Fancy Dresses and Boxing Gloves...

Sunday we got to go to a missionary homecoming for my cousin Tadd. It was so fun to hear him speak in church and then get to spend time with family. Not to mention the yummy food we got to eat! Tadd's mom Kim does always have the best food! And all of her kids are so good to help with making and serving stuff. It's sure great to have such wonderful family members!

Tadd served his mission in Argentina, and being the great cousin I am, I didn't get one picture of him on Sunday. :( Slacker, I know. So I found one of him while he was in the mission field so that at least we start this post off the right way.

Welcome Home Elder Jones!!!



So what do kids do at family get togethers? Play with their cousins!! And since my kids have a whopping 3 (VERY soon to be 4) cousins on my side, they are pretty excited anytime they get to see them. The girls love playing with Ellee, my sister Brooke's little girl who is 2 1/2. They are going to be heartbroken when Ellee and her family move back to Colorado once Ellee's daddy is home from Iraq for good. We have sure enjoyed this last year, getting to see them so often. That was a really great treat for us.

Here are all the kids playing on the trampoline. I think it was some game where everyone had to take turns dying, which would explain Jayden's facial expression. :)


And here are the girls in their fancy dresses. They all looked so cute!!


One thing about Willie and Kim's house is this great phone booth in the entry way. The kids are always fascinated with it! I guess because it's like a little room where they can hide, even though it has windows... Oh well, it's still fun! :D

Here are the girls, Ellee, Jensen, and Jillen playing in the phone booth.


And here is Jillen and Ellee trying to call someone. Apparently someone back in the 1800's...


"How much longer until my turn????" Poor Jayden, out numbered by the girls.


Oh well, he and Jorden found something else to do...




Apparently that wasn't fun enough because they were soon doing this...

What a nice big brother, to let his little brother have a chance at beating him. :)


Oh wait, I take that back...


All that talk time on the phone wore these girls out!! Yeah right, like that's possible!! :D


Here is Jillen and baby Emelyn. What a sweet baby she is!! So easy and fun!! We are sure glad to have been able to see so much of her for her first few months of life...


All that red hair and those blues eyes... What a cute girl!! And when exactly is that akward phase supposed to kick in for Jillen? I don't rememer being this pretty at her age. Maybe it will start in about 5 years just before boys start coming around for dates... :P


Let me preface these next two pictures. Jillen wanted me to take pictures of her 'talking' on the phone, so I did. Little did I know that the true treasure would be in the background. Oh, there's never a dull moment with Ellee around...


Oh, she is so cute!! We sure do love her!! (Sorry Brooke, I couldn't help but put them on here! :D )


Welcome Home Elder Jones!!
Thanks for giving us a reason to get together and have some fun! We are sure glad that you're home and we are proud of you for serving our Heavenly Father so faithfully. Now back to normal life...


Oh wait, that's another of those mission field pictures...
Funny Boy!!

(I just have to mention how when I apologized to him for being such a slacker by not writing him he actually thanked me because if I had written him then he would have felt obligated to write me back. :D Oh, I'm so glad to have you around again!!! :P )