who says the fifth child doesn't get photographed...

I wanted to take some photos today because she wore I dress that I made, she looks cute in it and because, I just like too. I was the youngest in my family and I didn't have very many photos of me growing up so I have made sure I have lots of every kid in our family.

She is a very happy baby and always has a smile. She looves to be naked, everytime I change her or get ready for a bath, she is so happy, she has been that way even when she was newborn. She is getting so big so fast, so I want to document things so I don't forget.

some of the pictures are blurry but the smile was to stinkin cute to delete. I am still learning :).

who is this kid?

Rhen got a hair cut. I immediately regretted it, because really who is this kid? He looks so different. I wanted to see what his hair looked like short but now I just miss the hair curling out underneath his hat. With my girls when I cut their hair short it was to make them seem young again, I wanted them to stay young, but with Rhen it made him look older.

Now we will just wait for it to grow again. Although he is cute no matter how long or short his hair is.

p.s. yes Jake you were right :)

yeah!!

Jake gets home late tonight! He has been missed!
I have such an appreciation for single mom's. It has been exhausting. I have been one for just five days, and I can't imagine how all the single mothers do it. My sister is a single mother of 7 kids, wow, she is amazing. I don't know how she does it. I braved a store with all five kids to get easter dresses (cause they were doing the easter program at church yesterday). Luckily we were able to get them all in one place, for Rhen is like most boys gets bored easily with shopping and was crying and running around. We found some cute things at Downeast. And then yes I braved church. We did hair the night before in some awesome curlers I found. http://www.sallybeauty.com/Curlformers-kit/SBS-473040,default,pd.html . Love them. We were even early, but by the end since Rhen refuses to go to nursery, I was exhausted!

I have no idea where Jake is this very moment but hopefully somewhere in the US. It worries me a bit having him flying over the ocean but I just can't think about that too much. I am excited he got to spend time with some of his brothers. He loves them and I just wish I could be a fly on the wall over there and hear their conversations, oh wait I wish I was there personally! All his brothers are hilarious.

I need to catch up on laundry, I haven't had a moment to do any and Rhen officially has no clothes and I have to changed Rhen dirty diaper for the first of six times today, he is very regular. When is he going to be interested in the potty?

Derby

We stayed at a country club in Derby last night thanks to Jeffs Marriott points. It was nestled in a little English village on the hillside which was quite the romantic setting - romantic as in quaint and cozy since the hotel was a really old estate house. I was waiting for Mr. Darcy to come prancing around the corner to save the day, but Jeff reminded me that Pride and Prejudice took place years ago and he was in love with Elizabeth anyway so he wouldn't care about us. Josh and Jeff are now arguing about Mr. Darcy's true intentions and feelings. And these are the same guys that just told me I don't have man hands because they aren't hairy.

York Minster

Another great thing to see if you find yourself near York. Pictures just don't do it justice. The York Minster was built around 1200 and the craftsmanship is amazing. Lots of intricate rock and wood carvings, tons of stained glass featuring all the main bible story scenes and scary gargoyles around the towers. If you get there early enough you can climb to the top and stand on the roof of the very highest point shown in the picture below, about 200 ft up. We just missed it this time and were pretty bummed out for Josh and Callum because it's pretty sweet. We've seen quite a few cathedrals over here including the famous Westminster, but I think it's a close tie between York Minster and the one in Salisbury as our favs.

Fountains Abby

Stacie thought I should include more commentary. I haven't because I'm typing all of this on my phone and it takes a little longer- but since we are driving for a bit I have some time and I like it when Stacie is pleased with me.

Last night we stayed on Manchester where we were supposed to see a Manchester United game, but since they changed their schedule after we booked the trip we had to make other plans. Last trip to England we stopped by a place called Fountains Abby, but they had just closed and we were unable to see it. So, since Manchester was close we stopped by The Abby on our way to York. Fountains Abby was a very large Abby built way back in the time of Henry VIII. It sits in a beautiful little valley and i'm sure it was quite the place before it was mostly destroyed. Back in the day Henry VIII didn't like how large and powerful the church was getting and decided to destroy some church properties. Fountains Abby was one he destroyed which is too bad, however it was still very cool to see and definately a highlight of the trip. We got wet since it was raining pretty hard, but it was still quite enjoyable. Here are a few pics of the ruins and view from Anne Boelyn's 'surprise view'.

Platform 9 3/4

For my girls: I went to platform 9 3/4 today and rode up to Hogwarts to visit Harry Potter. I told him you think he is cute Ads He saw your pictures and thinks you all are very pretty but he can't get involved right now because wizardy keeps him very busy. I told him that's fine because you can't date until you are 30 anyway. Elsie, he was going to give me his invisible cloak for you, but I told him you are already very sneaky. We also went to this sweet palace today and saw some really cool stuff where the king lived.

London

It's a crazy busy, but cool city. We're having good time so far and everything is funnier after 42 hours with no sleep. Callum is wondering what he was thinking coming with a bunch of old guys. We spent the night in Baden Powell House - he's the guy that started boy scouts and the house is now a school and Hostel. We didnt think about a hostel not having towels so we had to use tshirts. Luckily I brought a Texas Longhorns T just to give Jeff a hard time and it had excellent drying proprties. We started out the day today with a delightful pastry at Harrods and ate lunch on the curb next to a tricked out Lambourgini. It looked fast. We're now on a train to see a massive palace called Hampton Court which should be interesting to see. Josh ( in true josh fasion) has taught us much about when we should use the words super, and plus - and how they should be used together in scentences. There is so much history here and it's amazing so many of these old buildings are so well preserved. I promised my girls I'd post up some pics as we go so here are a couple. Love ya girls!














This defender isn't a historical artifact, but cool nonetheless.

Layla's blessing dress

I've had a few questions about Layla's blessing dress. No I didn't make it (i wish). I had it made by a lady I found on etsy, who conveintly lives here in Logan. You can check her items out here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/palmegranateandco

Right after I had her make a dress for Layla she had to raise the price of the dress because the yarn she uses went up in price. I know she is going to be doing consignment at the Beedles (?)store by Home Depot.

a recipe to share

These are the best and easiest whole wheat pancakes and we love them so much I wanted to share. We have a tradition on Sunday's to have a big breakfast either in the morning or for dinner so was glad when I got a new recipe. It is fun trying new things plus they are healthy! (I got this from a neighbor at our enrichment night)

Mix in blender
1 cup wheat kernels
1 cup milk
blend on high for 2 minutes (blend longer if you don't have a heavy duty blender)
add 1/2 cup milk
blend for 2 more minutes
add
2 eggs
1t salt
1/3 cup oil
1T honey
1T baking powder (blend)

cook on hot griddle.

I would have a picture of these but they get eaten to fast! :)