Halloween 2011

This Halloween began with Bella's preschool Halloween party. Carey the Mom in charge of this party did an amazing job and the kids had a great time!

This was the first year I attempted making a Halloween costume for one of my kiddos. Bella wanted to be Rapunzel and I have a feeling almost every 4 year old girl had that same wish. Every store was out of stock so I opted to make it. If I had to do it over again I would have made the yarn wig I wanted to go with it.

We had a spooky yummy dinner and then went trunk or treating followed by real trick or treating with friends. Needless to say there was a lot of goodies involved. Thankfully B & E are happy picking one treat a day and don't notice all the candy that magically disappears. I think next year we might just do trick or treating especially considering that they scored chips, fruit roll ups, bunny grahams and light sticks as opposed to just candy! Pretty sweet if you ask me.

Rapunzel

My fierce little dragon (he was a bit scared of some of the costumes he was seeing)

Guess who's.....

sportin' big boy undies!!! Our little man is! Is he fully potty trained? Nope but he is doing his best and for not even being 2.5 yet I am very impressed at how well he's doing! Way to go buddy!

Aunt Sharalyn calls him a baby abercrombie model. She just might be on to something. Haha! I adore this little boy!

Pumpkin patch round 2!

Bella asked if we could go to the pumpkin patch again this weekend. Since we had already been to our go to pumpkin patch we decided to venture to Meridian and check out Linder Farms. I've been hearing how great this place is for a few years now and we were definitely not disappointed. There were so many activities for our little ones to partake in. Here is a glimpse into our Saturday at Linder Farms!

9/11 Remembered

On this day 10 years ago, I was just getting up to prepare for a busy day of college. I received a call from Seth that morning thinking that he just wanted to wish me a good day but something was different. The tone of his voice was off and he seemed distraught about something. When I asked what was wrong he told me to turn on the tv and then he began laying out the events that had just taken place. As I watched completely bewildered the second plane hit. The significance of the story did not sink in until that 2nd plane hit. I watched in horror the images of that day, glued to the television and putting off everything I had scheduled for that day. It was nothing short of a nightmare, and no matter how many times you closed your eyes when you opened them up the pictures were still the same. I don't ever remember another time when I have shed so many tears. That day has forever changed our lives...it saddens me that my children have never known a time when our country has not been at war. And that despite the way that our great nation was able to come together as true brethren at that time, we still live in a society that is riddled with prejudice, racism, sexism, etc. On that day and those to follow we shared in the hurt and the grief of those directly affected. Although saddened by the news I swelled with pride at the heroic actions of so many, those in uniform and out. I am proud that my children will grow up knowing what the true meaning of heroism is. And am thankful to the many family members, friends, and others who serve this country in that capacity. Let us never forget the significance of their sacrifice.

Everett is 2!

Everett turned 2 on June 8th! I can hardly believe it has been 2 whole years since we brought home our gorgeous baby boy. This boy has brought us so much joy. We love having a little man around the house.

To me Everett= sweet, loving, funny, adventurous, smart, cheerful, cutest little boy on earth!

He is a big fan of Elmo so we had a Sesame Street themed party for him.

Thanks for blessing our lives Everett William. We love you sweet boy!

Bella's Spring recital

Back in May little Miss Bella had her 3rd ballet recital. The recital was, "The Cat in the Hat" and Bella's class played birthday cakes. Both sets of grandparents were in attendance and as always Bella did great and was a joy to watch. I love that she has an appreciation for the art of dance at such a young age. She started ballet at 2 1/2 and is already anticipating the next dance season. Miss Amber wants her to take the ballet/tap combo class this next season and Bella is thrilled. She has been wanting to do tap for a while now. We are so proud of our beautiful little dancer.

Welcome Kaitlyn Olivia!

I am an Auntie once again! My brother and his wife became parents for the first time on May 13th when they welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. Kaitlyn Olivia Spencer weighed in at 6 lbs 15 ozs and 20 inches long. She is definitely one pretty baby. I love her so much already and can't wait to meet and snuggle her. It was so fun to be in contact with Rick and Shelby throughout the labor and delivery. What a special time it is bringing your first born into the world. They were both so excited and very nervous. I am so excited to watch my brother transition to the role of a father. He and Shelby are naturally so great with our kiddos I know baby Kate is in the best of hands. What amazing parents they are going to be. I love my family!

Fire safety and the no cavity club!

Last month Miss Bella had a field trip to the local fire station. She was so excited to go on the fire trucks and to find out if the firemen had a dog. The field trip started out with a video on fire safety. I have to admit that watching it made me feel like a bit of a slacker. There is just so much to teach my kiddos that sometimes obvious things completely slip my mind. Yes, B knows that fire is hot and to not get too close to flames or any hot surface. I just hadn't yet gone over what to do if our home was ever to catch on fire but now she knows the drill and we have a family plan established. Everett came along and he was so adorable. He sat right by all the big kids and did everything they did. The kids got to check out all the fancy equipment and watch one of the firefighters put on his gear. They loved every minute at the fire station!



Bella and Anna

Also last month Seth and I took Bella and Everett in for their dental checkups. I am very happy to report that they are both cavity free! They both did so well. Knowing all that Seth went through with his teeth and still deals with it is a main priority for us that our kids have good dental hygiene. We were completely impressed by this dental office. It is just for kids. Everything is tailored to them. They even had little sinks and toilets. There were huge fish tanks all over and flat screens playing Finding Nemo including some mounted on the ceiling so they could watch while being examined. They also had a pirate ship and row boat the kids could climb all over while waiting to be seen. Our kiddos were having so much fun they didn't want to leave! I'm pretty sure they both feel nothing but positive about going to the dentist.

Speaking of dental hygiene yesterday after breakfast I was cleaning up and realized that I hadn't seen or heard Ev for a few minutes. I then heard water running from a sink upstairs. I hurried up the stairs to find my little man on the bathroom counter brushing his teeth. He often climbs on the counter to wash his hands which drives me crazy because I fear he will someday fall. I guess this time he felt like he needed to brush his teeth. What will my 21 month old do next? I love this boy and love this age!

Cousin reunion!

This weekend our kids had a suprise little cousin reunion! The Huffaker kids and Kolbyn were all in town. Bella and Everett had a great time playing with all of their cousins even though it was short lived. We also finally got to meet little Paola Rose! She is such a doll. Everytime I looked at her she was all smiles.

Bella and her baby cousin Paola

While we were visiting Juliea asked if I brought my camera. You don't have to ask me twice. :) Of course I did. Even though it was dark out and the only lighting I had was from the ceiling fan and my on camera flash I couldn't pass up taking some pictures of sweet Paola.

Never a dull moment.... :)

1.13.2011

4 years ago we became parents for the first time when bringing one phenomenal baby girl into this world.

She was so tiny at just 5 lbs 10 ozs and everything was so amazing and new to us. I have always wanted to be a mother and we loved this little peanut from the moment we found out I was pregnant. I think I cried happy tears for a week straight. I also knew from that moment that she would be a girl. When she was placed in my arms for the first time almost every positive emotion rushed through my body. She was finally here, she was perfect and she was ours.

Not one day passes that I don't thank heavenly father for this precious child. Year after year she continues to teach me and helps me strive to be the best person I can be. Since becoming a mother I have learned and grown so much. I have become stronger and wiser in every sense.

And now she is 4!

Bella is quite the amazing 4 year old. She is caring and always looking out for others. She is funny and loves to tell jokes. She is smart and learns so quickly. She has the most amazing memory. This girl remembers EVERYTHING it's crazy! She is strong willed and will always try to get her way. She loves to be girly and truly is our little princess. She is creative and has imagination for miles. She can find a way to entertain herself in almost every situation. She is helpful and loves assisting in the kitchen and with household duties. She is the best big sister and takes such good care of her little brother. One of my favorite examples is that if Everett wakes up while I am in the shower Bella will climb into his crib and play with him, sing songs with him and do just about anything to keep him happy until I get there.

It is crazy to think she was just a little jumping bean on the ultrasound doing back flips in my belly. It has been the most amazing time raising a newborn baby into a toddler and now a young lady. I can't wait for all the new experiences we will have as she continues to grow. Isabella Grace Perry we love you forever!

Holiday leftovers...

Bella had her holiday ballet recital on the 8th of January. Things are always so crazy around the holidays so Miss Amber opted to have the recital after Christmas. The girls are required to wear make up as the stage lights wash out their faces. Bella just loves getting all dolled up for recitals. Her class performed to Silent Night and our little lady did a fantastic job! We are so proud of our little ballerina and my goodness she sure is a lovely little girl!

Christmas 2010

My amazing super hard working hubby had to work this Christmas Eve and day. It is the first time he has had to in our 10 years together so I guess I really can't complain. Even with his absence here and there we had a wonderful Christmas! Rick and Shelby came to town and as always we thoroughly enjoyed their company. My kiddos absolutely love their Uncle Rick and Aunt Shelby and are so excited that they are giving them a cousin to play with. We have since learned that they are having a girl! I love having a girl first and I think they will too. What an eventful Christmas we had. We saw the Radio City Rockettes in downtown Boise. Bella and Everett loved all of the singing and dancing in the show. We also went to the Botanical Gardens to see the forest of Christmas lights. The kids were able to pet a live reindeer and got another peek at Santa. Everett was much less upset this time. We also enjoyed a wonderful prime rib dinner prepared by my Mom and saw the new Chronicles of Narnia movie in 3D. We are so thankful for our wonderful family and the time we get to spend with them.