November

So, I really did have this awesome plan to update this blog like once a week, but then I didn't! I will try for once a month.

Ah, the first snowfall is delightful as children. This one didn't even stick around for the rest of the day, but Brigham was SuPeR excited to get out and play in it. 

 Sadly enough, the only friend he could find who was brave enough to venture out in the cold was Miss Baylee. I tried pushing them on the sleds on the driveway. It didn't work out so good.

 This is Brigham in his sweet soccer shirt that he would choose to wear everyday if I let him. Oh how I love (and miss) his blondy hair.

 Jack wanted to carve his very own pumpkin this year. He picked it out, carried it to the wagon, and carved some of it!

 Brigham couldn't decide what he wanted to be this year. So he was a pirate for his preschool functions and a power ranger on the big day.

 

 

 These glow sticks have been an amazing hit at our house. I highly recommend having a wonderful grandma who will buy them for your kids for Halloween!. Hours of fun!

My favorite part of this picture is Dave...just standing there watching Jack struggle....with his hands in his pockets. No big deal. You can do it son!

October

Here are a few of my favorites from the past month.

Brigham plays soccer. Well, he doesn't really play soccer, he more just trash talks to the other team and uses his sweet ninja/karate moves to intimate them from across the field. My favorite line recently....a kid from the other team to Brigham, "Well now we are winning." Brigham's response, "Well I don't care because we have a treat at the end."

Missy took Jack and Bryker to Corn Belly's Corn Maze at Thanksgiving Point for like 5 hours over UEA (thanks Missy, you rock!) and he came back looking like this. Scared the bajeebees out of Baylee. She kept burying her head in my shoulder, scared for her life!

Oh sweet Baylee. Truly, she is sweet. She is so sweet that I'm scared to have another child because she has been sooo good for sooo long! I love this picture taken at Bear Lake in the leaves with the blue sky behind her. I love her smile. I love her feet. I love her!

I took the kids on a hike. Jack didn't want to come, so we went without him while he was at school. I love the warm weather and the mountains. Something about hiking and being with my children brings me closer to God. We set the camera up on a rock and this is the best we got. Brigham wouldn't let go of my hand the whole hike and Baylee babbled away in my ear. A perfect hike!

Once again, I decided that to be any picture these days the best idea would be to set the camera up and then scramble over kids to get in the picture too! Jack has been on one lately and wouldn't have a "normal" smile, so he decided to clap instead (the 1st picture he jumped in front of the whole camera and you couldn't see any of us!). Brigham-Power Ranger, Baylee-Peacock, Jack-Indiana Jones, Dave-Cowboy, Me-Indian or Pocahontis if you wanna get technical.

Beautiful weather!

 

Lots of treats.

 

Early bedtime tonight for everyone!!

I"m Back!

I know, I know you are all amazed that I am coming back to the blogging world after over a year absence (all 3 followers)! I am happy to say that I have decided to start again. I have felt so overwhlemingly blessed lately as I awaken each day to these beautiful children and wonderful husband who fill my life with true JOY! And so, even if I am the only who reads this one day down the road, at least I will remember the gladness and privilege it is to call myself a mom.

privacy please

Alright, I'm going private. Put your email in the comments if you want an invite. Thanks.

BUGS: THE GROSS KIND

Dear Blog Followers, I'm sorry we have been absent for most of this year. We have been busy, but now we are back.

I am going to deem this summer, the Summer of the Bugs. Last summer was definitely the summer of the bikes, but this one has turned out to include nothing but bugs (and swimming and other fun stuff, but mostly bugs).

Notice what is in the boy's hands...
I'll give you a hint....they are slimey, and sticky, and stinky, and gross! Jack found these beauties on the backyard fence. He proceeded to keep them in a plastic gatorade bottle until they stunk so bad when he opened the lid that he let them go. Honestly, I throw up a little bit in my mouth when I think about them.
Next, came the grasshoppers, butterflies, potato bugs, and dragonflys. Jack earned that bug catcher from doing jobs around the house (only a dollar at the dollar store), and it has held all of them at one time or another.
Brigham on the other hand would only hold rolly-pollys in the beginning, but has moved on to the sheer bravery of holding frogs.

And there he is. Many potato bugs have died along the way in our garage this summer.

This is Anndi. She likes to do whatever Jack does, which would include the catching of bugs. The girl even let him put a grasshopper on her head, if that's not love I don't know what is!

I believe this one's name was "Hoppy." He lived a short life in Jack's bug cage, but it was filled with lots of jumping and a couple of B. B.s put in there to play with.

I really have never been a big fan of bugs. I am a girl afterall, and being a girl I have never warmed to the feeling of something crawling on my hand or anywhere else for that matter. Bugs are gross. But, I'll be honest, this particular summer of my life, as a mommy of two crazy boys, I have been so ThankFul for bugs. They have saved my sanity!
p.s. pics of frog-holding coming soon

The Fourth

The Fourth of July!! I have come to really love this holiday because my kids are finally getting old enough to stay up late and enjoy the fireworks.

And here we are....not sure how our legs got cut off, but you can see lots of the black sky!
I LoVe this girl.

These are girls in my boy's lives....we have fiery Avery, who Brigham ALWAYS insists on holding hands with, and mischevious Anndi, who will literally do anything for Jack. I'm told that Avery and Brigham guard all the toys in nursery, while holding hands.

Seriously, I can't enough of her.

Brigham was VErY scared of the fireworks. He refused to hold a sparkler and ran away from me when I tried to give it to him! I couldn't get a clear shot of him saying, "wow" over and over again as the fireworks lit up the sky. I really enjoy that he's a little more conservative than Jack.

And there he is, dressed in his favorite oversized Disney shirt and "richard simmons" blue shorts. It has been his choice of attire for most of the summer. Good thing school's starting and I can finally make him dress "cute" again, at least as cute as boys can dress.

We Are Alive!

Alright, here we are again. Can I just say that 3 kids has ROCKED our world! Holy moly. This little girl is wonderful and precious and we totally LoVe her, but January is the soonest after she was born that I have had a minute to finally get some pics up here. So here are few from Christmas, a few from Jack's bday, and a few of the babe. Enjoy!

I wanted to put this at the end of this post, and leave you with a "Peace out" from Dave, but it didn't land in the right spot. So, we'll start with a little "peace", because that is hard to find at our house right now.
I know she looks a little Amish in this sweater, but someone hand-knitted this number and so we must take pictures for their enjoyment. Plus she's smiling, and looks so cute!


THE BIRTHDAY

Jack got a new bike because his old one was getting down-right too small for the lad. Honestly, he's not much of a morning person and walked right past the thing on his way to feed his face. I had to bribe him to sit there and half-smile! Seriously, who wouldn't be happy about this sweet Star Wars bike.

And here is the big birthday cake. I made it in about a 1/2 hour. It wasn't my best work, in fact the back of it wasn't even frosted because I ran out of frosting and didn't have time to make more. Those are Star Wars figurines he picked out himself. Don't judge me too harshly. I'll do better next year!

Here's the loot from family and friends. The Star Wars Guess Who has been a big hit.

And there's the birthday boy. 5 years old.

THE MIRACLE BLANKET

May I introduce you to the Miracle Blanket that truly has brought the "Gift of Sleep" into our home. You wrap the kid up and she can't move her arms one inch. These days she really is sleeping between 7 and 8 hours every night. Bless her sweet soul! On a sidenote, she did NOT sleep that long for many, many, many weeks.

CHRISTMAS

These pictures are in a very random order. Here is Baylee with all her goods. She was super excited about her new clothes and pacifiers. So excited in fact, that Christmas morning she slept-in until eight o'clock.

Jack with his DS. It has been both a life-saver and a hindrance. I had to set up a time limit for every day, but the DS has blessed us with less fighting between the brothers.

Here's Buzz Lightyear with his light saber. He has a laser and he will use it! I do really think that his favorite gift was his new shoes. He put them on and wore them the rest of the day.

Notice our delightful Christmas tree in the background. It was a Wal-Mart special last year. I made the boys ABC books. Brigham likes to read his every night. I think Jack has looked at his once, maybe twice. Boy, I really did a terrible job of Christmas pictures this year. I'm going to blame it on...

BAYLEE

I came home one day to find Baylee dressed like this. She had a onesie under all those layers as well. Dave said he dressed her and didn't want to have to undress her and go through the process all over again! Seriously!!

She's starting to smile people. And it's really cute.

I took her in for her 2 month appointment and the kid is in the 76th percentile for weight! She's a short, chubby little girl, with a perfectly round head. At least one of our kids finally likes to eat. I honestly think that Jack never even made the weight chart.

I love her!! As my friend Jacque said, "They start out like this, and then they turn into that!"

I tell you, these boys LOVE this little girl. They call her "sissy" a lot, and give her kisses all day long. Maybe someday they will get along with each other.