Some Important Things Missed....Part 2

Another important thing missed was my sweet Braden's birthday.



He turned 4

And couldn't be happier that it was finally his birthday!

He had been counting down for months.....waiting and waiting



He loved all of his Buzz Lightyear toys, and especially liked his binoculars, knife (fake of course), and walkie talkies. His words: "Dad...now I can go huntin with you, and get a bear with my knife!"



He chose "NicDonalds" for dinner, and we celebrated the next day at Grandma Nae's and Papa Jer's with cake and ice cream.

Some of Braden's favorite things to do:

Getting "atorgade" (Gatorade) from Papa Jer's house

Hunting with his Dad

Playing "hunting and camping" all day long



Packing everything he owns into bags, sacks, and his pockets. (it is not unusual to find ALL of his underwear, socks, and pjs in his backpack. And he insists on taking it to the grocery store - or any other store - with him)

Playing with his friends (this is the first thing out of his mouth each morning)

Telling mom and dad that he loves us multiple times a day

Saying "hold you me" when wanting to be snuggled

Singing loudly all of the words to songs on the radio....such as "I've Gotta Feeling" and "Love Story"

Giving his shy, coy smile when he is embarrassed. (I love this smile!)

We love you Braden boy! Happy 4th Birthday!

My Boy is 11!

Kason turned 11 years old last week. How is it possible that I have an 11 year old? I can't figure that out....since I am sure that I am still 25 :)

I love the excitement a birthday brings for kids. Don't you remember that as a kid you would make sure everyone knew you were 10 1/2 and not just 10? Or, that it was your birthday in 2 months and you would be 11? Funny that as adults we no longer do the count down!

Kason had been counting down the days to his birthday for weeks.

He woke up ecstatic to open presents, go to school, and then celebrate his birthday with dinner and bowling.

I love this "big boy" so much!

He has a wonderful spirit about him, and I am amazed by his wisdom everyday.

He has a sensitivity for others' feelings that not many other people possess.

He has a drive to be the very best at whatever he does.

He loves all sports, especially basketball, soccer, and baseball!

He loves to watch the Utah Jazz with his Dad at night - in fact, he sneaks out of bed at night(when he is supposed to be asleep)to finishing watching with his Dad...and I usually don't know:)

He loves music....even the piano (although he doesn't admit it).

He is extremely responsible and takes great care in following instructions that are given....this makes him an excellent babysitter!

He loves his sisters and brother with all of his heart - and they love him back!

He has a special relationship with Braden....they just "get each other", and it is so heartwarming to watch.

He is very inquisitive and has been since he could talk.

He asks very good questions....and keeps asking more until he feels satisfied with the answer.

He is so extremely honest. His innate sense of wrong and right is amazing!

He is a great friend.

He respects girls (even though some boys at school make fun of him for opening a door for a girl)

He gives his coat to girls when they don't have one and are cold....(seriously, I love this boy!)

He wants to be "doing something" constantly. In fact, he knows what is on the calendar before I do - he is my "human calendar".

Kason, thank you for making me a mother. You are a wonderful person, and I am so proud of you. You make our family complete in every way. I love you so much! Happy Birthday

Birthday Boy

Braden turned three last week. Of course, I am a week behind. He has been waiting so patiently for his birthday to come. Brandon and Jaicee's birthdays were last month - and it was so hard for him to understand that it wasn't quite his birthday.

He was so excited when he woke up the morning of his birthday. He just kept saying "It's Braden's spiderman birthday." (He has been telling me he wanted a "red spiderman" birthday for weeks.)

We had our traditional "candle in the pancake" breakfast. He has been practicing this for weeks also!







It was killing him to wait until Brandon got home to open presents....but he made it! Some of his favorite things were his spiderman fishing pole, spiderman hat and gloves, and his "cars" racetrack. He also got a spiderman scooter from Grandma Nae and Papa Jer that he loves.

He picked his favorite spot for a birthday dinner.....a gourmet restaurant, with a playset....Carls Jr!

Grandma Debbie and Papa Bruce took him to "Build A Bear", and he thought he was in heaven. He spotted the Spiderman bear right off - and couldn't think of anything else. He wanted that bear!

His cousin Max (whose is two weeks older) came too. They loved it!

Thanks Papa and Grandma!

Braden you are a wonderful little boy and I love so many things about you.

I love that you are so polite. You have always said thank you and please from the time you could talk. I especially love your reply that you always give of "Thank you really much Mom" (said with such true sincerity).

I love that you adore your big brother Kason. You wait for him to come home from school and follow him from the minute he arrives.

I love that you run around the house in your spiderman, batman, superman costumes and say "SUPERMAAAAN" (No matter what superhero you have on).

I love that you said after getting on the scale this morning..."Mom, I growing bigger. Now I can go to the mountains with Dad, and hunt moose and bear!" (Seriously, like father like son)!

I love that you say "I wuv you Mom. Bye" as you are running out of the room.

I love that you are so excited every time your Dad gets home from work! No matter if he has only been gone for 1 hour, your reaction is the same. You scream "Daddy!!" and run to his arms.

I love that you wake up in the morning and immediately ask "where's my daddy?" When I say that he is at work, you reply "Daddy at work making lots of money?" Then your next reply is "I want my Daddy back!"

You are a climber...not so sure I always love that part, because it is so dangerous. You climb everything from tables to pantry shelves, to columns on the front porch. You are too coordinated for your own good.

I love that you say "wipe my drippin eyes" when you have been crying. You want me to wipe your tears off of your face with both of my hands (not just one). Funny thing is your big bro Kason said this same thing when he was your age! So crazy!

You are a special spirit, my litle Braden bug. I love the happiness and pure joy you add to our family. Happy "spiderman" Birthday to you!

And I had to add a few pictures of this sweet baby! She is 4 1/2 months and growing like a weed. She is my chubby ball of happiness with thighs that have endless rolls. (Seriously, I will have to post a picture - it is amazing!) And I love every square inch of her to pieces.

Afternoon of Pampering

What do 12 little girls want to do for a birthday party.......

Get their hair and nails done, of course!

Jaicee had a great time at her birthday party. All the girls got their hair done into a beautiful "do", and their nails painted with their favorite colors! It was a perfect 8 year old birthday party. (Great for Mom too, because all of the entertaining was taken care of).

She's Eight!

Jaicee turned 8 years old on Saturday. She has been looking forward to this birthday for a very long time. She was lucky enough to be able to be baptized on her birthday also, which made the day so very special for her.

The day started with Jaicee extra excited to open her presents. She jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to start the fun. Her favorite present was a school kit that I put together for her. (Thanks to Lisa for the great idea.) Jaicee and Halle play "school" everyday...so to have everything in one box is heavenly to her! She also loved her "littlest pet shop" toys and "webkinz". Jaicee was such a kind sister, and let Braden open many of her presents...because he thinks every day is his birthday!

After opening presents, it was time for the traditional birthday breakfast of pancakes...with a candle in it! The kids look forward to this every year. (Such little things make them happy).





We then headed to the church for her special day. Jaicee was so excited, but also a little nervous. She kept asking her dad to explain exactly what was going to happen.

Jaicee and Brandon just before her baptism. Gotta love the white jumpsuit look!

The whole family

The baptism was beautiful. Jaicee was beaming with excitement afterwards. I loved the pure look of joy on her face, and wish I could bottle that memory up. It is a wonderful moment to see your daughter make a very important choice in their life, such as this.

After the baptism we had a lunch with all of the family, and then we began the birthday celebration. However we couldn't really celebrate until after Kason's soccer game and the youth duck hunt that Brandon took Kason and Braden on.

I know, I don't like the fact that he is holding a shotgun either! He did just pass "hunters safety" if that counts for anything!

Not so sure Braden likes this "hunting thing"

So, by 8:30 pm it was time for the birthday dinner. Jaicee picked Artic Circle. Seriously, out of all of the places she could go - I love that she still wants to go to a place with slides and ice cream!

I love my Jaicee for so many reasons. She is a great big sister, and cares so much for her brothers and sisters. She has a sensitivity for others, loves life, and has a "mothering" capability that not many have. She has a wonderfully free spirit and zest for life.

Jaicee has a sparkle in her eyes that is apparent to everyone around her. I love looking into them...crystal blue, intelligent, and pure. I am so proud of the choice she has made this day. I love you Jaicee with all my heart!

5 Years Old

My sweet Halle turned five yesterday! Oh how quickly time goes by. She was my sweetest baby, and then she turned 2 and her full personality blossomed. She has been keeping us on our toes every day since. Here are the things that I love about Halle:

• She loves to sing and dance, and does not have a care in the world who is listening. In fact, she likes it even more if people are paying attention to her!


• Halle loves to be the center of attention, whether it is positive or negative attention, she does not care.


• She changes her clothes multiple times a day, and comes up with some crazy outfits. Somehow she can pull it off and look cute. (I am not sure I love the laundry, however)


• I love her long, blonde shiny hair...and wish that I had it!


• I love how she wants 10 kisses and hugs from her dad or I before we leave to go anywhere.


• I love how she must tell Kason and Jaicee that she loves them before they go to school everyday, even if it means screaming it down the street while they run to the bus stop.


• I love her firey personality that always keeps up on our toes.


• I love her belly laugh.


• I love that she puts on makeup, lipstick, sparkes, nail polish, and anything girly all day long!


• Her smile can and does light up a room.


• Her cries can and will clear a room, or store, or any other place we are.


• I love that she will come home from a friend's house so that she can play with her best friend, Jaicee.

Halle, I love everything about you. You bring so much joy and happiness to our family, and we love you so much!