Fall was a ball

Since the last blog post we have added a new member to our family. After much deliberation, Brant won and we got a dog. He said it was for the kids, but I think Brant wanted him the most. :) Chase is a really sweet dog and we all have ended up loving him.

Emma probably loves Chase the most. Her first word was Chase and the first thing she does when she wakes up is look out the window to see if she can see him. He has always been really gentle with her even though he's turning out to be a huge dog. 

These boys are goofballs. We were so proud of Spencer working hard and earning his Wolf in Cub Scouts. It's hard to get a serious picture if Gavin is involved. 

Actually, all of our kids are goofballs. 

Spencer hurt his knee pretty bad so Emma came over to comfort him. Her way of comforting people is letting them give her a hug.  

Spencer turned 9! His birthday present was a decorated room. He loves all things sports so he got a new bedspread and a cool picture. And who doesn't need a basketball basket basket? Spencer is such a great big brother to his siblings. I'm so glad he's our oldest. He sets a good example and is so much fun to be around. 

Spencer didn't have a party, but we did invite some of the neighbor kids over for a piñata. It was a hit! Haha, get it? 

Grandma Bonnie came to visit and we had a fun time walking the Roots n' Blues 10K. We also did some shopping and watched General Conference. The boys made sure Grandma saw all of their lego creations and read them lots of books. They're excited for when she can come visit again! 

Tyler turned 4! Four year olds are so much fun. He gets excited about everything and loves to make everyone laugh. He wants to be like his older brothers. 

Our friend, Martina, brought Tyler his own piñata for his birthday. To say he was excited is an understatement. I'm sure all of the parents in the neighborhood appreciated us inviting their kids over again for more candy. :) 

It's hard to find a picture of Emma holding still. She is one busy little girl. 

One of our favorite things to do this summer and fall was kayaking. There are so many lakes around Columbia. Spencer and Gavin got really good at paddling their own kayaks. 

Emma wasn't so sure about the life jacket.

This shows Emma leaning back screaming so I passed her off to Brant and then she loved it. Dad makes everything better. 

I get to run errands with the cutest boys in town!

J'den Cox (the bronze medal winner for wrestling at the 2016 olympics) came and spoke at our church building. He was very inspiring and Spencer thought he was the coolest guy ever. 

This is how Spencer felt about getting his autograph. 

We went with some friends to the pumpkin patch. 

They had an entire field of Zinnias. Gorgeous! 

Go Mizzou! We try to go to at least one football game each season. We lucked out with perfect weather. Spencer and Gavin are starting to understand all of the rules and enjoy watching football. 

Gavin doesn't look thrilled here, but I think we just ran out of popcorn. 

Brant is a rock star hiker. He's always got Emma in the hiking backpack and Chase on his leash. I have been amazed at how beautiful Columbia is. There are dozens of trails we haven't even tried yet.

Not only are they the cutest, but the coolest too. 

Yay for Halloween...being over! I think that's how all parents everywhere feel. The kids sure look cute, though. Emma was a really cute cupcake when not screaming. 

Even Ironman just needs to chill sometimes. 

Shoes! Emma's latest obsession besides Chase. 

It is so fun to have a child carry around a baby doll rather than just throw it on the floor. 

We're hoping to have self-sufficient children by age 10. Gavin is making pb&js for himself and Emma and Spencer is making quesadillas for himself and Tyler. Kids cooking is my favorite thing ever. 

Jeremy and Amanda Jones came up from Texas to visit for Thanksgiving. It was so fun to have them here! Our boys and their girls played really well together and were sad when they left. 

We took a little tour of Mizzou campus. This is the parking garage... 

The twins were so sweet and it was fun for us to have babies to cuddle with and still sleep through the night. :)

I'll end with a picture of Brant and his new best friend. Chase was holding his hand as he fell asleep. :)