vaughanfamily

Beck's 1st Birthday!!

2010-05-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure many of you have noticed, I have given up on the blogging world, and after spending wwwaayyyy too much time trying to upload pictures I remember why. However, my sweet sister threatened me with my life if I don't blog Beck's first birthday so I will do it...for her.

On May 15th my Beck Farrell turned one!! I seriously cannot believe that he has been with us for a year now. He is the best thing in the world, and we are oh so lucky to have him in our lives. Beck can light up a room with his amazing smile, hilarious personality, and his chubby body. Trying to put him in words is nearly impossible. All that I know is that he radiates pure happiness. I can't help but be happy in his presence...I don't think anyone can. You can't help but love him. It's too bad not everyone that's supposed to love him does, and it stinks that birthdays have a tendency to remind us of that, but we are so thankful for everyone who does love Beck and who supports us. It was so nice to have my family here and I was especially excited that my Grandma Thelma was able to be here.

We went with an owl theme and had so much fun with it.Beck LOVED his cake and said WOW! every time we walked past it. It was such a fun day. Sunshine, BBQ, dessert, family, who could ask for more?

Beck signing please to convince us to let him have his cake.

BuhBye

2010-01-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

The Biggest Loser...Beck Style

2010-01-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

Brevin's Seven

2009-11-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

Brevin turned 7 on October 30th 2009. His request this year was a surfing party. I questioned his choice of surfing in October, but he insisted. Brevin's choice for his birthday dinner was Red Lobster-which went along perfectly with the theme. One of the highlights of Brevin's day was that his Aunt Sissy flew in from Vegas and surprised him. Kelser chose a cowboy hat for Brevin's gift...

Brevin's favorite part of his birthday every year is his pinata...

I was pretty excited about Brevin's birthday cake. I've been addicted to "Ace of Cakes" lately and went out on a limb and bought some fondant to make a little surfboard since I was unable to find one. Just for fun I started playing around with it and ended up making a little surfer to match. I just couldn't stop myself and ended up busting out my stash of coconut marshmallows to make a little sand castle and I was just getting ready to start making beach towels when Bryson stopped me :) Brevin loved the cake so stinking much! the night before I let him watch me put on the "sand" and "sea shells" and he kept covering his eyes and saying "I can't believe how good it looks!!" Bryson always questions my going all out on everything, but when Brevin woke up and saw his cake completed he said, "You are the best Mom ever!" I told Bryson--that's why do it.

So for the cupcakes heading to the first grade...Brevin went through this fun cupcake book and chose, of all things, corn on the cob cupcakes. I tried to persuade him to do something more Halloweeny and finally convinced him to go with the owls. But I started feeling guilty and told him he could have whatever he wanted, and he excitedly said, "I want the corn on the cob ones!" So I agreed, and I'm so glad! The boys had a riot making them. I bought a couple pounds of various yellow jelly beans, some yellow starbursts for the "butter" and some white and black sprinkles for the "salt & pepper". I thought they turned out so fun.

So about my boy...

Brevin is a really, really good boy. He does what he is asked, he's such a good helper.
He is super smart. Yep, I'm going to brag about him for a minute. When Brevin was tested the first week of school on his reading level, he tested at a 5th grade 3rd month level...not too shabby for a first grader :) His teacher was too cute when she came outside and met me to tell me.
Brevin is an awesome big brother. Kelser and Beck look forward to him coming home so much every day.
Brevin is a great athlete. He loves football, baseball, and basketball. He plays with a quiet confidence just like his daddy.
He loves loves loves to do any kind of artsy, crafty activities. He has already made a Thanksgiving turkey for each member of our family who will be at dinner. I don't even want to think about how many trees we've gone through at this house.
Brevin LOVES to play games. One of his favorites is "guess the animal" game (a car favorite). Brevin loves stumping us and choosing animals like baby harp seal, sloths, preying manits' etc. Lindsey always laughs that she can never figure out his animals.
Brevin loves to be with his family. A couple cute little guys have asked him to play after school, and he just isn't interested. I asked him what he thought and he said he'd rather just be with us. One mom came up to me at the school and asked me why I hadn't let Brevin come over. I tried the honesty approach and explained that when Brevin gets home we just want to be together. She looked at me like I was an alien.
I love my Brevin so stinking much!

Kesler turns 4!

2009-10-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Kesler turned 4 on September 21st. He requested a shark party so we sent out shark invitations and made shark shirts for all three of my fellas. I usually go all out on their cakes, but this one was a little weak. I had all sorts of ambitious ideas, but on a trip to the store the day before the party I ran across a little box set of sea animals that just screamed "This would be so easy!"...it was easy, but certainly not my finest work.

We have a tradition where the boys get to choose wherever they want to eat for dinner, and then cake, ice cream, and presents back at the house. Kesler chose Sizzler and everyone joined us for dinner. He was most excited to get another farm set courtesy of his Aunt Ro...shocking.

So...some things about Kesler...Kesler is a major mama's boy. He is always telling me that he loves me. Bryson giggles every time he does because it's so often. He wants nothing more than to be just like his big brother, and to be the best big brother to his little one. He has always been so full of life and still is. Kesler's little voice can be heard around the world at ALL times. It never stops. Aunt Sissy always makes comments that she can hear his voice non-stop when she and I are talking on the phone.

Some of Kesler's favorite things...

Playing sports with his dad! He got his dad's quickness and can juke all of us. One football incident and one basketball were the culprits of both of Brevin's missing front teeth!
Talking to Beck in the most high-pitched voice you've ever heard. I often wonder if the windows might shatter
Snuggling with his mom. He is always begging me to wrap up around him and read, do puzzles, or play games.
Playing farm, of course. He has more animals than I care to admit. My kitchen table is usually plastered with all sorts of farm and rodeo paraphernalia.
Drawing pictures...holy cow. His "art set" is well used. I can't even tell you how many pieces of white paper this household goes through every day!
His gray tooth. Yep, you heard right. He whacked his tooth on the trampoline bars last year and it turned his tooth gray. Recently it started turning back to white. He was so disappointed and said, "I like having a gray tooth...it makes the others look so white!"
Kesler loves to go to Malad to spend time with my family. He loves being around the animals and playing with his cousins. He has a special spot in his heart for his Aunt Sissy!

I sure do love this little guy! He just makes me smile. He is such a good boy! I have probably overcompensated making sure this boy doesn't get the shaft as some second children do. It's not easy being middle child, so I do my best to make sure he is treated just as well as the other two. Both of the others require a lot of attention and he is so good to just do his own thing, but i try my best to be aware of that and spend as much time with him as possible. I love him to death!!

Little Buckaroos

2009-10-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to post this forever, but I wanted to post some video files with the photos because the pictures just don't do the scenario justice. I borrowed a video camera that night, though, and don't have the video files yet, so I guess the pics will have to do...

Okay so we all know how much my kids love the farm, rodeo, animals etc. So last year at the Malad Rodeo we teased that Kesler should ride a sheep. He thought this was the best idea ever, and prayed, literally, every single prayer for an entire year "Please bless that Sissy and Nate can watch me ride a sheep." So the Malad Rodeo rolled around again. We talked it over and Kesler was bound and determined to ride one. Brevin was bound and determined not to. So I called my sis-in-law and got it all figured out. Well, the morning of the rodeo Brevin decided that he too wanted to ride. I didn't believe him for a second, but after some persistence I made another phone call and got them both signed up. I laughed so hard when we got the program and saw my two little Buckaroos names on the program...oh so funny. On the way there Kesler told me, "Mom, I'm going to open a can of Whoop-Tail on that sheep tonight!"

So how did it go? Well Grandpa Thayne took Kelser and Bryson said there was no hesitation at all. He got on and rode really well. Made it quite a ways, and did his best to fight back the tears when he fell off. Brevin, on the other hand, fell off instantly after he came out of the shoot. I got one quick picture of him. I asked Bryson what happened and he told me that it was absolute madness. A man just told Bryson to jump down with Brevin and tie the rope on the sheep. Well Bryson's disinterest in scouts was evident, he had no idea how to tie the rope on. So he did his best, but it didn't hold at all and Brevin fell almost before he was out of the shoot. It was so fun. I loved every second of it. The only part of the prayer that wasn't answered was Sissy and Nate weren't able to be there :( I asked them both if they would want to do it again...Kesler was and absolute yes, and Brevin a definite no.

Bryson the 1/2 marathon man

2009-10-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Okay better late than never, right? I wanted to post a few photos of Bryson running in the Pocatello Marathon. He took first place in his age group. It was awesome.

Ode to Beck

2009-09-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have a million things to say about my little guy who just turned 4-months-old (I know can you believe he's already 4 months??), and I never sit down to do it. So I'm going to take a minute and talk about my Beck.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I love this little person. I have never really loved the newborn stage; however, with this fella I have appreciated it much more. I don't know if it's something that comes with age, or if it's just because things have been so hard lately, but he is something that amidst the trials and tribulations brings me joy. Really, I can't believe how many times I have just cried and told him how grateful I am for him. He came exactly when he was supposed to. Had he come earlier I wouldn't have needed him quite as much and had he come later it would have been too late. Perfect timing for this perfect baby.

Beck literally lights up a room with those big blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and huge smile. Now I know it will be hard to believe, but everywhere we go we get comments on his hmmm..., let's say plus sized figure. Yes, I know, he's huge!! and I love to kiss every inch of his rolly polly, cellulite covered, creviced body. I often get asked if my other boys were chubby like him, and although Beck certainly takes the cake. The other two weren't too far behind, and you see what happened to them. So I'm not too worried that I have a future Biggest Loser contestant on my hands.

So...some stats...at Beck's 2 month appointment he weighed in at a meager 16 lbs 4 oz. He was off the charts in all areas-height, weight, and head. My doctor came in and was looking everything over. His first comment was (with laughter) Are you going for some sort of record??

We recently went back for our 4-month appointment and Beck had climbed the scales to reach 19 lbs 4 oz. this put him at 88th percentile for height, 96th for head, and a good 1/2 inch off the charts for weight. So what does he eat? Milkshakes on the left, and heavy whipping cream on the right. What size does he wear? 6-12 months. I occasionally try to squeeze him into some 3-6 favorites, but the pants look like leggings and the shorts look like hot pants.

We bought Beck a Bumbo chair, and I was so excited when I got home I ripped it out of the box, stuck it on the countertop, and tried to put Beck in. There was just one problem...he didn't fit. His thighs are so round! Bryson laughed hysterically for a good couple minutes and eventually he worked his way in. He's already outgrown his carseat, swing and bouncer chair. Bryson told me we needed to get him a bigger tub and I told him they don't come in sizes!

Some of my favorite comments are..."Mom why does he have 3 chins?" (Kesler) "He doesn't have a neck." (Brevin) "Where are his knees?" (Everyone) We recently got a tape measure out, and just out of curiosity measured all three of their calves and thighs...they were all within an inch of one another.

Holy cow! Beck loves his big brothers so much. They can get him to smile and laugh like no one else. It's been interesting since Brevin has been in school how much Beck misses him. As soon as Brevin gets in the car Beck is all smiles and giggles, and before long we are all smiling and giggling. Brevin loves it and plays with him for a good hour every afternoon. A few days ago they were playing when Brevin sneezed. Beck thought that it was the most hilarious thing ever and starting laughing his little tail off. So Brevin faked sneezed for a good 20 minutes following.

Beck has recently discovered his own mouth. He is often found chewing on his tongue, sticking it out, or sucking on his lower lip. Brevin and Kesler call him "Chapstick" when he does this because he looks like his applying lip balm.

Oh man, I love him. I just can't get enough!! I am so thankful for my chuga luga. He makes me so happy.

Thank Heaven for Little Boys

2009-08-25T04:06:00.000-07:00

Holy cow I am sooo behind!! again! Picture mania lately leaves me little time to post on my own blog. I always feel guilty (which I know I totally shouldn't) posting on this blog when I am 6 behind, yep 6, on my pictures. But there are a few things I just need to get written down so I don't forget! I am appreciative for insomnia...which gives me a little time to do this.

Meet David and Goliath. This is my little brother's little boy, Hudson, next to his big sister's big boy, Beck. Hilarious huh? They are 2 months apart in age and 2 years apart in size. If we're talking Snickers I told them that I guess we know how to make the king sized version and they the bite size. The legs...oh, the legs ha ha.

My mom with her grandsons and her black eye :)

Marbled paper. This was way fun. You put shaving cream in a pan. Then drip some food coloring randomly. Take a toothpick and swirl, pull, push the color spots around. Then get a piece of card stock and push it on lightly. Finally grab a squeegee and swipe all the excess off. I let both of the boys give it a go and they LOVED it. The papers actually turned out pretty stinking cool, but Beck woke up mid project so the final product was never documented.

Unbeknownst to me, Kesler had been chewing on the food coloring bottle.

Best buddies. This summer we spent a lot of time with the Williams family. Jax and Brevin were on the same T-Ball team, football team, and their mom taught the boys swimming lessons. It was so fun to get to know them. Our paths have crossed often, but after spending so much time together this summer we are convinced that we were destined to be friends! We have so much fun whenever we are with them, and can't wait for them to finish their house so they'll only be a few steps away!

With this crazy little thing I call my life, I am so so so lucky for my boys. They keep me going. Beck has brought such a strong sense of love to our home. I know he came just when he was supposed to. I am in awe every day of how much Brevin and Kesler love their baby brother.

I asked Brevin if he would want to have another baby at our house (totally hypothetically of course) and he had the sweetest response. He crinkled his little face up and said "No, way!" I was actually really surprised given how much he loves Beck so I asked him why, and his response was this..."I don't want to see you go through that again, Mom." I was a little taken back and asked "Go through what?" he said, "You were always puking, and sick, and hurting. Remember that day when you came to get me from school and you needed to puke and didn't know where to go? So you grabbed that cup in the car and puked in it? I don't ever want you to have to go through that again." He really is such a good boy. I couldn't believe that at 6 years old that had bothered him so much. I just love him.

2009-08-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

Well Lindsey and Nate moved to Las Vegas this weekend. Nate will be going to law school at UNLV for the next 3 years. Yep, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to survive. I cannot even explain how much I did not want to see my sis go. Yeah, yeah it will be good for them. Anyone who has moved away knows that. It just stinks that we aren't going to get to see them like we're used to. Lucky for us, airline tickets to Vegas are usually cheap. So I told Linds that we would see each other once a month one way or another. Lindsey really is the best friend, sister, sister in law, and aunt you could ask for. We know she would do anything for us. Nothing makes my kids happier than a visit from Sissy and Nate. They spoil them rotten and love them so much. She's also AMAZING to me and to Bryson. We know we can count on her for everything. I hate to see them go. We just love them too much.

So we headed down last Sunday to spend a couple of days with them before they left. Sunday evening they took us to Wheeler Farm to feed the ducks and look at the animals. It was very clear that these birds were used to being fed. They were scaring the daylights out of my kids.

Brevin telling him to back off...

The duck that most resembled Kesler's hair...

We were looking at the goats and I looked over and saw Kelser grabbing onto of the goats horns saying, "You think you're tough? Huh? You think you're tough?" It was hilarious.

Bryson thinking he's funny...

First thing Monday morning we headed off to a new water park in Salt Lake called Cowabunga Bay. My kids thought it was the best thing in the world...actually, so did Bryson :) It's a 6 foot story structure will tons of slides coming off in all directions. It was so nice to have Sissy there. She had just had surgery on her hand and couldn't get it wet, so she insisted on holding Beck the whole time and letting the 4 of us be crazy. It really was such a fun day. My fearless Kesler went on every single slide whether he was tall enough or not. And occasionally Bryson would disappear and we'd see him running to the slides by himself. He's such a big kid, but that's what makes him a great dad.

Thanks for such a fun trip Sissy and Nate. You guys really are the best, and we are going to miss you more than you know!

Swimming Lessons

2009-07-31T03:44:00.000-07:00

The boys tried out swimming lessons for the first time this summer. They did great! My only regret was that I hadn't started them sooner. I have been wanting to the past couple of summers, but never did it. Lucky for me, our friend Shelby teaches private lessons, and she had time for them !! She was amazing with them. I cannot believe how much they progressed from day 1 to day 8...crazy. Beck and I got to chill by the pool every day while the big bros swam, and Bryson came along the last day to watch.

Beck's Blessing

2009-07-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

We blessed Beck on July 12, 2009. He looked amazingly cute in his adorable little blessing outfit. Bryson did in amazing job on the blessing even though Beck cried through the whole thing. I had a feeling it might happen so I leaned over just before they went up and told Bryson that Beck would only whimper, but he wouldn't wail so to stay focused on the blessing and it would be fine. That's exactly what happened. Bryson was confident and Beck quit crying as soon as it was over :)

It was a bittersweet day. My grandpas have never missed any of the important events in my kids' lives and in the past year my Grandpa Thompson passed away and my Grandpa Farrell is unable to leave his home. It made me really sad that they weren't there. With only one family I was worried that we might be small in numbers, but I was so grateful for our friends who came and made up the difference. We really are blessed with such good friends, and I am so thankful for them. Heaven only knows how much we need them.

We are also so so so lucky to have my family. They show us unconditional love. As with all families we certainly have our ups and downs, but when it matters most they are always there. I need to thank Sissy and Nate for coming up the night before to help. And I need to thank everyone who came to support us. We love all of you and are so thankful for you.

After a weekend of cleaning, and preparing for the blessing we were spent the following day...Beck especially. The boys feasted on the carmel apple dip the williams' brought to the blessing so I had to put these funny pics on here too...thanks Shelb.

July 4th

2009-07-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am very behind...but I'm trying to catch up...

The 4th of July as I've mentioned before is our favorite day of the year! This year Bryson and Brevin decided to start the morning off bright and early and run in the Malad Fun Run. Bryson won the 10K and Brevin ran the mile. I was so so so super sad that they had already started running the mile when we got there, so Sissy and Brevin jumped out of the car and ran their darnedest to catch back up. Brevin still did awesome. He caught up to most of the people running in the race. I had warned Lindsey that Brevin runs like his dad, and sprints the whole time so she was really nervous. When they got to the final stretch Lindsey told Brevin he could leave her and run as fast as he could to the finish line. If you look close she's to the back left of Brevin in pink and black. Thanks for doing that, Sis.

Then we headed over to the parade. Sadly this is our first family photo...very classy background.

Following lunch we headed to the kids races. Kesler did amazing and won the 3-year-old race this year. He crossed the finish line with a huge grin on his face. After Brevin's mom got him late to the Fun Run, his dad didn't hear the gun go off at the kid's races and started him late. He still did great and ran his little chicken legs off trying to catch back up. Bryson and I both gave him HUGE apologies for our being the reasons he didn't have the best running day.

Brothers

2009-07-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

I had to dedicate one little post to how much these boys love each other. I never anticipated how much Brevin and Kesler would love having a baby brother, but they sure do. They fight for his attention and for who gets to hold him, but the latest is who gets to change the diaper. I NEVER thought they would fight over that! They do a pretty stinking good job at it too. (no pun intended :) Brevin thinks he's big when he picks Beck up and loves to hold him and bounce him. It's awfully comical to watch because Beck is so big! Brevin can only manage for a few minutes before he starts complaining of his arms being too tired.

Bear Lake

2009-07-17T02:59:00.000-07:00

Well there is one thing my kids look forward to maybe more so than anything else in the summer-- going to Bear Lake. Call me crazy for taking a newborn, but I could not let my other two fellas down. They just love to be in the water and sand so much...how could I deny them that :) As hesitant as I was to taking Beck to the beach, we couldn't have had better weather (for him). It was around 80 degrees the whole time we were there, and although I would normally want it much hotter, it made me feel much less guilty.

I found this great craft in Family Fun magazine (thanks Hide) where you glue noodles to cardboard in the shape of fireworks to make stamps. Then you dip the stamps in paint and stick them on a t-shirt. The kids had tons of fun doing them and they turned out super cute. There was one slight problem, however. When we got home and threw them in the wash they came out with much fewer fireworks than before. I had accidentally bought 2 washable colors and 2 not :( Brooke's looked so cute she wore hers on the forth.

So much to blog, so little time...

2009-06-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we went to Rexburg to watch Bryson run in his first half-marathon (13 miles). Nate ran one a couple of months ago and convinced Bryson to give it a shot too. So Bryson has been training like crazy. A week before the race he came home after a huge run and said that his ankle was killing him. He thought he might have fractured it, so he went to the doctor on Monday and found out that it was Posterior Tibial Tendonitis. Thanks to our amazing friend Derrick, Bryson underwent some heavy physical therapy for a few days and decided to run. He did AWESOME! as everyone I'm sure would expect. He finished in 1 hour 35 minutes. He said it was the hardest thing he's ever done. He placed 4th in his age category and 18th overall. As proud as we were of him, Bryson was really disappointed that he didn't place in the top 3, and has already looked up as many races around here as he can to redeem himself.

Thanks Meg and Kirk for letting us come stay with you guys, it was tons of fun!

We had a lot of fun going to the finish line. I had never been to one of these before, but I thought it was so fun. The boys made signs to hold up for their Dad and Nate. Beck was a champ, of course, and didn't make a peep. He loves to be outside so he was in heaven.

Crazy days! Who would have ever thought that one 6-year-old could make our lives so busy?! Brevin has Tball games Monday and Wednesday mornings, football practice (yes, I did say football) Tuesday nights and football games Thursday nights. It keeps us busy, but we love every second of it! Bryson coaches the football team and I help out with Tball and lucky for us we've got two little troopers that, as of yet, haven't complained a bit.

Brevin had an awesome game this week. He loves to play charger-where all of the action is.

The first football game was SO great! I loved it! Before the game Bryson had told Brevin that when he got the ball he needed to juke left, juke right, and go for the touchdown, and that's exactly what happened.Our team's first possession of the ball Brevin got to be the running back. He juked left, juked right, and ran his skinny legs right into the end zone! Everyone cheered and Brevin had the hugest toothless grin the whole time. I was so happy that Grandma Mary Ann and Sissy were here to see it.

I love our (not so) little Baby Beck so stinking much. He gets more kisses than he ever bargained for. Those big old cheeks just beg to be smooched. I've always teased that Lindsey was just part of my mom's purse when we were growing up. She just got hauled around to everything, and now I'm the one doing the hauling. With two big brothers totally addicted to sports we'll be doing this for a long time. It's just a good thing that he's such a wonderful baby.

2 Weeks Later...

2009-05-31T07:11:00.000-07:00

So much needs to be documented from the past two weeks, so I figured I better hurry and post before it turned into 3 weeks, and then I'll never catch up.

Summer couldn't have come at a more perfect time. When Beck was born he brought his big bros a new sprinkler to play outside with. They have had so much stinking fun being outside in the water. These pictures were the first day they played with this sprinkler and I laughed so hard watching them kick, jump, bounce, and play I nearly wet myself.

Brevin graduated from Kindergarten on Tuesday May 26th. He thought this was optional :) and when I informed him that it wasn't he was really nervous. I asked his teacher about it, and she told me that she thought it was because he was in the front row (Daniels genes darn it). So I tried to talk it up and we were going to make invitations and invite all of our family, but when it came right down to it, he only wanted Grandma Mary Ann to come. With a little persuasion from Jillene he agreed that she and Teagan could also come.

The graduation was so stinking cute. I lOVED the songs they sang, I was even teary eyed the whole time thinking about him getting big. I wish so much I could keep them bottled up! Brevin was scared to death the entire time. I have never even seen him that petrified. No smiles, all business...you could tell he just wanted to get it over with.

Brevin's last day of school.I have some very creative little boys, and I chalk a lot of it up to the no tv watching at our house. So Kesler comes and asks me for some wood glue. Of course there was a little curiously, but I found some for them and he and Brevin spent a good hour in the garage and the back yard. They came to find me and show me these...
In case you're wondering...they are scarecrows. And the cutest stinking scarecrows I've ever seen. They put them in the garden (one lost it's head, so that's why there's only one standing). Brevin insisted on using the props for the picture, and the tough guy face.

The next day. The boys decided they were going to catch some birds-yep, birds. They took an orange and placed some slices along the top of the fence. Then they found a hot dog roaster and some packaging tape and voila! Instant bird catcher. Unfortunately they didn't catch any birds, but a few slices did disappear.

On Memorial Day, we hesitantly went for a quick trip to Malad. The boys wanted to go fishing soooo badly, and I wanted to get some pictures of Beck with his namesake, Grandpa Farrell. So I said we'd be there first thing in the morning which I learned with a newborn and 3 children we got there about noon :)

My Grandpa was so cute with Beck. His eyes lit up as soon as we placed Beck next to him. He reached for the car seat and rocked him for a few minutes. Then he opened up his blanket and gave him a good looking over. It was adorable, and I'm so glad we made the trip. This moment alone was worth it.

Beck's first bath. He actually loved the tub. He was a little shocked initially, but settled right in. I told him he wouldn't fit into this family unless he loved the tub. Every night there's a battle over who gets to hold Beck before bed. Kesler was totally exhausted but insisted he hold his baby brother. His eyes were so heavy he couldn't take it. I told him to put his head down on the pillow and moments later he was sound asleep. Beck watched him for a few minutes and then dozed off too. I love this picture of them together.

Beck has been the most perfect baby ever! I think Bryson and I keep waiting for the goodness to wear off. We've certainly paid our dues with Brevin especially, but this is such a totally different experience. I finally understand why people like newborns! He sleeps and eats, and when he is awake, he never cries. He just looks around and listens to what's going on around him. We were even blessed with a couple of night where he slept the entire night away. CRAZY!! There was one night when he fell asleep at 8:00 and didn't wake up until 6:00 the next morning. This is totally foreign to us, but we'll take it!!

I have taken a ton of pictures of him, but I want to get his announcements finished before I post them, so here's just a taste of my perfect little chuga luga...

Three of a Kind at last...

2009-05-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Beck Farrell Vaughan

May 15, 2009

10 lbs

21 1/2 inches long

Okay I'm going to try to sneak in a little blog post. I haven't been really great at answering texts and phone calls...I know you're all shocked :) But I figured this is the whole purpose of a blog right? Then you only have to tell the story once and everyone can read it. So here goes...

On Thursday night I was up all night with contractions. They were bringing me up out of bed, but I knew what was happening...the same thing that has happened two other times. My body will contract and contract until I'm blue in the face, but dilating is virtually nonexistent. So I just decided I would wait until office hours and go get checked just so I would be prepared for the weekend ahead. So...long story short, I got checked by a nurse practitioner who said I was a three 75% effaced. But she thought where my contractions were so strong and close she should send be to labor and delivery. I ended up getting my water broke at 1:30 and my tiny little guy :) was born at 5:30. Everything went fairly smoothly apart from the epidural wearing off for about an hour.

Everyone watched anxiously when they placed him on the scale. The numbers just kept ticking up until it reached a perfect 10. We all laughed a little and I just smiled and said, "I knew it." The nurses only comment..."Just think what he would have been on Tuesday!"

Bryson said that as soon as he saw how big he was he didn't even have to look to see that Beck was a boy. The only thing I said, is that it just feels right for us to have 3 boys. I've said it all along. I just knew that was how it would all turn out, and I couldn't be happier.

The plus side of having a 10 lb baby is faster weight loss :) My doctor said he pretty much had a bath in amniotic fluid there was so much so he estimated that I lost atleast 20 pounds almost instantly. I still have a long ways to go, but it still felt nice to hear.

So I sent out a text that a lot of you got with one little error. I wrote 22.5 inches long and he was 21.5. I didn't even know I had done it (must have been the drugs talking) until Bryson had my phone and noticed.

How are the big bros doing?? Better than expected. Kesler is totally smitten and begged to take him home that night. When I told him that we couldn't he cried and cried. Brevin wasn't exactly sure. Just kind of watched from a distance. But as soon as we got home from the hospital he came and jumped on my lap and whispered in my ear "Can I hold him?" Maybe the cutest thing thus far was this morning we were getting ready to take Beck to the doctor and Kesler started to cry because he didn't want them to hurt him anymore. He had been awfully concerned with the bellybutton, tally whacker, and band aids all over the poor little fella.

His name has been beyond a long story. Never being able to settle on a boy name we were so extrememly frustrated at the hospital I thought we were going to poke our eyeballs out. We ended up putting Beck on the birth certificate and have since discussed changing it more than once, but for now he's baby Beck.

So how is Beck doing at home? Well, he is a perfect baby all day long. At about midnight, however, he changes his mind and has kept us up until 3:00 and 4:00 the past two mornings. Truthfully I haven't even minded though. I just cannot believe how much I love him. It's so crazy the spirit that comes into a home when a perfect little baby comes home. It's emotional for me to even think about. I just can't quit loving him, and kissing him, and thanking my Heavenly Father for sending him to us. I told Beck this morning how grateful I am that he picked me to be his mom, and promised him that I'll do the best that I possibly can.

Catching up...

2009-05-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

Okay So I am not totally crazy just yet...I have no idea why I clicked publish post yesterday morning?? So for any of you who read this yesterday and it didn't make much sense without pictures...sorry.

I thought I'd better get one more post in before the big event! 8 days and counting...I have been looking forward to telling 46% of you that you were wrong :) As far as the baby goes-- last Wednesday I was dilated to a 2 and 25% effaced. My doctor said he would start me on Monday the 11th if I wanted, but I told him I'd wait until my appointment on the 13th to see how things are going first. If things are still slow he's going to "start" me on the 19th, my actual due date, because he is leaving town on the 21st for 6 days and I REFUSE to let anyone else deliver this baby. Hopefully I'll have it by then, but I know this stubborn body well enough to know better. These babies like to be overdone before they come out for some reason. The boys are to the point where they are REALLY excited...which makes me so much more excited. Kesler said the other day, "When you pop that baby out I'm going to hold him every day!" If only it were that easy :) I am dreading all of the questions my curious Brevin is going to have about how exactly that baby is going to get here. So far so good, but the after effects I'm afraid might lead to a whole lot of questions.

I know I have been kind of off the grid lately. It has been beyond crazy around here since I put the little note on my photo blog that I would be taking some time off...pictures galore!! It's been fun, but I'm definitely ready for a break. This humongous body has been having a little trouble climbing fences, rolling around on the floor, and just plain old up and downs for the last little while. So getting great pictures has been a little difficult. I'll be excited the next time I take pictures when I don't have to move my belly to the location separately from the rest of myself.

So here's some catching up...

Well, Brevin has had a little loose tooth for the past little while. I kept telling him to leave it alone until I could get their spring pictures done, and then he could pull it out. Unlucky for me, spring has had a difficult time coming and staying, and the boys were playing basketball about a week ago when Kesler whacked Brevin in the mouth. BOTH front teeth at that point were hanging by a thread. He went upstairs and got rid of one, but refused to pull the other. That one hillbilly tooth hung there for about three days, and it looked absolutely ridiculous. Not only was it just one tooth, though, it hung right in the center of his mouth. I kept telling him I couldn't look at him because he looked so stinking crazy!! But again Kesler came to the rescue by tackling him outside during a game of football and got rid of it. Now I have a toothless wonder. It has taken some getting used to, he just doesn't even look like the same kid!!

Kittens for Free!! Well, the kittens are finally to the age where it's time for them to go!! My boys are going to be heartbroken; they look forward to playing with them every day. They are pretty stinking cute, I must admit. Two of them have been spoken for, so that leaves 3 more if anyone wants them let me know :)
In primary a couple of weeks ago the they were talking about family and got to make a puppet of someone in their family. Kesler made Brevin, which was totally predictable, but I thought it was pretty dang funny when Brevin brought this home. Anyone who knows my family well would find it easy to figure out that it's Grandpa Thayne. (The beard was a dead giveaway) My kids love their Grandpa Thayne for sure. This time of year our trips to Malad are pretty darn sparse, but Grandpa Thayne doesn't let that get in the way of seeing his boys. He comes at least once a week to take the boys to McDonald's, play checkers or chess, or play the Wii. It's funny because as soon as I get the phone call that he's on his way the boys run downstairs as fast as they can and get the checkerboard set up. It's no secret that my dad and I have had our differences along the way, but I am so grateful that he has never let that get in the way of loving my kids. He has made a constant effort to be part of their lives, and it's incredible how much they recognize that. I realized and have said many times since Brevin was born that there is nothing better than knowing someone loves your kids, and nothing worse when those who are supposed to don't.

I had a really great Mother's Day. We went to church, went to the park to hit some balls, and attempted our first family fire experience. My boys (Bryson included) did a great job showering me with Mother's Day artwork, a list of all the reasons they love me, and a fire pit that I've been wanting for a long time! We learned that as much Survivor as we have taken in in the past nine years, our fire making skills are very lacking. We did, however, manage to make a few s'mores and marshmallows. The boys loved it, but constantly asked if our house was going to burn down. At the end of the day Brevin said, "Mom, this sure was a fun day." I love my husband and kids so much. I am so lucky.

Easter Week

2009-04-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

Easter week started up with FHE on Monday night. We did a little object lesson that my kids LOVED so I thought I would share it with all of you...I found this idea online and was a little hesitant to try it, but it made a HUGE impression on my kids. So here's what you do...

You take a crescent roll that represents the cloth Jesus was wrapped in, then you take a marshmallow that represents Jesus' body and coat it with butter and oil, which represent the spices used to anoint the body. Then you take the marshmallow and cover it completely with the crescent roll (the cloths). Okay now you stick the rolls in the oven/tomb and the oven door is the stone rolled in front of the tomb. After about 10 minutes you "remove the stone" and pull out the rolls. Each roll looks like a mini tomb that is hollow and empty.

It was really great, and I am sad that I didn't take pictures of ours, but it really worked.

Easter weekend began with the Easter Hunt in Malad on Saturday morning. Both of the boys did really well this year, and were awfully proud of their findings...

Next was the hunt at Grandma Mary Ann's with all the cousins. Kesler kept telling me, "Mom, I'm not very good at this." Brevin was more determined, but got awfully ticked if anyone pointed him in the direction of his eggs.

Easter morning the Easter Bunny brought goggles (the only request the boys made) and some summer toys: a new bat, balls, swimming pool etc. Brevin left a note and a hard boiled egg for the Easter Bunny asking for him to disclose his real name. The Easter Bunny ate the egg and left the shells behind, but took a minute to write the boys a note reminding them to remember the real reason we celebrate Easter.

After church...my handsome boys...I promised the boys that they could paint my enormous belly like and Easter egg. I first had my mom and niece, Brooke, paint it and then took the photo at the top of the page. Then the boys had their turn, along with Brooke and Bree. They thought it was so fun.

One of the highlights of my Easter Sunday was spending time with my Grandma and Grandpa. I shocked the socks off of Grandma when I told her I had a rash I was wondering if she could look at and popped out my "Easter Belly." She nearly suffered a heart attack, but laughed and laughed and couldn't believe I would do such a thing. It was hilarious.

No Foolin'

2009-04-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

So on April Fools I had a doctor's appointment first thing in the morning. I was just about ready when Bryson and Kesler came to find me to tell me that Taffy had kittens! Yep 5 little black and white striped mouse-sized kittens. Oh man...what in the world have we done to ourselves? The boys are absolutely obsessed with them and go to check on them about every 10 minutes. They already beg to keep them because they know we wont let them. I made the mistake of telling them that when they are about 6 weeks old we will give them away. I regrettably used the time reference of "about the time our real baby gets here" So Kesler pleaded with me to just keep the baby in my belly so the cats wouldn't have to go!
They've already named them. They agreed (which is a rare occasion) on
Boxer
Brevin chose
Max and Alex
Kesler's picks were
Grapes and Mint :)

So anyone looking for some new pets let me know! Otherwise, to the pet store they go.

We have this fun little clean up game we play where I let the boys stand at the top of the stairs and then I toss them items that have made their way downstairs and shouldn't be there. So yesterday I was tossing things up to Kesler and I threw a tube of ridiculously hot pink lipstick that my niece had brought downstairs up to him. (The lipstick is used for Halloween only, just for the record). So anyway just about then the doorbell rang and my friend Cori came in. I heard her talking to Kesler and laughing. So I went up the stairs to find this....
Last week he was putting my lip gloss on at church, and I'm sure he thought that there would be no evidence at all that he had tried it again.

Brevin and his "air shot" Oh my land...my son has developed a nervous twitch we like to call the air shot. He will just be walking through the house, or telling me a story, or getting out of the tub for crying out loud and about every 30 seconds he jumps into air and acts like he's shooting a basketball. It is the most random thing! So throughout the course of dinner last night I continued to shoot my own air shot every once in awhile. Although, I had Bryson laughing to tears, Brevin didn't think it was nearly as funny. He was ticked actually and kept saying "MOM!" louder and louder each time.
Garden update. The plants started making an appearance only a couple of days after we planted them. They look really good, but have slowed down just a bit...I think because of lack of sunlight. PLEEEEASE let spring come!
Baby Update. After another thyroid scare, a crazy rash that has now subsided, I have now found out that my iron is EXTREMELY low. I was told that I should be taking 350 mg twice a day, and the pills I bought are only 45 mg each. So basically I could take the entire box to fulfill a half day's requirement. The drawbacks of iron deficiency...super tired, can't catch breath, dizzy, and desire for non-food items (no I haven't eaten any sheet rock this time...I know that's what you're all thinking. It doesn't sound too bad though...I must admit). I swear this pregnancy has been such a roller coaster. The good news though-I only gained one pound at the weigh in...wooohoooo!!

Utah Weekend

2009-03-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Since this next week is Spring Break WOOHOO!! We decided to head to Utah for a fun weekend with Sissy and Nate. (We would have gone this week, but they are headed to Cancun...jealous) My kids were SOOO excited to see Sissy and Nate. Nothing is ever boring when they are with them--and the SPOIL my children ridiculously. We drove straight down as soon as Brevin was done with school on Friday and went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Then the boys headed back to the apartment for some racquetball, tennis, and hottubing. While the girls did a little shopping.

We were not the only ones who thought it looked like a perfect day to go to Hogle Zoo on Saturday. We had to park about a 1/2 mile away from the parking lot because it was so packed. It was such a perfect day, though. We all got a little sun (except for Brevin who insisted on wearing his jacket the entire day!) We have always gone to Hogle Zoo in the dead of summer when you sweat your guts out and the animals are all buried as deep in their caves as they can to get some shade, this was much more enjoyable. The animals were out and about like I have never seen before, and sweating was minimal :)

Brevin and Kesler's favorite stop was the monkeys. They were quiet entertaining. I almost felt like I was watching a rated R movie, though. The boys laughed and laughed, as did the adults.

After the Zoo we grabbed some lunch and Sissy and Nate took us to a nearby park, if you can call it that. It is HUGE! Sissy had bought two kites for the boys and the wind was just right. There were about 10 other kite fliers around us and besides a couple of mishaps, and laughs, everything went quite well.

Kesler was so excited to feed the ducks/seagulls, so Sissy and I took him across to street to find at least half of the Utah's seagull population.

It was so nice to get away and not have to think about all the crud going on around here. Last night Brevin asked if he could move in with Sissy and Nate. We are so lucky to have them in our lives. I keep praying they never decide to have children; my kids wont know what to do with themselves! Thanks for a much needed fun weekend guys, we love you!

Martha Round Two...ding ding

2009-03-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

Well, for those of you who have been following us for more than a year...this might look familiar. Last year I was watching Martha and thought it seemed like such a great idea to get our garden started early. The boys absolutely LOVED watching the garden grow on our kitchen table, unfortunately, we didn't really plant the right things and the first night we left them outside they froze :( So...this past weekend I had a Martha on, and low and behold she was doing the same thing. Although, this show was a little more informative than the last one. Maybe I wasn't the only failing gardener out there. The boys have been BEGGING every day to plant the seeds so I promised we would do it for FHE. So I will be doing updates on the garden growing...and pray the outcome is a little different than last year.

After another series of eventful happenings this weekend, I think my mom was worried that I was going to have a mental breakdown so she came up to spend some time with us. The boys were thrilled to have Grandma Mary Ann here and asked her immediately if she wanted to have FHE with us. Although she tried to sneak out of every picture, I managed to catch her in one.

I just started converting my blog to a book and realized how fun those little things my kids say are. I had forgotten so much, so I am going to try harder to keep track of those things.

Yesterday Kesler was in my closet with me while I was getting dressed and he said, "Don't put two bras on today, okay mom." I looked at him puzzled. I said "Mommy never wears two bras, silly." He said "Yes you do, you wear one right here," and pointed right beneath my belly. Oh, aha, the belly band...the best invention EVER! For those of you who don't know what it is. It's like a tube top for the belly/bum crack! It's too bad that my belly is twice the size of the biggest one in the picture.

Kesler and I went to the library while Brevin went to school and checked out a bunch of books. I decided to try getting a bigger book that maybe they would look forward to the story and want to keep reading so I decided to try James and the Giant Peach. Well, we started after Brevin got out of school and read the first 17 chapters. The whole book (136 pages) was completed in less than 24 hours. Every spare second the boys begged me to read on. It was so fun.

Although spring hasn't quite sprung, we are pretending that it has and the boys are loving every minutes. So are their cats...even though hey have more than doubled in size these two insist on carrying them like babies...the funny thing is that those poor felines are so used to it, they don't even put up a fight.

We were painting all day on Saturday...don't even ask...and the boys spent most of the day playing outside with Tango and Taffy. Well it's been almost a year and we still aren't sure if Tango (the fluffy one) is a boy or girl. So on Saturday I was sitting on the lawn with the boys and the cats and Brevin said "Hey mom, I knew it! Tango is a girl. Look at her teats." (He has read A LOT of those informative animal books) Well I looked down, and let's just say...it wasn't a teat, and we finally have an answer. Tango is a boy!

A Couple More Crumbs...

2009-03-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

I've started this post about 4 different times and never finished it. The label says March 5th, but it's March 10th now...let's hope I can sit in this chair long enough to get it done!! It just keeps getting longer and longer. Remember...I do this for journaling for my kids, so if you are bored that's totally okay!

I took the boys with me to the fabric store last week for find some fabric to make a baby quilt. We weren't having much luck when the boys decided that they wanted blankets. I humored them and we looked at some of the fleece. Kesler wanted the nastiest horse head fleece I have ever seen, and I told him that as much as I loved him. That wasn't happening. They found some REALLY soft fabric that was on sale so when we got home I ended up making these...

Not this...

These...
Kesler's latest word of choice--spylish, yep with a "p". He is constantly asking if things are spylish, and I can't help but crack up every single time he says it.

Speaking of stylish...on the way to school this week Brevin said, "Mom, I thought you were helping in my class today." I told him that I was. He got this really funny look on his face, and I asked him what that was supposed to mean. His response--"Well, you...ummm...just don't look that stylish today." What?!? My 6-year-old Kindergartner is paying attention to my fashion? I said my hair is done, my make-up is done, I have on pants, a shirt, and shoes...I'll admit it wasn't my finest day, but sheesh!

Speaking of "speaking of", I must say that A LOT. I have never noticed, but now that both of my children preface each sentence with it, I am noticing it more and more. During church today someone mentioned Stake Conference...Brevin actually said, "Speaking of stake, I can't wait to have some steak on the grill when we get home today."

I got home from Bunko on Wednesday night and Brevin had his "up to something" smirk on his face. This is what he had made while I was gone...his own version of memory. I thought it was so stinking funny. It was equipped with pairs of bulls, dogs, cats, hay bales, K-Dog (Kesler), and himself all drawn on 1inch by 1inch papers. He was so proud.

I went to the doctor this past week and am embarrassed to say that I have gained a whopping 41 lbs so far! Awesome. I keep getting those...so you're due any day looks and boy, is that fun. The good news is that I am starting my every two week appointments now. So I guess that marks the end. Some friends keep saying that they're going to throw me a party when I get to 50 lbs, and celebrate with pound cake...hilarious, Josh!

My niece Breelle was baptized last Saturday, and I stopped at my Grandma's to take her with me. It was so nice to be sitting in the chapel with her again. It made me a little teary. We all sang I am a Child of God and it was so nostalgic. Her perfect alto while I sang soprano took me back to being a little girl sitting with her in church. She is the most amazing Grandma. She always put her family first and never missed one single thing we invited her to. I felt like I should get a picture with her after regardless of what I look like these days :(

So Brevin comes home from school and empties his bag...the usual routine. He gets this funny look on his face and hands me a picture that says -------+Brevin. Completely decorated with hearts and the word "love," you know something I would have made for Bryson in, I don't know, the 7th grade!! Not Kindergarten!! Oh, I was so bugged. So after a minute I said "Brevin, do you know what a girlfriend is?" He looked at me like, duh, mom. So I asked him what he thought it meant. His response..."Someone you graduate with!" Oh, well, if that's how he feels, he is welcome to have as many girlfriends as he wants! I mentioned it to his teachers and they said how there's been a competition started by some of the girls in his class to fight for his attention. So it's official...home school!!! I can't handle this!

Brevin had his last basketball game on Saturday. I was so glad Grandpa Thayne had come to watch him, because he had his best game by far. I can't believe how much he has improved in 6 weeks. He scored 10 points, and the little old man sitting next to me would chuckle every time he made a shot. Someone nudged him and told him he was sitting by the "little one's" mom. So he turned to me and asked, "Are you number 5's mom." I smiled proudly and said told him that I was. He said, "He's the littlest one out there and is our high scorer! What a shot!" It was so fun.

It was so nice to have Brevin home from school wednesday through friday of this week. Made me remember how nice my life was before he left :( I starting these blocks conference weekend...yep in October, but now that my toy room is almost finished...HOORAY!! I thought I'd better get them done. Saw them on Martha Stewart and fell in love. So I put my boys to work painting...not that they'd call it work. They loved every minute of it, and we finished them up this weekend. They have been playing with them like crazy.

The finished product...

The boys have been on a big game playing kick. We have been trying to leave the TV off more. This time of year it is so tempting to turn it on! So we've gone to game playing. Brevin loves to play Chess, Checkers, and Stratego. Kesler loves them too, but has his own versions of playing :) The nice thing about having Kelser on my team, though, is that I always have my own personal spy :)

Bits and Pieces

2009-02-23T21:27:00.001-08:00

I don't know for sure what's going on...I think I have fallen off the blogging wagon. Just haven't had much motivation for it lately. Hope it's not a permanent thing, I just start feeling like I could be doing a million other things, but thinking this is the only "journaling" I do these days keeps the hope alive :) So here are some bits and pieces of what's been happening lately.

Brevin LOVES feeling the baby kick these days, and it makes me sooooooooo happy. I just wish I could get them excited about this whole baby thing, and it's coming along. This baby is MEAN and I mean MEAN! It kicks me so stinking hard I sometimes just watch and wait for it to bust through my skin. But Brevin thinks it's hilarious and get the hugest smile when he gets walloped. Their latest thing is to put their little frogs and dinosaurs on my belly and watch the baby knock them off. It's so fun.

We went to Boise this past weekend to watch Girl's State Bball. It was soooooooo nice there...talk about spring fever. Anyway we went shopping after we were looking for "coming home from the hospital outfits." I automatically went to the boy section over and over in each store. Bryson laughed that I couldn't get myself to buy anything pink. So...

My good friend Kelsie was here getting pictures done last week, and we were talking about what the baby is going to be. She told me that I needed to ask her dad. He has 18 grandchildren and knew what each one was ahead of time. So I saw him last Saturday and asked what he thought...without hesitation he said "GIRL!" I started laughing...maybe a little bit of that nervous laugh and asked how he could tell...he said that he just can. So when we walked out Bryson said, "You better buy some girl stuff!"

Oh, and if it is a girl (and it wont be)...Kesler insists that her name will be Shark!

Some of my latest cravings. Raisin Bran...seriously, I can't get enough of it. I crave it constantly. And fig newtons...only the raspberry ones though. The only problem is I am the only person who eats them at this household...so I am always aware of exactly how much I ate :(

Kesler told us the other day that his favorite songs are "All the Single Ladies" and "Chasing Penguins." Now while incredibly comical I knew what he meant by the first one, but couldn't figure out the second. And then came epiphany..."Chasing Penguins" was actually "Chasing Pavements" by Adele. I nearly wet myself when he started singing it with the substitution.

After Brevin's first bball game we've been working on him being more aggressive on the court, and I think it's working. He has been playing really well. Last game he scored 6 points (enough to fulfill the Cold Stone promise his dad bribed him with) and is getting much more comfortable on the court. I said to Bryson, "You know it's like you're Clark Kent every day and then you zip on your Supermman costume to go onto the court...you gotta figure out how to get our kid to do the same!"

The most hilarious thing, though, the ref had Brevin do a jump ball. There just happened to be an opponent that was in his height range and the little fellas did the jumping...hilarious. Oh, and Brevin won the jump ball :)

So here are some February favorites...

Going to LOTS of basketball games

Stopping to see our friends, Jackson, Rachelle, and Berkley on the way to Boise

Girls day out in Utah...I love spending the day with old friends

Getting our basement ALMOST finished

Making Valentine's Day suckers with the Spilletts

Watching the snow melt...HOORAY, bring on spring!

Seeing how excited Brevin gets when my family comes to watch him play

Kesler making me laugh every single day

Feeling this baby move...ALL DAY LONG

Making Valentine cards with my kids for Brevin's class

Sissy's birthday weekend :)

Learning how to crochet, even though I'm terrible (thanks, Rachel)

Taking fun pictures

A very unlikely, but fun Valentine's Day

Getting a Wii fit and watching my kids jog in place for hours on end

Brevin's First Basketball Game

2009-02-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

Brevin had his very first basketball game last week. This highly anticipated event did not fall short. It was pretty stinking hilarious. Of course every night of his life since he could walk Brevin and his Dad have played basketball games in the basement. He knows all the rules, he knows all the moves, and it was time to put his skills to work. What happened? He was scared out of his mind. He was the only kindergartner playing with first and second graders and everyone knows that he quite possibly could be the shyest child that ever lived. Thankfully Bryson was his coach and slowly but surely he started playing like he knows how. I would yell, "Brevin, find your man!." and he would look at me with huge eyes and mouth, "I AM!" .

I had to laugh that he was the only kid who's feet dangled while sitting on the bench. Not to worry, though, those feet were sporting Jordan's, yep, a six year old wearing Jordan's. I didn't think it was really that necessary and tried to coax all sorts of other shoes as options, but I wasn't winning this battle...not with Brevin or Bryson.

Brevin is a TOTAL rule follower, and each kid was given an armband that corresponds to a player on the other team that they are supposed to guard. He was on those kids like glue whether it meant paying attention to the rest of the game or not. And let me tell you...he was so ticked that everyone else wasn't doing the same. Totally disgusted he said, "Did you see when I shot, there were three guys on me!"

Yep I laughed, hysterically, the entire time and every time Brevin asks when his next game is (which is at least 3 times a day) I get just as excited as him.

Our Babymoon

2009-01-21T18:39:00.001-08:00

Well Bryson surprised me for my 30th Birthday with a trip to Hawaii...the only problem...we didn't know we were pregnant yet when he booked it so it was originally scheduled for spring break which wasn't going to work with a baby not too far from that point. So after working on some rescheduling we went this past week to Maui and loved every minute of it. I had been to Hawaii twice, and swore I would someday take Bryson, and let me tell you what. He loved it even more than I had expected. He didn't want to come home! Here's a little bit of what we did...

CAUTION: This posts contains of photos of a disgustingly huge pregnant woman who normally does not allow any photos to be taken while pregnant! Hopefully you will be able to distinguish her from the humpback whale.

Day 1: We arrive in Maui early afternoon. Torrential downpour! No pictures.

Day 2: We started at a beach just outside of our hotel and caught some rays for awhile but decided to look for a more private area. We drove aways and found this awesome beach. The waves and the undertow were really strong. I got slammed into the ground and my headband and ponytail were gone when I came up :) Bryson freaked out and kept telling me to "get back here" the rest of our time there.

That night we went to a Luau. Bryson thought it was great. We met some cool people and had some funky food including a purple potato. I should have taken a picture of that...

Day 3: Snorkeling trip left at 5:15 am and got finished at around noon. Bryson loved it so much. He said it was his favorite thing he has ever done in his entire life! We used an underwater camera that day, so I have to get the film developed...then I will post those pictures.

That afternoon we went to the East side of Maui and went for a long walk on the beach, watched some crazy cliff jumpers for awhile, and went to a market for some shopping. By the way two Hawaiin women, at separate times, told me my baby was a boy for sure..."much too low to be girl."

Day 4: The Whale Watch. This was probably the highlight of my trip. It was something I had never done. Almost immediately after we got out of the bay the captain spotted a couple of whales. It's mating season in Hawaii so the females are constantly being chased by groups of males hoping to be the lucky guy. We saw several from a distance, but there is a law that if a whale comes within 100 yds of your boat you have to kill the engine because humpback whales are considered endangered. So when the captain killed the boat we were all watching rather anxiously when a humongous whale swam right up to the boat. It came out of the water and made a huge noise then swam underneath us. The guy next to me said it looked like a plane flying under the boat. (Humpback whales average about 50 feet long and weigh around 40 tons...not a little creature.) It swam beneath us a few times and I got some amazing pictures...not because my camera has a great zoom, but because it really was that close! I loved it! The crew member narrating told us it was probably top 3 whale watches he's been on in over 10 years. After the whale watch we decided to check out the North Shores of Maui. We were told that's where the huge waves are and the surfers flock to. A woman told us that every year there's a wave that reaches up to 120 feet called Jaws in this area. The beach was a lot different than the ones we had previously gone to. The waters were much more aggressive so I decided to sit this one out, and just enjoy being on the beach. Bryson spent a good half hour trying to catch these little white crabs that kept scurrying around us.

Yeah we were only there for four days...by choice. I didn't want to be gone any longer, and although people thought we were crazy, there was a HUGE storm the 2 days before we got there, and it was predicted to be back the day after we left so I think it turned out perfect.

We had so much fun spending time together. It's been A LONG time since we have done anything like that. I was really nervous about leaving my boys. I am no good at being away from them, but they were in better than good hands. They had a little vacation of their own at Sissy and Nate's and finished of the last day at Grandma Mary Ann's. Check out Sissy's blog to see all the fun stuff they did. Warning: it will make you jealous that I have the best sister and brother in law in the world! Thanks guys, the boys loved their time with you...we love you both very much!!

Happy Belated New Year!

2009-01-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

I know that it's a little late for a New Years Post, but I wanted to hurry and write down a few things about this past year. I kept thinking in my mind, "This was by far the worst year of my life." But when I took a minute to reflect on all of the great things that happened I adjusted my attitude and decided this has been one of the toughest years of my life, but not without enough good to at least balance it out. I guess it's funny how the "hard stuff" is so consuming.

The year started off with a bang for sure, and the hits just kept a coming. I always tease that I have a dark cloud that looms over my head, it just doubled it's size this year :) I guess you could say we had a year of living by Murphy's Law..."If it can go wrong, it will..." So although there have been a whole lot of tears, frustration, and an awful lot of 'I don't understands'. I can look at several loved ones in my life who have experienced harder things than I can comprehend this past year, and it makes me grateful for my own trials.

But how can I say our year was horrible when we...

Have two healthy, happy, adorable little boys.
Watched Sissy get married in the SLC temple to someone who treats her well.
Vacationed to San Diego, Bear Lake, Yellowstone, etc.
Made some friends that I wouldn't have survived without this past year.
Are going to bring another little person into this world.

So last year in a nutshell...

After Bryson completed his master's he was patient to wait for the right opportunity to come his way. He started counseling on the side at private agency that works with teens who are court ordered to have counseling because of drug and alcohol addiction. Then about six months ago after several job opportunities presenting themselves and Bryson turning them down, a clinician position opened up at his office. There are only two State Clinicians in Pocatello, so we worried a little about our odds, but in the end Bryson got the job. It's been a big adjustment for him to go from constantly being on the go to being in an office, but his coping skills have spurred him into a health kick, which has been great.

After starting the my photo blog, my year (in pictures especially) was a little overwhelming. It has taken some time for me to figure out how to balance it all, but I think I'm about there. After yet another ward split, I have been put back into the Young Womens. This is the 4th presidency and fourth calling in 4 1/2 years. I guess it's where I'm supposed to be, and I do love it. Kesler and I help in Brevin's Kindergarten class every Monday, and I've really loved being there getting to know his classmates and teachers. Weighing in 25 lbs heavier than normal I look forward to shedding these pounds, but don't so much look forward to gaining another 20 (which I did twice) or having a fat summer :( but those are the breaks, I guess.

Brevin (aka sticks, the skinniest kid who ever lived) is such a good kid. He started Kindergarten, and is reading up a storm. He's still brutally shy, much to his mommy's dismay, but those who try hard enough to break into his shell do. Brevin is extremely observant and notices absolutely everything about everything. I never know what's going to come out of his mouth next. He's very smart and is constantly asking what everything means...soaking up each piece of information he can shove in. He loves, loves, loves sports just like his daddy and asks daily when it's going to be time for baseball again. He is also really excited to start Junior Jazz in a couple of weeks. My basement is usually cluttered with balls of all sorts, blue paint tape serving as a three point line or end zone, arm bands, sweat bands, and tears...yep someone is always hurt, but it never stops them from playing hard.

Kesler my Cowboy is always the life of the party. He still tries to be really shy like his big bro, but not nearly as successfully :) He truly has an obsession with cowboys and spends at least half of every day playing farm, rodeo, or anything that involves horses. I love the names he gives to his toys. The bucking bull is most often "White Lightning" the riders vary, but usually "Johnny Jones" is thrown out at least once. Kesler really plans to ride a sheep in the first rodeo that comes his way and prays, literally, every single time he says the prayer that "Sissy & Nate will come to his rodeo." Bryson has expressed some sincere concern "What are we going to do if he really is a Cowboy?" People keep telling me that all little boys go through a cowboy phase, but Kesler's is a little extreme. Although it's been a struggle for Kesler to be home alone while Brevin is at school he has really started enjoying his one on one with mommy, and if he doesn't get it he lets us know. Kesler loves sports just about as much as his big bro, and only being a couple of pounds less than his 3 year old superior, he loves to start a good wrestling match.

So as I have said in previous posts...these three people are what keep my going. No matter how tough things get, it's sure nice to know that I have a wonderful husband and two precious little people that love me unconditionally. Somehow it makes everything a little better knowing that.

I do want to tell all of you that have helped me through everything this year how much I appreciate it. I really do have the best family and friends a girl could ask for.

Baby on board...

2009-01-12T06:49:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the delay on the ultrasound news. Everything looked really good. I can't post the pictures (not that anyone is too interested in ultrasound pictures) but I went to use my scanner and saw that someone had stepped on it and shattered the glass :(

But our little baby was very active the whole time. The technician had a hard time getting a picture of a few things because it was moving so much. For you Twilight fans...I keep telling Lindsey that I feel like Bella being kicked and pushed all day long. But I love it.

It's hands were over it's face, and it's legs curled all the way up to it's bum, but eventually everything was measured and it all looked really good. Bryson and I have been really paranoid this time around, so it was a great relief to see that all was well.

My first ultrasound said the due date would be May 19th and the second said May 20th, so it looks like the middle of May is the official arriving time. However, because my babies like to be cooked a little long I wont plan to see it until the 20's. I am a little scared, though, that this thing's going to walk out of me. With Brevin weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz and Kesler at 9 lbs 12 oz I'm a bit worried to have an over 10 pounder!

I must admit that I was a little tempted to find out what it was this time, but held strong. I think it's because I get teased so often that it's going to be a girl that I've got myself all confused. I KNOW it will be a boy, I am sure of it. But Bryson keeps teasing me every day that it's a girl...just trying to get under my skin...and don't tell him, but it's working. And I know having a little girl is so different from having a little boy (can't tell you how many times I've heard that one) but guess what? I don't want to have a child I feel differently about. I vow to NEVER treat one of my children different than the rest EVER!! So send me a boy!

I was just curious for those of you who have had a 3D ultrasound, if you thought it was worth it? We could have one on our next visit, and I kind of want one since this will be my last pregnancy, but I'm not sure. So...opinions everyone??

Scones & Cowboys

2009-01-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

So a few days ago Brevin woke up and came downstairs to find Martha Stewart keeping me company while I worked. She was making English scones and Brevin watched intently until she was finished and then asked if we could make some...so I agreed. I have missed our regular mornings when we're able to do stuff like this together. They actually turned out really well, we put Huckleberry Jam (thanks, Candice) fresh strawberries, and whipped cream on top, and if I don't mind saying so myself...mmmm.

After a morning of baking, puzzles, playing farm etc...I announced that I must get ready for the day. Brevin & Kesler came out with a new book Santa brought them called Cowboy Things to Make and Do. They wanted me to join in, but I told them they would be on their own for this one. I was sooo surprised to see how well they crafted these Cowboy belts. That's a bull on Brevin's buckle, and a a horseshoe on Kesler's. When I asked them to pose for a picture they told me there would be no smiling...cowboy faces only!

Ice Fishing

2009-01-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

The boys were dying to try out their new fishing poles, so Uncle Nate to the rescue! We called around to find out where the ice was thickest, and Devil's Creek was the answer. So, we took one more quick trip to Malad before the Christmas Break ended. It was a blizzardy day, so Lindsey and I stuck around long enough to take some quick pictures and wait for Kesler to call it quits (about a 1/2 hour). It actually looked pretty fun, just too cold! Grandpa Thayne and Brady drove up to meet everyone, and surprisingly Brevin & Bryson not only stuck it out...they enjoyed it! Crazy!

First Time Sledding

2009-01-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

I'm ashamed to admit that this is the first time we have taken our kids sledding. The day after Christmas we were still in Malad and 19 inches of snowfall graced the valley on Christmas day. The boys got a new sled, it was a sunny day...so now seemed the most perfect time. The only problem came in finding somewhere to sled. We tried several different locations and couldn't get to any hills because none of the roads had been plowed so after driving around for 1/2 hour, we settled on Dead Man's Hill...I thought might be a little sleep for my little guys, but agreed. Brevin thought it was great. Actually everyone did except for you'll never guess...Kesler. My boy who absolutely detests being cold. He looked so stinking cute ready to go down the hill. Unfortunately he didn't look nearly as enthusiastic when he got back to the top.

Christmas '09

2009-01-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Let me first start by saying thanks to everyone who checked up on me after my last post :) I am feeling much better now. I have an ultrasound on Wed...NO, we wont be finding out what it is, but I am anxious to make sure everything is fine.

I am also anxious to get back to blogging, and I'm hoping I can first start with Christmas and catch up from there, then hopefully go back and hit some the important spots I missed along the way...so Christmas...

On the Saturday before Christmas we headed to Malad for the Thompson Family Christmas Party. This was our first Thompson party without my Grandpa, and it made us all a little sad, but my sweet Grandma fought through her tears and made the best of things.

The whole way there Brevin kept saying that he was going to make something for Santa. I assured him that it wasn't necessary, but he insisted. Not only did he have to make something, though, it had to be boxed and gift wrapped with proper presentation. It was awfully cute when he went up to sit on Santa's lap, and gave him the gift. One of my aunts walked over to me and said that she didn't think she'd ever seen that done before. It really made me think about how thoughtful my little guy it. I love it. It was also awfully thoughtful of Santa to write a letter back to Brevin telling him how much he appreciated the gift and told him that he has his card hanging in his workshop.On Christmas Eve, we again headed to Malad for the Daniels Family Christmas Party. We decided to go a little early because Bryson was worried we were going to hit a storm, so I whipped up some sugar cookie dough and brought it for the kids to have fun with, and that's just what they did. They all had so much fun there was flour everywhere, but worth every bit. Kesler especially loved the dough. He put so much in his mouth we all dry-heaved a little.

Fishing poles were the number one item on both of my boys' Christmas lists. Their Uncle Nate is going to turn them into outdoorsmen...he's even working on my husband. So the boys were excited to see fishing poles, lots of books, board games, a race track, a sled, walkie talkies, and a Wii sitting out for them on Christmas morning. Kesler was especially excited to see his "kitty with black and brown and white on it" that he told everyone he wanted for Christmas. He named it Snowflake and hasn't put it down since he got it. Everyone loved the Wii. We had so much fun designing every ones characters, especially Grandma Mary Ann and Grandpa Thayne. (Who by the way were the biggest fans of the Wii, they've already driven to Pocatello to play it with the boys)

Christmas did have a bit of a down side. On the 18th Brevin started coughing and coming down with a fever, by that night he was having trouble breathing so we called the doctor and they told us to see how he was feeling in the morning. The next morning he wouldn't get out of bed so I went to take his temperature and saw and alarming 105.4! I loaded him up and rushed him to the doctor. He had croup which he gets terribly after having RSV as a baby. So they gave him a steroid to open up his lungs which helped out a ton. The doctor also warned that we would all get it, and that it would manifest as laryngitis in adults. He was right as always, and we all have taken turns with it. We still aren't all the way better, but we're on the mend.

Brevin was so sad he had to miss out on all the Christmas fun at school. They had a Polar Express PJ Party that he was so excited for, so Bryson went and rented the movie, popped some popcorn and held their own private party while I went out to finish shopping. I know, what a good dad, huh?

The other down side of Christmas I wont bother discussing...that would open another whole can of worms. But if there's anything I've learned it's that my kids somehow can make everything else okay. I am so lucky to have them.

I know, I know, I know...

2008-11-23T03:57:00.000-08:00

So every person I run into has something to say about my not blogging lately. I just got on and saw the anonymous comment, ha ha...and I guess it's time to tell why...I've got a bun in the oven. Yep, after adamantly swearing I would never go through this hell again, I am--and it is hell. I have been EXTREMELY sick, and my triggers are

My house
My garage
My car
My purse
My computer
My clothes
My kids
My husband
My phone (yep, even my phone stinks)

Which all lead me to a whole lot of puking. Don't worry, though, it hasn't stopped me from gaining 15 lbs! Yep, you heard right, 15 flipping pounds. I can actually see myself getting fatter. I was on an anti nausea drug that made me crazy tired, so at my second appointment I asked for something that wouldn't make me so tired...he wrote me a prescription for Zophran, which instantly became my new friend, and then after two weeks have passed...it doesn't work anymore. I started dry heaving and Brevin said, "Mom, hurry, take a pill!" But called Grandma after to tell her he watched mom puke...AGAIN!

Now you can all mark my words...THIS IS IT!! I will never ever do it it again. I can deal with the tiredness, I can deal with back aches, but I cannot stand feeling like the worst day of the flu all day every day. I tried to bargain with the man upstairs, and told him that if I wouldn't be sick this time I would do it again, but since my pregnancies have progressively got worse...I guess we've come to an agreement.

Truthfully, the hardest part for me is that I feel like a bad mom. I have fallen asleep drawing a picture with Kesler, literally pencil in hand. I get the worst at a night so I fall asleep on the couch and hear them crying because Bryson is trying to get them to bed and that is mommy time at this house, but I can't get myself to stand up because I know the minute I smell their room...I'm a goner...miserable.

I am fifteen weeks right now, and was hoping to wait until Thanksgiving to tell, unfortunately my belly isn't cooperating. So as people have found out, I decided to let the rest of you in on it. I was sick for 16 weeks with Kesler and I am hopeful that things will start to get better soon. We are hoping for a boy, I can't wait to hear everyone leave a comment about that, but it's true. No girls allowed at this house :)

The boys aren't excited...as I had anticipated. The only time Kesler agrees that this might be a good idea (and I'm still not sure that it is) is when I tell him HE gets to be the big brother. I'm sure he just pictures himself getting to boss someone littler than him around, and it makes me laugh. The only thing Brevin really says about it is that he gets to name it, and he is totally set on it. He told Bryson that Bryson got to name him, I named Kesler, and now it's his turn.

So for all of the unanswered emails, phone calls, & texts, I really am sorry. I am hoping to feel better soon and then I promise I will be better :)

Just for the record, I am missing my photo card that has Brevin's Birthday & Halloween on it so as soon as it reappears I will PROMISE to post both of those important events.

Kesler's 3rd birthday!

2008-09-29T07:13:00.001-07:00

I cannot even believe that my baby boy is three!! I hate it! I kept telling him how much I wanted him to stay two. I told him that I was going to squish him in a bottle and put the lid on tight so he couldn't grow anymore. Now this was all fun and games, until his birthday actually came along and he refused to be three. Everyone kept asking him and he would say "I'm two." and if anyone tried to correct him...well, they may have seen a little of that Daniels temper.

All Kesler wanted for his birthday was a "farm cake." I asked him over and over what he wanted his presents to be, and his only response..."farm cake." I sent out some cute little cowboy invitations and his gifts included all sorts of farm/cowboy gear. Inlcuding a new cowboy hat picked out by his big bro, which he hasn't taken off in the past week.

First Time Fishin'

2008-09-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

My poor kids have been wanting to go fishing for a long time...the problem...their parents don't fish, or camp, or pretty much anything that requires you to be dirty and cold for an extended period of time. Luckily, my boys have an Uncle Nate who loves the outdoors.

On Labor Day weekend Nate talked Bryson into getting a one day fishing pass and brought all of his gear to Malad. They started early and went to two different locations , and had so much fun. Bryson was the first to catch one at Deep Creek that was huge (about 25 inches long) and was incredibly proud.

Brevin caught one all by himself casting and everything and Kesler caught two with a little assistance. They had such a good time. Thanks Nate!

First Day of Kindergarten

2008-09-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

So at the ripe old age of 5 I sent my Brevin to the wolves. I had been dreading this day since he was born. All summer everyone would say, "You're 5! Are you excited to go to kindergarten?" His reply..."No."

After we had gone into back to school (and his friends Alyssa & Adi showed him his classroom and kept saying how nice his teacher was) we got in the car and he said, "I'm a tiny bit excited and a tiny bit scared." So we talked it over and as I pretended to be excited for him to go to school he said, "What are you guys going to do when I'm not at home." I told him, "Miss you like crazy!" He got this big grin on his face like he just needed to hear that he would be missed.

The night before the big day Brevin (and I) were awfully anxious. He asked Bryson to give him a blessing and as soon as it was over he looked so relieved.

As soon as we got in the car I lost it, and headed to the grocery store to keep myself busy. Just as we finished Kesler asked, "Why didn't brudder come with us?" I lost it again. I still hate it, but we are getting used to it. The worst so far was when he came home two days in a row and told me the kids on his table were saying words that make his belly feel yucky. I really like his teachers and get to go in every Monday to help so that makes it a bit easier. Still no one be shocked if my children end up home schooled!

Meet Tango & Taffy

2008-09-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

So I did something I never thought I would do...I let my children have pets. Grandma Mary Ann had some baby kittens, and the boys absolutely loved them. They begged to bring them home every single time we went to Malad. I kept telling them no, but once we starting having voles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole in our yard and heard that cats scare them away-I agreed.So once we got Tango and Taffy settled into the garage (no they will absolutely NEVER be in my house) they were pretty scared and always hiding. They had only been here a couple of days when we had a bit of an accident. Bryson started mowing the lawn and had only made two trips across the lawn when the bag fell off. Much to his surprise when he picked up the bag he saw two little fur balls covered in lawn clippings and blood. An hour and $140 later Taffy came home with some very stylish nose rings.Since this little mishap Tango and Taffy have become the most patient kittens in history. The boys hold them like babies and they give them "hugs" before we go anywhere. It is hilarious!

A July/August Wrap Up

2008-08-01T07:06:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have been the worlds worst blogger for the past month...I started this post over a month ago and never finished so I am going to post this belated one, and then try to play catch up on the past weeks activities.

This summer has been absolutely crazy. Between the American Idol, 4th of July, a trip to California, Girl's camp, lots and lots of picture appointmens...I could go on and on. I need to take a minute to write down some things that I don't want to forget. So some of my favorites...

Kesler had gone number two and when he was finishing up he crinkled up his little nose and said, "Eeewww Mom, that smells like poop!" My response..."That's because it is poop, Sweet Heart."

After 5 long years of every method possible Brevin can finally ride his bike without training wheels, and we can't even take the credit. On a Sunday evening Tyson was here and we were complaining about it. He said that he wanted to try. So after a little persuasion Brevin made an attempt. Tyson's conclusion--his bike was too big. So we got out his old bike, took off the training wheels, and with a little help from Uncle Tyson...he did it on his first try!! Since then he pedals his little legs all over tarnation.

I was doing A LOT of laundry after our trip to California and the boys went out back in their pajamas. As I was walking past the windows I saw Brevin out on the trampoline doing push-ups...Kesler watching carefully. I paused for a moment, chuckled, and kept going. Then a few minutes later I walk past again to see them both doing sit-ups on the trampoline...again, I laugh and keep going. About ten minutes later they were both under my feet asking to go downstairs (we have a little rule, can't go downstairs until the upstairs is clean) I told them they could go if they wanted, but I was going to stay upstairs. Brevin says, "That's okay Mom, I just need to get on the tread mill and go for a run." When I asked him he later told me he had been getting ready for a big game.

Brevin tends to carry on the Daniels temper at times and when Kesler upsets him, the first thing he does is get angry which results in a fight. Lately I have been telling them, "Why don't you talk about it instead of getting angry?" It actually has been working and I think Kesler has really learned to appreciate it when Brevin is patient with him. So Kesler had done something to get himself sent to time-out and Bryson said, "Kesler...time out!" Kesler looked up at Bryson with raised eyebrows and those big blue eyes and said, "Dad, maybe we should talk about it."

We went to watch Bryson's softball game last Monday, and let's just say they aren't the most action-packed games. The boys have a terrible time paying attention to them. So when we got in the car Bryson said to Brevin, "Did you see my home run?" Brevin, "No." Bryson was irritated and said he doesn't even know why we go because we are all so bored. After a few minutes Brevin says, "Dad, you're supposed to tell me 'Thanks, for coming to my game.' " Bryson tells Brevin that he's not going to tell him thanks for coming when he knows Brevin doesn't like to go in the first place. Brevin says "You are still supposed to tell people thank you for coming." So Bryson says smugly, "Thanks for coming to my game, Brevin." Brevin's response, "It was my pleasure, Dad."

Californ-i-a

2008-07-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

We went to California this past week with Sissy, Nate, and my mom and had such a good time. I had far too many pictures to pick from so there are a lot, but you know me...nothing is better than a good picture. We started off our trip with a stop at the beach. I had no intentions of getting too wet, we were just going to check it out. My boys ended up soaking wet and running around in their underwear.

The next morning we got up and went to Sea World. The highlights of the day were feeding the dolphins, feeding the stingrays, and holding the starfish. Kesler loved the polar bears and I had to laugh that he actually resembled them with his white hair and blue eyes. He brought a stuffed animal polar bear home and named him "Icee". Brevin chose a shark and named him "Sharp". He was going to get a whale, but said that he couldn't name a whale...a shark would be much easier.

The following day we went to the Wild Animal Park. We had heard fantastic things about it, and we did love it. But many of the most exciting experiences had an age minimum of 6. The cool thing about this place versus a zoo is that there are no cages or bars. The animals are in their natural environments. The highlight was probably the gorillas. They were out and lively first thing in the morning and they boys loved them. We spent a lot of time watching them.

After a near heat stroke for half our party we decided to head back to the beach to cool off. The boys are so in their element there...they love it! It is too funny that everywhere we go people tell me that my boys look like little surfer boys with their blond hair and tan skin. I didn't really realize how much until they were there. Bryson and Nate rented boogie boards and had tons of fun playing in the waves.

The last day we were there we went to La Jolla Cove for some family pics. Kesler wasn't being very cooperative, but we managed to get a few there. It was an amazing area. We only wished we would have had more time there. There were little crabs running around everywhere and the boys were totally fascinated. Brevin cried when we had to leave. I told him if we didn't get going we would miss the plane. He told me that that was okay...we could just get on another one.

We had an incredible time and we're so glad we were able to share this time with Grandma Mary Ann, Lindsey & Nate. We were already talking about next time on the ride to the airport.

Oh my American Idol!!

2008-07-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

We are American Idol junkies! We attended our third, and by far, best American Idol concert on Tuesday night. There were so many contestants we loved this year we knew it would be so good and we were right! I got online and bought the max amount of tickets as soon as they announced the second show...the first one had sold out. Brevin was so excited to go to his first concert. He was the most excited to see Brooke White (I couldn't agree more) and Kristy Lee Cook. Bryson was excited for Jason Castro...yeah, I know...you didn't like him...I'm aware! But we did! I thought it was funny when we took this picture that Lindsey and Bryson look like the happy little family. ha ha The crowd was swarming with Archuletta fans! Tons and tons of people had on shirts with just his face that said "I voted for David Archuletta" too funny. Check out the cowboy in the back of the picture. ha ha He thought he was hilarious.

The concert starts with the tenth finalist and counts down to number one. The first two were okay, and then came Michael Johns...holy Hannah, he sounded amazing live. I was soooo impressed. I kept screaming "Take me home Michael!" and laughing hysterically at myself.

It just got better from there. When Carly Smithson got up the first thing she said was that the Utah crowds had been the loudest by far...I should have got a picture of Brevin plugging his ears for proof. The next fun thing she said was that Brooke had taken her to see her temple that day, and how beautiful she thought it was. Then she announced Brooke by saying, "This is the Place." Brooke then rose up out of the middle of the stage on a piano playing "Let it be". The combination brought me to tears. (I know I'm pathetic, thanks for the emotions, Mom)

When David Archuletta got on stage it went absolutley crazy. He couldn't even get a word it, but when he managed to he just said, "I cannot tell you how good it feels to be home." His performance was flawless. I can't believe how effortlessly he sings and never misses a note. David Cook got on stage after him and said he had no idea how he was supposed to follow that.

We seriously had so much fun! I haven't had that much fun in a really long time. We were super silly and screaming like twelve year old little girls the whole time, I made a total you-know-what of myself, which is documented on camera, and I am praying that no one decides to blog the crazy pics of me...thanks sister.

Again, I was tired of lugging my camera around, so I didn't take one. I have officially decided that I need to just buy a little one to keep in my purse for stuff like this. So these pictures are courtesy of my little sis, and there were a couple on Jillene's camera that I can hopefully get posted by this weekend.

The 4th of July

2008-07-08T06:53:00.001-07:00

We absolutely LOVE the 4th of July. It is our favorite holiday!

Malad is definitely where the action is...we start on July 3rd by pulling into Malad and heading straight to the Horsley fireworks stands. I let Brevin and Kesler pick some fireworks that looked exciting while I got to visit with one of my favorite friends of all time.

Kesler was totally confused about those perfectly packaged colorful products not containing some amount of sugar. He kept asking which one had treats in it. I tried to explain, but apparently he didn't believe me. He took a blue smoke bomb and popped it in his mouth, just to be sure.
The morning of the 4th begins with the parade. Brevin claims that this was his favorite part of our weekend. I am sure it had a lot more to do with the candy, than the actual parade. Kesler's favorite...the horses, of course.
After the parade, we headed to Grandma Mary Ann's for a quick BBQ and then down to the park for the kids races. Brevin raced against his fellow 5-year-olds and got 5th place. Kesler placed 3rd among the 2-year-olds. I love the look of determination on his face when he runs. Then as soon as the races were over it was off to the dodge ball tournament. Bryson, Marcus, Tyson, Brad, and Scott played fiercly and took home some Malad pride, and championship T-shirts. They even posed for a picture in the paper, which totally busted me up. I promised my cousin, Deidre, that I would clip it from the newspaper and post it as soon as I can get my hands on it.

That's where the pictures end...I guess I was tired of lugging the camera around. We finished off the day with a hypnotist show, the finals of Malad Idol, and the fireworks show. It was seriuosly such a fun day.

The next morning was the alumni volleyball tournament. I love, love, love playing volleyball and spent most of the day doing so. Two of the teams in the tournament were short 1 player so I played with both of them and ended up playing in every single game of the tournament. I was so tired by the championship game that I could barely move. It was so much fun, but I am sore in every single solitary place in my body...places I didn't even know existed.

What a perfect weekend...family, friends, and so much fun!

Bear Lake 2008

2008-07-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

We went to Bear Lake last weekend for a short, and much needed, getaway. A friend of ours let us use his amazing cabin. It has an incredible view of the lake, and so much fun stuff to do inside. We spent two full days on the beach playing in the water, frisbee, volleyball, and of course, baseball. Our kids were in heaven...and speaking of heaven, Bear Lake is a photographers heaven. The blue water, the sand, the cutest subjects possible :)

Baseball, T-Ball, Softball, Anyball

2008-06-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

It feels like everything we do these days revolves around some form of baseball. Bryson is playing on a city league softball team, my nephew Brady is playing nearly every day on a legion baseball team, (often against Grady Burch whom we love) we have become awfully attached to the Spillet family and we all love going to watch Mason play, and of course, Brevin plays T-Ball twice a week formally, but all day every day my two boys are wearing mitts and begging me to pitch to them! Kelser takes a lot of pride in his role as "Bat Boy" and insists on wearing Brevin's cleats that are five sizes too big the minute we get home.

Brevin had the game of his life last week. He was playing charger (he stands where the pitcher would be and picks up all the grounders) and made quite a few fantastic plays at home. When out of the blue a pop fly went up in the air headed straight in his direction. He stuck out his hand and everyone was a bit shocked when the ball plopped right into his mitt. You couldn't wipe the smile off of his face! He ran off the field and said "Mom, did you see me catch that pop fly?!" We were excited that Grandma Mary Ann, Jillene, and Teagan were there to witness it. You can't get my boy to talk to you about much, but mention the "pop fly" and you'll get an earful.

Kesler now considers the baseball park his second home and most of his entertaining vocabulary these days has something to do with baseball.

flush: A drink made of flavored syrup poured over crushed ice

pleats: A pair of shoes with metal or hard rubber projections on the soles

skumsqueem: a substance formulated to prevent sunburn, usually by absorbing and reflecting ultraviolet radiation

Brevin's friend Colbe has a wii that Brevin absolutely loves to play. I refuse to buy any gaming system because I know what I did with every single, solitary, spare second of my childhood...with blistered thumbs I tried to save the princess with Mario, Luigi, and my little brother, Tyson. So every time Brevin gets home from playing with Colbe he asks for a wii. Our most recent conversation went like this...

"Mom, can I have a wii?"

"No."

"But, I really want one."

"Sorry."

"I am going to ask Santa Clause to bring me one for Christmas next year...do you think he will bring me one?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because Santa Claus has to check with mommies to make sure they approve of his gifts, and I will tell him no."

"Well, I guess I will just ask the Easter Bunny for one then." and he walks away.

Father's Day

2008-06-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am so behind on blogging!! My sister conned me into reading "Twilight." I told her I was not at all interested in reading anything about vampires. So after much persistence on her part, I decided to appease her and read a few pages. The plan: read a couple of chapters, tell her I was completely bored, and return the book. The backfire: I picked up the book and read it every possible spare second I could find, and finished the stinking thing in less than 48 hours. The result: I am so behind after not working for 48 hours, and then leaving for the weekend!

When did holidays get complicated? I would love to go back to the day when Father's Day just meant spending Saturday in Logan at Willow Park with my mom's family, and Sunday just meant burgers on the grill. Not who called, who didn't, who we should call...yuck! I will just stop there for the sake of not saying more than I should :)

I decided that this Father's Day I would worry about the most important father in my life, my husband. Bryson would kill me for putting this on the blog...the advantage, I am not sure Bryson even knows our blog address. So, I will be interested to see how long it takes him to read this and demand I take it down :) I had plans to do this sooner, but it's one "entry" I am not going to let slide.

A few things that make Bryson an amazing father/husband...

The minute he gets home from work, every single day, Bryson looks for the boys and they immediately go outside to play baseball. (or football, or basketball, depending on the season)

Anything he puts his mind to he gives 100% until it's done.
I love how much he loves my family.
He laughs at all my jokes :)
He uses his lunch hour so he can make it to all of Brevin's T-Ball games.

He works so hard so that we can have all that we need, and makes it so I can be at home with my boys all day.

He cleans up every night after dinner.
He respects me.
He is so smitten with Brevin and Kesler
He supports me in my many undertakings.
He calls us several times every day to check on us.

He is so active. Always running, jumping, wrestling, rollerblading, shooting a ball, hitting a ball, throwing a ball...
He is always happy.
His laugh makes everyone laugh
He watches a show with me every night before bed...my pick :)

He always tell us he loves us.
He reads scriptures and says prayers with all of us before bed every single night. (They choose him to say the night prayer almost every night, he always laughs and obliges)
He just loves to be with us. We do everything together.

So much to say...

2008-06-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Whenever I am doing a picture session I check the color first with my boys. So I have tons of pictures of them just like these. Brevin thought he should get a turn to be on the other side of the camera. One of our very favorite things in the summertime is going on "hikes." We love to go on Sunday afternoons, and we finally had a nice Sunday afternoon and chose to hike to the pillars at Idaho State. It was our last hike last summer so we thought it was only fitting that we start there. It was such a nice day when we started, but it didn't last long. It started getting a little chilly, but the boys had so much fun regardless.

What does Kesler's hair looks like after his nap...

Brevin had his first T-Ball practice on Friday. I cannot even begin to tell you how much he loves to play baseball. He was so excited that he got his shoes out, placed a sock in each shoe, and got his clothes out so he would be ready first thing in the morning. His first game is tomorrow and he can hardly stand it he is so anxious. I will post his new schedule ASAP for anyone who wants to come watch a game!

Every chance we get we are out in the yard hitting balls. The other day Kesler was taking his turn at bats when I told him to "choke up." He looked at me totally puzzled. I repeated myself a couple of times, and he finally gagged and coughed at the same time...not exactly what I had in mind. We laughed so hard that he now does it every time we tell him to "choke up."

2008-05-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

We has such a fun weekend in Malad. It was Lindsey's Malad reception so we went down on Friday to help decorate and spend some time with our decorators, our good friends Jackson, Rachelle, and Berkley (she got pictures and I didn't...what was I thinking?), Saturday was the reception, and Sunday was the most fun, relaxing day we've had in a long time!

Last summer my boys really wanted a cat, so when our friends, the Briscoes, had a litter of kittens we took two....to Malad. Anyway, Tiger and Stash happened to both be girls and when we got home from church on Sunday there was the cutest little kitten I have ever seen in the backyard. By boys were so excited they couldn't see straight. After a few minutes I told Brevin that he could name her. So he sat there pondering for a few minutes and then came over to talk it over. He said, "Mom, I don't know if it's a good enough name, but I am thinking that maybe I will call her Happy Meal." Well, I was able to hold it together, Bryson on the other hand burst out laughing. So Brevin immediately said, "Or I could name her Dingle." I assured him that either would be fine so he settled on Dingle. So then we went in to eat and then we went back outside and saw Stash carrying a kitten across the lawn. We followed her and found four more little furballs in my parent's garage. Kesler named two: Muskars and Dango, Brevin named the rest: Happy Meal, Dingle, and Olive. Honestly, could they be any cuter? So when the cousins came down to join in on the fun we put the sprinkler under the trampoline and ended up entertaining the adults just as much as the kids. They took a quick minute to soak Grandma and Grandpa. We also squeezed in a few haircuts while we took turns jumping. I didn't bring swim suits so my boys just wore their unders.
The final venture of the day came when I told Brevin and Bree (who were getting bored) to sell water. They had cups and a pitcher of water out. Well, I meant sell to us, their family, but they had other ideas. They really made signs and stood in the front yard selling cups of water. And yes, just in case you are wondering, they did sell some. Good old Malad. Lindsey took some brownies out from the reception and they sold those too. You can imagine our surprise when Brevin came running in saying, "We are out; we need more brownies out here!" The ended up making $5.50. Not bad for an hour and a half...it's about minimum wage isn't it?

Mother's Day

2008-05-14T07:23:00.001-07:00

After a lot of traveling lately we decided to just stay home on Mother's Day. I was taking pictures on Saturday and when I got in the car with my boys Kesler got this huge smile and said, "Mom, we got you something!" Brevin was so mad. Kesler said, "It's a treat and it tastes really good!" Then moments later the yelling match resulting in both of them crying. Uggghhh the story of my life. It was funny though. So Sunday morning they were so excited to bring me their gifts. They started bringing me different "treats" and I just busted up laughing so hard. They had tricked Bryson into buying all of their favorite things! Brevin handed me some gum and I said "Is this mommy's favorite gum?" He admitted "No, it's mine." I seriously laughed my guts out. Nothing like pulling the wool over their dad's eyes.

So then Bryson told me that Brevin had made a list of what he wanted to buy me. (Oh, I have passed on my passion for list making) It was the cutest thing. It said hedband, kande, and braslit. He also made me a "Hape Muvrds Day" card. Oh, I wish I could just keep him this adorable forever. Brevin is so sensitive to me. He can tell whenever I am sad or hurt and he always does something for me. Whenever I say I'm cold he goes and gets me a blanket on turns the fireplace on. On Sunday I was telling Bryson about something that had upset me and Brevin ran upstairs to make me another picture. He is such a good little guy.

The Weddin'

2008-05-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it finally happened! Lindsey and Nate were married Saturday May 3rd. I am so so so happy for them and proud of them. The day was perfect. We woke up in Salt Lake to beautiful weather and the most incredible temple grounds I have ever seen in my life. The tulips and daffodils were seriously unbelievable. I couldn't stop snapping pictures. I will soon post Lindsey and Nate's pictures on my photo blog.

We had lunch in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and then the reception was at Le Jardin. It was the most amazing greenhouse/reception center you could imagine. It is full of flowers, fountains, little rock walking paths...I could go on and on. The surroundings made the reception all the more enjoyable. The boys played in the fountains, ate eclairs, taffy, and cheesecake until they were sick, and ran around with their cousins having such a fun time.

The boys absolutely loved Salt Lake...riding Trax, swimming in the pool, being with all of the family, and Build a Bear. Which brings me to maybe the funniest part of the weekend. Both boys begged to go to Build a Bear all weekend. So they were ecstatic when the time finally came. Brevin chose a leopard and named it Purrito (yes, with a "p") and Kesler chose a cat, surprised us all, and named it Statue. They were both dead serious and dead set on the names so we giggled and went about our day. We also played in the fountains at the Gateway mall, and I was so stinking tired of carrying my camera around that I made Jillene lend me hers for a few shots. I will post them as soon as I get them from her.

2008-04-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

Gotfor...no, not a typo. Gotfor. Kesler has been saying this and I haven't been able to figure it out. As anyone who has ever had a two year old knows, there is a whole lot of frustration that comes out when you are unable to understand them. So when he would tell me, "Mom, you gotfor my shoes." or "Mommy, I gotfor say my prayers." I was at a complete loss until...an then came the epiphany...FORGOT! That's what he has been telling me for weeks. Even though I have figured it out, it still trips me up a bit when he says it. So cute, though.

Brevin came home from church on Sunday with yet another CTR necklace. Any mommy knows the type-the colored white paper with a paper punch in the middle, laced with yarn. Well, every Sunday we make some type of treat and the boys get to choose where they want to make "deliveries". So this past Sunday Brevin was putting on his jacket when he started tucking the necklace inside and muttering, "I better put this in here. Don't want to look like white trash." Well, I had to bite my cheeks pretty hard to keep from exploding with laughter.

So, Brevin has a loose tooth, and I am freaking out about it. I keep telling him to leave it alone or he wont be able to eat corn on the cob (his absolute favorite food in the world). I am so not ready for the crazy monster teeth to start appearing. Oh, come one, you all know what I am talking about. I seriously have issues with my little boys growing up. I had not idea it would be this hard...complete torment.

As I have mentioned before Brevin is WAY into spelling. I asked him to make the grocery list for me the other day and it included milc, fliflops, & jus. Now as adorable as it is, how do I go about telling him that those words aren't spelled right. Not only to I not want to crush his little ego, but how in the world to I explain when to use a k and when to use a c, when I don't even know the answer myself.--so complicated.

Garden update. If anyone has Martha's direct line I could sure use it. I am in a bit of a pickle. My little garden is completley outgrown it's container, and for anyone else noticing that it is STILL snowing in flipping April I don't think I am going to be able to plant them anytime soon. So

Hooray for warm weather!

2008-04-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's finally coming! We had such a fun weekend outside. It feels like it's been forever since I've been able to say that. We spent the entire day Saturday outside playing baseball, Frisbee, cooking on the grill, even a little yard work.

Sunday...even warmer. Grandpa Thayne brought Grandma Thelma & Grandpa Farrell to see us. My favorite Grandma story that day was that she told me that a couple of years ago she got pulled over going 90 mph in a 45. She laughed so hard when she was telling me this. I love love love when she laughs like that. We all sat outside and played a little baseball.

Monday...the wind was so out of control, but it didn't stop us from spending the entire day out, and we ended up quite lobster like.

Our fence isn't quite up yet, so the boys still have full access to the dirt piles...

So Monday night for FHE we were doing the little packet you can download off the Internet each week http://deseretbook.com/mormon-life/curric/index?area_id=7, because mommy is extremely busy right now. And it was about Nephi being favored by the Lord...so we were talking about favorites. So here are a few of ours...

Favorite animal?

Brevin: Cats & Pigs (He thinks it's hilarious that I get so disgusted around the pigs at the fair, so he was doing his best to get a rise out of me)

Kesler: Whooses (Horses) & Cows

Bryson: Tiger

Me: Human beings (yeah, there were some arguments over that, but you all know how much I love animals.

Favorite Color?

Brevin: Blue & Orange

Kesler: Yellow & Blue

Bryson: Orange

Me: Brown (again Brevin very disgusted)

Favorite Food?

Brevin: Corn on the cob

Kesler: Squash (hilarious)

Bryson: Pizza

Me: Mashed potatoes and gravy

Okay just a couple more hilarious things...

Yesterday I was in the tub and Brevin came in to go to the bathroom. I asked him a question and he said "Mom, can't you just let me poop in peace?"

Kelser's favorite line latley is "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" I need to record him saying it...so funny.

Brevin told me today on the way home from the store that he had a big decision ahead of him...I asked him what that might be. He said "I am just not sure what I am going to be when I grow up." So I took the bait and said, "Oh, really? What are you choosing from?" and he explained either a paleontologist or a veterinarian. I told him either would be fine :)

So I was recently told about this website that converts your blog into a book. http://www.blurb.com/ I was just curious if anyone has tried it yet. Wouldn't that be amazing to have all of this in books?? I am excited and planning to try it. Someday when my life isn't so crazy.

Garden update

2008-04-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, Martha! You told me these things would take 6 weeks to grow enough to be planted outside. This picture was exactly one week from the night that we planted them. The corn is exploding, the zucchini, watermelon, and tomatoes are doing well, and the flowers, well, they are yet to make an appearance, but I'm not giving up! So I have already been begging for spring to arrive, now I really need it to stop snowing in April for crying out loud. I'm going to be picking corn on the cob right off of our table! The boys are loving this little project, though. Every morning they jump up on the table to see what has happened over night. It really is incredible.

Grandma Thelma's 83rd Birthday

2008-04-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

On Monday my dad brought my Grandma, Grandpa, and mom up for Grandma's birthday. My kids absolutely love when they come here and they LOVE birthday parties, so it was a perfect night for them! We had an ice cream cake and visited for awhile. These are some amazing people. They have supported us in everything we have done our entire lives! They still come to every birthday party and come see us a couple of times every month. I love them both very much.

I also forgot to mention in my last post that last weekend we went to see Grandpa & Grandma, and Lindsey and I were helping Grandpa from the living room to the kitchen. I mentioned something about dancing, and Grandpa (who is suffering through Alzheimer's) stopped dead in his tracks and started dancing with us. It was so stinking cute I couldn't take it. I love him.

After the grandmas and grandpas took off we had family home evening. We had watched Martha Stewart planting seeds in these little squares and the boys (and their mommy) thought that would be tons of fun to get the garden started early. So we talked about the testimony/seed analogy and then planted tomatoes, corn, zucchini, watermelon (Brevin's choice) and some flowers. I think it's going to be really fun for the boys to watch them grow, I plan to keep posting pictures as there is progress. No I am not pregnant...I just look really fat in this picture, but we only took one so I had to use it!

Showers & Sprinkles

2008-03-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

Last week was so crazy busy! It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work. We spent all night on Friday night putting Lindsey and Nate's wedding invitations together. We finally called it a night at about 1:30 am. The next morning I threw Lindsey a bridal shower in Malad. We had a great turnout it was a lot of fun. She got so much great stuff! The highlight for everyone was when I dropped a two liter coke on the floor, screamed so loud and attracted plenty of attention, and then wildly opened the door and threw the bottle out into the parking lot. It was a HUGE mess, I just chalked it up to my typical luck. We came home late Saturday night and on Sunday realized we hadn't done our visiting/home teaching so since this week is national cupcake week ha ha, but yeah it really is. I decided to make some cupcakes from scratch. Hope they were good! The boys LOVE LOVE LOVE to do the "sprinklers." You should have seen how many were all over the kitchen when they were done.

Easter Weekend

2008-03-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter weekend in Malad, and it was so flaming cold! We actually started the weekend on Friday. Sissy & Nate came to Pocatello for me to take their engagement pictures. It was the windiest day in history so things didn't really go as planned, but we managed to get some good ones. I will post them on my picture blog soon. Then my dad gave us his rodeo tickets that night...which was my boy's dream come true. We sat on the 6th row and they loved every minute of it. Saturday morning was the Malad hunt, Kesler stole the show and tanked a ton of eggs, then Brady's baseball game where even though we were freezing cold we all came home sunburned, and then the hunt at Grandma Mary Ann's after naps. It was a fun day, but far too cold for me! Sunday was a little warmer, for a minute anyway, we spent the day with family and colored eggs just before we headed home.

Bad dream

2008-03-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

This morning Brevin came into my bed very upset. I curled up next to him and he said, "Mom, I had a bad dream. I had a dream that you got a tattoo last night and it made me cry." Oh boy, I was so curious of course so I asked where it was...on my lower back...what was it? It was a dragon...just in case you were wondering. ha ha So I look forward to my back looking like this...I'm hoping to get it done just in time for swim suit season. Let me know what you think.

For anyone reading this that doesn't' know me well. I tend to be a bit sarcastic. I wouldn't get a dragon...maybe something a little more like a cross & bones.

Tagged

2008-03-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

Well please forgive!! I have been a horrible blogger lately....but I thought this might be a fun little stress reliever so here goes...

RULES: Answer questions, tag 5 people, then go to their blog and leave them a comment reminding them.

10 years ago...hmm that would be 1998. Well, I was at Idaho State University just on my way to becoming a teacher. I was a Bengal dancing my heart out at game after game. I was waiting for Bryson on his mission in Oklahoma City...he would roll his eyes at that, but he had only been out 10 months-I was still kind of waiting at that point. ha ha ha.

5 places I've lived...

Malad, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Rexburg, Idaho
Anchorage, Alaska
Back to Pocatello

5 things to do today...five...HA...I wish I only had five things to do today

Finish planning my mom's surprise bday party tomorrow (let's hope she doesn't read this before then),
Get my house spotless before the party
Return 8 million phone calls about vinyl & pictures
Get my boys to sleep (only 15 more minutes until nap time!)
Post my most recent photos on my photo blog
Work on my sister's top secret bridal shower gift...don't even try to figure it out sister.
Get vinyl done
Finish two photo disks that I'm behind on
Make sure Young Women's is taken care of on Sunday...I'm skipping
Go to the bathroom--oh it is such a waste of time...I hate it.
Quit blogging and get to work!
Talk to our mortgage guy to refinance our house...the rates are so low!
oh man...I'll stop there just so I wont bore you

Jobs I have had...let's see....

lifeguard at Downata Hot Springs
volleyball referee
painter at Hess Pumice ha ha I almost forgot about that one
After school program teacher
jamba juice maker :)
secretary at Idaho State
tutor at Ricks (ohhh i do not like even thinking about that place)
teacher in anchorage, AK (English and computers)
freight girl at The Buckle
vinyl letterer
photographer
mommy!

5 snacks I can't live without...hmmm I really don't know....we make a lot of treats around here, but I try to make things that I don't really like or else I eat them all!

Chocolate milk. I have never liked milk in my life, but for some reason right after I put my boys to bed I like to turn on the fireplace and drink my glass of chocolate milk...it is the 5 minutes in a day that I give myself to just sit.
Snickerdoodles
Chocolate dip ice cream cones (a FHE favorite)
Frosting melted on rice crispies mmmm....try it
Chocolate melted on top of toasted coconut.

What would I do if I had billions of dollars...I can only dream

Pay off all of our debt...that would be sooooooo nice to say goodbye to student loans
I would pay off ALL of my families debt
Create huge college funds for my boys
Mission funds for my boys
Travel the world...I would love to visit Africa
Build an amazing house
Built a cabin on the Malad summit
Invest
Donate to tons of charities
Buy all of the photography equiptment I could get my hands on
Spend every day without worry with my husband and kids

5 things you didn't know about me...I think this one is hard...my life is an open book...

I love to cook, bake, and just be in the kitchen...but Bryson does the dishes :)
I love going to basketball, football, baseball, anyball games with my boys
I have a terrible time getting myself to go to sleep I worry too too too much, thanks mom
I would do anything not to send Brevin to school next year, and I mean ANYTHING
I think that long toenails are so disgusting. Bryson had some toenail issues on his mission so he grows his pretty long. He seriously could climb trees with those things.
I hate talking on the phone, I prefer texting so so so much more

10 years from now...Well, if I can get myself to get pregnant again...ugghh...I hate being pregnant...we will probably have two more kids (please bless two more boys) I will be going to football, basketball and baseball games like crazy (as if we don't already) I hope that my photography business will continue to grow and hopefully by then I will have a full-blown studio. I love being able to set my own hours, and I will need to since I will be going to all of those games :) Hopefully my boys will be smart, loving, and spiritual giants. So far so good :)

2008-02-25T13:47:00.001-08:00

I need to update what happened in the past month since I have been a terrible blogger. So, I wanted to give some highlights...

Brevin is soooo into spelling lately. Actually it's ridiculous how much spelling has consumed our lives. Anway, Brevin is constantly sounding things out and then saying for example, "Mom, what does S-T-O-P spell?" So I always come back with "Well, sound it out." And then we figure it out together. So the other day Grandma Mary Ann and Lindsey were here and we were all in the kitchen, and Brevin was writing letters and said, "Mom, what does B-O-O-B spell." hmmmm...now what do I say to this? We don't use the word boob here very often (we call them "ta tas" just in case you were wondering). So I say frankly, "That spells boob, bud." Oh boy, you should have seen the look on his face. His eyes got big and he put his head straight down with his hands over his eyes. My mom, Lindsey and I couldn't contain ourselves. We just busted up-so funny.

The latest argument we have been having every day is over the prayer. Both boys want to do it every single time. So my mistake was teaching them..."bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish"...you know how it goes. Well now Kesler insists on doing "bubble gum" himself and conveniently lands on whomever he thinks deserves to win. Oh, and no matter how many pieces you wish...he always does 4. We should be getting plenty of blessings these days, though, because we have two prayers and nearly all of our meals :)

Last week when Brevin woke up he came to find me with a smile on his face. (very abnormal for Brevin to wake up with a smile) He said, "Mom, I had a dream I was getting in the tub last night and I woke up and I had taken off my clothes!" I laughed and went in to make his bed. I lifted up a pillow and found underwear under it. I said, "Brevin, where did these come from?" and he said, " I couldn't find them when I tried to get dressed after my dream." Hilarious.

Bryson pulled his hamstring playing basketball a couple of weeks ago, but it healed pretty quickly...or so he thought. Last Wednesday he played church ball and hurt it again, but this time when he woke up he couldn't even walk. He got dressed and left for work, but not even and hour later I heard the garage opening. He said he couldn't even push the gas pedal it hurt so bad. So he stayed home from work and we called a friend of ours who is a physical therapist. He said there's nothing much we can do, but told us to wrap it up tight, and take some medicine. The next morning it looked like this...

No that is not a toothpick. It really is Bryson's leg.

We had a really fun weekend this weekend. My mom turned 60! So we planned a fun weekend for her. Tons of surprises, which she fell for hook, line, and sinker. It was fun to see her so happy, and to spend time with family. I was sad this morning when I realized that I hadn't taken one picture, though.

Sunday was also special. Brady asked Bryson to come to Malad to ordain him in the priesthood. I was so happy that Brady asked Bryson to, and I am so proud that my husband is worthy to do so.

myheritage.com

2008-02-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

My new addiction. and I have far too many, is myheritage.com. Bryson keeps asking me how much longer I am going to be on the computer, and I keep saying five more minutes. I should be working on vinyl or pictures or a million young women things, but no, I'm looking to see what celebrities Bryson and I look like. I know, how ridiculous, but check it out...it really is addicting.

It's always interesting to hear who people think your children look like. I have always thought that Brevin favored the Daniels side, and Kesler looked more like Bryson. But more often than not people agree that both boys look like me even though they look different. Some people who just glance at the blonde hair and blue eyes tend to say they look like Bryson. As I was putting our pictures into the "look-alike" meter I realized that each of us looks different if you ask me. Brevin has always been told that he is "a good mix" and apparantly that is true of both Brevin and Kesler because the meter didn't weight heavily either way.

I'm curious what all of you think...who do my kids look like?

2008-02-13T20:11:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

2008-02-13T19:54:00.001-08:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

Camo Kesler

2008-02-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, Kesler is definitely reaching that hard age. He thinks that he needs everything that his brother has. He has started changing his clothes incessantly (mostly changing from regular clothes to basketball gear...I can actually hear him upstairs right now and I'm willing to bet he's coming down with "shorts & T-shirt.") His whine now echoes through the house 90% of the day. But man he is cute...thank heavens!

Because we do something associated with basketball every single night, Kesler loves to "go game." The past few times at Bryson's city league games he yells, "Defense black!" and "Let's go black!" But the funniest is when Bryson shoots a free throw he yells over and over "Daaaaad, make your fee fows!" And he continues yelling this until Bryson's done. Some girl said to me the other night..."Wow, your kids really are into this!"

I really need to video them here playing basketball. I was banned from playing because Brevin said I was too rough! I'll admit. I like to plat some pretty fierce defense on their daddy :) We went to watch one of my young women play the other night at Highland and Brevin said, "See mom, that's how your SUPPOSED to play defense!"

Oh, and just for the record. Kesler is sitting on my lap in his pajamas with his eyes barely open, but don't worry he has a pair of shorts and a T-shirt in his hands!

Holy Snow!

2008-02-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

We went to Malad last Friday for Breelle's birthday, and we woke up the next morning to SNOW!! So much snow that they actually cancelled church. We had so much fun finally building a snowman. Brevin has been begging every day to PLEASE build a snowman. I have felt like a bad mom every day responding with "maybe tomorrow." So we had heard how much snow was in Malad and packed our gear, but had no idea how much there would be. It went up to our knees in the backyard.

Kesler lasted about 20 minutes. We cleared off the trampoline so he would have somewhere to sit. Yeah that really is him in there :) He only wanted to stay out if I would hold him Grandpa Thayne didn't think that our first snowman was big enough so we built such a big one that I had to get on Bryson's shoulders to put the head on.
It snowed all day so the pictures weren't that great. The camera had a hard time focusing.There is nothing Brevin loves more than being with his cousins. He had so much fun with Breelle and Tiger. The poor cat was so happy to get some attention she didn't leave their sides.

Glue

2008-01-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

So my kids have discovered glue! We had preschool here last Friday and used glue, and my children now think that it's the most magical toy of all time. We have glued everything from cheerios to popsicle sticks. They have so much fun that every time they ask I can't resist saying yes.

my boys

2008-01-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

My boys always look so stinking cute on Sundays, but I haven't had a chance to take a picture of them because we have had 9:00 church, and we were lucky to make it in by the opening song. Now that we moved to 11:00 I stole a second to snap a quick pic.

We have had a lot of stuff going on in our lives right now, but I am so lucky that I have these three people in my life. I am so blessed to have an amazing husband that puts up with me, and no matter what happens all I have to do is look at my two little boys and my focus shifts. I cannot possibly imagine how I could make it through life without them.

New Blog

2008-01-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay I know I haven't posted for a week and that was my New Year's resolution (thanks for reminding me Moni) But the truth is I have been working on a new blog to post my pictures on. Thanks for eveyone who gave me ideas for photography names. I decided to go with "Captured by Adrianne" and posted my first pics today. If you want to check it out go to www.capturedbyadrianne.blogspot.com

Snow Day

2008-01-09T14:18:00.001-08:00

My kids were so excited to see some snow! I had shown them some of their cousins snow pictures and Brevin was dying to have a turn.

So after the first time playing in the snow Kesler seemed a little more apprehensive to go outside. He loves the cold about as much as his parents do. But after his brother coerced him he agreed to get ready. All of you moms know this isn't a five minute thing--the 2 layers of clothes, the snowsuit, the boots, the gloves that you can never quite get all the fingers in the right hole...etc...you know what I'm talking about. So twenty minutes later they are completely dressed, I'm sweating. Brevin barrels outside, Kesler walks to the door and says, "coat off." Are you kidding me....no. So he watched for a while from the window...

Then I came up with this brilliant idea to get their new kickballs out let them play soccer in the snow, fun right? Kesler made it about 10 feet and then...

Yeah I know what you're thinking...if your kid is out there crying why are you snapping pictures and not rescuing? Answer: couldn't resist. Brevin offered him some "snow pizza" and after a little big brother charm Kesler stayed out there with him for about twenty minutes. Don't worry, though, he never left that position.

Christmas...and then some...

2008-01-02T07:21:00.001-08:00

Breelle, Brevin and Kesler took it upon themselves to make a special package for Santa. Nate helped them the first time, when they included a note that said they didn't have any cookies for Santa. But after I had made some holiday cookies they rewrapped a package including cookies. Bryson was watching them and they were putting several in the box, so he told them they didn't need to have that many. Brevin said "Dad we need a lot so there are some for the reindeer." To which Bryson's reply was..."The reindeer will already be full from eating at everyone else's house....now take a few out." Waiting for Grandpa Thayne's surprise. He told them to close their eyes. They looked so stinking cute I had to snap a quick pic.

On Christmas Eve we first went to the Daniels Family party. Santa had just walked in and I thought the look of wonderment in Brevin and Breelle's eyes was priceless.

I was pleasantly surprised that both Brevin & Kesler sat on Santa's lap. This is the first year for Brevin, and Kesler just does what ever "Brever" (that's Brevin and brother combined) does.

Kesler got a singing rocking horse that everyone was begging to have the batteries removed from.

Even though Brevin spent the entire night puking his guts out, he still tried his best to have a fun day. We weren't able to go to everyone's house like we had planned, but they enjoyed their toys at Grandpa Thanye and Grandma Mary Ann's house.

It seemed to be a cowboy/farming themed Christmas purely by accident. Cowboy hats, horse trailers, stick horse, rocking horse, barns, tractors, cows etc. were strewn about the Daniels house.

New years resolution...update blog more often...hold me to it :)

These are a few of my favorite things

2007-12-19T14:17:00.001-08:00

My favorite things about Brevin...

The messages he leaves. He recently left Bryson a message and said "My name is Brevin Vaughan. I don't have a number, I am only five years old...." Also, when he hurt his nose around thanksgiving (no I didn't post pictures, it made me so sad that I couldn't bring myself to take a picture until it was too late) he said, "This is Brevin Vaughan. The one with the big nose, gewd night!" Brevin absolutely LOVES to play sports (I'm not sure why) so every night he has a "game." Especially after we have been to one of Bryson's games. He can hardly contain himself. I overheard him talking the other night and asked who he was speaking to. He told me he was "getting a game together." I looked around the corner and saw him with his cell phone.

I also heard him arguing with Bryson during a football game the other day. He kept telling Bryson to quiet down. Then I heard him say..."after further review..." I could just picture him downstairs with his hands on his hips.

We have some pretty strict rules about TV at our house. It has to stay off all day, but we can watch one thing together at night when we are winding down. We love reality TV, and Brevin's favorite is survivor. I was mopping the kitchen and had all the chairs in the living room. The boys were climbing all over them and Brevin started panting saying that he was in an immunity challenge, and couldn't be interrupted until it was over. Then I found him in his room making an "immunity idol."

Also, I always have the TV on when I am working during their naps, so they sometimes come down when I am listening to Oprah or Ellen. A few days ago Brevin said that someday he hoped to be on one of these shows. I was surprised and asked why and he said "Because they always say...and everyone in the audience is going home with one of these!"

I love how smart Brevin is. Yeah I know. All parents think their kids are smart. But I really do.

Brevin loves loves loves to read, and is starting to figure out how to read and write on his own. I bought him a Christmas coloring book and he opened it to this page. I told him to write a letter to Santa. He left the room and came back about twenty minutes later to show me this. It melted me. Now keep in mind he has never gone to school, so he has a few rules to learn. Like the words are supposed to go from left to right, not up and down. And he is going strictly on sound so Dear to him is Dr, but I was really proud of him.

The translation is this... Dear Santa, I want you to bring a new scooter. When is it going to be Christmas? Brevin

My favorite things about Kesler...

Whenever Kesler gets hurt something is always "broke." The other night he was playing basketball with his brother & dad and got hurt, like always. He came and told me "I broke my bum, I need a new one!"

Kesler loves to sing. He can remember the words to pretty much any song he hears. It is just so stinking cute to see this little white-haired boy walking around singing all sorts of songs. I often hear his daddy asking him to sing him a song. He even sang the prophet song for our pediatrician. Who was awfully impressed :)

Kesler is so loving, and I LOVE it! He is always hugging me and telling me that he loves me "all way a stars!" And every night he asks me "Mommy you lay me? Sing sheep?" I also absolutely love that when I am holding him or when he is laying on me he always plays with my hair. mmmmm I love it!

He doesn't just show love to me though! He loves his daddy and his brother too. He wants nothing more than to be just like his "Big Bro."

Maybe my absolute favorite right now is that Kesler actually believes that he has whiskers. Recently he had accidentally drawn on on himself and Bryson told him that he had whiskers. So now if you ask to see them the makes an "ooo" then an "eee" back and forth really quickly. It is so hilarious.

Mommy's new camera

2007-12-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

I bought a new camera...still not sure if I am going to keep it or not. I forgot how hard it is to adjust after being so comfortable with my regular one. So we had a little photo shoot today. Too bad the weather wasn't a whole lot nicer, we would have had much more fun outside. Brevin is awfully used to having his picture taken, as you can see. I just tell him to pose and he does it himself. Kesler, on the other hand, has a different opinion...

Prophets and Popcorn

2007-11-09T15:55:00.000-08:00

This may be the cutest thing I have ever caught on tape. We sing a lot at our house, and I mean a lot. About three weeks ago bought Brevin a book about the Doctrine & Covenants that has pictures of all of the prophets in the back. I would point to their faces and sing the prophets song. I had no idea that Kesler had picked it up until he was cruising around the house singing it. I thought I'd better get it recorded before I lost my chance. The end needs a little polishing, but I'd say for barely two years old it's not bad. Brevin has a great singing voice and can carry a tune like nobody's business so I wanted to show him off a little too, since nobody gets to see this side of him! This is certainly worth watching...I think anyway...so enjoy!!

Halloween

2007-11-08T18:53:00.001-08:00

Just for the record...I have taken my time posting Halloween not because of my tendency to procrastinate, but because I wanted Brevin to get to be in the spotlight for a few days.

For Halloween we went trick or treating at Bryson's office first. It can be a little scary up there I must say, but Bryson's coworkers are very good to our boys. Then we headed down to Malad. It seems only logical seeing as how we have five grandmas and five grandpas there. The problem is that after visiting all five grandparents' homes there is little time for anything else :) The boys loved it, though. Kesler kept saying, "I a zeba". Brevin didn't say much, I know that's hard to believe, but I told him people didn't give out candy unless he said "trick or treat." So I guess the alterative ouweighed his shyness, and that's pretty much all he said that night. I wish he hadn't, though. Those candy bars just scream at me from the pantry all day long to come eat them. My willpower doesn't stand a chance against those Baby Ruths. Actually I am sitting here eating one as I type...so much for reaching my goal weight, huh?

Birthday Boy!

2007-11-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Brevin! On October 30th Brevin turned five! Hard to believe; I know it sounds cliche, but I seriously can't believe it has been five years since that freezing cold day in Anchorage AK! Brevin wanted a race track cake, so once again mommy did her best. It actually looked pretty good, but they way it tasted...well...I let Brevin choose EVERYTHING. He chose one red velvet cake, and one of those nasty funfetti cakes. Then we had both chocolate and vanilla ice frosting. Toasted coconut served as the grass and grasshopper cookie crumbs for the road. Then we topped it all of with "birthday party" and "very berry" ice cream. Rhonda teased that each bite was a different experience...ha ha. It was his day, though, and he thought it was great!

Brevin's favorite part was "whacking the pinata!" No this wasn't a Mexican fiesta, but last year when he turned four he had recently watched an episode of Dora where a pinata was involved. We went to the store the same day and he spotted one and asked if we could do that at his party too. I agreed, I didn't know, however, that we would be doing it every year. I hoped to escape it this year, but just as we were grabbing some Halloween candy he spotted this ghost pinata. I have a feeling a pinata is going to be present at many more birthday parties to come.

No this isn't my newest lip color that Kesler has smeared all over his cute face. It was that red velvet cake batter. If there is one thing my boys absolutely love to do with their mommy it is baking. It makes Bryson sick to watch the three of us inhale the batter and cookie dough. He's constantly saying "Okay, okay, that's enough." He eventually leaves the room dry heaving...but we enjoy ourselves all the while.

So I had passed the batter bowl off to Brevin and Kesler and when I looked over I about fell over laughing. It looked like we had started our prep work for Halloween a litte early. I told him to give me a smile and this "cheese" says it all.

Bryson's 30th Birthday

2007-10-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Bryson!! For Bryson's 30th Birthday I wanted to do something really fun...so I planned an 80's surprise party. After lots of secret planning I convinced Bryson that we had been invited to a Halloween party. He said he didn't want to go, but I told him we would just call Tod and Rhonda (the epitome of the 80's) and get some of their old clothes. He cautiously agreed. I had all of our friends sneak into the garage and once they had all arrived we sneaked down the stairs where he was watching a very preoccupying Yankees game. We came down the stairs with a cake singing happy birthday. Bryson's face turned 5 different shades of red. He was totally taken back. We had fun eating on gold and black plates, playing eighies trivia, and snacking on pop rocks and nerds. Thank you to everyone who made it. We had tons of fun with all of you!

2007-10-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

2007-09-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

So for the past little while we have spent every single spare minute we have working on our new house. Our boys were so good to put up with it. They brought their tools to the "job site" and came home FILTHY every single night. Brevin and Kesler played in the dirt while we tiled, grouted, painted, cleaned, and did whatever else needed to be done to finish in time. Just as suspected--as soon as our house sold we had 30 days to get out of our old house and about 40 days worth of work left on our new one. So we worked as fast and furiously as we could and came up just short. We ended up camping in Malad for a few days. Which proved to be a good thing--gave us a minute to breathe.

We are thankful for good friends and family who helped us. We wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise. Brooke and Bree were very helpful with the boys while the adults worked our tails of. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped. We are so excited to finally be in our new house. We aren't all the way in yet, but we are getting there.

It has been a much bigger adjustment than I had anticipated. I thought the boys would be the ones to struggle, but I have been the worst of all. Don't get me wrong--I am sure we made the right choice, it has just been a big change...and I am no good at change.

2007-09-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

We're Back!!! After 2 months of blood, sweat and tears we are finally in our new house. HOORAY!! So I have A LOT of blogging to catch up on....I know, I know. But most importantly I want to post Kesler's 2nd Birthday!! (Then, I will fill you in on the past couple of months). So....

On September 21st Kesler turned two!! I cannot believe how fast the past two years have gone. Kesler is so stinking funny, and cute I might add. He was sooo excited for his bertday! He wanted a Ka-er-pi-der cake. So his mommy did her best :) Lots of family came to eat cake and ice cream. Kesler's favorite part; however, was "bow canels!" For lunch I told him we could meet daddy and asked him where he wanted to go. Of all places he chose "Chilis" I have a feeling his brother may have been whispering that in his ear when I wasn't looking.

Brevin T-Ball

2007-07-19T11:45:00.001-07:00

Well, Brevin's T-Ball season is over. It was so stinking much fun. Even though it took up a lot of our time it was worth every minute. So I made a little "highlight film." The quality isn't that great, but it's a little glimpse of my little baseballer for all of you who weren't able to come to any games...I know, I know, they were in the morning. Also, thanks to everyone who did come to a game. I can't tell you how much it meant to Brevin. Now watch the movie, and be impressed!

2007-07-16T03:41:00.000-07:00

Brevin is hilarious. He tries to pretend to be shy, but he is always saying the funniest things. Grandma Mary Ann often jokes that it would be impossible to keep track of all the things he does and says. From the priesthood blessings I've caught him giving to his little brother to the lyrics he knows to every single song on the radio...you never know what might come out of his mouth next. (Maybe a little Adrianne in him, I don't know) But this one was so funny, I thought I'd better share...

Brevin came running in the house a few days ago and said "Mom, it's coming, it's coming! I'm starting to get hair on my tallywhacker!!" He had gone pee outside and I think the sunlight must have reflected just right on those teeny tiny, soft, white hairs that are all over our bodies. He was so excited. I just tried to play it cool and tell him that that was great while biting the insides of my cheeks to keep myself from laughing hysterically!

Now Kesler, on the other hand, hasn't got the shy act down really well just yet! He doesn't mind letting it all hang out in public. We've been working on potty training, and he loves to go "pee pee deck." The only problem is, I can't ever get him to come in the house afterwards. Thus, he is always naked outside. My friend, Leslie, even made the comment the other day that his little toosh is now tan.

Kesler loves to watchagame...yes, all one word. He loves to watch his brother and cousins play baseball and softball, and he even loves watching it on tv with his Dad...Bryson's dream come true! He sits patiently and watches every play. He even includes his own little narration-whackaball, pitchaball, foul, strike, and catchaball. And if you think he can speak well about it...well, you ought to see him play.

2007-07-12T06:31:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun in Malad for the 4th of July, our favorite holiday! It was really, really hot, but we loved spending time with a lot of our friends and family.

We went to the parade in the morning, watched Bryson, Brady, Nate, Brandy, & Brett play in the dodge ball tournament, and we were pleasantly surprised when Brevin ran in the races! Every year he says he's going to and when he gets to the starting line he freezes. So this year Kesler had had enough and Bryson decided to take Kesler back to the house becaue he knew Brevin wouldn't run. But Aunt Sissy stood at the starting line with him, and he ran his little heart out. I was really proud of him!

Both of the boys absoultey loved the fireworks. We all went to the high school to watch. Kesler was in awe watching them on Grandma Mary Ann's lap snuggled up in a blanket. Then we went back to the house to do our own. Kesler didn't quite make it; he was so tired he fell asleep in the car and slept through all the noise. Brevin was afraid to touch any of them, or hear any of them for that matter, but he had fun watching with his cousins. We only had two small fires :)

2007-06-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Bear Lake. The boys had so much fun playing with their cousins in the water. The kids loved chasing the seagulls and building sand castles. I can't believe how content my kids are when there is water close by. Makes me want to move somewhere hot.

Kesler was naked most of the time. He wanted to "peepees dirt" and "peepees water"
over and over. He thought that was great!

2007-06-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

For Young Womens we went to ISU's challenge course last week. We buckled ourselves up, tied ourselves up, and tangled ourselves up into all sorts of gadgets...the helmets and and glasses included. Then our "team" hoisted us up fifty feet into the air where we had to make a choice, literally, to let go of a rope which sent us free falling to the ground. It was so stinking much fun!!