Home again, Home again...Spring break in Virginia!

We went to Virginia/Pennsylvania for our vaca this year...courtesy of mom and dad. :) First stop was to my sister's house. It was SO pretty there. She thinks she lives in the country and doesn't really like it, but I thought it was great! They had a nice big yard for the kids to play in - loved it! Other then our little run in with about 20 ticks...it was nice to be there and see my sister's family again.

Baby Q and baby Emmy just hanging out.

The older kids decided to roast marshmellows inside - looks yum!

We went to a fun play place in Baltimore and I was so impressed that Brie was willing to get up and do some kereoki - usually she is so shy, but she did great!

When my sister's oldest son was a baby, I used to spike his hair all the time. So I just HAD to do it to baby Q! :) He has SO much long hair, it worked out better then it used to on Kaden. Check out this rocker's new hair style!

This takes some serious skill. Way to go mom! :)

Brinkley turns 4!!!

I'd like to know what happened!?!? How does time escape us SO quickly? It seems like only a few months ago that I was wishing so badly that I would get pregnent...and waiting...and waiting...then finally this sweet little thing arrives.

I am almost teary eyed looking back at Miss Brinkley as a baby - I miss it. I didn't get to enjoy it enough. And now she is a big girl.
Brie celebrated her 4th birthday on January 19th! WOW! So big. She asked me to make alfrado for dinner and daddy brought her a bunch of balloons. FUN! She is still so full of life and energy, sweetness and persistance. She amazes me daily with the things she says, the kindness she shows, her maturity, her smarts. We love her dearly.

Everyone knows that Brie is the "princess" of our family. And to match that, she LOVES princess. She loves the movies, the dressing up, the makeup, all of it. So we had a princess party for her and showered her with princess gifts. As you can see, complete with sparkly shoes and everything, she is quite happy! :)

The finished look! :) Love you Brie! Happy Birthday!

A little Island Park time

We were lucky enough to be invited to spend some time in Island Park with some friends. It was fun - I always love to get away. The snow was so beautiful and the kids had a great time playing in it. Funny thing is, I think either we adults stayed up too late or got too much sleep - you should have seen how "zombie" all of us were the day we left! :)

Porter and Dreanna

All the kids packed onto the sled! They LOVED it! And the face steve is making in this next one. Precious.

Thanks for a wonderful time!

Deagan is officially 3!!!

This little man was SUCH a huge suprise to us...a blessing and a gift. As with all the kids, it's hard to see them grow so fast. It wasn't very long ago that my little guy was born, but he has grown into an adorable little man faster then I have wanted.


Today we celebrated Deagan's 3rd birthday! My little baby has turned into this:

He has the sweetest, softest side ever. It just melts me. He keeps up pretty darn well with his big sister...talks well, understands a lot, and makes us laugh. He has a great little sense of humor. He is a smarty pants, learning the sound and appearance of each letter of the alphabet. He has long been able to point out which number is which. He does well (so far) in a house full of sisters and teaches mom a lot about having a boy around. :) Happy Birthday buddy! We love you TONS!

Hawaii part one

I started working on my friend's family session from when I was in Hawaii first - so my vaca. photos are yet to come. But I just had to post these photos...just to show off how beautiful it is there! I was so lucky to get to do Jen's family session. Enjoy!

Figuring it out...

Well, I posted a while back that I would keep everyone up to date on my diet and I haven't done a very good job. Here's what happened. I did AWESOME for about 10 days - no candy, stayed away from crackers (carbs), and tried to keep it at about 1000 calories per day. I also excerised - some days for up to 3 hours. The first 5 days were really hard, but then I got used to it. I ate a few gummy bears on about the 7th day and I actually felt a little sick and didn't want any more. So on the 10th day, I got back on that scale thinking that if I had only lost 1 lb. that would be a great start and I'd be happy. I looked down to see I had gained 4. I got off, just to make sure something crazy hadn't happened to the scale, and got back on. Yep, I gained 4 pounds! HOW??? I still don't know, but my friend suggested I get my thyroid checked. It didn't make sense to either of us how I did so much and GAINED.

We went to the east coast to visit my family shortly after this, so I said to heck with it - I'm on vacation and I'll eat what I want! I weighed myself when we got home. I weigh the exact same as I did before I left, but AFTER eating tons of junk while we were gone. Is this making sense to anyone???

I have decided it's time to make a life change for everyone in my family. It might not help me to shed the lbs. but it will help our health. Diabetes runs in both sides of my kids family and I am not doing them a favor by giving them treats, fruit snack, etc. morning noon and night. I have a great book (that I have had for a while now) about how to eat better, which foods to mix with others, etc. and I think it's time to make those changes. I am going to have SUCH a hard time telling them no to all the snacks they want, but I have to. I HAVE TO. It's for their own good. Wish me luck!

Tell it like it is!

The other morning I was sitting at the table with Deagan and Steve. We were all having breakfast together. Deagan randomly says, "All the everybodys love me!" :) I had to smile and tell him, "yes, everybody loves you buddy!" I really do love him. He can be SO sweet and has such a soft heart. He just melts me.

Later that night at Family Home Evening Brinkley brought up a few things she has been learning. She was talking about Jesus and the holes in his hand. Then she says, "you can see the holes on the big white Jesus and hear him talk when the lady pushes the magic button behind the hidden wall!" WOW! What a memory! The last time we saw the statue of Jesus was about a year ago - the way she remembers things sometimes just cracks me up! Thru the eyes of a 4 year old, right? :)

Her ability to retain information amazes me - she'll bring up things in great detail that happened when she was 2 and 3 - I can't believe the memory. And she must be loving the lessons in Sunbeams cause she can come home and retell us the story without skipping a beat! If we tell a story for FHE and get part wrong (or say it the wrong way) she will quickly correct us and tell us how it really goes! :) WE love you Brinkley, we love your smarts, we love your personality, we love your desire to read scriptures and your love for Jesus. You are absolutly adorable!