Me and the Kiddos

 The kids and I got the opportunity to get our pictures taken by Cindy.  She is a volunteer photographer who we found through Kids Cancer Crusade.  Cindy took the kids and my pictures to celebrate the end of Odette's treatments.  When I had first talked to her she had said August would be the best month.  I was really worried because I wanted Odette to have no more feeding tube in pictures.  (I know it was helping her, but she is so gorgeous without and if we were getting professional pictures...)  As most of you all know, Odette was rid of her feeding tube with plenty of time to spare for the pictures, so there wasn't even a red cheek!  We drove out to Tooele, which isn't really that bad of a drive until a child needs to use the restroom.  (Now this particular child thinks she can "water" the outside anytime she wants.)  Even with the long drive, the kids all smiled and had lots of fun running around the garden area where the pictures were taken.  I think the pictures turned out great.  I have the most beautiful, special and amazing children! (And yes, in the foot picture, Brandt and Kathleen are almost the same size as me!)

Buffalo

When Brandt was little I brought a watermelon home.  He rolled the thing all over the house and called it a buffalo.  It was so very cute.  (Course now he gets all embarrassed when I remind him about this.  Why do they have to grow up?)  Anyway, we got a "buffalo" on Saturday and Odette did some of the same stuff as I remembered Brandt doing.  So very cute!

Hollywood Connection

Today I took the kids to Hollywood Connection.

It was loads of fun!

We road on lots of rides.

Odette loved the roller coaster and would get on, hold on and say "Go!"

The other three kids loved the bumper cars...until Josselyn got on one that didn't work and tried to get off in the middle.

Odette got to see her friend Sarah who had AML and they pretty much had only been friends behind the windows. (Whenever one could leave the room, the other one couldn't.)

 We attempted roller skating.  Brandt was awesome at it.  Kathleen wouldn't let go of the wall and Josselyn wouldn't let go of me and the stroller!

 Finally we did some miniature golfing.  It was funny to watch Josselyn try and hit the ball.  Brandt was the lucky one who made a whole in one in the "lake".

 It was great fun!!  So glad to be part of Hopekids.

Wasatch 5K Adventure

Today was our 5K Run/Walk with the Hopekids Organization.  Each team was suppose to raise $100 to participate, $250 to earn shirts and then their was a grand prize for the team who raised the most.  Lets just say that team Odette didn't even make it to the t-shirt level, but overall, all of Hopekids nearly met their goal of $40,000! 

It was an awesome event that took place at This is the Place Monument.  In all my years of living in Utah, I had never even been there.  (I know, I need to get out a little more often!)  That place is amazing--and has A LOT OF HILLS!  Thankfully we have practiced walking around our neighborhood, or I don't think that I would have made it!! 

The kids enjoyed (after I made them walk) train rides, panning for gold, seeing the animals, bouncing in the bounce house, playing with friends, balloon animals, seeing star wars people and princesses, face painting and eating tons of food!  I'm not kidding when I say tons.  Odette alone ate 3 pieces of pizza, 2 cotton candies, a cup full of chocolate bugles, some snow cone and some animal crackers!  She was so obsessed with food that she didn't want to get out to play on anything!  (Maybe we will reach our weight goal yet!)  What an AMAZING event! What an AMAZING day!!

I had given up...

... on ever having Kathleen learn how to ride a two-wheel bike.  There are many reasons why in the past three years we have started and never made it very far--pregnancies, too many hills, to scared, can't deal with girls emotions, sickness and more excuses--but for some reason today was magical!  It was a beautiful day and the kids and I were all outside swinging and eating raspberries right off the bushes.  Yummy!  Everyone was as happy as could be when Brandt said, "Hey Kathleen, lets teach you how to ride my old bike!"  She eagerly answered, "Ok".  So, while I went in to make dinner, they set to work.  Within 20 minutes I heard yelling outside.  I went to check it out and it was happy yelling!  She could do it already.  (I figured she would eventually be able to just jump on and go.)  So after dinner, we put the bikes in the van and went down to the church parking lot for some practice.  Josselyn and Brandt just had their scooters so they could help out their sister and Kathleen had the bike.  Odette was happy for a bit with a sucker and then thought it was awesome to chase after the kids.  She was so funny crawling across the grass as a shortcut to the other side of the parking lot.  All the kids wanted to be in a movie!  This family outing was way better than any Friday movie night!