The Thomas Bunch

September 10th..Artapalooza

2012-02-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

Artapalooza is always so much fun. Mark was out of town pretty much from mid September until the beginning of December so I had to try to stay busy. My good friend and her family joined with me so they could "help" me with my kids. Honestly in public I need all the help I can get. So Artapalooza is when they shut down part of the downtown area and just have tons of crafts to do, look at and buy. It is so much fun.

Jaylee really loved playing this! Brecken was more into the drums of course.

The girls made fun necklaces.

Bryn gets made because she thinks Nanc is her mom. Yep she even calls her mom and whenever we are together she only wants her... I swear sometimes I think this was their child.

She was persistent until she got what she wanted!

These two were the happiest when they got a bag of popcorn.. I love when they are 3 and so easy to please.

OK so this was like food colored water and you paint the sugar cookie...what a great idea so much less messy!

He just finds the most messy things ever and that is what he is drawn to.

We had a great time and I was so glad to have someone their to help me because by the end I had to take MJ to the car for a time out because he was screaming over having to wait in line...It was soooo embarrassing.

Labor Day Parade

2012-02-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

The kids got sooo much candy, and yet it still wasn't as much as they got the year before! It was such a bright ,windy day, it was actually kind of chilly. Which seems weird for Labor Day it's usually super hot and muggy.

Poor guy was just waiting for the Parade to start!

Random

2012-02-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

Ok so on Labor Day when I lived in Davenport I almost always went to the Labor Day Parade, for awhile my mom organized it my Step Dad is always a part of it, you know I come from a Labor Driven family so it's important to them. This year Mark and I took the kids and on our walk there we say this train...Ok it is just one of those things that I think are beautiful. Something about trains is very calming for me. I love hearing them and watching them. It's weird I know but I am seriously fascinated by them.

Then we saw an abandoned train car so I took a few pics of my sister for fun... She didn't do her hair or makeup and yet still beautiful...I hate her for that.

More Camp Pictures

2012-02-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

Is this not the funniest thing you have ever seen! Really I think I peed my pants I was laughing so hard when he rolled up! It's never boring when everyone gets together I will tell you that!

We had a little Birthday Party because JJ kept asking when we were going to have a family birthday, so her wish is my demand.

My cousin brought her jeep and when the batteries ran out they both tried to fix it! That was so funny to listen to their conversation about how they were going to get it to work again.

Bryn drove the boys around for a bit, she needs some practice.

I love being with family. I hope that as my kids grow they won't take family for granted like I did when I was younger. Family is so important and we have been so blessed to have a great family on my side and Marks side, so I just pray that my children will cherish the relationships that they have with them all.

Labor Day at Camp Sept 2011

2012-02-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Seriously I don't think there is anything better than having no technology and a bunch of dirt, it would be better if I could shower at camp. So we love just going and chilling out at "camp" it's just good old fashion family fun. I have to be honest my family is pretty fun to be around I lucked out for sure. Grandma always gets big hugs from everyone the minute we see her.

Mark and Mark JR.. Really had I known that these two would be sooo much a like in looks and personality I so would have named Brecken Mark.

We went down to the river bank, it looked so perfect! The sky was perfect it was just so amazing.

The kids had a blast getting all muddy.

Getting dirty is Breckens goal in life so this place is perfect for him.

I think if Mark didn't have such a tight grip on her she would have been off into the water so fast, she is going to be a fish.

Cousins...well my sister and my cousin.

The kids were super excited to ride in the back of the truck back to the cabin.

The is the best picture ever...Not only is it so fun to watch an adult hula hoop, but add a cigarette and a beer to the equation and it just makes it that much funnier.

Grandpa and the kiddos.

Mark was showing me his "skills" that we probably need to work on hahaha.

Brecken really want to shoot, but lets be real that is so not happening so he hung out on the back of the truck with the empty shells, he thought that was the coolest thing ever. They love their Uncle Tim, JJ gets all giddy and blushes around him and then runs up and gives him a big love. I love those moments.

My other sister and good ol grandpa.

After awhile Tom gave in and decided to let Brecken shoot the Pigeons out with him a few times.

Trip to Grandma's

2012-02-01T06:48:00.000-08:00

Here is my lil Thug...

Spank Spank Spank..the kids favorite game. So items you need to play: a fly swatter..two is better than one and children. Rules: have an adult hold the fly swatters and chase the kids... FUNNEST thing ever. My kids have been playing this with Grandpa since we moved back and they think it is so funny. It helps that my step dad runs around yelling SPANK SPANK SPANK in a cookie monster voice!

Bryn gives the sweetest little kisses. So we bribe her to get kisses. Grandma loves her kisses!

Craft it UP

2012-01-31T06:42:00.000-08:00

What can I say it is in their blood. My children just love to make stuff!

A Trip from my Bestie

2012-01-31T06:04:00.000-08:00

At the end of August I got to have my BF from AZ come up! She refuses to come when its cold so she has very limited times of coming. She also says once Mark is making the big DR bucks I have to start going back to AZ instead! Sounds good to me. She got to bring her youngest daughter out with her and her and MJ are the same age so that was super fun. My kids love her they even call her Auntie.

Showing the love

The one thing we do whenever we are together is craft. We always make crap, it's so much fun.

The first night we made loads of bows.....

Another night we made this thing I found in a magazine for Christmas.

Addie usually conked out in the chair!

She is so much fun, she is full of sass and I love it bc so are all of my kids so she fits right in here!

We dropped my kids off at my moms and took a weekend trip to Nauvoo! It was so nice to not have my own kids to worry about and give Sheri my full attention.

Funniest thing...There was this fly bugging the crap out of this ox he was getting so made at it, and Sheri said "is that fly bugging you?" and I swear to you it looked at her and mooed!! I tell you I swear he understood everything we were saying.

If her hubby would have been here this would have been his favorite part!

So this is a letter to Brigham Young from his wife. I just seriously can't image being driven and murder because of the beliefs of a religion. Not to mention that at this time most of the men where gone a lot serving missions in England, so these pioneer women are trying to build their homes and do everything else and worry about their lives. I am truly surprised by the amount of persecution the early Saints went through.

Silly girl, she loved to "hide" from us

We got in late on Friday night and this is what the Temple looked like lite up.

I feel so blessed to have the gospel in my life. So many people don't realize why it is import to do more than just believe in God. I know that there are so many debates about which church is the true church because every church claims that. I know that through Joseph Smith god restored his church back on this earth. I know that our church has all of the keys and the priesthood. I know that Joseph Smith would not had endured all of this persecution had it not been the true church. I invite anyone who reads this to request a Book of Mormon, to open it and read the introduction. To get down on your knees and pray that as you read it you will know of it's truths. I promise if you read it with an open heart you will know of it's truths. ( We do not replace the Bible with the Book of Mormon, we just believe that it is comparable to the Bible and that it contains dealings of ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the FULLNESS of the EVERLASTING Gospel.)

If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment and I will help direct you in any way possible to the right answer.

Roses for Fun

2012-01-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

We live near a florist and I guess as he was driving home he felt inspired..by the sign that says "make everyday a special day" and they were on sale...So he brought me these beautiful pink roses. When he got home JJ said oh are those for me! Of course we then shared them!

Summer Time

2012-01-27T07:15:00.000-08:00

All we do in the summer is play outside usually. Brecken came and got me and said "mommy I cleaned up for you!" "What did you clean? We are outside!" "POOP!!" Oh boys will be boys.

More road fun. I love looking back at pictures and remembering how sweet these two are to each other, I wish that they would be nice to MJ and that he would be nice to them!

Birthday Dinner

2012-01-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

So we have a little tradition, on your birthday you chose whatever you want and I will make it for you. So this year JJ decided on ravioli, artichoke and fruit kabobs. Weird combination but she loved it.

We gave her our gifts that night because Mark was gone for her party. Grandpa Tom made sure to come up and give her a present too.

First Day of First Grade

2012-01-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

There are so many things I love about this girl, probably because I am her mom. But for the sake of journaling I have to share a few she is so silly, she has the funniest giggle, she is super compassionate and caring. A few things I have a love hate relationship with are she is just like me, she is super independent and stubborn. So although one day those will be strengths right now they are battles.

He wants to be just like his big sis.

Her and her little BFF

Chair Sale

2012-01-26T06:36:00.000-08:00

Jaylee ran over the gutter with her bike and so she was so upset about it. I wasn't made I just made sure she understood that it wasn't ok. So she offered to sell her stuff to make money! It was so so so funny. She sold seashells and a spider ring and my tomatoes. Because we have so many awesome neighbors she sold everything and "donated" the money to me, of course I stuck it back in her piggy bank when she wasn't looking. Good life lesson though. The best part about this story is when I was her age I did the same thing but for fun all the time. I would sell anything I could to the neighborhood kids. She is just like me.

Brecken's first day of preschool

2012-01-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

My little guy got big, his first day of preschool was Aug 16, 2011. He was so excited to be big like his big sister.

My friend, Rach, has a little girl that went to his school. So they took us the first day and "showed" us around. When we got out of the car is when he got a bit scared.. Because I am so far behind I can tell you that he seriously still gets sad when I leave and it has been 6 months. He has an invisible cord that is attached to me and when I get to far he freaks out, so this has been really good for him. His teachers love him, so that makes me even happier.

Frog Hunting

2012-01-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

My kids love when Mark comes home because he will take them frog hunting.. No frogs where injured during this process, well that I know of! I hate slimy things so no way am I touching them. I wish I could let you hear the screams that come from them when he gets one! They just think its so freaking cool.

Garden Picking

2012-01-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

So the zucchini where out of control this year I was able to shred so much zucchini and share with two other people. Obviously I didn't take a pick of tall that. The kids decided they needed to pick the pumpkins because they were orange! Ugh.. Out tomato plants grew taller than me this year! I hate gardening but I love watching my kids help me!

Lotion War

2012-01-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

Ok so where am I when these two get into trouble...it's like I disappear! They decided it would be fun to have a lotion war..from the looks of things Jaylee won for sure.

A trip to the Arbortem

2012-01-24T06:58:00.000-08:00

I love her sweetness.

"I think we are lost Mom!"

"Let me check the instructions!!!" hahahahahahaha

This is like a huge flower garden it was super pretty..but clouds where rolling in quick so we mainly just let our kids run around. We did a double FHE with a fam from our ward that we hang with a lot.

Silly Girls

2012-01-23T11:09:00.000-08:00

I forgot to add this one to the birthday post, I just love this picture! Look at the smile on their faces! That is what it is all about!

Bieber FEVER

2012-01-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

Well my little Diva is totally into JB, so we had a Bieber Fever Party. We started my having the girls do each others hair Bieber style, then they painted nails, had a dance party, played limbo and last but not least kiss JB!

Chalk it UP

2012-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Ok so we are Chalk a holics! Ok well my kids have me make them a town and roads to ride on. SO they don't make the town but they enjoy it! They seriously spend hours playing on it!

A little unsafe! Of course that's why she loves it!

The Girls

2012-01-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

My girls adore each other. I hope they grow to be best friends, and continue the relationship that they have now.

OOPS...My favorite part... FOOD

2012-01-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

the sad part is I ate several of the Fried Oreos..and the Tacos, and the corn dogs. I have a sickness for Fair Food I love it!

Mississippi Valley Fair....AUGUST 2011

2012-01-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

Every year we can we go to the Mississippi Valley Fair, it's kind of a family tradition.. A little hickish I know but so much FUN. This was our trip last Summer.

So after holding the gator Brecken wanted to know why we couldn't buy him so we could take him HOME!

Better late than never is my motto!!!

Yummy Water

2012-01-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

My kids LOVE Miss Torie's Water Bottle...really it's because it's hers and they love her. So one day she came over and totally bought them mini versions of what she has!!! Ohhh I love her.

I loved this message.

2011-11-11T10:44:00.000-08:00

His story was such a great inspiration. Really the answers in our lives are so simple, we only need the love of god to fulfill our lives. At any point you are in your life you can change who you are and decide to be who you want to be. Now is the time for us to start enjoying our lives.

Carthage

2011-11-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

This is the first level cell, used more as a holding cell.
This is the upstairs cell..It was a very dark room with a small walkway and then a barred up area with a straw bed and a bucket. In the jail with Joseph on this day was his brother Hyrum, John Taylor and Willard Richards. After Joseph, Hyrum and John all got shot. Willard Richards remarkably sustained no injuries as previously prophesied by Joseph. After John Taylor had been hit Willard Richards dragged him and hid him under the straw bed to hide him from the mob. This building was the first historical purchase by the Church in 1903 by Joseph F. Smith, who was Hyrum' son.

These were the only source of light in the upstairs cell. If I remember right there were only like 4 of these. They sure didn't provide much light at all.

When the church bought this to restore it all the old doors and bars had been left in like the attic or cellar or something so most if it was really from that time period it was amazing.

This is the window that Joseph Smith fell out of once he had been shot, several times.

The day that we headed home we to a detour and went south to Carthage. It was really surreal to be in the place where Joseph Smith was shot and killed.

Going to See the Temple

2011-10-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

We spent one morning just walking around the Temple grounds. I can't remember were I heard this, but the more times you let your kids experience the temple grounds and the importance of it, the more likely that going to the temple will be one of their future goals. It, like every other Temple I have seen is exquisite its beauty is in describable to me. What Joseph Smith and the other early settlers endured to build the first Temple that sat here just completely builds my testimony of the truth of the church. Why would you chose to go through so many trials if what he had seen in his first vision wasn't true? You wouldn't. Why is it so hard to believe in a living prophet? It's not! The bible had living Prophets. I just can't image being a pioneer and enduring the hardships of leaving everything you own, and being driven out by mobs...It is just so much emotion to take in. I am so grateful for each opportunity we get to go to the Temple and how the spirit can strengthen me so much, not just me anyone with an open heart! I am especially grateful for the blessing that come from temple work, like having the chance to be an eternal family.

Our Eternal Family

My attempt at a picture with my three kids...

These two are so funny together..A is a year and a half older and they just love to run off and do their own thing together.

Bryn's ready open up..

The Z Eternal Family

The kids and boys were more interested in catching all the butterflies that were around.

Two Peas in a Pod

I love this picture of Mark holding Jaylee's hand as the walk onto the grounds...What is said is that before we know it she will be all grown up!

The 3 musketeers....or naughty teers...Oh boy can these three cause some trouble, what amazes me is that Bryn has no trouble keeping up with them.

Can you feel the love???

This is the view from the Temple is sits way on the top of a hill overlooking the Mississippi into Iowa.

Hotel Room Fun

2011-10-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is but hotels are always way more fun! Not like we do anything different in them, and yet more fun. This one had a pool so we went swimming in the morning and then got ready for the day.

These two seriously had so much fun in the window.

Then they took turns talking into the air conditioner. My room stunk soooo bad which turned out to be awesome because they were completely booked so i couldn't get a new room, but we ended up getting a discount which is even better!

The Nauvoo Pageant

2011-10-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

In July we were able to go to the Nauvoo Pageant with some of our really close friends. It amazes me the trials that the pioneers went through to bring forth the church. I am so thankful for their strong testimonies that made the growth of the church possible, I am thankful that Joseph Smith was given the gift from god to translate the Book of Mormon. Most of all I am thankful to have a living prophet of god. The experiences we have when we go to Nauvoo always build my testimony and give me such a greater love and understanding for the sacrifices that so many people made for us. This is just such a wonderful production.

Pioneer Games

2011-10-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

A beautiful Midwest sunset...honestly when I moved away from here I was so excited to get away from all the corn, I hated Iowa....but now I have such a great appreciation for it here! I love it so much and have loved being back here and giving my kids memories where I grew up!

A little hand cart pulling..seriously the pioneers pushed these through snow, rain, tall grass...can you imagine walking from Iowa City all the way to Salt Lake? WOW.

Jj was soaking up some special time with L

MJ was soooo excited to come..he remembered from last year it was so cute. He ran in front of us and said come on guys.

The older girls loved the sack races..little miss Jaylee was so stinking fast too! She won a ton of the races.

I love these two together..A is so nurturing and loving with her its so cute.

The kids made sock puppets and participated in a little show.

A little more stilt fun..why these are so fun I am not sure..but they ARE. The pioneers really had some fun pastimes..

JJ was made because she wanted the little stilts...:(

Nauvoo Post 1

2011-09-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

The last weekend in July my family and our BFF family headed down to Nauvoo to catch the pageant. If you live anywhere remotely close whether you are LDS or not this is a wonderful product, go if you have the chance it is free fun! Anyways, Nauvoo is so much fun, it's very simple and the spirit is just indescribable. I was really excited to share it with people we love. My friend N and I are "two peas in a pod" according to her husband..It is awesome it was like we were separated at birth. Her husband and Mark are like two little boys when they get to play together so it worked out perfectly! Plus all my kids love them. Oh anywhoo, you get the point we have a butt load of fun together. We got to stay right in Nauvoo this time and even got R's Military discount, even better. The weather was awesome. Again I don't know what it is about that place but every time I go I just love it more and more.

This was where the original bakery was, when they started excavating they found the original foundation to it, that is so freaking cool.

The Family Living Center has a lot of great activities to learn more about how the pioneers made what they needed to survive, like bread, candles, rope, rugs some of the basics.

This is MJ's future wife..

Here is how the make the rope...

Mark is a great "supervisor"

Bryn is also a great "supervisor"

Then we ventured on to Pioneer Pastimes..so we get to spend time playing like the pioneers. I am pretty sure they didn't have water fountains. LOL. This kept him busy for a good 10 minutes.

Bryn found all the kitchen stuff and went to town! She loves to play babies and kitchen, even by herself. She plays independently really well.

A got all dressed up! I love all the little dresses and bonnets.

As soon as he found this wood he went pyro crazy and started to build a fire! A little boy walked by and accidentally knocked it down and Brecken got so sad he said "Oh my poor fire!" Well good thing he built it again.

Of course Mark enjoyed having a man to play with.

Miss competitive wanted to beat her daddy at the bear races, ok her competitive side doesn't come from me..

N and L had fun "trying" to walk on the silts.

Here is my little pioneer woman...all grown up.

Late 4th Parade

2011-09-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

The kids were playing in JJ's room and then all of a sudden Jaylee comes out and said "Take a seat, the parade is about to begin!" Then the 3 come out like this and were just giggling and singing and jumping around. It is the cutest thing ever to me when they find an activity that can involve all of them, especially when they have that much fun together. OHHHH I love it.

Little Birdie

2011-09-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

The kids came in the house and said look mom we found a bird. I was like sure ok, well they sure did! I did a bit of research online and the whole you can't touch a bird or the mother won't take it back is a myth. I also called some animal rescue place out in California and they verified that... I also learned that some birds eat meat and some eat more grain type food, so when you save an animal make sure you know what it is so you can feed it the right food. We tried leaving it outside to see if a mother would come to it, never happened. It just kept ending up in the street. So we "saved" it. We put it in a box and tried feeding it different foods..The kids loved it, it was a lot of work to try to take care of it. By the end of day two it died. The kids gave it a proper burial in the front yard and even made a headstone for it. I am betting it would have died either in my house or outside either way. We tried, nature took it's course. Jaylee lost her mind when he died she balled forever, it was a good moment to explain life to her a little. RIP Little Birdie

Back at Grandma's

2011-09-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Mark's parents left we headed to my mom's. It was my Grandma's birthday, so we were able to celebrate it with her. Somehow these are the only pictures I got of our 3 day visit. The kids love to wrestle on my mom's bed.

Getting back to a "new" normal

2011-09-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind, but it is so important to me that I have a record of my family. Plus if I ever lost any of my pics this kind of serves as a back up and also my journal. As of right now we are trying to get everyone on a new schedule so life has been insanely hectic as usual.

We need YOUR PRAYERS

2011-09-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

Monday the 12th of September my best friends husband was in a motorcycle accident. A car failed to yield and hit him, luckily he was wearing a helmet. This has been the worse experience of my life. To watch someone you love be in so much pain is heartbreaking. I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers, and I know no one that looks at this blog even knows this person, but please pray for him, pray for his family and if you can we are having a huge fast on Sunday for a complete healing and restoration to who he was. I have been blessed with wonderful people in my life, all of the people I have met along my journey have helped me understand who I am better, and I am just so thankful for all of you who have been in my life.

Pool Time

2011-09-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

We have a pool pass so we decide to have Mark's Cousin come up here and we could all go to the pool! Of course it started to get cloudy and kind of rainy, but I love those types of days at the pool because no one else goes! I was so excited to have help because we had been going to the pool like once a week and I have no pictures of any of it! The pool is hard enough by myself let alone trying to take pictures! This is the perfect pool for us though, it has the "little" pool that has a ton of toys that get you wet and it's zero depth, a few fun slides, a big pool with a high dive and a crazy slide, and a lazy river! We love to spend as long as Bryn will let us. She is the boss when she's done she's done. So we had fun sharing with our life with Mark's parents.

Jaylee's was obsessed with holding her daughter! She wouldn't put her down!

Giving sugars...

Yep still holding her!

That's Ivy, Mark's cousin. We had a really great time finally getting to meet her. She lives an hour away from us, and is in our Stake but we have managed never to meet up until now.

Want ONE

2011-09-10T20:00:00.001-07:00

Yep these things are awesome on road trips! Mark's dad put his on our car and it was sooo nice! It mad the drive that much less crowed! So because it's his baby he had the kids clean it for him when we got back from our weekend getaway.

Fort Snelling

2011-09-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

So because Minnesota like shut all the government down all the state parks where closed...Pretty much anything funded by the state was closed..sucky! This was like a cool old for right on the river..didn't learn much about it because it was closed..Sorry.

How to keep a baby HAPPY..

2011-09-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

With CANDY of course! Yes anytime Bryn got upset we bought her food! That looks like a face that LOVED IT TOO.

Nickelodean Universe

2011-09-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness Nickelodeon Universe was so much fun! It was perfect, it was indoors so the temperature was perfect and the lines were super short and geared toward my size of people! I loved it. Mark even enjoyed taking off for awhile with miss dare devil and they rode the "bigger" rides. It was so great to have Marks parents there to help. Wayne just kind of took charge of Miss Bossy Pants aka Bryn and he rode whatever she wanted with her! It was great.

The log ride was awesome..for and indoor park this place was GREAT! Seriously it was comparable to Splash Mountain..I thought anyways.

Second ride of the day was Jaylee's choice spinning swings. I am not sure what made me think I could ride this, I get motion sickness swinging on our swings at home! Yeah it was not a good way to start off the day. What's up with that as I get older I get more and more motion sickness...Either that or with each child? I hate it.

Brecken has really bee into Blue's Clue's lately so this was perfect! He could make Blue go up and gown and honk a little horn!

Bryn was so funny, the minute that the ride stopped she immediately started screaming because she wanted to go again!

My little dare devil loved this one! Brecken on the other hand...not so much. They had to actually stop the ride to get him off! Jaylee thought that was kind of funny!

Trucks..now this was more his speed. Look how into it he was!

Jaylee even enjoyed driving! Bryn just loves to keep moving!

This was a fun balloon ride..Best part I had help! So each of the kids had their OWN adult! Oh that just makes life so much easier.

The kids got to meet Dora and Diego, I wasn't there for that :( Bryn had a major blowout so I was on a mission for new shorts and got lost in Gaps sale they were having! Seriously it sucked me in!

This was Brecken's favorite! He is all into trains right now! He rode this thing over and over...if you look really hard in there you can see Wayne tucked in the corner! He is suck a trooper!

This was just a random picture from one of the balconies at the mall looking into the park. There were a few big rides that went all around the inside!

It was such a fun time. I am really glad that the kids got to have those Memories with Marks parents. It was a new little adventure with them.

The Aquarium

2011-09-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

We got to Minneapolis one a Friday evening and stayed until afternoonish on Sunday. It was the perfect mini getaway. We had semi-decided what we were going to do, we just weren't sure when. So after checking into the hotel we decide to go check out the GIGANTIC mall. Seeings how the Two things we really wanted to do were both there we decided to get knock the aquarium off our list. The kids loved it. Brecken was always running ahead of us being the crazy boy he always is. They had a few little touch and feel pools that the kids loved.

Breckens favorite were the Seahorses and the jellyfish. I am not so fond of the jellyfish because when I was 8 I got stung hard core in the Gulf of Mexico and still have really bad memories of it.

"oh they are so pretty!' Brecken

Jaylee is my mini mommy. She just takes charge sometimes. In this situation it was super helpful because Bryn could not figure out what she wanted to Miss Mommy took her hand and just started to explain everything to her. That made her quiet happy! What a great big sister. Those are the moments, I tell ya.

Pat and JJ just loved this little fish lips guy. We ended up doing fish lips a lot after seeing that.

Wayne and Mark where there I promise I somehow managed not to get any pictures of either of them.. It is crazy going place with kids that just like to run around. We all kind of went through the aquarium at our own pace.

Random Minneapolis Pictures

2011-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

So Minneapolis was perfect for someone with small kids! It was great. Pat booked us a super fun and funky hotel..best part was the shower...it had one of the HUGE things right above your head so it felt like it was raining on you, like a down pour. I forget what they are called but it went on my list for my future house. Brecken loved the pillows!

My little snuggle bugs.

Ok so I forgot a stroller and diapers, oh and shoes when we went the first night to checkout the Mall of America! For real, you would like I am new at this whole mothering thing. I guess I have just stopped caring about all the small crap. The two little ones loved playing in the racks at the stores.

The stroller Pat and Wayne rented because I forgot one!

Here is the hotel.

Mark'd Big Day

2011-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

So initially we were going to take a trip to Nauvoo for his birthday and go to the pageant, but his parents thought they maybe coming out around now...so we planned a new trip. Marks parents got in the day before his actual birthday, which is the day we celebrated his b-day becase on his actual day we headed to Minneapolis. This spoiled boy got his dad's fried chicken..which is just to dye for and I made him chocolate cupcakes with a peanut butter butter cream frosting...Ummm can you say yummy! He doesnt' like cake so I struggled with different ideas and this is the one I choose. He loved them..I loved them..oh I love any combination of chocolate and peanut butter. It was really fun to have his family here while we "celebrated"

She just liked the frosting!

Grandma and Pi

2011-09-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

My kids love visits from Marks parents...They love any extra attention they can get! And Pat and Wayne are good at spoiling them with their attention, best thing ever.

Pat girl time..

While Wayne "bonded" (or got sick of) Brecken. (just kidding) Brecken was attached to him like white on rice. It was so funny. He loves to help out. So he made us eggs.

Crafy Crafts

2011-09-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

This was my craft to celebrate the fourth...

These were the kids flags. I was pretty impressed I thought they looked perfect in my front window!

HOLY FIRE

2011-09-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

One of the young men where at our house and decided that Brecken needed to see this.. Well he took two books of sparklers and rubbed the outside off placed the rubbed crap off into an aluminum can and stuck a sparkler in it....And nothing happened.....And then this started...

which turned into this.....

and only left this...

Here is the in between picture before it disintegrated.

Needless to say we all thought that was pretty cool.

The Fourth

2011-09-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

The fourth was a lot of fun! We spent it with a few families from church and Mark's co-resident. The boys were like big kids! And the girls chatted while the kids played! There was great food, no stress, something for the kiddos to do...OVERALL just GREAT, it was the perfect way to spend the day.

This is my big kid...He took me on a motorcycle ride ( I hate you RYAN) The whole time he kept saying i could have one of these you know...Yes love I know...but you don't need one right now... My friends husband wants Mark to get one so bad...IT doesn't help the fact that he already is obsessed with getting one!

This is my friend and her two little girls..She is such a wonderful person! I love her so so so much.

My sis in law..Jess..posted how to make bubbles. Way to cute of an idea to pass up, so I thought the 4th would be the perfect time to try that. IT was a hit, the kiddos LOVED IT.. So did the MEN.. Really they just don't grow up.

When the fun was over with the bubbles the younger kids decided to wash off Bryn..

And she liked it????? Is that a smile, frown....what is that?

We went to another firework show, this one was way better. The boys played a little football and played with fire. We made sure we had plenty of sparklers..like 4 bags full!

I made one last desperate attempt to have them spell USA..failed again! Maybe next year?

I have been incredibly blessed with the friends I have made in each state that I have lived in. They have all made such a huge impact on my life and really made me a better person in so many different ways. I can't express the gratitude I have for what they have done for me. Even though a few of them live indifferent states I love them so much and think of them so much..(I suck as a friend and don't always call) But I FREAKING LOVE THEM. And I am so grateful that nothing has changed and I was able to move here and make new additions to that list.

Crazy Squirell

2011-08-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

My kids love to find and feed the animals in our yard! We frequently had bunnies, ducks, chipmunks and squirrels in our yard. THE KIDS LOVE IT! It is so fun to watch how excited they get over seeing the animals. This is one crazy squirrel that we had a lot of fun watching!

Waterloo Fireworks...

2011-08-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

So I am obviously just getting to July! Wow how the time flies... We went to a firework show on the 2nd with some friends. Like always it was a blast! I couldn't believe how well the kids did because it was soooo late! But Brecken had fire which made him really happy! He is such a pyro!

Bryn was happy because there was a huge thing of red vines and this girl LOVES SWEETS!!!!

We almost had it!!! We almost got the sparklers to say USA.... the s got a bit cut off..

My and my baby cakes! When she wants to be she is a really big snuggler! So of course we take total advantage of those moments!

"Grandpa" Hansen brought a flashlight, so when the sparklers were gone what do you think this little guys played with the rest of the night! The darn flashlight! And that thing was BRIGHT!

These got a a little out of order...This was on the drive home, my 3 yr old is totally fist pumping! That boy needs to stay away from Jersey Shore

JJ caught up on snuggles from "Grandma" Hansen, my kids have adopted a few sets of grandparents since moving here! It is so fun!

Well I think the boys had fun!

Shaving Cream....For FUN!

2011-08-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have a friend that makes cards out of shaving cream..weird but cool. I though hey how about for the fourth we make some cards to send out to family to say we love you..great idea right? WRONG! Really what mom in her right mind gives kids shaving cream and food dye and says ok lets have some fun! I didn't get the memo telling me that this was probably going to turn into a disaster until it was to late. Oh they had a blast but there was shaving cream everywhere and food dye everywhere! Oh and the cards ripped and lets just say not a kid friendly craft! But all in all they had a great time so I guess that's what was important.

Bryn loved every dirty minute of it.

Jaylee is our perfectionist who wanted it to just look perfect! I love that about her.

Brecken decided he didn't need a pan or paper, just shaving cream! Oh that boy, he keeps me so so so busy.

Holy HOT!!!

2011-08-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hot is one thing..add HUMIDITY and it is plain torcher! We have a pool pass which is really fun, but some days I don't feel like taking the THREE to the pool by myself. I almost always have my friends teenager go with me just to watch JJ so I can solely watch the other two! Anywhoo..this day we decided to change it up a bit and have a water balloon fight! It was pretty short lived! But they enjoyed it and then we just turned on the sprinkler and let them have at it!

We attempted to play a game with them..yeah not such a great idea. All they want to do is pound them at each other!

Poor boy..when he is the only boy they had to gang up on him a little bit. He enjoys every second of it too. Bryn just played in the little car and tried to stay out of the way! Jay is my crazy girl who was running around like a chicken with her head cut off!

Smores Party

2011-08-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

Since it was summer and having bonfires is on our "summer list" of things to do we decided to have a Smores Party. I had no idea you could make so many variety of smores. My top two favorite that we made were strawberry marshmallows, on chocolate graham crackers, with maraschino cherries and Hersey chocolate! Can you say YUMMMM! The next fav was a chocolate covered graham cracker, regular marshmallow and Andes mints! Oh my delish!

MJ had to use a stick at least once.

The kids favorite part was setting them on fire and blowing them out! I am surprised that no one got burned!

It was a really fun time for the kids and the adults...I think that I should have set myself a limit because I ate like atleast 5+ yeah I could barely move afterwards!

Sturgis Falls Weekend

2011-08-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

We have this awesome weekend called Sturgis Falls. They have seriously like the downtown split into different parts for different types of people. We were at the outside park with the Talent Show. Across the river were bands playing live music, kids crafts, a parade, a car show at a different park ,down the street one way were food vendors and then the opposite way was a carnival for kids(which we decided to stay far away from, it gets a little hectic trying to keep three kids happy on rides usually..plus the fair is at the end of the summer and they will get to ride rides there.)

This was the night of the talent show! One of my friends kids was in it, so we wanted to go show our support, plus we love anything outdoors that is fun for the family.

We took JJ's buddy with us... They are so cute together.

One of the young men that my kids love came...He stole Brecken for awhile, which Brecken loved.

My friend that has the Dance Studio...this is her daughters group...That took 2nd place!!!!

The next morning we woke up bright and early for the parade. The best part is I have a friend who lives right down the street from the parade route, so she wakes up early and lays down blankets for us so we just have to show up before it starts and we get the best place ever!

It was like a block full of people from church! Seriously we kept running into people that we knew it was so fun! There were like 7 families there!

Oh the best part...THE FOOD VENDORS! I love carnival type food it's just so delicious! Looks like Mark liked his too!

At the end of the day the kids had got their faces painted, made a wand, got balloons and played with sidewalk chalk...Looks like a pretty happy bunch!

Wiconsin Summary

2011-08-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

To sum up our Wisconsin trip in one word...hmm...AWESOME. My mom planned and cooked all of the meals prior to coming, we all had our own rooms (we had our own condo!!) there were tons of great kid activities, and indoor pool bc it rained so much, my mom babysat while Mark and I went out, Sara babysat, we did some shopping and it was all just great! Growing up we didn't do a ton of family vacations. Any time I had off from school I usually spent with my dad, and it was just a hectic time in our lives so it is really fun to make up some new family trip memories. I am so thankful for the amount of time my mom put into preparing for the trips so that we could all enjoy ourselves so much. A great trip comes from good planning...and not letting me get to hungry and turning into a beast!

Fishing

2011-08-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

These uploaded a bit out of order. Well we can start by JJ caught a fish! Brecken thought that was just the coolest thing ever, the fish swallowed the hook..then we put it back in the water until I could find some tools to get the hook out, while he was in the water a HUGE BASS tried to swallow him whole..Sara yanked him up out of the water..got the tools..they didn't help and the poor thing died. All so that my kids could actually catch a fish. Poor fish, but we had fun. That is so selfish of me..

Bryn bonded with Aunt Sara. Sara even babysat while Mark and I went on the paddle boat ride earlier that day! Having a teenager around is really a lot of help.

While the other kids fished we played in the huge sandbox. I would build stuff so she could knock it down the usual kids stuff.

Paddle Boats

2011-07-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

One of the days that it wasn't raining we took the paddle boats out. That was a TREAT. Jaylee was freaking out that she would like fall off or something, I was laughing on the inside because she was so hysterical! We went through a "jungle" or willow tree! It was fun looking for fish in the water.

National Cattle Month!

2011-07-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

In honor of National Cattle Month and because lots of dairy products come from Wisconsin..they held a mooing contest! I was so excited when I heard about it! I think it is very important to do things that are out of your "comfort" zone, especially for kids...and how do kids learn, by US! So I jumped out of my zone and practiced all week on my mooing skills and had the kids join in! It was MOOORIFIC. Jaylee won the MOOING CONTEST! She won a free build your own sundae! Even at the very end Mark let out a loud MOOO! I love these experiences with my kids!

Here we are with our milk mustaches!

Crafts Days!

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

The kids did a craft almost everyday that we were in Wisconsin! This resort was GREAT for kids, it really focused on what is enjoyable for them! They decorated cookies and of course I helped Jaylee finish hers! She is worried about eating to much sugar and getting "sick" aka throwing up.(BC a year ago she ate a bunch of junk food while we were out of town and now she is freaking out about it!)

One of the days we made necklaces and bracelets. Jaylee spelled her name on hers and I wanted to think of a nickname for my little guy so I asked my mom if she had any suggestions..she did... Devil and Satan! What kind of Grandma are you? There some very sad truths to her statement though! He is CRAZY!

Brecks showed us his amazing break dancing moves on the stage! He loves the Black Eyed Peas and so they were on the stereo playing and he started to wiggle his hips and then he went all for it on the stage!

MJ has also loved anything to do with robots this year! His love started with the robot on Yo Gabba Gabba and now is just anything robot he loves.

JJ had to make a cupcake so that she could have glitter sprinkles! She is my girly girl...who likes to get dirty!

They also got to make birdhouses to hang in our trees!

Miss Sara decided she need to make a cute little piggy bank too!

Mid-Continent Train Ride/Musem

2011-07-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

While in Wisconsin we went to a Train Museum, there were a bunch of old restored trains. I had no idea that there were so many different types of trains that were used. We got to ride in this old vintage train it was so fun. Tom got the kids these ridiculously cute hats! BRECKEN had a BLAST! The minute we climbed the stairs onto the train he yelled "ALL ABOARD!" It was so stinking cute! Then we went on our first train ride ever.

Come on now are those hats just the cutest things ever?

This was the car that we rode in,it was built in 1915!

My mom and sis....I love having the three of us together because we seriously bring out the crazy in each other and it makes for some really interesting entertainment!

The Fam

Grandpa Tom spoils this darn kid...when she got tired he carried her everywhere!

Random Pictures

2011-07-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Snuggle time!

Miss Chubby Cheeks

BUBBLES!! BUBBLES!!! BUBBLES!!! and more BUBBLES!!!!! Tom thought it would be fun to put dish soap in the jet tub! It got to a point that he took Brecken's play shovel and put them into the shower!

The kids LOVE their daddy. Mark went home during the week and this was the day he came back they all missed him so much.

Miss Sassy Pants.

Lazy Bones..

First Mini Golf Tournament

2011-07-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

We had a little mini gold tournament...Mark and I are very competitive against each other, so basically every thing turns into a competition. I think that is because he is a twin and now that he doesn't have Matthew I have to fill the void.

Jaylee was determined to get that stinking ball in the hole.

Brecken LOVES anything with balls or sticks so this was perfect for him! Can you see how much he loved it!

Here is goes he was calling it to be a hole in one..what he couldn't pull it off! But guess who did...ME! Woot Woot!

Grandpa tried to show JJ how to golf the right way! It was so cute. Grandma stayed home with B Baby.

And as most other things turn out MARK BEAT ME.

The Dells

2011-07-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

On Fathers Day Mark got back in town from a trip to Chicago and then we drove up to the The Wisconsin Dells. We had so much fun. The resort we stayed at had mini golf, pools, crafts, fishing, canoeing, and little paddle boats! It was so much fun. This was the first Fathers Day that my step dad had all the girls together, so that made him really happy. Plus it was an awesome condo and my mom got my family our very own that was connected to hers, secretly I think she didn't want to see our mess!

This is me and my crazy sister. When we get together it is slightly nuts! We bring out the crazy in each other. We have so much fun laughing until we are rolling on the ground and I love to "beat" her up!

Oh and we have tickle wars..Looks like I won that match!

Jaylee's first SLEEPOVER!

2011-07-25T11:06:00.001-07:00

Jay ad her first friend to sleep over! Of course it was Torie. I took them to the movie store and they got to rent movies and buy candy, then we blew up our air mattress and watched movies. Jaylee had so much fun.

Soccer Boy

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

When I met Mark he played soccer all the time. He played for all of highschool and for the college we went to. It was funny because some of the guys I knew all said he was a jerk because when he plays soccer he is so competitive! Well some things have changed, he now plays more for fun..but its still and amazing player! The thing that hasn't changed is he still loves to play. He has been on a soccer league since we moved here and he loves it. The kids love to watch him play it is so fun.

Friends

2011-07-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

We have made some really great friends since we moved here. There are so many women that I have grown to love here. One of my friends has two teenage daughters that for fun like to babysit! That comes in handy especially because they are GREAT with kids! This is one of them and here little brother...they came over for dinner one day. The best part was I over cooked the dinner in the crock pot! I forgot to put it on low and then it was a bit overcooked, so then I shredded the chicken and put it in the oven to stay warm....then I forgot I had put it in the oven and turned the oven on to make dessert...needless to say we ended up eating pizza!

Easter Clothes...in June

2011-07-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

I some how managed to make it through Easter without getting one picture of the kids in their Easter attire. So i made up for it in JUNE. No worries I am behind in everything else too. So this was my small attempt to snap a pic before church..Yep didn't go so well.

Four Queens

2011-07-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

There is nothing really that funny about this..and yet every time this little girl get she hands on some Four Queens it cracks me up! Seriously our whole family needs to go to ice cream rehab! We go to the ice cream store at least 3 times a week! That is freaking crazy talk, but my body craves the deliciousness of the smooth yummy soft serve! I bet when we move I loose weight just from not eating there! Bryn will climb into her stroller and just scream to go there! IT is soooo FUNNY.

Waterloo Days

2011-07-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

Anyone who doesn't know Mark or I..let me fill you in on a secret we LOVE stupid little festivals, parades, carnivals or fairs! We just love going to them. It is our family thing I guess. So this was at Waterloo Days which has loads of fun things for the kids to do, food vendors, music and rides. We mainly just went to the parade which is always a good time.

Crappy self portrait! But JJ sat on my lap the whole time, I love my little snuggler.

Rod Stewart...I mean B Baby..Her hair is always crazy!! She was so good she just chilled in the stroller the whole time.

He was really into the tractors!

The two special "boys" in my life! MJ is just like his dad. EVERYTHING about him SCREAMS MARK! His mannerisms, what he likes and doesn't like...his obsession to be tickled! It's nuts.

The Last Day of Kindergarten

2011-07-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Jaylee loved Kindergarten. She made a lot of friends and loved her teacher, Mrs. Steils. Jaylee learned how to read full books, do the monkey bars, tie her shoes, count to 100+, and memorize her phn number and address! I am so proud of Jaylee she was such a good example to the kids around her on how to act. She was like a little mommy. It was a little hard because there were a few girls who would say things like you can't play with me and such so that was a great learning experience for her!

Bryn

2011-07-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this little girl. I have such a strong love for each of my children. Yet I love each of them for different reasons. I love this smile, it truly makes me melt inside. She has a beautiful spirit about her, I hope that I can help her to have a great environment for her to continue growing that spirit.

Funny Boy

2011-07-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is just so him in his rain boats on his "motorcycle" Marks desire to won a motorcycle is rubbing off on Mark Jr!

The Firestation

2011-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

One of my friends from church planned an afternoon at the fire station! The kids loved it! OK and I had no idea that there were so many variety of trucks and we even saw a rescue boat! Brecken was in heaven, he loved all the men and all the trucks! HE also loves fire..future firefighter maybe?? Bryn hung out with my friend Nanc the whole time, Bryn calls her Mom it's pretty funny.

The gear that they wear is soo flippin heavy!

This is by far the quietest I have ever seen Brecken! It was amazing how into it he was.. Do you love his "man" bag that he had to bring! I guess that's what comes from having an older sister!

Sweetest When...

2011-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

they are SLEEPING! I love sleeping children! They are so sweet and peaceful and it gives me a moment to regroup and put myself back together through out the day.

Down at Camp

2011-07-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend memorial day down at "camp" with my family. It is the family hangout for outdoor holidays.

So my step dad's family own a bunch of land to hunt on and it has a little cabin with all the necessities and like 12 bed and lockers in one room..It isn't the Ritz but it's a lot of blasted fun! It is the place where it is impossible to come home clean! But it's a great time, just look at the kids faces!

Grandma and Bryners just hung out under the shade.

So at first Brecks had to wear his rain boots, because he hates to get his feet dirty! Does this look like a kid that would care? No, it doesn't and yet he hates when his feet are dirty...I guess if he is completely naked he doesn't care.

I am not sure if he is washing his face or trying to make it more dirty!

The older cousins all hung out and played ball.

Memorial Weekend

2011-07-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

My fam spent memorial at my mama's house! We played a lot I mean a lot of just dance 2! Look at Mark busting up in the back at how silly me and moms look! It was soooo much fun.

Sara and Nicole (my Step sis)

Bryn tried to dance too!

The kids love their aunts..we all love to lay on each other kind of weird but what can we say we love it.

One night Grandpa made a fire...a HUGE one as usual! Brecken of course loves it and Jaylee is scared that it's to big.

Grandma loves her baby

Jaylee and Brecken always find more rock for their collections while we are at my moms!

It was a really fun weekend. Mark and I went on a date as usual, we went shopping, spent time with my Grandparents all my favorites.

Worksheets

2011-07-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

J loves to work on worksheets! I can't keep up with her, the minute I print one she needs a new one! I need some new websites, if anyone has good education websites please fill me in! Of course the little guy has to be right next to her!

Mail from Grandma Pie

2011-07-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

Wahoo.. The kids love packages especially from Grandma. I made them all sit first for a picture.

Then I let them rip into it!

Pat made Brecken a car carrier and a road!

B Baby got a crayon roll with tasty crayons.

And JJ got a marker carrier and took off with it the minute she got it! These are so awesome we take them everywhere!

Ohh.

2011-07-07T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have decided why these two fight so much. I really believe that Jaylee loves him dearly, but he want to be with her always and copies everything. So she gets mad because she is usually doing cute things to get our attention so to have a little brother coping her is not her idea of a good time. Then Brecken just wants to show her that he loves her by coping her and then she yells at him and you get the picture. There are time like these where they were sitting by each other and he leaned over and said " You snuggle me?" Luckily my camera was right next to me!

Just Like Grandpa

2011-07-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

One thing that my kids love to do with my step dad is shave! My BFF (UTAH) Got MJ a shave kit for Christmas and it was one of the best gifts ever they all fight over it. Whenever they shave they say we are just like grandpa!

Bird Feeder

2011-07-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

we love to look in our yard and find animals! Brecken is always going next door to look at papa's birds. He feeds them like crazy. Mark decided to get them a bird feeder that they could paint and hang in our tree. He is such a fun guy! So they each got two sides to paint and went to town.

Run Like a Mother..

2011-07-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

I ran in my first race ever! I am not a big runner, but as one of our ward activities the women ran/walked in a race dedicated to moms! It was so super fun!

This was the night before a good friend came over to french braid my wacky hair. It drives me nuts to run with it in my face! Then we decided to have some fun with it! Oh and she brought me a yummy Chicago Dog from Sonic if you haven't had it try it! It's delish! And then she even came out to the race to watch me finish!

This is the part of the group that was on time... Ok by on time I mean early. We had such a great turn out because we don't have a huge ward, it was so fun to have all of us women together. I LOVE our ward we have such a cool mix of people old young and everyone kind of hangs out with everyone. Like on of my good friends has kids my age and I love it she has such wonderful advice for me and just a different take on life. So fun.

This is Mark's Bromance..Ryan.. and my Girl..Nancy Mark calls us the two peas in a pod.

A few of the girls.

I actually finished! Wahoo. I ran it in 40.12 minutes and it was 4 miles so not to bad! I mean I am not fast by any means but I was happy with my time. I felt like it was an accomplishment.

Ohhhh, my sweeties

2011-07-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

We have or had tulips in our backyard. Yet another thing I love of April. They bring such a beautiful sign of spring with them. Whenever one gets big enough to pick either J or B will pick them for me and ask for a vase. Jaylee said "Mom you deserved these!" Ok melt my heart. She is so sweet and thoughtful.

Muddy Friend

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

Really this is what he looks like most of the time! It disgusts me but yet makes me smile. I love watching my kids play and I love playing and just being a kid with them it makes life so fun. So my little guy has a friend who calls him his "MUDDY FRIEND!" I love the things kids say.

Iowa in April...

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

Towards the end of April my Magnolia tree looked beautiful! April and May are my to favorite months. I love when the Cherry Trees have all their red blossoms and the thing I miss most of Iowa where Lilacs. It reminds me of my Grandma's house. We have three huge purple Lilac bushes so it smells so wonderful at our house when they bloom.

Wow

2011-07-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

So one Sunday the kids where just being all huggy and loving on eachother..So of course I ran for my camera to try to capture it...and they both have their real smiles and are looking at the camera! Hooray. To bad Bryn wasn't in it.

Miss T

2011-07-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

I am sure I have frequently mentioned how much I love where I live! We have the best neighbors. I have like live in grandparents for my kids, a really good friend across the street and Torie. How should I define Torie she is my sanity, my friend, nanny, she goes places like the pool with me so I can take my kids and not lose them..really she is just AWESOME. We all love her.

That's my Boy

2011-07-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

My son is already very comfortable in his own skin! He loves to dress up and play with tools! Ok whatever I guess for now anyways. My friend and I during the school year trade babysitting once a week so one day I have her daughter and one day she has my munchkins. The kids love it most of the time and I love my time too. I like going to home depot or grocery shopping by myself, really there's a pretty long list of thing I like to do by myself! But then I love having A over too!

Bryn wants to be just like the big kids! She is growing up twice as fast as the other two did.

A Bunch of CRAZY

2011-07-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

So recently when the kids and I where at the table I said "Raise your hand if you are crazy!" Jaylee said " Mommy you better raise two hands!" Ok that was pretty dang funny. So on that note, we have a bunch of crazy in my house. It is almost always chaotic with tickling, wrestling, screaming(good and bad of the kids) coloring and making food! And trying to keep Brecken in line! He crawls up on the counters, into the freezer, empties everything out, runs out of the house when I go pee and oh so much more. I was excited when we had Bryn, she was colicky at first but really calmed down at 4 months and was so sweet and precious until recently she has become more like her BROTHER..YIKES I am a bit scared!

This is a picture of Buster and B wrestling.

Can you see the crazy coming out?

One of her favorite things is to take things out of drawers and then climb into them!

The Final Easter Egg Hunt of 2011

2011-07-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

I can't lie, it has been really fun to live closer to my family again! I have missed all the get together with everyone. I enjoy just the presence of being with them. So of course I somehow manage not to get any cute pics of the kids in their Easter clothes..but I will post some in the future. I took some but who knows when they will get posted.

Mark and Mark Jr.. He is sooo much like his dad even JJ is like Mommy he is just like daddy!

These are my Grandparents. They mean so much to me and are such a wonderful example of how a family should be.

My mom is so proud of her Bryners...she loves when Tom isn't around because then Bryn snuggles her.

Crazy Anna banana and Miss J

The D man

Most of the cousins under the age of 18!

I love how Jaylee almost always takes Bryn under her wing and helps her.

Bryn got to go first, she was the youngest.

Jaylee got "her" Timmy to help her find eggs. Which kind of wasn't completely fair seeings how he hid them. But no worries your secret is safe with me. hahahah

MJ kept checking to make sure they were still there! He wasted so much time doing that, he didn't get many eggs.

Aunt Michelle was joining in on taking every ones pics.

She had to take a break and show the B Man how to shoot his gun though.

Grandma helped Jaylee count all her eggs.

Ok so the older I get the more I become my mother. I love my mom she is wonderful we have a very loving and honest relationship, but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to be her and yet..I think the apple forgot to drop from the tree in our case!

My mom and her girls. I think the last picture we have of us 3 is like 3 years old it was time to be updated.

Jaylee loves all the attention she gets from the family! Really who wouldn't! She is soo emotionally spoiled it's awesome! What a great thing for any child or heck grown up! That's a huge reason why I love being home.

What kind of party would it be without silly string.

Ok so take a note to yourself blow up eggs = huge amounts of fun! They all played with that thing for like an hour even some of the bigger kids joined in.

Bryn couldn't figure out how to eat the plastic eggs!

We all had a ton of fun Mark played with all the big boys, while I enjoyed the sun. My aunt Pam does so much work for this each year..for like well since I can remember she has done it. That's my favorite thing is that it is such a fun memory for me. That's the import stuff your memories. I hope my children get to have these same memories.

Christmas..I mean Easter Morning

2011-07-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Holy goodness..I am not all about the candy..it's bad for them and scratch that the Easter Bunny could spend the same amount on crap they want and need. So this year they got gardening stuff (the Easter Bunny LOVEs Target $1 deals) and sticker books.

Then Crazy Grandma Roxie got them stuff too! They loved all the fun outdoor stuff like balls and chalk. My kids are always outside so any fun activites to play out there are very much appreciated by them.

Church Easter Egg Hunt

2011-07-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

This is my friends little girl..Honestly don't you want to bite her..she is so cute.

Another friends kid..I like to take pictures a bit to much sometimes....

JJ's little BFF

My baby in SKINNY JEANS! OMG! I love love love her in these! Her little turkey legs are ADORABLE in these! Thank you GAP for providing babies everywhere with cute clothes! Thanks Cheri for giving them to me!

Jaylee and M...we (heart) the M girls! ( I don't want to post names for people who don't belong to me) She comes over and plays with my kids and they LOVE her it is great! I have gotten free babysitting and it helps that me and her mom are friends.

Oh my little girl..she is so sweet and snugly it makes you want to melt. And when she walks her butt waddles like a pregnant woman, the things mothers love about their children.

My wonderful hubby..he is an amazing Father.

Little L acting like a bunny

Ok so it looked kind of warm out..I was wrong Jaylee was a bit chilly, that's the great thing about kids they have fun even when it's freezing.

Coloring Eggs

2011-07-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Each year this become more and more difficult as the kids become more independent and want to do it all on their own! Probably doesn't help much that I am a slight order/control freak! But i am learning to let it all go!(wish me luck with that!) Anyhoo I wasn't able to take many pictures because very quickly there was crap spilled and dye everywhere! But the important part was accomplished..the kids had a great time!

We got some like tye dye stuff that you put in a bag and it was cool because even Bryn could "feel" like she was participating.

I enjoy all the family we have! I love when get to just sit down and do stuff all together that everyone enjoys. It is the most rewarding feeling ever.

Rained In..Easter egg hunt.

2011-07-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

In my family there is always a big party for everything! Easter has always been one of my favorites. I think because February and March are still so unpredictable, you never know how cold it will be outside. But April is usually warm enough to really enjoy the outdoors..when it's not raining! It holds a special meaning because of the atonement and what Christ suffered through for us that we can have the opportunity to return to him, which Easter always is a great reminder of that. Needless to say I LOVE having a little something for Easter each year and this year one of my good friends came over with 2 of her girls. We made yummy Cafe Rio Salads and let the kids go wild.

Jaylee favorite thing to do is dress herself.. She almost always wants a skirt and a little cardigan sweater thing and high heels! Watch out America here comes your next DIVA.

Brecks and A are the same age and it's so funny because they have a total love hate relationship...some days they love each other and some days Brecken tells me he is so scared of her!

Poor A she had a really bad headache all night! So she was a bit down.

Another one of my favorite things are the blow up balloon things..seriously a reason to beat my siblings..sign me up! The kids love them!

We finally got a small smile from her.

Miss Sugar Queen..she can sniff it out! No lie and she will scream until she gets it in her mouth!

The Big Spaghetti Dinner

2011-07-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

Our Church had a big spaghetti dinner, and the MEN where in charge of it! WE auctioned off food for a fundraiser for our boy scouts, there was a talent show and dinner! It was so fun we have so many talented people in our ward! It was AWESOME.

This is my friend Camille's Tap Class.. All of these little ones are members! Aren't they so cute. The kids did the cutest little number it was so funny! Jaylee was pretty much staring at her future husband the whole time!

This was my "carrot" cake...the dinner was right before Easter so it made much more sense! This was the easiest thing ever to make! You buy a frozen pound cake and cut the sides at an angle and "glue" with frosting the two sides that you cut off together to make the point, then frost and cover with orange candy! I used Reese's pieces you could use jelly beans whatever! It was pretty fun.

Bryneee and Peter.. She loves men! Especially ones that will hold her and snuggle her.

A few little girls did this little dance and then had everyone join in, it was hysterical people where fist pumping..I am sure they didn't realize what they were doing but it was to dye for.

Chubby Cheeks

2011-06-14T21:30:00.001-07:00

OHHHH I LOVE LOVE LOVE her Chubs. This is her growly smile..she a is like an animal and about to do something naughty!

How Gross!!

2011-06-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ok so the best part is...I had already hosed him down and got most of the dirt off! Wow, this boy LOVES mud! I can't keep him away from dirt..or water..or mixing them together. I think it's gonna be a LONG summer.

Goodbye Ben

2011-06-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

This was one of Marks young men, Mark actually ate at his Grandma's house when he was on his mission! Crazy! Ben is such a wonderful young man that is going to be a wonderful Missionary and we will all miss him!

Jaylee's Talk

2011-06-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

Jaylee gave a talk in Church on the 3rd Article of Faith: We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. This was such a fun talk because Jaylee really understood the topic. I had her sit down with me and explain each word and what it meant, and she knew! It was awesome a very proud moment. This girl is a sponge she retains so much information I love it. So then she wrote what her testimony was of this particular article of faith and what it meant to her in her own words and that was her talk. It was so cute to watch her do this and then to stand on the podium and let her read it. It was a heart melting experience.

Getting the crazies out before we get to church! Check out the Future Missionary Tag!

Goofy Girl