Merry Christmas

We had a happy day around here. We were up at 7:15 to open presents. Everyone was happy with what they got.

Carson's favorite present was an imaginex gorilla.

Tanner loved his DSi and also his skinny jeans and cool shirts.

Crew just loved it all. His mickey mouse clubhouse computer, remote control car and his nerf gun. He is in love with his new pajamas too.

Brian and I were pretty happy too. Brian loves his new ipod & is pretty excited to use his new flashlight that he got at the family exchange.

I love my new computer moniter, ( I am so excited for all my extra desk space!) my perfume and iron/ironing board!

We had a nice day visiting with family. We went to both. We did miss the 1st annual Duke kickball game. But this will not happen next year. We are so there!

I hope everyone had a nice day like we did! :)

We were busy on Saturday cleaning everything up and finding a home for all of our new stuff. Today after church we will be taking down the tree and decorations.

We need to get ready for a new baby! We don't know the date yet but it will be sometime this next week. So we are getting everything ready.

Until then.....

Can Santa come already?

We went to see Santa last night at Bass Pro Shops. Isn't he the cutest? Well Crew didn't think so. He couldn't stop talking about him on the drive out there...but when it was time to sit on his lap he was not going for it. But he did give him a high 5 and tell him what he wanted. And Santa gave him a candy cane. Then all the way home he talked about him too! Now every night when we are getting ready for bed he asks if Santa is coming? He doesn't understand when I tell him how many days we have to wait.

We are all ready at our house. All the decorations are out and there are even presents under the tree.

Can Santa come already??

We went to great grandma's house to decorate her tree with the Todd's.
I don't know who was happier. Grandma...or the kids.
We ate pizza and then set up the tree.
The kids put all the ornaments on the tree.
When they were done we had to rearrange them.
It was a good time.
We couldn't leave without a cookie!
We love you grandma.

Where did November go?

Time flys!
We have been busy around here. And I haven't even picked up my camera. What is my problem?
I am not ready for Christmas. We need to put up our decorations. Hopefully this weekend. I did do a little shopping on black friday and got a few gifts. I feel a little better that I have at least started. Normally by this time I am just finishing up.....not just starting.

I did order my christmas cards. Things are slowly getting checked off my list.

We have 7 more weeks left till we have a newborn around here. I am getting kinda nervous. Just hard to imagine starting all over again. The boys are really excited and Crew is always talking about the baby. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.

And if my blood pressure keeps acting up (like it has been the last few weeks) then we might have him a couple weeks earlier. We'll have to see? But I am hoping that it will stay under control. Too much to do before then!

Happy Birthday Crew!

His birthday was November 16th. (yes I am a little behind!)
He turned 3.
He was very happy to have cake & ice cream with some family.
He loved his gifts.

(picture taken by Heather)

Right now:

He is a finger pointer. If he did something bad or mean to someone else.....he is the first to point his finger and blame. Even if that person is not even home!

He loves to fight. He asks me if it is ok. And then he tells his dad or brothers "come on" or "ready?"

He sleeps in a big boy bed. I think he would have stayed in his crib longer.....but it was time!

He has to sit on my lap to eat his breakfast.

He is starting to get a temper. I think this is a learned behavior that he picked up from Carson. I am not sure if I know how to handle it the right way.

He can ride a razor scooter. And loves to be outside with the big kids.

He just wants to be a big boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CREW!
We love you!

Halloween 2009

The boys dressed up twice for Halloween. Friday night was our ward party. Tanner was Storm Shadow from GI JOE. Carson was Snake Eyes from GI JOE, and Crew was a fire fighter. (I didn't take a picture. ) Then on Saturday night when we were getting ready to leave Tanner tells me that he is not going to wear his costume. He just wanted to be a skater. So I just said whatever!

We went and said hi to nana Jean. She was at her church party.
Then we headed over to great grandma's house.
Then off to poppa & grammie's ward halloween trunk or treat.
We were home by 7:30pm.
The boys wanted to hand out candy to the trick or treaters.
We haven't done that in a long time.
And the boys did it all.
They liked to see all the different costumes.
It was a fun night and the best part was that they didn't get that much candy! :)

Brian's 2009 Idaho deer.

And here it is hanging in our bedroom!

What's going on???

* Tanner & Carson tested for their orange belt in karate. I am such a bad mom. I always forget my camera. They did really well.

* Had pack meeting. Tanner shot off his rocket that him & Brian built. He was so excited and couldn't wait. He really wanted Brian to be here for it. His shot up so high! And he thought he lost it. Well....he finally found it with Poppa's help. A part broke on it. So now it will have to be fixed so it can be shot again. (Of course when Brian can be there too.)

* Crew's allergies have gotten really bad this past weekend. He has been keeping me up at night coughing. Had to go back to the allergy doctor. We are now on breathing treatments again! Fun stuff!!

* Getting stuff ready for some craft parties/shows coming up. Check out what's new!!

We had a birthday party for Carson on Sunday. He kept asking why we were doing it on Sunday & not on Saturday....... since Saturday was his birthday. It was much easier for me since Brian was going to be gone & the whole family comes to dad & mom's for dinner. So we just decided to add a few extra people! Thanks everyone who came to help us celebrate. Carson had a great time and was happy to FINALLY have his party.

Carson is 6!!

(flag garland made by Jen Rose)

We celebrated Carson's birthday on Friday night with Brian. He was leaving town early Saturday morning so we decided to let him open his presents.

and we sang happy birthday & ate clown ice cream cones!!

* His birthday was today. (Saturday Oct. 17)
* We went to the movies. He picked.....Where the Wild things are. We took Lauren, Kyle & Kade too.
* Stopped at Target so he could pick a game for his nintendo ds. That was part of his present from us.
* He has been pretty happy the last couple days. Big smiles from him and lots of thank yous.
* We will celebrate again tomorrow night at family dinner.

Happy Birthday Carson!!

The boys helped Brian tonight seed the yard. They put manure all over the grass and flags too. I guess it helps keep the pigeons from eating the seed. Well they all came in pretty stinky! And I'm not sure if I will be able to go outside for awhile. It is pretty stinky out there.

But we have some cute Halloween decorations on our porch! :) The caution tape was all Brian's idea. I think it turned out cute. And the boys are pretty excited.

The weather has been so nice lately.
And tonight the boys needed to get outside.
They had a lot of energy.
So we had a picnic dinner.
We ate grilled cheese sandwiches and grapes.
It made everyone happy to be outside.

How do I know he is a big boy?

* He puts out his finger & then tells me to pull it. Then he makes a farting noise with his mouth.

* He recites movie lines. His favorite is from Cat in the Hat.

* He can ride a 3 wheel scooter.

* He can beat up his brothers. He actually makes them cry.

* He already talks about going hunting with daddy.

* He wears big boy underwear & is now fully potty trained!


That is how I know.

Sunday dinner's

Are one of my favorite.
It is a nice way to end the week.
They boys always ask on Sunday morning......"are we going to poppa & grammie's?"
Last night was crazy.
Lots of extra people.
But it was nice.
The Todd's are here. It was nice to have a couple extra little girls running around with all the boys!
And the weather was nice too.
We sat outside and the kids ran and rode bikes.
I love sunday dinner's.

Since the last post...

I know! It has been way too long. I have not taken any pictures and just have not felt like blogging. But life goes on!!

Tanner:
*Has not had a good year at school so far. He cries every morning before school and says that his stomach hurts. I have met with his teacher & we even went to the doctor. We have figured out that it is just anxiety and this last week has been better.

*He is really excited about scouts. He has been working hard on passing things off.

* Just started back at karate. He will get to test at the end of this session.

Carson:
*Still loves school. He usually doesn't really like to talk about his day and what he did in school. He is good about doing his homework.

* Back at karate too. And he is really good. I need to remember to take my camera next time.

* Has been making a list for his birthday.

Crew:
*Is potty trained! He has done so good so far.

* He is getting so big. I have been saying this for the last 2 months. It is just crazy. I think it is hitting me that we will have a newborn in a few months!

Me:
* I am now 25 weeks. I have been feeling good. Just tired and the regular pregnancy complaints. Lots to do to get ready but have done nothing yet.

* Got my hair cut and went dark again.

* Working and working some more!

Brian:

* Has been working lots and getting ready for his hunt. He leaves in a few weeks.

We went camping over the weekend. I learned a few things......

1. A swing can entertain kids for hours. It can also cause a lot of fights. Like... "I'm next" and "_________ has been on for a long time", and "it is my turn."

2. Karley is a monkey. Tanner was right behind her climbing as high as they could.

3. Leah can hang with the kids in a watermelon seed spitting contest!

4. (I learned this one from Tanner) Some people are "camping material" and some people are NOT! And these kids for sure are!! :)

5. Camping stinks when you are pregnant. Since I have to pee like 10 times a night! UGHHH!! Well I already learned this one when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with Crew.

6. You need to remove the plastic grease drip container from the propane stove before you turn it on.

7. Some other campers are just rude. Can they wait till the sun comes up to chop their firewood? No!! They have to do it at 1 am!

8. People like to take their dogs camping!!! WHY??

9. Brian & I do not do well putting up a tent together. Especially one that we have never set up before and in the dark. So frustrating. He has no patience and gets mad and then I get mad at him. It was probably pretty funny to watch.

10. Leah learned a lot of new things about us in the 24 hours we were together! :)

3 things I love

* Great friends in our ward!.....for their service to us the other day. Thanks again! We love you!

* That these boys are happy with 3 things.......wood, nails & a hammer!



*This little face!

We survived our first week of school!
Carson is sad that he can't go to school all day like Tanner.
And Crew has asked several times this week at random times....."where's tann?"
I have to keep reminding him that he is at school.


This has been our after school schedule. We have stuck to it & it has been really nice! :)

3:30-4:30 Eat snack/Homework
4:30-5:30 Play
5:30-6:00 Dinner/clean up
6:00-7:00 Play
7:00 Come in & shower
7:30 Snack/read books/get ready for bed
8:00 Bed time

We will have to adjust this when it starts to get dark earlier but for now this is what we are doing. It is written down & I don't get any complaints from them yet.

Carson & Crew eating a snack.
Their choice was oreos & milk!

First Day of school

(Tanner 3rd grade--Carson kindergarten)

The first day of school was good.
Everyone was in a good mood and excited.
Carson didn't want his picture taken.
Crew wanted to get in the picture with his doggie.
Carson liked his teacher & said he made a new friend. But he forgot it after school.
He got mad at me because I was asking him too many questions.
I guess I was just excited for him!
He said that he wished he could go to school all day like Tanner.
Tanner had a good day. He likes his teacher too.
He has a few kids in his class that he already knew.
He is excited that he gets to learn cursive this year.

I think this is going to be a good year!
We even have an after school schedule & I have a feeling that it is going to help things around here. We will see!

I have been thinking.....

yes! I have been thinking....again.


* What would I really do with a little girl. Jen reminded me this..... What would I do when we were driving/traveling & this sweet little girl had to go to the bathroom. She would NOT be able to use the water botttle!

* I need some baskets. I lost out on my chance for Kim to bring some from IKEA when she comes home.....now that she moved to Cedar. Is anyone up for an IKEA trip?


* We went up to Mt. Charleston on Wednesday for a few hours. The D's were camping & we just went up for a few hours to play.
It's going to be nice when we go camping in a few weeks! The boys can't wait.




* I really need school to start. It is going to be nice to get into a routine & schedule for everyone.
I really, really need school to start!!!!

My thoughts & feelings

First off.....thanks everyone for your sweet comments!! I love you!


* When we opened the envelope with the results from the ultrasound in it----I laughed and Carson ran into my room and had a good cry. He was so upset. My sweet Carson had his little heart set on a sister. Well we all did! Carson just cried for all of us!

* Ultrasounds are not always right. Right? I have heard stories. Maybe it’s really a girl. Even though he said he was 99.9% sure?

* I really wanted to tell Lauren that she would have another girl cousin that lives here in Las Vegas & that she would no longer be the only girl at family dinner! Oh how I really wanted to tell her that.

*Everyone we know that is pregnant has all the same (either all boys or all girls) and they have had or are having the opposite. What? That is not fair. Why couldn’t that happen to us?

* Honestly I really just wanted to experience a little girl. What would she have looked like? I wanted to shop in the girl section, buy dolls and playhouses, decorate a room pink! You get the idea.

* I have had these horrible thoughts that when these boys are all grown up and married....will they come home for holidays or will they go home to their new family? Will I be THAT mother in law?

* The chinese calendar & the needle and thread are NOT ACCURATE!!!! Don’t ever believe them!

* I don’t want to pick another boy name. We already had a girl name picked out. Now the stress of naming another boy. Boys names are hard!



But really when it comes down to it.....my boys are awesome and pretty darn cute! So I couldn’t be happier. This will forever be my castle and I will always be the queen. And it will be full of swords, guns, fighting, and just a bunch of craziness!! But I will still probably forever be blamed for nasty bodily functions!

Oh well. I can deal with that.


What can I say??


I’M A BOY MOM!!

There you have it!

It's a boy!

maybe I will say more later but for now.......There you have it!

Beach trip

We were lucky enough to get to go to beach with the office. It was a nice little retreat that Dr. Paul was so nice to plan for us all. We stayed in some condos in Oceanside. They were in walking distance of the beach. And they were so nice.

And that is pretty much all we did for the 4 days we were there! Water + Sand = 3 happy boys!

Tanner spent most of his time in the water. He had so much fun boogie boarding. He picked up on it really fast & was in love. He did finally decide to come out of the water to eat lunch!

Carson tried to boogieboard but was the happiest just playing in the waves. He also loved digging in the sand and finding shells.

Crew was scared at first of the water getting him. He wanted to be held a lot but then he started to get used to the whole beach thing.

The boys had such a fun time & are already talking about going back again!

I cared....today

Today I cared.
I went to the grocery store. That took a lot out of me. I was feeling kinda feverish still but I had no choice. We had an empty fridge and pantry!
I did a load of laundry.
Helped the boys clean their room. It was pretty scary. We couldn't even walk in there.
And I even made dinner. That is a first in awhile!
I think everyone was happy.

I still did a lot of resting and laying around. Let's hope I can keep my caring attitude!!
But tomorrow is always another day.

* Tanner had a cold & cough at the beginning of the week. He is better but now I am sick. Just something else to add to my ...."i don't care" attitude!

* Life was better this week with Tanner at school. A lot less fighting that's for sure.

*Had to take the van to the shop because the battery kept dying. They called after one day & said that everything was good & they couldn't find anything wrong. So I could come pick it up. Well mom took me to get it & sure enough I was not crazy! It wouldn't start for them. So they drove me the get a rental. It is a KIA. Enough said. And I know because I have owned a KIA in my lifetime! Enough said!

*Oh they found out that it was the main computer chip that needs to be replaced. They have to order it. So that means we will be driving the KIA for a few more days. When I dropped Tanner off at school the other day he said.."Bye clown."

*We are going to be having a hot weekend. The news said record heat. Good thing we have plans to go swimming. But we are also planning to help Kim at her yard sale.

Two giveaways just for YOU!!!

Little Birdie Secrets

and

Peanut Butter & Pickle Reviews

Go check it out!

I am so ready for Tanner to go back to school.
Is that mean of me?
He picks a lot of fights. And he needs to be entertained.
I have not been in the mood.
I have been so lazy and I just don't care.
I don't care that the house is a mess.
I don't care if the kids eat cereal for dinner.
I don't care if they just do whatever they want to do.
I just don't care.

So I thought the other morning I would take a bath while the little boys were watching a movie on my bed. Well once I got in the shower door opened & Crew had his clothes off and ready to get in with me. Then after about 5 minutes Carson decided to pull down his pants and put his naked bum up against the shower door. This is why I can only take baths after they are in bed.
This is my life!! This girl can't get any privacy in this boy house.

Highlights from the 4th

*parade
*BBQ
*visiting
*patriotic program
*naps
*races
*water fights
*bounce house/slide
*family time
*rain/thunderstorm
*otter pops
*hike
*4 wheelers

The girls

(Carson didn't want to get in the picture & Brian didn't want to stand by us! )

We had such a fun time again with the Rose family this year. Thanks for having us & making us feel like family! :)

This kid has been fighting me to take naps.
I need him to still take naps.
How can I get him to understand this??

I found him one day around 4:00 under the boys bed.
And then the next day he fell asleep at 6:30 at the table while eating dinner.

The winner of the giveaway is......

Gary & Michelle!!

Congrats & I will be getting in touch with you
to bring you your Just be grab bag.

Thanks everyone for your comments!!

GIVEAWAY

Last June 2008 we were pretty busy!

*We went riding at the dunes with Kim, Tajia, Brooke & boys, and the Nash family.

*Uncle Ryan came home from his mission.

*Father's Day. (I didn't forget last year!)

*Camp Invention

*Rented from red box for the first time.

*Soccer party, skateboarding class, and tiny tot sports.

*Summer reading program from the library.

*Sadie drew me a picture before they went home.

*Finished digging the hole for the trampoline in the backyard.

*Duke family pictures.

And the biggest one was....

*Jen & I opened our etsy shop for Justbe.


So with today being our one year anniversary.......

We are going to have a little giveaway.
Here is how it will work.

Post a comment of what you did in June 2008.
Your name will be entered in a drawing to win a grab bag of all justbe stuff!!
You have till Saturday June 27th at 8pm.

Also check out Jen's blog too because if you post a comment on her blog you will also have a chance to win a 2nd grab bag!!

GOOD LUCK!!

Camp was good. It was fun to get to know the girls a little bit better.
I loved our theme "superheroes" this year. It ended up being pretty much awesome!
But it is so nice to be home. I think I was missed just a little bit more than Brian was!
And my body was just overly exhausted. I slept so much on Saturday.
Plus I forgot it was Father's Day on sunday. I didn't tell Brian happy father's day until around 10am. Oops! I can only handle one stressful thing at a time.

I am back to life. I have to say life is easier when you are camping. When you have no schedule & have no idea what time it is. Camping is the life!!

Carson asked me today if he could play with dad's magnifying glass that is at the top of the closet. I told him no......well he called dad & asked him and Carson just got this huge smile on his face. I could just hear Brian....."Sure go ahead & burn the house down!! But don't forget to have fun!!" So I was the bad guy & the boys got their way. They pretty much had some fun with the sun, a magnifying glass, some bugs & leaves.

Well our house didn't burn down! Plus I think they DID have just a little bit of FUN!

I am back home with my boys that's for sure.

Three things....

1st....Thanks for all the nice comments from everyone. And for all the texts and phone calls from those of you that don't blog. I will be sure to tell Carson that I have more than 11 friends! :)


2nd....We have had a huge response from people on etsy just buying these up. Check them out. You will know what it is if you have seen the movie UP. So you know where I will be at tomorrow....the post office!!!


3rd....We leave for girl's camp on Wednesday. I don't think I need to say anything else. I will be busy for the next couple of days. So I will be back to blogging next week!!

Maybe it's a baby girl or maybe it's a baby boy.

Went and had an ultrasound done on tuesday.
It is estimated that I am 8 weeks.
Carson & Crew had to come with me.
We hadn't said a thing to them yet.
Well now they know.
We were going to wait a little longer before we spread the news but
you know how kids are.
So now it is time that everyone knows!
We heard the heartbeat.
And on the way home I asked Carson if he was excited.
He said "Well not really excited because when they are little they can't really play with me. All they do is cry" then he said "what are we going to name it?" And "I hope it is a girl."
I said "yeah that would be fun."
He has been carrying the picture from the ultrasound folded up in his little pocket.
And then he drew this picture for me.
Well really he said it was for all my friends.
He was drawing the same thing on 11 pieces of paper. (according to him that is how many friends I have)
Then I had to write on each one....

Maybe it's a baby girl or maybe it's a baby boy.

then he folded each one up and sealed the envelopes.

Why....

...do you have to grow up?

...can't you stay little?

...can't I bottle you up and keep you just like this?

You are so fun right now. You can communicate so much more with me. I can pretty much understand what you are telling me. You repeat everything! You have such a cute little laugh and smile. You are sad when I leave. You watch me pull out of the driveway and you wave to me. You love me when I get home. You give me lots of kisses. You let me hold you. You know you are the baby & you know how to get your way. And you also know how to get the big boys in trouble. You scream at the top of your lungs and then mommy gets mad at them. Then you get what you want. You are so happy in the morning and want to snuggle. You hug my neck so tight. I love the way you hook your little hand around me.
I just love you and want to keep you just the way you are!


Why do you have to grow up?

A night out with the girls

Went to the Taylor Sift concert with these girls!
It was so much fun!
There were so many young girls with their mom's and dad's.
Everyone sang every word with her.
It was crazy!!
Thanks for the fun night girls!

Aren't they the cutest??

Kellie Pickler

Taylor Swift