And Then There Were Six...

Each year, I want a picture Christmas card. Each year, I get...

ugghh...

I'm not available then...

Just Photoshop me in...

WaY too many excuses to make this mommy happy.

When it got down to the last minute, I pulled out the big guns...

GUILT!

Now, this has to be played just right...

otherwise...

it backfires.

This year...

it almost backfired.

Ashley didn't care. She doesn't like to be in pictures, and Tim HATES to have anything to do with a camera!

So, while on our way to Grandma's for Sunday night dinner...

we detoured to the local park...

I was armed with my tripod and a friend of Ashley's.

I figured I would set up the photo, and all Marco had to do was "shoot"!

Here is what we came up with...

This one is cute...

I can work with the shadows...

however...

do you see the kid in the front?

Seriously? I FINALLY get my time with the family, and "goofy" shows up.

Now, we are talking! Picture #4, and I'm feeling pretty good.

See ~ now that wasn't so bad, right?

By now, Tim decided we had a good one and we should go home...

I had other ideas. I like choices. I wanted a water shot! Down to the creek we go!

Between Aiden's hand placement and Tyler's cheesie smile...

this was a No!

Isaiah was being a goof ball and trying to "fall" into the water.

The thing about having multiple children...

is getting ALL of them looking at the camera at the same time, all smiling at the same time, and all cooperating at the same time!

When you get a man who is "pacifying" his wife, a moody teenager, and three "cRaZY" little boys...

there will be funny moments.

I'm so glad we had Marco to go with us and grab a few of the poses that I "set up"!

Ugghhh....what is Tyler looking at?

The kids are getting grumpy...

Dad is beyond ready to leave...

but Mommy isn't done!

Grumpy Aiden had BETTER turn that frown upside down!

I kinda like this one, but I wasn't sure...

There was one more spot on the way to the truck that I wanted to try out.

(Maybe this is why they don't like taking family photos...I'm picky!)

...and then...

we get a good one!

A little tweaking...

and that is the one hanging on our wall!

Enjoy a few random shots from the 30 minutes that we were at the park!

Ashley & Isaiah

Dad & Aiden

Marco ~ My "shoot" man!

Since he is wearing Ashley's letterman jacket...

we decided to say the "M" stands for Marco...

not Mingus! (His high school rival...)

My boys!

Ashley & Marco

The Kids!

There is this really amazing tree that I tried to climb this summer when I had the kids at the park for the Spring/Father's Day photoshoot. Tim, being a much better climber than I, went right up the tree to take the kid pict. I love these kinds of pictures.

Here is Tim!

I snapped a photo of him while he was on his way down from the tree...

itsn't this a great tree?

I love my crazy family...

even when I'm fighting with them to take a good picture!

Oh my goodness ~ what a quick year! If you frequently follow my blog...then you will know that it has been suspiciously quiet this year. So quick, go grab a cup of coffee and a biscotti, and settle down to get caught up in our chaos! (Unless you are just here for the pictures....then just scroll down to the bottom. ~ Just a little FYI...watch for 2011 pictures to appear in posts in 2012 - I couldn't believe the number of pictures I found that didn't get posted!)

January brought a new adventure for the twins. Since it was their 3rd birthday, they were exited from our state developmental program and entered into the public school for preschool development and intervention help. That means they got to ride the bus and everything! They hit the school running and have loved every minute of it ~ well, kinda. For their birthday, we took them to the movies for the first time. What a fun adventure that was! They continue to remain close, but they each have their own friends, and their own personalities. Aiden is loud, cuddly, and very active. Isaiah is a bit more reserved, and enjoys role playing and pretending to be a monster. He has discovered Spider Man and is HOOKED! Aiden prefers Batman.

Tim and I are still busy running our Mr. Rooter business. I found that I am far more involved with the business than I ever planned on! We currently have 5 technicians and Tim working out in the field. God has truly blessed us with this adventure. I will admit though, that I often wonder why He brought us in the direction. My life's intent was not to be a working mom. I'm definitely not taking well to this role I'm in right now. Many of my activities have been set to the side while I figure out how to effectively be a good business owner. I quit once, but then I was told that as an owner, I'm not allowed to quit. Who made up that rule? It is a sucky rule! Tim seems to be enjoying himself. He comes home with great stories to tell about the clients. He also comes home with awesome descriptions of the multimillion dollar homes he works in. :)

We were able to grab a few weekend getaways during the year. A relaxing weekend in Scottsdale, and a fast paced few days in San Diego. I've also convinced Tim to remodel the rest of the house so our last leg of this insane journey is the kitchen/dining room/great room. Once it is done, I will post pictures. The color is a lot more subtle than it has been in the past! LOL! Tim has continued his presidency on the school board. It is a position that he takes very seriously.

In March, we were lucky enough to travel to Hawaii. All six of us went, and we loved it. We discovered that all of our kids (except Ashley) LOVES to fly! (Go figure.) Everytime we tell Aiden that we are going on vacation or going to fly he gets excited and says, "Boys going to Hawaii again?" Boy do I wish...! We also found out that Ashley enjoys surfing and Tyler and Isaiah are not good hikers. Our "ultimate boat ride" turned out to be the "boat ride from hell" for Tim and Ashley. They were both so severly sick that it was up to me to contain all three boys. When Aiden saw the dolphins swimming alongside the boat he stepped on the railing and said, "Me gonna go swim with dolphins." It was at that moment that I requested life vests for all the boys! With Aiden, you just never know!

Tyler celebrated his 5th birthday during the year. It happened to coincide with Easter so now he thinks that his birthday is on Easter! He also started Kindergarten this year. What a big step for him! On the first day of school he decided that he wanted to ride the bus since he is a big kid. I struggled with it far more than he did! In fact, I'm not sure he missed me at all. He has the most amazing kinder teacher! She genuinely loves all the kids and wants to help them. She is silly and sings songs and she is perfect! We are so blessed to have her. The Christmas Program was by far the BEST program I've ever seen. Let me tell you, being a teacher for as long as I was...I had seen quite a few! Tim and I had our eyes glued to the stage during the entire performance! (I even forgot to watch the twins! Thank goodness the grandparents were there!) Tyler is going to be a good little actor. I'm thinking of putting him in the summer theater program in June. He never missed a cue! Singing...jamming on the guitar (not real)...hand motions...everything! The worse part...I didn't have a video recorder, a regular camera, or even my phone! I blaim it on the whole 4 kids syndrome...at least I had all of my kids with me when I left. (Except Ashley who was at a soccer game where she suffered a severe concussion...)

Ashley ended her junior year with a bang! Prom was a huge success ~ I was invited to help decorate and I had a blast! I love getting to know all the students. She also found out that she was accepted into the CNA program through the hospital for the first semester of her senior year. It was very odd having children entering both a senior year of high school and a kindergartener! (Plus two preschoolers!) Her heifer "dropped" her second baby in February. It is always so much fun to watch the babies begin to breathe and take their first steps! I recorded it all for Ashley so she could see it when she got home. She has missed both births due to school! Bummer. Ashley graduated from her CNA program with honors and took the state boards on Monday. We will know after Christmas how she did. Still suffering the side effects of a concussion, we are all a little worried about how her testing went. As of Dec. 21 ~ she still hasn't been released to play soccer. She struggles with not being able to take the field for practice, but we want her healthy before she plays again. The trainer has her banned from ALL activity right now. Please say a prayer of healing for her! In July, Ashley and I spent a couple nights in San Fransisco. The trip was mostly business, but we found time to play. It was an adventure with her that I will cherish all of my life. I'm so glad we were able to share that time together. In October, Tim and Ashley took the Grand College Tour. They spent a few days in Southern California touring university after university! Tim texted at one point and said he was confused by which school was which. He also said that he wants to go back to college! Ashley is planning to attend college in California. She plans on...surfing, swimming, and soccer. I hope she finds time to study too! So far ~ she has been accepted to Point Loma. She is waiting to hear back from Biola, Pepperdine, and Bayler (TX). ASU is an option, but she is really wanting to leave the state.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I frequently post small tidbits of our day, and the silly things that go on in FaceBook. You can look me up and "friend" me. One of my three New Year's Resolutions is to be better at blogging. Hopefully, beginning December 27th, you will see more frequent blog posts. I'm rearranging my work schedule to have a little more time at home. It might just be a picture or two, or even just a snippet, but my goal is to stay connected!

Love and blessings to you all!

The Roth 6

Tim, Robyn, Ashley, Tyler, Aiden, and Isaiah

(Due to the slow upload at Blogger...there will be multiple days of pictures ~ not just this post! Keep looking!)

Race Day at the Roth House!

Ready to Go Mom!

This is what happens when you give "Sister" the clippers to cut hair!

My little climber!

Baby Bull Calf...about 2 hours old.

Momma love!

This little guy is so lovable! He is probably the last of Ashley's babies. This will be her show steer for her Senior year.

My mom moved to Camp Verde last November. This was our first of many family dinners!

Scattergories = J + clothing = Javalina Slippers

Shopping trip to Prescott. Three generations! Mom with grandkids in far back...Tyler with Lance's boys in the middle...Ashley driving...me? Riding shotgun, baby!

Tyler with his Prayer jar.

Enjoying the morning with my fashionable young boys. Donuts and lawn chairs are a must!
We were at my mom's waiting for her to get home so the boys could go hiking with Grandma.