are fixing lunch (they love putting their own honey on the peanut butter sandwiches) and helping with the laundry (especially when they get to push the buttons to start the washer). Today I was busy with Laurel when it was time to put Zane down for a nap, so Sabrina and Colter offered to read books and snuggle with him before his nap. It took a little longer for him to fall asleep after they left, but they loved helping and Zane loved the extra attention!

Sticker Lessons - January 11

Zane loves doing his "sticker lessons" while Wyatt and Sabrina are doing their morning lessons. As soon as they sit down at the table and start working he comes running in and says, "Mama, I do my sticker lessons now?"

Packing - January 8

Packing has started at our house which means boxes are plentiful! The kids are finding all sorts of ways to play with them...climbing on them, hiding in them, crawling through them. Best of all we can pack their toys while they are busy playing with the boxes!

Two Weeks Old - January 4

Laurel Joy @ 2 weeks old

Griffis Family Top Ten 2009 - January 1

Our Top Ten for 2009

1. Laurel's Birth

2. Decision to Move to Grangeville

3. Zion National Park with the Griffins

4. Family Mission Trip to Paisano Encampment

5. Homeschooling Wyatt and Sabrina

6. Visit to Grangeville

7. Megan and Nathan's Wedding

8. No Training Wheels

9. Monique Writing her Name

10. Zane's Big Boy Bed

Snow, Snow and More Snow - December 31

This is the third snow we have had since Laurel was born just 10 days ago! Since our snows often come with wind, the drifts can get pretty bad, especially in the alley. So when the garbage truck came by to empty the dumpster today we weren't surprised that it got stuck. The kids enjoyed watching as two backhoes tried for about an hour to pull it out of the big drift behind our fence. Very entertaining!

Laurel's First Days - December 30

Just a few pictures from Laurel's first days...

12-21-09 - fresh and new

12-22-09 - coming home

12-23-09 - tucked up tight


12-24-09 - bright eyes

12-25-09 - our favorite present

12-26-09 - peaceful slumber

12-27-09 - ready for church

12-28-09 - finding her thumb

12-29-09 - snuggled up

12-30-09 - sweet feet

Our Little Nativity - December 26

We couldn't resist dressing up for a nativity picture while we had a real baby to complete the cast. The kids loved it and want to do it next year..."Baby Jesus" will just be a bit older!

Merry Christmas! - December 25

Merry Christmas...from our family to yours!

Snow, Cookies and PJs - December 24

Our Christmas Eve activities included...

playing in the snow...

baking and decorating Christmas cookies...

and getting new Christmas Eve pajamas!

Our New House - December 23

We closed on our Idaho house today! Here are a couple of pictures from our house hunting trip back in November. It is about five miles from town on almost four acres. We are so grateful that God has provided for us as we continue to prepare for this move.

Laurel Joy - December 21

Laurel Joy Griffis

born December 21 at 6:51 am

6 pounds, 2.8 ounces

18 1/2 inches

Laurel was born on her due date and came very close to being delivered by her daddy on the way to the hospital!

Her older siblings absolutely adore her and are thrilled that she is finally here.

Our happy "little" family of eight - what a blessing!

All dressed up and ready to go home - our precious baby girl!