Serious Updating!

This will be sort of random...but I will just tell you whats been happening with us in picture order :)

Dans new dirt bike. He has wanted one for years and after our tax return, I told him it would be now or never. He's so excited about it, he goes outside every night just to start it...lol.

We sold our van about a month ago. It was getting old and starting to break down and instead of putting thousands of dollars into it (more than it was worth), we decided to sell it and get something newer! I am soooooo excited! I love my 2005 Nissan Pathfinder! I have never liked vans, but it was practical for our family for many years and now I'm happy to have something more truck-like, even if it meant sacrificing my cell phone :( to pay the bill!

Joe is still doing so well riding a bike! It's his favorite thing to do. He loves riding Rachels bike. He doesn't care that it's pink and he gets so mad when Rachel won't let him ride it. He also loves to dress himself every day. He never matches and/or he wears pj's half the time. It's still cute!

Lately I've tried to grow Joe's hair out a little, for something different and because he doesn't like it spikey or messy. He likes it clean and combed down. Well, the other day, Dan had enough and decided to cut it short. Joe still won't let me spike it. O-well, he's cute no matter what. It's just funny how specific he wants things at such a young age.

This is me trying out my new camera for my b-day!!!! Dan also bought me a scanner, which I have wanted for years because I have so many pictures that are not digital. It came with Photoshop Elements (the cheaper version), and I love it, even though I still have to figure most of it out!

This is Rachel watching t.v. on the kitchen floor...lol. I have been so sick lately that all the kids do is watch t.v. and play outside. I feel terrible about this, but I just don't have the energy to entertain them. She's so cute all bundled up!

These are roses from my front yard. I had neglected to trim back this huge monstrosity, and so I decided I would enjoy the roses and cut this sucker back. Aren't they pretty?! I love giving myself flowers!

I just love this girl and her funky personality. She makes me laugh!

Dan has had magnets every night when he gets home from work. The kids think this is the funniest thing ever!

These two have found a new hobby....wrestling. They are constantly tackling each other and giggling like crazy. Instead of yelling at them to stop fighting, I have to yell at them to stop giggling so much! They are cute buddies!

When did she decide to grow up?! This girl will be 11 in just a couple of short months. She is growing into a young lady more and more every day! I can't believe my oldest will be this old! I was her age when my little brother Shawn was born. It was seriously the greatest thing in my whole life having a baby brother at this age. Hailey has shared her concern about how her friends will feel about them coming over with "all these kids in our house" and having to share a room, etc. I told her that's just part of being in a family and part of being more self-reliant and learning to share space and save money. She's now worrying more about what kinds of clothes to wear and spends wayyyyy to much time on her hair and steals my brush and straightener all the time. She is totally into cooking and anytime I let her, she will pull out a recipe and follow it with occasional questions but pulls it off pretty good! I'm beginning to have serious flash backs! Yikes, people! She also has so much more on the ball than I ever did! This girl is smart beyond her years in many ways and right on track in others :) I can't wait for a new little one in our house and hope that it does good things for her, just like having a new little one in my house at the age of 11 did for me. Pray for me, friends, I have a pre-teen BIG TIME!