The Ericson Family

ABC Book - K

2012-02-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

Karaoke Machine:

Kangaroo:

More of The Box

2012-01-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

With the kids at preschool, Brynlee got the box all to herself. She was loving it:

Princess Party

2012-01-23T15:36:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn got invited to Claire's princess party. She was SO excited, eventhough she's not that into princesses. I thought for sure she would want to wear her Tinkerbell dress, but she insisted on wearing Cinderella. All morning she kept asking, "What's the blue princess's name again?" That's how into princesses she is :) I was ecstatic that we gave her a princess dress up trunk for Christmas so she had a costume to wear. She had a lot of fun at Claire's house and keeps talking about it. And FINALLY she is showing some interest into princesses and is always wearing her costumes around the house. Yeah!

ABC Book - I...I mean L

2012-01-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

So I sent the kids to school with their "i" items. When they got home I noticed that instead of "icepack," Brayden's teacher had written down "lunchbag" on his item slip of paper. I asked Brayden many times if he told his teacher there was an icepack inside the bag he took to carry it in. He said yes over and over again. I was very confused, until the NEXT week when I finally realized that it wasn't "i" it was supposed to be "l." Woops. Score another mother of the year point under my name! So here are the "i" items that were turned into "l" items:

Icepack turned into lunch bag, which we haven't taken pictures of yet:

Brooklyn took her iceskating Pinkalicious book. Not quite sure how to turn this into "L" yet:

Proud Daddy Moment

2012-01-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

You gotta love the effort dads put into raising children. Josh does a fantastic job and is a great father. I have to document, however, the moments that reiterate the fact that there is a reason he goes to work everyday and I stay home with the kids. I laid out clothes for Brynlee to be changed into before her nap while I went to choir practice. I couldn't help but laugh when she woke up and this is what I found. He did manage to dress her, but apparently we now put the tags in the front. Love it!

And of course if I start taking pictures of Brynlee, Brooklyn wants a turn. Here she is cuddling with dad after her nap:

Mckinsley's Birthday Party

2012-01-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

My cute little niece turned one and they had a cute lace themed birthday party for. She asked me to do the invitations and this is what I came up with:

The kids had a lot of fun playing in their basement that was just finished.

Cute Brynlee wanted to play with all the presents:

Mckinsley was really hesitant to touch the cake at first, but she quickly got the hang of it. Happy Birthday Mckinsley!

The Box

2012-01-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

We seem to always have boxes lying around. The kids always go nuts when I order stuff online and the packages come. They build forts, houses, airplanes, etc. Such cheap entertainment! I love it!

Martin Luther King Weekend

2012-01-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

We decided to head up to the cabin for the weekend. It was the first time we've been up there since Josh's grandfather passed away. It was really hard for him to keep his emotions under control as he had a lot of memories with his grandpa up there. We headed up Friday early afternoon. Josh's dad went up there with us to help get all our stuff and the kids up to the cabin. It was the first time we've ever gone up there by ourselves...kinda weird but still fun. As soon as we got there we put the girls down for their naps and relaxed for a bit. That evening we played games with the kids, watched movies, and ate dinner. Josh and I stayed up watching Prison Break then headed to bed.

Saturday morning we enjoyed the time we didn't have to be doing anything. The kids enjoyed more shows, games, and coloring:

Michael came up in the early afternoon so we headed outside for some snow fun! We've never been up to the cabin with such little snow. The kids LOVED going down the hills on the sleds:

Brynlee absolutely LOVED being outside, eventhough she couldn't move around much.

We hooked the sled up to the 4 wheeler and took the kids for a ride.

Michael and Brayden going down on a sled. We were surprised how much more daring Brayden was this year. That kid had NO fear and went down the hill by himself, usually crashing at the end.

Marcello, Rueben, and Josh's siblings Andrew and Rachael joined us in the evening. It was fun to teach our amigos some fun games and hang out with them. We stayed up playing games and watching movies. Sunday we took it pretty easy. We enjoyed the morning and played more games with the amigos. We all went out for a little bit to do more sledding and Andrew took the amigos on the snowmobiles. Here's our little marshmallow:

Josh, Brynlee, and Rueben climbing back up the hill.

Again, Brynlee LOVED being outside. She would just sit and watch everyone, then point to the sled when she wanted to go down. I love my little girls!

Steve came up Sunday evening after the amigos left. We played more games, then Michael, Andrew, and Rachael headed home. Steve, Josh, and I stayed up playing Ticket to Ride a few more times then headed to bed. Monday morning we took our time cleaning and packing up. We headed home @ 2. It was a fantastic trip!

One More Cabin Pic

2012-01-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

I missed this picture from when we got to the cabin. Brynlee couldn't move much, but the cabin was so cold we didn't want to take her snow clothes off yet. So until the cabin heated up a bit, she chilled on the couch and loved it.

Kay's Birthday

2012-01-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Kay's birthday at Josh's grandma's house. We have a tradition for the kids to give their grandma's roses on their birthdays and they were very excited to do so.

We had Asian Star for dinner then relaxed and visited all evening.

All the grandkids:

Saying goodbye to Grammy:

ABC Book - J

2012-01-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

Brayden was excited for his 7 J's - Jazz pants, Jazz Jacket, Jazz Jersey, Jordan shoes, & Jazz Bear.

Jazz Bear Bobblehead:

3D

2012-01-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to fully get why 3D tv's are pretty cool. I've never really seen the point. However, we got the Lion King in 3D for Christmas and Josh made me sit down with the glasses and watch the opening song. It was a lot cooler than I expected. I still think it's odd though to see this:

Scott's Cabin

2012-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning we woke up and headed to church at 11. Yeah for 11:00 church! The kids loved their new primary teachers. I can't believe Brooklyn is now a Sunbeam! After church we headed up to Nick and Kesha's cabin. There wasn't much snow, but it was still fun. We hung out and played games all evening. Their oven/stove wasn't working so it was interesting using the microwave and George Foreman grill to make quesadillas, ck tacos, and french toast. Dinner was way good, then I put the girls to sleep. Here are the boys hanging out:

We played the marble game a few times as Josh wasn't feeling very well. We settled down knowing there was a good chance he would be throwing up in the middle of the night. I was so worried about him as well as worried about the kids falling down the stairs trying to find the bathroom that I didn't sleep well. Josh finally threw up @ 4:30 and it was determined he caught the stomach bug that's going around. Not a fun place to get that. No running water, only one bathroom, etc. He had a rough night/morning. Us, however, had a fun time playing in the snow and hanging out some more. We all went outside to let Josh rest while the baby was asleep. Then Nick and Kesha were kind enough to keep playing with the kids while I was with Brynlee after she woke up. Here are a few of the fun things we did outside:

This is Brayden making a river:

After playing in the snow I quickly packed everything up so we could head home. We had yummy sandwiches for lunch then headed out. Eventhough it was a quick trip and Josh was sick, we still had a lot of fun! (Ironically, their cabin is only @ 5 minutes from our cabin. What are the odds?!)

New Years Eve

2011-12-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve we ended up hanging out with Nick and Kesha and their 2 boys, Boston and Easton. Our kids LOVE playing together so it's always fun to get together. Here is what our evening consisted of:

TGIFridays:

Too many snacks and candy:

Kids playing and watching movies:

Adults playing doubles Ping Pong:

Fireworks at 10 so I could put the girls to bed, then fireworks again at midnight.

Happy New Year!

Train Table

2011-12-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, the kids are enjoying the train table. Yeah!

And The Festivities Continue...

2011-12-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

Since Ryon and Jana were in town, we wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. So we headed over to my parent's church on Monday morning. We had a lot of fun playing b-ball:

The kids loved being able to run around. Thank goodness I ended up throwing in that Little Tykes car last minute. The kids loved it!

And thank you, uncle Jacob, for getting the kids scooters. We took both of the new scooters as well as the one we already had to the church and they were a hit!

We ordered turkey sandwhiches from Walmart and they were delicious! The twins were really cute sharing their food and feeding each other:

Brynlee slept for most of the fun, but she did end up having plenty of time to play. She loved sitting in the car while Simon pushed her around the gym:

Later that night we headed to Josh's dad's extended family Christmas party. We ate yummy soup and breadsticks then did the traditional white elephant game. Here are the girls with grandma:

This was a good end to an exhausting week and a half.

Christmas

2011-12-25T15:23:00.000-08:00

The past week and a half has been extremely stressful and emotional as Josh's grandfather passed away. The funeral was on Wednesday, so that only gave me 2-3 days to finish up Christmas. And on top of all that, I am the choir director in our ward and was in charge of the Christmas program at church. Normally, that wouldn't be that big of a deal. But we did the Christmas program that I wrote while I was on my mission. 6 choir numbers that I directed, 1 yw/primary number, 1 solo, 1 duet, and 1 quartet that I accompanied for, a narrator, and a shepherd family. I think I lost @ 5 lbs not being able to eat for the entire week. Having the program on Christmas was really neat, but extra stressful. We decided to get up at 7 since church was at 9(which NEVER happens) to open presents. Here is the before, during, and after:

Josh and I got a nice 3D TV as our Christmas present. We LOVE it. It is quite the dramatic story of how we got it, but it was all worth it!

Not sure why the picture was blurry, but the kids were SO excited!

Brayden got a DS lite from Santa. He is in heaven!

Brooklyn LOVES her Tinkerbell doll. Santa brought her a karaoke machine and a Game Boy Advanced.

Josh won the train table at work. So eventhough our kids aren't really into cars, it will be fun to finally have one.

Because of the crazy day, we let Brynlee sleep and miss all the fun. After we got ready, however, the kids happily helped her open up her presents.

All ready for church. We made it 10 min early to church so I could finish getting everything ready. The Ericsons came and helped with the kids and watched the program. It went really well, eventhough my soloist had laryngitis. It was a really neat for me to have shared my program, "Come Unto Christ" with this choir (who are amazing, btw) and share it with the congregation. I was overcome with emotion for most of the program, remembering the sacred experiences I had while writing it and performing it in Brazil. I shared some of the experiences with the choir, so they were also very emotional throughout. It was the perfect way to start out our Christmas day and remember what the holiday is all about.

After church we headed to the Ericsons for a yummy brunch and exchange presents with them. Here we all are:

We gave Mckinsley and Brynlee these strollers and babies. They are so fun to watch as they are starting to play together more:

We put the kids down for naps early while there, then took off for my parent's house. Ryon and Jana came down with their family so it was fun to be with them all night.

The clan:

Our little family:

We celebrated my dad's bday, which is the 29th.

After my parent's we stopped at my grandma's house on the way home. It was fun to see her and Fred and spend some time with them.

My grandma gave Brynlee a pillow pet, and she LOVES it!

Although it was the most stressful week I've had in a while, it will always be one of the most special weeks. Josh's grandfather passing was a good reminder of those things that are most important in this life. We are so grateful that we live close to all of our family so that we can visit them and spend time with them. I am grateful for such a special Christmas we had to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and ponder on all the He did for us.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

We normally have Christmas Eve at Josh's grandma's house, but since his grandpa past away this week it was too much stress for her to have everyone over. So instead we headed to the Ericson's house. Brayden was apparently a little tired and fell asleep on the way:

We had a yummy turkey dinner. The kids love their kid table:

Brynlee doesn't let people hold her very often, so when she does we always try and get a picture:

Josh invited Marcello and his girlfriend and their little 6 month old (who is 4 lbs bigger than Brynlee) over for dinner. We got them some Christmas gifts:

And of course the kids loved it when the doorbell rang and I told them it was for them. Eventhough they were with me when we picked out their pj's, they still couldn't believe that Santa knew where they were!

So cute!

Girly Girl?

2011-12-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn is definitely into girl stuff, but never really cared for it until lately. Of course that could be because she only had an older brother so we didn't have a lot of girl stuff. Brynlee, however, is all about girly stuff. She found one of Brooklyn's tutus the other day and brought it to me to put on her. She loves necklaces, sparkles, and everything else she can get her hands on. Let's hope she gets into princesses! Brooklyn loves Tinkerbell, but has never taken to the Disney princesses. We'll see!

Letters

2011-12-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

I finished these letters during the summer, but finally got around to giving them to my friend. They are for her little boy and girl. We did a trade, so I made her the letters and she is going to take our family pictures in the spring.

Picnic in December

2011-12-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

Since we have been hosting a couple of parties, we've had kid tables set up. Naturally, the kids have wanted to have "picnics" on the kids table all week. I ended up leaving this table in the kitchen and I put away the high chair since all Brynlee wants to do is climb out of it and get on the counter.

Pendleton Family Christmas Party

2011-12-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

My mom and aunt asked if they could have the Pendleton Christmas party at our house since we have toys and stuff for all the little kids to do. Luckily the house was clean for my Bunko party so it wasn't too big a deal. We had a yummy breakfast, donated toys to Toys for Tots, then played a fun candy bar game. It was good to see everyone and hang out all morning.

Bunko

2011-12-14T15:10:00.000-08:00

I hosted our Bunko Christmas party. It was the first time all year that we didn't have to get a sub! We had a lot of fun eating dinner, playing Bunko, and doing a "favorite things" exchange.

Fancy Nancy Party

2011-12-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn was invited to a Fancy Nancy party the other day. It wasn't until 3 days after the party that I happened to see a Fancy Nancy book at the store. I had no idea the party was based on a book. Brooklyn had fun getting all dressed up with tons of curls in her hair.

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun at the ward Christmas party. My sister and I made Jello Jigglers and they were a hit!

And of course, Santa came!!! We got to be first in line since I was playing the piano while everyone sang Christmas songs. Brayden hopped right up and started telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas. Brooklyn wouldn't even go close...she just hung onto Josh screaming.

Brooklyn would have had this reaction if I handed her to anyone, so I'm not sure if she was really scared of Santa, or just mad I gave her to someone else.

And this is by far my favorite Santa photo we've ever taken. Brayden loved every minute of it. The girls...not so much.

After the kids were done with Santa, he sang Silent Night while Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus came walking in. It was a great evening!

Woops!

2011-12-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

After we all went shopping one evening we came home and I wasn't feel too great. I ended up getting some 24 hour bug that seems to be going around. Luckily, no body else caught it. Josh was able to do a lot of his work at home in the morning so he watched the kids. And thank heavens my sister lives in the basement because she pretty much took care of the kids all day long. I don't know how I would've been able to do it without her. At one point I heard a small crash and knew that the box of Cheerios I had put back in a very unstable spot had fallen and spread all over the floor. My sister, a girl after my own heart, grabbed my camera instead of a broom. The kids had a blast playing in the cereal, spreading it all over the floor while they ate them. Thanks Rachelle for all your help!

Pretty Necklaces!

2011-12-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

It took Brooklyn a while to get into girl stuff. There is a good chance that that was because of Brayden's influence and the fact that it took us a while to get her girly stuff. Brynlee, on the other hand, is already so girly. She is always bringing me Brooklyn's tutus and wants me to put them on her, as well as necklaces. She loves to play with these beads...just putting them on and off and on again. So cute!

Yum! Lettuce!

2011-12-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

Brynlee is our little salad eater. I eat a taco salad almost every day for lunch, and she LOVES it. She especially loves when I let her play with the head of lettuce. On this particular day, she swiped the lettuce and took off with it. She was too cute to interupt, so I let her enjoy it.

Christmas Chain

2011-12-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

The kids have been WAY excited for Christmas. We thought it would be fun to do a chain to countdown to Christmas, since everyday they wake up and ask how many days are left. Here they are drawing on their links and gluing them together.

Brayden's Birthday Party

2011-11-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

There was no way I was going to be able to do Brayden's birthday party before our trip, so we opted to do it after. We did Jungle Jim's again and the kids had a blast. We had about 16 kids come. There was only one other small birthday party there so it was nice to almost have the place to ourselves. The kids loved the rides, of course, and even Brynlee got in on some of the action.

We did manage to pause long enough for pizza and presents. We've learned from previous years that there is no time to do cake and ice cream. So we chose cupcakes instead and it was perfect.

Brynlee LOVED the swings:

I wouldn't let Brayden ride this ride because he always gets sick. Brooklyn, however, loved it:

Brynlee also LOVED the carousel.

I was a little nervous to let her ride this ride, but Brayden was a fun brother to be with. She did great for most of the ride, then started crying.

Here's how this ride went...Brynlee looked like she woul love being in the car with Brooklyn.

It started going and here is where she is realizing she is going away from mom into a tunnel.

Not a fan.

She loved it, however, when I rode with her:

Happy Birthday Brayden! We hope you had a lot of fun!

St. George/Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T09:10:00.000-08:00

Josh's family went to San Diego for the week before Thanksgiving and stopped in St. George on the way back. Since there was extra room at one of the St. George condos, we decided to join them. We left on Tuesday night and the drive went SO much better than expected. The kids did great and fell asleep half way through. After watching the kids' heads bounce around while they slept I remembered that the back seats in the van recline. So it was perfect to recline the seats so the kids were more comfortable.

Once we were there we relaxed all day Wednesday (Josh's family wasn't coming until late Thursday night.) We headed over to Pizza Factory for lunch then to Walmart to scope it out for Black Friday. The kids napped all afternoon. That night we went and visited some friends from college, Eric and Janae, and their 3 kids Sadie, Kallie, and Bryson. The kids LOVED playing together and we had a fun time catching up with them.

Thursday was pretty relaxed as well. We took the kids swimming in the morning. Brynlee wasn't a huge fan (a little chilly) but the other kids loved it:

We had originally planned on going to Chuck-A-Rama for Thanksgiving dinner. When Adam's mom found out she insisted that we come over for dinner. We had a wonderful afternoon/evening with them and dinner was SO good. Brynlee slept through most of it, but that just meant that I got to enjoy it a little more. We tried to get some good family pictures in their beautiful yard.

On Friday we did some shopping then took the kids out to play:

The rest of the weekend we continued to relax and hang out with the Ericsons. Most of them left on Saturday morning. Michael and Natalie stayed with her grandma on Saturday night so it quieted down on Saturday. We shopped a little bit at the outlet stores on Saturday. On Sunday we woke up and packed up everything and headed home. The drive went ok, but not great. It's just hard to entertain the kids that long...especially the baby. Overall, we had a great time. It was a good break and it was fun to enjoy a little warmer weather.

Brayden's Birthday At School

2011-11-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

The day after Brayden's birthday I got to go to school with him and do a 20 minute spotlight. He got to be the special leader for the day and loved it, of course.

I brought his hoop. I know...shocker. He loved dribbling and shooting for everybody:

Our 5 yr old!

Thanks for letting me be part of your special day!

Brayden's Actual Birthday

2011-11-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

Sunday birthdays are always a little tricky. Especially when Josh's whole family is out of town. Luckily we were able to celebrate it with my family at my parent's house. In the morning we never wake up with any extra time before church, so I quickly let Brayden open up one present before we rushed off to church.

After nap time we headed over to my parent's house for dinner. My dad was busy doing tithing settlements all evening, but when he finally made it home the kids were there to greet him:

Brayden FINALLY got to open his presents:

He saw me buy this 3 months ago and I thought he would forget about it. Nope! He has reminded me weekly about his new helmet:

Brynlee getting in on the action:

Rachelle made the kids balloons. Brayden got a spiderman and she made a Tinkerbell for Brooklyn:

Happy Birthday Brayden!

Leaves

2011-11-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Our street is lined with these huge trees that produce a lot of leaves. Naturally, the kids jump in them every chance they get.

The Sink

2011-11-08T08:58:00.000-08:00

Oh Brynlee. You definitely keep us on our toes. The kids like having a stool by the sink so they can wash their hands. We had to put it away for a while until Brynlee was more stable on it and we didn't have to worry about her falling off of it. Now she has loved doing the dishes and standing on it all day long. Well, recently she has made another move...she'll put her feet on the lip of the cabinet door and pull herself into the sink. Really?! Needless to say, the stool got put away again. Of course, we did have to take pictures on one occassion when we didn't notice until it was too late. She LOVED that we finally let her stay in and play.

Picture Day

2011-11-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

The kids had their school picture day. I love dressing them up and I'm glad they don't mind when I make them change their clothes over and over again.

Spiderman

2011-11-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

For Brayden's birthday party invitation we did Spiderman. I wanted a picture of Brayden on it. Brayden was more than happy to dress up and pose for me.

I love him shooting his webs:

Showing his muscles:

Here's the invitation:

ABC Book - I

2011-11-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Ice:

Indian:

Twinners!

2011-11-06T08:45:00.000-08:00

Josh's aunt gave Brynlee and Mckinsley matching track suits when they were born. We've waited all year to put the girls in them. Quite a few people at family night with Josh's extended family didn't realize there were two babies toddling around until we sat them next to each other. They thought they kept seeing the same baby!

2 proud dadies:

Halloween

2011-10-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

Halloween finally came! The kids have been counting down for quite some time. Brayden and Brooklyn had a fun Halloween party at school and got lots of candy from all their classmates. After naps we quickly got ready for the night. I found Brynlee snitching while I was getting the other kids ready:

We went trick-or-treating to a couple of our neighbors, then headed off to the Ericson's. There's nothing better than trick-or-treating at grandpa's house! They got handfuls of candy:

Even Brynlee started figuring it out:

Our Peter Pan and 2 Tinkerbells:

All the Ericson grandkids - Brynlee, Mckinsley, Brayden, Brooklyn:

We took the kids to most of the houses on their street. The kids got SO much candy...Josh is pretty excited :)

The rest of the evening we enjoyed hanging out. Brooklyn spent a lot of time with grandma drawing:

Trunk-or-Treat

2011-10-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Our ward doesn't do a trunk-or-treat, so when Nick and Kesha invited us back to our old ward we didn't hesitate to say yes. It was fun to dress the kids up again, although Brayden needed some convincing to be Peter Pan again. He wanted to have a different costume every time we did something. It was pretty nice weather, so we got away with starting the evening without jackets:

They had a chili cook off as well with about 20 pots of chili. It was a very yummy dinner. I made the mistake of letting Brooklyn where her Tinkerbell shoes. Her feet were freezing, which made her cold most of the night. Here she is wearing my jacket over her jacket, which meant I had only a short sleeve shirt on:

Someone brought this little car, which is Brynlees favorite thing to play with. I love her expression, checking over her shoulder to see if anyone is looking...She knows it wasn't hers:

Thanks Nick and Kesha! Of course I didn't get a picture of all the kids, but we had a great time!

Raking Leaves

2011-10-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

The city planted trees along the entire street. The are gorgeous and we love them. Unfortunately, our house was one of the few that doesn't have a tree since we are on the corner of the circle. So all summer the kids run to the neighbor's trees to play in the shade. All summer I wished we had a tree in our front yard...until now. These trees drop SO many leaves that the ground gets covered. We're lucky bc we only have to rake up the leaves that blow into the yard. Of course now the kids are running into the neighbor's yards to play in their leaves. We saw Annette raking up her leaves so we grabbed our rake and headed over to help.

Discovery Gateway

2011-10-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Brayden's preschool class had a field trip to the Children's Museum. I was a little worried how Brynlee would do since it was right during her nap, but she did great and loved it! We were able to invite friends, so we invited Boston and Easton to come with us. They came a little bit later after Boston got out of his preschool class. Eventhough we've been here a ton of times, I still took lots of pictures. Oh well! Here goes!

This is the first time the kids played in the little house. Brooklyn loved being in the little kitchen and cooking.

We get a picture on the swan every time we go. It's fun to see how quickly they are growing up!

With Boston and Easton. It's fun because as soon as Brayden turns 5, these kids will be 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 yrs old. In the picture, however, it looks like Brooklyn would be the 4 yr old and Boston would be the 3 yr old. But nope! She's just tall and he's just small! These kids love playing with each other! Thanks Kesha for bringing them down to play with us!

ABC Book - H

2011-10-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hat:

Hippo:

Laundry

2011-10-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Every Monday we do all the laundry. Since you can see the entryway from the landing upstairs, the kids love to throw down all the clothes then go down and jump in them. Personally, I think it's gross to roll around in dirty clothes, but they love it!

On a side note, this is Brynlee's favorite spot to hang out. I usually have to put the stool on the counter, but whenever I forget she will be up there without me even knowing. Hopefully this is foreshadowing a love of doing the dishes in the near future :)

Brewer Family Minute to Win it Halloween Party

2011-10-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

My sister Rachelle and I had the idea to do a Minute to Win it Halloween Party. We spent weeks planning and getting it ready it was SO much fun. I think everyone was a little skeptical, thinking they would play the games just to "humor" us. But they were all surprised with how much fun it was. The best part was that Ryon and Jana came down from Idaho that night bc they were taking their family to Mexico and leaving from the SLC airport early the next morning. We started the night off in the basement with dinner...chili served from a pumpkin along with all the creepy appetizers everyone brought. We had a fun backdrop set up to take pictures.

Then we went upstairs where all the games were. We had 4 rooms, each with 3 games. Every time we rotated rooms we were with different people so it was fun to have a chance to see everyone try these fun games. Here are a few that we did. Nate is trying to bounce a ping pong ball onto a piece of bread covered in peanut butter. In this room you also had to try and stack 3 golf balls on top of each other...not so easy.

In the kitchen one of the games was Drop, Sink, Clink. You had 10 pennies you dropped into the water, trying to get them into different dishes with different point values. I love Josh's face in this picture...he didn't look too happy.

Here Ali is trying to blow bubbles across the room before they pop.

Josh and Nate are "bowling" using golf balls they have to drop through empty wrapping paper rolls. We had 3 markers set up that they had to try and knock down.

Rachelle made these yummy witch pudding cups.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening. Since there are so many kids, the adults rarely get to play games with each other. So this was perfect since the kids were pretty entertained with everything going on. Thanks everyone for coming!

The Dryer

2011-10-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

The second that I go to switch the clothes in the laundry room, Brynlee makes a run for it. She LOVES to climb in...she usually doesn't even wait until I get all the clothes out. The first time I let her climb in she stayed in and played for about 25 minutes. Now she'll hang out for a few minutes then climbs out and is on her way.

ABC Book - G

2011-10-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Golf:

Happy Birthday Brynlee!!!

2011-10-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

We had a very low key, enjoyable day to celebrate Brynlee's birthday. The kids had school in the morning, so I got to hang and out and snuggle this girl:

My mom stopped by after work to give Brynlee a present. Of course Brayden and Brooklyn seemed to enjoy it more than her:

For the evening we headed over to the Ericson's to eat dinner and relax. They made straganoff for us and baked a pizza for the kids...Brynlee's favorite!

Since the other 2 kids each have a couch, I had to get Brynlee her own. Now they can hopefully stop fighting over them.

When I googled "toys for 1 yr old" this zebra toy came up as one of the top toys on a couple different websites. When I stopped at Kid 2 Kid, they happened to have one so I grabbed it. Brynlee is still a little short reach the ground with both feet, but she has loved it anyway!

Brayden and Brooklyn are such good helpers!

Our little family:

The birthday girl:

I'm not a cake maker, especially bc Josh's family doesn't eat cake. When I saw this little puppy cake at Walmart I thought it was adorable and perfect!

Brynlee loved the sugar, but wasn't a fan of all the frosting on her fingers. She made a mess, however, so it was still fun.

The birthday cake we got everyone else was chocolate, so we of course had to get Brayden his own little cupcake. So high maintenance!

No better way to clean a messy 1 yr old than in the sink!!!

Happy Birthday Brynlee! We love you!

Hogle Zoo

2011-10-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

Since the kids had school on Brynlee's birthday, we decided to go to the zoo a day early. And I'm SO glad we ended up going. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. We went with Rachelle and Samantha. Josh met us there for about 1.5 hrs during work. I couldn't believe we ended up staying for over 3 hrs! We were having that much fun! Here's Brynlee loving the monkeys:

We brought a picnic lunch:

I kept trying to take a picture of Brynlee, but Brayden insisted on being in the picture.

It took some convincing, but Brayden finally hopped on the gorilla for a picture:

LOVE this picture! Brooklyn was too scared to sit on it:

I finally coaxed her with some fruit snacks to stand by the other kids:

Brooklyn recently figured out that she can carry Brynlee around wherever she wants. Most of the time Brynlee is ok with it.

The kids loved the playground, of course, especially the spider web.

The infamous egg picture:

Brynlee has NO fear whatsoever. Whether we are on a playground or at a playplace, she goes right for the slide. I spent atleast 30 minutes taking her from the bottom of the slide to the steps where she would climb up and go across the bridge to get to the slide.

Brayden learned how to go down the firepole!!! Yeah!!! Good job buddy!

Rachelle and Samantha:

The kids loved the train ride:

ABC Book - F

2011-10-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

Football:

Frog Book:

Samantha's Blessing

2011-10-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

I didn't take many pictures of Samantha's blessing, but it was a very nice morning. Sean did a wonderful job on the blessing. We had all the food ready the night before, so it was easy for my mom, aunt, and I to rush home from church and get it ready. We had a scrambled egg bar with french toast, muffins, and fruit. It was SO good.

I stayed up until about 3am getting the house ready, and within minutes of everyone arriving it looked like this. Awesome.

Ryon and Jana brought their family down, so we had to get a cousin picture. Of course Brynlee was still napping and the twins were already buckled in the car.

We quickly realized we better add the person they came down to see...Samantha!

Messy Girl, Messy Girl!

2011-10-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

I always try to procrastinate the day when I start letting my little one feed themself. I finally started letting Brynlee go at her food, and of course she loves it. And yes, there are many things wrong with this picture. 1. Not buckled into her seat. 2. No bib - what was I thinking???

ABC Book - E

2011-10-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Elephant:

Elmo:

The Charmins

2011-10-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Our friends Andrew and Julie babysit for a family in Pepperwood whenever the parents go out of town. We usually go over and hang out on one of the nights. Their house is like a "fun house" to us. The kids love it and Josh LOVES their theater room. The night we went over happened to be the night of the Priesthood Session of conference, so Josh dropped us off and headed to the nearest chapel. While he was gone we ate pizza and went swimming. It took the kids some time to get used to the pool and not hanging on me, but once they did they loved it. They also have an indoor b-ball court that has a bunch of toys.

Yes...Brayden did NOT want to ride in the pink car, but wanted to drive it SO badly. He finally got over the fact that it was pink and drove it. The Charmins have 4 girls, so everything is pink.

Brynlee LOVED this car and played with it most of the night.

Field Trip - Wheeler Farm

2011-09-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

Both of the kids' classes went to Wheeler Farm for a fieldtrip. We had a lot of fun. Josh's mom and Rachael came with us, which helped when the kids were wanting to go separate ways with their classes.

The kids were playing in this old outhouse. Then Kay told them what it was and that they are stinky. We all laughed when they simultaneously plugged their noses and said, "Pe-oo-ey!"

ABC Book - D

2011-09-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Dog:

Happy Birthday Rachelle!

2011-09-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

The kids were SO excited to wake up and wish Rachelle a happy birthday. Before preschool we went outside and cut some roses for them to give her before they left. So cute! While the kids were at school we went to Olive Garden for lunch with my mom, aunt Cindy, grandma, and Celeste. It was a lot of fun! (And very nice to only have to control 1 kid for a change!)

ABC Book - C

2011-09-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Chainsaw:

Camera:

BYU/Utah Game :(

2011-09-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

For the BYU/Utah game we headed over to the Ericson's since Josh was at the game. The kids looked SO cute in their little BYU outfits.

I gave Brynlee a bowl of Lucky Charms and she started eating them straight out of the dish. When she came up they were stuck to her face. Silly girl!

2 little cheerleaders!

Brooklyn even got into the game...for about 30 seconds. She started clapping and cheering, "Go BYU!"

Brynlee with uncle Andrew. She doesn't really like anyone to hold her except mom.

State Fair

2011-09-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

We missed the county fair, so it wasn't an option to miss the State Fair. Josh and I have been to the fair every year since high school (except when we were on missions.) Josh's parents went with us this year and it was a lot of fun. Of course the kids loved the water:

Brooklyn really liked the animals but didn't want to go near them. Maybe next year!

Brynlee was a little hesitant and pulled back whenever we put her close. But she giggled and loved looking at them all:

Brayden, on the other hand, was touching and petting everything he could reach.

I did coax Brooklyn over to pet the bunny. She really liked the rabbits.

One giant pumpkin:

I LOVE our stroller. It's SO nice to be able to push all 3 kids at once. Since Brayden and Brooklyn are so skinny, they can even sit side by side on the little seat if neither of them want to stand. Best. Investment. Ever!

10 & 11 Months

2011-09-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting caught up on Brynlee's months. At 10 months Brynlee continues to be a doll. She is always happy and loves to be with her big brother and sister. She still has no interest in walking, although she stands and cruises the furniture with ease. She's starting to show more emotion when she doesn't get what she wants...hopefully this doesn't escalate in a few years or we're in trouble! We love you Bryn!!!

At 11 months Brynlee is just SO fun! She continues to be interested in everything and loves to be involved. She has started wrestling with Brooklyn, which is a lot of fun. Still not walking, but we're working on it. Time is going by SO fast! Brynlee is still pretty little, but that makes it easier on me since she is literally glued to my hip all day...everyday. Luckily I kinda like this little girl!

3 Cuties!

2011-09-12T20:47:00.001-07:00

Just a random picture of the 3 cutest little kids!

ABC Book - B

2011-09-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

Ball:

Baby Bop:

Healing Fields

2011-09-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to go to the healing fields in Sandy, so we headed out there for family night. It was really neat to read the stories of those who died and to see all the flags.

We went with my sister Rachelle and her husband Sean. Little Samantha slept through the whole thing.

Go BYU!

2011-09-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

We went to the Allman's for the BYU game 2 weeks ago. The kids play really well together so it was a lot of fun (except that BYU lost.) Here are all the kids in their BYU gear:

And of course we had to all get in our BYU jams! When these went on sale I bought them in each size so my kids could wear them for a few years. I also had planned ahead for little Jada and Brynlee. I know I'm a little biased, but they are pretty stinkin' cute!

Here they are last December. It's fun to see how much they've grown!

New Lawn Mower / New Fence

2011-09-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

We've had quite the drama this summer with lawn mowers. Too long of a story to share here, but we finally got our hands on a riding mower. With such a big yard it has been killing us to mow it every week, especially bc our mower isn't even self-propelled. We've now mowed the lawn twice and we LOVE it! Brayden loves to ride with Josh:

Now we just need to map out the yard a little better so we can mow it in a more orderly fashion :)

I've been trying SO hard to find a fence so I can get our dogs out of the garage. I finally scored some free chain link and decided to use T-posts instead of cemented poles. It's surprisingly very sturdy and does the job. Now the dogs are out of the garage and I've started cleaning it. I'm determined to be able to park in it this winter!

Baseball

2011-09-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Brayden has been playing baseball with Jaxon in Riverton. Jeff is the coach, so it has been pretty fun. It's been good for Brayden bc he's been playing with the 5/6 yr olds instead of the 3/4 yr olds. Here he is ready for the ball:

The swing:

I love his running face:

Catcher:

Team cheer at the end:

High 5's:

Brooklyn and Brynlee did quite well. Brooklyn and Claire play really well together so they really enjoyed it.

Go Brayden! Brynlee would clap and cheer every time we were cheering for Brayden. So cute!

ABC Book - A

2011-09-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from one of my high school friends, so I can't take any credit. Each week in preschool my kids learn a different letter. I love that their 2 classes are structured the same, so they work on the same letters each week. I decided it would be fun to take their picture on the day they get to take a show and tell item beginning with that letter. At the end of the year I'll create a fun ABC book for them. I'm really excited about it. I hope I can keep it up! Here's the letter A...Brayden took an alligator and Brooklyn took an ant.

Caught in the Act

2011-09-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Brynlee has quickly become a little monkey. She is ALWAYS looking for something to climb. We have had to move all of our steps and stools bc this happens all day long! Here is her "Oh no I got caught!" face:

And her "Don't worry, I'm too cute to be mad at!" face:

"We're Taking A Shower, Mom!"

2011-09-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

I was inside with the baby while the kids were outside playing. When I went out to check on them, I was surprised to find them soaking wet playing in the sprinklers. They told me they were "showering." It grossed me out because it is irrigation water, but they didn't care.

Hugs!

2011-09-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Brynlee is at that age where she is too curious about everything to want to cuddle. So we really cherish the moments that she relaxes enough for us to squeeze her. I luckily had my camera handy to catch her giving Josh hugs one night. So precious! She sure loves her dad...she always lights up the second she sees him.

Tea Party

2011-08-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn usually spends her days playing superheros, wrestling, shooting guns, and anything else her brother comes up with. There are times, however, when Brooklyn reassures me that she really is a girl :) They both go to school at the same time (different classes), although Brayden goes one more day than Brooklyn does. This has been great because it allows some girly time! I helped Brooklyn set up a tea party and she LOVED it! It was fun to see her get creative and play with her animals. Thanks Aubree and Jaycie for the birthday gift!

Samantha Marie Carroll

2011-08-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

My sister Rachelle and her husband Sean had their beautiful baby girl on August 15. It's been SO fun having them live in our basement as they've gotten ready for their first baby. I've loved helping Rachelle get the baby area ready, answering questions, etc. Everything went well with her labor and delivery and now they have a baby!!! Samantha Marie Carroll. 7lbs 5oz, 20". It's so great to get my "baby fix" now that they are home and I can hold the baby all I want but don't have to get up with her at night :) Here's Brayden holding her:

SO beautiful!!!

Brooklyn's Birthday

2011-08-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

What a fun day we had! We've been counting down to Brooklyn's birthday now for weeks, and she was SO excited it finally came. She woke up to all these balloons and a few presents to open up.

Brayden had to help, of course.

Brooklyn got to go to school on her birthday and be special leader. She was really excited to share her birthday with her friends. Here the kids are on our way.

I got to join her for the first part of class to do a spotlight on her. We talked a lot about Tinkerbell, did bubbles, showed her favorite games on the iPad, and let her show off some tumbling skills. We let each kids take a turn doing a somersault.

My cutie:

After school we had a quick lunch and put the kids down for a nap. I spent the afternoon getting ready for Brooklyn's party. We went to an awesome park by our house and let Brooklyn and her friends play all evening. Here she is with grandma helping her:

My mom came and face painted. It was the hit of the party! Of course Brayden wanted Spiderman. (By the end of the night he also had BYU and JAZZ on his cheeks.)

Brayden and Jordan:

It's kinda hard to see but Brooklyn got Tinkerbell fairy swirls with lots of sparkles.

Brynlee loved climbing up the slide and going down on her tummy.

Boston:

Brynlee and Mckinsley:

We got Brooklyn a Tinkerbell cake, of course.

All the kids loved helping Brooklyn open all her presents.

Brynlee kept busy.

My mom got her the cutest Tinkerbell costume. She LOVES it and already has plans to wear it for Halloween.

Brooklyn with Jordan, Aubree, and Jaycee:

The rest of the kids...Ty, Brayden, Jaxon, Paige, Boston, Easton, Jordan, Claire, Meg, Brooklyn, and Brynlee:

Our little family:

We love you Brooklyn!!! Happy 3rd Birthday!!!

School Picture Re-do

2011-08-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

So I already took pictures of the kids' first day of school. Then I saw everyone else's first day of school pictures and realized that I blew it. The kids didn't have their backpacks on and they were standing in front of a blank wall...boring! So I made the kids go outside with their backpacks for another round of pictures on their 2nd day of school.

Reading Corner

2011-08-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

I decided it was finally time to clear out a bunch of our toys from the toy room and turn it into a nicer "entertainment" room. We kept a few toys that the kids play with on a daily basis. I also put together this little reading corner with the kids new couches (bought for only $1.50 each!) They LOVE their couches and LOVE to sit and read their books. Even Brynlee gets in on the action.

First Day of School

2011-08-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Last week the kids started school. The first day I got to go with each of them for 1 hr to help them feel comfortable. Neither one of them had any problems. It's perfect because their classes overlap so we can carpool with our neighbor. Brooklyn goes to the first 10 minutes of Brayden's class, then Brayden and Ella go to the last 10 minutes of Brooklyn's class to make it work. These 2 LOVE that they get to start in the same class. They have been loving it all week!

Natalie's Bday

2011-07-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

For Natalie's birthday we headed over to the Ericson's. We had an enjoyable evening, eventhough I didn't take many pictures. Here are Mckinsley and Brynlee. They already have a lot of fun playing together, even if their "playing" is trying to claw each other's eyes out.

Steve and Kay just finished putting in a new sandbox. The kids LOVED it. So did Aaron :)

Ta-da!

Boston's Birthday Party

2011-07-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

After the baby shower we rushed over to the Scott's house for Boston's 4th birthday. It was a fun water party in their backyard. The kids had a ton of fun!

They let everyone hit the pinata with a water noodle before they let one of the older kids break it:

Getting candy!

Rachelle's Baby Shower

2011-07-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

My aunt, my mom, and I threw Rachelle a baby shower on July 30th. It was overcast and perfect weather. Here is our table, although it's kinda hard to see all the cute decorations on the table:

My aunt always makes a scrapbook for the first year of the baby. Here's Rachelle looking through it:

Gifts:

We had lots of family, friends, and neighbors come and support Rachelle. It was fun to talk to all of them:

Neighborhood BBQ

2011-07-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago our neighborhood had a fun bbq. It was in front of our house in the circle and the kids and I had a great time. Josh, unfortunately had his quarterly sales meetings so he couldn't make it. After dinner the kids gathered for a candy canon:

Here's the canon that's supposed to shoot taffy pretty far. It didn't work so good.

The candy went about 15 feet and was smoking pretty bad. I think Brooklyn was the only kid that ate any of it.

Here's the neighborhood eating dinner:

Brynlee was pretty fussy the whole evening for some reason. She did better when I brought out some toys for her to play in:

Mowing the Lawn

2011-07-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

I was busy making dinner while Josh was needing to mow the lawn. So since we still had this hiking backpack we borrowed from my neighbor's he strapped Brynlee on and got to work! She loved it and we have mowed the lawn this way many times since!

Cabin Days 3 & 4

2011-07-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a lot of fun. We hung out all morning and the kids played. Here's Brooklyn and Claire with the flowers they picked on our walk:

After lunch we quickly packed a few things and headed off to the old cabin. Josh's grandparents originally were part of an older cabin about 15 minutes farther than this one. Once the old cabin got too many people wanting to share it, they bought their own for their family. The old cabin has a beautiful pond that we always hike to. It was interesting hiking with 6 kids and only 4 adults. The hardest part was that the water was really high. So the little streams that we usually jump over were small rivers almost a foot deep. Josh carried Brynlee on his back for most the hike to the pond. At a couple parts Brooklyn insisted on being carried as well.

Amy and Chase. He was a trooper in our make-shift sling:

At the pond:

Brayden got his fishing pole for his bday last year and finally got to use it! He was pretty excited:

Brooklyn loved throwing rocks into the pond:

Brynlee LOVED the water. Here she is playing in it:

And this is what happens when we would pull her out of the water:

The Trimbles:

Our little family:

The hike back I carried Brynlee and Brooklyn rode on Josh's back:

We fed horses on the way back:

After the hike we went back for a much needed nap for the kids. Saturday night we just relaxed and hung out again, which was SO nice to kick back and not do anything. Sunday was also pretty laid back. Rachelle and Sean came up to spend the day and celebrate Josh's birthday. Later in the afternoon Josh's family came up, so we had a full house for the late afternoon/evening which was a lot of fun. Claire and Brooklyn sat with Rachelle while the guys played a game of horseshoes:

Since everyone was up at the cabin we celebrated Josh's birthday. Here is the AMAZING cake my sister and her husband made:

I gave Josh a plane ticket to Portland Oregon for the BYU game. He was pretty shocked and excited.

Brayden helping open presents:

And of course Brooklyn also had to help:

In the morning Brayden helped Steve cook breakfast. I made crepes for Josh since it was his birthday. We enjoyed the day relaxing, packed up, and headed home. Another great cabin trip!

Cabin Days 1 & 2

2011-07-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

For the 24th of July weekend and Josh's birthday we decided to go up to the cabin. We were able to leave Thursday evening and got home Monday night. The Trimbles came up with us and it was a TON of fun. It's a lot of fun to have kids the same age. Thursday night we made it up there late in the evening so it was too late to do too much. We got settled and got the kids to bed so we could relax and hang out. Friday we hung out at the cabin all day and went on a couple 4 wheeler rides. It was fun to see the kids just play. It gave us a much needed break and it was nice to relax. Here's Brayden and Jaxon exploring outside:

Claire riding the 4 wheeler:

Brooklyn collecting rocks:

At one point they were all sliding down the stairs together.

Sadie's Birthday Party

2011-07-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to Sadie's 2nd birthday party. They had a fun water party and the kids LOVED it! Here's Brynlee in her own little pool:

Brayden and Brooklyn loved jumping off the sides of this pool into the water. They both did this all night:

Brynlee loved crawling around on all the toys.

They did a Mickey pinata. Sadie got to hit first, and then they started from the youngest and went to the oldest. There were 3 little boys all sitting next to each other, one being Brayden. When it got to their turns, Nate kept saying that Brayden would go last. I heard one of the other mothers ask how old he was, and I said 4. She then kept saying that he should go first, since her son was 5. I think she thought her son would break open the pinata and Brayden wouldn't get a turn. Her son went up and swung a few times, making the pinata swing a little bit. Then Sadie went again:

Brayden was SO anxious for his turn from the second they brought out the pinata. Finally he got his turn and he did us proud! After his first swing all the parents couldn't believe he was only four. He wacked that pinata and the candy came pouring out. Good job Brayden!!! Nice form!

FHE at the Park

2011-07-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

We had FHE with Josh's dad's side of the family at a park this month. Such a great idea! The kids had a blast and us cousins had fun playing ultimate frisbee. Here's Brynlee loving the swings:

This is what happens when I ask Brooklyn to smile now:

The teeter-totter:

I was taking pictures of the babies when Brayden walked by saying, "It's my turn mom. Take a picture of me!" Can't pass that up!

Brynlee and Mckinsley:

And of course Brynlee attacked Josh's popsicle:

Deer Creek

2011-07-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Deer Creek with the Scotts. I was really hesitant about it bc I'm not a very sporadic person and we decided last minute to head up there. It turned out to be a ton of fun. We got to the lake @ 5pm so we knew we didn't have much time. Brayden and Brooklyn LOVED being in the boat and did quite well the entire time. Unfortunately, Brynlee had a harder time. Her life jacket was pretty big so from the start she was fussing. Then we got some sunscreen in her eye...strike 2. And to top it off she was hungry. So the start of the outing wasn't great. After a quick boat ride we took a break so I could feed Brynlee. She was MUCH better the rest of the time. Here's Brayden and Josh on a tube ride:

The little ones loved sitting at the back watching them on the tube.

Here's the 4 cuties! Easton, Brayden, Boston, and Brooklyn:

We stopped a few times for potty breaks, which consisted of sticking your bum in the water. Brynlee absolutely LOVES water and kept splashing and splashing.

Nick and Keesha took a swim. It was like pulling teeth to get Brayden and Boston to sit in the tube by themselves:

Poor little Brynlee. Sometimes I wish I could the mom that would let their kids chill in the boat with no life jacket on but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I would never be able to live with myself if something happened. So sorry Bryn. She was a trooper, however, and did her best to enjoy it.

Brayden finally did get in with Josh for a little swim:

After everyone was done swimming, I thought we would be heading back...nope! Perfect skiing time. Keesha rocked the wakeboard then I hopped in for as much skiing as my out of shape body could handle. Loved every second of it! Thanks Nick and Keesha for a great evening!

Love This Girl!

2011-07-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Both my kids starting sleeping like this as soon as they could roll over. I've been waiting and waiting for Brynlee to do the same because I think it is so darn cute! She has finally kept up the tradition of sleeping like a little frog. I love it!

9 Months!!!

2011-07-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

One of these days I hope I get caught up on this blog! Brynlee continues to grow and grow and hit 9 months on July 13. Her stats last month were:

Weight: 14 lbs 9 oz (3%)

Height: 26.5 inches (15%)

She is very curious about everything and LOVES to be attached to my hip. She is walking along all the furniture and loves to eat people food. She still won't eat baby food, but atleast she's eating now. She still doesn't sleep great but we're working on it. She continues to be a very happy baby, rarely crying, and is such a sweetheart. Her hugs and kisses are to die for!

Fruity Pebbles

2011-07-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

So a few Sundays ago I was rushing to get the kids fed so we could get to church on time. In my hussle, I opened the bag of Fruity Pebbles with a little too much force and the bag split open, sending half it's contents all over my kitchen. We quickly ate and went to church. Before I had even finished setting my stuff down when we got home, the kids were in the kitchen with spoons eating all the Fruity Pebbles out of the drawer. They loved the little snack!

Let's Go For A Picnic!

2011-07-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ever since we had our first bbq in the backyard, the kids have wanted to eat lunch out there everyday. Brooklyn asks all morning, "Let's go for a picnic!" It's nice to finally have a backyard where the kids can go out and play without me being right there the whole time.

4th of July - Day 4

2011-07-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Monday we woke up, quickly got ready, and headed to the parade. I LOVE Rexburg's small town parade. The kids had a blast and got plenty of candy. Here's Brayden sitting with Harry:

Brayden was SO funny. Every time he saw someone throwing candy, he would stand up and start yelling at them. It worked because quite a few of the people thought he was adorable and would walk over and give him a handful of candy.

Brynlee slept for the first half:

Brayden was ecstatic when he got some nerds, which ironically he lost by the end of the parade and was pretty devastated:

They handed out popsicles half way through. Yay!

Brynlee enjoyed the second half of the parade:

Hannah got to walk with the D.A.R.E group. My mom painted her face and she was adorable!

Our little family!

After the parade we quickly packed up and headed home. We stopped for some lunch in Pocatello then the girls slept for about 1 1/2 hrs. It was a much better drive than when he headed up there. On the way home, Josh's brother called and mentioned that he had fireworks left over from last year. As soon as Josh started talking about going over to his parent's house, I quickly interjected a big NO! There was no way we were going to get home, unload, then load back up and go to his parents. So instead Josh invited everybody over to our house. Awesome. I wish we had a little more time to have prepared, but oh well. His family and some of Michael and Natalie's friends came over for a fun bbq and fireworks. Here's Mckinsley, Brynlee, and Eli:

Eating dinner:

From the backyard we could see quite a few fireworks. Brooklyn loved looking at them.

Marcello brought his little 3 week old little boy over. He is SO cute!!!

Brayden throwing snaps - his favorite part of the night:

Brooklyn wasn't a fan of the fireworks we were lighting:

Yay! This is the first year Brayden would hold a sparkler!!! He went through 2 boxes all by himself!

4th of July - Day 3

2011-07-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday was pretty laid back. We went to church all morning, had a yummy lunch, then went to an airplane museum. Someone in Ryon's ward has connections, so they opened up the museum special for us. It was really cool to see all the retired planes and stuff they had, although the kids were pretty tired. Here we all are in the first room listening to the girl tell us about everything.

Brayden loved looking at the planes.

My mom and Brynlee:

Jana with Brooklyn. Jana kept trying to get her to kiss the chicken:

Brynlee had fun for a while crawling all over the floor. She would look up like this:

Then face plant. For some reason she thought it was funny.

And of course the others had to join in:

Here's a shot of half the hanger from above:

Justin and Ali took Paige and the twins home before we took some pictures. Here's the kids on top of one of the wings:

My dad was in heaven. He is a pilot and he has a passion for airplanes. Here he is with Ryon in one of the planes:

The rest of the day we took naps and enjoyed hanging out. Ryon and Jana made SO much good food all weekend.

4th of July - Days 1 & 2

2011-07-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July we drove up to Idaho to spend the weekend with my brother and his family. Everyone in my family made the trip up, so it was a full house with 25 people! The drive up there didn't go as well as we had hoped. We left before nap time hoping the kids would all sleep. Nope! I was driving so that Josh could finish his work for the day, which meant that I was SO stressed trying to drive and figure out how to keep the kids occupied. We finally pulled over so I could feed the baby and switch spots with Josh. The girls finally managed to fall asleep so we did have a little peace and quiet. We were 10 minutes away from exiting when there was an accident in the middle of the construction zone. So the one lane of traffic was stopped. Awesome. By now the kids hadn't gotten out of the car yet and were pretty restless. It took us 40 minutes to go less than 5 miles. We did, however, finally make it. We enjoyed the evening with everyone and put the kids to bed early. Saturday morning all the guys went shooting guns, so we spent morning playing with all the kids. My mom brought a giant bowling set, and the kids loved it.

Jana brought out a huge tray of fruit and they ate about 90% of it!

For the afternoon we set up the giant waterslide. These pictures don't do justice to how big this sucker is. It is a lot of fun and we spent about 4 hrs enjoying it. We've done the waterslide 2 other times since Brayden was born and he has always been terrified. We were SO excited that he finally loved it. I think he went down the slide more than most of us combined!

Here's Josh and Brayden. Brayden prefferred to go by himself, he told us afterwards:

And yes, I went down as well...many times!

Brooklyn took a nap when we started the slide, but I made sure we woke her up in time for her to get in on the action. As I expected, she didn't like it so much.

I love this picture! Both their mouths are wide open...Josh laughing hysterically and Brooklyn screaming. Ah the things we make our kids do!

These pics show how big the slide really is. All the guys ran and went down one after another, then crashed at the bottom. It was pretty hilarious to watch.

Brynlee wasn't a fan of the cold water. But she loved watching everyone.

We set up a kiddie pool, but none of the kids really sat in it bc it was too cold.

The rest of the night we hung out, watched the kids, and talked. Such a fun day!!!

Backyard Projects/Family Sunday

2011-06-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

We had my family over for our family Sunday last week for a bbq. I decided that the best way to get things done is to have a deadline. Since they were all coming over, we spent all week working really hard in the backyard. I was able to finish building the sandbox, put up the trampoline, and buy and set up a play house. It was such a fun night. The kids were entertained the entire night, which let the adults sit, relax, and talk. We set up a couple of blankets for the babies to play on.

Here's our sandbox. I had to dig out the railroad ties from the yard, level the area, and fit them together like a puzzle. Sean helped me nail it together. Then I stapled the weed protector stuff to it. Our sand was delivered on Saturday, so in the evening Sean, Josh, and I hauled all the sand back and dumped it. It was a lot more work than I expected, but SO worth it. The kids LOVE playing in it. I love that it is under this huge tree so it is shaded 95% of the day.

Celeste and Sadie:

Here's the tramp that we finally got up. The kids love playing on that as well.

This is the little playground I got off of KSL. I saw it 2 minutes after they posted it and immediately called and bought it. I bought it for $50. 2 days later someone had the same one on KSL for $350. The next day someone else posted one for $475. I would say that I got a good deal! The kids LOVE it, of course.

The twins sat in these cars ALL night. It was so fun to see them so entertained.

Sadie loved the car as well.

Even Brynlee got in on the car action. Good thing we have 3 of these!

The food:

The group:

I set Brynlee inside the tub of toys and she loved it. She kept giggling and laughing.

Thanks Josh and Sean for helping so much in the yard this week. I'm excited because we finally have stuff out there for the kids to do!

NBA Draft

2011-06-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Anybody that knows Josh would know that the NBA draft is a big deal, especially with the Jazz having 2 big picks. (Not to mention that one guy named Jimmer.) So we got together and had a bbq at Jeff and Amy's house with Adam and some of their friends. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast together. Here's Brynlee loving all the toys:

Brooklyn loves their little kitchen set and always makes food for all of us.

We had an enjoyable evening and stayed pretty late. We finally got the kids to sit down and relax when I pulled out Brooklyn's show. Her and Claire were so adorable playing together all night. I love that they are holding the tv's exactly the same way.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Like always, Father's Day was pretty hectic. We had a nice morning at church, where Brayden got to sing with the Primary. Once he got to the front, he wouldn't stop waving until every single one of us, including Brooklyn, waved back. Such a cutie! After church we were able to give Josh his gift. Here the kids are giving it to him:

And of course they had to unwrap it (it's a BYU grill cover.)

While the kids took their naps, I rushed over to visit my 2 grandpas. We woke the kids up early from their naps and headed over to my dad's. Again, the kids had to help open presents.

Since we were on vacation for Mother's Day, I wanted to be sure to get a picture with both my parents. I'm so happy with how this one turned out.

We then headed over to the Ericson's for dinner with Steve's family. It was fun to see everyone and let all the kids play. Here's the kids with Steve:

Steve and Kay with the kids:

Add Mckinsley and you get all the grandkids!

Cute little Mckinsley is getting SO big!!!

Grass

2011-06-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Like all babies, Brynlee loves to be outside. She loves crawling around, and has figured out how to crawl on the grass without having it touch her legs. It is SO cute when she does her spider crawl!

The Box

2011-06-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

After I took this picture, I vaguely remembered taking pictures of the other kids in boxes around the same age. It was fun to look at the pictures and see how they each looked at this age. Here's Brynlee:

Brooklyn:

Brayden: