putting the right "shoe" forward

I had to add some pictures that I took of ayden today. Ayden LOVES his red crocs..in fact he likes them so much that he will often try to wear them too bed! I'm not quite sure why he has this strange attraction to his shoes but I figure it could be worst...he could love wearing Miaja's dress-up shoes to bed! Anyways, he has another really adorable habit...he ALWAYS puts them onthe wrong feet. It's hilarious to watch him run in them. I tried getting him to put them on the other feet but after a few HUNDRED attempts I figured I'd leave the boy in peace. It's actually quite entertaining to see how often poeple tell me that my son his his shoes on the wrong feet. Don't they think it's as cute as I do!?!? I guess I should worry about some growth abnormality dur to wearing shoes on the wrong feet...but I don't! I love my kids!
(Oh..and ayden really likes to wear his goggles...I mean he REALLY likes to wear them. You should have seen the looks he got from the clerk at the store today! I think that she partially thought that they were prescription).

First Grade!!!

So Miaja started school this week and for me it seems to only get harder to watch them walk into their classrooms and say good-bye. It was so fun having Miaja home for the summer and I love the happiness she brings everywhere she goes! Her teacher is Mrs. Rowley and Miaja told her teacher that she was great because she is a "grandma" like her grandma that is a teacher (we weren't SURE that Mrs. Rowley truly was a grandma when Miaja made that comment...thankfully she is. She's also got a great sense of humor)! Miaja has already made friends and LOVE playing on the the "big kid" playground! I can tell this is going to be a great year!

Schools starting...

So last night I was watching a Cosby show re-run (I have a thing for the Cosby show...I love it!), while I ironed the Sunday clothes and it the episode when Theo graduates from high school and gets ready to leave for college. Well, seeing that tomorrow my little girl starts school and I am going to miss her way too much I cried through the entire episode! I am really going to miss my little organizer and HUGE helper. I have really enjoyed having her home this summer and can't wait, alraedy, for this coming weekend! I am so grateful for my kids (and the Cosby show)!

Only Ayden!!

So I just have to share in my ANXIETY!!! The kids and I made a lst minute decision to drive three hours up to northern Texas so that we could see daddy and so that Jaron and I could be together on our 8th anniversary (happy anniversary Jer)! We had a great time and the trip was well worth the drive. I even got to stop at the Pottery Barn outlets on our way home (i love that place). Well, we got home and it was lunch time so I got the kids eating lunch and then I started unpacking the car. I had to vacuum some snacks up and as I did Ayden joined me (he is such a little "helper"). He LOVES to help me clean. Anyways, everything was going ok when I decided to get a new hose to get in the corners of the seats. I turned around for TWO SECONDS when I looked back Ayden had the shut the doors and he was laughing. The problem was our only key to that car was in it!! I thought...ok I'll just instruct him on how to open the door...didn't work. He was having too much fun watching me thinking he'd played a really smart trick. After about 10 minutes he really started to sweat and then he started to cry. I ran to our neighbors who are police officers but they weren't home so I decided to call 911. At this point I was trying really hard not to panick and cry. Ayden was frantic and bright red. There was no reasonning with him. The dispatcher told me they would send someone to open the door but after 10 minutes passed still no one. I was about the break the window but I decided to call 911 one more time. I think this dispatchers sensed my URGENCY (isn't that a given when you call 911?!?) but within 5 minutes an amulance and police were at the house. They had the break the window to get my little Ayden out and when they carried him out to me he was limp and obiouvsly exhausted. I just hugged and hugged and kissed and kissed my little guy. After all the police and EMs left I was laying down by Ayden and he said to me as he fell asleep, "mommy, more car. Too hot.". I just started to cry and thanked Heavenly Father that I had my little guy to cuddle. I don't know what I'm going to do with him. He loves to tease mommy! Needless to say, we had a little lesson on how to open and unlock the car doors!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

So little by little I am going to add a few of the THOUSANDS of pictures that we took on our fantastic visit to Utah.
One of the first things that we did, (other that give grandmas and grandpas lots of hugs), is we went to the Oquirrh Mountain temple open house. It was amazing! I was so excited to take the kids because going to the temple is such a family effort for us. From when we lived in Maine to living in New York and now here in Texas we have always had to plan well to make it to the temple but we have been so blessed.
The last few times, to save on our babysitting budget for date night, Jaron and I have taken the kids to the temple with us and then we just take turns going inside while the other one watches the kids. It has been so tender to watch the kids grow in a pure love of the temple and supporting Jer and I going together. Although it is a challenge is an even greater blessing and I mean that whole-heartedly. Heavenly Father knows, with all faults, and we know there are many, we love the temple. Our entire family.
Walking into the Celestial room with my children I wept. They looked around in innocent awe and Miaja said to me in a whisper, "now I know why you love to come in here so much mommy!"
I do love to go into the temple. It has served as a refuge from "the storm" of life and it has solidified my testimony that God loves me and He loves each one of us.
I echo the words that my children love to sing, "I love to see the temple..., for the temple is the house of God. A place of love and beauty."

Alexis in Texas!!!

Vorkink family Pictures!!!

so i can't seem find the pictures that jaron downloaded from our month in utah so i'll start from the end of our trip and move back!
although i was not very popular for it i pushed to have a photographer come to our reunion to get a picture. i love my family and since we aren't close to see them as often as i'd like i want to be able to see their faces! i found this photographer by complete chance who lives in ouray colorado (which is where the reunion was). he was very patient with us. we don't have the photos he took of us yet but these are some of the picts i took.
i just have to say that this reunion was such a blast. i love my family. i love that my kids get to grow-up with their cousins and that they love each other. we are so blessed!