Taylor Family

New Years!

2012-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

I really hope they never take away being able to explode fireworks on holidays away from us ever again! It is just too much fun! We had a great time with some friends. I could have stayed up until the wee hours of the morning but we have 8am church which I ended up ditching and sending Brian to do our nursery calling anyway. Oooooops. 2011 is going to be hard to beat but 2012 is going to be one awesome year as well! I can feel it!

Christmas

2012-01-15T14:09:00.001-08:00

This was a fun holiday season for us. Though Christmas day was amazing, the week leading up to it was just plain awful. Our family, except Brian, got some sort of stomach bug. We usually host Christmas Eve for Brians family and it wasn't until Friday night when I felt myself getting a little sickly after cleaning up vomit from 3 kids all week, that Brian decided we were going to cancel the party. I was so sad but relieved at the same time. I had already planned and purchased all the food but all other preparations were put on hold because of the sick kiddos. Sure enough, I was sick that night and so grateful we had cancelled it. My only hope at that point was that I would be well enough to wrap presents and have a good Christmas on Sunday. My prayers were answered and we had one fantastic Christmas day. My parents outdid themselves with the Christmas meal. It was so very pretty and so very delicious. They do such a great job! It was the best Christmas yet!

Disneyland!!

2012-01-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

I posted ALL of our Disney;and photos on FB with details about a lot of them. I have very few blogger friends that don't have FB (You know who you are-get in the loop and get a FB account!). Anyway, I'm not writing any descriptions because that would just take too long. Here are just our pictures of our first and well earned family vacation. So grateful we were able to go and for the memories we will have forever!

Thanksgiving

2012-01-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

I hosted Thanksgiving this year for the first time and only got one picture. Not that I decorate cute or have fancy tables but the food is usually nice looking. :) I fried a turkey for the first time and just completely loved every minute of preparing a Thanksgiving feast. I was meant to be in the kitchen for sure!

This is a picture with Brian's grandpa- Grandpa Lee. He is such a sweet man and I'm so glad he was able to come. It was a nice day.

Halloween

2012-01-15T13:10:00.001-08:00

Halloween gets better every year. My kids literally couldn't stop talking about Halloween and Halloween decorations until the day of Christmas when they realized an even better holiday exists.

Pumpkin carving!

Jaxon insisted on being black spiderman and Ryker was happy to be the regular spiderman. Although I hate these types of costumes, it was nice that it was easy and they were cheap. They REALLY loved them and if they're happy, bla bla bla. Maybe this year I can get them on board with something cooler.
We went trunk or treating with cousins. Super fun to walk the distance of 50 cars instead of 50 houses. Ingenious idea!

I had this made after I saw it online somewhere. She was determined that I wouldn't get a good shot of her and I didn't get what I'd hoped but these will work. Love this girl!

Tee Ball!!

2012-01-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

The Boys started on their first tee ball team. It was so fun! Ryker was a little young and didn't have much patience for it. He also didn't like when someone else snabbed the ball before he could but other than that, we enjoyed it. Oh, and this was back in September. I'm trying to catch up today.

This was the first game. See how patient Ryker is- he's up in his ready position eager for that ball to come.

Jaxon was a hot shot chasing the ball around on the field.

Harlee turns one. BOO HOO!

2011-10-12T14:43:00.001-07:00

Classic Harlee grin. She has a sweet picture taking grin and then this sillier one. It's my favorite. These outside pictures were taken the day of her birthday.

Not afraid to get her hands dirty- That's my girl!

"Yes, I'm quite pleased with myself, thank you."

What can I say about our miss Harlee Jo (besides being the most beautiful and amazing daughter in the whole world *unbiased observation of course)? I know for sure that at her rattiest, bugary, tired, crankiest mess, I still couldn't be prouder. Thank you Jo, for a wonderful first year. I love you, baby.

Doctor's Appt on the 11th:
Weight: 19lbs 3oz- 25%
Height: 29"- 50%
Head: 18.25"- 75-90% (ha ha)

Jaxon's 5th birthday party

2011-10-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

I was a little crazy this year. I let Jaxon have a sleep over for his birthday and then had Harlee's birthday the very next morning. AND GUESS WHAT!? I LOVED EVERY MINUTE! It all went so much better then I could have imagined. The kids all got along, they seemed to have fun and most importantly, Jaxon had a great birthday! They painted pumpkin jars, hit open a pinata, played on the tramp, destroyed the house, and got about 5-6 hours of sleep. Ha ha! Can't wait for next year! :)

At the Farm

2011-10-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Jaxon's class went to the farm on a field trip. It's the same one we go to every year as a family- Vertuccio farms. The price is good and they have so many fun things to do there! We had a GREAT time! Our favorite was this giant "air pillow" they've got. Even us old folk joined in the fun. I want one in my backyard. I lost a pound that day after jumping and running around on it. Ha ha!

Harlee's 11th month

2011-10-12T14:30:00.001-07:00

When I have her hair like this, my family calls her a "who". Very sweet if you ask me.

Dove hunting-yuck

2011-10-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, I decided to sit this one out this year. I don't get the excitement but it's wonderful that my boys have a tradition with their dad each year. They were so looking forward to it and had a great time- fetching the dead birds.

Swimming Fun!

2011-10-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

You'd think they were fish! They are pretty photo-genic kids but get them under the water, and you're just in for a treat!

I hate getting older

2011-08-15T22:14:00.001-07:00

Why do birthdays bother me so much now? I hate the idea of this time in my life moving past me so quickly. Even when I was younger, looking through photo albums of my siblings when they were young made me tear up and long to relive those moments. I have always been a worrier. Think too much about the future and the "what may comes". Maybe that's my issue. Time to get over that! I turned 29 today. I can still celebrate-I'm not 30 YET! I can't guarantee that I will make it with a smile through my next birthday but I will enjoy my last and final wonderful year in my 20's. I love my 20's! A lot of amazing and most of the best things in my life happened during this time. Hopefully all of that can just shift and continue as I turn 30 (ugh, *shutter*). Until then, happy 29th birthday to me! Thanks hubby for making it a special day. And Applebee's, your service was wonderful, the food was delicious and your singing voices were to par. To the kiddos, you were pleasant at the restaurant and 2 out of 3 of you were good all day. (Ryker on my birthday = finding guest bath filled with toilet paper, flushing latex glove down toilet (at least you owned up right away and notified proper authorities), broken soap dispenser, crayon on door and wall, broken crayons, Vick's Vapor rub on self and brothers bed, and lemon and almond extract on self). Hope you got it all out of your system Mister!!

Jaxon's first day of preschool!

2011-08-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Jaxon has been looking forward to this for a very long time. He was so ready today! I was proud of myself. I didn't tear up a bit. I was excited for him. Maybe it's because it's only 2 hours at a time and I do miss him but I know he's loving it and it will be short. My awesome friend Kristen moved close to us and started up a preschool and she has exceeded my expectations. The room is set up so cute and Jaxon learned a lot in just the first day. It will be a fun year. We can save the waterworks until next year.

Harlee is 10 months!

2011-08-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

This girl was not having the whole "dress me up and smile and squeal at me to smile for pictures" bit. I should know by now that picture time should not be when it works best into my schedule but when it works best for this little pistol. This top pic was the best I could get out of her.
They insisted, as usual, to be in the picture with her. I loved how I caught this because as you can see, Harlee is hurting Jaxon (which he didn't admit. He was either acting tough or adores his sister so much that she can do no wrong. I choose to believe the latter) and Ryker's true feelings for her are showing through though he doesn't always admit as freely that he loves her.
Harlee is taking steps and both boys are so excited about it. They love to help her along. Some nicknames they have deemed for her- pretty girl, pretty princess, and big girl (this is a new one with the walking and all).
Can they be any sweeter? They are very similar on the outer and and in the inner. They truly love each other and it melts my heart.
This is how she was most of the photo session. Her minor cold probably contributed. She's cute no matter what though. Love you daughter!

Harlee is 9 months

2011-07-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

She doesn't wear dresses that often lately because she crawls now. Skirts really get in the way and she's not quite sure how to handle it but to glare at the dress.

I love this.

This is how she looks when she sees one of her brothers. She loves them so much.

Sick again. Seriously.

2011-07-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for my kids to get sick and stay sick. It has been, to be honest, a miserable summer in that aspect. Poor Ryker had another wheezing episode (had the same thing happen last year at this time). This time they gave us a machine to take home and keep. Poor kid. He also had ANOTHER ear infection. I guess his allergies aren't super great. On top of all that, Harlee is teething and big time! I really miss sleep. Sleep, can we please meet up sometime soon? I'm having a hard time without you.

4th of July

2011-07-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

We have an awesome large brick square area in our backyard which is perfect for fireworks. We are grateful San Tan Valley allows us to purchase and use fireworks. We have had a lot of fun the last year because of it. Here we are just before lighting everything off. We enjoy it more than driving somewhere crowded, sitting in a crowd, and trying to leave with the crowd. It was a fun day.

2011-06-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

All 3 kiddos got ear infections at the same time. Ryker was complaining of ear pain so I took him in. Meanwhile, Jaxon's sore eye was getting worse by the minute. When the doc was done examining Ryker, she suggested checking Jaxon in for his eye. Turns out he had pink eye with the ear infection. Aren't my boys too old for this ear infection crap? As I drove away I thought "I should have had them check Harlee since today is a Friday". Sure enough, she was up screaming all night. Took her too urgent care the next day and ear infection #3. Might as well, right? I'm already dishing out medicine. I found my boys like this shortly after the doctor. Ryker is aiding his poor sick brother. They can be so sweet (sometimes).

Ponytail!!!!!

2011-06-18T22:37:00.001-07:00

I know, right? I am so excited!

Harlee Jo @ 8 months

2011-06-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

My oh my how this little girl has changed in the last month! She's got her two bottom teeth, she crawls, she pulls up, and she's more beautiful than ever! She is just barely getting over her second ear infection within the last month and is as happy as can be. She loves her brothers and loves pretty much anyone else who will smile at her. I don't know what I'd do without her little ray sunshine beaming throughout the house.

Swim lessons

2011-06-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

My boys love going to Suzy's each year for swim lessons. They did so well and are like little fish now. So excited to take them to a pool. I have yet to swim this year.
They get to go down the slide the final day of lessons. Seriously, Suzy is the best!

Ryker is 3- what the heck?!

2011-05-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is ridiculous. I might, just might, have a melt down if any of my kids get any older. I am pretty good at hiding my dismay though because I LOVE throwing them birthday parties, which is a funny thing. We are in a generation where kids have parties every year and some of the time, people that come are friends of the parents, not necessarily friends with the child. I did not grow up with this concept. Good thing it works for us. Having people over is one of my hobbies I think. I really enjoy spending time with friends and family. And I won't kid myself. As Monica on Friends would say "I am always the hostess".

Ryker has been talking about his birthday for months now. We had so much fun and he could hardly hold his excitement in. I forgot to get a picture but some friends of ours brought a commercial sized dino bounce house. They own it and will rent it out for $50. They also have a girly one. Pretty good deal. The kids went crazy for it.
I was so excited to find this black dragon pinata. I knew there was no way I'd find a Godzilla (my boys' obsession) one but this was pretty close.
He got a lot of cool presents. He opened them so quickly I don't know where most of them came from. Thank you to all. He seriously loves everything he got!
Grey teeth from eating the head of his Godzilla.
A Godzilla cake of course.
A couple days before, we took some pictures because I guess overcast days are the best for photos. I thought they turned out cute.
Love this beef cake!
Playing in his new tent. There were a lot of boys there!

Happy birthday little man. Mommy loves you!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful mother's day. I first want to say, I LOVE my mother. I wish I had done a better job at appreciating her while I lived at home. I mean, I was close with her then but not nearly as close as I am now. Maybe because I can relate now I think. Here is why she is so amazing:
1. Had six kids in 11 years. She started when she was 19 and ended at 30. She is still alive to tell the story.
2. She birthed Scotty. It's a funny story to hear especially if you know her and my brother Scotty. I get to hear the story at every birth. I am thankful for epidurals. That's all.
3. She can hear the same story 50 times and still act interested every time. Seriously. Each member of the family can come in and tell her the exact same thing and she listens. What the?? Who has that kind of patience?
4. She avoids any and all confrontation. She is the peacemaker.
5. She is probably the only one in the family that can give us constructive criticism or advice and we don't get offended. We come to an understanding. She is really good at helping us see the FULL picture.
6. She gave her life to us kids. I remember asking her a long time ago what her hobby was and she said "shopping for you kids". Looking back, it still would have been good for her to have had a hobby. She may have enjoyed us kids more BUT, she devoted herself to us. We always knew our mom would be there ANYTIME and would help us with ANYTHING.
7. Speaking of shopping, this woman can shop. A running joke in our family -she saves my dad thousands of dollars every year with her amazing saving skills. :) No but really, she is good at finding the bargains and she was always surprising us with little gifts we didn't even know we wanted or needed. I'd come home from school with a present on my bed. I always felt very loved knowing my mom thought of me. She is still this way with us today.
8. She is kind and thoughtful towards others even if she doesn't really like them. Both my parents were great at teaching us how to respect others and how to be friendly. Because my dad didn't avoid confrontation as much as my mom, she gets the brownie points for this one.
9. She is funny and fun to hang out with. I could talk to and hang out with my mom everyday.
10. Lastly, she is my best friend. This may sound cliche but I really have no clue what I'd do without her. Thank you mom for every little thing you ever did for me and continue to do. I love you so much!!

Mother's day brunch. My second favorite holiday. I had such a great time.

Me and my kiddos. I'm going to admit it, being a parent is not exactly how I envisioned. I thought I would be a lot better at it. However, it is way more rewarding than I ever expected it to be and though they can be a handful at times, my kids are really incredible little beings. I only work two days a week but while I'm gone, I miss them so much and can't wait to walk through the door and hear they're excitement and joy to see me. Being a mom is the only thing I ever imagined myself doing and I am so grateful that God entrusted me to raise these angels. I hope I can do it right and I don't fail Him or them. Thank you Jaxon, Ryker and Harlee for letting me be your mom. I love you more than my heart can hold.

Harlee is 7 months

2011-05-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

So happy I have such photogenic children. Another mommy-trait. They just jumped right into Harlee's little 7 month photo shoot.

Hiccup trick actually works

2011-04-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

A while ago Jaxon had hiccups. We decided to try a few things just for fun. We scared him, made him hold his breath and then finally, I hung him upside down to drink water. To our surprise and amusement, it worked. The second time he got them he asked specifically to be hung upside down. I did it pretty certain our luck wouldn't continue. Ha! It did. So now, this is what he does when he gets hiccups and by golly, it works every stinkin time!

**Oh yeah, Roxy is back and here to stay. My brother trained her and talked me into taking her back. She's a lot better now.

Capes!

2011-04-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Check out these capes Aunt Amanda made! They are so dang cute! Thanks Manda! We love them!

Booster seats!

2011-04-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ryker has been screaming bloody murder about his back hurting in his car seat. We decided to get them big boy booster seats. They like them a lot and so do we!

Harlee is 6 months

2011-04-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty certain I can't love her anymore than I do right at this moment. Not true, I love her more already.

Stats:
W: 14 lbs 15oz 25%
L: 25"- 25%
H: 17"- 75%

Friend time & BIG boy Ryker

2011-04-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

What else is an empty entertainment unit good for? We love having our friend Kaeden over!

Note: See that Ryker is wearing underwear? Yeah!!

Toe sucker

2011-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

I love to hear her smacking on her toesies.

Brians 29th birthday

2011-04-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

The one birthday out of the whole year I don't have to do a fancy cake for. My man is a cheesecake fan. This was a good one too. It was 3 layers- vanilla, chocolate, and butterscotch. We had some friends over to celebrate. It was a lot of fun. One more year till he's 30. We're getting old. :(
These boys have no fear. Uncle TJ got these boys flying!

Happy St Patricks Day!

2011-04-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

Harlee is 5 months

2011-03-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

7th Wedding Anniversary

2011-03-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

We didn't get to celebrate this year. With Brian's work and all the birthdays going on in February, and with it falling on a Monday, we just took the kids to Olive Garden with us for lunch. It was pleasant.

Valentines

2011-03-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

Love day was on Monday but the day before the kids went to church in matching red gear.

This picture cracks me up. We had just started taking pix and Ryker was not in the mood for it. Of course Jaxon was and it really annoyed Ryker. Hope everyone had a fun Valentines!

Moses 1:39

2011-03-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

Jaxon gave the scripture in primary a few weeks ago. Today all of a sudden he started rehearsing it to me. Brian tried to help him memorize it at the time but Jax never quite got it. This kid has his fathers memory for sure.

Bye bye Roxy

2011-02-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

Well, that was short lived. Sorry to disappoint but I really hate dogs. I mean, I feel for them and all but I really hate being their caretaker. I have enough on my plate and the last thing I need is to deal with a pup. Nothing personal Rox. You do what all dogs do and I just can't handle it. Brian thinks I have a mental issue but I don't care. Tonight is our last night with her and I couldn't be happier. If anyone would like to have this dog, let me know. She is staying with my brother for now but he can't keep her.

Meet Roxy

2011-02-17T16:41:00.000-08:00

No silly. I still hate animals. Especially dogs. Well, it's not that I hate them. I love them. OUTSIDE of my home. My poor animal loving husband had come to terms that it would be several years before I agreed to be a dog owner. I have allowed all sort of reptiles though, which seem to have a high turnover rate at the Taylor home. Brian can't seem to decide which he likes best. Okay, back to the reason for this post. Long story short, my brother has been feeding this dog for the last few months-at the office. Yep, it's a stray that took a liking to Metric Roofing and its employees. My brother, Craig, finally trapped and caught it one morning, took it to the vet, got it fixed up (including shots), cleaned her up, and brought her home. Next was the hunt to find her a home. We were asked and I slightly considered it and mentioned it to Brian. BIG mistake. Once he realized it was a possibility, he begged and pleaded for me to get her. So here we are. Dog owners *shudder*. She is super sweet and attached to my boys (who love her more than candy. That's a big deal). She does what she's told, doesn't bark, and stays to herself. I couldn't have asked for a better pet but all pets, no matter how good they are, poop and that's what I hate most. And I hate licking and this one treats my kids' faces like lollipops. Ugh! If my kids weren't so happy, I would have no problem kicking her out the door. Oh what a mother wouldn't do for her kids. I was a pretty good mom before, but now I'm the bomb-diggity. Oh, I forgot to mention she's only about a year old so we'll have her for years to come. Yeah (this is definitely sarcasm)! No really, I'm happy she has a home and a loving one. She seems to fit right in and I'm really trying hard to not treat her like a big germ. :) Welcome home Roxy.

Jaxon and football

2011-02-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

We signed Jaxon up for flag football this year and it is quite hilarious. He has scored 2 touchdowns so far and seems to like it (except when someone has the utter gall to pull his flag-HOW DARE THEY!).

Harlee's closet and 4 month pix

2011-02-12T11:59:00.001-08:00

This is her at one of those times she pokes her tongue out for like an hour at a time. I don't get it. Is it fun? Does she want to lick me? Is she mad at me? What?

No, it really doesn't get much cuter than this.

Yes, those are skinny jeans. I KNOW!

This pip squeak has been so delightful. She has been the happiest baby ever! This is her on her 4 month birthday just as happy as can be.
Tried to get some cute pictures of her on her 4 month but she wasn't up for it while there was still light so these are as good as we got.
My little princess. Can you tell how much fun I am having dressing her up? I am so loving it! Here are her stats:

W: 12 Lbs 11 oz- 25%
H: 24 1/4"- 50%
Head: 16 1/4- 50-75%

Our whole family is just in love with this angel. We couldn't have asked for a better addition to our family. I'm not sure if her sweetness will last so we'll enjoy it as long as she gives it to us.

How Ryker "rolls" the dice

2011-02-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

Snails and puppy dog tails

2011-02-12T11:49:00.000-08:00

Random but I thought these itty bitty snails were a tinsy bit cute. My boys love to collect snails and watch them walk around. I just wished they had a better place to use than my kitchen table. Smelly boys.

Congrats to my Awesome Man!

2011-02-12T11:41:00.001-08:00

Brian finally got a technician job at TRW! He has worked so hard for it and we are so stinkin proud of him. We have been so blessed he's been able to keep this job the last few years while they've had hundreds of lay-offs. He was very low on the totem pole when the recession began so for him to still be there and get a big promotion is HUGE! He works harder than anyone I know and it was overdue and well deserved. Congrats luv.

Harlee Jo @ 3 months

2011-01-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

Rykers

2011-01-07T20:50:00.001-08:00

I realized today that I do an awful lot of bragging about my oldest and youngest but what about my middle child? Is it because he's in the middle? Is it because he's my most frustrating? Maybe it's because most of my day is consumed and focused on him that I don't feel the need to write about him. It's quiet, where is Ryker? What is he getting into? He's moving a kitchen chair-what is he reaching for? Is that crayon or playdough in his mouth? He's hungry-again-what should I feed him? He's crying/screaming/yelling-what happened? Jaxon is crying/screaming/yelling-what did Ryker do to him? You can imagine how exhausted I am not by the end of the day but by the middle of it. He's not a bad kid, he's just ridiculously active. Well, he does love to hit and pinch people but at least we're passed the biting stage. I think it's a way to release some of his energy. He doesn't want to cause people pain but it's like a need for him to squeeze things. I loved it the other day when he was running around and ran by Brian, pinched him in the arm and kept going. He gets along best with my brother's because they wrestle with him and encourage this kind of behavior but he is seriously the happiest when he's with them. Maybe I have a future wrestler on my hands-sigh! On the upside, he has the biggest and sweetest personality of any kid you'll ever meet. It's like anything, it seems like the best comes out of the worst (if that makes sense). Here are some of his lines. Some make me laugh and others melt my heart:

"I love you too much"
"You're my best friend" (picked that one up from Jaxon)
"Just a few more couples"
"You're my good boy" (yes, he says that to me)
"I'm just nothing!!!" (when he is caught doing something)
I tell him to share so he hands over the toy and immediately says "he's not sharing!"
He calls Jaxon Jaxonian and tells others to call him that
He refers to himself as little tyke
He has refused since the day he turned 2 to say he's 2. He'll correct you and say he's 3
If Jaxon yells at him he tells me "Jaxon talked to me like that!" Because I always say "don't talk to me like that".
His positive responses go a little like this and not always in this order "Sure. Probably. Yes!!"

I'm sure I'm forgetting some but that's my boy. I do love him dearly. He brings a lot of laughter to our home and he just adores Jaxon and Harlee (most of the time). :) I look forward to the day where he will hopefully be less work but I do try to enjoy these moments because even as tiring as it can be, I know I'm going to miss this like crazy! I love you too much Ryker!

Jaxon's "Almost" Surgery

2011-01-07T16:46:00.001-08:00

My little Jaxon has a hernia. He's had it since birth (we didn't realize it till a year ago). We've finally gotten around to getting it repaired. Our morning started dark and early. I was up at 4am to get kids ready and to my sister in-laws house (Liz watched Ryker and Harlee for me since Brian wasn't off work yet) by 5:30. Jax needed to be at the hospital by 6. His procedure wasn't until 7:30. As you can see, it was already a crazy start with a decent amount of waiting around. At 7:30 the nurse called the doctor who was supposedly running late and wouldn't be there until 8. Okay, whatever. We can handle 30 more minutes. So he finally gets there and I was a little annoyed that he didn't even seem sorry for making us wait but again, whatever. He says it shouldn't be too much longer. 15 minutes later he tells me we should have done the procedure yesterday because doing it today doesn't work with his schedule. Information that might have been useful when I scheduled the appointment and he said I could do it today. He said he needed to have been reminded that we were coming (supposedly his staffs fault, not his) at 7:30. Sooo, he hadn't planned on coming in before 8 all along. He then throws in, we can't do it until 9:30. But he was certain he could do it in 15 minutes so no big deal (he's still not sorry for being a jerk). Here are two kicker's for you. I think he's somewhere between 70 and 80 something years old so I was already a little weary of him cutting Jaxon open but then as he's telling me he could do it in 15 minutes, I said "see ya!" because the nurses all said it would take an hour. I don't need his old hands rushing the surgery. I told him "forget it, we're not waiting that long. We've waited too long as it is. We are leaving". At first I was FURIOUS!! I still am but then as the sweet and apologetic nurses came in to talk to me, I realized how all of it happened for a really good reason. He was absolutely the wrong doctor for the job and the gals recommended some other great ones to me. Again, we were being watched over. Even though it stinks I have to visit yet another doctor and reschedule this appointment and go through it all over again, it was so for the best. Only A++ doctors for my babies. The good news is, Jaxon got a doggy he named "Ruffy" and a cool decorated face mask. Oh, and his first ride in a wagon. He was so good and so sweet. When the nurses asked him his name, he always answered "Jaxonian". They thought it was hilarious. And when we were in his room getting ready to leave he could tell I was upset and didn't understand why we weren't leaving right away (we were waiting for them to get paperwork ready). When the nurses came in to help, he told them I didn't know how to get out. Ha ha!

SNOWWWWW!

2011-01-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

We were so excited that it snowed! Although, we really didn't have snow attire so we drove about 3 hours total to play for 30 minutes. That's okay. The kids did great in the car and we had some fun family time. This was the best picture we could get with most of us in it. The boys were insistent on trying to make a snowman and had no interest in pictures. I gave up on the snowman and gave them the carrots for a snack.

Christmas Eve and Day!

2011-01-07T14:31:00.001-08:00

Soooooooooo, 2010 was one of my favorite years! It was also my most stressful. Got to take in the good with the bad. We moved, rented out our house, had a baby, and evicted our tenants. Yes, they were HORRIBLE to us! Such a long story but we kicked their butts out 3 days before Christmas. Ha ha ha ha! Sweet sweet victory. They left the house a mess (of course) but we were so blessed to get some amazing people in there for January! God was very good to us this last year and I'm so thankful for everything we experienced. Even though the rental situation put a slight damper on our holiday, we still had a great one! And I was once again reminded that as long as we make right choices, we will be blessed. FOR SURE!!
Grandma Bonnie got the boys this sea life light thing. All the boys were memorized-just a smidgen.
Aren't these so freak'n cute? I like to do gingerbread houses every year and Target came up with this awesome idea of selling a kit with a bunch of miniature different houses-same price as a normal kit. These were so fun! I just need to get more people involved with this tradition I am desperately trying to start/continue.
After one or two pictures, Jaxon asked me to stop taking pictures. I guess I was interfering with his "opening his presents" time.
Jaxon helping Ryker open one of his gifts. They were so sweet. We learned this year to do stockings last. Once my kids see candy, who cares about anything else.

Harlee in her Santa outfit.
Harlee and Nana!
My Aunt Alta getting her baby fix.
This is "uncle". For Christmas my family got us a trampoline. Uncle brought it to the house and helped assemble. The kids LOVE it! We were heading to my parents house and I told them they needed to thank Nana and Poppy for the trampoline. Jaxon said "nana didn't get it for us. Uncle Scotty did". Ha! Love him!

These boys had quite the time wrestling and riding their poppy and uncles.
Brian's sister Amanda made them these way cute hats. We sooooo love them!

Princess is 2 months now!

2010-12-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

I completely forgot on 12/10/10 it was her two month birthday. Luckily my aunt happened to take some pictures of her but I haven't gotten them yet so these are from today. Isn't her outfit adorable? It's a little big still but I'm just so darn anxious to get her into all these cute clothes. Although it was a little sad today, I folded up and put aside all her NB size outfits (except for one that still fits). :( Her 2 month appointment was Monday. Here are her stats:

W: 10 lbs 9oz- 50%
L: 22"- 25-50%
Head: 15.5"- 50-75%

She is definitely my smallest baby. Jaxon was over a pound bigger at this age and I thought he was such a runt. I'm grateful she's packing on the pounds at a slower rate but they're packing nonetheless. Funny story about her appt.- so the doctor asked if I've been doing tummy time. She asks that question at every visit to which I normally reply "no" and she scolds me for it. So this time I decided to lie and I said "yes". She put Harlee on her tummy and the twerp rolled right over. Something I may have mentioned she was doing had I actually been doing tummy time. I think the doctor may have caught me in my little fib. :)

Harlee's Blessing

2010-12-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I really stunk in the picture taking department today. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of our family together or at least Brian with his daughter whom he blessed today. Grrrr. At least I got a few in her pretty little dress.

The dress was very soft and simple. I loved it!

Is this not the sweetest thing ever? She will follow in her brothers' footsteps and adore her poppy like they do.

Since Brian's been working nights, it's hard for him to come to church with me (at 1pm). I've been taking both boys by myself for a few months now and I've only taken all 3 alone once. It was nice having him there with us today. I love blessing days for my kids. It's a very spiritual day for me. It's also "proud mama" day. It's one of the only times I also take the opportunity give my testimony in church. Brian asked if I was going to do it and I said yes, aren't I supposed to? He said no but I can't not do it with how much I've been blessed with. We have a few obnoxious stressful issues we've been dealing with lately but one thing that brings me comfort is my family. I love them so much. I love my husband and children with everything I have. I have a lot of reasons to be grateful.

Harlee is 1 month today!

2010-11-10T14:17:00.000-08:00

My darling baby girl is one month today. I hate doctor's appointments when they're this little because it's evidence that they are growing and FAST! Here are her stats:
W: 8lbs 15oz- 25-50th%
L: 20 3/4"- 25-50th%
Head: 14 3/4"- 50-75%

So the results from her doctor visit today... she's still perfect!
Here's another shot from today. Caught her smiling which is actually quite a chore.

Loving this angel more and more everyday! Still looking forward to when she sleeps through the night.

HALLOWEEN!!!!

2010-10-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of people who don't like this holiday but I really love it! I have great memories of it and seeing how much my kids love it makes it all the more better! This year Jaxon was a dragon (again-recycling costumes is the way to go!), Ryker was a shark and my little Harlee was a ladybug. They were doing family pix at the trunk or treat and I figured since we sadly have not gotten one of ALL of us together yet, I was going to seize the moment but Brian was not nearly as enthused. I'm not happy with how I look but since everyone else looks so darn cute, I decided to post anyway.

Seriously, my kids are the CUTEST!!

Took forever for the trunk or treat to start. It took like an hour for everyone to eat chili. Ryker is pretty pissed about it.

As well as Jaxon but he wasn't nearly as vocal about it.

I want this mummy!

My boys loved carving their pumpkins. Can't believe we're onto Thanksgiving now. I LOVE this time of year!! And I love my family of five. They are my greatest accomplishment! I won't lie though, I'm pretty tired. :)

Random pix

2010-10-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Jaxon has been super photogenic lately so I wanted to post some of his goofy pix. Then of course some of the new babe and our trip to the corn maze, although we did not do the corn maze.

She had a hard day apparently. All that yawning and laying around can really ware a person out!

The proper way to roll the dice

2010-10-19T20:31:00.001-07:00

We were playing Cooties and Jaxon needed a 2. Now why didn't I think to trick people like this?

Baby Harlee Jo

2010-10-12T13:52:00.001-07:00

We are finally home with our newest little gem. Harlee Jo was born 10.10.10 @ 11:35am weighing 7lbs 13oz and was 20" long. We just love and adore her!! Below is her story if you are bored and would like something to read. :)

I went in to be induced on 10.09.10 at 9pm. I was happy she hadn’t come yet so she could have this very rare and awesome birth date of 10.10.10. It was nice having everything planned and ready to go. We get to the hospital and it was equally nice to go straight to the delivery room. They get me all situated and it’s time for the IV. No one likes this part and I’ve never once had a problem with getting a needle in (I’ve got amazing veins-ha ha). My luck with that ended. They stuck me 4 times to get the darn thing in and working. Talk about painful! But I had to have the IV because I was positive for that strep thing and needed the antibiotics. Once the IV was in, the nurse checked to see where my cervix was at. A few days prior, I was at a 2. I had been having a lot of strong contractions since my appt. so I was hoping for a 3. Then the coolest news ever…I was at a 4/5!! My labor was beginning on its own! How cool is that? I go to be induced only to find out I don’t have to be! Wahoo! And the fact she came naturally on 10.10.10 made it all the better. So I’m thinking, this baby is coming within the next few hours-awesome! They were going to start the pit when they began the meds but decided it might pick up things too fast and she’d come before the 4 hours I needed for the meds to be in me. Because getting the IV in took so long, I didn’t start the antibiotics until 10:30. During the next 4 hours, my contractions were really picking up. I want to say it was about 1:30am that I NEEDED that epidural. What a beautiful thing-the epidural. I don’t know that I’d survive without it. It’s the best invention/discovery EVER! I was so happy and comfortable after having it. So at 2:30 the nurse decides to hold off on the pit (they were still going to use the pit to speed things up even though I didn’t need it to start labor) to see if I progress quick enough on my own. She checks me at 4am and I’m only a 5.5. Grrrrrr! How can that be? So we start the pit. My doctor comes in (in his suit-he’s got church today after all, ha ha!) at 9:30 and checks me and guess what? That pit did nothing-still only a 5.5. I was very frustrated at that point. He breaks my water and hopes that will help. Thankfully, that’s all I needed. I could feel the epidural wearing off and I started feeling a lot of pressure. The nurse checks me at about 11 (I think) and I’m to an 8 but I think the baby’s heart rate dropped because everything seemed very tense and they called another nurse in and put me on oxygen. I was starting to panic. They called the doctor and told me after a few minutes the baby is doing better and we’d be delivering soon. I was so emotional all of a sudden. I couldn’t fight back tears at the thought of finally meeting my little angel. I usually cry but it’s not till after the babe’s are out. The doc gets there and it turns out she was not facing the right direction which is why I couldn’t progress and why nothing happened until we broke the water. With my next contraction, the doctor had me push while he turned her around. It took nothing at all and she was finally fully ready. The next contraction I pushed once and her head was out. The doctor was hilarious with that push-you know how they make you push for 10 seconds? Well, he got to 8 and then said, “8 and a half, nine, nine and a quarter, etc…” I started laughing and he told me to go again and I had a hard time getting started because I was still laughing so hard. It’s hard enough to push for that long without breathing so to add to it, well, shouldn’t have been funny but it was. So I push again and out she came. I want to say it was 2 pushes but it could have been 3 with that contraction. I already can’t remember. But the fact it only took 2-3 pushes was amazing to me. It is usually at least an hour or so of pushing. It was also weird because I don’t think my last dose of pain relief totally took affect because I could feel her limbs as they came out. I’d never felt that before and it was cool but only because it didn’t hurt. She came out perfect. Her head was perfectly round and skin was perfect. He plopped her on my belly and I could feel she was heavier than my last 2. She was pretty big for being a week early. She’s my biggest so far. It was an amazing experience and we are thrilled to finally have her. The docs okay-ed us to come home a day early so we got to leave the hospital yesterday. We love being home with our family altogether. My awesome parents and siblings watched the boys for the two nights we were gone and my boys had such a great time with them. I'm so grateful to live by my family and for all their help and support. They are the best!!

Jaxon was skeptical when he saw her the first time but once he had the opportunity to hold her, his little heart melted like I'd never seen it. He already wants another one. Silly boy! He hates to leave her side and always wants to hold and help with her. He's such a good big brother.

We were terrible this go around at pictures. My sweet mom took quite a few and posted on FB. We sadly didn't get one of us with the boys.
Ryker's first time holding her. He is equally in love. Both he and Jaxon thinks I made her for them. Ryker told my mom I gave her to him. He's so cute with her.
Dolled up and ready to go home!

Those are tattoo's-in care you're wondering. That's what siblings are for, right?

I know having an addition will be an adjustment like all new babies are but I haven't been more excited for this one. I love having a girl and I just so love this little girl!!

Jaxonian's Birthday Bash

2010-10-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, time to explain his nickname. When Jaxon was born, Brian often called him Jax-on-a-man-yule. Not sure if anyone can pronounce that with how I spelled it but from there it became Jaxonian and/or Xonian. Then Ryker is my Little Tyke or Tyker. All kids have got some sort of a name their parents created, right?

Now onto our (almost) newly turned 4 year old. Aaaaaaaaaa, do I really have a 4 year old? Since next Saturday the 9th (which is his actual birthday) is my induction day, we decided to celebrate today. To begin, Brian purchased this 65 lb+ turtle from a coworker a few days ago. It became part of Jaxon's present. The boys LOVE her. She is cool. We even caught Ryker riding her.

Then today we had his party. We were planning to invite ALL our friends but decided to go smaller. With being 2 weeks from my due date, and the space in our house, and finances, we kept it to mostly family. Jaxon has been looking forward to it all week. We had such a great time. He spent the day with the people he loves most and loved every present he got.

Of course pinata's are a hit at every party. All you parents know you like it for you too! Kind of like trick or treating-we get to benefit from it also! :)
I let my kids check out the toy isles at all the stores. I never buy anything and they never ask-seriously. Until one day they put a brand new remote control Iron Man on the shelf. Jaxon begged and pleaded for me to let him take it home the first time he saw it. Even though I thought it was overpriced and not as cool as it should be, did I have a choice but to get it for him for his birthday? Do you see how happy he is? It doesn't leave his side.
Then of course, yet another Iron Man cake. What my baby wants, my baby gets. It wasn't anything special. I've got a stomach sticking out further then I ever remember it and I'm tired. Luckily, it was good enough for my boy.

I love this kid. He has been nothing but a blessing since the first day we met him. He's well behaved and the sweetest kid you'll ever meet. If you didn't see it on my FB page, I made a post about how he is always telling me how much he loves me and that I'm his best friend. He's also added, I'm his favorite mommy in the whole world. Seriously, is there anything sweeter a mother can hear? He is my angel and we just adore him. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us today. We have such wonderful family and friends.

PINK Baby Shower!

2010-09-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

I had been looking forward to this day for a long time. I love spending time with friends and family and I love shower's (all forms of that word). I didn't really get a baby shower with my other two kids (except for a few awesome ladies threw me one at work for Jaxon). So it was nice to have one this go around and for it to be for a girl-all the more better! My mom went all out with decor and favor's and sadly couldn't even be there. :( I know, right? I very much missed her but grateful for everything she did for this party.

She bought this mini crib. Isn't it cute? I'm sure Harlee will enjoy putting her dolls in it.
She MADE this diaper cake. I am super proud of her for this one. Way creative and so cute!
Mini bottles filled with sixlets, candy bars and the vase in the back had these pink lollipop feet. I'm going to say there was enough sugar.
She had planned to make cupcakes so I did it for her. I ran out of time and energy to put the bows in their hair and I realized later the brown headed babies look like they've got a piece of turd on their heads. I completely forgot to take pics of all of them all set up but luckily there were a couple left over. I wouldn't have picked these ones for pics but I had no choice. They came out okay. They were also my fave flavor- Lemon filled with lemon cream cheese filling.
Seriously, if there is one thing I have no will power for, it is sugar cookies. Most of them were supposed to be left at my families house but turned out a lot came back with me. I was up all night with heart burn. I didn't have cookie cutters for shoes so I had to mold these. I wish I had more time to be a little more clean and perfect but just what I did was hours of work. But man, they do taste good!
This picture is all family. So glad most were able to make it!
My sista drinking the delicious punch made by the one and only Kristen Waldie!
I loved all the games! We did the price is right with baby items, read quotes from baby books and had to guess which books they came from, guessed baby parts on ultra sound pictures, and decorated baby bibs (I picked which one I liked the best).
My grandma!
Seriously, these ladies are like family. Kristen (in the middle) stepped in to be my surrogate mother for the day. Which it's funny, she watched us as kids so much that she was like a second mom but now, she is one of my dearest friends. Love that lady! To the left is Emily. We were like sisters growing up. And Andee to the right-I remember rocking her to sleep when she was a baby. They did a lot to help out with the shower and I love and appreciate them SO much! Thank you ladies!
Dalaine is also basically family. We've worked together now for several years and she actually hosted my work shower 4 years ago. I don't know how she tolerates our family. She patiently listens to me, my father and the rest of my siblings at work. Grateful she's still around! Sad this picture came out all bright and faded but I had to post still. She does a lot for me. She deserves the friendship award for sure!
I decided opening presents in front of people is quite awkward. The moments of silence and, I don't know. Grateful of course for everything and the effort put into the gifts but I think most of us would agree that it's not the most comfortable situation. But that's how it is and I'm cool with it. It was still fun and the best part is coming home with everything and organizing it. Even putting the diapers away has been way fun!
Oh yeah, we also played the bottle drinking game. The pictures didn't come out great but it's quite funny to see grown adults drinking from a bottle. Ha ha ha!

And of course, my sister's. Shelli did quite a lot to get everything set up. When I walked in the door, I was so impressed and excited. I love these girls so much. They are awesome young ladies!

Thanks to everyone who came! Another weird part about shower's (I decided) is it's hard to get all the socializing with each person that I want to. It's a brief chit chat with one and then on to the next. Hope each person knows how grateful I am for them and their love and support.

My doctor is the BEST!!

2010-09-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

So I had my regular preggo check-up today and I sheepishly asked my doctor what the likely-hood of delivering this baby on 10.10.10 would be. I didn't think there was a chance because I'm due the 19th which is over a week and the 10th is on a Sunday. I figured asking was a long shot but what did I have to lose (according to my dad who said to tell him we'd pay him-ha ha!)? It didn't sound like anyone else had requested it yet because he thought for a moment and played around with the idea. He said they don't induce sooner than a week early but he checked my last ultrasound and according to it my due date is the 16th. He said we could go off that date and therefore it would be okay to induce at that time. He suggested setting a tentative time on the 9th at 9pm that way there is room in case someone else needs to be induced that takes priority. He also said it would depend on my cervix but we could do some things to help that along. I of course said "serious? Let's do it!!". My husband was shocked and excited as well and said "watch, she'll come earlier than that now." Ha ha! I won't complain if that happens of course but how exciting that she could have one of the coolest birth-dates ever!! I'm way happy! Yes, my doctor is the best and I totally recommend him to anyone- Dr. Beck.

Dove hunting (I don't get it)

2010-09-04T21:28:00.001-07:00

September one-Brian looks forward to it every year. He leaves early in the morning to shoot 10 birds, comes home, cooks them, and eats them. He won't admit (though it's true) in order to make the breasts taste good, they must be marinated and cooked in a strong sauce. Without it, they would be and are NASTY. Yes, I tried them once ages ago and vowed never to make the mistake again. This year, he decided it would be fun to take the boys. I didn't think they would enjoy killing an animal. They love animals. But I was wrong. Turns out, animals are as equally fascinating alive as they are dead. Who knew. So the second day of the dove hunting season, I decided the whole family should go out and see what all the fuss is about. I guess opening day is packed with birds and by day two, has dwindled to a disappointing low count. So we took a nature walk (A.K.A.-waiting for daddy to get a good shot). Finally, after we were ready to give up, one flies right in front of us. Brian being the pro shooter, takes it out with one pull of the trigger. It falls to the ground and struggles for life. The boys run after it and Jaxon quickly scoops up the suffering bird. It dies in his hands (I know, sad right?). The boys seem un-phased by the whole experience. I'm standing there thinking "what the hell is so fun about this?" Anyway, that was our morning. The boys loved it and daddy got to show how awesome he is at killing birds. I will not be going again.

Here, Jaxon is showing Ryker the blood on and dripping off the bird. Hope no one (if any) read this right before a meal.

Combined birthday celebration

2010-08-21T21:05:00.000-07:00

My crazy mother hates the heat more than anyone I know. "What did she do to make her so crazy?" You ask...she had 5 out of her 6 kids in the middle of summer. 3 of us in August. This year we did a combined birthday celebration and it was so fun! Our dinner was a variety for all the picky eaters in the fam. Sushi (my fave) BBQ and pizza. Everyone was able to enjoy something! :) The cakes had the correct number of candles for each of us. Me- 28 supposedly, TJ-27, and Scotty-21. As you can see, that created a whole lot of smoke! I'm happy to share my birthday month with two of my bros. My parents were great making it such a fun and special evening for us. Love my fam!
I kept trying to get a picture of all of us looking at the camera and smiling but I couldn't get it to work out.

My boys adore their uncle Craig. Ryker looks so much like him it's ridiculous. Acts a lot like him also.

Big thank you to my awesome parents. They really are the best and no, I'm not being biased!! It's an actual fact.

It is WAY to stinking HOT!!

2010-08-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

So I try to venture out of the house to do something fun and different with the kids but end up regretting it every time! I can barely breath outside the comfort of A/C. Instead, we have found a few daily projects that my kids are obsessed with. One of which is "making animals by gluing" as Jaxon calls it. Now I don't trace or get ideas for anything. I literally just cut shapes in hopes it looks like the animal requested and the boys glue the limbs together. We've also done painting, preschool activity books, play-dough, reading, games, etc. It's been a fun summer but I'm so ready for it to be cooler.

We made some "spider hats."

Jax is gluing up some blue baby turtles.

I took them to kids club at the mall and all they wanted to do was play on the giant turtle OUTSIDE in the heat. ugh!

Sad...I think not! Happy Birthday to me!

2010-08-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my previous post, Brian has to work and was asleep this evening. I went to church with the kiddo's from 1-4 and came home and cooked a quick meal. I sat and thought, cake and ice cream is one of those things my family does religiously each year for each of the kids. My family was out of town so that didn't work out this year. I planned to have a regular evening but decided last minute that DANG IT! I want cake and ice cream! So I ran the boys to the store with me (I know, it's Sunday-bad! And believe me, I paid the price. They were embarrassingly awful in the overcrowded store). They picked out my cake. I gave them an option of 3 cakes because I don't like store-bought chocolate and I don't like whipped frosting. They picked the least best looking one out of the 3 but oh well. We came home. I let them assemble 20 candles on the cake. I decided to celebrate my 20th birthday. It was a lot more enjoyable to believe I was only 20. :) I was the photographer so the pics aren't great. I got a picture of us blowing out the candles (after they so sweetly sang to me) but I cut off the tops of our heads. At least you can see our puckered lips. Ha ha! The cake was surprisingly good and the kids loved it. I don't think it's sad I bought my own cake. I don't think it's sad I only celebrated with my two rugrats. And I definitely don't think it's sad I had to pretend I was younger to feel better about it. What I do think is sad...none of it. I had a great evening and got what I wanted!

Birthday Eve

2010-08-14T15:04:00.001-07:00

Brian has to work all weekend and since my birthday falls on a Sunday, we had a little outing today with the boys. And where do i just love to go?? The mall. Even though I can't buy a whole lot, I am very much my mother's daughter. I love to just look around and see all the fun stuff. Plus, the kids love it. There's the pet shop, the candy store, the book store, etc. I love to do the photo booths but Brian-eh-not so much. But since it was MY outing it was a must. Afterward, we went to Texas Roadhouse for lunch. I forgot my cam so I didn't get a picture of that but it was a real treat because we NEVER go out to restaurants, especially with the kids. It was a simple and pleasant day. I finished off the afternoon with some Sour Patch Kids which happens to be my big preggo craving this go around. I have to say, this is the first year my birthday has meant very little to me. It's just one year closer to 30 but I'm not going to think about that. At least it's an even year for me...28!

And her name will (probably) be...

2010-08-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Brian and I have had the hardest time deciding on a girls name. Why is it so hard?? To be honest, he is not in love with this name. I think a lot because he doesn't get a good reaction from a lot of people when he suggests it but also because it's not his top pick. I LOVE the name. And I'm okay if you hate it. With my last child being named Ryker, I am used to people hating it or loving it. Luckily, I have complete control (with my husband-sort of) to name my children how I please just like everyone else. Soooo, don't feel like you'll hurt my feelings if you don't like it. Nuf said. When I was reminded of the name by a family member, I tossed it to Brian expecting an immediate no. He gave me a maybe. After a few weeks of trying to convince him, we decided to drop it because it just wasn't going to work for him. Sadly, my grandpa whose name is Harley (where it derived from), was recently diagnosed with cancer (the bad kind and I don't know what the official name is but it's blood cancer). My sweet husband upon hearing the news, told me I could have the name, knowing how much it would mean to me and my family. I've always said I don't like "officially" naming a baby before I see him/her because they need to look like it but this time I'm pretty certain unless I get a weird feeling about it once she's here. Me and the boys painted these letter's and hung them up in her room. The colors match the bedding perfect. I am excited. I don't give my hubby a lot of the kudos he deserves but he's a good man and I'm grateful for him.

No more monkeys jumping on the chairs!

2010-08-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

08/12/2010

08/11/2010

08/10/2010

So my little stinker Xonian (I'll explain the nickname another time) almost broke his little nose. Those of you with boys, know how rambunctious they can be. Our two just love to climb and jump off things. We've got a couple of chairs upstairs that no matter how many times we tell them not to climb and jump from them, they always do. Finally, Jaxon paid the price for not listening to his parents. He leaped from one chair to the other and fell short slamming his nose into the wooden arm of the other chair. I took a picture of his nose for the last 3 days because he seems to wake up worse everyday. The pictures don't do a whole lot of justice to the damage but it swelled up pretty well. And by yesterday, the swelling moved up right into his right eye. Brian calls him Avatar. Ha ha! He does sort of look like one. I do hate it though. I feel like a totally different kid is living with us. I miss his cute little face and profile.

Lots of pix

2010-08-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, someone messed with my computer and I can't see the pictures I'm uploading so I'll need to do catch up another day. Here are some church pictures I took this last Sunday. We were ready early enough for once to take some. :)

New goal

2010-08-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have decided I want to be a better blogger. And like a lot of my friends, turn it into my journal. I do a "decent" job keeping journals for my kids but I've really slacked at doing something for myself. And lets face it, my blog has been nothing but a photo album (and a sad one at that). With my new blogging goal, it will also force me to be a better photographer. I have been terrible at taking pictures and I don't want that regret when my children outgrow me (which I'm certain will never happen-but just in case). Whether anyone reads this or not doesn't matter. I'm sure someday my kids will and that is what matters. So let's get started!

I am one who is a big fan of even numbers and I despise odd ones. The volume, microwave, number of M & M's I eat, all must be an even number. Now, I don't go ballistic if it's not even which I why I don't consider it a sickness. We've all got our quirks. As 2010 approached, I of course was feeling very optimistic. I just KNEW it was going to be an amazing year. Now, I don't know if it's because it's an even year or because of my optimism, but so far that thought has lived true. It has been a great year! 1. We're expecting our 3rd child and 1st girl. Come on, now that's pretty darn exciting. 2. We moved into a new house. The reason that is so exciting is because we've felt every negative feeling about our situation in our other house. It was meant to be a starter home and an investment and it looked like it was turning into neither. We were out money on our home and it looked more like a 10 year plan than a 5 year one. BUT, we knew we couldn't leave it. We were both grateful to have our jobs and grateful to have a home we could afford. As sickening as the home prices had become, especially in Queen Creek, we wondered if there was a way we could honestly take advantage. So we mused the idea of possibly purchasing a new home and renting our old one for the same cost. Hmmmmm. Brilliant idea if I do say so myself, but was it possible even a little bit? The risk of finding renters, fixing up a fore-closed home-it was all a little much. We toyed with the idea for about a year and decided it was time to see if we could. We didn't want to someday regret not even trying. So Brian got it started and it just happened. We were blessed to find renters right away and blessed to find a home we love. I feel very much grown up after this experience and like many times in my life, felt the rewards of doing the right thing.

Basically, those two life changing events are what have made this year so memorable. Along with our health and other reasons not as dramatic, things have been great. Although, this has also been a sad year for death and sickness. Brian's Great Grandma Grace passed away earlier this year. She lived in Utah so I was as close as one could be to an out of town relative but I loved her dearly. She was in her 90's when she passed and she was one of the sweetest people I've met. I find myself remembering that I need to write to her and it hits me that I can't. Another one is Brian's grandfather. His passing was a shock to everyone. A heart attack took him very quickly from us. It was hard to see my husband grieve for his loss. We found out about a month ago that my grandpa has cancer. I was blessed with the opportunity to visit him in Arkansas with my mom last week. It was my first trip away from the kids. I had a great time with my mom and I was happy to see my grandpa. We found out today another one of Brian's great grandma's is very ill. I hope we don't lose anymore relatives this year and that everyone can keep their health.

Well, that is a VERY brief synopsis of my year so far. I am going to post over due pictures in the next post and I am going to work very hard at posting more often and recording my life. I just want to say I love my family and grateful for the blessings of this year!

Cute singing little angels!

2010-06-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Fo Sho

2010-05-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

It was confirmed yesterday- a girl it is! So weird saying "daughter". A lot of change to get used to this year but all of it is good!

Big News!

2010-04-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

So I realized I have some blogger friends who do not have FB so some of you don't know our big news. Yep, you guessed it...Pregnant!! Woo hoo. And even bigger news...Girl!! I'm 15 weeks and had an U/S yesterday and though she had her hand in an inconvenient spot, the doctor was pretty certain baby was a she. We'll confirm next month but remembering my boys U/S's and how obviously boy they were, this one is definitely girl. It was so fun to see her for the first time and now our family will be complete! We're not closing the door on a possible 4th but we are for sure happy and grateful for what we have. Due 10/19/2010. Hoping for 10/10/10 (wouldn't that be so cool!!).

2010-so far...

2010-02-14T18:05:00.001-08:00

Time to catch up a bit. We've had a few very funny moments this year and I so need to post the proof. I had a good feeling about 2010 and it's already going by too quickly but we're loving it! This is definitely going to be an awesome year-I know it! So the picture above is quite obvious. Ryker found the marker's.

This was tonight. I'm still trying to get these rugrats to put all the books back.

I'm doing the dishes and all of a sudden I hear Ryker-"mess. I spilled." No clue how he got yogurt on his head/face like that.

This was hysterical! The Lincoln Logs tube was literally stuck to his perfectly huge head. He was crying and I was laughing my butt off and snapping pictures. I'm not a very nice mother. Poor baby. I almost had to break out the Crisco but somehow we managed it off.

At the park-weather has been perfect!

Dr. Doolittle caught a couple pigeons. Gross huh? We brought bread for the ducks and all the pigeons on the planet heard about it and flew over to us. The kids loved it.

Me want more cake!

Ding dong the goats are gone! But really, they asked for it. We came home from church one day to find them in the house. For those who don't know, they are not indoor animals. If I had had a gun, they would be dead. Although, it makes me sad to see this picture. The boys just loved them.

We got a Wii for Christmas and the boys even love it. Here's Jaxon skiing. And yes, he's wearing the smallest size underwear they make. :)

Hope everyone else is having a great year as well!

Halloween and the FAIR!!!

2009-11-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so perfect this year! We found the perfect costumes for the perfect price and the weather was perfect-cold so my babies weren't hot all night! Jaxon loved being a dragon and painting his face. Ryker surprisingly wore his costume and let me paint his face too!

Brian just had to get these weird contacts. He all but cried trying to get them out. :)
Jaxon and Klayton got tired at trunk or treat had rested in some bushes.
Ryker pretty much whined all of trunk or treat. He was much happier on Halloween but I sadly didn't get a better picture of him.

We didn't carve pumpkins until Sunday...we just did not have time before Halloween to do it.

So we went to the fair yesterday and had so much fun!! It was how I remembered it as a kid. Indian Fried bread, rides, and prizes.
This was our fave. Both Jaxon and Ryker went through this mirror house and both kept running into the windows. It was so funny! It looked painful but they didn't notice. They loved it and everyone watching laughed at them every time they hit a wall. :) ha ha ha! This picture was taken of Ryker seconds before hitting the window.
Jaxon wasn't quite tall enough to ride ride's alone but the fair people don't question anything so we let him and he was so proud of himself. I went on a spinning ride with him and he giggled the whole time. No sound makes a mother happier, well, besides no sound-that's nice too.I really don't like this ride but Jaxon does. Heights freak me out. Ryker went on a horse ride while Jaxon and I did some others' since he wasn't tall enough at all. He loved it though. He was a good sport.

We also did the photo booth and charactertures (sp?). If I can figure out how to scan them, I'll post because they are super cute! Can't wait to go again next year!

10 Reasons why I love Winter! & pix of the corn maze

2009-10-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

1. Cheaper Utility bills-except for water, those hot showers are hard to break away from.
2. Can take kids out of the house and play at the park!
3. Sleep is so much better!
4. I don't have to shave my legs as often. :)
5. Cold air just smells better, right?
6. Can use my oven in the middle of the afternoon (no seriously, I am loving that!).
7. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
8. I like my winter clothes better than my summer ones.
9. I can leave butter on the counter and it won't melt.
10. Getting cozy by a fire with my family!

The boys liked pretending to milk the cow.

The tractor ride.

Jaxon loved to lead us through the corn maze. We couldn't find any of the hole punches. Are they even really there?

These things were so cool! We want them!

The boys really like rocks. Here is Jaxon showing Ryker a rock.

Jaxon's 3rd Birthday

2009-10-12T15:57:00.001-07:00

Another fun Jaxon birthday. Actually, this was the first of my kids' birthdays that most of our friends were able to come to, which turned out to be a good thing because most of my side of the fam wasn't able to make it. Here's a few pix in random order. I have tons more but not the time to post them all. Maybe I will on facebook...

Jaxon sang happy birthday with us of course. He loved his Iron Man cake!
Grandma and Grandpa bought him some little frogs. What little boy doesn't love that?

Ryker's cute attempt at the pinata.

Couldn't find an Iron man one so we went with the next best thing...dinosaur!

This is their Christmas present so we pretended to rent it for the day. This bouncer turned out a lot bigger than expected and the kids had a blast!

We let Jaxon open his present from us the day before (his actual birthday anyway). Can't go wrong with a big Iron Man. He carries it everywhere! Plus we knew if we didn't give it to him then, it would be trumped by the grandparents present's at the party. :)
A chick-fil-e opened up by us and has a play thing. We sooooo needed that. We took Jax there and he had so much fun!
I took a gazillion shots to get this one. I couldn't get the kid to sit still! I just want to say how much I love this little dude! He has brought more joy to our lives than we ever imagined. It's weird to look at him and see this little boy and not the baby I like to think he is. Thank you Jaxon for being such a great son and also for being an example to me. I pray more than anything for you to continue to be the little happy ball of sunshine you are. We love you!

Thanks again to everyone who came. We have awesome friends. Also thanks to my parents for lending their empty house to us for the night. It was so nice!

Fun Jaxon Video

2009-07-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Summer Fun!

2009-07-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Time for a quick catch-up post. We have been having one of the best summers ever! Our kids are at the perfect ages and have been having so much fun with them! I have billions more pictures than this but I picked one or two from all of our activities. Here goes:

We finally put grass in and we love to set up the whale pool for the kids. It tucker's them out nice for their nap time. :)

We've been to the lake a couple of times and our boys love it!

Isn't Jax a stud on the jet ski? Ryker loves to ride also.

We have gone to Superstition Mall a few Thursdays for the free show they put on. The boys enjoy the free snack and toy but their fave is the free carousel ride.

Here's Ryker's, enjoying the toy and show.

We decided to splurge and put Jax into swim lessons and we're glad we did. He loves it and is quite the swimmer.

We took the cub scouts on a field trip to Falcon field and my boys had a blast. The helicopter's were awesome!

We've been to Jungle Bounce a few times and the boys go nuts! There's a cute chick employee Jaxon latches onto and pulls around everywhere.

For Memorial day we spent it with my side of the fam at my grandparents house. The food and pool were just what we needed. We spent the 4th of July at my grandparents ranch in Colorado. It's a 14 hour drive one way (yuck) but my awesome dad rented a couple of RV's for us to ride up in. It really helped with the comfort level. We had so much fun! We don't get to vacation often (more like ever!) so this trip was a real treat for us. The boys were in their element-getting dirty and playing outside all day. Big thanks to my parents, family and grandparents for the vacation. We really loved it! All the pictures will be posted on my facebook page.

Ryker Party

2009-05-23T23:21:00.001-07:00

Isn't this a great picture (nice job Shell!)? Brian stops Ryker from touching the flame right as the candle is being blown out.
These two friends sat right here, at least half of the time, pigging out on cheetos and M&M's.
Ryker loved his cake! I made a separate cake, without fondant, for him to dig into. I love these moments!

Ironically, his favorite present was the green ball-the least expensive of them all. Thanks Kaeden and Sheeva!
Our buddy Rustin was kind enough to help Ryker open his presents...so thoughtful! :)
We were so excited to borrow this water slide and thought the kids would love it. Well, Jaxon ended up being the only one to climb up and down and after a half hour, all the kids had enough. Maybe we'll try again next year. Here is our happy birthday boy at the end of the day. With cake in his belly and frosting in his hair, he was ready for a nice long nap. Thanks to everyone who came and made the day so much fun! We love you all!

My Baby Turns One!!

2009-05-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it has been a year already since this happy little butterball graced our lives. Since we're throwing him a party Saturday, we didn't do the regular b-day stuff today but we did take him to McDonalds to play for the first time. He LOVED it! Here he is laughing at me. For some reason he thought it was funny when I leaned over to share my ice cream cone.

I had to go with him through the kiddie tubes (yuck!) and he was so excited, he didn't know what to do with himself. He loved every bit of it until we came out the end of the slide and he realized we weren't in them anymore. :)

See, he's happy long enough to snap a picture and then next is the screaming of bloody murder!

I think Jaxon is finally getting a little more photogenic for me. Thanks son!

I loved his ice cream face but Mr. grumpy pants daddy kept wiping it off!

Here's a picture from earlier this week when Ryker fell asleep on our jet-ski ride at the lake.I was just helping my mommy hang up the clothes. I don't know why she's laughing so hard. :) (In case you can't tell, those are my shorts!)

Anyone ever see "The Office" episode with Jello?

2009-05-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

My funny, funny family thought it would be just so hilarious to put my stapler and mouse in Jello...well, it was actually pretty hilarious. They of course made sure to use green Jello as I have a very small obsession with that color.
Check out my awesome new green camera! It can take pictures under water! My dad and brother went to Hong Kong and Hong Kong has some electronics for cheap and I asked them to pick me up a camera if they had one in bright green. Obviously they were successful. They were also the same two people who ruined my office supplies at work but I hear it wasn't their idea...SHELLI! It was a pretty fun day and I'm excited to come up with a pay back plan-anyone got any ideas?

Ryker @ 11 months

2009-04-21T18:23:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my baby will be 1 in a month! He has been the best baby lately. He sleeps awesome at night and naps 4-6 hours a day. He is officially walking and doing great with it. He and Jaxon finally play great with each other and keep themselves entertained long enough for me to catch my breath. :) I heard them the other night alternately screaming "da da da da!" It's the best feeling in the world to see your kids happliy playing with each other. Anyway, I love my kids like crazy and I hate how time goes so fast but I love to watch them grow into these awesome little people. I'm one lucky and blessed mama!

Easter!

2009-04-12T20:57:00.001-07:00

We had a super fun Easter this year. We spent Easter with the Taylor side and had a great time at the Buckles home. We went to the park for a bit and the boys had a blast. We also did an Easter egg hunt in the house. Jaxon doesn't understand (or doesn't care) about collecting as many eggs as possible and then eating the candy inside. He will pick one up, open it, eat the candy, and then go get another one. He went hunting with his cousin and she went to town on collecting eggs while he sat there opening them. Finally, the last egg he opened had no candy in it. He picked up another egg and saw Cali (his cousin) with a bucket full of eggs. He put his egg in it, took the pail from her, and ran away to a nice quiet place where he could eat his candy. I was lucky enough to get it all on camera-quite hilarious! As you can see, both my angels were tuckered out by the end of the day. Happy Easter everyone! Hope you all had a great day too!

New Cousin!

2009-04-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

So it looks like Jaxon loves the new baby better than his own baby. He just loved to hold him and it's the first time since he was little that I could get a picture of him smiling. Congrats TJ and Liz- Trey Jacob Curts, 8lbs 1oz, 20.5" born 04/04/09.

Ryker 10 mos on 03/21/09

2009-04-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a few weeks late but here's Ryker at 10 months. He walks on his own but he is very cautious. He rarely gets hurt unlike Jaxon who fell on his head about 3 times a day on average at Rykers age. He's a big time mama's boy but is starting to warm up to his daddy. He loves his brother and they both have been playing so cute together lately. He loves to dance (got to love the baby bouncing) and he loves me to sing to him. We just adore this little angel.

Brian's 27th!

2009-03-31T14:38:00.001-07:00

Brian's birthday was was this last Saturday and what a fun day. In the morning, his friends came over and they went out to shoot guns (boys and their toys!). They came back and we had some cake and then we went over to his parents house. They took us to the Rain Forest Cafe and I remembered the camera but forgot to put the CF card in it but we had such a great time! We worry going to restaurants with these rug-rats but they did great! Jaxon couldn't get enough of the loud-moving animals. We also went to the mini carnival at Superstition Springs Mall. Jaxon loved it but you couldn't tell with his famous seriousness. :)

I love you so much babe and hope you had a great birthday! You're the best!

5 Years of Wedded Bliss!

2009-02-28T19:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe it hasn't always been bliss but that's life, right? It was a pretty crazy day. Ironically, I had my first wedding cake today but my awesome hubby did great watching the kids while I worked hard on it. He was a trooper. Later he took me to Flemmings and the food was amazing! I love you so much babe and I'm grateful and proud to be your wife. So since I think 5 years is a big deal, I decided to take a questionnaire dealio. Here goes:

Wedding Survey

1.What month & year were you married?
Feb 2004
2.How did he ask you?
At the temple in the rain. It was very sweet but not at all a surprise because I knew he had bought the ring and I noticed a jewelry-shaped box in his pocket.
3.Where did you honeymoon?
The Buttes-super cool hotel but nothing too exciting.
4.Can you still fit in your dress?
It may actually be big- I used to be a bit of a brute.
5.What was the worst gift you got?
A pink homemade giant comforter with stains. It was from Brian's great grandmother who we love but it was definitely not the greatest of gifts.
6.What flavor was your wedding cake?
Either plastic or Styrofoam-don't know what cake dummies they used and I can't remember what flavor the sheet cake was but it was good!
7.Were you a bridezilla?
I don't think so. I really didn't know what I was doing.
8.What's one thing you would change about your wedding?
I would have played a video my dad made for me. He had put together a beautiful video for him and I to dance to at our wedding but I felt it would be weird for me to have a video but not Brian. Little did I know weddings are all about the bride!
9.Do you still look at your wedding pics?
Of course!
10.What colors did you use?
Bright Hawaiian colors-red, blue, purple, yellow, orange, green
11.Where did you tie the knot?
Mesa, AZ Temple
12.Whats one funny thing that happened that day?
I really can't think of anything.
13.How many showers did you have?
Dos
14.Did you cry?
Not really. I got teary-eyed and maybe had 1 or 2 tears but I'm not that emotional.
15.Did you give any wedding favors away?
Flower Leigh's for the ladies and seaweed ones for the men.
16.Who caught the flowers and garter?
My baby sister and our gay friend.
17.Who was your officiant or minister?
I don't remember his name but he was very sweet and gave us some wonderful advice that I remember today.
18.How much was your wedding dress, undergarments and all?
Wow...not sure. I think my dress alone was $1200. Thanks mom and dad!
19.Was there dancing?
Yes but we were exhausted by then so we didn't do much of that.
20.Where was the reception?
Stonebridge Manor in Mesa. So pretty.
21.Would you go back and do it over again?
Duh, who wouldn't.
22.How long did you have to plan your wedding?
Let's see, we were engaged in August of 03 but didn't decide on a date until November. I don't remember when I got started on planning.
23.What kind of car were you in when you drove away?
Malibu
24.How many in your wedding party?
I think 12.
25.Did you do anything different in your wedding or reception?
Like I said, I didn't know much about planning a wedding and Brian and I were the first in both families to get married so it was pretty basic-beautiful-but basic.
26.Did you save the top layer of your cake for your 1 year anniversary?
Wasn't an option. I wish I had gone with a different cake lady.
27.If so, did you eat it? Was it still good?
28.What was the grand total spent on your wedding?
A lot. My wonderful parents gave me everything they could to give me a great wedding and Brian's family even did their part as well.
29.Who traveled the farthest to attend your wedding?
My amazing grandparents and aunt who live in Arkansas.
30. Do you regret having anyone in your bridal party?
No

Ryker 9 Months

2009-02-28T19:38:00.001-08:00

I don't know if you've noticed, but if you look back at each picture of this child, his mouth is opened this wide with a smile for every picture. Other than coming down with croup this month, he has been the most fun baby ever! The last 2 days he has slept 14 hours at night with his regular naps during the day. It doesn't take much for a mother to love her child but come on-this one makes it too easy. :)

Ryker is 8 Months-5 days ago

2009-01-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have been reprimanded for not posting my sons 8 month picture. I'm a little behind on the blogging-2009 is already crazy! So Ryker is doing awesome! He's cruising along furniture, sitting up, pulling up (I love walking into his room and seeing his giant smile peeking over the crib), babbling and growing more teeth. He has one more top toofer to go. We just love this little guy! I came home today from work to see Jax asleep sitting up. Not that it's too weird but I still thought it was pretty cute.

Thanks Santa!

2008-12-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

Like I always say, each year just gets better and better and this year was no exception. Unfortunately, I was terrible at taking pictures on Christmas. I did a lot more video. I did a lot better with pics on Christmas Eve. Here's what we did: for Christmas Eve: we had Brian's side of the fam over for dinner and boy was it delish! Everyone pitched in and did such a great job on their assignments and then some. We roasted and BBQ'd some cornish game hens. They were a lot of fun to make and tasted pretty good. For entertainment we decorated ginger bread houses and played our new Xbox game, Lips (it's the same as Sing Star for Play Station). Brian got it for me for Christmas-thanks babe! For Christmas we got up and opened presents with the kids. Jax liked the candy in his stocking the most. :) Next in line was his quad. He's still a little small for it but he loves to go riding. He'll say "faster, go fast!" We then went to Nana and Poppy's for a beautiful and amazingly delicious dinner. It's been a dream for my dad to have a nice fancy meal and he was able to pull it off even with the unexpected obstacles. Him, my mom and brother Craig worked so hard at making it perfect. It was Awesome! Thank you all so much. They got us a ping pong table this year. Yeah!! Anyone ready to play. I'll warn you, I'm pretty good. :) Thank you to all our family for such a wonderful Christmas. We love you all!!

Ryker is 7 Months

2008-12-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Man this little guy has learned a lot this last month and he has 2 teeth with more on the way. His big mile stones were scooting and eating puffs by himself. He's gotten dang good with picking them up and putting them in his mouth. It's way cute. This boy lu-hoves to eat! As you can see, it was easy to get some smiley pics of him tonight. What a ham! We love him so much!

Army crawl, here we come!

2008-12-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

He actually started this last night but was cranky by the time I got the camera out. This isn't much and is about all he'll do at one time but it sure is cute to watch him try.

Gobble Gobble!

2008-11-27T20:26:00.001-08:00

Another awesome Thanksgiving at Grandpa and Grandma Curtis's home! Brace yourself-there's a lot of pictures. Above is my grandma playing ping pong. Below is a picture of the tomato worm we found. It was huge!

Here is the 5 generations picture on 2 sides. I accidentally picked the blurry one but my Grandma and Grandpas moms are the only great grandparents left. My grandpa has an electric bike and Jaxon went nuts.

Mom and Liz playing ping pong (we played a lot of ping pong).
Sister Shelli and Grandma.

Nana got Ryker a little cowboy style outfit. Isn't he cute?
Boys trying to play football.

My sister Stacy felt there weren't enough pictures of us so we goofed off with the camera a bit. There is more but we at least managed to get one normal one. :)

Pictures of all the tables and people that were there. Here are the mutants at table 9 (Stacy, Scotty, Shelli, Craig & Brian).

Cousin Kevin and his wife Jackie, their girl Melissa and the Great Grandmas.

Liz, Klayton, Grandparents, Mom and Dad. If you're wondering where Jaxon is, he's running around saying "in the garage!). He was super happy to get to play in the garage (he is all Brian).
Here is Ryker taking a nap. He managed to pull his pants off and most his diaper. Aren't those the sweetest cheekies ever!

Because of the awesome rain, my grandparents weren't able to set the tables out on their new beautiful back porch so they set up shop in the garage (which is cleaner and nicer than most bedrooms). We have the dessert table (yum!) and the dinner table (yum X 2!). The dinner table was gorgeous with the beautiful ladder background, don't you think? :) We had such a great Thanksgiving spending time with our family and stuffing ourselves (as we should). Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa for putting it together and for all the delicious food. I want to apologize again for Jaxon breaking your salt or pepper shaker. "Sorry Birdy." Happy Turkey Day everyone! Hope it was as good for all the rest of our family and friends.

Ryker 6 Month Stats

2008-11-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

Weight: 17.8-50%
Length: 28"-90%
Head: 17.5"-75%

He's right on schedule with his growth and mile stones. I rechecked the length when I got home because they seem to be getting that wrong lately but this one was accurate. Jaxon's only 31.5" right now. I think Ryker's going to catch up soon. Doc also said he's big enough for the big car seat. The shots of course were hard but he did really well.

First Trip to the Zoo!

2008-11-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

The boys went to the zoo for the first time and loved it! The weather was great and not too crowded. We went with TJ and Liz and met up with my dad, sisters and brother. They had a lot of stuff they didn't before and all the animals were out and about.

Jax wasn't all that thrilled about the petting zoo. The pic of him touching a goat is the one and only time he did it. They really freaked him out.

Ryker loved riding on Daddy's shoulders.

I know, I'm a dork.

Thanks TJ and Liz! We had a great time. Sorry mom and Scotty that you couldn't come. We hope you feel better bro. We didn't expect my dad and siblings to be there but we were glad they came. They brought a lot of humor to our day. :)

Ryker's half birthday...yesterday

2008-11-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm a day behind. My butterball is 6 months now and is getting more and more fun. I always say every month "this is my favorite stage" but I guess I just love 'em all. He's rolling over like mad and loves to play on the floor. He's still doing the superman thing on his tummy but I expect a little scooter any day now. He's also pretty close to sitting up. He's happy as can be and as you can see, it's not difficult to get a smile from him. He's such a sweety!

Tricks but mostly Treats!

2008-11-01T10:51:00.001-07:00

By far the best Halloween ever! I didn't realize as a teenager when holidays weren't as fun anymore that someday they would be better than I remembered. Here are the pictures of our fun day:

This is pretty much what our little horsey Ryker did all night.

Here he is from the back with his little tail. Awe!
This is my favorite pic of him of the night.

Yes, I'm a horse...of course?

After major protest on my part, my crazy husband shaved his head into a Mohawk and then wore a UPS uniform. What's up with that? It was pretty gross looking to be perfectly honest but it's the only day out of the year he can do it so whatever makes him happy (I guess). :)

Jaxon was a motorcycle dude and his outfit turned out way cute. Thanks TJ and Nana!

I was surprised he kept the bandanna on all night. He knew he looked cool. I have very few pictures of this child smiling.

Stud muffin!!

Once the night was over and the boys were asleep, the hubby and I hung out on the couch and enjoyed talking about the night and were sad it was over. Times are tough now but we have our family and 2 beautiful healthy babies that we're crazy about. Happy Halloween!!

Pungkin Carving

2008-11-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

So Thursday we carved pumpkins with Jaxon. We didn't know if Jax would like it since he doesn't like to get his hands dirty but luckily, he loved it. Afterwards we roasted the seeds and he loves those too! The short one is Brian's and the tall one is mine.

Cluck Cluck!

2008-10-26T14:04:00.001-07:00

Okay, anyone who knows me knows how I feel about animals (if you don't, refer to #7 on my "I've been Tagged" post). I'm not sure what happened, I think something to do with emergency preparedness and thinking the world is coming to an end and the need for chickens for eggs, but I decided it would be a good idea to own a few chickens. My animal loving husband hasn't been able to stop talking about them since I said I'd be okay with it so after much research and preparing on his part, we found our first 2. This is a Araucana (whatever that is) but they are egg layers that lay colorful Easter egg type eggs. She's about 7 months old.

This is a Silky (we had only planned on getting this one but fell in love with the other one and got a good deal for both). These seem to be the most tame and coolest looking. They almost look like poodles. This one is 9 months. She's really sweet. They lay eggs just not as many but we heard their eggs taste amazing.

We're trying to think of names. Anyone got any ideas?

Anyone with boys have one do this before?

2008-10-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

So my sweet little Jaxon snabbed my mascara without my knowledge. I found him on his bed trying to put it on. Brian is freaking out and thinks I'm turning our little boys into girls. I told him to relax and that it was normal-it's the same when he mimics other actions, right?
He did this the other day when he mistook the highlighter to be chap stick. I am supposedly "banned" from doing girly things in front of him now. As if that's possible. What's really funny is I think I could give Jax all my make-up and he would know what to do with each piece.

Butterball Ryker is 5 months!

2008-10-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

He's going to be scootin' around before we know it. Here he is kicking his leggies so hard!
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