Random Thoughts

I love Clorox Wipes. These are NOT Clorox Wipes. I have been trying to be very frugal lately and I decided to try the cheap brand. There's a reason they're cheap. First of all, they don't smell nice. Second, they don't clean worth a darn. Clorox Wipes are more moist, and have a nice texture to them that helps you scrub. These wierdos might "KILL GERMS!" as they claim, I have no way of testing that, but they do NOT hold up to Clorox! Don't waste your money like I did!

My second random thought. I love Jon & Kate Plus 8. I DVR it and never miss an episode. I read their website periodically. I love that they aren't afraid to talk about their faith in Jesus....even while on Oprah!!! I love that they love their kids. I love that they slip up from time to time and sometimes sound harsh with each other...don't we all?! I don't know about anyone else, but it makes me feel like less of a failure to know that I'm not the only human left on the planet. :)

But the last few episodes have been annoying me. They are about to head off on a trip to Hawaii...with a nice long lay over in San Diego (long enough to take the 8 kids to an amusement park). Didn't they JUST get back from a 2 week vacation in North Carolina?? We have not been on ONE vacation as a family and they're about to embarque on their 50th. Ok, I'm exaggerating a tad but I mean, seriously!! Skiing in Utah, 2 weeks in North Carolina, Disney World, Hawaii, Florida and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. They say they realize these are huge blessings. I really hope they do. These are not trips that only families with 8 kids can't afford to do all the time, these are trips that MOST families can't afford to do...EVER! I know that this is probably just jealousy talking. I would like just ONE of these trips they've been blessed with!!

I'm also a little annoyed that their show is turning in to one big commercial. Companies give them free stuff (mostly toys it seems) so they will endorse them on the air. And it's OBVIOUS that's what's going on. I still love them, though, and will continue to watch the show. I just wanted to vent a bit about my annoyances. :)

Dress-Up

Every time Kaeleigh is with us, she layers on every single item of dress-up clothing that she owns. I kid you not. I have no idea how she doesn't sweat to death! She says she's not hot, because "I have a fan!" (you can see it sticking out of the waistline of her skirt, it's fuzzy) Well this last weekend, she thought Mackinley needed to join in the fun. She said he was a prince. How "prince-ly" do YOU think he looks?!?! :) He kept saying "I'm a princess, too, Sissy!" because she's a princess. At least his "purse" is a soccer ball...there's still some hope for the boy! haha!

Sunday

Sunday Jason took the very important step in his Walk of Faith of getting baptized!!! (SOOO proud of you, Babe!) My Mom & Dad and our friend Haley came to show their love and support for Jason. So after church, we had them over for lunch. While I got the food ready, Dad and Jason did some bowling on the Wii.

Mom did some blogging. :)

Leaning Tower of Piper

Piper sits like this a lot! She leans way over with her nose on her feet! LOL! And of course she tries to get her feet in her mouth!

Mom Vs. Dad

Mom decided she would take a crack at bowling with Dad. She won!

Comfortable??

Piper had a blow-out diaper. Jason has a unique way of changing her when this happens. He puts her on her belly on his lap and goes from there...then when the back is clean, he flips her over to clean the front. When he flipped her over, he had her head resting on his thigh but she wanted to lay like this!!! It was so funny Haley had to get a picture!

Fall Fun

Mackinley loves to play in the leaves. He loves to throw them and run through them!

This last picture really captures the essence of Mackinley James Baker!

More Cereal...Again

Piper enjoying her cereal. Again! :)

Snuggle Bug

Piper is such a snuggle bug. She loves to be held, kissed, hugged, squeezed...anything we can dish out! I love every minute of it.

Aunt Kitty's Funeral

Our beloved Aunt Kitty passed away this past week. Her funeral was in Rockford, IL (outside Chicago). Mackinley, Piper and I rode along with Grandpa Heavilin, Aunt Pam and my Mom. On the way to Rockford, we stopped at this pumpkin patch so Mom could get some pictures. Piper was asleep so she and Aunt Pam stayed in the van. (I stole this picture from Mom's blog hehe)

Mackinley is getting good at posing! :)

He kept running from side to side behind this sign..it was so cute!

Mom getting a good shot of MJ while Peepaw looks on.

It was a fun little stop along the way!

On The Road

Mackinley and Peepaw shared the back seat, movies, snacks, laughs, and naps! Aunt Pam and Piper giggled and talked with each other in the middle. The kids were SOOO good. Piper didn't lose her patience until the last hour and a half of the drive home and by that point we were ALL done and ready to be home so we knew how she felt!

Mom cracked us up with her IPASS because she HAD to hold it up every time! hehehe :)

Our BIG Bed!

Mackinley and I shared a HUGE bed in the hotel! He looked so teeny tiny and cute in the middle of the hugeness!

All Dressed Up

All dressed up for the service! Piper looked so beautiful! People kept calling her "little guy", though, so I guess I shouldn't dress her in brown!!

The service was wonderful. SAD...but wonderful. It's so hard sometimes to understand God's will. Aunt Kitty was young and she was so loved because she loved everyone. She will be SORELY missed but I know today she's enjoying meeting up with friends and relatives in Heaven! Her eldest daughter, Jeanny, read a song that was about having more reason to go to Heaven today than I had yesterday, how true. I can't wait to see Aunt Kitty again in paradise!

The Difference Of A Day

When I woke up this morning and went into the kitchen to make my coffee, I wondered why everything seemed to have a red tint. I assumed I just wasn't fully awake yet. Then I opened the shade and I couldn't believe how much our tree had changed overnight!!! There is A LOT more red in those leaves...it's so vibrant. My camera doesn't do it justice. And against the backdrop of the crystal clear blue sky it just exploded in color!! Oh how I love fall (and FINALLY today we had a more normal temperature!).

Randoms

The pretty maple tree in our backyard. This tree is always so gorgeous in the fall!!

We took Mackinley to the library for the first time (don't ask me why it took this long) and he brought home 3 books about dinosaurs, 1 about an elephant named Peanut, and a dinosaur DVD. He loves the books he chose and we read them every day! His favorite is one called "When Dinosaurs Came With Everything" by Elise Broach, and I have to agree, it is an adorable story.