Saturday, February 28, 2009

Happy Birthday Braden!

Happy Birthday to my sweet 11 year old. I can't believe that it has been 11 whole years since he put my body through such misery to get into this world. He was in such a rush, he couldn't even wait for the doctor to give me the epidural. I remember the nurse coming in and asking me to please keep it down, I was scaring the other mothers! Oh well, I survived and ended up with a great kid for all my troubles. Unfortunately Braden is a middle child and the 3rd born. I was the 3rd child born and my sisters teased me so badly. Braden takes a lot of abuse from his brothers also, but seems to cope with it for the most part. He's a good kid for me and works hard to do what I ask him to. I call him Jekyll and Hyde, because I've heard that he can be quite the ring leader and full of energy when he is anywhere else but home! Braden is my creative one. He bought his own camera and can take some really good pictures. He is getting quite good at the piano. He also is really good with a yo-yo and was excited to receive two today! Braden is a very sensitive and thoughtful kid. He doesn't just "give" out hugs and kisses, so if you get one from him it is really something special! He doesn't "give" out smiles often either, so if you can get him to smile for the camera, consider yourself lucky!
Braden had a great day. He invited 13 friends over for his birthday party and they spent the afternoon at the Space Center. Having never been there before, he was so excited to get the chance. He finally got the Bass Guitar that he has been asking for forever. Now we need to find someone who can teach him to play!
I am so grateful to have Braden in my life. He has always held a special place in my heart (maybe it's sharing that 3rd born status)! He's a wonderful kid and I'm lucky to be his Mother!
I Love You Braden!

Viva Las Vegas!

Rod and I took a few days and snuck away to Las Vegas. Suprisingly, I was homesick at first, but we ended up having a great time. Thanks to my Mom for taking care of the kids. She completely spoiled them! We went on this great hike by Lake Mead. It was along an old railroad path and we went through 5 tunnels.

The hike led us to the Hoover Dam.

We didn't have a lot of time to spend at the dam, but it was very amazing to think of what it took to create such an enormous structure.

Later that night we went to see the Beatles Love Show. It was amazing to see what the human body is capable of. It was equally impressive to see how the creators interpreted the Beatles songs.
A big thanks to Rod for encouraging me to take some time off. Thank you a hundred times to my parents for coming down and taking care of my sick kids. I love you!!! Another great big Thanks to my Mom for loaning me her camera so that I could take some pictures to post!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Eye Doctor

Friday, I took Parker to have his eyes checked. He rubs his eyes a lot and also squints quite a bit. Needless to say, I was worried so I thought it would be best to see if there was a problem. He did a great job. It is super hard to check a 3 year olds eyes, but Dr. Pyne did a great job. He had to have his eyes dilated, so he was lucky enough to get these great glasses to wear home. In the end, the doctor determined he is slightly far-sighted, which most kids are. His need for glasses is borderline, so we decided to wait and check his eyes in a few months. I'm glad that we don't have to mess with glasses just yet. It made for an exciting adventure!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Happy Birthday Rodney!!

I know that this is about 2 weeks overdue, but I just want to do a quick shout out to my sweet husband during his birthday month! There are so many reasons that I love him, but I just wanted to list a few....
He stands by my side through thick and thin!

He makes me laugh! (Sometimes "with" him and sometimes "at" him!)

He loves God and sets a great example for our children.

He supports our kids in the many different things that they participate in.

He loves his "girls" more than anything!

He can make a mean breakfast. His scrambled eggs are unbeatable!

He has a great smile.

He's my best friend and he loves me unconditionally! He puts his family first and I can always count on him.
I love you! Thank you for being such a great husband and father!!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Watch out Drivers!

Watch out neighbors! Wesley is now the proud owner of a drivers' permit! For the next 6 months he will have to drive with someone 21 years or older, and then drivers and pedestrians every where, BEWARE!

In all seriousness, I just can't believe my oldest child is learning to drive! Yikes! Where did the time go? He is already quite a good driver and very cautious. I am excited to have another driver in the household who can run some errands for me, but more importantly, just take himself where ever he needs or wants to go! (You can tell he is excited because he never allows me to take a picture of him, especially one that causes a scene like this one!)
CONGRATULATIONS WESLEY!

Arrow of Light

Braden received his Arrow of Light last month. It is the highest award a cub scout can receive and the only one they can wear on their boy scout uniform! Way to go!Four boys from his troop received the award at the same time. That certainly says something for good leaders! He wanted to go to Cold Stone to celebrate. I thought that sounded quite expensive, so instead I made him a cake. This picture with the arrow "through" his head cracks me up! (Rod and I are soo happy here because we don't have to attend another pack meeting for five years!!)
Way to go Braden! YOU ROCK!
(Thanks Mom and Dad for allowing me to borrow your camera until I get a new one and for fixing my computer!)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Happy 6th Birthday Halle!


Our sweet little girl has turned 6! It is so hard to believe that time is just speeding by. We had a great day on Saturday celebrating. She invited one friend and we went swimming at the Legacy pool. After that we came home to celebrate with the family. We had pizza cake and ice cream and presents, of course. She got lots of art stuff, a pocket barbie, a boom box (cause she loves to dance all over the house), and a new bike that is her size, FINALLY. So Zoey and Brynnley, come on over when the weather is nice, she's ready to go biking with you!
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Yesterday, on her real birthday, we went with her Dad and Grandma to lunch at the Macaroni Grill. I had once told her how they sing to you in Italian on your Birthday. She decided that sounded cool, but when it came right down to it, she was a little embarrassed by all the attention. After a great lunch, it was off to dance, where we spent the rest of the day. Connor was sweet enough to make her another cake, but by the time we were all together last night, we were so tired we didn't even eat it. Oh well, we have something to look forward to today!
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I have no pictures of the festivities because my camera broke around Christmas. I do have some of my favorites of Halle to share though. I'd also like to express some of the reasons I am grateful to have her in my family.

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* First and foremost, she's a GIRL! It could get quite lonely being the only female in a house. I love having her to dress and shop with.
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* She's a great dancers and learning more all the time. She spends a lot of time at dance, but I love being able to share that with her. I love going to watch her perform and getting her all made up for performances.
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* She is so smart. She can read so well and also do math, but more than that she is just wise. She has the mind of a teenager and can really reason through so much more than you would think.
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*She is so helpful and loving. She is always there to help if I need it.
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*She keeps her room immaculate. (No wait, that last one was a dream I had last night!)
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* She is fun. She is always dancing or singing or doing yoga. Since the older boys just like TV and video games, she livens the place up a bit. It's fun having her around. I guess I can live vicariously through her, since I am always out of energy!
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* She's a great artist. She loves to color, draw, and paint. When she had her tonsils out, my walls were covered with things she had colored. Just recently, when she was working on a project, she said she wanted to be a great artist someday, like her Uncle Jimmy was. I thought that was super sweet!
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* She loves her Heavenly Father and Jesus. She often tells me that I am her best Mother, of course I say, "I am your only Mom" and she always says "What about Heavenly Mother?" I am glad she believes in life beyond this one that involves God.
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* She's just so darn cute! I mean lets face it, if your going to have one little girl and that is it, she better be a cute one. I think we got the cutest!!
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I LOVE YOU HALLE!