Whitemyer Family

Good friends, great food, and fabulous fun!

2010-06-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Gang

Corbin

Cole

I thought I took more kickball pictures than this, but atleast I have one! Go Chloe!

Greta and Greg

Three girls trying to keep warm!

Parker was playing a form of golf with this bat and basketball.

Good friends!

Greg arranged a family BBQ a couple weeks ago. Us women were quite impressed he would take the initiative. It was a great day, but unfortunately it was freezing! When we got there it was raining, but thankfully stopped after a bit. The wind felt like it was coming straight from the glaciers on the mountains though! We were freezing. We warmed ourselves by the BBQ while the food cooked. The kids had a great time goofing around and playing on the playground. Everyone brought yummy food to share, and our fingers were numb while trying to eat it. But Greg had plans for everyone to participate in a kickball game which turned out to be so fun and helped to warm us up some. The adults had just as much fun as the kids as we dodged balls, ran fast, kicked far and tried to get each other out. What a great way to end the school year (except for the weird weather and the fact that everyone else is out of school, but we're not actually out of school yet until this week!)

Memorial Day - BBQ, Swim, & Stitches

2010-06-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Braxton enjoyed his first swim for the summer. Though the water was like ice, he didn't care.

This is what Carly looked like the entire time!

Parker before the incident, happy and playing!

After the stitches.

Sweaty and exhausted after fighting three grown men that were trying to pin him down!

Thumbs up! We made it through okay!

Memorial Day wasn't as fun as we had planned. We went to Bryan's parents to swim and BBQ. Carly was overly tired and cranky and Izzy, the Kerr's dog was staying at their house because Jenn and Jason and the kids were at a houseboat for the day. Carly hates animals so was clingy and crying and freaking out most of the time. Eventually she went inside and fell asleep on the couch. The rest of us played in the pool and then ate. We were planning on going to see Bryan's cousin in a baseball tournament and would leave shortly. Parker wanted to get back in the pool, so Bryan went with him. Next thing I know I hear a gasp and a splash. Apparently Parker was trying to get out of the pool but slipped and hit his face on the wall. There was instant blood. His chin was split open. Thankfully Bryan was there to stop the bleeding and check it out. I was getting woozy seeing all the blood and had to sit down, (an unfortunate weakness of mine). Needless to say, we did not get to the game but did get to spend some time in the ER. Thankfully there was no wait in the waiting room. Everyone was very nice, and the PA who stitched him up was very patient though Parker was not making it easy for them. They wrapped him up in a blanket like a burrito. Bryan still had to hold his body while another male nurse held his head and the PA stitched him up. Seven stitches later, Parker was given a stuffed penguin by the nurse (which was very nice and he loves it) and we were done with the turturous affair. (I of course was hovering in the corner the whole time averting my eyes.) He just got his stitches out yesterday, and he looks great!

Diversity Day

2010-05-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Braxton writing down answers to questions about Mexico.

Parker thought Diversity Day deserved a thumbs up!

One class did Egypt and had these set up for picture taking opportunities.

I didn't think about it at the time, but this one was the Egyptian woman and all three of them stuck their heads in this one instead of trying out the Egyptian man. Hee, hee.

Braxton in his South African hat he designed.

Saturday was Diversity Day at Braxton's school. Each class chooses a country to transform their classroom into. They serve authentic food and try to wear something they would wear in that country as well. The students have their "Passports" with three questions for each country which they find the answer to in the classrooms, write it down and then receive a stamp on their passport. It's always a fun and interesting day at the school though Braxton never makes it to every country. This is our third year of doing it and nothing has changed. He gets bored after about five. However, when he was in kindergarten it was more of a painful process to try to get him to find the answers and write them down when he could barely read or write!

Father/Son Overnighter

2010-05-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Bryan took the boys on the Father/Son Overnighter out at the Valk Ranch. It was Parker's first time! They set up their tent, explored, fished in the pond (or attempted to, but never caught anything) and then ended the evening with a fireside. They built a huge bonfire and gathered around. One of the guy's from our ward had his dad come dressed as a "wild man" and talked to them about the early pioneers and the priesthood (or something like that. I wasn't there and Bryan's not the best about remembering details.) Anyhow he had a gun and fired it off which scared the heck out of Parker. He's very sensitive to noise so then he was kind of clingy for the rest of the meeting. Once the fireside was over, Bryan tucked them in and they all went to bed. So Parker was already scared when he went to bed. In the middle of the night, Bryan woke up and reached over to Parker to see if he was still covered and doing well. He was covered all right. He had the sleeping bag pulled up over his head and he said, "Hi Daddy," surprising the heck out of Bryan. He pulled him over to his sleeping bag and he could feel he was slightly damp. Parker had been awake for hours, huddled up in his sleeping bag, so scared he was sweating. I think all the strange frog and cricket noises were freaking him out. Bryan felt so bad. He held him tight, but Parker still didn't even settle down and fall asleep for a while. I felt terrible when he relayed that story to me. He's so sensitive to noise! Poor boy!

Braxton Turns 8!

2010-04-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

Braxton got the award for best dressed at the Blue and Gold dinner thanks to Grammy and Poppy who got his uniform for his birthday. Braxton gobbled up the chocolate wolf head they gave him without hesitation.

We had to make a cake for the Blue and Gold dinner. We kept it simple since I had so much else going on with Braxton's baptism. Not as fancy as the other cakes there, but it was a favorite with the kids because of the M&M's.

MMM, Chuckee Cheese pizza. Not the best, but good when you're hungry!

Parker's obsessed with basketball these days. Grandpa's helping him out here to play the big boy game.

Grandma and Carly when my parents first arrived.

The morning of Braxton's birthday

We brought in Braxton's favorite treats to his classroom on his birthday - donuts.

My parents got to come and stay with us for two weeks to be here for Braxton's 8th birthday and for his baptism. On Braxton's birthday we went into the school to drop off donuts which he loved. The next day we went to Chuckee Cheese, one of Braxton's favorite places to go. And that evening Braxton had his first Bule and Gold dinner. Now that he's 8, he's a cub scout. Lots of fun at the dinner. Glad my parents could be there for that too.

Easter

2010-04-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Once Parker discovered what was in the eggs, he was in heaven and very upset when I had to cut him off!

It was a tad chilly that day!

Carly showing off her Easter outfit.

I haven't blogged in a very long time because frankly it's kind of a pain. It takes so long to load the pictures, but anyway. I'm posting some pictures from Easter just to update it a bit. It was a very nice weekend. It was nice to have General Conference on Easter, kind of made it extra special. We spent time over at Bryan's parent's house, had an Easter egg hunt watched conference and had a scrumptious meal!

Vote for Parker

2009-10-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

Vote for Parker

Hey friends and family. Go to this website and vote for Parker to win the Gap contest.

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/KindaSnack/

Thanks!

Celebrating Ten Years

2009-07-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Bill and Susie were so cute. They gave us slippers to wear around the house. (Bryan said he felt like a mariconaso, but he was a good sport, and wore them too.)

One of our yummy breakfasts. Waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, ham and orange juice. And we had the best hot chocolate every morning.

Jordanelle Lake

Mirror Lake

It was our anniversary. We had to have a kissing picture!

For our ten year anniversary, Bryan wisked me away to the beautiful town of Midway, Utah. We had gone out to Utah for my family reunion which we do every summer, but he surprised me with an extended stay to celebrate. Our anniversary isn't until next month, but it was perfect because my parents could take our kids, and I had no worries. It was such a nice surprise. It was the best getaway we've had (next to the cruise we went on once before.) We stayed at a bed and breakfast called Invited Inn. Bill and Susie (the couple who own it) just spoiled us. Breakfasts were fantastic. The rooms were beautiful with awesome bathrooms. Midway was beautiful. We did things we'd never done before: mountain biking, kayaking down the river, a couples massage and a swim in a crater. Mountain biking was our first adventure. I haven't ridden a bike in forever, so I felt a little unsteady just riding through the town. Once we got to the trail, I did my best to stay on the bike, but it was difficult once we started going downhill. I had a couple of falls, but was thankful that each prayer I muttered as I was falling was answered and I had no serious injuries. My bum was seriously sore. We rode about six miles! We went down the river later that day. I'd never done this, but thankfully Bryan had. I wasn't that nervous until I heard that a lady had died in that same river the week before. But it was actually a very nice ride. We went in a kayak for two, so I sat in the front and pretended to paddle sometimes, but Bryan pretty much had it covered. The scenery was awesome. The next day we took a scenic drive further into the mountains and stopped at a lake and at some falls and got out and walked around. In the afternoon, we went for a swim in the local "crater." I don't really know how it formed, but it's a big hill that has warm mineral water like a hot springs underneath it. It was like swimming in a cave, pretty cool and was so nice and warm. Afterwards we had a couples massage that was so very relaxing. Pretty much the whole trip was fantastic. I loved spending alone time with Bryan. Everything was just right, yummy food, fun activities during the day and then he rented movies and brought them with us, so we snuggled and watched a movie at the end of every day. It was perfect for me. Thanks Bry. I love you!

My-Daughter-Cut-Her-Hair-Club

2009-06-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

You guessed it. Carly cut her hair. I am now officially a member of the "My Daughter Cut Her Hair Club." Last night we were finishing our Father's Day celebrations at my in-laws by watching a movie (Forever Strong-which was a great movie by the way) when I noticed Carly wasn't around. London was sleeping, so I was kind of curious as to where she'd gone off too by herself. But I didn't investigate. She came to me soon enough. It was dark in the room, so I couldn't tell at first. But then I noticed and started freaking out inwardly. Outwardly, I was trying to stay calm. I went to find the physical evidence. I needed it. It wasn't real to me until I saw the huge clump of hair. She had gotten little sewing scissors and cut strands one at a time placing them neatly in the little stroller she was playing with. I was devastated. I suppose the Lord was trying to humble me. I take a lot of pride in my kids. I have fun dressing Carly cute and especially doing her hair in fun ways and putting fun accessories in her hair. Everyone who knows me should know this. Anyhow I asked her repeatedly why she had done this. After a few minutes of me asking her and Jenn, Kim, and Sarah staring at her and touching her hair, she realized it was not a good thing and started crying. Chloe was so cute to her. She took her off to play and help her feel better. She brought her back wearing one of Sarah's sweatshirts with the hood on her head and a lovely crown on top. It was sweet. Jenn had some tips for me since London had given herself a half mullet three months ago. Later that night in bed, I had a good cry over it. (It's ridiculous, but it is that time of the month for me too, so you can understand.) So thankfully today my hairdresser, Deneen, fit us in and chopped off the back of Carly's hair making it into a bob. She looks cute. It's not nearly as bad as it could have been, but she basically looks like she did when she was one. I will miss some of the cute ways I could put her hair up, but I'm coming to terms with it. Life will go on.

Disneyland-We Finally Made It!

2009-05-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Disneyland was the best. I nearly cried our last night in the park. I felt rather silly, but I couldn’t help myself. I felt like I’d waited years to get there and we’d saved for months, and now the adventure was ending so quickly. We had such fun though. The first day was a bit of trial and error. I felt a bit overwhelmed, and learned I do better with a plan, and agenda in mind. And we learned how to better cope with Parker who couldn’t take being in the stroller for so long and then waiting in lines for 30 minutes on top of that. I’m so glad my parents could come with us. They were very helpful with watching Parker sometimes or taking turns with us on rides. And it was fun to be with them. Some of our highlights: Riding Indiana Jones twice (it was my favorite); meeting Mickey Mouse; standing in line for an hour so Carly could meet three princesses (Jasmine, Cinderella and Ariel) (my parents took her on rides while I waited); eating a huge turkey leg and dripping juice all over my pants—it was worth it!; seeing the Aladdin show-amazing, my kids were mesmerized; riding California Screamin’ by myself—what a blast; enjoyed the parade and watching my kid's faces. There was much more, but you get the idea. Can’t wait to go again!

Newport Beach

2009-05-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

We hit the beach after our three days at Disneyland. That was the first time Carly has ever tolerated her feet touching the sand. She actually had fun. We all did. Then it was time to say a sad good-bye to my parents.

Get Your Groove On!

2009-03-04T23:21:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in another blog how Parker loves to dance. Well this is proof. He just feels the music. He'll get distracted by the toys, but then he can't help himself and his little body will start movin' again. It's hilarious to me!

Date Night

2009-03-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Bryan and I had the opportunity to go to the temple on Saturday. We've set a goal to go once a month, and it's felt wonderful just to go two months in a row. Afterwards we were able to go up on top of the temple and walk around at sunset which was really pretty. Then we got some dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, which is currently my fav restaurant! Love it! The only bad thing about it is that everyone else seems to love it, so there's always more than an hour wait!

Donuts

2009-03-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Mmm, I'm loving this donut!

Yum, love those sprinkles stuck on your lip there, bud!

I love donuts, always have. Where I grew up in Illinois, they had the best donut shop--Dunkin' Donuts. We always used to get donuts from there and bring them to seminary. Or my family would go and we'd all get donuts and hot chocolate. My favorite was the chocolate cake donut which was glazed and covered in chopped peanuts. Man I miss that place! Well my kids have inherited my love for donuts. That was what Braxton wanted for his class treat on his birthday, so I ordered two dozen chocolate cake donuts with sprinkles. Braxton loved having us come to class and share donuts and juice with everyone. Carly of course loved it too. She's still at the point where she only eats the top layer of frosting and sprinkles. Parker was happy to wander the room and see what he could destroy. In the end, there were three left over, and I ate every one!!

Valentine Prom

2009-02-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

Our hot dates giving us their sexy looks.

Jenn, Tennille and I being goofy.

Trying to look sexy.

Smooch!

Valentine's weekend was very busy for me. Friday night Jenn's ward had a Valentine Prom, and Saturday night the Elder's Quorum put on a Valentine dinner for our ward. Since Jenn was kind of on the committee, Tennille and I helped her and the others with the decorating and setting up so we could use everything the next night. And then we all went to both parties! Jenn and Tennille made an awesome balloon arch and the center pieces for the table looked awesome. Everyone was impressed. Getting all dressed up for the prom was so fun. It's fun to be fancy once in a while. And it was fun to go with my hubby! They served appetizers and desserts, played the Not So Newlywed game and then had some dancing which got much better after almost everyone was gone. We pulled out some fun music and let loose. Ha ha. Saturday I spent all day making desserts for the dinner for our ward which Tennille and my husband were in charge of (plus the other two men in the presidency). The dinner was awesome: tri tip, chicken, scalloped potatoes and salad. We also played the newlywed game. So it was a busy fun weekend!

Star Wars Birthday Party

2009-02-24T14:36:00.000-08:00

I decorated the cake table as a battle scene. Bryan hung a galaxy above it and I set the x-wing fighter cake in the middle and put all Braxton's characters around it.

We played a couple of games. In one of the games, I wanted the kids to destroy the meteorites (balloons) and there was candy inside. Jenn and I were laughing so hard because the balloons were really tough to pop. It was hysterical. As you can see from the picture Max Palmer is using his light saber and was seriously jabbing the balloon, but it was no use. I put Carly on a balloon and was literally bouncing her up and down. Oh my gosh-it was so funny! I finally just grabbed some pens and the kids popped them that way.

The kids had great costumes. Chloe was Princess Leah, and Carly was Queen Amidala with her desert wrap as you can see.

Carly, Cael Black and Braxton/Max Palmer and Tyce Kerr as Darth Vader-scary!

Originally Braxton's party was supposed to be on Friday the 20th, but he ended up coming home sick from school. He had the stomach flu. Needless to say, we cancelled the party and were all very sad. By Saturday evening Braxton was back to himself after puking one final time! So we were able to have everyone over Monday afternoon. The kids looked great in their costumes. It seemed like everyone had fun. Jenn was nice enough to stay and help us especially with Parker who was into everything!

President's Day

2009-02-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

Last President's Day we decided to take Bryan to the Bass Pro Shop since he didn't come with us last time. We went to McDonald's first for Happy Meals and playtime on the "slide downs" as Carly calls all slides. Then we visited the Brass Pro Shop. Bryan was impressed as we all were again. Last time we went they had the Santa's Workshop set up by the boat area, so this time when we went they had all their boats set up so you could get on them and check them out. The kids loved this of course. Carly walked around opening the little gate door and coming in and out. Braxton pretended to drive the boat and then would lift a lid on a storage area and pretend to get a soda out and drink it. It was fun and of course it made us want a boat and a cabin. Someday...

Crazy Day

2009-02-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

Friday was Crazy Day at Braxton's school which meant you could dress super crazy. This is as crazy as Braxton would allow me to dress him. He's just like Bryan when it comes to things like this. I hope Carly is more fun because I love helping them do fun stuff like this. I wanted him to roll one of his pant legs up really high and wear funny socks, but he wouldn't do it. You should have seen the kids (the Blacks) we carpool with--crazy. The boys had their hair all sticking out on the sides with a bunch of funky layered clothing on. I think Logan's pants were on inside out, and the girl (Kylie) was wearing her swimsuit over her shirt - pretty funny! Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

Parker's Latest Adventure

2009-01-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

Look at my latest adventure! Parker can now climb up onto the barstools and onto the counter. Then he climbs over to get the phone or dumps any water he finds or helps himself to any food that's up there. He is a difficult child to keep up with! But he also keeps me laughing. He loves to show off and dances to any musical rythym he hears. His dancing is pretty hilarious. I'll have to video it sometime.

Ode to my van

2009-01-22T12:02:00.001-08:00

I always liked my van, but I've gained a greater appreciation for it this week. We took it in on Monday because it was leaking various fluids (which they later told us was oil and transmission fluid.) It was going to take a few days so they gave me a lovely Dodge Intrepid to drive. (When I say lovely, I'm being facetious.) Don't get me wrong, I was grateful to have something to drive, but since I carpool for school, we had a very interesting setup to fit everyone in. Carly's carseat was buckled in the middle of the front bench seat, and Parker was in the back. So I got to drive around all snuggled up to Carly's carseat with my right arm propped up on it because it wouldn't fit anywhere else. Needless to say, it was quite embarrassing to pick up all the kids from school. They always questioned whether everyone would fit. So I am thankful to have my van back with my own little driving space, no Carly trying to drive the steering wheel with her feet or poke me in the face. And I don't have to feel like white trash with a bunch of kids stuffed in my car.

Snow Day

2009-01-21T13:51:00.000-08:00

Since we had no school Monday, and Bryan didn't have work, we headed up to the snow with our friends the Palmers. Snow was sort of in short supply. We had to drive further than we planned to find some decent enough to sled in. But we had fun. Good thing it was 50 degrees because we don't really have snow clothes for Parker (as you can see from his ghetto outfit). He loved sledding though, laughing as we would go down a little hill.

Bass Pro Shop

2009-01-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

There was a huge tree in the entrance of Bass Pro Shops - very cool.

They had a little winter wonderland where Santa was set up for the kids to sit on his lap. They also had a little target area where Braxton and Carly got to shoot at a deer with a crossbow.

On my birthday I took the kids to Bass Pro Shops that's about 20 minutes away from our house. I know it sounds super exciting, but it was actually pretty cool. The kids liked seeing all the "stuffed" animals. Well Carly liked them from afar. She wouldn't stand in front of any to take a picture. They had a cool fish tank and a stream with fish swimming in it. A fun, inexpensive little excursion.

Sledding in Utah

2009-01-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Bryan and I took a trip to Utah the week of New Year's to see my family. We had such a good time. We hardly saw Braxton as he ran around with his cousins, playing in snow, riding their go cart, playing the wii and ping pong. Bryan got to go skiing one day with our brother-in-law Charles and his son Dallin. He had a great time. He hadn't skiied for over ten years, but he recalled things quickly. We went sledding one day. I love sledding, but I'm finding my kids aren't hardcore sledders or anything. Braxton had fun going down a few times, but then he was happy to observe others and then he was the first one ready to go. We practically froze Parker. He started crying and wouldn't calm down, so we took him to the car to thaw out. His poor hands took forever to warm up. Carly went down a couple of times and liked it but then she was happy to hang out in Grandpa's truck with Grandma.

San Francisco

2009-01-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

We wanted to go to the beach, but dinner took too long and we got there after the sunset. It was chilly.

Jason and Brayden

Kristin and Coby/ Tyce and Braxton

Sarah and Chloe/ Corbin, Jenn and Tyce

Jason and Eric /Coby and Kristin

Eric's cool shot at the museum(notice the gentleman lurking behind him. He was coming to bust us for using flash photography which we didn't even think about. We apologize for any damage done to the artwork!) Next to Eric is the triplet ipod users and the twins.

We took a little trip to San Francisco with some of Bryan's family the day after Christmas. We visited the Legion of Honor museum which has a lot of artwork in it. It was kind of funny because Brayden, Chloe and Braxton had recieved ipods for Christmas from Grammy Kim, so they walked around the museum listening to tunes. We all went to dinner at the Olive Garden which was quite tasty (we were all starving) but confusion with the bill made getting out of there difficult. We wanted to go to the beach, but it was dark once we got there. Braxton was quite disappointed. It was great to hang out for the day though.

Parker on the Go!

2009-01-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

Parker is definitely walking now and loving it. It was fun to watch him in his "drunken sailor" stage, but he's almost past that now. He'd constantly fall down and just laugh at himself and be up and going again. He's definitely my busiest one! Good thing he's cute!

Christmas Sunday

2009-01-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

I got a new camera for my birthday, but I hadn't figured it out quite yet when I took these pics. Most of them came out blurry, Sad! But these are pics of the outfits the kids wore to church on our Christmas Sunday.

Finally!

2008-12-11T13:25:00.000-08:00

Finally! It's only taken Bryan five years of asking him to put up some lights on our house. This year he actually did it! He's the one that took pictures. He wanted proof that he did it. It's nothing fancy, but I love feeling like we're in the Christmas spirit when I pull up to my house and see our lights. Thanks Bryan.

Winter Concert

2008-12-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

We invited Grammy and Poppy to come to the concert. Poppy had another commitment, but Grammy made it.

Braxton had his school winter concert last Thursday. They sang cute songs about Winter, and some odd ones about different holidays. It's annoying that they can't just sing normal Christmas songs. Braxton's class sang a fun song though. He said he didn't want to do his concert. I was surprised because he enjoys singing. Jenn pointed out to me that he got the singing from me but the attitude from Bryan. Bryan was always a stinker when it came to doing anything for an audience. So it all makes sense. He was smiling up there as he sang. I know he enjoyed it!

Family Pictures at Knight's Ferry

2008-12-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

This couple from the other Oakdale ward whose friends of the Whitemyer clan are really good with photography, and I feel so lucky that they were able to squeeze us into their schedule and take some pictures for us. They got some really good ones. I'll have to add more later. They take a super long time to download because the file's so big I suppose. Thank you, thank you Rognon's!

Thanksgiving at a cabin

2008-12-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

We went to Pinecrest a couple times so the kids could explore and climb rocks. They drain most of the lake. So there's lots of places to walk around.

We took short walks near the cabin too.

We set up lots of small tables in a row and then a little table for the kids, so we all ate in one room. The kitchen was super small, but we managed, or I should say, Kim managed to cook the turkey and all the other fixins in the teeny little space.

Mindi was so fun because she had brought some Thanksgiving crafts for the kids to make. One of them was a turkey placemat.

Parker just loves being outside.

Brooke danced and sang to a Hannah Montana song, hence the wig. She was such a crackup.

Chloe was very entertaining as our MC for the evening.

Jenn, Mindi, Sarah and I did a routine to the Mission Impossible theme with fighting and everything. It was the bomb!

Mark and Kim did a little routine too. Kim did some lipsynching to a cute song. It was fun.

For Thanksgiving this year, all the Whitemyers decided to do something different and rent a cabin in the mountains about an hour from Oakdale. Everyone came except Kristin and Coby who are coming for Christmas and couldn't do both. Instead our good friends Deana and Alan came with their three children. It was such a great time. The cabin was older but worked out really well for us. It had a fooz (sp?) ball table the kids and men loved. We took walks, played games, watched movies. It was awesome to relax but also be with people you loved for a few days. Thanksgiving meal was awesome. And Friday night we did a talent show which was so fun. The kids were great. Braxton sang a song about a pet turkey and Carly sang a little song about eating turkey. Then Jenn, Mindi and Sarah were gracious enough to let me dance with them to the Mission Impossible theme. We were quite fabulous, I must say!! And then Deana and Alan had brought pipe chimes, so at the end, they passed them out and everyone got to play some Christmas songs. The kids really enjoyed that. All in all it was a wonderful holiday. Hope yours was too!

Birthday Celebration for Princess Carly

2008-12-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Jenn helped me hang tule and balloons from the ceiling and Bryan and I constructed and painted the castle entrance. Then Jen painted the stones on. It really added to the party.

Carly and a couple of her princess friends, McKinley Marler and Molly Powell.

I asked Sarah to make an appearance at the party as a surprise to the kids. So Princess Sarah came and painted the girl's nails.

I didn't have a lot of pictures because I was busy entertaining and Bryan was videoing. But these are a few of Carly's fabulous princess gala! At first she was a little grumpy because she just wanted to eat the castle cake (which I will put a picture of later--Jenn took pics with her camera. I just need to get them from her). But after we started playing games, she was happy again, thankfully. It's no fun to have a grumpy princess! Oh-we had princes there too. We invited her Kerr cousins and a couple of other boys from nursery. Lots of fun! Our little princess is three now!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

2008-11-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

Parker with his mouth full of pizza, and Carly with pizza on her face!

Braxton had his end of the soccer season pizza party last Thursday. Yea, no more soccer for the year. It was fun, but it just makes life very busy, so we were ready for a break. It was fun to watch games that were more competetive this year, and Braxton got a little better by the end, but we'll have to wait and see if he will do it again next year.

A Child's Prayer

2008-11-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

The week of Halloween I realized I hadn't seen the machete I had bought Braxton as part of his Halloween costume, so I started looking for it in all the obvious places. When I asked him about it, he had no idea where it would be and didn't seem that concerned about not having it for Halloween. Well then Halloween night came and I'm getting everyone ready to go when Braxton starts searching for his machete. I told him I hadn't been able to find it and we probably wouldn't be able to before we had to go. A few minutes later, I walked into his room to find him kneeling by his bed with his head bowed. He looked up at me surprised, and I could tell he was embarrassed, so I quickly left. I was so touched that Braxton would think to pray about finding his sword. However I decided I needed to pray too and ask Heavenly Father to answer Braxton's prayer. Though this was a trivial thing, it meant a lot to Braxton and it would mean a lot to his little budding seeds of faith. After I said the prayer I went immediately into my room and looked under my bed--the one place I hadn't checked for it, and there it was. I called for Braxton and I told him that we needed to kneel and thank Heavenly Father for answering his prayer. It was a really neat experience for me because I was so proud of Braxton. He actually has been listening in Family Home Evening and in Primary. It was a great moment as a parent. I'm sure many of you have had these moments with your kids, but this was my first and I'm sure it was a testimony builder for Braxton, as it certainly was for me.

Halloween Night

2008-11-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

Brayden Kerr as Shaggy

This year I was attempting to do a safari theme. Braxton was the safari guy and Carly a lion, Parker a giraffe. But the week before Halloween, Braxton saw the movie Indiana Jones, so then he became Indiana Jones, and our theme didn't work as well, but oh well. I think they all looked cute. Halloween night we went to the church for the carnival and trunk or treat. We really only stayed for the chilli and hot dogs. It was supposed to rain, so the activities committee moved everything inside. There were a ton of people there, wall-to-wall. It was crazy. Everyone was sweating. It was too bad the forecast called for rain because it didn't even rain. Anyhow during the dinner, they had all the kids parade around the gym and had judges who gave different prizes. Braxton won "Best Character Costume." So that was kind of fun. Jenn had her kids dressed up as the Scooby-Doo gang. It was so cute. Corbin was Freddy and he had his own Mystery Machine he drove around. He won the prize for best boy costume. Brayden was Shaggy as you can see from the picture, but he doesn't have his big sub sandwich that Jenn made for him. That was so fun too! Anyhow we then decided to go trick-or-treating. We met up with Jenn and Jason and Jason's brothers and went around in a neighborhood with very nice homes. Carly loved it. She was more than happy to go up to each house and hold her bag open for them to put candy in it. She never did say trick-or-treat; she was too shy. We also had another family in our group who had a lark the dad (Bill) was riding around on just for fun, so Braxton invited himself to sit on Bill's lap and take a ride too to each house. Eventually there were about six kids clinging to Bill and taking turns maneuvering the lark. Braxton said that was the best part of the evening. We had a great time.

Halloween at Braxton's School

2008-11-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Braxton and Carly coloring together at his school.

Braxton's class in their costumes with their books.

Braxton in the character parade.

Braxton and his buddy Blake.

On Halloween Braxton had his celebrations at school, so Carly, Parker and I went to be there. They're allowed to dress up as their favorite character in a book, so we just found an Indiana Jones book for Braxton at the library. We watched the character parade first. All the kids paraded around the school property. Then they went in and had a pizza party. We left shortly after that.

Trip to Tahoe

2008-11-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

Bryan had a conference in Tahoe last weekend. He rode a train to Truckee on Wednesday and then took a bus to Squaw Peak Resort where the conference was being held. (This is actually the fourth year he's gone to this conference. Braxton, Carly and I went with him two years ago.) Anyhow, I got to go stay with him the following Friday. Jenn watched our kids, and I drove up and arrived in the afternoon. We took a drive and checked out all the nice cabins people own there. Then we went to dinner at this awesome restaurant. The food was fantastic. I love good food! Then we went to the Olympic Village where they had a Ben and Jerry's. We grabbed our ice cream and took it back to our hotel. By the way, Bryan ended up with an upgrade because they didn't have his room ready for him when he arrived, so our room was fabulous. It had a kitchen, living room with fireplace, the nicest bathroom I've ever seen in a hotel room and of course our bedroom. We put our ice cream on ice and stuck it in the fridge. Then we went hot tubbing! The hotel has two outdoor pools and three outdoor hot tubs. It was very chilly outside, but the hot tubs were so hot, we eventually jumped in the pool! After swimming, we went back to our room and ate our ice cream while watching Iron Man-good flick! The next day we took the scenic route back home and stopped at lots of cool trails and look out points. The scenery was amazing. Bryan and I like doing those kinds of things, taking drives walking trails, and learning some of the history of the area. Very interesting! It was a great time and so nice to spend time together without kids for a little bit. Thanks Jenn!

School Field Trip to the Bay Model

2008-10-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Braxton and I on the pier.

Couldn't get Cael and Braxton to
hold still long enough to take a
picture together, so this is the
best I could do.

I had the opportunity to go with Braxton on his school field trip last week. I felt very fortunate to be able to go with him without Carly and Parker. (Kim watched them for the day. Thanks so much!) It was awesome to have some one-on-one time with Braxton. He's been studying landforms and geography in class, so they took a field trip to the Bay Model Museum in Sausalito, which is by San Francisco. It was a long drive, but I think it was worth it. Braxton had a great time. He tried to keep up with his buddy Cael the entire time. Inside the museum there is a model of the entire San Francisco Bay. It was pretty interesting. After exploring for a while, everyone went outside and ate at picnic tables right by the water, so that was cool. We even saw some jelly fish which was very exciting for Braxton.

Friends and Pumpkins

2008-10-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday night our friends the Palmers invited us and the Marlers over for a pumpkin carving party. We're not usually into carving pumpkins. I like to do it because I grew up doing it and it's a fun tradition, but Bryan doesn't like to do it. But we didn't realize that there were cool designs out there that are easy to do on your pumpkin. Bryan chose the pumpkin face and Braxton chose the wolves for his smaller pumpkin. They looked fabulous once they were done and Greg put candles in them. However, Braxton's wolves have already started wilting as you can see from the picture. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted! We had fun hanging out with the Palmers and Marlers. Rob had just had some crazy surgery two days prior to this. It was good to see him up and going. The doctors had to cut a huge growth from his neck. Crazy!

School and football

2008-10-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Friday was a busy day. It was Bryan's Friday off, and he took the boys to get their hair cut in the morning and I took Carly to her "school". One of the Beehives in our ward is trying to earn money for a trip to Washington, D.C., so she is doing a class once a month for preschoolers. It lasted two and a half hours; they made a craft colored some pictures has a snack, and it was all based on a theme. Anyhow she loved it and wants to go to school again.

That afternoon we took the kids to the high school Homecoming Parade. Bryan's sister Sarah had come home from BYU-ID to relinquish her crown, so she rode in a car in the parade amongst the other candidates. It wasn't too exciting. They used to have each class design and decorate a float which would be part of the parade, but they don't do that anymore, so it was short and sweet.

Friday night Bryan, Braxton and I went to the Homecoming game where we watched Oakdale beat the pants off of East Union. There are quite a few members on the team, so it makes it even more fun to watch since we know the kids. Then at halftime we got to see Sarah give her crown to the next reigning queen. She looked beautiful as always! After halftime, I was ready to go mostly because Braxton was going nuts and taking me with him! Jenn brought all five of her kids to the game, and not one of them was acting like Braxton. He was so antsy and bored. Eventually he entertained himself by sliding down the railing over and over. He just comes for the tri tip sandwiches and after the game he loves to run around on the field. Crazy kid!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I met Jenn and her kids and our friend Deana and her three kids and we went to a pumpkin patch close to Deana's house in Livermore. It's set up in a pretty cool place and has great spots for taking fun pictures. My kids loved running around with everyone, climbing the cool tree and seeing all the pumpkins. Thanks for taking us Deana!

Red Robin, Dutch Hollow, and Go Bananas!

2008-10-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

The kids loved their meals and shakes at Red Robin. I loved the all-you-can-eat garlic fries!

I took a picture of Braxton in front of the cows. For some reason they just seemed huge to me!

Braxton had Fall Break last week. We wanted to go to Disneyland, but that didn't happen, so we tried to have lots of fun anyway. Monday we went to Red Robin for lunch because Braxton had earned a coupon for a free shake for being an excellent student at school. Afterwards we went to a little farm called Dutch Hollow that is across the way from the restaurant. During the fall season they open it up to people to come see their animals and buy pumpkins. They had chickens, sheep, goats, horses, and cows. Braxton pet the goat but wouldn't touch anything else, and Carly refused to come near any of the animals, but I think they had fun seeing them. Parker seemed enthralled with them too.

Parker had a blast in the little toddler area.

Ike and Carly ran around like good buddies, and Max and Braxton had a great time running from one slide to the other.

Tuesday I thought it would be fun to go to Go Bananas with some friends, so we called up the Palmers and caravaned over together after Max was done with kindergarten. That's the best place especially if you can go during the week. Then it's really quiet, you basically have the place to yourself and the kids have a great time running out their energy.

No, no! No, no!

2008-10-13T20:32:00.001-07:00

Parker is constantly getting into places he's not supposed to! He's learned how to open the cabinets of course. There are several places he likes to get into, and since I'm always telling him, "No, no!" , he now says it himself as he's getting into something, "No, no. No, no." So his first word was "ma, ma," and his second is "no, no." He likes to open the pantry and pull anything and everything out. And the other picture is him in the bathroom starting to rip apart the toilet paper! Good thing they make them cute!

Just the Ten of Us!

2008-10-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

We had a very full weekend. Jason and Jennifer had the privelege of going on a trip to Midway, Utah for Monavie. It was an all expense paid trip, and they were gone for five days. Kim and Mark took their kids for Wednesday and Thursday, and then we had them Friday through Sunday. We decided to have a campout Friday night. Bryan set up our tent in the backyard, and cooked hot dogs on the BBQ. After dinner, everyone got to roast marshmallows on the BBQ and have smores. The kids caught many a marshmallow on fire as you can see from the picture with Tyce. Thankfully no one's hair caught fire from the flaming mallows! Chloe stepped on one of the discarded marshmallows that had caught flame and then fallen off the scewer onto the concrete. She had a big black marshmallow clump stuck to her foot; we had a good laugh over it. The smores were definitely a hit with the kids and they had their fair share of them!

Here are the kids getting ready to settle down for the night. Not sure that smores was such a good idea before bedtime. They were pretty hyped up and ready to go. Parker however, was exhausted from all the excitement as you can see from the picture. I found him like this passed out on the floor, so I just had to take a pic.

Saturday morning Braxton had a soccer game, so we got the kids all ready and went over to watch him play. He still hasn't gotten too into the game, so mostly we watched Braxton watch the ball go back and forth down the field. He's still unsure of himself, but he also can't find it in himself to care about it either, I guess?! He just comes for the snacks, actually that's why the rest of us come too. Parker and Carly love the orange wedges they usually hand out.

Saturday afternoon, the kids played outside a lot, and Bryan and I attempted to watch General Conference. The few things I did hear were very inspiring, but we're both going to have to watch or read the talks again. That night we got pizza and watched Speed Racer while Bryan went to Priesthood session.

Sunday was hectic. I think everyone was going a little stir crazy. Our house isn't very accomodating for 10 people. So we packed all their stuff up after lunch and headed over to their house where we stayed for the afternoon and that evening Bryan stayed and put them to bed and waited for Jenn and Jason to arrive which was around midnight. All in all, I was glad we survived, but actually as I got ready to leave them, I felt sad. I had enjoyed getting to know my nieces and nephews better, and I knew how much fun it was for my kids to have playmates for those few days.

I came to a few realizations though during those couple of days:
1. Jenn stays thin because she doesn't have time to eat. I hoped I lost a few pounds because when you're feeding that many kids, by the time you sit down to eat, somebody else wants more or needs a drink, or is done and wants dessert, etc., so you never get to eat much yourself.
2. A playroom would be really useful.
3. I'm only planning on having one more, but could probably handle 5 total and am hoping the Lord does not want me to have more than that.
4. Having a husband who is willing to help with the kids and is willing to campout in the backyard with them even if it means a few cast arm slams to the head while sleeping is a tremendous blessing! (Bryan slept next to Tyce in the tent who has a broken arm.)

Observing Carly's ballet class

2008-10-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

Carly with Molly Powell

Carly with Chloe and Corbin Kerr

I got to go and observe in Carly's ballet class last week. So cute! I love that she got to be in the class just because she's the cutest, teeniest ballerina ever! And I love it because she loves it. I was mad because my camera was lame and half of the pictures I took came out blurry. (Could be that the person taking the pictures was lame!) As I got to watch, Carly did great. She listened and did what she was supposed to for the most part - her bunny hop, bear crawl, and marching across the floor were all very good!

"Hecka" funny!

2008-10-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Braxton likes to say the word "hecka" a lot - in front of everything for emphasis. I carpool everyday with a family that's in the other ward here in Oakdale (who have three kids at the school). We drive our kids about 20 minutes away to a charter school. Anyhow I get to hear a lot of interesting things as I drive along. So the other day, Braxton was explaining to his friend Cael (who is also 6) what hecka means. "You know what hecka means, Cael? It's Spanish for a lot." And then Cael said, "Cool. Like I was hecka hungry, and those were hecka cars." And they continued to site examples while I laughed to myself. I think because Bryan speaks Spanish, Braxton just randomly thinks certain words are Spanish if they sound a little funny. It was amusing.

Parker's One Year Old!

2008-09-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Parker had his birthday when we were in Utah, so that was really fun. We went to my sister Cherie's house, ate dinner and then did cupcakes and presents. (All the pictures I took of him with his presents turned out blurry-bummer!) He didn't know what to think about the candle in the cupcake, but once he tasted the cupcake, he was lovin' life! When I told Braxton that Parker was going to have his birthday and he'd be one, he got so excited and said: "Oh I can't wait. He'll be able to play with me and run around." So I said, "I'm sorry, buddy, but he's not going to be much different. We'll just have to wait a while longer for him to be able to play with you more." It was pretty funny. Anyhow Parker's pulling himself up on everything and I'm sure he'll be my earliest walker. Braxton was 17 months, and Carly 19 months before they walked!! He's so fun to watch when he's playing. He loves to climb up on the couch and crawl back and forth and then he'll sit up and clap and laugh. It's quite cute. Well, my baby's not a baby anymore. The year flew by. It always does. I'm just always reminded how much more I need to cherish time with my kids. Here's a little video I took with my camera. Our camcorder battery died of course, so this is the only video I got of his birthday.

Monavie for Life Baby!

2008-09-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Our family took a short trip to Utah last week because there was the annual International Convention for Monavie in Salt Lake. It worked out great because Bryan could go to the meetings, and I could hang out with my family. I did go to an awards banquet that they had on Friday night. That was pretty cool. My parents watched our kids and we went to the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City where all the festivities for Monavie were being held. There were thousands of people there, but we were finally allowed into the area where we would have dinner. It was pretty cool. The lights were off except where the stage was lit and then on the surrounding walls there were a million little lights glowing like stars in the sky. It was a cool effect. We found a table in the back corner where we sat with my brother-in-law Jason, and Bryan and Jason's buddies, Alex and Steve Roche. Then we were joined by a group of four very interesting people. There was a couple from New Zealand, and another friend from New Zealand and then a friend of theirs from LA. They had great accents. I found it just pleasant to listen to them talk. The three from New Zealand had become diamond (a rank in Monavie) in two months which is incredible. They had some great pointers. The man from LA (also an Alex) had been in a couple of movies like Pretty Woman (the polo player that flirted with Julia Roberts at the polo match.) Anyhow he was very interesting as well and said he had given a bottle to Harrison Ford who told him he had already been given some Monavie! It was quite fun. Then they recognized the top ten people who had sponsored the most people in the business in the last year and the New Zealand couple was number 7. Then they called up everyone that had made a million dollars in the past year. I lost count; the stage was full of them. It was amazing and quite motivating. Then they auctioned off cars to raise money for the MORE project in Brazil. And at the end they had a very funny comedian named Bryan Reagan entertain us. He's really clean and a real crack up. Bryan and I had heard of him before, so we were excited to hear him in person. Overall it was an amazing evening.

Dinosaur Museum

2008-09-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Braxton loves the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point in Utah. He kept asking if we could go because it's about 5 minutes away from my parent's house, so he kept seeing it as we'd pass by. So we went Friday afternoon. Carly was scaredy as she calls it. Whenever she's afraid of something she says she's scaredy. So Grandpa held her most of the time. Atleast Braxton had fun.

Two in one!

2008-09-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

Before we left for Utah, I had to get the brakes checked out on our van. The shop had to keep it most of the day, and I actually had a hair appointment that day, but thankfully the salon is just a couple blocks away, so we walked. The double stroller was in the van, so I put Parker in the umbrella stroller and we set out. Carly was basically running to keep up. Her little legs were doing double time, but when I asked her if she wanted to ride with Parker, she stated that she would like to walk. We were half a street away when she started to cry, so I put her on my back. But on our return trip I decided to put her in the stroller with Parker on her lap. They both had a great time; Carly was giggling the entire way home. I just had to take a picture it was so funny. They're nearly the same size!

A little pizza for the belly!

2008-09-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, we decided to go to Pizza Plus for dinner. We had worked all day inside and out, so we wanted to have some fun. It's not too far from the house, so Bryan and Braxton rode their bikes which Braxton was thrilled about. They had video games there and candy machines. Braxton loved the video games and Carly loved the candy machines. There was also all you can drink soda, so basically the place was comparable to heaven in my kid's eyes. Parker slept while we were there, but then woke up in time for some pizza. On the way home, I got to ride our bike, and I thought it was great to have some one-on-one time with Braxton. He always wants to have Bryan ride with him because he's more fun and it's something that they can do together since they don't see a lot of each other during the week. Anyhow Pizza Plus was a hit with our family!

Star Student of the Week

2008-09-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

Braxton was star "student of the week" right before we left for Utah. (I was glad it wasn't the week we would be in Utah. That would have been disappointing for him.) Anyhow on one of the days of the week, you are supposed to bring in a poster about yourself. They have the same teacher two years in a row at his school, so we decided to do a poster about his summer vacation. He was proud of it.

A soccer player and a ballerina.

2008-09-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Braxton started soccer a few weeks ago. I've decided he's not the extracurricular kind of kid at this point. He doesn't get excited about doing sports or anything extra that requires work. The first week we went, I had to force him out of the car when he realized he didn't know anyone because he was on a different team than he was last year. (He actually has a friend playing on this team, but he was on vacation the first week of practices.) So that was a little embarrassing as I'm dragging him across the field while trying to push a stroller with Parker in it and struggling with two camping chairs slung over my shoulder. He's okay now, but he doesn't love it. He'd rather be able to play at home after he's been at school all day. I don't blame him, but part of me thinks it's good for him, that he needs some kind of structured team sport, to learn new skills, make new friends and run around. And so I bring the hectic life of a soccer mom on myself with two practices a week and Saturday games from now until Thanksgiving, and then I added a dance class on top of that. But Carly needed something to call her own!

Now she's not just a princess but a ballerina princess!

2008-09-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

London, Carly and Molly Powell waiting for their turn.

Carly doing her bunny hop across the floor.

I was so excited when I learned that Carly was going to be able to take dance this year. I didn't know if she would since you are supposed to be three when the semester starts and she won't be three until November. And then I nearly forgot about it until dance had already started, so then I thought for sure the class would be full and I'd be out of luck, but the gal who runs the dance studio is super nice and she said she could "sneak" Carly in. I didn't get to go to her first class because Braxton has soccer practice at the same time, so her Aunt Jenn took her since her daugter's in the same class. I was finally able to go this week, and it was just so cute. Carly loves, loves it. She asks every day if she can go to her dance class. She did pretty good in there with following directions.

And the Award for Most Cooperative Student of the Month goes to...

2008-09-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

We have been very proud of the way Braxton has been handling 1st grade. He hasn't complained but has gotten up every morning and got dressed and ready to go. He's been working hard at school, and yesterday he received the Student of the Month award. At the beginning of each month, there is an award given to one student in each class. A category is always assigned to the month. This month it was Cooperation. So on Wednesday Braxton received the Student of the Month Award for being a Cooperative citizen! I could tell he felt good about it, but that night when Bryan was tucking him into bed, he was telling Braxton how proud he was and that he should keep doing all he's doing. And Braxton, getting a little concerned, said, "But Dad I can't get Student of the Month every month!" Of course Bryan assured him that he didn't have to try to do that. Keep it up Buddy!

Look at me Mom!

2008-08-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 11 months this week. He has started to pull himself up on things, though he cannot get himself back down very well. He usually complains about it until I come along to help him. He's still a happy guy and has fun with Carly and Braxton. He's getting one more tooth in which makes a total of seven! He eats like a horse, but is not even chunky, though I would say he's the most solid baby I've had yet. He still loves to cuddle which I'm grateful for. It's hard to believe a year has gone by since he was born.

Back to school

2008-08-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Braxton had his first day back at school on August 11th. I feel like we hardly got a summer, but we'll have to enjoy the extra breaks throughout the school year. Braxton's in first grade now, but he's in the same classroom with the same teacher. He said the only difference is they don't have afternoon recess or free time at the end of the day--two of his favorite things about school! Oh well, he hasn't complained much about it.

Princess Carly

2008-08-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Carly found her old Halloween costume hanging in her closet (like 3 weeks ago. I've gotten behind on my blogging!), and she wanted to try it on. It's from two Halloweens ago and is size 6-9 months. I helped her put it on so she would see it wouldn't fit her. But it did. It fits perfectly and is rather cute. She wears it on a daily basis! What a great purchase!

Cabin Fever at Bear Lake

2008-08-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

My family had a reunion last week in Utah. We went to Bear Lake and rented an awesome cabin. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a nice loft where all the kids slept. It had two living rooms and an area with a ping pong table that the boys especially loved. The view was gorgeous. We just had the best time! There are quite a few posts following this one that show my whole trip pretty much!

Goofy cousins!

2008-08-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Madison was always really sweet to Parker and Carly. Carly saw these pictures and said "I love Maddy and Kimberly." I thought that was cute.

Chillin' at the Cabin

2008-08-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach one day we were there, but my batteries died in my camera, so I have no pics of that. Each night we hung out and played games and stayed up until 12 am. It was exhausting but fun.

More cousin time

2008-08-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

The cabin was so spacious. The kids had a great time running around and playing together.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

2008-08-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

My parents got a boat a couple of months ago, so we were able to go boating while at Bear Lake. That was awesome! I went skiing one day which I hadn't done in a few years. I did pretty good though I did nothing fancy. I just felt good about staying up for so long! It was fun to be able to do more since I wasn't pregnant. Bryan did some wakeboarding and had fun with that when the boys had a turn on the boat. My dad was cute--he always wore the hat you see in the picture when he went out on the boat, so we called him the Skipper. All the kids had a good time on the boat except for a couple who weren't a fan of the boat like Braxton and Landon. They went on it once. And Braxton did ride the tube with his older cousin Scott. I was proud of him for trying it.

Girl Time on the Lake

2008-08-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

This was the day all the girls (and the skipper) decided to get in some lake time. Cherie tried wakeboarding and got up the first try, but the rest of us including my mom took turns on the tube.

Indoor Pool Time

2008-08-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

The facility we stayed at was called Harbor Village. They had apartment, condo and cabin rentals. They had an indoor and outdoor pool. We went to the outdoor pool the afternoon we arrived. These are pictures of the indoor pool which we went to the day after the beach when we were all a little red.

La Beau's Famous Raspberry Shakes

2008-07-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

Garden City was the actual name of the city we stayed in. It is famous for their raspberry shakes. I'm a fan of raspberries, but a bigger fan of chocolate, so I ordered a mint oreo shake which was thick and tasty just the way I like it. Bryan got a raspberry one and gave some to Carly who wanted "pink" ice cream. Braxton got chocolate with reeses pieces. (He takes after me!)

Shake it up baby!

2008-07-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Those were some great shakes!

Smores

2008-07-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

After we came back from the cabin, we hung out a lot at my sister, Cherie's house. One night, we decided to build a fire and make smores. My nephew Scott had an incident with a little cinder burning his foot, hence the picture. Other than that (and Carly minorly burning her hand when she touched the end of the marshmallow roaster) we had a lot of fun roasting and partaking while the boys hooped it up as well. Family is so fun!

More Smores

2008-07-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

As they built the fire, the boys skipped around the fire chanting something goofy. Then we roasted our marshmallows and gobbled up the smores. Mmm!

Adults eat out at the Texas Roadhouse

2008-07-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

When my family gets together, we always like to go to dinner with just the adults to chat and eat good food. We went to the Texas Roadhouse, and they had really yummy rolls with cinnamon butter and great ribs! Here are pics of all the couples.

Girl's Day Out

2008-07-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

The sisters-Bryn, me, Michelle and Cherie

Madison, Kimberly and Kate Lyn--my cute nieces

Me and Michelle

The girls always like to go to lunch and shopping one day--typical girl stuff. It's just fun having your sisters tell you you look good or not-so-good in everything you try on.

Sunday pics

2008-07-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

My parents and me (and Parker)

Bryn's family with her new baby Bryce

Some of the boy cousins (Blake, Braxton, Garrison & Gavin)

Pictures of everybody after church

2008-07-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Boy Cousins goofin' off

My Dad and the son-in-laws

My sister, Cherie's family

The whole Dilworth clan

My sister Bryn blessed her new baby, Bryce, that last Sunday we were there. We had to leave right after Sacrament to get back home so Bryan could work on Monday. We took more pictures and said our good-byes (shedding some tears as well.)

Saying Good-bye to Sarah...

2008-07-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so I'll be trying to catch up the next few days. We went on vacation, but before we left we had to say good-bye to Sarah who was off to BYU-Idaho. We all went to dinner at Applebee's in Riverbank and then said good-bye to Sarah. The last of the Whitemyers to leave the nest. Our baby-sitter gone. I'm happy for her though. She's already having a great time and went on a date the second night she was there.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

The kids had a fabulous time swimming as usual though it was only in the 80's that day. There weren't many adults in the pool. (The weather has been beautiful but this week we're hitting the triple digits.) We hung by the pool and enjoyed good grub on the BBQ.

We lit up our own fireworks at the end of the day. We did sparklers first and then Bryan lit up the big package of fireworks that the Kerrs brought. I was surprised at how much Carly liked the sparklers whereas Braxton didn't even want to light his up. He just wanted to pretend it was lit and wave it around. Parker fell asleep during the show. He was beat.

Little Tidbits

2008-07-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

I needed to catch up on a couple of little things my kids are doing these days...

If you read my blurb about our camping trip, you'll know that I've started the horrible process of potty training Carly. I despise potty training for obvious reasons--I hate the cleanup. She'll do well and then have a couple accidents in a row. And she's not doing her poops in the potty lately, so I've come to the conclusion that she will wear a diaper until she goes poops in the potty. She loves wearing her underwear, but I told her that she can't wear them until she goes poops in the potty. It's just easier on me this way. She still usually goes pee in the potty, but I don't have to worry about accidents this way. I felt bad yesterday because we were at the mall in Tracy because we'd gone to this bounce place they have there with some friends, and then we had lunch and did some shopping and she had told me a couple of times that she had to go potty. Well I brought her potty in the car with me, but since we're in a mall, it's a long walk to get to the car, so I just wanted her to go in her diaper. Finally we were about ready to go when she told me again she had to go potty, she had a little shiver and then she separated her legs and said, "Oh no, my pants wet." She must have forgotten that she had a diaper on. She'd been holding it forever until she couldn't hold it anymore.

I need to give a little update on Parker. He had shots about a week and a half ago. I went in just expecting a checkup. I forgot that we were behind in shots. I didn't bring any Tylenol with me. I felt terrible. He weighs 16 lbs. 7 oz. I think he's huge compared to my other kids, but the doctor's like: "His weights okay. Let him eat whenever he wants." Parker also started getting four new teeth in on the top last week! And he started scooting around everywhere, sort of an army crawl. It's very funny to me. Atleast he's not rolling like Carly. She rolled forever and her hair is still recovering from the bald spot she gave herself! But he gets around very well and just has a good old time scootin' around discovering things, and ripping up any paper items he might find. Magazines are his favorite. He's just growing so fast.

Pinecrest--A Camping Experience!

2008-06-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Pinecrest this past weekend. We made the reservations months ago, thankfully. As we are not avid campers, we did not realize how booked places can get. It was hard to find a spot when we scheduled it back then. It was definitely all full. I liked ours though because it was more secluded than other campsites.

Miss Snootie Patootie

We left Oakdale on Friday and reached Pine Crest at about 1:00 or so. When we got there, Carly said she had to go poops. We have been doing a bit of potty training the past week and a half and she’s improved each day but still has many accidents. Anyhow we brought her little potty with us because she had been wanting to go in a potty and not in her diaper lately. So she did her thing on the potty and I noticed that her diaper was dry, so I thought I’d let her wear underwear. Next thing I know Bryan has discovered an explosion in Carly’s pants. She must have eaten something because she had just emptied herself not ten minutes prior to this explosion. Ironically I was laughing about it as I tried to clean her off. Bryan volunteered to her soiled clothes to the bathroom and wash them out. He opted to throw the Princess underwear away. Sorry Cinderell, but it just wasn’t worth it!
So that was our first experience with camping, but we weren’t discouraged yet. We just decided no underwear until we got back home! We headed for the beach. Carly would not let her feet touch the sand. She hates any kind of dirt or sand on her feet. She was sitting in a little camp chair on the shore, actually in the water, and I gave her a shovel to play with, but when she leaned over to put it in the water, she faceplanted into the sand. I was holding Parker so couldn’t get to her very well, but Bryan grabbed her. She had a bit of sand in her face and hair, but not too bad. She was not happy about it though especially when she almost did it again a little while later.

Parker loved putting his feet in the water. We brought a bumbo (special baby chair) for him and sat him in it in the water and he just splashed. He also tried to eat some of the sand, but just once. I guess it wasn’t too appealing.

Braxton didn’t get in to swim, but he played in the sand, building mini forts and what not. We brought Braxton’s bike, so he really enjoyed riding it around. He went on several little bike rides with Bryan. (Only went on one with me since I almost got us lost. He didn’t think that was very fun. I have a horrible sense of direction!)

That evening we after dinner we roasted marshmallows and had s’mores, which Braxton loved. After we put the kids to bed, Bryan and I sat up for a bit and snuggled by the fire. I love being in the cold but by a fire and under the stars—it’s just perfect. It was nice to relax and talk to each other.

It was soooo cold that night. I could not sleep. Carly kept waking up crying, so we finally put her in our bed. I think she was just freezing. Parker had two blankets on him, but I put a beach towel and my warmest sweatshirt on him because I was worried. And then since Carly was in bed with us, I grabbed her sleeping bag and climbed inside and put our other two quilts on top of me. I was wearing a hoodie, so I put the hood over my head and tied it tight around my face. Then I felt like I was in heaven. I was finally warm!!
We went to the beach the next day and stayed for a few hours before packing up and heading home. We were all pretty tired. I think one night is all we can do though we brought enough stuff for a week!!

Room for a Cookie

2008-06-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share something funny that Braxton said a few days ago. Bryan had made him some lunch, and Braxton said he was done and ready for a cookie. When Bryan came to inspect, he still had part of his sandwich left. Braxton said he was all full and didn't want the rest, so Bryan said if he was full, he wouldn't have room for a cookie either. Braxton pointed to his stomach and motioning to one area said, "yes, huh, this area right here is all full," and then making his hands into a circle and placing them on the side of his stomach he said, "But there's room right here for a cookie!" Bryan and I started laughing. We thought he was very clever.

Go Bananas!

2008-06-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Rather blurry picture, but you get the idea. They had a blast!

Bryan took a few day's off this week, so on Wednesday, we went to this great place called Go Bananas. It was such a fabulous place for the kids. I couldn't believe how much Carly loved it. She was running everywhere from one bouncy thing to the next. They had a special area for 4 and under which she liked, but then she wanted to be with Braxton and Bryan, so she went over with the big kids. There was a school field trip there for the first hour and a half, so it was a little crowded, but not bad. After they left, it was awesome. I didn't have to worry so much about Carly being plowed over by anyone. Bryan and I sure worked up a sweat trying to keep up with the kids since they always wanted us to come along. The slides were pretty fun though. We can't wait to go back. Carly keeps asking when we can go slide again.

FHE and Hot Potato!

2008-06-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

Good Buds!

These guys are in the mush pit!

Carly sure loves her cousin London and her Uncle J. (and baked beans as evidenced on her face!)

We had a combined Family Home Evening with Bryan's parents and the Kerrs yesterday. We came early to have some swimtime, and then eat dinner. Afterwards we played games like Hot Potato and Fruit Basket (aka Do You Love Your Neighbor?). The kids had a blast. And Grammy read a story about Christ healing the leper. Then Poppy went to the store and brought back ice cream for dessert. The evening was a hit!

First Official Week of Summer

2008-06-22T22:53:00.001-07:00

Hooray for Summer!

I think Braxton's first official week of summer was a success. We didn't do a lot, but for Braxton it was enough to not be in school. It was kind of funny because last Saturday (the day after his last day of school), he went to a birthday party for a girl from his class. His teacher was invited as well, so when we got there, I said, "Braxton, Ms. Schreiber is here." His eyes got huge as they darted back and forth. I don't think he expected to see her for a long while.

About our week:
Monday night we got to get together with a few good friends. Bryan had four roommates that he was really good buddies with when I met him in college (two of them brothers). They've stayed in contact over the years, and the brothers (John and Stu) actually live here in California whom I've talked about before. Anyway Dan McComber was another roommate and he and his wife and kids were coming through the area to go to an extended family reunion. So we got together at Stu's house to eat pizza and catch up with everybody. It was like old times!!

Thursday I took the kids swimming at Grammy's pool. We invited some friends to come along too. Jenn came with her gang as well as the Powells and the Palmers. It made for quite a few kids splashing around in the pool. Braxton can never get enough swim time. I just can't believe he used to not even want to get in the pool. (Carly's at that point.) We stayed until 6:30 p.m.

Saturday Bryan went to a conference in the bay area for Monavie. He was gone most of the day, but in the morning he got Braxton up and they rode their bikes to the local bakery to get donuts and then went to get their hair cut. Braxton just loves going on bike rides with Bryan.

Later that evening the kids and I got to go to a party for our friend Don Valk. He was turning the big 5-0. He's worked with Bryan in Elder's Quorum and I worked with his wife, Carla, in Young Womens. They are good people, so much fun. Anyhow it was a big bash, a luau actually, with a machine pumping out virgin strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas, lots of good food, and a live band made up of members from our ward. They were fabulous. I couldn't believe how good they were. I didn't even know they could sing let alone play instruments. It was great fun. They have a pool as well, so Braxton made a beeline for it as soon as we arrived, and only got out to go to the bathroom or grab a bite to eat. Other guests couldn't believe how long he was in there and how many times he jumped off the side of the pool. I had to drag him out dripping wet to go home after I'd already loaded the other kids and asked him twice to get out!

Bryan got home around 11:00pm and said the conference was great and he learned a lot. He also had fun hanging out with our brother-in-law, Jason, and Bry's good buddy from high school, Alex Roche.

Splish Splash I was Takin' a Bath!

2008-06-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

I stuck all three kids in the tub this morning before church, mostly because I wanted a cute picture of all of them in the tub. I think we need a bigger tub! They were kind of squished in there. Parker just loves splashing around in the tub. And the kids loved playing with him.

CRACKER SNACKER

2008-06-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

Carly says the phrase, "I'm hungry" a million times a day. Half the time I think she's just bored and wants something to do.

Bryan and Kinda

2008-06-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

I had to take a picture of us at our Father's Day celebration because as Jenn always says, "We should take a picture to document that we were actually at the event." Usually our pictures are of the kids, you know?

Ode to Soda and Chips

2008-06-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

My kids don't get much soda or chips to snack on at home, but I tend to let go when we're at family gatherings (like on Father's Day). So Braxton and Carly probably ate their body weight in chips and guzzled soda like it was goin' out of style!

A Little Hammock Time

2008-06-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Kim got Mark a hammock for Father's Day. Great fun for the kids! Funny story-one of the pictures is of Brayden and Braxton with their hands in their armpits. They've learned the lovely art of tooting with their armpits. Well London wanted to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, so she began singing and Brayden and Braxton decided to accompany her with their musical sounds. It was actually rather amusing. However, London was not happy about it! She was trying to sing a cute little song and they ruined it for her!

Lovin' the Water

2008-06-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have never had a baby that has liked the pool. Braxton

and Carly would scream if I even tried to dip their feet in.

I decided to buy a floaty for Parker to see if he liked it, and

he loved it. He doesn't even care if he's splashed by the other

kids. It's rather fun to have a baby who enjoys it. He's so

cute! On Father's Day, all the kids were swimming so I put him

in too, and he had a great time.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

The morning of Father's Day, I let Bryan sleep in while I
took care of the kids. (On the weekend, he usually lets me
sleep in while he takes care of the kids.) When he got up,
he opened his presents and ate the breakfast I made for
him of scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, bacon and
toast. Then we got to hang out for a while before heading
to Modesto to go to Stake Conference. Afterwards we went
over to Bryan's parent's house to barbecue.

Last Day of School

2008-06-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Braxton had his last day of school finally!! He was in school
three weeks after all his friends and cousins were done for the
summer. Every night as we called him in from playing outside,
he always questioned why everyone else got to stay up when
he had to go to bed. I didn't tell him they were done with school;
I just told him he had to get more rest to get up for school.
On the last day of school, there was a carnival. Braxton liked the
Mad Scientist booth they had set up and hoopin it up with the
basketball. Afterwards we headed to the Black's house (who
live in Oakdale and we've carpooled with the entire year) to
have a celebritory swim party. Braxton had a great time.

2008-04-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Just the kids hanging out. And this picture is Bryan and Parker when we went to the San Francisco Zoo.

2008-04-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

One of Braxton's T-ball games. He does pretty well, but when they're in the outfield, he generally busies himself with throwing his mitt in the air and kicking the dirt. Needless to say, I was a little nervous when I looked out at the last game to see him in the pitcher's position out there. I thought, "Oh great! A majority of the balls get hit to the pitcher. Is he going to pay attention or look like a nimrod out there. He surprised me. The very first hit, he quickly scooped up the ball and threw it to first for an out. Then in the next inning he was playing third base, when he caught the ball, and after he looked around wondering what to do next he finally understood what his coach was yelling and stepped on third for another out. Whew! That was a close one! He actually had a lot of balls come to him in that position as well and he did a good job hustling after them and getting them to where they needed to go. I was glad he had a good, exciting game because he hadn't wanted to go prior to that game, saying T-ball was boring.

2008-04-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here's our little princess. Her newest thing is telling me that I looks so cute. It's actually a real confidence booster!! "You're sooo cute mama."