The Bred Bunch!

Halloween Time!!

2011-11-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

This year has been a BLAST getting ready for Halloween! Below are the pics that show what I'll talk about! We started by making a paper chain countdown and they would cut one off every day the closer we got to Halloween! We made it during Conference and boy was it a success! They also had a lot of fun decorating the windows with stickers!
Oh and by the way Beckham rolled over on October 18th...woot woot!
We made little ghosts for our trees inside and out...Brit made this Jack o Lantern all by himself and it melted my heart...isn't it the cutest one you've ever seen? We went to the local pumpkin patch and it was FREE! The boys had a blast looking at animals, duck racing, bean bag throwing, etc. What a party!
Ty had to work a lot in Santa Fe this month so we went up a few nights and stayed in a hotel with him! What a blast! The boys had the time of their lives. We got to go to the Hilton next door and swim and on the walk over the boys would talk about all the coyotes in the mountains:) What a fun little getaway! Too bad this was the ONLY picture I got.
Britain was a Ninja Turtle and Braden was his favorite animal, a lion..love it! Beckham was a bumblebee and boy is he sweet as honey!!! The boys had a few friends over for a Halloween Party and played games and had a dance party! I sat with the boys on the computer and let them pick which Halloween treat we wanted to make, they chose EYEBALLS! We also did a few spiders! They were yummy!
Instead of carving this year, we let the boys paint their pumpkins and they loved mixing colors and painting up a storm!

Enjoying the goods! What a great great Halloween season, we are so sad it's over! Holidays are so much more fun with kiddos around! Now to think of some fun Thanksgiving crafts to keep us busy....

Fall...

2011-10-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Fall is such a fun time of year and we are loving it so far! We've hit the pumpkin patch and decorated some pumpkins already! Our garden wasn't successful this year because we had a whole army of ginormous caterpillars eat everything except the green beans...finally in October our green beans came and this is about all we got! Poor Brit loves helping in the garden and hopefully next year we are more successful! Braden has kept busy doing his favorite activity in the whole world...PUZZLES! He will play with them for hours and is super good at putting them together! I don't have pictures but we've also made our fair share of caramel apples with assorted delicious toppings...I think mommy enjoyed those the most...YUM! What a fun start to the holidays!

Beckham is 4 months!

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

My little baby is already 4 months old! I love this little boy so much, he is such a good tempered little guy and sleeps well already. He is FULL of smiles and talking all the time....He adores his older brothers and kicks and laughs whenever he sees them. So far he's a big cuddler and I am milking it for all it's worth! Below is a pic of him with some rocking awesome hair! The boys had this ball that popped and we put it on his head and we all got a great laugh!

We ADORE our baby Beck!

June flew by...

2011-09-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

June was a crazy month for us because of our new baby! We just hung out mostly and enjoyed being home with us for a couple of weeks!
Ty and Brit would do their workout videos together...so cute!

The boys live in our backyard...this time they were jumping on their tramp and got off to show me that they had "bad guys" on their hands! They got in the laundry and pulled out Ty's dark socks and put them on their hands...so funny!

This is what I've been up to...I'm in love!

Ty took all of his boys to play soccer down the street at the park while I was out running errands. I pulled up in front of the house to see all my cute boys coming home from playing hard...cute. And that's June in a nutshell!

SOCCER!!!!!!!!

2011-09-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

Soccer time is here! I LOVE soccer and played my whole life and now I can't believe I get to cheer on my baby boy! Even more exciting is that Tyler is the coach and does an amazing job! Britain picked the number 4 because he is 4 years old...he was pretty excited about that connection:) Their team is the Green Dragons and it is SO hilarious to watch!
This little one is such a good cheer leader and always is yelling, "Kick the ball!" "GOOOOO Britain!" It's also hard for him to just sit on the side with me when he wants to go play so bad! He lives for the time outs when he can go kick the ball in the goal and practice.

Beckham's Blessing!

2011-08-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

So much has happened lately and I have a lot of posts I need to do, but thought I would put this one up now. I will add more before and after this one but this was such a neat time for us. On August 7, 2011 Beckham Tyler was given a name and a blessing by his wonderful Daddy. It was a special time for us as we had a lot of our family come down to share this time with us. Ty's parents came down and so did my parents and my four youngest siblings and sis in law! We had a wonderful time together and I loved showing off all three of my boys! We loved the company and are so grateful for such wonderful support!

Grammy and Grampa meet Beckham!

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

Grammy Debbie and Grampa Paul came out to meet little Beckham and play with the boys! We had a lot of fun having them here and are grateful for the time they took to come visit us! We always have a fun time by reading, going to the aquarium and zoo and just playing!

Thanks for coming!!! We love you!

June...wow it flew by!

2011-07-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

June was a crazy fast month that just flew by so fast so here are a few more pics to remember it by!

My awesome mom helped cut Braden's hair...I told her to use the clippers so we could do it faster but we accidentally cut it too short! As all his curls fell to the floor I wanted to cry but lo and behold...his hair is already growing like a weed! He looks so much older with his new haircut!

Uncle Ben was here visiting...life couldn't get any better for these boys!

This kid has spent most of the summer so far playing in the backyard...I promise he starts of the day fully dressed...he does still have his diaper on by the way.

We've all had our turn enjoying baby Beckham...

Even Dan and Janeen Hullinger stopped by when they were visiting town to see us! They are lifetime friends of Tyler's family and it was wonderful to have a quick visit with them.

We celebrated our favorite daddy and husband on Father's Day by making his favorite treat! The message says it all!

In the meantime....

2011-06-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

While I was in the hospital with Beckham and Tyler, this is a glimpse of what was happening with the boys!

Visiting the zoo!

Playing with Aunt Brittany....

I don't think these boys missed their mommy too much!!!

Beckham Tyler Bredthauer

2011-06-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

I love being in the hospital! I love having new babies. I love the whole labor and delivery, it's such a special and exciting time for me. This third time was no different, I loved the experience of welcoming sweet Beckham into the world.
A few things I'd like to remember about those few days:
*Driving to the hospital at 3:30 a.m., there were ashes falling all over our car and we had to use the windshield wipers. There were many fires this season and the wind blew the ash over on us for at least a week.
*We got the room with the beautiful view of the mountains!
*We got there and Ty and I walked the empty halls of the hospital for almost 2 hours.
*Ty hooked up his laptop and we watched several episodes of 24.
*The guy who did my epidural explained step by step what he was doing...I didn't like that!
*Beckham came after pushing only 9 minutes and I was SO excited to see him that I was shaking!
*After birth, my first meal was steak and lobster...oh boy was it good! I've always like the hospital food though!
*My favorite snack was graham crackers and peanut butter.
*Ty slept on a very noisy couch...poor guy!
*Every single nurse commented several times on what a big boy he was, he looked so little to me!
*The hospital is only 5 minutes away from our house so visits from the boys were often and I loved it!
Now for a few pics to document the hospital time!
Our sweet baby boy

With Mom...I fell in love with him immediately!

With his handsome daddy

Big brothers come to visit and can't get enough of him

1st bath and he LOVED it! He has loved baths ever since and never cries!

Holding Grandma Gigi's hands...we were so happy she was there to help us!

Every time the boys came to visit, Grandma Gigi helped them pick out a fun outfit or present to bring baby Beckham

Big brothers loved getting popsicles at the hospital...they definitely had more than one.

Aunt Britt and Beckham

Angel baby

With Big Brother Britain

Going home!

He's here!

2011-06-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

Beckham Tyler Bredthauer joined our little family on June 7, 2011 at 11:02 a.m.! He was 8 lbs. 6 oz and 21 1/2 inches long!

He was 4 days overdue, all my boys like to be ripe and ready before they come! I went to the doc on Brit's birthday, June 6th, and had my membranes stripped at 4 pm...by 6 pm I was having contractions here and there but didn't leave for the hospital until 3 am! I progressed slowly but surely and with my epidural I thoroughly enjoyed labor:) My little man came quickly, after 9 minutes of pushing, and was born at 11:02 a.m. Ty was very surprised to have his third boy as he wanted to be surprised! It was so fun to see him tear up and get emotional and know that this daddy just got one step closer to his own bball team!

Beckham is so darling and definitely has his own look, all three of my boys have looked quite different as babies, but we do see a lot of Britain in Beckham. It's so fun to see them grow and what they look like! The biggest difference is that Beckham came out with dark hair! Our first two boys didn't have any hair so to see hair, and dark hair at that, was such a fun surprise!

Thanks to my mom and Brittany for being there to help with Brit and Braden while we were in the hospital! I LOVED the hospital, the food, the quiet time alone with Beckham and my hubby and the sweet sweet blessing of bringing a new spirit into this world! We absolutely love him!

2011-06-07T19:29:00.000-07:00

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Happy to Birthday to the CUTEST 4 yr old in town!

2011-06-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Britain Joseph turned 4! We sure are proud of our big boy and are so happy that he soon will be a big brother again! Right our boy LOVES...
* Going to Kidszone twice a week and playing with his friends and doing projects!
* He loves playing swordfighting and cycling on the Wii! If he isn't playing then he's jumping up and down next to his little brother cheering him on!
* He is SO good at writing his name
* He is loving swimming lessons and will put his whole head under water now!
* He LOVES treats and candy and most days it's the first thing he asks for when he wakes up...and no his mom doesn't give in!
* Britain loves jumping on his new trampoline outside.
* He is constantly asking for popsicles...constantly! He loves them!
* Britain learned how to say personal prayers and Mom often sneaks a peep of him kneeling by his bed at night.
* He thinks he has learned how to whistle by pursing his lips and screeching!
* Britain still idolizes his Uncle Ben and asks about him all the time..."When can we go to Utah and see Uncle Ben?"
* He is eating so much better and is willing to try a lot of new foods now, he loves salad and definitely prefers it over green beans.
* Britain loves to be silly and substitute words in songs or make up words completely...his little brother thinks it's so funny!
* He likes Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo, old Mickey Mouse cartoons, and Backyardigans.
* When reading he likes to ask a lot of questions about what is happening and often interrupts, but it's very cute.
* Britain likes to bear his testimony every Family Night and even did it in Sacrament meeting recently.
* He still can't play by himself well, he like Mommy or Daddy or Braden to play with him.
* He loves to paint and color and do dot to dots!
* His favorite things to make with Mom is chocolate chip cookies and banana bread.
* His favorite song right now is "Choose the Right Way."
* He loves to go across the street with Dad and Braden and play baseball or soccer.
* He recognizes and can name all the Latter-Day prophets by their picture
* He makes friends easily and wants to play with everybody!
* He was so excited to have an early birthday party with his friends! We ate pizza....

Played games....

and of course...ATE CAKE!!!! Notice that this snake cake was exactly like the one I made for his 1st birthday...at his request!

Since he had his party early, we had to celebrate again on the actual day with cupcakes...luckily we got to share them with Grandma Gigi and Aunt Brittany too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR BIG BOY, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

We love Summer so far!

2011-06-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

For summer break, Kidszone had a pool party at Haynes pool and boy did my boys love it! Braden wouldn't get in the water, he's still scared of it, but Brit had a lot of fun! He's excited to start Kidszone again very soon!

Brit got invited to a birthday party at Chucky Cheese and his daddy went with him...this picture sums up how he felt!

Little Sis!

2011-06-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

My little sister Tawni just graduated from Viewmont High! I can't believe it! She was born the day before I turned 11 years old and I remember it so clearly! I was so excited to finally get a little sister and now she's all grown up! I had to share this since I think she is SO beautiful! She'll be heading to BYU in the Fall and I'm so proud of her! Love you Tawni!

Four Years Gold Graduation Announcement

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39 weeks and counting...

2011-05-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

So my friend just got a new camera and asked if she could take shots and practice her techniques. I was reluctant at first because I'm not a huge fan of posing as I'm not a photogenic person especially when preggo, but thought I'd give it a try. She showed up for a quick little photo shoot and got some fun shots! My favorites are the ones that have my boys in them! It ended up being fun and I think it would be fun to do again sometime when I'm a little more prepared! Thanks Alissa, this was fun!

My boys!

2011-05-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

So my mom found these cute hats at TJ Maxx and so I thought I would take the boys and get ONE good picture of them with the hats on...WRONG!!!! We couldn't even get a good one of both of them with their hats, but we did get some awesome ones of them by themselves and a couple together...I'm so excited I got these right before the baby was born so that I can remember these two at this stage, I know it will take me a while to get family pics once baby comes and these two are just too fun right now! I know there are a lot and no one will enjoy them as much as I do, but take a peek anyway:)

Birthdays and more!

2011-05-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have officially entered the last year of my twenties and I must admit that it is surreal...I'm almost 30...what? That is crazy to think how fast time flies, but I'm also so grateful for how my life has played out to this point, I've been blessed beyond belief. This year Ty was unfortunately out of town, but my friends were so nice to invite me and the boys over for dinner and cake! The kids sang to me and then gave me roses, it was SO sweet! Of course there were many others who made that a special day with phone calls, messages, etc. Ty did take me out on a date a few days later so I was spoiled by my man! The poor guy has my birthday, our anniversary and Mother's Day all within a week and a half but he handles it quite well:)

My biggest birthday/anniversary/Mother's Day present this year was a minivan! Yes we had really no choice but to upgrade the space in our car with baby coming soon. We found a nice Odyssey and made the purchase. I am very happy with it, but was sad to see our little Chevy Malibu go! I made Ty take a picture with his car. It was the first and only car he had ever purchased and served us very well! Luckily my little sis bought it so it will still be in the family!

Saying our goodbyes:)

This is pathetic I know, but it's the only picture I have of the van...I'll get a better one later! Now I just have to figure out all the little technical gadgets in the van, it will take time, but we are grateful to now have space for our growing family!

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

We had a very nice Easter at our house this year! We made sure to put up some Easter decorations on our windows and dye Easter eggs in preparation for the holiday. Ty and I really wanted to focus though on the real meaning so for a couple weeks before we talked about Easter and the Resurrection for Family Night. We had an empty egg to represent the empty tomb. Britain seemed to really grasp it and hopefully learned something! But the morning of Easter was still all about finding eggs and Easter baskets for these two boys! Braden found his third egg and discovered it had candy so he just sat and ate candy while Brit found the rest...Brit was in heaven! We then had Stake Conference and came home and had a wonderful dinner with friends!
We made sure to make our annual Easter bunny cake with rainbow chip cake and rainbow chip frosting to share...mmm...our favorite!
This is a very excited boy to dye eggs!

Trying to make silly faces like the eggs!

We love Easter and what it truly represents, we know our Savior Jesus Christ lives.

What's Happenin'?

2011-04-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well Brit made this mask at school for Easter and I LOVE it! Both boys had to try it on and I had to take a pic of course!

This boy made my night when he begged for more green beans at dinner...needless to say it was a miracle and he LOVES beans now! I ask him every day what he wants to eat and he yells, "BEANS!" We'll see how long this lasts, but I'm loving it!

These two boys are my life and I love them too much! They are just the cutest things ever! I'm still in shock that I'll have 3 kids soon, these two keep me busy enough but I LOVE it!

Besides being a mom, I'm still trying to keep up on my Pharmacy license, I worked too hard to not renew it! Proof that I'm certified until the next time around!

34 weeks and counting....I must admit that I'm NOT a fan of this pic but had a few requests so here it is....this baby is definitely an active one!

MELMO!!!

2011-04-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

My friend called me up last Wednesday morning to see if I wanted to use her tickets to Sesame Street Live at the Santa Ana Star Center and of course I was so excited to take the boys! They love Sesame Street and we needed something to do that day!
Braden LOVES Elmo and first thing he did when we walked in was run up to this sign and he pointed and yelled, "Melmo! Melmo!"

We were by ourselves in a suite and so it was very relaxing actually and the boys had a blast eating popcorn, treats and singing and dancing around! What a fun memory!

They wanted to buy all the toys, but they were a little pricey so we settled with a picture in front of all the stuff they couldn't buy:)

Thanks Elizabeth! We had a blast!

Tyler...

2011-04-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my handsome hubby! Just a quick update on what the man of the house has been up to lately, the good and the bad...
Ty has been doing a great job at work! He really enjoys what he's doing at the FDIC and loves those he works with. He's had a series of tough tests that he's had to study for and pass and he just finished up the last one and passed it! Now he has a break until the big test in a couple years! We are SO proud of him and how hard he's working so Brit and I made this very homemade sign for him:)

Our latest medical issue with Ty is KIDNEY STONES!!! Last Wednesday Ty came home from work really sick right when I was taking the boys to see Sesame Street live! I was scared to leave him because I could tell he was really sick, but I did anyway just to keep the boys away. I figured he probably had the flu. When we got home I realized that it wasn't normal for him to be in such pain so I called a friend to watch the boys and took him to the ER...after a CT scan and 3 bags of IV fluid later, it was concluded that he had kidney stones. I was glad to have a diagnosis, but sad to hear that he still had 2 left up in his kidneys and hadn't even passed the first one completely! Apparently the pain they cause is horrible and I believe it! I was so scared to see him in so much pain, it was awful! They sent him home with pain meds and after one more episode that night, he hasn't had pain since so I am SO glad! I admire Tyler because he's definitely NOT a baby and doesn't like the attention of being sick....I probably tend to play it up when I can, but he is very strong and I admire him for that! We know the other two have to come down eventually, but at least it won't be as scary or painful because we'll be more prepared!

Ty went back to work and a couple days later, the boys and I stopped by to have lunch with him! The boys had a blast and were spoiled by Ty's boss who gave them FDIC bags and flashlights as souvenirs...boy do these two LOVE LOVE LOVE their daddy!

Snapshots...

2011-04-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

Just random snapsnots of the past couple weeks that I love....

Almost naked, curly hair and love handles...oh my how I love this boy! I also love that he has like no neck...just a cute little head sitting on shoulders:)

Now Brit's turn on the bench...well Braden will still watch the show but begins to "wander and explore" a bit...

On go the jammies and they are still mesmerized!

I was going to clean off my fridge and had to take a picture...I feel so bad taking things down that Britain brings home from church and school. I find it so precious that he works hard and is so proud to display his work....now with Easter coming though we have some fun replacements to put up!

This happens daily at my house and I take it for granted, LOVE all of these boys and I'm so lucky they are mine...here's to cherishing the little and important things in life!

Aunt Britt and Uncle Ben come play!

2011-04-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

After the week in Utah for Tom's wedding, Brittany and Ben came to visit us during their Spring Break! It was nice having the help in the airport and since my boys adore them, it made it all so much more relaxing!
My boys did great on the plane...thanks to DVD players:)

Britt and Ben did pretty well on the airplane too:)

We flew in the middle of the day so Braden fell asleep right as we landed...just carrying him off the plane made me out of breath so we sat and let the boys rest in the airport before going to get our baggage!

This little boy was sure excited to see his Daddy though!

During their stay, Braden got Brittany to watch Mickey Mouse and Little Einsteins on the computer while...

Britain got Ben to play the Wii with him!

Since Ty was out of town in Roswell, NM, we decided to make a road trip down to see him for a couple of nights! We stopped at a gas station and Braden walked in, grabbed a sucker, opened it and started eating it before we could even blink....I guess he just figures that anything is free reign when he's that cute!

Ben was a trooper to sit in the back with the boys and cater to their every demand...what a great uncle!

Here's Braden in his AWESOME swimsuit at the hotel! He's definitely not a water bug like Britain, in fact he won't get in the water, but like to walk around the edge of the pool to make me nervous!

Playing in the pool....

After a good swim the boys cuddled up to watch Scooby Doo...

Brit had a blast playing in the bubbles in the hot tub...it wasn't even hot, more lukewarm...good thing for him!

Showering by the pool was a favorite.

Dad was so good to play ball with Braden.

AFter the pool, Brit and Braden got in the tub...Brit got out and we let Braden play for a minute...we won't mention EXACTLY what happened while he was playing alone, but the picture leaves little to the imagination...eww!!!!

I wish they could just watch a whole movie laying like this but...

a certain little boy can't resist the urge to wrestle...notice Brit isn't up for wrestling at all!

We had a fun time in Roswell playing in pool, visiting a little zoo, eating out and seeing all the alien stuff! I guess they are a town known for their history of UFO's so we made sure to get a picture of the kids with the alien in our hotel! Then we headed home and everyone got a good little snooze!

We stopped at the grocery store and my boys of course wanted Britt and Ben to hold their hands and I was glad to have my camera to snap this, I thought it was so cute!

When we got home there was a knock on the door and a delivery of beautiful flowers for my sister Brittany! They were from a boy in Utah asking her to prom! I was happy to play the secret agent to help it all come to pass, she was very surprised and excited!

We miss Britt and Ben so much, they were such a great help with the boys and we can't wait to see them again!!!

I love to see the temple!

2011-04-11T10:37:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I got a call on a Thursday asking our little family to sing in church on Sunday...although it wasn't much notice, I told them we'd do it! After much contemplation we decided that just Brit and I would sing since Braden would never just stand up there and Ty thinks he can't sing:) Ever since Britain was little, I've sang primary songs to him every night. His favorite is "I Love to See the Temple." Since he knows that one so well I thought we'd stand and sing that one. We practiced and he was excited and we even practiced with the microphone the Saturday before. Well, the day came and he walked up very confidently and we started singing. As I watched him standing there, he suddenly looked so big and I suddenly was overwhelmed with emotion. This was my baby. I rocked him to sleep, had been there every day of his life to help him grow and learn and now he suddenly looked like a grown missionary and my heart ached with the hope that he really would someday go to the temple and live up to every standard of the gospel. I know time will pass too fast and I pray that I can keep teaching my children the gospel so that they desire to live it and have a strong testimony of what it really means to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
All of this was going through my head while singing and I broke down. I cried and cried and couldn't sing a note! He did a good job singing without me though and kept looking at me like," Mom what's your deal?" but then would look back at the crowd!

I'm grateful for this little memory and to my Heavenly Father for letting me have that special moment to remember what it means to me to be a mom and to teach my children how to be happy...I'm afraid my emotions are getting a lot worse the older I get but I just love my boys SO much!

Tommy and Cassidee's wedding!!!!!

2011-04-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

Well the latest big news is that my little brother Tommy got married on March 31st! He married Cassidee Swonson in the Salt Lake City temple and luckily me and my boys were able to make it up that week...unfortunately, Ty had training in Washington D.C. that week and couldn't make it at all:( We had a busy week preparing and planning, but it turned out to be a great day!
Here's the darling happy couple!

They had a wedding dinner the night before they were married and it was so fun to be there and take part! We sure missed having Brandon there to represent the siblings, but he got in later that night! Luckily Michelle was there and was smart to bring her camera and snap some pics!

As part of the program Tawni and I sang, "For Good" from Wicked and it took all I had to not break down and cry. I used to be confident singing and now I'm out of practice and a big bawl baby...luckily I got through it! Then all of us siblings stood up and gave Cassidee "advice" about Tom and told some fun Tommy stories...it was cute and went really well!

Now to the wedding! The temple was wonderful, the weather was sunny and beautiful, couldn't have been better! That evening they also had a ring ceremony and that was fun to be a part of! The boys got spruced up in their tuxes and boy did Braden get attention! His tux jacket had shoulder pads the size of a football player and these pics don't do it justice! It was so hilarious! He is so darn cute!

Here's Braden and Kylee, the two cutest little things! They sure had fun spending this week together, gave each other kisses and liked playing and running around half naked!

Stylin'!

My handsome big boy in his tux...I sure love this little boy! He's so obedient and very much enjoyed all the food at the reception! They had a LONG table full of candy, hot dogs, french fries, popcorn and ice cream cones....every kid's (and adult's) dream!

Cute couple with the nieces and nephews!

A couple of my cute brothers...

We tried getting a cute picture of the kids with Liberty (Kirk and Luzma's daughter) but this is the best shot we got:)

Tom and Cass's first dance...

Us sibs watching the dancers!

Tom asked my mom to dance while Cass and her dad danced, it was a very special moment...especially for those two!

AFter the "cute" dancing, a DJ put on some fun music and all of us danced! It was SO much fun and I'm sure I looked like a crazy pregnant lady, but all of us siblings have never been on a dance floor together and it was a total blast! My hand made it in this picture to prove I was there dancing with my most handsome brothers! I am so blessed to have such great siblings! I love these times when we are all together because it doesn't happen very often at all anymore!

What a great time we had and we are so happy for Tom and Cass and are grateful to be part of it! Love you all!!

Mommy's getaway!

2011-03-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

So, this past weekend I was able to fly to Utah by MYSELF to just get away and see my darling little sissy in a play and also throw my almost sissy in law a bridal shower! It was a total blast and went by very very fast!
I got there Thursday afternoon and went that night to see the play, The Scarlet Pimpernel, put on by Viewmont highschool! What a fun fun time! The play was incredible and the talent was amazing....I have such a deep love and soft spot for Viewmont and my time spent there, I have wonderful memories and it's sad to see Miss McGuire in her last year at Viewmont, she's put on quite the production!
Here's us girlies at the play, I was lucky enough to sit by my cute cousin Katie (she's due 3 weeks after me!), her hubby Alan, and my cute Grandpa Christensen!

Then Friday was filled with relaxing and enjoying preparing for the shower by getting decorations, making cake pops with Britt and her friends, getting prizes, etc....Saturday morning was the shower and I thought it turned out way cute! Here are a few shots of the decorations! It was a movie theme so everyone had to base their gift on a movie!

Here's us girls with Cassidee! She is so darn cute and we are so excited to have her in the family! We had a great turnout and I'm so glad I could be a part of it since I felt like living out of state I miss out on so many of these fun events!

Boy I love these girls!

Saturday night was closing night of the play and I'm so glad I went again with my family. It was a blast to watch it again and I had so many good laughs, but also very emotional. I saw Tawni crying as she realized that everything was coming to an end and it took me back to that time of my life where you knew everything would soon change with graduation coming...she was so darn cute and I'm SO glad I could see her perform!

I must thank my wonderful husband who stayed home with my boys and took care of everything! The house was spotlessly clean when I came home and when they picked me up at the airport I was handed a dozen roses from my boys! I sure love them and am grateful they let me get away for a few days! I secretly think they had a total blast playing with dad and wish I'd take a hike more often!!! Thanks Ty, it's so nice to be able to completely trust our boys in your care! Love you all!

Tidbits!

2011-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

I love the random tidbits posts where I get to post pics that may not be a really significant event, but for me it's a reminder of the joys of motherhood and the little memories I don't want to forget about my kids who are growing up way too fast.
Braden has been into things since well forever ago! He didn't waste anytime walking and getting into everything imaginable...this next sequence of pictures makes me laugh because he was thinking so hard of how to get the broom in the oven and tried every way imaginable....

He didn't give up, I finally had to intervene because it was too sad knowing he'd never accomplish his goal!

We went to the aquarium and gardens with some friends when the weather was nice the other day and there was lots of mud! It's hard to tell but this little dude was running really fast and biffed it in the mud...he was devastated that he got all dirty, but after we stripped him down good, he was happy as can be and felt cool telling people how he was all muddy!

Checking out and feeding the ducks is usually the highlight on these trips!

I love getting this boy to bed! He is so fun to rock and sing songs with! He loves this blankie and he LOVES drinks! It took us a while to get up the stairs because he couldn't keep his balance while trying to carry his blankie and drink. He drank all his water before we even got halfway up! Love this boy, I'll miss rocking him to sleep when he's older and giving him sippy cups of water that he pretends to feed his stuffed animals in his crib!

Everytime Braden wears this onesie, he walks around like this! He loves to pull it down and bare it all! I thoroughly enjoy it and hence he wears that onesie A LOT!

And this is our latest problem: opening the freezer! He knows he can open it and he knows that is where the popsicles are so voila! The other day my visiting teachers came over and apparently it was open the WHOLE time they were here and needless to say most of the food was almost completely UNthawed...oh Mr. Brafee!!!

Grammy and Grampa come for a visit!

2011-02-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

We LOVE to have visitors here in NM and especially from family! Ty's parents came down for President's Day weekend which was really fun because Ty had President's day off! We made our traditional trip to the zoo and the boys watched this polar bear play in the water for a long time! Grammy and Grampa are always nice to walk around the zoo every time they come!

We also went to Peter Piper Pizza and let the boysies run around and play games! Grampa treated Britain to an ice cream cone and it was HUGE! As always Britain will eat the ice cream and....

Braden eats the cone! Braden has a very methodical way of eating the cone, but...

enjoys himself nonetheless!

Of course all weekend Braden was hitting up Grammy for stories! He would go grab a book then back into Grammy until she picked him up and read him a story! They must've read over 100 books in 3 days!

Thanks for coming to visit us! We hope to see you soon, we love and miss you!

Valentines Day Fun!

2011-02-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

I love holidays with kids! It's so fun to decorate the house and make fun treats, they get so excited! This year we made some cupcakes to take around to friends! Britain doorbell ditched cupcakes to several of his friends and had a blast!

Brit's preschool also had a Valentine brunch and me and Braden were invited! Oh the joy! Braden ate everything while Brit of course had hardly anything, but Brit had a lot of fun with Braden there!

We got to see the kids do some fun school games and show us their colors...

then we played ring around the rosies. Braden was in heaven!

And the goods! Britain was very impressed with all of his Valentines...caring much more for the candy than the cards!

Since Daddy was leaving out of town the night before Valentines Day, Brit and I made him his favorite treat....peanut butter rice krispies with chocolate on top and shaped it into a heart!

Braden found a pen and started playing in it...when he saw the chocolate on the pen...

he couldn't resist!

We presented it to Daddy and he was so happy! (Notice Braden in this picture...still with the pen trying to sneak another taste!) Sure love my Valentine boys! I love being the princess in the house!!!!

Brit's first trip to the dentist!

2011-02-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

Ever since I got back from Utah I've had a horrible and nasty cold that has almost killed me:) Anyway, on top of that, I got a bad toothache so I made an appt. for the dentist. I realized that between moving and such, I've never taken Brit so I scheduled him too and we went in together! What a cutie! He had a lot of fun actually!
While waiting he got to watch old cartoons on a T.V. Brilliant idea! It kept him distracted and zoned out the whole time!

Our dentist is actually in our ward and he did a GREAT job explaining everything to Britain and Brit was pretty intrigued by all the instruments!

They counted his teeth and he was so proud to find out he had 10 teeth on top and 10 on bottom...20 teeth!

Everything went well and he did great! He got a sticker, toothbrush and toothpaste which was just as exciting as Christmas morning! And to top it off, my tooth was fine, just the sinus pressure from my cold pushing on my nerves....go figure!

Brit's day of FUN!

2011-02-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

My sister sent me these pics of when she went with my dad and Britain to Boondocks while we were in Utah! I LOVE these pictures because it was such a great memory for Britain, but also because I LOVE LOVE the picture with Britain and my dad! I sure love both of those boys and am so grateful that my dad and Britt took the time to spend with my little boy. It's been so hard being away from family and I'm so glad that Britain has this memory.

January Happenin's in Utah!

2011-02-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Tyler had to travel for almost the whole month of January so I took my two boys to Utah to hang out with family! It was a fun month and went by fast! My boys LOVE the airport and airplane, especially Brit! It's just all so exciting to him that he can hardly stand it! Well we got to the airport only to find out that our flight had just been delayed by an hour so we did what any ice cream lover would do...bought ice cream! It was only $10.00 for a single cone (sense the sarcasm?) but well worth it! These boys sat and ate their ice cream then had fun running around before we FINALLY boarded! Brit loves sitting by the window and commenting on everything he sees...Braden loves flirting and trying to get everyone's attention on board! We had a good flight considering I was sick to my stomach all day with worry!

Of course I lost my camera so I didn't get a lot of pics while in Utah...typical me. I lose it everytime I go! Here are just a few, but we had a lot of fun hanging out and seeing friends and family! Brit loved playing in the snow with Uncle Ben and they spent many a nights hanging out with Grammy Debbie and Grandpa Paul at their house watching "Peter and the Wolf!"
While I was there we did family night every Monday. My parents have always done a great job having it every week and making it a very important part of the week even with all older kids. It was really fun to participate and prepare a lesson one week. Below are pics of the week that we had my grandparents over for family night and my grandpa talked about when he was in World War II and the adventures he had on the sea and in a hurricane! It was fascinating to hear the stories and see the pictures! My boys also performed musical numbers singing "Nephi's Courage" and "I am a Child of God", pretty funny! I LOVE familiy nights! We even got to do one with the Bredthauers too where Britain and Lucy bore their testimonies and helped Tyler with the lesson, good times!

While we were there, we did plenty of messing up the house so I was always trying to help clean and it rubbed off on the boys! Brit would help vacuum!

He did NOT get this black eye from vacuuming, he actually was having a lot of fun playing with cousin Lucy and running around that they rounded a corner and smacked right into each other. Poor little kids! His eye went from goose egg to bad to worse to this! He thought it was pretty cool and only cried for a minute...tough boy!

And here's Mr. Braden helping sweep...his favorite thing in the world! I love how every time he sees the camera he stops what he's doing and says, "CHEESE!" Hence the reason for this goofy face!

I so wish I had more pics but I am so grateful for all the people who put up with us, we LOVE seeing everyone and miss them so much! It's good to be back as a family and in our home now!

Just a quick picture... (Yeah right!)

2011-01-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

The boys looked so cute before church that I wanted to take a "quick" picture of how cute they were all matchy matchy in their outfits. That quick picture didn't come right away and I realized that I may never get a picture with all my kids looking at the camera or being happy, especially when I have three. I thought it was funny to see some of the pics that didn't turn out so well in my mind when really they show my kids personality more! Oh the joys of motherhood:)

FINALLY! :)

Explora!

2011-01-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

There is a fun museum downtown that I've taken the boys to a few times and they have a blast! There are a million things to do there and they just run from one to the next...wearing me out of course, but here a few pics for me to remember them!

Mr. Brayfee

2011-01-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

This little bundle has stolen my heart! I absolutely adore this boy! He's the funniest little thing with a personality to match his fuzzy curly top! Britain has called him Mr. Brayfee ever since he was born and we have no idea where it came from, but it has stuck and seems to fit this little man just right! I had to highlight some of his little quirks....love love love him!
This is his "Oh c'mon mom" face...a preview for when he's a teenager!

This little boy LOVE LOVES to read books and especially in this chair! He threw all my folded laundry on the floor so he could get down and dirty with his books.

What's on his face? Mommy's mascara of course! He gets into EVERYTHING!

His little hands covered as well!

The face...again! I have to kiss this face all the time, but I know there will be a day that I dread it:) For now I'm savoring every moment with my little Mr. Brayfee!

Happy New Years!

2011-01-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

We had a fun little New Years party this year with some of our friends! Brit and I had a blast getting food ready and making the "2011" cake and poster!

Besides the great food, we had a pinata for the kiddos and boy was it a "hit!" Ha! The kids had a blast and even made some fun treat bags to put their candy in! Our boys did a great job hitting it!

Around 9:00 p.m. we had a kids countdown and they all got their hats and blowers...we then turned on the radio and had a dance party to wear them out! Hysterical!

They all went upstairs to bed and us adults lounged around and chatted the night away and played 2010 Jeopardy Trivia (thanks to my sis in law Michelle who put it together:) We had a great time and hope to have a great year! Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!!!!

2010-12-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice Christmas all to ourselves again this year! We had two VERY excited little boys who made the day so fun and special! It was a day full of opening toys, playing with them, watching new movies, snacking and playing some more! We really enjoy this special time we have to spend with our little family and focus on our children without hustle and bustle of running here and there. We did miss our families, but are excited to see them soon!

Here's the two little rascals ready to open presents...ha! They look so excited!

First we wanted to remind them of the Nativity and true meaning of Christmas so Ty was retelling the story and pointing it out to them(it was set up on our piano) but Braden obviously was more concerned about looking good for the picture:)

We went to open the curtains and both boys got excited to see a hot air balloon on Christmas morning!

Britain was pleased to see that Santa ate his cookies and the reindeer LOVED the lettuce instead of carrots this year!

Braden loves Twinkies and it happened to be the first present he opened (by accident) so for a while he just ate his Twinkie instead of focusing on presents! Oh well! It's Christmas, you can have a Twinkie at 8:00 in the morning:)

Brit got his Spiderman driving a car from Bredthauers! Thank goodness, he was asking for that for a LONG time!

More present opening...

Brit got a scooter! He was so excited, but so was Braden! Brit was nice to share, but Braden's face shows that he wanted it all to himself!

Brit posed with all the presents...sheesh...all those little things add up! Time to get rid of some old toys!

So Braden LOVES babies and is always hugging little babies and kids his size! He loves to hold baby dolls so I decided to buy him a BOY doll since that's a little more "manly." Ty still wasn't convinced, but since Braden will have a baby around the house soon, I think it's a good thing! Look how much he loved it...cute!

Playing with the farm!

Out came the Potato Head...

And Ty surprised us all with a Wii this year! We spent a lot of the day playing it and had a blast!

We are so grateful for a great day and season spent mostly thinking of others and especially our Savior, Jesus Christ. What a great time of year!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-25T12:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a very fun day! Ty and Brit took off to play while Braden and I took naps, wrapped presents and wrestled! That night we went to visit our friends, the Parkers, where we ate some dinner and played!

The kids started off with pin the red nose on Rudolph! Britain got it right on, I hope he wasn't peeking:)

Then we made yummy gingerbread houses and ate more than we decorated!

Came home and made cookies for Santa....and left lettuce for the reindeer since we forgot to buy carrots! Hope they like it!

We came home and the boys had presents waiting to open....

Christmas Jammies!!

Posing for the camera

Now getting to open the gifts they gave each other...Braden gave Britain a movie and Britain gave Braden a boat for the tub! So sweet!

All tuckered out...kind of...and ready for Santa to come! Gosh, we sure love these boys, they are the exact little people we want to spend our Christmas, life and eternity with! Sweet dreams little boys!

Day out with Daddy at IT'z!

2010-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

I found a Groupon deal months ago for It'z...apparently it's a fun place to take kiddos and do games, pizza, and even some indoor rides! I bought it for $20.00 and boy did it pay off! Christmas Eve morning Ty and Britain took off and were there for hours! Ty said he had a blast watching Britain and from the pics below you can see that little Brit had a blast! Needless to say he fell asleep on the way home, but it's so much fun seeing Ty have such a blast with my boys! I know there are a lot of pictures, but this was a very fun and special day for these two and we have to have record of it!

They started with a pizza buffet...Britain is trying to show you what kind he had:)

BOWLING!!! This little boy begs to go bowling every day! Once his Grandpa Brent took him bowling and mini golfing and ever since he's been talking about it! They had little balls to play with which made it that much better!

Ty took a picture of Britain's first spare, apparently they were both very very excited!

This isn't a very good picture, but for Ty it's a great memory. He said after every bowl, Brit would dance and jump watching the ball roll down. This is the best dancing/jump picture he got!

One more time....

Getting ready to play his hunting game...

Got the gun ready...

Now on to the rides....the train rollercoaster!

Ty said they rode it 9 times in a row! I LOVE this thumbs up...he does it all the time now!

In line for "Spinoli" ...it spins like the teacups and Ty came home with a headache from spinning too much! We are getting old!

And to top it off....ICE CREAM! Wow, I'm going next time!

River of Lights!

2010-12-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

We went to the River of Lights this year at the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens and it was SO much fun and so very festive! The night was PERFECT being around 40 degrees so very comfortable with our coats and the kids had a blast! We went with our friends the Parkers. This will definitely be a family tradition, here are some pics!

First Utah trip this winter!

2010-12-23T17:58:00.000-08:00

Ty is traveling a lot with his rotations this winter so I have two Utah trips that are happening! The first was in December, we drove up there the first week and stayed for two weeks, then we'll be here in New Mexico for Christmas and New Years then I'll head back to Utah Jan.5th for 3 weeks! The drive up here involved one child blowing out his diaper...yuck! While the other child threw up the whole way...needless to say, I'm very grateful we are flying in January!
ANYWAY! Despite morning sickness and sick kiddos, it was great to see family. I didn't take many pictures because I lost my camera there...I know...stupid! I found it the day before we left though:)

Aunt Brittany is always a great help with the boys and she helped them fill up the Christmas calendar with candy so they could have a piece every day leading up to Christmas...well Braden didn't follow the rules and I'd always catch him with his hand in there, unwrapping the candy, or with a mouth full of sweets:)

Brit loves to take a bath in Grandma Gigi's huge tub and obviously loves the bubbles!

SNOW! Britain has been begging and begging to play in snow...and since snow is a rarity in New Mexico, we took all his winter stuff to Utah and boy did Utah provide! He played out there forever with his favorite person in the world, Uncle Ben!!

CUTE BOYS!

Wish I had taken more pics but we had a great time playing with cousin Lucy, visiting Grandma Debbie at work, throwing snowballs at Grandpa Paul, going to Tom's and Ben's basketball games, Brit going to Boondocks with my dad and Ben and having the time of his life, me going to "A Christmas Carol" with Brady and Tawni, shopping with my sissies, Braden getting into everything and getting smooched all the time and me going to TWO Jazz games...on the 13th and 2nd row...thanks Dad! We had a blast and are excited to see everyone again in January...although we are enjoying being together as a little family back in our own home with Ty!

Turkey Day!

2010-11-28T16:27:00.000-08:00

This year we were invited to our friends the Ehats for a delicious Thanksgiving meal! The Jones family came too and we had a great time! Lots of YUMMY food and crafts for the kiddos! I'm so grateful for all that our family has been blessed with. We never seem to really settle down for too long, there is always something going on with us!:)

I was in charge of the mashed potatoes this year! I was very nervous being the only one to make them, but I found a DELICIOUS recipe that was not low in fat AT ALL! But they turned out very yummy! I had the biggest potato ever and had to take a picture!

The Ehat's have a tradition of getting all the different kinds of Martinelli's NON-alcoholic drinks...they had one for each of us and it was so much fun to try all the different kinds!

My little turkey holding the yummy turkeys that him and I made for the kids! We were in charge of the kids table and made these rice krispie turkeys!

Ty enjoying snacking....

and the kiddos snacking as well!

When I was taking pictures, I kept hearing, "CHEESE!!" from this little fella! He was posing for every picture that he wasn't even in so this one's for you my little man!

Brit making the famous apple turkey! We have good memories of these in my family, especially one family home video where my brother Brady was in preschool and had made one of these...he was caught on film enjoying eating every marshmallow feather! Now it's a little family tradition to make them and the kids LOVE it! We had a great and relaxing day!

Random happenin's and a BABY???

2010-11-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

These random posts are usually my favorites because it's just little memories and pictures that capture our family!

Britain came downstairs and had stuffed his jammies full of balls! He's done this a couple of times and thinks he's so funny...and it is really funny to see! He is trying to look like Santa:)

My wonderful husband was doing a bucket full of ironing for me one day and I looked over and saw this....he had ironed shirts for him and the two boys for church and had hung them up for the next morning. I thought it was the cutest sight to see!

Brit has done a wonderful job since he became potty trained...he never has accidents, he goes in by himself and flushes, washes his hands, turns out the light and shuts the door...BUT...he's still struggling with getting his clothes back on! He was in the bathroom for literally 20 minutes trying to get his pj's back on when finally I told him to come out and let me help him. I died laughing when I saw him like this, I was fighting back tears while trying to stay serious so he wouldn't feel bad I was laughing at him! This was his face the whole time while I helped him. He kept saying, "I wanted to do it myself!"

Poor boy with his croupy cough...still a bit bad since Las Cruces, but thank goodness for movies to watch while he does his treatments!

These roses are from my wonderful hubby who puts up with A LOT! He has really picked up my slack since I haven't been feeling well at all because I'm PREGNANT! Yep, we are blessed to have another little one join our family the beginning of June! I have not felt well at all and am so grateful for a husband who is the best father and helps do everything, but also tells me he loves me even when I'm not much fun! Thanks hun!

Las Cruces

2010-11-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

Ty has to travel quite a bit with his new job, but most of the time it's within the state, so we decided to go with him to Las Cruces last week! We got there and they had upgraded our hotel room to an awesome suite and of course I didn't take any pics of the hotel or of Ty and Brit swimming in the outdoor pool in November! It was warmer down there and there were palm trees, I just feel bad I didn't get more pics. I guess we'll have to go with him again! The one time I did pull out my camera was when I took the boys to a little farmstead during the day. It was quite the adventure getting there as we had a flat tire on the way there, AAA came to save us and eventually we made it!
The boys LOVED the animals and I forgot to mention that we were on a golf cart on the back seat while 3 elderly people were in front of us, the tour guide herself being up there in years so I thought it was funny!

Brit was thoroughly enjoying every minute and just sucked that sucker while taking it all in!

I love this little finger! Braden would point at everything...his finger would shoot out and he'd yell as soon as he saw an animal(another thing the other passengers enjoyed from us I'm sure)!

Just thought this was cool...only in New Mexico.

Apparently if you live in the "Land of Enchantment" then your milk is "enchantingly good!" I must say I do love the milk here!

We were like the only ones there so the boys had the playground all to themselves...dang they are cute!

Braden was in heaven...he kept looking around not quite sure which truck to start playing with!

Brit was drawing pictures in the sand with a huge shovel then finally gave up and said, "Mom I sink(think) I'm just going to use my finger...then I'll wash my hands!" Good enough for me!

This day ended with Britain having an asthma attack and us being up all night, then Braden throwing up...but we'll focus on fun stuff above:)

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

These little boys had a very Happy Halloween and boy did they look darn cute!
I told them to make scary faces and these are what I ended up with:

My little elephant! Seriously...Brit wore this costume last year and I LOVE it, it's the cutest! Look at this face!

Backside view is awesome...he would walk and his big bum would just waddle back and forth...love it!

Mom and Brayfee....yes I did a last second football player, but you have to give me credit for the shoulder pads at least!

My scary pirate! He surprisingly wanted to wear the eye patch, he usually is kind of weird about having stuff on his face!

Love this outfit!

So Braden wore another costume for Halloween because he spilled chili and sucker juice on his elephant costume at the trunk or treat...good thing he looks dang cute and can pull anything off!

Reaping the rewards....

Cute boys had fun carving and lighting their jack o lantern....Halloween really is such a fun holiday!!!!

Balloon Fiesta!!!!!

2010-10-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month we went to the Balloon Fiesta! Ever since we told people we were moving here and once we got here, all we heard about was the balloon fiesta that takes place here every year! Several weeks before it was here, we would wake up and look out our windows and see hot air balloons all over the sky! I loved going running and just watching the balloons all over, it was magical and so fun for the boys to count them and name the colors! Well, we decided to go one night to see the balloons glowing! They keep them on the ground but light them up!

The bus ride there was really exciting for the boys, Brit felt so cool riding on the school bus!

Welcome to Albuquerque!

We got some pizza and lemonade! The boys obviously enjoyed every bit of their dinner!

There was a band playing and guys blowing bubbles so the boys ran around with other kids trying to get the bubbles and dancing around! These two had a blast!

Balloons starting to set up...

Us waiting for it to get darker!

Mommy and her baby.

Darth Vader balloon, one of the most popular...we thought Scott would appreciate this!

Cute boys!

And they are glowing!

We couldn't help getting Brit this sword, he was such a good boy and was DYING to have one like the other kids!

We had a blast and hope that some of you will come visit us next year and attend this WONDERFUL event with us!

More of my boys...

2010-10-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

These two are my world so what can I say? I must brag and write about everything I find precious! I turned on a movie for the boys and was washing dishes when I turned and saw this from behind...cuteness! Grandma Gigi got this chair for Britain for his birthday and he sits in it every time he watches T.V.

Front shot! These two LOVE each other...yes, there is wrestling and rough housing, but they genuinely love to hug each other!

Brayfee loves that he can climb in and out of this chair by himself!

Ty and I love our spinach shakes...well so does this little one! He is ALWAYS begging for food! Anytime we eat or drink anything, he is right there. We didn't know how he'd like the spinach shake, but judging from the pics, do you think he liked it?

Craftiness!

2010-10-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to be a really crafty person like my mom, but it just doesn't come that naturally to me, but I'll keep trying! Apparently my boy has a knack for it though:) He is constantly wanting to make things and paint things and luckily his preschool has him making all sorts of fun things!

Here he is just painting at the house....thoroughly happy!

This is my favorite! He came home from school with this homemade piggy bank...isn't it the cutest thing ever?

Here is a close up...I swear I just laughed all day and thought this was the most precious thing ever!

Another day he came home with this candy wreath...he glued candy corns on a plate and boy is it beautiful! It is hanging on our fridge at this very moment!

Here is our latest creation! We made spider cookies to share with his friends...Brit loves spiders and eats them too!

"Blessing the Sacrament..."

2010-10-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today in church Brit and I were sitting there as Ty had Braden in the hall. We were listening to people bear their testimonies and all the sudden Brit turned to me and said, "I want to go up!" I was reluctant and asked him why he wanted to and what he'd say. He said he wanted to say, "Heavenly Father loves me." I told him that I'd go up with him and he said he didn't want me to, he wanted to go by himself. So I told him to go up, right then another person got up so Britain came back and stood by me, he just couldn't make it fast enough so finally I told him he had to walk up and sit by the bishopric and wait his turn. He actually started slowly walking up with his finger in his mouth. He sat down by the bishopric and looked down at me with a huge grin. I was ready to die! He looked so cute up there and I couldn't believe he was up there and also was a little nervous for what he'd say. I also felt bad Ty wasn't in the meeting to hear him. Finally the Bishop looked at him and moved the stool over for him to stand on. He stood up there with his curly hair, his white shirt and tie and pulled the microphone down. "My Heavenly Father loves me....he loves my dad and he loves my mom....in the name of Jesus Christ..." then he started walking down...did a 360 and ran back up to the microphone..."AMEN!" Then he walked back down to the proudest mama ever! I couldn't believe that he just bore his testimony by himself at 3 years old....such a treasure!
Well, Ty came in after and I told him...he couldn't believe it and of course he grabbed Britain to tell him good job! Brit told Ty, "Yeah, I went up all by myself and sat by the prophets! The big prophet helped me get my stool so I could see everyone!" I thought it was so sweet that he thought he was sitting by real prophets, the innocence of a child.

Well, now to the title of the post! Of course we had to call and tell the grandparents how cute he was so he got on the phone first with his uncle Ben. I whispered to Britain, "Hey tell uncle Ben what you did in church today!" He said with a big grin, "Ben, I BLESSED THE SACRAMENT!!" He said it with total enthusiasm and really believed that's what he did. Ty and I were laughing so hard and had to explain that what he did was bear his testimony. How fun it is to see our sweet boy learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and so innocently figure it out piece by piece. What a fun memory...love this little boy!

Sisters...

2010-09-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

So these two gorgeous girls are my little sisters, Brittany (almost 16 on the left) and Tawni (17 1/2 on right). They sent me this picture of them after running a cross country race recently and I just felt I had to share. They are the cutest, most talented girls I know and I feel so blessed to be their sister. I'm the oldest then came 3 brothers (whom I love dearly) but I was thrilled when I got a little sister and then exactly 18 months later I got another one! These two have been so fun to help raise and watch grow up. They have a very special bond and friendship that I admire! They are such great friends to me and when we're together we are laughing 99% of the time! I always dreamed of the day I would get to help them fix their hair for dances and go see them sing and do all their extra stuff, but for some reason I was meant to live away at this time in my life and I must admit that it's been hard. I really feel bad missing those special events and wish more than anything that I could be there. I love them so much though and hope they know how much I think of them and admire them. Thanks for your example girlies...I love and miss you so much!!!!!!

Brit's first day of school!

2010-09-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Brit went to his first day of preschool today and boy was he excited! He's been talking about going to school ever since he first started talking! He goes to a little city preschool twice a week for 3 hours and comes home with the cutest little crafts and lots of stories! He picked out his dragon backpack and it's about as big as he is, but he loves it! I really was sad seeing him go in just because it made me realize how fast time flies. I think it will be really hard to have to go ALL day long, but 3 hours is a good amount for the both of us! I'm so proud of him, he's such a fun and smart little boy!

Driving to school...every single building we saw..."Mom is that my school?"

He kept waving once we got there and said, "Bye Mom, I'll be fine!" "I'll see you later!" Then he'd turn to Braden and say, "Say bye to me Brayfee...I'm going to school...say bye to me!" It was darn cute and I'm glad he went so easily and didn't cry and hold on to my leg like some kids were doing!

Day at the Zoo!

2010-09-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

I know I always post a lot of pictures, but this day at the zoo was a fun memory for us! The boys LOVED it and the zoo here is so fun and clean...well as clean as a zoo can be:)
Brit and Dad fed the ducks and Braden just sat and watched saying, "Quack, quack.." and pointing.

We watched a really fun bird show and afterwards we could contribute a dollar so Brit gave it to the bird and felt really cool afterwards!

These boys mean the world to me, just love them to death! Isn't this cute?

Brit loved looking for the baby animals and happened to see a baby zebra go to the bathroom and you'd think he just saw the most spectacular event ever..."Mom, Dad, did you see that? Did you see that the baby went potty???" Glad he was entertained!

Brit said he wanted me to sit in this chair with him...kind of New Mexicoish style with the colors...so we did, but it didn't last long since it was so HOT!

Starting to get a bit tired...

This turtle was so HUGE, I think I was fascinated just as much as the boys!

"FlaNingos!" Brit has always loved flamingos and just almost says it right, it's so cute!

The way home...all worn out! What a fun day!

New Mexico!!!!!

2010-08-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here is our new home (ours is the darker brown on the left)! We live in a townhome actually, but it's bigger than our house was and it's in a gated community so I feel very safe! More pics of the inside will come later, but it's a fun home and we are settling in well!

We got here at the perfect time where we'll see hot air balloons out every morning, we love looking at them! The big festival is coming up!!

Braden's first birthday and Summer fun in Utah!

2010-07-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

I am still waiting for these pics as they are on my sister's camera so I will blog all about our fun in Utah and my sweet little boy...Come back soon!

Kansas...

2010-07-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

We have so many memories of Kansas, and I should have taken pics of a lot more and want to write about everyone we love, but that's impossible so here's just a few but we loved every person we met and we'll miss you!

The Gardner Pool! We loved it there! We would go there every single day in the summer and Brit just loved it...I did too! What a fun thing to have in our little town! Brit became our little water bug!

These boys are so fun and always hugging each other, I love it!

Our final day at the pool....love my boys! Don't know what I'm going to do next summer, nowhere can compete with this pool!

Boys with Madelyn Bartlett...they became close buddies after living with her for almost a month!

Brit and his favorite boy in the whole world...Logan! The Inman family means so much to us and will forever be our friends, Brit just loves their kids!

Eleanor and Britain, these two always had a cute friendship. Both of our families moved in at the same time so we would get them together from little babies!

The Moss kids and my boys...we sure missed them after our ward split, but they were cute to come visit us before we left!

Brit and Braden with the Beasley kids! What an amazing family they are!

Our church was about a 35 minute drive which was hard sometimes, but at least we had a very pretty drive! This is a shot of us driving over the lake for the last time, Britain always loved this part!

My girls! I LOVED being in Young Women's in this ward! These girls are incredible and I love them all so much, I sure learned a lot and I will miss them like crazy!

Brit LOVED nursery! Never did we struggle with him wanting to go, he loved it!

Every week he would go right in and find this elephant to play with, he loved it!

His pictures were the best:)

Bishop Payzant with our family...we love this man so much. He truly is the most Christlike man we have every met. I loved associating with him and feeling his Spirit, he taught us more than we can ever explain.

The farmstead! Our boys LOVED the farmstead so we made sure to go there one last time! It was so fun and free! The boys got to feed goats, ride tractors, pretend to milk a cow, Braden loved pointing at the ducks, and Brit could have stared at the turtles and fish all day long!

Dad's last day at work!

The water tower in Gardner.

Moving...a huge pull at the heartstrings...

2010-07-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we sold our house, what a blessing! Ty and I both know that we didn't deserve to sell our house anymore than the 20 plus houses for sale in our neighborhood. Although the process was hard and stressful we know we were very blessed. June 16th was our last day there. I NEVER thought I would have my heart hurt as much as it did, it was SO hard. We built that house. That house really did become our home, I loved it there. My two babies only knew that house. It symbolized the house where Ty and I really ventured out on our own and became little independent family. As the days approached to move, everything around me brought the tears. Watering my cute little garden that Ty and I worked hard on, vacuuming our basement that Ty and his dad worked SO hard to finish and it was beautiful, just everything. I know a lot of the emotion stemmed from the unknown that lie ahead, but most of it from the realization that Kansas became our home and we really did LOVE it there. Experiences we never could have had elsewhere, happened. People who are literally the salt of the earth, we met. Three years that literally changed our lives forever and now it was time to move on. In January of this year I began to feel anxious like there needed to be a change. I told Ty but he just laughed until I said that maybe we needed to try for another baby...then he didn't laugh! Braden was only 6 months old:) My heart just felt like something needed to happen so when Ty got called to go interview for a job in Albuquerque... I knew. This was it. I had been prepared to know that change was coming and needed to come. I've relied on that experience a lot as I've had doubts and began missing Kansas. I'm thankful the Lord prepared me.
Our wonderful friends, the Bartlett's let us stay with them for three whole weeks while we were in transition. I know that it was a huge sacrifice on their part and very hard for us to have to inconvenience people. One evening, Ty wanted to take the boys back to the airport park right by our house that we always went to...it was always fun watching the little airplanes come and go...of course the boys loved it! I decided to drive past our old house because Ty actually was supposed to receive a package from work and they sent it to our old address. I wanted to see if by chance it was outside. I drove up the street and started feeling that feeling in my chest when I saw our house. I cried. I know I"m emotional, but I just wanted to open the garage and have us go in to our familiar comfort. It was sad, but it also made me long to start anew!

This is Brit standing in the Bartlett's doorway watching them take our cars right before we left for New Mexico. This little boy is so sweet and had a very hard time understanding what was going on. He'd often cry, "I just want to go back to my old house!" "I want to sleep in my own room!" Poor little guy, I felt so bad that the moving process had to carry on so long because it think it was hardest on him. We left our home on June 16th and didn't actually live in our new place until August 14th...that's a long time to be living out of a suitcase:)

When it all began (July 2007):

Saying goodbye (June 2010):

Fourth of July

2010-07-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

This year for the fourth of July we of course headed to the parade! We had a great time and even found a great shady spot! Britain of course had a blast!
Brit is very patriotic dancing with the flag!

Braden with the flag behind him, cuteness...

Brit and his buddy Carter watching the parade...dang cute boys!

Our little fam...

Brit with all the political stickers...at least he got some candy too!

Hanging out at Salazar's with the ward...the fireworks started early because a big rain storm came...at least the kids still got to have fun!

My little sparkler...oh boy, can't get enough of him!

First PROFESSIONAL haircut!

2010-06-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Since our hair cutting stuff was packed away, I took Brit to Fantastic Sams for his first professional haircut! I've always cut Ty's and Brit's hair...I just did it without knowing what the heck I was doing! Luckily they both have curly hair so if I mess up or it's uneven then curls can just cover it! Well Britain was a trooper and looked so cute! I don't like how she combed it forward after because it made him look too old or something...anyways, I think I'll continue to cut it while he'll let me:)

Our mornings!

2010-06-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

My mornings begin with two little rugrats climbing in bed with me! Then before Daddy leaves for work he's awesome to get them their milk and then we all cuddle! These two just love each other in the mornings, hugging and cuddling! I wish it would always be that way, but somehow I feel this too shall pass:(

Family Time!

2010-06-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Grampa Bredthauer came out to visit us along with Scott(Ty's brother) and his fiance, Ariane. We hadn't met Ariane before so she was brave coming to spend time with us! We loved having them here and had a blast playing games, going to the Royals game, eating BBQ and it was an added bonus that they were here for Brit's birthday so they helped and gave him some really fun gifts!
We had the opportunity to visit Liberty Jail, always such a neat experience.

I thought this pic of Brit at Liberty was so cute!

Royals game! The grandparents were SO nice to watch the boys while we went on a double date! We had a blast and went to the Royals hall of fame before! Scott LOVES baseball, and I just realized I don't have one picture of him here at the game...how terrible is that?

Aunt Ariane and Brayfee got some one on one time! He was sure happy that she'd read him stories!

Thanks for coming! We love you and miss you!

Someone turned 3!!!!

2010-06-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

My baby turned 3 years old on June 6th! He was SO excited to become a big boy and we were lucky to have family in town to celebrate with us!

Us with our sweet little guy!

Brit got a t-ball! He fell in love with t-ball in Iowa thanks to Brandon and Michelle's neighbors:)

Grandpa with his boys!

Brayfee loved the wrapping paper...well eating the wrapper paper!

Grandma Gigi sent Britain a tent with balls inside...boy was he excited!

Brit with lots of presents and very happy face!!

Dinosaur Party!

2010-06-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

Britain wanted a Dinosaur birthday party this year and since we had family staying and it was his last birthday in Kansas, we partied hard!
The highlight was his blue dinosaur pinata! He picked it out and was SO excited to stuff it with candy!

Even though he loved his pinata, he was more than willing to hit it and try to get the candy out!

Ty helping the kids get the candy from the pinata!

Here is his dinosaur cake...I was thinking of trying to make a dinosaur shaped cake, but was so stressed with moving that I grabbed a pack of dinosaur toys and stuck them on the cake! I'm so happy we did it that way, he loved it!

Happy face...he loved the attention!

Opening presents, everyone was so nice and gave him some really fun stuff!

Ariane (my awesome new sis in law) was rockin' the ice cream!

Braden LOVED the water bucket! We had this bucket filled with water and gave all the kids squirt guns...who would've thought it would be such a hit! Those guns were definitely cheap entertainment and made for some good laughs!

Playing ring toss! Ty is such a hands on dad and played with the kids the whole time, I love it! We had a great time!!!!

IOWA!

2010-06-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to head up to Iowa to visit my brother Brandon and his darling little family for Memorial Day weekend! I am SO glad we went! We had an absolute blast!
When we came downstairs to see where we'd be staying, there were some amazing "Welcome" signs and we felt so loved and excited for the weekend that awaited!

These two are hysterical! They are only 3 weeks apart and full of personality! My mom bought this weasel that you turn on and it just rolls everywhere...boy were these two entertained!

Des Moines had this amazing lake with a gorgeous beach and trails and a playground...it was SO fun! This little boy was in HEAVEN! He played and played....

....and played!

We ate and enjoyed the view!

One of the two times I've been able to get Braden to keep a hat on his bald head...isn't he a doll???

Michelle's awesome friend came over and shot some fun pics of the kids, I love them! She did a great job and it's funny to think back on how hard it is to get all three just looking the same place! Kylee was so sweet and just sat there while Braden kept pulling at her...boys!

Thanks for an amazing time you guys! We love and miss you, but think you are the best family!

Trouble with a capital B!

2010-06-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

This little guy now thinks he is the king of the house! He walks around and gets into everything...he's my little Kansas tornado and literally dumps everything in site! I was trying to clean off the table and this is what happened to my kitchen in the meantime...I GIVE UP! He's so cute!:)

Uncle Greg and Aunt "Acy" visit!!!!!

2010-05-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have Ty's brother Greg and his wife Stacy come visit us for a few days! Greg was here in the Midwest checking out different chiropractic schools so they had a fun and adventurous trip that ended with visiting us and our crazy boys! We LOVED having them and especially Britain was SO excited! He called Stacy, "Acy" the whole time, it was so funny! He sure made Greg play with him a lot and even recruited him and Ty to play a mean game of "risbee" (frisbee)! He was already bathed and in his jammies, but we couldn't resist his little face begging to play before he went to bed! He got Ty and Greg to chase him and even commanded Ty to give Greg a piggyback while they chased him..so...he did! Hilarious! This boy LOVES to play outside!

Braden wishing he was out playing too! Poor little guy!

At the farmstead!

Playing at the park!

Uncle Greg and Braden!

Brit doing his chore of putting away silverware while Greg helps/watches!

Playing Uno...yes...Ty and Greg were the losers in this game and Ty seriously had like 30 cards in his hand! Hilarious!

10 Months...and WALKING!

2010-05-14T20:04:00.001-07:00

My baby is 10 months! Geez, can the months go by any faster? They are flying by and I can't stand that he's growing up although he is so darn cute at this age too! This little guy started walking about a week ago and continues to walk more every day. He realizes that he's still faster at crawling so sometimes he'll opt for that method which is fine by me!
Braden LOVES to clap! He's at this stage where whenever he hears anyone get excited or say, "Yay!", then his little hands will start smackin' together in the cutest way! He continues to be a WONDERFUL eater and loves strawberries,corn, and bananas rolled in smashed rice crispies(that way he can pick them up on his own without them slipping everywhere!)
He's starting to point to things and I love when his little pointer finger sticks out and he gives a little grunt! So cute!
His hair continues to be white and sparse, although there is one hair on his head that is all gung-ho and is growing like crazy! I'm letting it grow because he's worked very hard to get some hair!
We continue to love this little guy more every day, he's my sweet little fella who's always happy and LOVES to play and will let me kiss and cuddle him like crazy still! Why do they have to grow out of these fun stages? Sigh....I love him more than I can say!
Enjoy these little videos and Braden's awesome outfit:) It was cold so I changed his clothes after church and I love the black socks! Cute little man!

Father and Sons!

2010-05-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

This year our ward went to Father and Sons at Hillsdale Lake on May 7th and 8th. Finally Ty got to go with one of his own sons! I thought it was so sweet watching these two walk out the door together to spend some quality time. It made me sad to think my little boy was getting so big, but more happy that he had daddy who loves him more than anything! Ty is the best dad and just is in love with Britain. They had a great night and from the pics below one can see how Brit was in heaven throwing rocks and getting his buddies to chase Ty around! Glad they had so much fun!

Happy 4th!

2010-05-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today is our fourth wedding anniversary and I can't believe he's put up with me this long! It's been a whirlwind this past four years as we seem to like to keep things hoppin' with new jobs, MBA's, 2 babies, new house, another job, another house, etc. The blessings have flowed and I'm more in love than ever. We still can't figure out how we didn't know each other in high school since it seems like our paths crossed millions of times as we look back! He thinks I would've never dated him if I knew him in high school...he's probably right about that!! May 6, 2006 was the beginning of a crazy busy and very happy life together!
I had a dozen roses show up on my doorstep today, yep they were from my ex-boyfriend AKA current hubby!!!! Thanks Ty for making me so happy! Love you way too much!

For Sale!

2010-05-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

I guess it's time to actually post that we moving! Tyler has accepted a position as a Bank Examiner with the FDIC in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will be starting July 19th! We are very excited that he has this opportunity and know it's the best move for our family. We are so sad to be leaving Kansas as it's been the best experience for us. We have met incredible people here who have literally taught us so much. We feel so blessed.
We are still trying to sell our house, but this market is so horrible! We've had it on the market for two months and pray that someone will love our house as much as we have! Keep your fingers crossed!

Tired and MESSY!

2010-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Braden is our big eater! Boy, this kid LOVES to eat and will beg for food everytime he sees someone eating! He really likes to sit and eat his biter biscuits...he's happy, but bathtime must immediately follow! Ty and I were chatting and looked over and saw Braden just sucking away as he was asleep! Cuteness!

Then we woke him up!

Washington D.C.!

2010-04-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to get to join most of my family in Washington D.C. a few weekends ago(April 7 -11th)! I'm late blogging on this one! My brother Brady is doing an internship out there and we all thought we'd join him so he could give us a tour of the State Capitol and the city! We saw all kinds of fun stuff and although I missed Ty, it was SO fun seeing my family and letting them fuss over my boys!
The crew in front of Jason Chaffetz's office where Brady was interning!

At the State Capitol with two tired boys who both wanted Mommy!

An awesome nostril shot of us sisters inside the capitol...great photography skills Dad!

Everyone's feet on point where the streets and everything is coordinated from in D.C.

Brady (our awesome tour guide) with Britain!

Braden playing with Uncle Ben...

Us sistas at the White House! My sissies are getting so tall that I'm officially going to be the shortest of all 7 kids...and I'm almost 5'9"!

The crew at the White House

Brit let only Grandpa carry him on his shoulders...thanks Dad!

More fun in D.C.!

2010-04-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here are more pics from our D.C. trip, I know there are a lot but they are good memories!
We ate at the famous Hard Rock Cafe and boy was it good! I got the California Burger after not having a burger in years and it was SO yummy! Braden thoroughly enjoyed himself and begged for everyone's food as usual!

This was a fun memory of Britain! He talked our whole trip and several times since about the Tiger jumping out of the window. He thought this was by far the coolest thing in the whole Natural History museum!

After lots and lots of walking for a few days, this boy was thirsty! He is always asking for drinks and has never asked for food, he could live off of liquid!

Potty Training....

2010-04-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Poor Britain has got quite the shaft in some areas since Braden was born...he was barely two when Braden came so not quite ready to potty train...then with a new baby, I didn't have the time or patience to really do it! Now that he's really showing interest again, I'm trying to take advantage because we are moving in a couple of months which will totally throw him off again! We are going to keep trying though and I'm making sure I show him the attention he wants. He is super excited cause he drinks his juice boxes and practices his letters while on the potty.

Then he gets to pick out a big animal if he goes poo poo and a little animal if he goes potty! He is so excited about these animals that he'll sit on the toilet for a LONG time!

Then he gets to put on his Elmo underwear...I didn't want to post a pic of him wearing them for fear people would think it's child porn...you never know these days right?

He's doing such a great job and has put up with a lot of change...we love our sweet big boy!

9 Months!

2010-04-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Someone is nine months old and his mommy can't believe it! Our little "Brayfee" (that's Britain's nickname for him) has now been with us as long as he was inside my tummy and it's been absolutely more fun having him here! Our little boy is growing up WAY too fast and just thinks he can do anything!
He had his doc appt. today and he's starting to round out...
Weight: 21 lbs. 14 oz. 75%
Height: 28 1/4" 50%

He's definitely our chubby little butterball and we LOVE it! Here's what our little man is up to now!

* Crawls up the stairs very fast! He crawls toward them so fast that we really have to watch him and he won't even hesitate to go down them head first!
* He just had 3 more top teeth break through which makes the grand total 6 teeth so far!
*He loves to suck on his tongue still
*He LOVES any and all food! He will eat anything and everything I eat, he wants! He loves to eat big boy bananas!
*He picks up food with his fingers, but has a hard time letting go. He holds it in his mouth and just sucks on it.
*He LOVES to read books before naptime and bedtime...he sees me get the books and starts to giggle!
*He's my cuddler! He will cuddle up when he's tired and let's me sing to him while I rub his back...every mom's dream!
*He still has no hair...just a little bit of white/blond fuzz! We love that bald little head but it shows his bumps and bruises from pulling himself up on everything and getting banged up!
*He will play for hours on end...just set him in a room with a bunch of toys and he crawls from one thing to the next and is in heaven!
*He lets his brother tug, pull, hold, and wrestle him...and even gets back by pulling Britain's hair all the time. Luckily Brit has a hard head!
*He is the happiest little man we could have ever asked for...he's always smiling and only cries when he's tired or hungry...easy enough!
*He's a big show off and flirt! He turns a lot of heads with his big grin and bald head. Then if someone smiles and looks away, he'll stare at them and grunt trying to get their attention. He will get bashful sometimes and shrug his shoulders and smile so he has like ten fat little chins! Love it!
*He's a complete joy and we love every single little ounce of him!
HAPPY 9 MONTHS MY BIG BOY!!! We love you!

Here's a picture with Grandpa...it's my dad's 52 birthday today as well! Happy Birthday and Love you Pops...you look younger than ever!

Easter bunny, eggs, and candy...couldn't be better!

2010-04-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

What a great Easter we had! It was a beautiful and sunny day and it was General Conference for our church so we got to relax at home with just our little family! I felt like I should make a nice big meal for us, but Ty suggested just keeping it simple so we could enjoy the day and that's what we did! We started with an egg hunt and Britain was thrilled!!! He didn't go to sleep until 11:00 p.m. the night before because he was SO excited for the Easter Bunny! He would scream, jump and run everytime he found an egg....then he would shake it and put it in his bucket! Well, after a few eggs he started giving some to Braden and I was so impressed that he was sharing! Well...come to find out...when he shook the egg if he heard the jellybeans inside then he'd put it in his basket, but if he shook it and didn't hear anything then he would give it to Braden because he thought there was no candy in it! :) Hilarious...watching him shake every egg! It was very surprising to him when we opened Braden's eggs and there were laffy taffys inside when he thought there wasn't anything! I guess laffy taffys don't make sounds when you shake them...those are his favorite candy and that's why the Easter Bunny brought them in the first place!!! He "lovingly" decided to switch candy "wif" (with) Braden because Braden can't chew laffy taffy, but he can chew jelly beans I guess!

Our Easter Bunny cake! Britain was a HUGE helper making this and it was so cute seeing him get excited! When I made the frosting he thought I was "so awesome!" It was the best frosting I've ever tasted by the way! Then he got to choose what color we make the bow tie and that was ever more awesome! Then he got to put sprinkles on! The chocolate chips were probably his favorite as many more went in his mouth than on the cake!

I decided not to hold Braden back anymore and there is a perfect little handprint in the cake...cuteness!

Conference was amazing as always! I enjoyed every minute, but in order to stay full attentive, I began coloring in Britain's coloring book! I LOVE coloring and it allows me to slip into my youthful side while still listening. Ty apparently thought it was pretty funny as he snapped this shot as evidence....pardon how I look...:)

Easter pics...Impossible!

2010-04-05T18:31:00.001-07:00

We got the boys matching shirts for Easter and they looked so cute! I tried to take pics of them, but between my horrible photography skills, a wiggly baby, and a 2 year old who was eager to eat his Easter candy...these are what we came up with! I think they are so fun! We'll get professional pics later this month, but these will do for now! Cute boys!

What Funny Boys!

2010-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

So let's explain the picture below: Ty put up some window seals on our windows a few months ago and it came with this special
tape. Well, apparently Britain found it and while I thought he was downstairs watching a movie, he really was mischieviously torturing his little stuffed elephant. He found the tape and just encircled his elephant about with every last piece of tape. He came upstairs holding it and I had to snap a picture of the poor thing hanging there by a thread...well by tape to be exact! What followed was a nightmare of stickiness and fuzz as we tried to remove it. It took forever and we are happy to report that although elephant is bald in a few places, he has fully recovered from the pain and I wish I could say it won't happen again, but with this little guy you never know!

Britain "holding" Braden...Brit is only 14 pounds heavier than Braden so this is how he has to hold him!

Cuteness! Love these boys and they sure love their Daddy!

St.Patty's Day with the family!

2010-03-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

We had a great time the week of St. Patrick's Day because my brother Tommy flew in to spend a few days with us! He had never met Braden before so it was fun to see them play together! Of course we called up my brother Brandon and his wife Michelle in Iowa and told them to come so we could party! They came down and spent St. Patty's Day with us and it was SO fun! We are so blessed to be great friends as well as family! My aunt Joan sent Braden and Kylee matching pajamas when they were born and Michelle and I couldn't imagine when our tiny babies would actually fit into them...they do now! These pics are for Aunt Joan...thank you! We had a yummy green dinner with the famous Barrett Mint Oreo ice dream dessert! YUM! Then Ty taught us how to play "Endurance Uno", a drinking game he learned on his mission...we played with water instead:) Thanks for coming out Tommy, Brandon, Michelle and Kylee....we had a blast!

Cute Cousins!

Playing with Uncle Tommy

Braden wishing Uncle Tommy would stop being selfish and actually share his breakfast!

Happy St. Patrick's Day....celebrating with green pancakes!

8 Months!

2010-03-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

My little baby isn't so little anymore! He went to the doctor the other day because he had a nasty ear infection and when they weighed him he was 21 pounds! Yes, my little sweetie is getting to be so big! He's been crawling around since Feb. 21st officially and pulls himself up on everything which of course accounts for some good bumps and bruises.
I remembered being so sad the night before he was born because I was rocking Britain and thought I could never love anyone like I loved Britain and I was afraid that Braden would get the shaft...BOY was I wrong! I love this boy with all my heart and soul..he is the most special and fun little man i could've ever asked for. He tugs at my heartstrings every day, all day long because he is so happy and smiling all the time! I literally can't stop kissing him! He actually had a rash on his cheeks and Ty would joke that he was allergic to my kisses...I didn't think it was funny, that would be HORRIBLE! He still adores and LOVES his big brother and constantly looks around for him. We had to lower his crib because he was pulling himself up and standing there when we went to get him! We couldn't imagine life without him, he is such a blessing to our family and I'm so excited to keep raising him and be his mommy because I sense he has a very strong spirit and I'm excited to see who he'll become....love you my honeyman!

Ramblings...

2010-03-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

Braden's happy because he has a friend to play with...

This is James, we babysit him sometimes and they love playing together!

Gotta love my boys...Braden looks a little stunned:)

Valentines and more...

2010-02-22T12:31:00.000-08:00

There aren't many moments more precious than this...these boys are my world!

Tyler as a boy...I think he was 4 or 5 but I think he looks so much like Britain...apart from his hair:)

Britain age 2 1/2, but can't you see the resemblance?

So, we've been talking about tithing lately in Family Home Evening and Britain loves to put money in his piggy bank so we thought we'd let him take it to the bank and open up his own account...he was thrilled! He took it in and sat down in the chair and was dying to dump it out! He handed the lady his birth certificate and posed for his picture...THEN she asked for his SS# and we didn't have it! So, she gave Britain a cookie and we got to keep the money! Oh well...we'll try another time:)

We had some snow the other day and Britain wanted to go out and catch it! Like my friend Maria said, it looked like ripped up Kleenex falling down because the flakes were so big!