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).

Dancing makes me happy!

I was able to go to "So You Think You Can Dance" with my sister and sisters-in-law a couple of weeks ago.

I have decided that there aren't many activities that make me as a happy as watching this amazing art form. The human body is incredible....and when you add that with music - it is magic.

I have always loved to dance, but I think as I have gotten older and cannot do exactly what I used to do, I love it even more. It brings joy to my heart whether I am the one dancing, or watching someone else dance. I just love it!

So it was especially fun watching these amazing dancers dance for 3 straight hours. Pure entertainment.

Me, Shaundee, Cyndy, Jess (love the binocs), and Celesta

Beautiful extentions ladies!

And I got to enjoy it with great company! Thanks girls for a fun night!

Kids Really Do Say The Darndest Things!

I love Primary and get the great opportunity to do sharing time (teaching all of the children in our church under the age of 12) every few months. This past month our theme was on prayer. I was teaching the kids about the Prophet Enos from the Book of Mormon.

I held a picture up of Enos and asked if anyone knew who this was.

A child in the back raised her hand and answered: "That is Enos."

"Right", I said, "This is the prophet Enos" (pointing to the picture)

And then I heard this statement from a little 7 year old boy on the front row: "What?, The prophet penis??" (With a very confused look on his face)

"No, the prophet E.N.O.S!" I repeated quickly

It was all I could do to not fall to the ground with laughter. Luckily, only his teacher and a couple of other younger kids heard him say it....so I was able to quickly move on.

I had the biggest smile on my face for the rest of the sharing time - and couldn't quit hearing this hilarious statement being repeated over and over in my head.

So, for all of you parents out there that teach your children the proper anatomical terms for their body parts.....Great Job!

I will just make sure I don't teach about the Prophet Enos for a while, or at least enunciate his name a little better next time!

Another Cousin

I just realized that I never posted a picture of my little sister's new baby girl. Sloan was born September 15th at 9 lbs! That is right....we (Shar and I) must feed our babies ice cream in the womb! Shar and baby are doing great (except for a nasty breast infection) and I am so ecstatic that she has entered mommyhood!

I am definitely so sad that I cannot love that baby....hurry home Shar!

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!

Christmas Cards

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