The Mason Clan

Love These Little People

2012-01-29T20:54:00.003-05:00

Lately, I have been feeling very grateful for these three little people. I love them so much! They make my life so great. I'm so lucky to be their mother.

Niah Turns Seven

2012-01-17T21:31:00.007-05:00

My baby turned seven on Saturday!! I can't believe Niah is that old. I am really weirded out by it, actually. She had a great birthday. She had been saying for months that she wanted a Justin Bieber birthday party. Bryan and I weren't real excited about that idea, so I talked her into a rainbow party. She was happy with that so we went with it! She helped me plan everything- except the details of her dance party that she requested. It was such a fun party to throw! I love planning and throwing parties! I probably got a little carried away, but I usually do. Bryan told me I was 'intense'! Ha. The rainbow cake was probably my favorite. It was so fun to eat and the kids got so excited when I cut into it and they saw the colors.
Here's the dance party. This is the part I kept secret from Niah. She left the house for a couple of hours with Bryan. When she came home I had transformed our family room into a disco dance room! I covered the windows with tinfoil and hung up sheets to block out the light. I bought a disco ball to hang from the fan and there were flashlights shining on it to make it sparkle. Before the girls could go in to dance they had to give me a ticket that they won from a game we played. And yes, they danced to some Justin Bieber music!!
Niah invited some of her cute friends from school and one from church. They had a blast together!

I set up a photo booth so we could take some fun, silly pictures of the kids. They turned out great! I think I will print them off and give them to the girls as a thank you card for coming to the party.

Niah said it was the best birthday ever!
Niah brings so much joy to our family. She is at a fun age. Very independent, smart, knows what she likes and doesn't like, is friendly, caring, thoughtful, and very aware of what's going on around her. She is growing up. I don't like it! She's hit a growth spurt recently and every time she puts on her school pants after I wash them they are another inch shorter- I swear! Stop it Niah! I love Niah so much and am so glad to be her mom.
Love you Ni!

Not sure why it posted so funky. I can't figure it out. Oh well.

Christmas Memories 2011

2012-01-13T16:42:00.005-05:00

I am slow getting to this post, but I want to make sure we write this Christmas down for the books. It was a fabulous holiday for us! We stayed in South Bend and celebrated with just the five of us. Bryan had from Christmas Eve to January 2nd off! It was so great. The time went too fast.

Christmas Eve we took the kids to a movie. That's a tradition I grew up doing and it's a great idea because it uses up a lot of the time that day so the kids aren't going crazy waiting for Santa to come! Then we went to our neighbors' house to visit for a while. They were so sweet and they gave each of the kids a gift. Then, it was finally time to open up Christmas pjs! (You will see a lot of Captain America in this post. He doesn't go many places without his costume these days.)

We decided to let the kids draw names for each other this year. Here they are showing off what they got. Benny loved his guns that Niah gave him.
Before the girls went to bed they set their alarm for 6:10. It went off and they didn't wake up! I was so surprised. I reset it for 6:30 and they woke up that time. Bennett wasn't so sure about waking up so early!
The girls are waiting for everyone to get ready and come downstairs with them.
I made a booby trap this year and covered the doorway with crepe paper and tied a jingle bell to it. The kids were such snoops this year that we couldn't risk any more presents being seen before Christmas morning! I think they liked running through it.
Chloe got a beauty salon and some accessories to go with it from Santa. Niah got a magic wand and spell book. Benny got a Captain America shield and a sled. Santa was so nice this year and brought them everything they wanted! I'm not sure why Bennett was sad in this picture. Probably too early in the morning.
Christmas day was spent going to church, opening more presents from family, playing the Wii that I gave Bryan, and we even went caroling to some of the neighbors. We also fed the missionaries so it was a busy, but memorable day.
" I am strong like Captain America, Mom!"
Here's the damage the day after Christmas. It looks like a tornado hit our living room!
Niah loves her wand and spell book. She's casting a spell on Bryan to be a better singer. She told him it didn't work when he tried to sing for her!
A couple days after Christmas, we took a road trip to my sister's house in Columbus, OH. The kids loved hanging out with their cousins. I wish we could do that more often. Tam took us to a place called Recreations Outlet. It was awesome! They have tons of playgrounds set up that the kids can play on. All of the kids had a total blast. It was great for them to get some of their energy out!
Bryan and I also got to go on a date to the temple and out to lunch for our 9th anniversary. Thanks Tam for watching the kids for us!

New Year's Eve wasn't that exciting for us actually. The kids wanted to stay up until midnight, but they were tired from our drive back home and from playing hard with cousins for a few days. I also had a lot to get done for primary the next day. So, I switched the clocks and made them think it was 11:30. We played games, had a treat, popped some poppers and then they went to bed. It worked out nice and the kids thought they stayed up until 1:00 am! Only Niah got a little suspicious, but she didn't put up much of a fight about it.
I really love having time as a family to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Life gets too busy and I forget to just slow down and spend quality time with the kids. I think this Christmas will be one that we all remember. It was one of the best ones we've had.

2011 Christmas Newsletter

2011-12-19T09:58:00.005-05:00

I love this time of year. There is so much excitement in the air and so much to be thankful for. This year has been a good one for us. It seems to have passed so quickly- it goes faster every year. I love to go back and read about each year that passes, so I thought I would document it here this year. Consider this our "Christmas Newsletter"!

Bryan is halfway done with his residency! He loves his job and is so good at at it. It's fun for me to hear him talk "Dr." talk on the phone with his colleagues or patients. He's so smart and really knows his stuff! He stays busy with work (of course), taking care of all of us, and serving in the High Priest group leadership in the ward. He is dedicated to everything he does. We are really looking forward to having him all to ourselves for a week after Christmas! This year, the word busy took on new meaning for me. It seems that we have not had a moments rest for a while! The kids are getting older which means they have more things to do- school, preschool, homework, after school activities, more friends to play with, etc. I love being a mom and would not have it any other way. I am very grateful for the opportunity I have to stay at home with my kids. We have so much fun together. Just yesterday, I was called to be the Primary president in our newly formed Notre Dame Ward. I am so excited for this change! I am also feeling a little overwhelmed at the idea too. I have been trying to enjoy our ward more and get more involved somehow- I guess Heavenly Father answered my prayers! :) This is the way to do it, I guess. I really can't wait to serve the children in our ward. What a blessing. It seems that there were times this year when I felt out of place and alone, but looking back I have learned a lot. I love where I am at in life and I couldn't be happier!
Miss Niah is no longer a little girl. She has grown into a young lady! I can't believe that she will be turning seven in less than a month. Whoa. Niah had a great year with many new experiences. She lost her first tooth, she played softball, said goodbye to good friends and made lots of new friends, graduated Kindergarten and entered First grade. She is a terrific student and her teachers can't say enough good about her. She's reading at a third grade level. Her class members adore her. She is always coming home with notes from them that say things like, "You are such a good friend, "Can I sit by you at lunch?" "You are my best friend!" She is admired by all, even her little sister and brother can't get enough of her. She is very mature for her age and notices things that most kids her age don't think about. We love having her in our family. I wouldn't know what to do without my big helper!
Chloe Nan is a spit fire! She makes us laugh on a daily basis. She has a quick sense of humor and charming way about her. She will be turning five in February. Ahhh! That can't be happening. Chloe started preschool this year. She LOVES it. She loves her teachers and is learning how to make new friends. She is taking speech therapy through her school and at times gets frustrated with it, but is working hard at it. I can see some improvement already. She loves the dog and is usually the one to help out with her and play with her. She is really into being fancy- all the time. She adores anything that sparkles and shines. Her hair always has to be just right and so do her clothes. She has a fashion sense that most four year olds don't. I never have to worry about what she picks out to wear because she knows how to match and can pick out darling outfits all by herself! Chloe loves making things and using her imagination. We love Chloe Nanners and are so glad she is a part of our family.
Mr. Bennett is growing up too. What a joy this little boy is! I really can't get enough of him. He is so pleasant to be around. Bennett is talking a ton and makes us laugh with the things he says. He tells me he "loves me bigger" on a regular basis. He is obsessed with Captain America right now. He wears his costume almost every day and loves to watch the movie whenever he can. His favorite line is, "You never give up do you!" He'll say that and then shoot us with his fist and a funny gun noise. I can't help but laugh- maybe I shouldn't laugh at him shooting pretend guns. Oh well! Benny loves to wear hats. He always has one on his head. He still loves baseball and asked Santa for a baseball piggybank! All of his teachers in nursery can't believe what a good colorer he is. They think he's very smart. I think so too! I always tell people that if I could guarantee that all my kids would be like Bennett I would have ten more! Really. He is so happy and such a good boy. We love Benny Boo and can't imagine life without him.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas! We hope you find joy and peace during this wonderful time of year.

Love,

The Mason Family

Christmas Tree

2011-12-10T23:10:00.004-05:00

Christmas is here! There is definitely a lot of Christmas Spirit in the Mason household. We have been working on lots of Christmas projects and doing things like watching Christmas movies, picking out our annual ornaments, decorating, and trying to keep the kids from snooping! Apparently, staring at those presents under the tree was just too much. Bennett decided to have his own Christmas this morning! I came downstairs to find his present from Grandma Mel unwrapped. I said, in probably too loud a voice, "Bennett Charles, what are you doing?!" His reply was, "Look, it's Woody!" I couldn't be mad. It was too cute to see his excited face. I decided to grab the camera and Bennett willingly gave me a big cheeser grin. I think he knew he was in a little bit of trouble! He pulled the string on the back a few times and then I took it from him and rewrapped it. It's now back under the tree. Don't you love his hairdo and his shiner on his eye? Someone, (okay Chloe) decided to push Bennett right into the dining room chair. Ouch.
Today was the big day to go and find our Christmas tree! We went to the same place as last year, Butler Tree Farms, and it didn't disappoint! We had a great time. We finally got some snow yesterday so it felt a little more like Christmas.

I love this time of year. I love to see how excited my kids get about everything. The anticipation is killing them. They still have a long time to wait!

Busy Busy

2011-11-20T10:15:00.004-05:00

We have been busy, busy around here. I feel that as time goes on the less time we have to just hang out and relax. Our days have been filled with school activities, Dr. appointments, vet appointments, physical therapy for my neck, Thanksgiving dinner at Bryan's work, driving kids around here and there, visitors, a getaway for me and Bryan, and lots of other things. It's been crazy! I haven't taken many pictures lately. Here are the ones I have taken.

This picture reminds me of a paparazzi picture or something. Bennett looks like a celeb with his flat brimmed hat, zip hoodie and his skinny jeans! Niah thinks he looks like Justin Bieber. It makes me laugh. Bryan's mom, dad, and grandma came to see us last weekend. They stayed with the kids while Bryan and I went to Toledo to see Les Misreables. This was my fourth time seeing it and it was one of the best. It was incredible! Can I just tell you how great it was to be able to get away, even for only a night?! I needed that for sure. Thank you Shannon, Ferald, and Grandma-Great for making that possible!

I love having visitors! It gives me something to look forward to. I hate it when they leave though. This is the only picture I got while they were here. Terrible.
Here are the kids today. They were fighting and causing trouble this morning so I gave them a Sunday assignment! They are coloring pictures of family and Niah had questions she had to answer about why she loves her family and how she can make our home a happier place. I'm mean I know. They are happy now though and getting along great! :)
Another thing that we are dealing with right now is the dog. She was diagnosed with advanced hip dysplasia. Wah. We spent another load of money getting x-rays of her to see what was wrong. Our breeder has a two year health guarantee. I called him to see what our options are. He said he's never had anything like this happen before and would be happy to give us another dog. What?! Are you kidding?! I will not go through the puppy phase again and I would have to pay for shots, spaying, etc all over again! We don't want to give Mabel back, of course. She is part of the family now. Another option is a hip replacement. What?! No way. Who knows how much that will cost. For now, we are keeping her on meds to keep her comfortable. I'm sure her life span will shorten a lot and eventually she'll get arthritis and we'll probably have to put her down someday. Sad. We love her. It's so sad to see her limping all the time. She can barely get up after laying down and she has no endurance. She can run and play for about 10 or 15 minutes and then she's done. I guess one perk about this situation is that she is a great dog. She doesn't get into anything and she just kind of lays around all day. What are the chances we pick the one dog out of eleven that had hip dysplasia?! Oh well. We love Mabel and wouldn't trade her for anything.
That's what's been happening around here lately. I am looking forward to this week. Birthday, family, shopping, and lots of fun! Can't wait!

Halloween and Fall

2011-11-05T16:56:00.007-04:00

Our Halloween was great! The kids had a blast trick-or-treating this year. Bennett finally caught on and understood what to do! Niah dressed up as Susan from Narnia. Grandma Shannon made her costume. It was perfect! Niah was so happy about it. Chloe dressed up as a fairy. She saw some purple fake eyelashes in a magazine and had to have them, so we planned her costume around those darn eyelashes! She looked so pretty. Bennett was an astronaut. We had a zipper malfunction so he looks a little 'GQish' with his zipper open.

And of course, don't forget Mabel. She wore Chloe's old Tinkerbell costume! It was only on long enough for me to snap a picture then she tried to eat the wings.

We carried on our annual tradition of soup and breadsticks. The kids were so excited to go trick-or-treating that they didn't really eat. They were full on candy anyway! (Notice Bennett's costume change. He went trick-or-treating as a fireman. He just couldn't make up his mind!)
Tuesday, Bryan had the day off so we spent the afternoon out in the yard raking leaves and enjoying the beautiful weather. I love days like that.

Chloe's enjoying a snack out in the sunshine!

I love this time of year. I don't want it to end. At least we haven't had any snow yet!

Visit From the Little Sister

2011-10-23T21:54:00.003-04:00

My sister, McKell, came to visit for a few days before she leaves on her mission next month. I am SO glad she got to come. It was so much fun having her and I loved having someone to hang out with and talk to during the days. We kept her busy while she was here. We made apple cider donuts, went to Thistleberry Farm and did three corn mazes (super fun by the way), got hooked on the show 'Up All Night' and watched all the episodes, had a sister's night out to eat Chinese, had a Lion King movie night, and went apple picking. I meant to take more pictures, but when I pulled out my camera the battery was dead. Shoot! I only got pictures at the apple orchard. It was a pretty day- except for the wind. Kell had never been picking before so we showed her how it was done! Is this the cutest picture ever?! I think so.

Bryan thought he was Superman for a minute.

We went picking late in the season, so there weren't a ton of apples left. We had to climb some trees to get the ones up high!
Oh, sister love. My nose is crinkled funny here for some reason.
It seems like Kell was here forever ago, but it hasn't even been a week since she left. The time went too fast, as usual. I know McKell will be an awesome missionary! I wish I could go with her to Italy and see her work. People are going to love her! We love you Kelly and will miss you so much. Thanks for coming to see us. We had a blast. Bennett said today that he wants Kelly at his house! Oh, and Kell if you are reading this, maybe you can send me all your pictures?! Sorry I dropped the ball on that one! :)

Repurposing

2011-10-12T17:16:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, Bryan and I were really in the mood to fix up our family room a bit. Everything is brown and boring and just not put together. It has been bugging me soooo bad! So, we headed out to the thrift store and found this beauty. Okay, well not a beauty yet, but just wait. We used paint we had on hand and gave this table a makeover.

Here it is after being sanded down.
And tada! Here is the finished product. We are going to use it as a side table to go with the new couches we just got. I eventually want to paint the walls a light turquoise color and add red and yellow accents. This is just holding me over until Bryan can start moonlighting, then we can splurge some more!
Total cost- $20.00. Total time for project- 3 hours. The next project was this desk that Bryan found on the side of the road- for FREE!! It was in rough shape, but with some sanding, wiping, wood glue, and a paint job it's as good as new!
Here is the after! It would be perfect for a little girls room or college student, I think. Total time for this makeover 4 hours. (Including paint drying time!) Total cost- $0. We used what we had around! I love how it turned out. I'm going to sale it and see if we can actually make money off of it!
I am in the mood to buy a whole bunch of things and fix them up. It really isn't hard and it would be a great job for making a little extra money for my decorating fantasies I have in my head! This probably won't be the last of the makeovers!

Best Caramel Recipe Ever

2011-10-09T15:10:00.004-04:00

Last Sunday, the Dr. That Bryan has been working with invited us out to his house for dinner. For dessert they served us apples with caramel and boy, was it to die for!! I made Bryan get the recipe from the nurse that made it for the doctor's family. I made it last night and served it to the missionaries that came for dinner. It was a hit, again! So, I'm posting it here so you can enjoy the deliciousness too!
2 c. Brown sugar
1 c. Butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1c. Corn syrup
Stir over medium heat. Boil 9 minutes, stirring continuously. You can boil it for 12 minutes if you want a harder caramel. Continue to stir until cooled a bit. Add 1/2 c. sour cream when cooled. (this makes it stay soft) Serve with apples, on ice cream or eat it by the spoonful!

October Conference

2011-10-04T11:15:00.005-04:00

I always look forward to Conference weekend. It's a time to just stay home, relax, enjoy each other's company and most important, listen to our prophet and apostles speak to us. We were lucky enough to have great weather too. We sat outside with the speakers blaring to listen to one of the sessions of conference. The kids were so happy to be outside in the sunshine!

Chloe caught a butterfly. She is our bug girl. She is not afraid of bugs or creepy things at all! Benny played basketball and would cheer loudly after every basket made. He is so good at sports. He's very coordinated for a two year old!
Bryan and Mabel enjoyed some bonding time. Mabel has a hurt leg and could barely walk for a few days. I finally took her to the vet for some anti-inflammatory drugs. Let's hope they help! B mowed the lawn and after said, "I must be getting old. I'm wearing balck church socks with my running shoes!"

The kids played a game of tackle football. Benny likes to pretend that he gets hurt and makes the girls or Bryan check out his injury. He has seen Bryan fix injuries as the team doctor for a high school football team and also Notre Dame's rugby team. They get the giggles when they play this! Looks like Benny is the doctor now...
We had lots of time to play the Ipad, and lots of time to fight over who's turn it was!
We had a few wrestling matches.
And the kids found some old Valentine's balloons that I never used, so they came up with the idea to blow them up with the bike pump. Pretty inventive!
Notice Chloe plugging her ears in case it pops. Even Mabel enjoyed some R and R this weekend. I love it when she just lays around and doesn't cause trouble! :) We love her.
I feel refreshed and motivated again after listening to conference. I felt like all of the talks were very encouraging. I loved it. I love President Monson. He makes me laugh. I can't wait to read the talks in the Ensign next month!

If you are not a member of our church and would like to hear the talks from conference go hear. You can also read more about our beliefs.

Just Me and The Boy

2011-09-28T10:29:00.006-04:00

Since both girls are in school these days, Bennett and I have lots of one on one time! I just LOVE it. Sometimes I feel like he doesn't get the attention he needs, being the third child. It has been great to just hang out with him and play cars, baseball, or football together. At first he couldn't figure out where 'the girls' went. Now, I think he likes having the house and mom all to himself!
I am really excited for Halloween this year. I think I enjoy it more than I like to admit. :) We have been decorating the house and figuring out the kids' costumes. Yesterday, I was trying to hang some spooky fabric up in our front window and I fell off the little end table (I stepped on the side of it and it's not very stable. Duh.) and hurt my ankle and butt pretty bad. I laid on the floor for a few minutes thinking I had broken my ankle because it hurt so bad. The girls came to my rescue, but Niah started crying first because it scared her so much. Today, I am pretty bruised and sore. Then, after that, I was cooking a nice dinner because we invited some friends over to eat with us, and I spilled a whole box of noodles all over the floor. I'm not sure what has happened to my brain these days. I hope it comes back soon.

Life is busy right now and most days I feel overwhelmed with all that there is to do, but I have really been loving my kids and the phases they are in right now. Life goes so fast. I want to freeze time!

Remembering

2011-09-22T16:21:00.002-04:00

I was reading through some of our oldest posts on the blog and came across THIS. So cute! Niah was a couple of months away from turning three. I had forgotten what a talker and singer she was! She seems so little to be singing such a big song!

Cleveland and Friends

2011-09-16T08:37:00.004-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend we got together with our good friends the Mickelsens. Both Bryan and Cody had the weekend off, so we decided to take advantage! We met halfway in Cleveland. It was so much fun! The kids loved being with their best friends and so did Bryan and I!

We went to the Cleveland Zoo...

Visited Kirtland, Ohio...

The kids got to dress up like pioneers...

And we got to tour the Kirtland temple. It's so pretty!

On Labor Day, we headed downtown to see the Cleveland Indians play the Detroit Tigers. I think this is the most fun we've had in a long time!! We loved it and so did the kids.

Benny loved it when they sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" but he wouldn't sing along.Bryan and I decided that next summer we need to take the kids and do a baseball road trip and go see all the teams play that are close by. I can't wait!

It was great to be with our good friends again. Hopefully, we can do it again soon. Thanks Mickelsen family for a wonderful getaway!

Another First

2011-09-13T13:07:00.003-04:00

I often wonder what happened with the time from when Chloe was born until now. For some reason, I have to really think about what Chloe was like as a baby and toddler. It's kind of hard for me to remember. The time seemed to fly by so quickly that my memory didn't have time to take it in. I do know that Chloe has always been sweet, obedient, and a great helper around the house and with her little brother and sometimes even her big sister.

Today was the day that she has been waiting for since the spring (or maybe even before that)- the first day of preschool! She has literally been asking every day since April, "Mom, how long 'til I start preschool?" Well, her time came! After much planning and careful consideration, she picked out her outfit, had me do her hair just right (notice her new hairdo- so cute on her), laid out her shoes and even put on some lip gloss!

She looks so big, especially with her cute new haircut.
She needed a tote bag for school so we bought one at Hobby Lobby, died it pink and she helped pick out and put on decorations. I will be finding glitter all over for months to come from that sparkly ribbon she picked out! The bag is almost as big as she is.
Dear Chloe,

Mom loves you and can't believe you are going to preschool now. I know you will do great and make lots of new friends. You are smart, pretty, and funny. I love your guts!

Love,

Mom

Very Blessed

2011-08-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned before, the kids and I took a trip to Utah without Bryan in July. Unfortunately, we didn't have the best start to our vacation. The kids and I said goodbye to Bryan in South Bend and headed to Chicago to stay the night before we flew out to Utah the next morning. We got to our hotel, but just drove by and decided to grab some dinner before unloading at the hotel. As we approached a red light (we could see the Wendy's we were going to just through the intersection) we were suddenly hit from behind. I didn't even see it coming. It happened so suddenly. All I remember is everything going black. I was screaming, the kids were screaming and we were being thrown all over the place. When everything stopped the car was full of air bag dust, our car was turned sideways facing the curb, and the kids were wondering what the heck just happened. Little Niah was more shook up than the others and was crying very hard. I turned around to see if the kids were okay and I could see blood on Niah's head. The other kids weren't crying, just sitting there looking around, confused. I was trying to figure out what had happened too! I was so shocked. I couldn't find my phone to call 911 and I was panicking a little. My shoes had flown off my feet, the Ipad that the kids were playing when it happened had flown up to the front passenger seat, my bag had flown clear up under the glove box and I could see seat belt burn on all of the kids. I opened my door and got out to search for my phone. As soon as I stood up I could tell something was wrong with my neck and head. They were pounding! I sat back down, tried to find a wipe for Niah's head- which looked worse than it really was, thankfully. Instead of dialing 911 (that had been taken care of by someone else) I called Bryan at home and I was crying and upset. The doctor in him took over and he was asking me questions like are the kids talking, what's happening, have you called 911, is everyone okay? The EMTs got there quickly so I told Bryan I'd call him back and let him know if we needed him to come. This was all in a matter of minutes, probably seconds, but looking back it felt like forever. The car that hit us was a Chevy Silverado and he hit us so hard we hit the car in front of us and it 'dominoed' and five cars were involved, us being the first ones hit. He hit us so hard it made our car turned sideways so we were facing the curb and the truck that hit us was pressed up against the back passenger door where Niah was sitting. The EMTs couldn't get to her to check her head. They asked me if anything hurt and I told them my head was pounding and my neck hurt. They then loaded me in a neck brace and put me on a backboard. All the while I was saying, "I need to stay with my kids, they can't leave me. They will be too scared." The EMT was really nice and got all the kids and their car seats and loaded them in the ambulance with me. Off we went to the hospital. Poor Niah was very shook up and scared, crying this whole time. Bennett and Chloe thought it was awesome that they got to ride in an ambulance! I never saw the crash sight, or don't remember it, and the guy that hit us never came over to see if we were okay or anything.

Once we got to the hospital they took the kids to a different room to check them out. I went to another room to be looked at. I was so impressed with all the people involved. I was worried about our luggage knowing we would need it in the morning to fly out. The Batallion Chief took it out of the car, loaded it in his car and drove it to the hospital for us. The kids got popsicles, suckers, and got to watch a movie. They were so brave through all of this. Chloe made friends with all of the doctors and nurses.

Our van has been giving us fits so Bryan sent us in his car and I think it was a blessing that we were in his. The luggage was in the back and I think it took a lot of the impact off of us. It also probably kept a lot of the glass from the back window from flying up to us and maybe causing bigger cuts or something. The blood from Niah's head was not as bad as it looked. It was more of a bad scratch than a cut. We all got some seat belt burn and I had a major case of whiplash. I'm still a little sore and my neck and back are still kind of stiff. Bryan ended up just getting in the car and driving to the hospital to meet us. I'm so glad he came. I felt so alone and scared so it was good to see his face. Luckily, Bryan was off Tuesday and people at work covered for him the next day until he got back. He was able to stay the night with us in the hotel and get us off to the airport. He went the next morning after we left to look at the car and get it cleaned out. Our Ford ended up being totaled. I'm glad they totaled it because it wouldn't be the same car. I kind of wish we were driving the van. Why did we have to crash our good car?!

I have never been through something so scary. I hope to never experience that again. It was such a helpless feeling seeing my kids in the back seat, so scared, and the EMTs wouldn't let me turn around to see them or touch them. We were all alone in a strange place. It was awful. I didn't sleep that night because I just kept replaying the accident in my head and thinking about all of the' what ifs'. I'll never forget the sound of the metal crunching, the glass breaking and the smell of the air bag dust that filled the car.

I am so grateful that we were all safe- it could have been a lot worse. We are counting our blessings and are so glad that we still got to go to Utah. I'm so thankful for the emergency workers and I can't get over how nice they were and how willing they were to go out of their way for us. It makes me realize that there is a lot of good out there still. I am still weirded out at how fast it happened and how fast things can change. One minute all was well and the next we were hearing sirens and being loaded in an ambulance. I have a new outlook on life and you really can't take anything for granted. Life is precious.

Rewind

2011-08-30T14:30:00.006-04:00

This summer has just gone too fast. I haven't had the time to blog about what we've been up to! Since we flew to Utah on Benny's birthday, I never had a chance to post pictures of his birthday. So, I'm hitting rewind and catching up.

Benny of course, had a baseball themed party! We had a little party for him a few days early so Bryan could celebrate with us before our trip to Utah. I think his 'mit' was the easiest cake I've ever made. I like boy cakes!

Bennett loved opening presents and had lots of help from his big sisters. He got some new cars with a mat to drive them around on. It was a big hit. He also got a baseball movie about the greatest players in history (yes, he sat and watched it all) and he got some baseball cards.
He loved blowing out his birthday candles and kept saying all day, "Happy birfday to Bennett!"

He had another party the day we got to Utah with my family. He loved having all that attention! He got a new Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen pillowcase, some jammies, a new hat- that he hasn't taken off since, and a Buzz Lightyear toy. He loved all of those things!! I think he was in little boy heaven.
And what's a party without some more cake?! Heaven I tell you.

Despite getting in a car wreck the night before (notice his seat belt burn on his neck in the picture above) and spending most of his day on an airplane, Bennett had a great birthday! I'm glad he got to spend his birthday with grandparents, aunts, and uncles. That doesn't happen for us very often any more. Bennett is such a sweet kid and we love him so much. I think he needs to stop growing, like now!

First Grader

2011-08-25T15:39:00.004-04:00

Niah went back to school today. She was so excited! She is going to a different school this year and they have to wear uniforms. She looked so official and very grown-up in her uniform. She had a moment of nervousness when she thought she wouldn't be able to remember how to get to her class. But, after some reassurance and planning it out she was fine. She hopped right on the bus and away she went.

She had to carry on with last year's tradition of making a silly picture.

It's really weird to have a 1st grader. I swear I can remember 1st grade like it was yesterday! Mrs. Bentley (my teacher) was my favorite teacher I had in Elementary school. I am feeling really old today for some reason!
Niah,
Mom wishes you luck this year in school and hopes you have a wonderful year. I'm so proud of you! I love you.
Mom

Dude Ranch

2011-08-05T20:17:00.003-04:00

We had a fabulous time with my family at a dude ranch in Montana. It was beautiful! My kids were in heaven having all that room to run. We rode horses, fished, rode the zip line, explored, went crystal hunting, visited a ghost town, and lots more! Here are just a few pics from our week there. I have so many more. I will post more when we get home.

Thanks to my Mom and Dad for making our trip possible! Once again, you showed us a good time! I hope we can go back some time.

Another Year Has Passed

2011-07-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

My little baby boy is turning two today! It's amazing to me, and sad, how fast the time has gone and how much he has grown.

Here's my little man at three weeks old...

At one year old...

And here he is today...

He is the best kid! I really can't get enough of him. He is so easy going, happy, and loving. He loves cars, baseball, playing outside, doing whatever his big sisters are doing and he loves the song Take Me Out To The Ballgame! That song is our current lullaby for him at night time. He loves to eat popsicles, hot dogs, cucumbers with ranch, and strawberries. He is talking so much and can pretty much say anything now if he tries. He gives really big hugs and is super cuddly. His nursery teacher always tell us how cute he is and that he runs up to them and gives them big hugs all the time. He is all boy and loves sports, getting dirty, and causing trouble.

We love you Bennett and hope you have a wonderful birthday. We can't imagine life without you!

Lazy Days

2011-07-17T18:20:00.005-04:00

I have so many pictures from this summer I thought that I better get them posted before I forget about them! Here's what has been going on...

We have a really pretty rose bush that the kids love to smell. I think this picture of Chloe is so cute!

The kids have been enjoying Mabel. She's starting to ease up on the nipping and she loves to play with them. Benny loves to lay on the ground and let Mabel wrestle with him.
Benny is our boy with many outfits! He is exploring all of his options. I'm not sure this is the best look for him! Our neighbor got a kick out of this ensemble.

We have been trying to hit the beach at least once a week. The kids can't get enough of the water and sand. They are so content just playing for hours. I love it too because they are happy and I don't have to hear them whining or bickering!

Chloe decided she wanted her training wheels off. I was nervous, but Bryan helped her and she had it figured out in about two minutes! She is a pro and has gone on lots of bike rides around the neighborhood already.

Bryan has been bonding with the dog too. I think he likes her more than he admits!

Niah lost her 3rd tooth! She tied it to some dental floss, tied the other end to the door and shut the door! It came right out and went down the A/C vent. It was traumatic for a moment, but after pulling out a few popcorn kernels and some other unidentifiable objects I was able to find it. Whew. I was almost in big trouble for choosing the door right by the vent!

So, there's what we've been up to. We are looking forward to celebrating Bennett's second birthday this week. It's hard to believe he is already two. My heart hurts thinking about how fast he is growing up. PLEASE STOP Benny!!

Independence Day

2011-07-14T10:32:00.004-04:00

Our 4th of July was really fun this year! We kicked off the weekend by going to a rodeo at the county fair. The kids had a blast and got all dolled up in their cowboy gear. The kids LOVED the rodeo. Chloe was especially fascinated, especially with the girls doing the barrel racing. We might have a future cowgirl on our hands!

Niah and Chloe rode a couple of rides. Bennett was too short to ride, he didn't seem to mind though. He was just happy watching the girls.

Bryan had the 4th off! We took the kids mini golfing and Bryan and I braved the batting cages!

That night we had some friends over from the ward to do fireworks with us. If you ask the kids what they liked more, snowcones or fireworks, I think it would be a toss up!

I think this holiday will be one that we will remember. I just finished a book called Unbroken. It is a story set in World War II and it really made me realize how much people have suffered for our country and freedoms. I was especially grateful for those who have fought for and defended the country we live in! We are so blessed to be Americans!

(Does anyone know how to solve the space problem that my blog is giving me? I don't know why my pictures end up being so spread apart.)

Summer and Trouble

2011-06-23T13:36:00.005-04:00

Our summer is already moving quickly! Niah finished softball last night and had a great time playing. She learned a lot and made lots of new friends. She told me today that she already misses her team and coaches and can't wait to play again next year!

Niah finished Kindergarten with flying colors! Her teacher couldn't stop telling me how much she enjoyed Niah in her class and how much she was going to miss her. Niah was loved by her whole class. Every time I went in to help I giggled at how much her classmates loved her. It's not surprising though. Niah has such a sweet personality and is kind to everyone.

It's hard for me to believe that I will have a 1st grader. I remember being in 1st grade so well. It seems like it wasn't that long ago so I am in shock that I have a daughter that old!

We have also been dealing with some trouble makers lately! Mabel is in her terrible two phase right now and is testing us. While out in the backyard, Bryan discovered that she had chewed almost completely through the air conditioning cord. We had to call a fix-it man in our ward to come and take care of that for us so our A/C would work. Every backyard toy of the kids' has been chewed on at least a little bit. They don't seem to be too attached to anything so it hasn't been that catastrophic, yet! We had Mabel spayed on Monday so now we have to keep her mellow and dry so her scar can heal. That's a trick, especially with kids and rain! We love Mabel anyway. She really is a good dog. She is weighing in at 34.6 lbs. and is six months old now.
Her hair is slowly growing back in from her episode last month!

We have another child that's going through a terrible two phase too! He has been a perfect child from the day he was born, but now his mischievious side is coming out. He has learned to hit, say 'no', spit on his sisters and mother, and if he doesn't like his food he throws it all over the place.

That stuff on the floor is a PB&J sandwich torn into little pieces and chucked all over! I don't think he got any in his mouth.

The other day I came downstairs after fixing my hair and this is what I saw. Benny had on one of the girls tutus and a headband. What can you expect when he has two older sisters who love to dress up?!! This will be great for the yearbook when he graduates highschool. :)

Even though Bennett has had his moments recently, he is still the happiest kid. He just goes with the flow. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He is OBSESSED with baseball. He loves watching Niah's games and watching it on TV with Daddy. He is really into his hat right now and usually has it on his head. Benny is talking up a storm these days and can even sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." He loves that song so much I'm thinking about putting it up on his wall with vinyl as part of his baseball room. We love our little man. I can't believe he will be two in a few weeks.

I love summer time. I love watching the kids try to catch lightning bugs. I love that we can stay up and play outside without having to worry about getting the kids in bed. I especially love that my kids have been sleeping until 8:30 or 9:00 every morning! Sometimes I sleep in with them or sometimes I get up early and exercise or get a few things done around the house. I had a goal of going to the beach at least once a week during the summer, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. We have had so much rain. I usually like the rain in summer, but it's kind of getting old now!

I am really loving my kids and just trying to enjoy them. They are in the best phases of life right now, in my opinion. I admit somedays they drive me crazy (I won't go into detail about the meltdown I had this morning), but I know that I will miss this when they get older and they don't think I'm cool anymore. I love being a mom and feel so blessed to have that privilege!

A Camping We Will Go

2011-06-18T22:48:00.004-04:00

Bryan has been on vacation this past week and it has been so great! We decided to take a little camping trip (actually, with three kids it's never little!) since we had a couple of free days. After packing everything up and getting to the camp I decided that a Surburban is in my future for sure! Our little van was packed so tight. As Bryan was getting the kayak tied down he said, "It's our own Griswold family vacation!" It's a good thing we decided not to take the dog. I don't think we could have stuffed her in!

The kids were in heaven. They had so much fun. Bennett pushed this thing around everywhere and loved being outdoors.

While we were packing to go Chloe tried putting her 'fancy' clothes in her bag. I explained to her that you can't wear fancy clothes when camping because they will get dirty and ruined. It was a hard concept for her to grasp! She loves to be dressed up and looking pretty. Once we got there she got the hang of it and didn't mind being dirty- as long as her shoes were clean and dry. As soon as we got home she went up and put on her skirt and a 'fancy' shirt!

Here's our camp. It was very green and pretty, but not very secluded. I guess we are used to camping in Utah where you have lots of space and mountains to hide away in! Being 50 yards away from your neighbor is not really Bryan's favorite way to camp.

The kids loved cooking our food in the fire. We made tinfoil dinners, s'mores, and the kids new favorite fire treat- banana boats!

Their was a lake close by so we decided that we needed to go take an evening swim to clean up and get all that sticky humidity off. After a night and morning of rain the heat was very welcomed!

Benny is saying cheese for the camera while testing out Daddy's boat. We rented a canoe and Bryan took his kayak out on the lake. It was a beautiful sunny day. Niah was a champion paddler and really helped me in the canoe. I was highly impressed!

Bryan built us some great fires. I think he could have done without the wood that caused so much smoke though!

I had forgotten how much fun camping is. It's a lot of work with kids, but worth the effort. We had some great family time and it was nice to escape from life for a couple of days and just enjoy being our little family. It's always a good reminder to keep life simple and to enjoy the small moments with your kids. Sometimes I forget that.

I hope we can make this a family tradition because I think the kids now have a love for camping!

Pick Me!

2011-06-03T15:13:00.006-04:00

My dad called today and said he has an extra Ipad that he might give away. He said that he was thinking about having everyone (I'm assuming my siblings and me) write an essay about why they deserve/want the Ipad. He may have been partly joking, but I decided to go ahead and enter the contest! So, here you go Dad. Here's my entry... :)

Top ten reasons Natalie needs and Ipad:

#10: Maybe I could get in touch with the world and update my 6 year old ipod with music of my own and not all of your songs that were on your computer six years ago!

#9: I love taking pictures, so how great would it be to be able to take the picture and then edit it all in one place? I think that would be really great.

#8: I am always in need of the latest weather report- we will be going to the park and the beach a lot. It would be great to be able to check the weather before we go, especially when we stop on the way home from errands. I also like to get the latest news and see what's going on in the world. I could read the news while the kids play on the playground and after I push them on the swings, of course!

#7: You are always asking me to set up Skype but our computer is too slow. If we had an Ipad we could chat all the time. You'd probably get sick of us from chatting so much!

#6: When I am out running errands there is always something I forgot to look up before I left. For example; directions or addresses to where I'm going, phone numbers, movie times, antique shops, store ads etc. How fabulous would it be to be able to do it from the car?!

#5: Browsing the internet or writing a blog post while the kids are playing in the pool outside would be awesome! There's so much to look at- decorating blogs, craigslist, friends' blogs. You get the idea.

#4: The Ipad will come in handy for composing all those #1 hits I've written. Haha. Reading books is a favorite thing to do so I could do it anywhere and watching movies would be fun to do in the airport or laying in bed at night.

#3: As a homemaker I am always looking for new recipes. I could look them up at home before I cook or in the store while I'm shopping. That would save a lot of trips back to the grocery store for that one thing I always forget!

#2: Scrabble is my favorite game. Bryan and I could have competitions or you can have a tournament with family and friends!

#1:....

Drum roll........

Think of how happy your grandchildren would be when they can play games, read books, watch movies and be perfectly occupied on the airplane or on road trips! The hours of entertainment would be fabulous for the mother too!

So, please consider your oldest daughter as a candidate for your Ipad. It would be well taken care of and loved! :)

New Desk

2011-05-31T10:42:00.004-04:00

It must be the time of year, but for some reason I get in the mood to do some projects! Last week I went to the thrift store and found a plain wood table. We have been in need of a new desk, so I thought why not turn this into our desk?! I forgot to take a before picture, but just picture a boring wood table.

Here is the finished product...

I sanded and stained the whole table a dark walnut color. Then I painted just the legs white. After it was dry, I got the power sander (I love that thing) and distressed it a bit to make it look old. I am really happy with the way it turned out! I can't wait to get it down in the office and see what it looks like. I have also painted the office so I will post some pictures when I get it all done. I'm kind of addicted to refinishing things and making them new again. It's really fun!

This and That

2011-05-29T19:19:00.005-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks at our house, as usual. I have really been slacking on my blogging. About a week and a half ago, Mabel came down with a skin infection. It was the nastiest thing. Her skin was sooo red and very tender. She wouldn't let anyone near her mouth or neck. The smell from the infection was even nastier!

Our dog was once a cute fluffy lion.

I just threw this one in here of Chloe because I thought it was cute! We have had a few warm days here- I hope they come back soon.

Now Mabel is a skinny, shaved lamb! The vet had to shave her down where the infection was and then decided it would probably be best to shave the rest of her too to make sure the infection wasn't anywhere else on her body. Mabel looked really funny for a few days. Chloe even said, "I don't feel like that is my dog."

You can sort of see how red her skin was in this picture. It itched her so bad we had to give her pain killers and a sedative for five days to keep her from scratching it. Don't ask how much that cost! I get a knot in my stomach just thinking about it.

Luckily, Mabel is doing much better and her hair is starting to grow in a bit. I sure hope whatever she had never comes back. We still love her though!

I have started a few projects this week- actually too many, another reason for not blogging- so I want to post about those when I get them done. Bryan and I started P90X this week. I'm happy to say that I am still moving and not as sore as I thought I would be. It's a great workout! We are looking forward to Niah getting out of school and for Bryan's vacation time coming up. It's amazing to me that summer is already here. Wahoo!

Notre Dame Baseball

2011-05-18T09:44:00.006-04:00

Niah has been playing sooo much softball! She loves it and never complains. She really looks forward to games and even practices. She has made lots of new friends. This past Saturday the league that she plays for had what they call a 'Day at the Eck'. (that's the name of the stadium) We got to go watch Notre Dame's baseball team play. It was so much fun. There's nothing better than a day at the ball park.

The league drew names and the winners got to run out on the field with the players and stand by them for the National Anthem. Niah's name got drawn!! She got to run out with the short stop, Mick Doyle. As you can see she was very serious and nervous about the whole thing! She wouldn't smile at all for me.
Mick was nice and talked to her to help her feel less nervous. I wasn't sure if she would actually go out there or not.

She even got to join the team huttle before the game.

She got out there and was so brave! I think she had a lot of fun, but she wouldn't admit it.

I was trying to make her laugh and told her that maybe she would get to go out there with a cute boy! She smiled at that and when he bent down to give her a high five I think he won her heart! She came back with a big grin and was watching him the whole game.

I love baseball. Being at Niah's games reminds me of watching my brother play and my dad coach. Those were such fun times. It's weird that my daughter is old enough to play now. I didn't think that would happen so fast!

Visit to Utah

2011-05-15T16:26:00.002-04:00

We took a trip to Utah for a week so Bryan could attend a sports medicine conference and also so we could see family. It had been a year and a half since we visited and it was great to go back. The week went too fast though. I want to go back!
The kids had a blast with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We've been home for a week and a half and I think they are still going through what I call 'Grandma detox'! We got to meet two of our nieces, Paityn and Bentlee, for the first time. We celebrated my Mom's 50th birthday and also my Dad's 51st birthday. Bryan's sister, Shaylie, plays softball and we got to watch her play. The best part of all was just enjoying each other's company. I'm looking forward to the day when we can be closer to family!

Easter Sunday

2011-04-25T13:55:00.006-04:00

Our Easter was a pleasant one. The sun was shining and spring is in full bloom! This year, I really tried to focus on the Savior and the resurrection. I am so grateful for all he went through for me. My heart was full of gratitude yesterday.

The kids had been having egg hunts all week in the backyard and in the house, so when the real thing came it was no big deal. Benny had lots of practice so he knew just what to do when he saw those eggs! Chloe found a golf caddy by her basket.

Niah found one of these. I'm not sure you call it- a hopster or something. We have yet to figure it out!

Bennett got his very own t-ball set. Boy, does he love it! I'm sure something will get broken by the ball soon. Maybe the rain could stop so he can play outside?!

The kids looked adorable in their Easter outfits. The girls picked out their own dresses this year. I tried to get them to match, but they would not have it. They take after their mother. I hate matching with other people. I'm not sure why I expect them to like it!

I had this vision of going to a big field somewhere, having a picnic, and taking pictures of the kids all dressed up. It was supposed to be rainy, so I just accepted the fact that it wasn't going to happen. But, after church the sun was out and it was perfect for pictures. We had changed plans and were invited to dinner by some friends in the ward so we decided to stop on the way and have a fake picnic.
I told the kids they got to be actresses and pretend to have picnic. I think they were excited about that!

I love my kiddos. When I look at those pictures I am overwhelmed with love for all of them! I am one lucky mom to have such darling, well behaved, healthy, happy children!

Easter was a success, I think. It's hard being away from family on holidays, but we are excited to go spend a week with them. It's been way to long since we've been home to Utah. We are counting down the hours.

Hey, Batter Batter

2011-04-22T14:35:00.007-04:00

Niah started softball last week! She has loved baseball ever since she was little, so this year she wanted to play. When we signed her up they asked if she had ever played before. I told them no and they said, "Okay, we'll put her in this league." Not knowing any better I just went with it. When she got to her first practice her coach asked if she had played at all before. I told him no and he acted surprised that she was on this team. He said, "We'll see how she does tonight. The machine throws balls fast and is a little hard to get used to." He talked about putting her in the t-ball group, which would be fine. She got out there and played and after being very nervous to hit she got up the courage and hit a couple of balls! Anyway, she is going to stay on this team and she is doing very well. She is the youngest one on the team, but it doesn't seem to bother her that she is playing with second and third graders!

The other kids love being at the ball park. Bennett is obsessed with baseballs and bats. At night when he doesn't want to go to bed, he climbs up on the couch and pats the seat next to him and says, "Ball," summoning Bryan to sit and watch ball on tv with him. It's so adorable!

Here's a picture that's just for fun. Mabel is growing. She weighs 24 lbs. now and is four months old. She is sweet with the kids and most of the time she is an awesome dog. I had Chloe pretend to dance with her so that we can remember how big and tall she is!

Niah plays her first softball game on Saturday. I'm excited to see how she does. I'm hoping to take some video so I can post it here. Let's hope the weather cooperates for us!

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-13T09:50:00.002-04:00

Niah had spring break last week. It was so nice to have her home during the days. Chloe and Bennett couldn't figure out why she was gone again on Monday!! To pass some of the time, I decided to take the kids to a couple of museums. They had so much fun. We went to the train museum in Elkhart with some of our friends. It was really neat. Benny was in heaven!

We attempted to get a picture of all the kids together in this old train car, but I'm not sure we were very successful. I think there are a few kids hiding behind the seats! The old train cars were really fun for the kids to climb up in. They were not safe at all. One of the cars had insulation and nails all over the floor. I was surprised that they let people in there! I wonder if there have been injuries before?! The kids didn't seem to mind.

After building up the courage all week, I decided to go for it and take the kids to Chicago to The Field Museum. It's a natural history museum and the kids LOVED it! Niah was especially into it. She is really into learning new things about different people and cultures. The highlights for them were Sue the dinosaur, the ancient Egyptians exhibit, and seeing Bushman the gorilla that used to fling poo at the people that came to see him. Haha. That's the only story about any of the animals that they could remember!

Their favorite part was probably playing on the steps when we were waiting to catch the train! Why spend money on a museum when there are steps to climb?!

Niah took this picture for us. I think she did pretty good.

My kids were so well behaved! I was very impressed. They learned a lot and had a great time. The train was a great idea because it takes you right to the museum, but I don't think I will do the train again with the kids. It took forever!! Driving would be much quicker and it woud probably be cheaper to just pay for parking. Anyway, we had a great week with Niah home. Now I can't wait for the summer break to get here.

Waiting

2011-03-31T09:02:00.004-04:00

I feel like we have been very busy, but at the same time I feel like life is passing by slowly and not much has been happening. Is that possible?! I know, it doesn't make sense! Bryan has been very busy at the hospital. His call nights have been awful for him. Last week, on one of his call shifts he got twelve admits just in the night! Needless to say, we haven't seen much of him the past little while.

Mabel has been keeping me very busy. She is a very good dog, but of course she has her puppy moments! She hasn't had any accidents for over a month so she is doing great in that area. We are now working on the nipping thing. She is Benny's buddy. He doesn't put up with her nipping and he will tell her no and walk away if she gets too hyper. I think she sees him as the one in charge! :) Mabel knows 'sit', 'down', 'shake', 'come' (when not distracted- we're working on that), and we are working on getting her to like her leash and 'stay'. When we got her at 8 weeks old she weighed 9.4 lbs. When we took her to her 13 weeks visit she weighed 17.7 lbs. She is growing like a weed! I'm waiting for the day when she will lay in the corner and sleep when she is out of her crate. ;) Right now she is a big fluff ball of energy!

Yesterday, Bennett, Mabel, and I were outside playing and the ice cream truck came by. I decided to give Bennett his first popsicle from the ice cream truck! He loved it and I think he was a little surprised when the guy in the van handed him a popsicle. Of course, Benny's little buddy is right by his side.

My latest frustration is this...

Seriously, it never ends. Trying to keep up with the kids, a dog, and housework is not going well! I just can't catch up! Maybe it's my lack of energy and motivation lately. I wish that I could snap my fingers like Mary Poppins and everything would put itself away! Hopefully, this phase of mine doesn't last much longer!

If you've heard Chloe talk, you probably know that she has a hard time saying certain words and sounds. I love the way she talks and I don't want it to change, but it hasn't been getting better. So, before she gets into school we thought it would be a good idea to get her checked out. I took Chloe to a speech therapist yesterday. Her doctor referred us to an outpatient clinic at Memorial. I was very impressed with the therapist we met with. Chloe really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun. After performing a few tests, we found out that Chloe's smaller muscles- the ones that you need for the precision of speaking- around her mouth are basically under developed. Chloe will start weekly sessions in June because there is such a long waiting list. She can also go to a preschool that is for kids with speech problems through the public schools so it will be free to us. I think it's a win, win situation! Chloe is very excited to go to school so she was thrilled to hear that she will get to start in the Fall. And, after waiting and waiting for my new niece to get here- she was a week over due- she finally arrived last night! Paityn Ashley Forbes weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 ozs and 19 inches long. Congrats to my brother and his wife on their new addition! I can't wait to meet her in April.

Leprechaun Day

2011-03-18T10:12:00.002-04:00

Our St. Patty's Day was fun! The kids really got into it this year, and I have to admit, so did I. We love Irish day! I made the kids t-shirts, made Shepherd's Pie for dinner, and sent the kids on a treasure hunt to find the Leprechaun's lost gold. The kids loved the treasure hunt and after they were done they used their gold and made their own hunt. Chloe really wanted to see the real leprechaun and was a little disappointed that he never showed himself! The kids are already looking forward to next year.

Weekend Visitors

2011-03-06T16:45:00.004-05:00

Our weekend was so fabulous. My dad had business meetings in Chicago, so my mom and dad came to visit us. I hate that their visit was so short and that it's already over, but we had fun while it lasted!

They got to meet the newest member of our family- Mabel. She is growing fast. She liked having visitors. I realized that there are a few things we need to work on when people come to the house. #1- No jumping on people!

My parents took the kids to do a little shopping. My mom and I picked out this outfit for Benny. Doesn't he look handsome? I couldn't resist doing a mini photo shoot of him in his new duds.

The kids really love Grandma and Grandpa. Niah made my dad tell her many, many funny stories and I think I need to invest in an iphone and ipad. My kids would be entertained for life!

I am so lucky to have such wonderful parents and such great grandparents for my kids. I love that when they come we get to spend quality time together, but I think I'm ready to live closer to family permanently. I never thought I would say that I wanted to go back to Utah, but I think I've come to that conclusion after this weekend.

Thanks for coming to see us Mom and Dad! We love you and miss you already.

A Day Late

2011-02-28T08:12:00.004-05:00

I know, yesterday was Bryan's birthday and I'm posting a 'birthday wish' today. Life gets too busy! Bryan turned 31. Can you believe that I'm married to a 31 year old?!! :)

Here's some of my favorite pictures of Bryan from the past year. It was a great year, lots of new experiences, accomplishments, and changes.

I'm grateful for Bryan and so glad that I get to spend the rest of my life and eternity with him. He's a wonderful father, husband, doctor, church member, and just a great all around person.
Happy Birthday B! Thanks for all you do for our family. I love you.

The Birthday Girl

2011-02-24T08:54:00.003-05:00

Chloe is four years old today!!! That is so strange to me. Chloe is such a sweetheart. I love her personality- so strong and spunky. I love her little voice and the way she talks. She has a hard time pronouncing some sounds and words, but I don't want her to grow out of it!

Chloe is my helper. She is very obedient and willing to help me out if I need her. She loves and adores her big sister, even though the words, "You're not my sister anymore!" sometimes escape her lips.

She makes me laugh every day. I really love her honesty and she just says what's on her mind. I hope she is always that way.

Chloe had a Tinkerbell party yesterday with her cousin Preslee who is here visting and a couple of her friends. She loved all the attention! I could tell she felt special when everyone was giving her all the attention.

We love you Chloe Nan. It's a privilege to be your mom and have you in our family! Have a fabulous birthday!

Mabel

2011-02-15T21:13:00.004-05:00

Our puppy is here!! She is so sweet. So far, she's a very mellow dog and very good with the kids. Her name is Mabel Minnie. We wanted something old-fashioned and Mabel is the name we could all agree on, well almost everyone. Chloe didn't like Mabel so we told her she could pick out a middle name for her! Minnie is the one she chose- like Minnie Mouse. It's kind of funny because this dog is not going to be very 'mini'!

The kids love her, of course. I think there will be some sibling rivalry for a few days about who gets to hold her and play with her and scoop up her poop. I'm sure that last one won't last longer than a day! Benny is so cute with the puppy. I need to get a picture of it, but Benny holds her face in his hands and says in a high pitched, baby talk voice, "Ohhhh."

We are so glad to have her as part of our family now! I just hope I can teach her how to be a good, well behaved dog. With three kids around distracting her it might be harder than I thought!

Snow and Cold

2011-02-09T20:34:00.004-05:00

It's freezing here!! (still not as cold as Vermont, but close!) We have so much snow and I bet I could count on one hand the number of days the sun has been out. Not much has been happening around here, it's kind of a boring time at our house. Bennett has been sick twice. Poor Niah has had about four different bugs in 2 weeks. Chloe is still holding strong and hasn't had anything yet- cross our fingers! She complains of a headache or some ailment when she sees me give the other kids medicine (she loves medicine). The other night she said she had a headache and Bryan said, "I think the best thing would be to just go to bed." Chloe replied, "Dad, how do you know?" He said, kind of sarcastically, "I'm a doctor. I know!" Her answer was, "Dad, you don't know headaches!" We've had a couple of snow days and I never thought I would say this, but I'm sick of snow days! The girls get so bored and then they just fight all day long. I've been trying to keep them busy by playing lots of games, coloring, playing neighbor, learning about a new topic each week, and making cookies. We (okay, maybe just me) are in survival mode, just trying to make it through the rest of the winter.

One of my brilliant boredom busters was to get the kids and I all dressed up and go take some cute Valentine pictures for Bryan. We all looked pretty in our matching reds and blacks. I love snow pictures because the lighting is beautiful and they seem to always turn out. Anyway, we got to our picture spot, unloaded the kids, snapped a few shots and within minutes they were all crying because they were so cold. This was probably bad planning on my part and maybe not my best mothering moment! I think the total photo shoot, including travel time, was about 20 minutes. The picture below is the best one I got of all of us and the one up above as the title picture was the best one I got of all the kids. Sad. So much for that idea.

The kids have loved going out to play in the snow. I bet there is four feet of shoveled snow along our driveway. Our mailbox is barely visible.

The kids have fun until someone gets snow down their boots. That will ruin your day!

Chloe's showing me the snow she's about to eat.

Bryan and the girls went out one day and were out playing for three hours! Bryan built them a slide, a fort, and a tunnel. The girls were in heaven!

This is the sledding hill, or slide as Chloe called it.

Benny was napping when all these shots were taken. I need to get some more of him out in the snow. He looks so cute in his snow pants and big fluffy coat. He likes to help Daddy shovel the driveway.

I shouldn't wish away my time, but I sure hope spring comes VERY quickly. Deep down I know it probably won't.

It Happened

2011-01-25T11:11:00.003-05:00

It actually happened! Bennett is old enough to go to nursery at church now. Crazy. He seems to like it, I'm not really sure if he likes it! When I snuck a peek at him on his first day he was laying on one of the leader's shoulders, looking like he might fall asleep. Sunday they said he was a little grumpy, but cuddly. I guess it will take him a couple of weeks to get used to it. Here are some pics of him on his big day! :) Yes, he's playing with a fairy from the Tinkerbell movies. That's what happens when you have two big sisters around.

And the thing that Niah has been wanting to happen for a year now actually happened- two days after her sixth birthday. She lost her first tooth!! It had been loose for a couple of weeks. Niah was complaining and whining that it hurt from her playing with it so much, so I took a tissue and told her I was just going to feel it wiggle. Well, I actually pulled it out instead! She was mad at first, but then through her tears she started laughing when she saw the tooth in my hand.

She couldn't wait to show her teacher at school! She looks really big now with that hole in her mouth. I remember losing my first tooth- it's so exciting!

I had to put this up just for fun. Chloe is a Sunbeam at church now. She loves singing time and

can pick up on the words to songs very quickly.

My kids are so cute! I want them to stop growing up now.

Puppies

2011-01-20T19:09:00.007-05:00

We pretty much have puppies on the brain at our house! The girls have taught Benny how to crawl around and bark like a puppy. It's pretty funny. I have three puppies at my house!

Benny has even climbed in our puppy crate to play.

Today we got to go pick out the puppy we want! It's a three hour drive to the breeder we found, so we decided to make a trip out of it. The kids enjoyed watching TV this morning after our morning swim at the hotel.

There were four female dogs for us to choose from. It was hard! We decided on this one. She was so sweet and didn't seem to mind the kids passing her back and forth and fighting on who got to hold her next and for how long. She is only four weeks old now, we'll get her when she is eight weeks.

She has a cute blocky head, the perfect amount of curl, and a mellow temperament. She was also the biggest female in the litter.

The breeder fed them some food while we were there, so she has a messy face!

We can't wait to get our puppy home! We can't come up with a name that we all agree on. We all liked Darla, but then today when we saw the puppy it didn't seem to fit. Some names we are thinking about... Lucy, Molly, Millie, Daphne, Penny, and some others that have left my mind at the moment. I'm glad we have some time to think about it! I think I will dream about puppies tonight! :)

Six Years Old

2011-01-14T14:18:00.002-05:00

My sweet, precious Niah is six years old today! It's hard to believe. (I think I always say that!) Niah is such a joy to have in our family.
I love that Niah has a funny sense of humor. She makes us laugh every day with the things she says and does. She understands the 'adult' world and is very aware of what is going on around her.
She is very smart and mature (minus a tantrum here and there) for her age. She loves school and loves to learn.

She loves to dance and loves music. She is an awesome big sister and really takes care of Chloe and Bennett. She loves to play with baby dolls, Barbies, and she loves to be outside.
Niah has an adventurous side to her! She is not a morning person. Getting up early for school is rough, but she does it, most days, with a grin and a good attitude.

I am so lucky to be Niah's mom. She brings me so much joy and I love having her around. I love you Niah Marie and hope you have a wonderful, totally awesome birthday!

New Addition

2011-01-09T20:48:00.001-05:00

After much anticipation and waiting, one of these cute girls will be joining our family in February! We can hardly wait. Now, if we could all agree on a name...

Disneyworld: Part Two

2011-01-07T14:24:00.005-05:00

As promised, here is part two of our Disneyworld trip. I had so many pictures and my sisters took a ton, so there were too many to choose from. The collages were much easier than doing ten posts! The photos should speak for themselves.

The picture from the dinosaur ride cracks me up every time I see it. The 'big' kids went back at night to ride some rides at Animal Kingdom. After going on two windy rollercoasters, the Dino ride, and then Everest for the second time I got really, really sick. I had to book it off the ride and find a garbage can. Luckily, the puke never came but I was sick all night and the next day on our flight home. I'm getting old. Oh, and someone may or may not have peed their pants after the scary Dinosaur ride. In case you are wondering, it was not me!

I've said it before, but I'll say it again. We had such a great time!!! Thanks to my Mom and Dad for making it possible for all of us to go on such a wonderful, awesome, memorable trip. We will never forget it!

DisneyWorld: Part One

2010-12-29T13:36:00.006-05:00

The kids and I joined my family in Disneyworld for a week right before Christmas. Bryan had to work so we left him home alone, but we couldn't pass up the chance to go to the Happiest Place On Earth! My mom got there the same day as us and then everyone else got there the next day. We got to go to Animal Kingdom with just my mom, and boy did we have fun! It was a beautiful day and the park wasn't that crowded. Chloe saw the face painting booth and just had to have her face painted like Tinkerbell. (that's her favorite character!) She sat up in the chair and was so relaxed while they made her beautiful. My mom and I got the giggles watching her. It looked like she was asleep in the chair!

My pictures are out of order for some reason so this is Chloe admiring the finished product in the mirror. Doesn't she look gorgeous?!

Here are the kids at the entrance to Animal Kingdom. Every park had a HUGE Christmas tree all fancied up to the theme of the park. Disneyworld was amazing at Christmas time.

Chloe looks like she is asleep, doesn't she?!

She couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror. She also couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

We got to meet lots of characters. Chloe is meeting Terk. The kids were a little nervous with the first few characters, but by the end they were giving them big hugs.

Bennett liked Terk's mohawk!

Bennett liked the characters from a distance. If we got too close he made sure to have one arm touching me and then he would reach his other arm out to touch the character.

And if the character tried to touch Bennett, he would get nervous and want me to hold him!

"This is too close, Mom. Too close!" is probably what Benny was thinking here.

Pluto and Goofy were a big hit with the girls. They were pretty funny characters and the girls got a kick out of them! Again, Benny is trying to push Goofy away so that they aren't touching! So funny.

Dinoland was a hit with Bennett. We went on the Dino ride (it's like the Dumbo ride, but with dinosaurs instead) and when we got off he threw a huge tantrum because he didn't want the ride to end. So, thankfully, there were no lines. We got right back on and rode again which led to another tantrum when it ended!

The girls did not like the show "It's Tough To Be a Bug!" It scared them pretty bad and as Chloe buried her face in my Mom's neck she yelled out, "I want to go home!!" My mom and I were cracking up.

The safari was awesome this time around. So many animals were out. Every time we'd see an animal Bennett would wave and then clap. He loved it.

I loved seeing the kids' reaction to the park and all the characters. They make it so much fun!

Stay tuned for Disneyworld: Part Two. I have a lot of pictures.

Eight Years

2010-12-27T09:44:00.004-05:00

Bryan and I have been married for eight years, today. It's hard for me to believe it's been that long. Our wedding day seems like just yesterday. We have had our share of struggles but we've also experienced many, many joys.

I love Bryan for the wonderful husband he is.

I love him for being such a hard worker and accomplishing his goals.

I love hime for always putting his family first and for being a fantastic Daddy.

The last eight years have been the best ever! I love you B. I feel like one lucky girl to have you as my husband. I can't wait to see what the next eight years bring.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T21:38:00.004-05:00

This Christmas came and went so quickly! We had a quiet Christmas at home with just the five of us. Bryan was on call Christmas day, but was able to stay and open presents with the kids- thanks to a co-worker of his. I got a little bored during the day since Bryan had to work, but the kids had so much fun opening presents and playing all day. Here's a few pictures from our day.

The kids posing in their new Christmas pjs.

Here we are on Christmas Eve. Everyone's looking at the camera- miracle!

Niah got a good shot of Bryan and I.

Bennett got cars, trucks, and more cars! He loves all of them. He loves his race track that Santa brought him. He claps when all the cars finish at the bottom.

Chloe asked for a Baby Alive Bouncin' Babbles doll and a grocery cart. She got both of those along with a zhu-zhu pet, a movie, dress-ups and a puzzle.

Niah asked for a Cabbage Patch doll with brown skin, (both my girls wanted brown skin dolls! So cute!) walkie talkies, and an American Girl Doll. She got all but the American Doll. Santa couldn't afford it! :) She also got a zhu-zhu pet, a movie, and The Velveteen Rabbit story on cd.

The kids had a great day! They have had so much fun playing together. It's hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone. Last night when Niah was laying in bed she asked me, "Mom, when will it be Christmas again?" She's already counting down!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T20:24:00.003-05:00

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I've Been Thinking

2010-12-10T09:51:00.007-05:00

I've been thinking lately about a lot of things. Mostly I've been thinking about my Grandma Saundra. She was killed two and half years ago in a sudden accident. She was 64. My grandma was a huge part of my life. She was there for everything and always cared about what I was doing.

My thinking started when we were decorating our tree last week. My grandma gave us a new ornament every year for Christmas. This angel was the one she gave me the Christmas before she died. Maybe it was a coincidence, but I wonder, did she have any idea that she was going to be my angel very soon? And why is it, that ever since she died that when I see a bird it reminds me of her? I think it's strange that the angel is holding a bird in each hand.

I miss my grandma lately. Maybe it's because I've been feeling a little lonely and I wish she was here so I could call her on the phone and chat or get her latest recipe.

It seems like such a small thing, but I'm grateful for this ornament that my grandma gave me. It serves as a reminder that she is still with me and that I will see her again someday.

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T19:24:00.003-05:00

Since we have a little more room now in our house, and growing up we could never have a real tree because my brother was allergic to them, we decided we needed a live tree this year. I found this great tree farm where you can cut down your own tree. It was so much fun. When we pulled in and I saw all the people, Santa, and the trees, I felt giddy!

The kids got to meet Santa. Surprisingly, they walked right up to him and talked to him and told him what they want for Christmas. Even Bennett was not afraid. He was a nice, jolly Santa.

The atmosphere at this farm was like the places you see in the Christmas movies. They had horses, goats, llamas, and even a reindeer (actually it was just a white tail deer) the kids could pet.

It was so much fun trying to find a tree. I think we found the perfect one! I'll post pictures later when I get lights on it and maybe a star.

Bryan's mom and dad came for the weekend. It was great to have them along with us for this fun outing. I love visitors!

Bennett was trying to figure out what Bryan was doing under the tree. When we got home and got the tree set up, Benny laid under the tree on his back to check things out- just like Daddy!

Chloe was a good helper and held the tree up with Grandpa Ferald.

I wanted a cute picturesque photo of the kids by all the trees. This was the best I could get. Chloe forcing a smile, Bennett just wanted to wander on his own and Niah is trying to be a big helper. :)

I definitely caught the Christmas spirit yesterday. I loved spending time with Bryan's parents and also with my cute family. I think this will be a day I will remember for a long time.

Birthday and Thanksgiving Celebration

2010-12-01T09:50:00.008-05:00

Last week was one to remember! My WHOLE family came for the holiday and we had so much fun together. We started off with a big birthday party for me! We went to Hana Yori Hibachi Grill for dinner.

The girls did not like the big flames at all. Look at Chloe's face!! She was so scared.

My mom provided the cake and candles. I think there are too many candles on that cake! I didn't think I could blow them all out in one breath, but I did. My sister made me that cute hat and my parents gave me a Cricut Expression!!! I have been playing with it and making Christmas decorations. I love it.

We went swimming at the hotel. The kids got to have a sleepover with Grams and Gramps that included popcorn and a movie in the hotel theater. They were in heaven.

Ash gave all five of us a haircut. Benny liked his first real haircut. He just sat and played with some blocks and was so great while Ashley was cutting. I feel like a new woman with my new haircut and color! Thanks Ash!

Thanksgiving day was wonderful! I was so happy to have everyone at my house to celebrate. I had fun hosting at our new home. I always miss my grandma on Thanksgiving because it was 'her holiday', but I think she was there with us.

I made place cards for all of the adults with a picture of them when they were little. Then I helped the girls write why they were thankful for that person on the back of the card. It turned out pretty cute!

We set up a photo shoot in the front room since it was soooo cold outside. We couldn't pass up the picture moment when we were all together. My mom and dad are such good grandparents. My kids just love them to death. We'll have to get a new picture when Colin and Ashley's little girl arrives, this one is already outdated!

Here's the five grandkids. They were being so silly. Chloe was not in the mood to cooperate for this one.

Here's the whole family. It's amazing how it's grown over the past few years. I love it.

I am so grateful for my family. I love them so much! They are awesome. Thanks Mom and Dad for all you do for us. You truly are the best parents a girl could ask for. To all my siblings (including Ashley :): thanks for making me laugh and for being so much fun to hang out with! I miss you all when we aren't together.

It's a good thing we will all be together again in just a few weeks. I hope you are ready to party it up in Disneyworld!!

Happy Birthday Love

2010-11-21T21:16:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday. I love you.

Good Times

2010-11-15T21:23:00.003-05:00

This weekend was the best!! We had two extra tickets to the Utah vs. Notre Dame game and decided to give our good friends, the Mickelsens, a call to see if they wanted to come. It's a long drive from Rochester (about 8 hours) so I didn't think they would really come, but they did!!! I am soooo happy that they came. It was great hanging out with them and having some of our best friends to hang out with. Bryan and Cody grew up together, were roommates at Snow College, and went to the same medical school. Miquelle and I were roomies in college and have been friends ever since! It's always fun to get together.

You'll notice that we are wearing red at the game. It was wet and the ponchos were free, so we decided that it was okay since it was an 'ox in the myer' situation! I'm a Utah grad so I have a nice excuse! :) We decided that there was sort of an inner satisfaction sitting amongst the Ute fans and watching their team lose. We just can't cheer for them. I realized that Bryan has officially brainwashed me!

Sadly, this is the only some what decent picture I got of myself and Miquelle. Their was either a kid's head in the way or Cody in the background being goofy! Sorry Miquelle.

Bennett and Jackson are going to be best buds when they are a little older.

These girls has so much fun together! Look at the huge grins on their faces. I later found out that they tried to ride the crib mattresses down the stairs with the babysitter! A little mischievious, don't you think?!

(Addi, Chloe, Niah, and Macie)

It was hard saying goodbye. I wish you could come back Mickelsens!! It was so much fun having you here and thanks for coming on a whim. I'm glad you spent 18 hours in the car for us!

Growing Boy

2010-11-09T14:07:00.004-05:00

My little man had his fifteen month check-up today. (I know, he's closer to sixteen months now!) He weighed in at 22 lbs and is in the 25th% on height and weight. He is perfectly healthy! I am so greateful for that. Bennett really is the sweetest, happiest, cutest boy ever. I am so proud to be his momma. Here are a few things about Bennett at this fun age.

- He is always happy. Seriously. He doesn't cry unless he gets hurt.

- He has eight teeth with two more coming.

- He has the walking thing down. He tries to run but just trips on his feet and falls down.

- He LOVES mom. He follows me around like a little puppy dog and if I even put my coat on like I'm leaving he clings to my leg or won't let me put him down.

- He really likes dinosaurs lately. I bought a book called Dinosaurs Love Underpants and it's the only book that he will sit and listen to. He also has dino jammies and a figurine and he roars whenever he sees them.

- He is a great eater. Some of his favorite foods are cucumbers, goldfish crackers, and German pancakes.

- He can say uh-oh, dada, and sometimes momma. He makes the sounds of a monkey, tiger, puppy, elephant, and a couple other animals.

- He loves his sisters. He loves to play with them and do what they are doing.

- He's a good sleeper. He loves his bed. If we try to get him out before he is ready he moves to the far corner of the crib and grunts at us and shakes his head 'no'.

- He loves music and is a very good singer. He likes to lead the music in church!

- He is really good at followig directions. He can put toys away, put things in the garbage, and get his shoes, among other things.

Bennett is turning into a little boy! I can't believe it. The time has gone too fast. I want it to stop. This morning I woke up to fire truck sirens outside and then I heard Bennett in his crib mimicking the siren. It was so cute! He is always smiling and doing cute things. I am constantly staring at him and admiring his darling face- dimples, blue, blue eyes, and his very blonde hair.

I love you Benny! Please stop growing so quickly.

Not So Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T21:30:00.003-04:00

Our Halloween week was rough. Chloe came down sick and was throwing up and complaining of a belly ache for three days. She didn't sleep for four nights straight. This was towards the middle of the week, so by the time our Halloween parties started we were all exhausted and a little grumpy. We had a party with our ward. I am on the activites committee so I knew what was going to go on at the party. I got my kids all pumped up for the games, hayride, prizes, food, and of course, a trunk-or-treat. They were so excited! Bryan started his night float that night so he had to leave early to go to work. My kids are going through a weird separation anxiety phase right now- mostly Niah- (isn't she too old for that?!) so they would not leave my side to go with their friends and play games and participate in all the fun things I had told them about. (Chloe probably would have gone no problem, but Niah's fits made her nervous, I think.) Keep in mind that it's pretty cold too because the party was outdoors. We have big coats on, blankets, etc. so my hands were FULL. Here I am trying to chase a monkey, but every time I would wander off to get him the girls would get out of line and start to cry and follow me. If I held the little monkey he would squirm and get mad because he did not want to be held. As I'm typing this it doesn't sound that bad, but it really was stressful, chaotic and really not fun! This went on all night. Finally, the trunk-or-treat came and they did a little better, but would not leave my side. Bennett had a lot of fun getting candy and would not let go of his candy. I'll spare you the rest of the details, but all in all I didn't get to talk to a single person at the party and my kids were big grumps all night. I was glad to get cleaned up and out of there. I thought the party was a success though! I think the ward members had fun.

Sadly, these are the only pictures I got of the kids in their costumes. Where's Chloe you ask? She was being stubborn and would not get in the picture. So, I have no decent picture of Chloe in her cute hippie costume. :( Here's my cute little monkey. He loved his costume and when people came up and said, "Oh, what a cute monkey," he would answer with a monkey sound. It really was adorable.

Niah was the cutest pirate I have ever seen! Arrrgggh!

I kind of gave up trying to get the kids excited about Halloween day. I down played it and as the day went on, I felt bad that they couldn't go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood- because it was Sunday. South Bend sets hours for trick-or-treating and they set it for Sunday night. Boo. I thought I should have made more of an effort to find somewhere to take them Saturday night. Anyway, the kids saw people out getting candy and wanted to give candy to the trick-or-treaters. We were all out of candy from the ward party so we had the idea to clean out their buckets and get rid of all the candy they didn't want. It worked out nicely! There were not many people that came down our circle, but Niah didn't let that stop her. She got a whistle and stood in the circle blowing the whistle and yelling, "Candy, we have candy!" If she saw someone at the top of the circle she would start yelling and try to get them to come down to our house. It was the funniest thing ever! I was laughing so hard.

Chloe and Bennett thought she was a little crazy! Oh, look- a picture of Chloe in her costume. She decided to just throw it on over her clothes so she could give candy away.

She's a cute hippie. Or as she says, "I'm a whoopie!" She didn't even wear the earrings that started the whole hippie idea. Oh well.

In the end, I think our Halloween turned out alright. The kids had more fun giving the candy away and weren't sad at all that we didn't go out trick-or-treating. It was truly entertaining to watch Niah yell down the street to passersby! The kids buckets are still full of candy from the ward party, so they have had their fair share of it- and so have I!

Wow. I didn't realize how long that post turned out to be. If you are still reading, I'm impressed.

I Just Blew In From The Windy City

2010-10-17T14:28:00.006-04:00

The windy city if mighty purdy. (Click on the link to see a scene from one of my all-time favorite movies!)

We went to Chicago for the weekend. I had never been to Chicago before. I love this city. It's not as intimidating as NYC and it seems safe and clean. We had a great hotel in a perfect location. Here's Benny watching all the cars and firetrucks drive by from our hotel window. He loved all the cars.

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the Navy Pier. It was a gorgeous day and we couldn't have asked for better weather. The kids had a blast on the ferris wheel and the carousel. Daddy and Chloe 'petting' the lion, or dog man- whatever that is!

This is the tunnel that went under the street to the pier. The kids were troopers and walked a long way.

There's a greenhouse at the pier and the kids were fascinated by the jumping water.

After the pier we walked to the American Girls Doll store. The girls were in heaven, but due to a few tears, okay many tears and a huge fit, because Niah couldn't get a doll we had to end the shopping trip. What normal person can afford one of those dolls?! I think it's a joke that they are so expensive, but that's a different post. :)

A recent convert family from our ward went through the temple Friday and got sealed on Saturday. Bryan went to the sealing while the kids and I played on the temple grounds. Our original plan was to go to the zoo while Bryan was in the temple. But after realizing that it would take an hour to get back to the zoo with all the traffic we stayed at the temple. The kids were bummed at first and there were a few tears shed, but before we left the temple Niah said to me, "Mom, forget the zoo. I had way funner here." It was so nice to be at the temple and I think the kids could feel the spirit that was there. We had a great time.

Look at Niah's happy face. This is going on my list of favorite pictures.

Bennett loved exploring and roaming on the temple grounds. He is getting so busy these days.

The girls decided to have a race down the sidewalk. They were running really fast....

Tie goes to the winner...

Then the girls have a little collision and Chloe pays for it by falling face down on the cement. She has a huge bruise/scrape on her head. I've never heard such a loud 'thump' on cement before. OUCH!

Niah is such a good big sister. She was taking care of Bennett while I consoled Chloe. Benny loves Niah- as long as she doesn't try to pick him up!

We had a fun weekend and I am looking forward to going back to Chicago again. Maybe a girls trip?!

Family

2010-10-12T13:39:00.003-04:00

I love that we live within driving distance to family. We spent the weekend at my sister's house in Ohio. We took turns taking each other's family pictures. Tam did a great job with ours. I love how they turned out. The sun was so pretty on Sunday.

Here are a few that I love...

You can go here to read my sister's blog. I think it's inspiring!

Listen

2010-10-07T12:43:00.002-04:00

I love this message. It's a good reminder for me.

Annual Apple Picking

2010-09-29T16:58:00.006-04:00

We made a trip to the apple orchard yesterday. It's our favorite thing to do in the fall. I miss Vermont so bad, so this orchard gave me my Vermont fix! We had a blast and it was a beautiful day.
Bennett loved to pick up the apples and put them in the bag. Towards the end he just liked to throw them.

The bag is so heavy...

Chloe took the bag away from me!

This picture is on here twice for some reason, but it's cute, I guess.

My darling kids. I love them.

The weather was so nice. We just hung out and played after we had filled our bag. The kids let me take pictures and they ran around being silly. It was a great time. I want to go again!

Did I mention?

2010-09-27T15:31:00.003-04:00

Bennett is walking!! Here's a video to prove it!

I Figured It Out!

2010-09-16T21:57:00.003-04:00

I figured out what was wrong with my uploading so hopefully, it is fixed now! Here is the picture I really wanted to post. This is us standing in front of the 'Touchdown Jesus' right before the game started. Every time we drive by it, my girls say, "Mom, there's the Jesus Touchdown!"

These are just some more random pictures from the past few days. Benny got a wagon from my mom and dad for his birthday and he loves it. Chloe and Bennett usually ride in it to take/pick-up Niah at the bus stop.

Bryan got Bennett a bike seat so that we can all go on a family bike ride. He likes to pat my back while we're riding. He gets the giggles when he does it. So cute.

Here's another one of my bike. I look like I just woke up or something- lazy Sunday afternoon!

Here are my sweet girls. Chloe was playing 'neighbor' and found all the snow stuff in the closet. She said it was going to snow outside at her house. Don't you love the flip-flops with the other winter gear?!?

Frustration

2010-09-14T11:44:00.004-04:00

My computer is being dumb lately. I'm a little frustrated with it. Some of my pictures won't upload into Picasa. (If anyone knows a solution I would be happy to hear it!) Anyway, I have been dying to post about the date Bryan and I went on last week. Bryan won tickets to the opening game of Notre Dame football. To avoid traffic, we decided to ride our bikes to the game, but I didn't have a bike. So, what did Bryan do? He went to Walmart and bought me this cute cruiser bike. I LOVE it! That's the best $75 bucks Bryan has ever spent! haha. The stadium is only about 10 minutes away, driving, so it was quick on our bikes and our traffic plan worked! We didn't have any trouble at all.

Here's Bryan outside the stadium. I love that stadium. It still has the old wooden benches that were there in the old days. Yes, we wore our Notre Dame shirts!

I have a picture of us standing in front of the 'Touchdown Jesus' mural, but it's one that will not upload onto my computer. We had an absolute blast at the game. It was so great to go with just Bryan. He has been busy and it was great to have that time to ourselves. I can't wait to go to the Notre Dame vs. Utah game. (Thanks to my grandpa for getting us tickets.) Even though I graduated from the U, we will be cheering for Notre Dame!!

Little Divas

2010-09-02T09:21:00.005-04:00

I have decided to decorate the girls room with a shabby chic/Hollywood diva theme. The walls are empty right now and they really need something to spice them up. We have been talking about taking pictures of the girls for a while now so Chloe talked me into doing it over the weekend. She got really into it. I have never been able to get Chloe to pose for me and when she finally did I was in heaven!! Niah on the other hand, was not so into it. I had to bribe her and talk her into posing for me, which is not normal for her. I was worried I wouldn't get any cute ones of her because she kind of had her poopy pants on. But, in the end they turned out beautifully!

Here are some of my favorites...

They each picked out their own outfits. As you can see, Chloe went total glam and Niah went with 'fine I'll put on a skirt for you!' We went all out with make-up, curling hair, and the sparkly beads. I can't wait to get these hung up on their walls. It will add a lot to their black, white, and pink bedding.

Can It Really Be True?

2010-08-28T15:50:00.003-04:00

Can it really be true that I have a child in Kindergarten? Where did that five years go?!! My big girl Niah had her first day of school on Wednesday. Luckily, for us the school had a back-to-school night on Tuesday. I am soooo grateful that they planned that because I don't think Niah would have survived if she didn't know where she was going or who her teacher was! Even still, she was a little nervous on her first day.

Here's her classic 'first school day' picture. That backpack looks so big on her! Do her eyes look a little puffy?! Niah usually sleeps until 8:30 or 9:00 so the early mornings are going to be an adjustment.

I could tell she was excited when she woke up and she was fine and happy, until the bus pulled up. Our plan was that I would follow the bus to the school and meet her there to walk with her to her class. When she saw the bus she held on to my hand and would not let go. I had to pick her up and walk her on the bus and plop her down on the seat! She was crying and I felt really bad leaving her on that big bus all alone. She sat next to a little girl that is in Kindergarten too. Niah now calls her her bus friend.

Niah was goofy and hyper at the bus stop.

Here she is getting off the bus at school. She is a little timid climbing down those stairs. The two girls standing there are in our ward and they ride the same bus- thank heavens! The one with glasses, Ella, is in Niah's class.

Niah has a very good memory when it comes to numbers. She had her bus number memorized before school even started and she learned her student ID number in one night. She also learned our phone number in a matter of minutes. I was impressed!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of her in the classroom. Niah would not leave my side and I was holding Bennett and trying to keep track of Chloe- Chloe probably would have stayed no problem- and when I finally made her go find a seat the class helper was herding me out of the room saying, "She'll be better if she can't see you, you need to make it quick." I was a little bugged actually. I didn't really get to say bye to Niah. It was a little chaotic, hence the reason for no indoor pictures. Anyway, Niah loves school. She tells me that she misses me every day, but she tries to be brave. I have been giving her assignments to distract her such as what the teacher is wearing that day, who did you sit by at lunch, I want to know what that boys favorite color is, etc. Full day Kindergarten is not my favorite, but I think it's good for Niah and she definitely needs something to do in the days.

When Niah comes home she teaches Chloe a few things from school. Yesterday, they were looking at library books and I heard Niah tell Chloe, "The person that writes the book is called the arthur." So funny. I think Niah will do great in school and hopefully the after school grumpies will go away soon.

Mommy Daughter Date

2010-08-20T10:27:00.003-04:00

I decided that Niah needed some one-on-one time before school starts next week. We went to the mall and did some more school shopping. We had a great time! Niah is really into picking out her own clothes and she knows what she likes. She picked out some checkered Van shoes to be just like her Aunt Kelly. She looks so grown up in them and I can't believe that Kindergarten starts in just a few days. (tear, tear) We saw a photo booth and Niah really wanted to take pictures, but when we got in it, it was not working. So, I told her we'd go home and make our own photo booth. Here's what we came up with!

I love my sweet Niah. Even though she has been a bit of a challenge lately, I love spending time with her. She makes me laugh. She is an awesome helper. I love that we have a secret handshake and that she is so excited about school. She told me the other day, "I can't wait to go to school and make new friends and to get a smart brain!" If only I could go with her.

Warren Dunes

2010-08-11T17:07:00.004-04:00

Bryan had a rare day off the other day, so we decided last minute to head to the beach. We hadn't been to this beach yet and it was awesome! I want to go camping there next summer.

The sunset was gorgeous that night. I told Niah that it looks like a spotlight from Heaven is shining down on her. She giggled at that.

Bennett loves the sand. He crawls in it and then will lay down and put his face in it. He helped Bryan pat down the sand on their castle.

This is one of my new favorite pictures. The kids could play in the sand all day.

After playing in the water, we hiked the big sand dune. The girls made it all the way to the top. I was so impressed- it was a HUGE hill.

Bennett even did a little climbing!

The view from the top was breathtaking. We really lucked out that night.

Here's the sunset I was telling you about. The picture doesn't really do it justice. It was so pink, but here it looks orange.

I am very sad that summer is winding down. It has gone way too fast. So, until Niah starts Kindergarten in two weeks (boo hoo) we are going to live it up!!

Family Time

2010-08-10T16:13:00.004-04:00

We were so lucky to get a visit from my family! My parents and threee younger sisters, and my niece and nephew came to play for a few days. We had a blast. While they were here we celebrated Bennett's birthday and had cake and ice cream. Boy, did he LOVE that!
Grams and Gramps with the kiddos.

I love this picture... it's one to treasure.

We decided to go with a polk-a-dot theme for his cake and party. The girls were the ones who chose the theme! Benny had a polk-a-dot cake, polk-a-dot garland that I made, and M&Ms because the girls said they looked like polk-a-dots.

I can't tell you how great it was to have room for everyone to play and stay at our house! The backyard was the perfect hang out on a beautiful Sunday evening.

We stayed up way too late chatting and going to a movie- that's probably the reason for the yawn on Tam's face!

My kids have the best grandparents ever. They are so lucky. The girls adore all of their grandparents.

I wish the time didn't go so fast. Our house is feeling a little too empty. We miss you all and can't wait for the next visit- Thanksgiving!!

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-28T11:19:00.004-04:00

The girls are taking swim lessons! They absolutely LOVE it. They love it so much, I signed them up for two sessions. I'm impressed with how much they are learning. They are becoming little fish.

Bennett likes to watch, but sitting in the stroller strapped in while everyone else is swimming is not his favorite thing. He would love to be in the water with the girls.

Chloe was nervous the first day and cried the entire 30 minutes. She would not open her eyes and she kept her head turned so that she didn't have to look at her teacher. What a stinker. Now she gets right in and swims, swims, swims!

Niah likes to show all the other moms what she can do. She says, "Hey so and so's mom, watch this!" She can jumpin and touch her bum on the bottom of the pool without plugging her nose. She is pretty proud of herself. And I'm one proud Mom too!

Kaitie, Shay, Kell, and Kels- I realize that you appreciate cute boys so this is for you! Niah's teacher is great and his name is Tony. He swims on the team at a highschool here. Unfortunately, Kelsie and Kell, you might be a little old for him. Haha.

The kids can't wait for Grandma and Grandpa to watch them at swim lessons next week. They have been practicing so that they can show off their skills. (We are so excited to have visitors coming!)

The Party

2010-07-23T12:12:00.004-04:00

Bennett's birthday was fun! Bryan was on call on his actual birthday, the 20th, but we made the most of it. We joined Bryan at the hospital for dinner and then we had a small party the next day. Bennett had a lot of help from his sisters so I don't think he opened one of his presents! He didn't really want to anyway. He got a firetruck with blocks to put inside, a CAT bulldozer, some wooden blocks that I made him (he's been playing with them for a few months now!), a bear from Build-a-Bear because he LOVES stuffed animals, and some clothes.

He loves his bulldozer. It makes sounds so he likes to push the buttons on it and push it around.

He was trying to get Daddy while his trucks were being opened. I love his face in this picture. He is always sticking his tongue out.

Here's his bear, his name is Bambino. Bennett loves to cuddle him.

We try to build a tower, but before we can get one made Bennett knocks it down and giggles. He loves to crash our towers.

We made cupcakes and Bennett really went to town on his. He was so funny to watch.

He couldn't get it in his mouth fast enough! He liked having all the attention.

He was nice enough to try and share with Chloe. What a mess!

Yummmm!

I think he enjoyed his 'mini' party. We are planning on doing a bigger party when my family comes next week to visit. I'm sure he'll be excited to eat more cake! Happy Birthday Bennett!! Are you really one year old?!

A Day To Celebrate

2010-07-20T08:02:00.003-04:00

Today my sweet boy turns one! Wow. I can't believe it. He is such a joy to have in our home. He is a happy, easy baby and has been since the day he was born. His smile brightens my day.

Here is what he's doing right now:

- Blows goodnight kisses.

- Gives high fives.

- Follows his sisters wherever they go.

- Crawls super fast. He's not really interested in walking yet.

- He's a total Momma's boy. I love it!

-Makes some animal sounds.

- Takes great naps and only wakes up during the night once, usually.

- Climbs up and down the stairs with ease.

- Drives his cars and trucks around making car noises. (And I thought that was a learned behavior- who knew it was ingrained in a little boys head!)

- He's got some awesome dance moves. He loves music.

I am so happy to have Bennett in our family. I can't imagine life without him. We love you Benny and hope you have a fun, fabulous day!

Update #3: The Zoo

2010-07-18T22:40:00.003-04:00

As promised, here are pictures from our zoo trip. If you haven't been to the Columbus Zoo you should go! It was so great. I'm jealous that my sister and her kids get to go a lot. We were there for four hours and didn't even see half of the zoo. It was a hot day and besides my kids fighting over who got to ride in the stroller- the entire time- we had so much fun! By far, our favorite animals were the gorillas. Niah and Bennett loved them. Chloe loved the tiny baby ones.

Chloe was mad at me for taking her picture. She had had enough of the heat by this point.

Here are some more of the gorillas. They were right next to the glass so it looked like Bennett was touching them. He loved watching them. I think Benny was trying to tell Jonah something in this picture!

How cute, right?!

Bennett is practicing his animal sounds these days. He likes the puppy the most, he says, "ffff, ffff."
We had a great time at the zoo and would love to go back and see the rest of it one day.

Update #2: Visit to Columbus

2010-07-16T10:32:00.003-04:00

My sister Tam and her family live in Columbus, Ohio now so we are only about 4 1/2 hours away from them. I decided to load up the kids and give them a visit! We had a blast and it is so great being so close to them. The kids had so much fun with each other. Tam made sidewalk paint, the kids played and played and played, we went to the zoo (that's the next update!), and Tam and I went and saw Eclipse. It was great to catch up with my sister and have good, long chats about life. Here is our attempt to get a picture of the kids all together. None of them were really in the mood for pictures.

The three girls; Chloe, Ni, and Preslee. Chloe and Preslee are just nine days apart- it's so fun to watch them together.

And here are the boys. Once Bennett starts walking, maybe they will play together a little more. They will be best buds.

We had so much fun and can't wait for them to visit us in a couple of weeks.

Update #1: May the Fourth Be With You

2010-07-14T11:09:00.005-04:00

I have been missing from the blogging world lately. Between our internet being out, going on a road trip, and being just too worn out at the end of the day to blog, I'm finally back!

We didn't do anything real exciting for the fourth. The kids had a blast doing fireworks in front of our house. Chloe spent most of the time plugging her ears for fireworks that weren't even loud! Bennett came down with double ear infections and didn't go to church on the 4th, but went to the Dr. instead. Poor guy. He's such a trooper!

I was experimenting with my camera and got this shot of Bryan lighting the fireworks. He looks like a ghost!

Here's another funky one.

Even though I'm late getting my holiday wishes out, may the fourth be with you- as my dad would say!

Check out my sister's 101 list of things to do this summer.

This Week

2010-06-18T13:46:00.004-04:00

This week has been busy. I guess we are taking advantage of Bryan being home and filling our days with things to do.

We got a coupon in the mail for two free pints of Benjamin Moore paints, so being a little spontaneous, we decided to paint our family room. It was a dusty blue color and it just wasn't very bright. It looked dingy and dark. We picked out a color called Sunny Days. It was a bold choice for us, but I think the way it turned out is fabulous! Here's the before...And here's the after... It makes the room feel bigger and so much lighter. I love it. Eventually, we want to put a big painting or mirror above the fireplace. The colors of the room are going to change too. Maybe some blues? We'll have to see.

I had to throw this picture in. Bennett is pretty attached to his blankie. He LOVES anything silky and soft. This is how I found him last night when I went to check on him. He's so cute.

We have been spending a lot of time in our yard. The kids love to be outside. Bennett likes the porch swing. Oh, and his eyes are really that blue. They are gorgeous! I think they are getting more and more blue the older he gets.

I let my girls take some pictures of the rose we have growing in our front yard. They took some great pictures of it. Here is the one that Chloe took...

Here's the one that Niah took...

Some of Niah's new friends participated in a soccer camp this week. She wanted to join them so she has been going every day this week for three hours and learning how to play soccer. I think she really enjoyed it, even though she cried every day when I dropped her off. It was put on through a Lutheran church and she got a soccer ball, t-shirt, water bottle, and some Lutheran indoctrination! Really, the devotionals weren't that bad, nothing had to be corrected at home! It was good for Niah to get out and get to know some of the kids here a little better.

Next week the work begins! Bryan goes back to work and so do I. It's been a while since I have had all three kids by myself every day. I think it's going to take some getting used to. We will have to figure out a new routine.

Graduation

2010-06-16T07:48:00.005-04:00

Graduation weekend was great! We were lucky enough to have lots of family join us for Bryan's graduation. We had a lot of fun with everyone.
The Forbes side... The Mason side...

Yeah! He did it!! What a proud moment.

The whole clan...

The kids did great during the ceremony. It was super hot in the chapel that graduation was held in, but the kids hung in there. I was so glad that they behaved- they usually do, though!

Bryan's three brothers came to support him. (Weston, Bryan, Jon, and Denton) I think they had a lot of fun together.

Here's Bryan marching into the chapel.

I am so happy for Bryan and proud of him for reaching his goal of becoming a doctor. Many, many thanks to all of our family members who supported us (financially, mentally, and many other ways!) during the last four years. We couldn't have done it without all of you!

The Big Move

2010-06-13T21:10:00.004-04:00

Well, I finally have a free minute to post about our move. Our huge Penske truck was completely full! I really didn't think we had that much stuff or that we would fill a truck that size. Driving out of Vermont was awfully hard. I actually shed a few tears. I love Vermont. It will always be a special place to me. The kids were terrific on our road trip. Our DVD player is broken so they didn't even watch a movie in the two days of driving that we did! I was pretty impressed. Bennett did great and never let out a cry. He was such a trooper, he just chilled in his car seat if he was not sleeping. The girls were highly entertained in the front seat of the moving truck. They took turns riding with Bryan and his brother, Denton. Who needs movies when you can ride in a big truck?! We left Thursday at about lunch time, got to Rochester at 10:00 pm, headed out in the morning at 9:30 and got to South Bend at 8:30 pm. The only catastrophe we had wasn't actually that bad. The tire on the car carrier blew about an hour outside of Rochester, NY. Bryan and Denton waited for the Penske guy to come fix it while the kids and I continued on to our friends' house that we were staying at. (The Mickelsens were great for letting us use their house!)

Here we are on our front porch in Vermont. I miss this place so much.

Here is Denton, Niah, and Bryan waiting to get on the ferry. We had to take the ferry across Lake Champlain because they blew up the bridge. It was fun. Bryan had never done that so it was a good way to leave Vermont! The girls did so great on the ride. We played lots of games: The Banana Game- you have to find yellow vehicles and you get points for the ones you find, the License Plate Game- I think we saw almost every state, Team Storytelling- we got the giggles on this one- somehow it always ended up being a story about someone peeing their pants!
Bennett is such a good kid! I still can't believe how good he did while being in the car so long.
All the boxes were great entertainment for Bennett.

Driving into South Bend was exciting. Niah was anxious to get there and kept asking, "How much longer?", "Where's our new house?", and "Where's our toll road?!" When we got to our house, the Smith's (our friends from Vermont) were there to meet us with our house keys. They were nice enough to mow our lawn for us and to buy a few groceries to get us through the night and next day. Looking through the house, I quickly became overwhelmed by it. It was dirty and there was pet hair (there was no sign of a pet when I looked at it in April!) all over. I was a little discouraged, but we got to work and after about a week of cleaning and unpacking our house is clean and put together. It still feels like I'm on vacation and living in someone else's house, but once we get into a routine I'm sure it will start to feel more like home. We have so much space!! I have empty cupboards in my kitchen, empty rooms, and empty corners! The kids are loving the backyard and the basement. They have spent most of their time playing in the hose and on the slip n' slide we got them. They also love to watch a Robin tend to her new babies. There is a nest on our pergola. We named the bird Maid Marian and the daddy bird (I can't say for sure it's the daddy bird, but the girls think he is) Robin Hood! We also have a cherry tree in our backyard. We are slowly adjusting to life here. We have met some great people already.Bryan starts work in about a week. We are going to live it up this week and do some fun things because after this week Bryan will be M.I.A! Niah has made some new friends, and Chloe has too. Niah is going to soccer camp this week with some of her friends. I think she will enjoy it. We got Niah all registered for Kindergarten (weird). She LOVES that she will get a locker at school!
We are liking South Bend so far and are slowly getting settled in. Life is good!

Cancun

2010-06-01T15:18:00.004-04:00

Bryan and I headed to Cancun for a little graduation vacation. My mom was nice enough to stay in Vermont with the kids while we were gone. This was the first trip we've taken just the two of us since our honeymoon and it was fabulous! Mexico was beautiful. We had perfect weather the entire time. Bryan got to swim with a nurse shark. I wasn't brave enough to get in the water! Bryan enjoyed it though.

This is the view we had from our room. We were about 30 yards from the beach, it was so great. Thanks to my grandpa for getting us an awesome place to stay!

We visited a lighthouse on Isla Mujeres. There was a true 'island' feel on the island. I loved it.

We sent my mom this picture of us on the beach and she said that when Niah saw it she said, "Gross, they're falling in love!" She is such a crack up.

This trip was so much fun but we did learn a few things about Mexico:

1. Don't talk to the guys at the airport, even if they tell you they'll give you free breakfast and free tickets to an activity. We ended up wasting our whole morning on a time share presentation that took over three hours, and even after we told them we weren't buying they wouldn't let up. We got free breakfast, free tickets to Isla Mujeres, and free Pina Coladas. I still would have rather bought all of those myself than sitting through the presentation when I could have been on the beach!

2. Make sure you take plenty of money with you whenever you go somewhere. We ended up doing some shopping and didn't have enough for the bus ride or taxi ride back to the hotel. So, what did we do? We walked along the beach to our hotel. It was exhausting walking in the sand. When we got back we googled the distance to see how far it was- it ended up being over 4 miles! No wonder my feet hurt so bad.

3. When purchasing tickets for the activities always do something that seems a little more family friendly. We went to Isla Mujeres on a boat- we didn't know it was a party, tequila drinking boat! We saw things that we didn't really bargain for. Let's just say that we'll never be the same!

4. Make sure when you are buying Mexican sunscreen that it is waterproof! We bought some that we thought was waterproof. Knowing how to read Spanish would have helped. Being sunburned is not so great.

We had a great time. I forgot what it is like to just hang out with Bryan and enjoy each other's company. We are so thankful for my grandpa and mom for making this trip possible. We couldn't have done it without you!

M.D.

2010-05-23T08:23:00.003-04:00

Today is the day we have been waiting for for a really long time. Bryan is graduating from medical school! What an accomplishment. I am so excited for him and proud of him for reaching his goal of becoming a doctor. He will make a fine M.D.! Way to go Bryan. I couldn't be happier for you. You are a wonderful husband, father, doctor, and person. I love you.

Our House

2010-05-20T14:27:00.003-04:00

I think our house in South Bend is final and we know it's going to work out! I have been waiting to post picutres until we knew for sure that it was ours! We are excited to get to South Bend and get settled. It's three bedrooms, two and half baths with a finished basement and a fenced-in backyard. It has been fixed up and all the carpet is new, there's new hardwood floors, and all the bathrooms have been remodeled. Here are a few pictures of our house:

This is the kitchen. It's cute, a little smaller than I was hoping for, but it will work fine. The kids can play out in the backyard while I am cooking dinner and watching them out the window. This is the backyard. It's big, fenced in and so nice! The kids are looking forward to having a place to run. Bryan and I are excited to have a place to hang out and BBQ or sit and chat.

This is the basement. It's half finished. This will probably be the TV room and playroom. There is a small room you can see in the picture. It will probaby be our office and maybe share as a guestroom. I'm not sure it will fit a bed in it- we'll have to see once we get there. There is also a room for storage and a place for the washer and dryer.

This is the house. Isn't it cute?! The curb appeal is great. There is a wooden swing on the front porch that the seller's are leaving and the house is at the end of a circle so the kids will be able to play and ride bikes without worrying about too much traffic. Bryan and I have talked about maybe painting the yellow part someday. We'll see if that really happens. I really don't mind the yellow though.

This is the master bedroom. It's hard to see in the picture, but it's a nice size and I love the stripe that goes around the room. The bathrooms are all redone. It will be so great to have our own bathroom! No messes with toothpaste, bows and elastics, tub toys, etc. The kids rooms are cute too, but I don't have any pictures of those yet.

This is the family room. It's cute, but small. The rest of the house made up for this space! I actually think it will work out fine for our family.

This is the formal living room. I have big plans for this room! I want to use my Titanic ship as inspiration and decorate it old-fashioned/vintage like. It will take a few months to save up some money to pull off my idea, but good things can wait, right?!

So, that's it. Having a home is something I have looked forward to for a long, long, long time. It will be great not having to worry about being quiet for the neighbors! The kids will have space to get away from each other when they need some alone time.

I wonder how long it is going to take for it to feel like 'home'. It is hard to imagine anywhere but Vermont feeling like home. I am struggling with the thought of leaving Vermont. I will miss it so much. We have had great experiences here and have made life-long friends. Driving away from here is going to be so hard.

At the same time, I am looking forward to moving on. Bryan is finally done with school and will have a real job! I'm sure we will have more great experiences and make more wonderful friends. I am always up to a new adventure!

Projects

2010-05-07T15:29:00.003-04:00

The countdown is on! We move to Indiana in just under a month. The time is flying and I have a lot to do. I have a few projects that need to get done. The first one I did was the girls' dresser. I resanded it and stained it- looks like new! I should have pictures, but I don't.

Bryan found this rocking chair on craigslist for $20. We went to Joann's and bought some outdoor canvas fabric and recovered the seat. Then we sanded the chair down and then stained it with Pecan wood stain.

Before...

After...We can't wait to put it on our front porch and rock while we watch the kids ride bikes and play.

Next, we had a yard sale with our neighbors. I have been cleaning out our house and was glad to get rid of some things. Niah and her friend Gracie sold lemonade and cookies. They each made about $6.00. Pretty impressive!

Only a few things are left on my list:
*Finish Bennett's wood blocks that I started two months ago.
*Make some art boards to give to friends or sale at the next yard sale.
*Cook some meals and freeze them for when my mom and dad come to stay with the kids. (Bryan and I are going to the beaches of Mexico!)

The Big 5-0

2010-05-03T16:52:00.003-04:00

My dad is turning 50 today! Happy Birthday Dad! You are so special to us. We miss you and wish we were there for the party and for some German Chocolate cake! Thanks for being a wonderful dad and grandpa.

Superstar

2010-04-29T21:42:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, we got a flyer saying that our housing community was having a talent show. Not really thinking anything of it, I asked Niah if she wanted to do something for it. Her answer was, "Ya, I want to break dance!" So, I put her on the list, not expecting her to really go through with it. Well, the day came. I had been telling her all week that we needed to practice. She got nervous and wouldn't practice that day. I asked her if she knew what she was going to do in her dance and she told me she had it all planned out. She fixed her own hair, chose her own clothes, and picked out her own music. We got to the talent show and she told the girl in charge that she didn't want to be first but that she would go fourth! I was expecting her to get too nervous and not do it, but when her turn came she rocked out! I started the music and she started dancing like her Aunt Kell. (She told me beforehand that she was going to dance like her Aunt Kelly!) I was a proud mother and couldn't wipe the grin off of my face while she was dancing! Niah has some moves. She did awesome!

Family Time

2010-04-25T21:49:00.004-04:00

We had another fun day outside. We went and visited a different park for a picnic just for a change of scenery. With Bryan being home, we have had lots of time to do nothing as a family. It has been so nice. Bennett loves the swing. He giggles the whole time he is in the swing.

The girls are learning how to 'pump'. Niah likes to pretend she is a Superhero!

Little Benny Boy has two teeth now! They came in just a couple of weeks ago. If you look closely you can see them. He looks so grown up with his cute teeth.

This week may not be so relaxing. It's about time I get my behind in gear and start packing for our upcoming move. The time will go too quickly.