Tyler's 1st Birthday!

This happy boy had a very happy first birthday back in March.

The weather was perfect that day for dinner outside.

Then the grandparents came over and we celebrated with cake, ice-cream, and presents.

 We played on the grass for a while with the fun balls Tyler got from Keith's parents.

 Tyler got a couple big bouncy balls that morning from us.

 And we gave him this cute new ride too.  The kids all checked it out thoroughly before they handed it over to him. ;)

 He loved it!  And oh, how we love him!

The past year with this little guy has gone by so fast and yet it seems like forever ago that he was this little.

Here's some of our favorite things about our Tyler:

He has the awesomest deep voice.  He really sounds like a fog horn!

He's almost always happy.

He loves being with his mom, but he loves his dad even more.

He plays the shy card a lot when someone he doesn't know well gives him attention.  He'll put his head down and burrow into me.

He's the calmest kid we have, and I'm so thankful!

He loves the red light that shines down on the floor from our dishwasher.

He gets excited watching the big kids, but is happy to be a baby.

He's learning how to walk, wave, and give high fives, and gets so excited for himself!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Grant turns 8 and gets baptized

Back in February, our boy Grant turned 8 years old.  He'd been looking forward to this birthday so he could become a Cub Scout, but mostly to being able to be baptized.   We celebrated his birthday as a family the Saturday before his actual birthday because Keith was going to be out of town.  He chose donuts for his birthday cake.   I'd say he looks pretty happy about that.

That morning he opened his presents...

...roller blades!

He had a basketball game that day, and then that night we all went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, where he got to sit on the saddle and get sung to.  He thought that was pretty cool.  :)

Grant's actual birthday fell on President's Day this year and he didn't have school.  What luck!  

He got to bring a friend with us for a day at the zoo.

Camille made sure we had our kettle-corn for the occasion.  Geesh, do you think it's big enough?  It's almost taller than her!  Ha!  But seriously, this popcorn is amazing stuff!  I highly recommend it!

We enjoyed our lunch by "Monkey Island".  The monkeys were putting on a good show for us that day.  Brett was thrilled to sit next to Grant's friend.

With Keith out of town, his parents came along and were a great help with getting those cute kids through the zoo.

Tyler had fun playing with Grandpa's hair! ;)

This was the cutest thing ever!  These boys had a journal with them and they were drawing pictures and writing descriptions of the animals.  Their school teacher would be so proud!

Grant's baptism day came in March.  He sure was excited for his big day!

His baptism and confirmation were so sweet.  As soon as he walked into the baptismal font with Keith, he was ready to get dunked under the water.  He kind of stood there nervously like he was expecting to go under at any second even though the baptism prayer hand't even been said yet.  It was really cute.  
He had quite the crowd there to support him that day.  Afterwards we all gathered in our backyard for BBQ pork sandwiches.  It was great to spend that time together with so many family and friends that beautiful afternoon in March.

I'm so proud of this kid and the great boy that he is.  I can't believe that just seven years ago he looked like this.

We've both come a long way.  Him growing up and learning so much and developing his talents, and me learning so much about being a mom.  

He said the cutest thing the other day after Keith and I had been away for the day.  We got home late that night and Grant came up to me and said, "I cried a little today because I got home from school and I wanted to tell you about my day and you weren't here."  Melt my heart!  He has such a tender heart.  I was sad that he missed me so much, but also so glad that our little chats about his day after school mean so much to him.  As Keith's grandpa would say, "He's a keeper!"

Happy Birthday Grant!

Happy Weekend

This has been a busy non-stop week!  The kids and I all took a nap this afternoon.  I only woke up to let Grant in from school and then I fell asleep again on the couch.  We slept 'til five!  We must have been really exhausted!
Now to get dinner going, but first I had to post this picture of Camille from today.  She was watching me put on my makeup this morning and wanted some on her.  So I came up with this and she loved it!  I whipped up the cat ears really quick with a headband and construction paper.  Isn't she cute?!  
Happy weekend!

Happy Easter 2017!

Easter is my favorite holiday.  This year felt especially wonderful.  It was a beautiful day spent with the people I love most.  

The three oldest kids got to sing the song "Gethsemane" with the primary kids during Sacrament meeting.  It was so sweet to see Camille up front for the first time with the Primary kids. She was such a ham up there singing all of the words and smiling like crazy.  My eyes watered up, but I think it was mostly from holding back laughter at how funny Camille was to watch.  The messages given in Sacrament meeting were thoughtful and inspired and drew my thoughts closer to the Savior and His love for us.  

Earlier that morning we had a nice breakfast of creamed eggs (hard boiled eggs sliced into a white gravy and poured over toast — a well loved recipe from my childhood) and read a story from the Friend magazine about Easter.  Then we all got in our Sunday best before searching for Easter baskets.  

After church we snapped a few pictures and then were off to the other side of town for a delicious ham dinner at my cousin's home where I snuggled up her two week old baby boy.  We ate and enjoyed each others company.  The kids had so much fun playing.  Then they all fell asleep in the car on the way home.  That always makes for an easy bed time!

I love this cute boy's happy smile.  He was born on Easter Sunday last year and this Easter he took his first steps!  And I love that other cute boys smile too! ;)

 Brett loved getting his peas-in-a-pod in his Easter basket.  It's become an inside joke with us so I knew he'd love them.  Here's the story of how it started.  
I got a hammock for Christmas that's green, and the kids would hide in it and then pop their heads out and say, "Peas in a pod!"  Then when we were eating snap peas one day Brett opened his up and showed me the peas and said, "Hey Mom!  Peas in a pod!" And then he swung the pea pod like a hammock and said, "Hammock!"  And then we both laughed really good.  So now peas and hammocks are forever tied together in our minds.  These particular peas can be found at the Disney store.  :)

A simple setting for Easter breakfast.  I like to set the table for breakfast the night before for special occasions, especially for Easter and Christmas.  It sets the mood right away for the kids when they wake up. I hope that it helps them feel how special the day is.

 Trader Joe's had some great spring flowers so I braved the Saturday crowd and searched out the perfect bunches of flowers while Camille and Brett followed me with their adorable kid sized carts.  I was so worried they'd hit somebody's ankles with their carts in that crowded store, but we made it!  At home I put together this arrangement for us and a similar one for my cousin to welcome her new baby.  

I think one of the things that I love most about Easter is how simple it is.  I put up decorations, but not as many as Christmas.  It isn't quite as commercialized in the world as Christmas.  I like to keep it that way in my home.  It has my mind swirling already with how I can simplify our Christmas decor and keep it beautiful and directed to the true meaning, while keeping a little bit of the fun.  Just some thoughts.  Have a great day!

Camille Turns Three!

Our girl turned three last Tuesday!  The first thing she said when she woke up was, "I want to eat my cake!"  Luckily we were able to hold her off with a few fun presents.

After watching a video (that Keith and I stayed up way to late putting together) about Camille's past year, we ate up some yummy german pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.
She spent the day riding her bike around inside.

Grant was home sick from school that day, and he and Brett were nice enough to supervise the cake making process.

Camille had requested a pink cake.

She woke up from her birthday nap just as I finished her cake.  She said, "It's so pretty!"

And then we set it in the refrigerator for later.

She was so patient waiting for Grandmas & Grandpas to come over that night to celebrate.

She was excited to open up some great gifts from grandparents.

And then it was finally cake time.

What a great three year old our girl is turning out to be!

She is energetic and spunky.  Her heart is full of compassion for others who are sick or hurt and quickly tries to help them.  She loves her brothers, even if she fights relentlessly with Brett!  She's always loved running around with the boys and yet she is thrilled to put on a fancy dress.  She loves to sing.  One of her most loved songs is Gethsemane.  She requests watching the music video of that song every night before bed.  She loves to have ice in her water.  She follows me around all day and likes to wiggle her way into the middle of everything I'm doing, whether it be putting on my makeup or cooking in the kitchen.  And she loves washing dishes in the sink.  She could spend hours doing that!

Happiest Birthday Camille!

Last Day of School!

I sent Grant to school today in his PJ's and Santa hat.  Brett's preschool is having their Christmas party today.  They must be having fun because I can hear their happy voices behind my house.  (Since his school is right behind us).  It's a half day for Grant, and I'm so excited to get both boys home from school for lunch and then we're making a batch of Chex mix and watching the Polar Express!  And it's a rainy day!  I'm so excited to snuggle these kids and enjoy time together at home!

Yesterday I got to spend time with Grant at his classroom party.  It was so fun!  There were at least 10 parents there helping and I had a fun time chatting with the other mom that was helping the kids build powdered sugar donuts.  Grant has an awesome teacher and such a great group of kids in his class.

 I also made this wonderful cranberry bread yesterday!  This bread totally tastes like Christmas to me!  My mom made it when I was growing up and I get the best memories of Christmas when I eat it.

 Here's the recipe, just incase you want to taste it too!

Cranberry Bread

Sift together: 

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Add:

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup orange juice

2 TBS melted butter

2 TBS hot water

Mix Well.

Fold in 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans), and 1 cup cranberries that are cut in half.

Pour into well greased loaf pan.  Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes at 325.

Remove from pan immediately.  Rub top with butter (optional).  Store in refrigerator.

I've made mini loaves of this too and it works beautifully.  

Keith surprised me with a trip to the movies last night.  He arranged for his parents to come watch the kids and we took off to go see the new Star Wars movie.  It was good! And it was fun to spend some time together celebrating our anniversary on our actual anniversary.  And it's always great to let somebody else tackle bed time for us!  :)