a little walk

We had an impromptu hike the other day.

We were supposed to meet up with a former teacher from Ohio, Mr. Shelton.

He was the only teacher that all three of the older kids had.

He was also the only teacher that treated all of the kids the same: he was so nice and respectful.

If only the world could have more Mr. Sheltons....

He said he wanted to meet at the top of South Mountain in Phoenix.

We thought he meant hike to the top.

Apparently you can drive to the top.

That's how he got there.

We never found him on the mountain.

We had a fun walk though.

Once the sun set and we finally figured out where Mr. S was, we met him at Sonic for some treats and laughter.

He brought his two boys and his parents with him.

They are all just as great as he is.

I don't know how Haley managed to get around in that skirt.

I told her we were going to do some hiking.

She said, "I'm fine."

She likes to say that, a lot.

Because of her choice in clothing, she had to endure many comments from the family.

I felt like we were hiking with someone who had been plucked from 1805 and dropped in 2012.

Dust on the skirt while hiking in AZ?

 There's a first for everything.

Do you have a favorite photo?

You know, the kind that swallow you up in nostalgia, swish you around and then spit you out in a messy heap left with a happy ache in your heart remembering days that can never be retrieved?

Here are a few of mine,

in no particular order.

Eric - 1st day of kindergarten

Mimi - 1 yr old - fell down the stairs and hurt her nose

Mimi - at the school dropping off Eric on his first day of kindergarten

Robyn and Eric - the day of Robert's graduation from residency

Quinny and Me - After a week of being separated

Haley - in the Utah mountains

Robyn and Mimi - summer of 2008

Quinny and Me - Thanksgiving 2008

Mimi - had a dirty face in every picture for about 3 years

All the kids - Thanksgiving 2008 - Robyn is shorter than Haley

she eats

Last week we sang, she blew out the candles, and then we ate.

Well, all of us except for Quinn.

I asked her if she wanted a cupcake and she said she didn't want to get sick again.

She had the chocolate barfs Easter night.

Ever since then she has refused candy, cake, etc.

There were only two cupcakes left today, and she decided to partake.

I took Quinn for a well-check appointment this morning.

She had three shots.

It was not a pleasure.

She grew 4 3/4 inches. (Wow!)

She only gained 2 1/4 pounds. (Are we really genetically related?)

look who's four

birth

one

two

three

four

she's never a bore

we often hear her snore

she loves the store

she always wants more, more, more

she can be a chore

but we love her to the core

oh how we adore

addison quinn who just turned four

easters

Grandma's annual egg hunt!

Spencer, Ben, Mimi, Lucy, Jack, Haley, and Quinn

Quinny with her loot.

Mimi with her find.

 Quinn was afraid to touch the dye.

She didn't want to die.

After church activities.

 Me:  Robert, why are you shooting the gun inside?

Robert:  It's too hot out there.

 Dirt cups for dessert.

 Grammy giving instructions for the egg hunt at her house.

Quinn is blurry because she was ready to run.

We have POUNDS of candy!

No kidding, POUNDS!

best friends

Quinny's decapitating of the doughnuts should come as no surprise to me.

I vividly remember when years ago my mom coming into the kitchen while we were all eating and asking if I knew anything about the box of powdered sugar she had found under my bed.

I innocently said I had no idea where it had come from.

Lie.

I remember as well now as I did then that I was the one who squirreled away the box of sugar.

Under my bed was the perfect place to steal away some quiet moments to myself, reflect on life, and eat sugar.

It wasn't just sugar.

I had a box of chocolate pudding powder under there, too.

I also used to eat spoonfuls of sugar.

That's right, spoonfuls.

Almost choking, I would sneak it as fast as I could before my mom would return to the kitchen.

She would ask how the sugar spoon got all clumpy and sticky.

I have no idea, Mom.

Lie again.

Don't we do that as adults as well?

Who doesn't have a hidden store of chocolate in their house?

What about the good ice cream that the kids are not allowed to eat?

Do you ever hide your evidence or lie about what you ate?

Not only did I find the slaughtered doughnuts the other day, but I found an entire rubbermaid container of cookies in Mimi and Quinny's closet.

While I know for sure that Quinn was the doughnut destroyer, I am not certain about who relocated the cookies.

Because they were hiding in the container that was in a large shopping bag, I am fairly confident the culprit is Mimi.

Ah, Creamy Mimi, a girl after my own heart.

You need a better hiding place than that if you don't want me to find them.

Look at that creepy stuffed animal.

I think it's a cat.

It has really weird eyes.

Robert won a bid on a box of prizes at the school carnival.

While I love the puppet theater that came with the prizes, the used stuffed animals are crazy.

Worst of all, she loves them and takes them everywhere.