All I want for Christmas is my ONE front tooth!

Lydia's front tooth had been barely loose for a very long time and just wasn't getting anywhere. It was taking so long that her permanent tooth was growing in behind it, and I was NOT going to pay dentist to take out a loose baby tooth. So, I thought, we've got to get this thing out, she can tough it out. We tried and tried, and finally with a quick hard tug, and a scream, it came out, with the WHOLE root still there! I felt so bad, but Lydia was so brave, and she got over it in a minute because she was so excited to show off her new space. And, I bribed her saying that the tooth fairy would bring extra if she was really brave! This is one of my favorite stages when they're missing their front teeth. Soooo cute!

Picture with Santa

Oh, what a wonderful time of the year, making memories and traditions, but sometimes making those memories is quite challenging. We were having just a wonderful time waiting in line to see Santa for only about 45 minutes. During that time I was just enjoying watching my children wildly running about, fighting, tripping, harassing an old lady, putting their hands all over everything they can think of, almost breaking the decorations, taking off shoes, hair in dissaray, and crawling/laying on the floor in the middle of the mall.  We were up next to see Santa after such a joyous wait and his helper was talking to me about getting their pictures taken when Lydia bumped into Adam (possibly on purpose, we don't know who to believe), and Adam decides to let loose and shove her as hard as he dare, almost knocking over a statue and Lydia! Well, Santa's helper handled it with grace and said very nicely, "Oh, we don't treat our sister like that", and I, well, it took every ounce of control not to slap him on the back of the head and drag his sorry butt out to the car. But, I did not stand in line for that long to miss out on getting our traditional Santa picture. Adam's pouting, Lydia's  crying and somehow I gathered every ounce of patience I could, dried their tears and amazingly came home with this wonderful picture.

 

Hazel loves putting on makeup, lipgloss especially. She's not happy unless she has at least three in hand and gobbs them on, sometimes dripping from her chin. Needless to say, all of Joy and Mary's lip glosses are infected with Hazel slobber!

Halloween!!

Hazel went as a fairy, thanks to Mom's amazing talent. I got sooo many complements on her costume! People even gave her extra candy because of her cuteness!

Mom also made Adam's Link costume, the shirt and the hat. He looks pretty awesome!

Lydia, the Cupcake fairy!

Joy, a Japanese girl, and Mary, Red Riding Hood

We met up with Seth and Jim's families to go trick or treating. Mary and her cousins Jennifer and Melanie all dressed up as Red Riding Hood and they didn't even know they were the same until a few days before!

Adam with his cousins Paul and Joseph

I had to share these wonderful dresses Mom made for the girls. They are just so cute and she made the hair bows too.

 

As for other news, Joy was chosen as student of the month in Science for October, and she was just chosen to be the Miamade  secratary, so she's very excited about that. Mary and Joy are also both on the Honor Roll.

Hogle Zoo - October 28th, 2011

The kids had the 28th off of school, so we went to the zoo with my brother Josh and sister Jenna. Unfortunately David had to work. You can't see it in the picture very well, but Adam thought this was the coolest monkey ever. He was very entertaining eating his food and Adam didn't want to leave him.

Hazel loved seeing all the animals, especially the tiger and monkeys.

This tiger was pacing back and forth and roaring over and over. It was really cool!

Mary and Josh goofing off.

I think Joy's favorite was the giraffe. It was so funny watching that giraffe get in that position in the second picture.

Mary, Joy, Josh, and Jenna

 

As I have mentioned before Adam LOVES wolves and he is reverently letting the wolf in the background sleep. We were hoping he would get up and walk around.

And of course he chose the wolf to ride on at the carousel.

Lydia's 6th Birthday - Oct. 19th, 2011

Lydia had about the worst birthday ever! She came home from kindergarten not feeling like eating lunch. Hazel had been throwing up on and off for three days at that point and I thought, Oh please don't let this happen on her birthday. But, it did! She started a few hours before dinner, it was suppose to be Fettuccine, her favorite, but we had to post pone that and her cake for about a week because then David and I were sick with it for about five days after that. She still wanted to open her presents and I couldn't deny her that at least, so in between throwing up, she opened presents and amazingly showed some enthusiasm for what she got. It was so pitiful I had to take a picture.

So finally a week later, I was well enough to make her cake and her favorite dinner. She was so patient in the meantime and so happy when the day finally came. Sadly those were the only pictures I got since I wasn't exactly feeling myself either. But, she got a Nintendo DS, some games to go with it, a Barbie guitar, some books, and a Ladybug Land, where she gets to watch ladybugs grow from pupae to adults. She's just loving that!

A few weeks ago Hazel came to me saying "Look, Mommy, pitty" I was surprised to see she had painted her own fingernails, and face! She had gotten a hold of some of Lydia's play fingernail polish and luckily that stuff is pretty washable. But, amazingly she didn't get it on anything else!

 

Lydia had a Halloween program at school and sang some really cute songs. This is her standing next to the pumpkin her table carved the day before. They all were dressed in their costumes for the program too. Lydia is wearing the fairy costume Mom made for her. Sooo cute!

And Hazel just too cute to pass up!

First Day of school!! - August, 2011

Mary and her friend Jenna, who rides with us to school everyday, had a 7th grade day, a day earlier than everyone else. They do this so the 7th graders can get used to their lockers and schedules without feeling so intimidated with the 8th and 9th graders there, and it's less than a half a day. Mary was so excited it's all she talked about for days prior!

 

Joy on her first day of 9th grade!

 

Adam, his first day of 5th grade! Notice the wolf shirt!

He couldn't help howling! He is part arctic wolf!

The kindergartners start a week after everyone else, so here is Lydia and Adam walking together on her first day. So sweet! She was extremely excited as well! That extra week they make them wait is just mean.

Adam's 10th Birthday! - August 6th, 2011

We had EVERYONE over for Adam's birthday since Kathy and Dan were visiting, and that's the way Adam wanted it! Poor Nate, Josh, and Jenna felt a little overwhelmed or a little out of place with all the Petruckas there (the noise gets pretty out of control to say the least!).  Adam wanted Chocolate cream pie for his birthday cake (kinda funny both him and Joy chose non-traditional birthday cakes). He's just a little excited don't ya think?

A lot of you were there for his last birthday when he got his gecko, and believe it or not, it's still alive! We learned a lot this last year after all his toes dried up and fell off, but thankfully after alot of love and care they are growing back! He's also almost doubled in size, so for Adam's birthday this year he got a bigger tank all decked out for his favorite lizard.

 Some of the Petrucka cousins.

Adam also really loves wolves and he got this huge stuffed wolf, a wolf dream catcher, a wolf almanac and national geographic DVD's, and a wolf statue. Thank you to his Grandma's, Grandpa's, and Kathy and Dan giving him such awesome stuff!

Aunt Kathy and Uncle Dan's visit - August, 2011

We had a wonderful visit from David's Aunt and Uncle, Kathy and Dan, from Pennsylvania. We hadn't seen them in five years so we tried to see them during the week they were here as much as we could. They were able to come for Adam's birthday party along with Page, who drove in from Texas just in time for the celebration. One day we went to this gourmet cupcake shop in Orem called the Cupcake Chic together, which the kids LOVED! Another day Joy, Mary, and I met up with Kathy, Marby, and Page to see the movie The Help. So, so good! A must see for everyone! Some of our plans were cancelled when Marby became very ill and had to be in the hospital for a couple of days. So we just visited in the hospital for a while.

Spanish Fork Reservoir - August, 2011

This is the first summer without Page's work pool to swim at, so we went to the Spanish Fork Reservoir several times for some free entertainment. Joy was pretty grossed out at first with the thought of swimming with the fish, but it didn't take long until she realized how fun it was! It's just so beautiful up there, and it's less than 15 minutes from our house!

Adam made a pit and filled it with water. Hazel just came along and sat in it!

Joy, Mary, and Adam would swim out to the middle with these noodles and fish would jump out of the water right in front of them. It really freaked them out the first time it happened.

Hazel gettin some shade.

I'll get you!!

This girl takes a book everywhere!

Love this picture!!

 

Finally, Lydia lost her first tooth! Just a few weeks before school started, perfect timing! She didn't want to be the only one with all her baby teeth after all! The tooth fairy really likes my kids! She spoils them!