The time has come...

We told the boys this morning the news. They put this puzzle together and they were so excited! I think that they told everyone they saw as we walked to school this morning and all the teachers told me "Congratulations!" during parent/teacher conferences. They all want a baby girl so bad. We'll see what happens...

I'm due the middle of April and I'm almost 12 weeks along.

So I guess this will stop any rumors that are going around about me being pregnant. :)

I'm just tired, which I don't necessarily blame on the pregnancy. I think that that is just the life of a mom. But I have felt great other than that. I haven't been sick at all and I really love to be pregnant! I guess that is a good thing considering the amount of kids I have. :)

I know that some people will think that we are crazy... What do I have to say to that? Other than..."maybe we are!" :) But isn't just a little crazy good?!

Sweet boys

Well, I just about have the sweetest boys around! I mentioned earlier this evening that I never got around to folding all the clothes that I had to wash today. And then I added that I will just fold them tomorrow. No big deal, I've done back laundry many times. Well, after I sent the boys upstairs to go to bed, I cleaned up a few dishes and finished talking to my mom on the phone and headed upstairs myself. To my amazement, there was laundry folded on my bed and the boys were still in the process of folding the rest. They were so thoughtful that they decided to take care of the clothes themsleves. They actually did a really good job. They made nice individual piles of pants, shirts, underwear and socks for each boy. Even Ben was impressed! (Ben will wash clothes but he doesn't fold them because he doesn't know which clothes belong to which boy!) They said that they didn't want me to do too much work since I am going to have a baby. Wow! What treatment! I love my boys!

Happy Birthday Devin!!!

Devin turns 3 years old today! I can't believe that my baby is so old!

He was actually born on my 25th birthday! You can do the math. (Sorry folks, no pictures of me today.)

Here are a few things that you may or may not know about Devin...

He is my biggest cuddlier (is that even a word?). All of my boys loved to snuggle, but nothing like Devin. If he is sad or mad, all I have to do is give him a hug and within about 5 seconds he is smiling and laughing (and sometimes acting like a puppy or kitten).

He loves playing trucks with his big brothers, but what little boy doesn't.

He loves music! I give piano and violin lesson and I find him regularly "practicing" his piano or one of the boys violins because his is in need of repair and is packed away. When I walk into the room, he just gets a big grin and says "I'm practicing!"

He loves to sing. Among a few of his favorites are "Popcorn Popping", "In the Leafy Treetops", "Once There Was a Snowman", "Rain is Falling", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and the all-time favortive is "A, B, C's".

He can memorize songs so fast. We had a singing FHE and everyone picked out a song and we sang their song. One of the songs was "Follow the Prophet". About a week later, I heard Devin singing that song! We only sang the song that night and here was singing..."Adam was a prophet, first one that we know..."

He knows his whole alphabet. I didn't know this until one day several months ago he pointed out letters to me and was telling me what letters they were. I was shocked because I haven't worked at all with him! So now Ashton and Devin have contests with the flashcards to see who can say the letters first.

He loves to go on walks and bike rides with his Dad. Especially to the park. As soon as Ben walks through the door, all the boys are asking to go for a ride!

He loves books! Some children sleep with stuffed animals or blankets at night. Not Devin! He sleeps with books! He gets about 3 everynight and looks at the pictures and then tucks them into the covers with him and goes to sleep. Funny kid! That can't be comfortable! He loves for Ben to read the stories to him or tell a "famous Dad story."

He loves to count things. He is always saying, "Let's count this." It could be crayons, strips on a ribbon, cars or anything he can get his hands on.

And last, but not least! He is completely potty-trained and has been for quite a long time. It has been 8 years of diapers and now nothing. It is so great! I guess that he's not my baby anymore...

Happy Birthday Devin! We love you! You bring us so much joy and laughter!

Calvin, Riley and Baby Mayley

Riley is one of Calvin's best friends. One day I found them outside at my parent's house taking care of my littleset niece, Mayley. They were having a great time playing and posing for pictures.

Devin

Here's my handsome Devin. I was just going through some pictures and found this one of him. He not dressed appropriately for being on the ranch, but it was cute.

Ben's Storytelling

For those of you who really know Ben, you will know exactly what he is doing in these pictures. Ben has a great talent for telling stories. He can even keep the attention of 2 year olds for hours just with stories. Here he is telling stories at my parent's house. My brother, John, was just about to have his open house to leave on his mission and Ben decided to keep the kids occupied so we could get ready. (What a great husband!)

Congratulations in Order...

My littlest sister, Brooke, has just announced that she is going to have a little baby! We are soooo excited for her and Nich. They will make wonderful parents. She is due in the middle of February. Wow! Congratulations Brooke and Nich! We love you!

First Day of School

I know that I'm a month late on this, but I'm just now getting through my pictures.

The boys had their first day of school on July 28! So early and so soon! The summer went by way to fast and I'm sad to see them go.

Calvin is now in 1st Grade! Carson and Caleb are both in 3rd Grade!

Such handsome boys!

Family Vacation

We stayed a week at Grandma and Grandpa Bear's cabin in Lakeside. We loved not having to do anything except relax! Here are a few of the highlights we enjoyed. We also went on a hike to a spring that is nearby. I couldn't get any pictures of the hike because it was raining and I didn't want to ruin my camera.

Here is a picture of Ben, Ashton, Calvin and Carson. I am standing on the dock and off to the right, you can see the beach that Grandpa Bear made. It is a favorite spot for the kids during the hot afternoons.

Caleb riding his kayak.

Carson and the kayak. He loved to see how fast he could go.

Here is Ben sporting his racing life jacket.

Ben took Ashton and Calvin on a canoe ride all around the lake. Caleb and Carson kept up in the kayak close behind.

The Demuths were up for a few days with us. Calvin and Riley are practically inseparable.
Every afternoon the thunderstorms would come in and we would just sit on the porch and enjoy. The boys had different ideas...they wanted to play Frisbee. They loved it and got completely soaked!

Performance and Pay Day

Every year the Reed Family takes a trip to Snowflake and we play on stage at the park on Thursaday and then play in the parade on Saturday. Here are a few highlights...

Caleb, Carson and Calvin played their fiddles with me for a song and Ashton made his debut on the drums. He did really good. Uncle John sat back there with him just in case he needed help, but Ashton was able to do the whole song without any help! Caleb, Carson and Calvin played "Boil the Cabbage" great!
Everyone got paid for playing in the show and the parade. Grandma Reed is handing out the money. Here is Carson and Devin.
Ashton is holding his hard-earned dollar.
Calvin smiling sweetly!
Everyone is listening to Grandma.
After they got paid. We took our boys to the dollar store and they all bought something with their money. They were so excited! It's fun to be rewarded for a lot of work and practicing!

Snowflake Pioneer Day Parade

It has been our tradition with the Reed Family to have a float each year in the Snowflake Pioneer Days Parade. So here are some pictures of this year's Parade. We won the Spirit of Family Award!

Dayton, Riley, Ashton and Calvin waiting for the parade to start.

Uncle Wes was our driver. What would we do without a drum beat to keep us on the right track? That was Uncle John's job.

Here is Uncle Sam, Bridger, Caleb and Aunt Brooke warming up their fingers.

Mom Tag

My sister-in-law, Kobie, did a cute little tag and tagged anyone who has kids that could talk. (And I do the same.) I decided to find out what Ashton and Devin really thinks of me so here it is!

1. What does mom always say to you?
Ashton: Clean my room when it's dirty.
Devin: Clean my room. (We just cleaned their room and it was DIRTY!)
2. What makes mom happy?
Ashton: When I clean my room.
Devin: When I clean my room under the bed.
3. What makes mom sad?
Ashton: When I beat up Devin.
Devin: When Ashton's in trouble.
4. How does mom make you laugh?
Ashton: When you tickle me.
Devin: Like this: Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
5. How old is mom?
Ashton: 16
Devin: 13
6. How tall is mom?
Ashton: Bigger than us.
Devin: Little like this. (Then he holds his fingers up showing how tiny!)
7. What does mom like to do?
Ashton: Play with me.
Devin: Eat hot dogs. (I think that's his favorite food!)
8. What is mom's job?
Ashton: To do the dishes.
Devin: Playing football, playing games, playing jeeps, eating M&M's.
9. What is mom's favorite food?
Ashton: The same food that we eat. Pizza!
Devin: Pizza!
10. How do you know your mom loves you?
Ashton: Because I got born.
Devin: I love your hair. And I like your eyes and ears and teeth and hair.