Surprise!

Half a Dozen Pipers would like to announce that somewhere around December 7, 2012, we will be adding one more. Yep! We are having a baby!!! Lizzy is hoping for a sister. Tim is hoping for a brother. And Gabe and Brennen are hoping we are kidding.

Tim the Welder

Timothy is aquiring a new skill...welding! Ya, I think it's a little crazy too. But I also love that my little boy is so willing and so excited to try something new. I don't think I would have had the courage to do that at his age! A big thank you to Uncle Jacob for taking the time and having the patience to teach Tim such a manly skill!

Too good not to post...

I'm going to keep this forever! I have to remember how important my job is. Being a mother is the absolutely most difficult, frustrating, exasperating job, but, every once in a while, your child reminds you just why it is you wanted the job in the first place. 

A visit from Uncle Ben

 One of the best parts of the summer was a visit from Uncle Ben! We love Ben so much!!!

 Ben loves a good burger, so we took him to In-n-Out for one of the best burgers around.

 Gilroy Gardens was a blast! Ben loved the Quicksilver Express, a fun rollercoaster. Lizzy couldn't go, so Ben went with his nephews on this one. So much fun!

 Uncle Ben loves a good movie, complete with popcorn and skittles! We saw the Zookeeper together and I loved listening to Ben and his niece and nephews laugh and laugh!

For family home evening we joined our cousins, the Mallette's, for a night at the bowling alley. Ben is a great bowler! Everyone had a fabulous time!

The best part of our time with Ben was the Raine Family Reunion! Ben loves spending time with his family and catching up with cousins he doesn't get to see often. Here is Ben relaxing with the fam at the beach.

 And Jeffrey brought his slack line for everyone to try.

We had such a great time with you Uncle Ben...come again soon!

Tim had a birthday, shout HOORAY!

My Timothy turned 8! It is fitting that he was born just 53 minutes before the 4th of July, because he is my little firecracker! Tim adds the spice to our family. He loves to dance and do all kinds of crazy tricks. He just started cub scouts and had a fantastic time at Cub Camp. It even inspired this "bull's eye" cake! He is quite the little artist and enjoys drawing people...well...super people and scary monsters with large weapons and big muscles. He loves quesadillas but hates pizza. He will still cuddle and kiss his mommy, and his mommy absolutely loves him for everything he is! Happy birthday Mr. T!

June, briefly.

Summer. Not one post. Just no time! So here are a few things you may have missed...Brennen's piano recital, art camp for Gabe, Tim shooting at Cub Camp, Lizzy picking Olallieberries, and a family trip to Yosemite. Whew!
























Getting ready for summer!

It's the home stretch...only 9 school days left 'till summer. I approach this time with equal parts of dread and anticipation. Don't get me wrong, I love summer! Well, in theory anyway. The reality of it is having 4 kids at home with 4 ideas of what to do makes for at least 3 unhappy kids and 1 very frustrated mommy! My solution? Lists, schedules, and rules. Yep. I'm that mom. So summertime will include (even if it kills me!) scripture time, jobs, and *gasp* LEARNING! And we can have some fun along the way too. So I made a list of some family activities and had the kids rank the activities. Here are the results:


Brennen
1 Giant's Game
2 Jelly Belly Factory
3 Free concert series
4 Yosemite
5 Dennis the Menace Park
6 Berry Picking
7 Beach
8 Mall
9 Monterey Bay Aquarium
10 Golden Gate Park
11 CRC-basketball
12 CRC-swim
13 CRC-workout
14 Wii Game
15 Drive-in movie
16 Pinnacles-hiking
17 Harvey Bear-hiking
18 Aquatic Center
19 Neighborhood pool
20 Campout in the backyard
21 Park
22 Picnic
23 Try a new recipe
24 Gilroy Gardens
25 Science Experiments
26 Library
27 Board Game
28 Art Project
29 Storytime @the Library

Gabe
1 Jelly Belly Factory
2 Yosemite
3 Campout in the backyard
4 Mall
5 Harvey Bear-hiking
6 Pinnacles-hiking
7 Drive-in movie
8 Dennis the Menace Park
9 Monterey Bay Aquarium
10 Golden Gate Park
11 Berry Picking
12 Aquatic Center
13 Library
14 Storytime @the Library
15 Try a new recipe
16 Beach
17 Park
18 Picnic
19 Giant's Game
21 Art Project
22 Board Game
23 Science Experiments
23 Wii Game
24 Neighborhood pool
25 CRC-basketball
26 CRC-swim
27 CRC-workout
28 Gilroy Gardens
29 Free concert series

Tim
1 Yosemite
2 Giant's Game
3 Drive-in movie
4 Campout in the backyard
5 Monterey Bay Aquarium
6 Free concert series
7 Wii Game
8 Jelly Belly Factory

Lizzy's #1 was Gilroy Gardens with Berry Picking a close 2nd.

Can we do it? Well, anything's possible, right?!