Mailee Turns 11!

Mailee's birthday was awesome this year.

I love her.

Here are the birthday details.

Mailee went on a scavenger hunt to find her big gift....

Here she is getting a first look at her new bed and bedding!!

SHe was completely surprised!

Mikayla made a few pillows for Mailee out of some of Mailee's favourite old shirts.

She studied each pillow for quite a while.

Barbie pillow complete with tulle skirt!

Name pillow!

She was really happy with her hand made bedding and her new day bed (which Grandpa Don spray painted pink) has a trundle underneath that pops up to make a queen sized bed. Mikayla has slept over a few times already:)

Mailee got to invite a friend and her sisters and cousin for a night out on the town to celebrate.

She chose to make it a dress up affair. 

My dressed up girlies.

Some dressed up chaperones.

The ladies.

Mailee looked so pretty in her sparkly dress and curled hair.

The cake!

Sparkly candles to match the birthday girl.

What to eat, what to eat...

We were seated at a separate table.

{the cool table, right?}

I'm tellin you, they grow to fast!

A handmade pillow from Aunty Terri.

Mailee has great gift-opening expressions!

When did she grow up?!?!?

Mailee and Liberty.

Special friends.

Jenaya is such a sweet and wonderful cousin.

Lil sister/ roommate.

Big sister.

Cutie!

It was a JOY to celebrate my Mailee Joy!

Family Pictures 2012

Our kids are growing too fast.

way.

too.

fast.

I just want to remember them at each age, each stage, 

each height, each haircut, 

baby teeth, no teeth, big teeth...

I love photographs for this reason.

Love Love Love!!!

This year we got family photos with the talented Clayton Arnall.

 I can't show you all of them because that would make getting a Christmas card from us quite boring!

I may have strategically placed a few pics around the blog tho...

Have you gotten your "Christmas card photos" yet?

Do you bother?

I think it's worth the "hastle"

{believe me, it takes a lot of work to make sure everyone is in clean clothes that kind of "go" and not everyone is always a willing participant...if you know what I mean...let's just say there are always a few "the quicker you smile the sooner it'll be done"'s heard}

Even so, it's something I get excited about every year!!

Looking at the pics tonight, I'm thrilled to have my family frozen in time.

In the fall of 2012.

Annual Davison Orchard Trip 2012

Today we enjoyed the Davison Orchard (Pumpkin Patch)

We go every year.

See 2011

and 2010

even 2009

It was a great afternoon with the family.

Here are the details...

Riding the Tractor train out to the pumpkin patch.

{ANY event is more fun with cousins!!}

Grandpa Don is pretty fun too!

Caity was really into it this year.  She kept finding pumpkins and saying

"this one is perfect for me"

so cute.

Sister pic:)

Cousin pic.

It was IMPOSSIBLE to get them all to look at the same time.

This was the best of the bunch.

Still cute:)

Look at these lil cousin babies!

They are so adorable!!

My sweet six.

Terri made us these adorable coffee cozies for our hot drinks.

{it's part of the tradition...to have a hot drink:)}

Breezy loved this old tractor.

Baby did the HUGE slide all by herself!

{okay, the mommy *might* have been a little too preoccupied with taking a picture to catch the baby...so glad she landed it well all by herself!}

Cambria and Jamin loved digging in the "corn box".

{dried corn instead of sand}

Bree even filled her little pockets up to take some corn to the chickens without being prompted.

Bree sharing some corn with the chickens and with her cousin so he could feed them too.

Caity hid under this sign and then covered her face and reported 

"you can't see me!"

{cute girl}

It was an awesome family day.

I love these fall days and all the traditions that come with them!!

Do you have fall traditions?