All of "Oz": 2013 Highlights

After looking over the photos taken this past year, I've decided we are very ordinary and don't do many outlandish and exciting things - WAIT - what am I talking about...raising six kids, selling one house and building a new one - that's about as exciting as it can get - right? There was plenty of things going on this past year....here are just a few of the highlights:

This past year began with a couple of good snowstorms here in the Midwest - now realize that there is usually a LOT of ice and wind that comes along with these storms - so to have a true snowstorm that the kids get to go out and play in truly a cool thing!

February 2013 - we actually had a really good snowstorm that dropped a record amount of snow - the kids (and dog) loved it - the played outside for HOURS!

Our "kid-free" cruise to the Caribbean...very fun, and ready to go back!

Dallen lost his first tooth...in fact, if I add them all up, I think if we add up all the teeth our kids lost this year, we could probably fill a mouth!

SPORTS - between practices and games, we seem to always be running. As a mother of six - we have to have our energy outlets....and this is one of the best ways - and healthy too!

Ethan running the ladder drill (I think that's what it's called anyway)

This was Elise's first year of soccer...not the best picture, but the clearest!

Dallen's second year of playing soccer - he really got into it!

Spencer does play many sports - football, basketball, soccer, etc, but for some reason , can't find a picture of him in action (actually, I did find a track picture of him running, but he will not let me use it). He also refs soccer games for volunteer hours...I loved this picture of him (he was trying to remember which kid scored the goal - not the look you want your ref to have!)

Tanner pitching in a baseball game...on a side note, and not that you can really tell - but our new house is being built in the background of this picture...don't know why you need to know that - but it's there

Erica started dance this year...that is all that she wanted for her 3rd birthday was to dance. She seems to have a knack for dancing and does really well - the best part is making her skirt twirl - truly a girlie girl!

SCHOOL PROGRAMS: When you have many children and they are in different schools there seems to always be something going on at one of them. Sometimes it's a pain to get there , but the programs are always fun (don't get me started on the schools here...there really isn't time - let's just say that I have 5 kids in school and they go to 4 different schools)

Dallen's music program - he loved being a cowboy!

Ethan plays the clarinet and has many opportunities to perform...

Tanner at his schools "Battle of the Books" contest - he looks forward to this all year

Spencer took an "acting" class one semester, and they put on a play for part of their final grade. This is him in action - he was 'Kermit the Frog'...he had a hard time keeping his "pokerface" - in fact, if any of the kids looked at each other, they would start cracking up - it was still cute!

SUMMER FUN - I don't have many pictures of summer...but we were always off doing something. The two pictures I do have are one of the 4th of July (it gets a little crazy here in the Midwest) and another one of the four younger kids at the zoo when Spencer and Ethan were at Scout Camp.

The boys were using this cooler to put firecrackers in and light them. It caught on fire when they tried to light 500 at the same time...boys...the love the 4th of July!