Luke and Jill Family

First Day of School

2011-09-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

The first day of school is always an exciting time. It is different having 2 kids in Elementary now, and it has been fun watching them get excited for a new year. Ben is very excited about being the 2nd grade and is thrilled with his new teacher because she gives play money for good behavior and you get to use it every Friday at her store. Rewards work great for him. Alec is my big afternoon Kindergartener and is learning how to make new friends. My sweet sensitive boy feels a little overwhelmed sometimes, but overall is doing great. Ty started his preschool playgroup today for his first day. He gets to go once a week with some friends rotating to different houses where the mothers take turn teaching. I think he was most excited to finally get to be in school. Hetakes it very seriously and had a great time today. He was a little disturbed when he got home to find that his brothers had still not returned home, but I think overall he is going to love this year with friends. I really love the fall time, and with it all the new beginnings you get to share with your kids.

Family Break-Lake Cascade

2011-08-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

We got to sneak away for a little break with our kids before school started. We had a lot of fun playing in Lake Cascade, making sand castles, fishing, and relaxing. We have so much fun with our kids, especially in such a pretty place.

Jump Time

2011-03-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here is our crazy bunch at this fun little place with inflatables. It is so fun to act like a kid with your kids and get to play on all the equipment. The big slide was pretty safe for most of us, but Ben had to be creative with his decent. We actually went to this place with my cute niece Madelyn and her friend Jake who came to visit. They were so fun to have visit!! We love visitors and everyone should plan a trip to visit soon.

Ty's Surgery

2011-02-18T14:24:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Ty had to get his Tonsils and Adenoids out on Tuesday. He was such a good little trooper and loved all the attention at the hospital initially. They also found a piece of cardboard up his right nostril the size of my thumb nail. It must have expanded inside, because it was too big for his little nose. He has always had a problem sticking things up his nose. Last fall I picked 3 beans out of his nose in a weeks time. We are hoping this experience will prevent further nose exploration. Aren't kids great!! We are now on day 4 and he is still miserable. I have decided there is nothing worse then watching you kids in pain and feeling helpless.

December-Christmas

2010-12-31T14:05:00.000-08:00

Decorating the tree.

Ben who wants legos

Alec who wants Zhu Zhu Battle Pets and a yellow spikey ball.

Ty who want a Zhu-Zhu pet as well, and got a race track.

Violet got a baby of course

Christmas was great as always. The boys were extremely excited, and with school out the week before it actually arrived, you would think they were tortured. My personal highlight was my parents getting to come home from their mission for the holidays. We spent Christmas in Boise, visited Luke's family and then got to see my parents. A little more travelled then I would like, but well worth it.

November Fun

2010-11-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

We were glad to make it home safe from Thanksgiving in Utah this year. We had to end our trip a day early, but it proved to be beneficial, the snowy drive there was too long. We really enjoyed the snow though, and before long our one snowman multiplied into an entire family.

Our baby girl is growing up so fast, I let her have her Christmas dress early because I was worried she would be too big for it soon. And as you can see it fits her perfect and she is adorable. I love having a girl and getting to dress her up, sometimes I feel bad for her being my first girl. She has also started sucking on her toes. This is her new favorite position and we can now never keep socks on her.

October

2010-10-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

The older my kids get, the more excited they get about Halloween. Here is a snapshot of our Halloween this year. Ben really wanted to be a Vampire, and I was surprised he even knew what one was. They don't allow kids to dress up at school here, but he loved looking scary for the trunk or treat. Alec is my snake fanatic right now, and he wanted to be a King Snake which he read about, so we turned Ben's old costume into a King snake by adding the stripes. Someone asked if he was a German Flag, but he was happy with how it turned out so I guess that is all that matters. Ty was loving the candy and had fun playing in his Frog costume and a few others all month. Violet was our sweet little Penguin oblivious to all the excitement. This Halloween we have done some fun things even though we missed the actual Trick-or-Treating on Sunday. Luke and I threw a dress-up Halloween party for couples, which was a tone of fun. I couldn't remember the last time I had dressed up. Luke and I were "Jack and Jill" and to be honest we were the worst costumes. I was so impressed with everyone's creativity. We had lots of different gathering for the kids with friends, it was a fun week.

September Camp Out!!

2010-09-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Silver Creek Plunge: We had a great time staying in a little cabin for a couple of nights with some friends. The boys had a blast fishing, and were especially excited to catch a fish on their own (at least they felt like it was on their own). We hiked, swam in the hot springs, ate lots of yummy food. We haven't gotten to camp much this summer, because Violet was so small. It was very nice to be in the mountains and sit around a camp fire for a change. Having the little rental cabin made it nice to not have to worry about the kids being warm enough, especially Vi.

First Day of School

2010-09-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Ben is my big First Grader. He started last Monday, and was so excited for the first day of school. I can hardly believe he is be enough, but he keeps telling me he is. I had a harder time sending him to 1st Grade then I did Kindergarten. It seems like he is gone for along time. I have noticed though that my house is not as rowdy when he is home, because all day school is wearing him out.

Today was Alec's first day of Preschool. He has been ready since last year when Ben got to ride the bus, and was so excited this morning. He was ready before Ben this morning, and has gotten over the fact that the bus doesn't not give rides to preschoolers. I thought he might have a hard time telling me good bye at the door, but he hardly even noticed I was there, and was immediately into his little project. It is going to be a good year for him.

Here is little Ty. He like Ben is #1. Today he is following me around the house wondering what to do without his brothers. He is getting big though and this past week we have been potty training. I promised him we could go buy big boy pants when Ben went to school, and he did not let me forget. So last Tuesday we started the process, and by Sunday he pretty much had it figured out. And today exactly one week later he is trained day and night, and he is my first child to actually tell me when he as to go. I know this may all back fire in a couple of days, but I will enjoy it while it lasts.

Violet's Blessing Day

2010-09-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Violet Susan was blessed over Labor Day weekend by her father. There is something sweet about a baby blessing, especially when it is your own child. The spirit reminds you that they are Heavenly Father's children, and you feel so blessed to have them in your care. She wore the same dress that I was blessed in when I was a little baby made by her Great-Aunt JoAnn. She was adorable!! She didn't even cry during the blessing, and she gave Luke a big smile before he started. She really has been a sweet baby.

We had lots of fun visitors, but these three are her biggest fans. She is always being loved by one of them, and surprisingly they are really gently with their little sister.

We were very proud parents, and loved every minute of the weekend.

Smiling Violet

2010-08-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

We have a hard time getting Violet's smiles on camera. Here is the starting grin,

The big happy smile,

And the fun laugh.

We love our little crazy bunch. It is hard to believe we have four children, but we are truly enjoying it. Violet always has someone trying to make her smile.

Tribute to family

2010-06-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have been extremely spoiled the past couple of weeks with wonderful family members who came to help me recover and help me with my children. There is something wonderful about big families, and my older sisters really stepped in with my mom being on a mission. My boys now know their Aunt Jeanie, Aunt April, and Luke's Sister, Aunt Carissa very well.

Jeanie brought so many fun things for my boys to do, that we are still enjoying the projects she left.

There is nothing like Grandparents coming to visit and help. My boys love their grandparents and will forever remember making mud pies with Grandpa. It was fun to have them around on Father's Day.

Luke's sister Carissa and my sister April who are great friends came together to help and it was so nice. They left me with a full fridge, a clean house, and happy children. I even learned how to use my pressure canner while they were here. I have now been a few days alone and we are surviving. I still am not ready to take Violet out so we make all our fun at home. My children eat breakfast every day with Dad, but I'm hoping soon to learn to function on less sleep. Violet is still sweet and I am loving the pacifier. She is now 5 pounds 10 ounces and can now fit into some newborn clothes.

Introducing VIOLET SUSAN

2010-06-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Our little family is getting bigger, and we are so happy to have little Violet here safe and sound. The boys are very excited as well and are good little helpers. She looks a little like each of them, but seems to resemble Ben the most. We love all her dark hair and her petite, perfect features.

She arrived on June 9th at 9:21pm. She weighed 5 pounds 8 ounces measuring 18 inches in length. There didn't seem to be a lot of growth occurring the past month, so they let her come a couple weeks early. We were so happy to have a healthy baby!!

Ty is always concerned about where baby Violet is. He labels all the body parts he can see and lets us know if she is sleeping, crying, or moving. He constantly wants to hold her, but luckily those last about 15 seconds before he states done. He doesn't seem to mind having her around, so I'm hoping he'll continue to be a good big brother.

Ben and Alec have been so excited for Violet's arrival. They wonder if she'll ever stop sleeping so much. Ben loves that he can hold her all by himself, and has already nicknamed her baby ViVi. Alec is really gentle with her as well and loves holding her.

Coloring Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T20:43:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun coloring eggs this year. You can almost hear Ty saying "Ta-Da" by looking at the picture. I think he broke every egg he touched. It was fun to watch Ben trying to be creative, and it is nice to have Alec coloring independently. I love holidays with children.

My Little Biker Boys

2010-04-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

The hand-me-down bike season has started. Ty is so pleased with his little Tricycle. The only problem is he can't reach the petals, but not to worry he still manages to keep up.

Alec is so happy with the new bike he inherited when Ben got his new one. He is a little wobbly, but likes it. I didn't know you could fall with training wheels, but he has proven me wrong.

Here is Ben with is new get up just before we took the training wheels off. He is getting better.

Ben's Birthday

2010-04-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe my little guy is 6. It makes me feel so old, but it is so fun to see him grow and get excited about life. He wanted breakfast food all day for his birthday, so it started with a doughnut stack at his cousins house in Utah, and ended with his Dad's Roll-up Pancakes for dinner with cousins in Idaho.

Ben really wanted a real snake for his birthday, and I let him know from the beginning he would never be old enough to have a snake in my home. He assured me that we could keep it in the garden, but I soon convinced him that wouldn't work and that a big 2-wheeler bike would be better. He was very excited and we tried to teach him to ride it a little before the rain came. We also gave him a few rubber snakes, and hopefully he won't be asking anymore.

Here is my 6 year old with his "Volcano Cake." (April Fools) It doesn't really look like a volcano because the carmel I tried to die red just soaked into the cake, but it was yummy!! Ben seemed satisfied, so I guess that is all that matters.

2010-03-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

TY's Birthday

2010-02-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe my baby is 2 years old already. He is such a sweet heart. This picture is my favorite with his tongue out. It take's a lot of concentration when your 2 to open big present.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the Ball Popper. It has been a hit for all of my boys. It's funny how you can never go wrong with ball toys and boys.

Ty loves balls! And if you could here him say "basitball." You would make him a basketball cake to just to hear him say it all day. Notice the black on his lips; yes he is 2 and took a taste before we cut the cake, the question is how many??

Our sweet messy boy who is so easy to love. His "MAMA" shouts and spitting when he doesn't get his way could stop anytime soon, but he will still let me snuggle him when he is tired. He gives the best squeezes, which are so much better then his normal hugs. We put him in his big boy bed last week, and it has been no big deal. He was by far the easiest to transition, hopefully it will be that way when he is ready for potty training. For some reason I doubt I'll have that much luck.

ALEC-O's Birthday

2010-02-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

Alec's has been counting down for weeks to turn 4 years old. Birthdays take forever to arrive when your that age. Here is the arctic cake he wanted after reading the book "Arctic Waters" Unfortunately we couldn't find any seals and walruses to go on the iceberg in the middle, but he mainly just wanted to the whales.

We had Alec's cousins over for a little party. He loves playing with them, and wanted them over to help him break his whale pinnate.

Here is the pinnate Alec has talked about having for his birthday since Christmas. He is just a candy-aholic, and looks for any opportunity to get treats. We had fun all taking a whack at it, but it never broke. Someone finally knocked it off the string, so we dumped the candy out.

The camera ended up being a hit for this birthday. We looked at getting him a kid camera since he is always taking my phone to take pictures of his toys. After reading bad reviews and checking prices, we decide to buy a used one off Craig's List. If it breaks then it was fun while it lasted, and we didn't spend a lot for it. A week later and it is still intact. He has taken a lot of picture in the last few days along with the other boys, and so far so good.

IT'S A GIRL!!

2010-02-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Finally some pink in my house!!

We had our ultrasound last week, and our little 20 week old baby is doing great. And much to our surprise we are having a GIRL!! I'm sure you are as shocked as we are. Truthfully I didn't think we were capable of having a girl, but the doctor gives me a 95 % guarantee that it is in fact female. I told him that wasn't good enough, so next month he will do a quick ultrasound to check the gender again, and hopefully she won't have her legs crossed this time. This pregnancy has been like all the rest, so I was convinced it was a boy, and we already had a boy name ready to go. Thank goodness things don't always go as we plan, and miracles do happen. I would love to hear any of your favorite girl names that you don't plan on using yourself. (I know this isn't the best picture, but it was better than any of our ultrasound shots).

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-16T09:49:00.000-08:00

Ben the scary Snake!

Alec the green Turtle.

Ty the cute Chicken.

The kids were so excited for Halloween this year. Ben unfortunately really wanted to be a King Cobra Snake. I convinced him that a black snake would be just as cool, and he was my good helper stuffing the tights. They loved trick-or-treating, and even Ty got into it. He would not let anyone carry his pumpkin of treats. After about of week of endless candy and begging for treats. We found a Wii game on Craigslist for cheap and had them trade in all their candy for the game. It was the best thing!! Next year I'll attempt that sooner after Halloween.

Pumpkin Picking

2009-10-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

The Berry Ranch Pumpkin Picking and Hay Ride

Last night for family night, our little family went to a farm to pick our pumpkins for the season. The pumpkins in our garden failed miserably this year, so we had to go elsewhere. It was nice to be in the country though with a fun farm atmosphere. The pumpkin patch was huge, and had the biggest pumpkins I've seen in along time. Ty really loved the little petting zoo with the sheep, cows, chickens, pigs, and sheep. However the animals were so dirty it was more of a looking zoo then a petting zoo. The smell brought back quick memories of growing up on a farm. There are somethings not missed, and other things I hate living without.

Here is Ben in one of the old tractors they had displayed.

The kids had to be able to carry the pumpkin they picked. It was difficult though to find one small enough for Alec to carry. We finally resorted to just being able to pick it up for a short time.

Ty spent more time climbing on pumpkins or laying on the ground from tripping on the vines, then he did standing. He loved the farm!! From animals to throwing hay, it was his perfect little place.

2009-10-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a fun family vacation to Seattle. Two of Luke's good friends, Kevin & Shaun, live there and were kind enough to show us the sights. The children loved the ocean and anything to do with it. We now have a lovely bowl of sea shells. We spent some time at Pt. Defiance Zoo where the hight lights consisted of the amazing aquarium and the huge walruses. The Pike Place Market was a lot of fun. I loved the beautiful flower shops and the big city. The boys loved watching the sales men throw fish for customers. We then shared figs and a pomegranate from the market under the Space Needle. Riding the Ferry to Vashon Island was a fun new thing for the boys. While we were there we had a picnic, hunted for sea shells, and viewed the light house. The Seattle Temple was beautiful! Krissy gave us a fun scavenger hunt to do with the boys while we were there, and minus the rain it was worth the trip in itself. One of my favorite things about the trip was dining at the restaurant "Anthony's" on my birthday. There was babysitter for all the kids and the adults enjoyed a seafood meal overlooking the ocean. Thanks Shaun and Kevin or a great weekend. It was so fun hanging out with good friends. We now know that an 8 hour drive is very long, but due-able with the kids. Alec's funny line during the drive, "Ben you make me sad on the inside and angry on my face."

2009-09-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

First day of

PRESCHOOL

Play Group

Alec started his first day of a play group Preschool today. It consists of 7 children all 2 years away from Kindergarten. Each Mom takes a turn teaching a day, and my first day will be next week. We'll see how it goes. Alec is so excited he could hardly stand waiting. He had his back pack on way in advance so I had to get his picture.

Ty of course would not be left out. As soon as he saw Alec with a backpack, he then proceeded to pull the small kid coat rack on himself trying to get a backpack. I found a little bag that could fit on his shoulders and he was so excited. As soon as Alec's picture was over, Ty then took his spot and said "cheese." I couldn't resist taking the picture. The bag had to stay on during the drive to drop Alec off at preschool. Poor Ty really thought he was going to, and he cried the entire way home. His little whimpers didn't stop until he finally fell asleep for his nap. For a kid who is short on words, he sure knows what is going on.

2009-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

KINDERGARTEN

The First Day of School!!

I can hardly believe Ben is already old enough to go to school, but he was definitely ready!! His favorite word to describe it is "Awesome." The morning before it started was so long for him. He loves his teacher Mrs. T, and is excited about the kids on the bus. I hope liking school never changes for him for a long time.

Idaho State Fair

2009-08-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time I started blogging again. I have been a slacker all summer and figured it was time I started again.

The kids each got to pick one ride, so here is Alec in a green plane. He spent the entire ride ducked in the plane because the man running the ride was squirting some of the kids with water guns. He was not willing to chance a little water I guess.

Our three crazies acting the part of cheesy vegetables.

The petting zoo was by far the favorite part of the fair for Ty. He wanted so badly to climb right in with the animals. He loves animals!!

That's my Boy

2009-06-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

I don't get on to blog much (ok ever) but I have to share an experience I had with Alec yesterday at my sister's house. They take care of a goat that belongs to one of their friends. This friend comes over every night to milk the goat because her son is lactose intolerant. Well, my little city boys just happened to be outside to watch the festivities and as she tied the goat up Alec made quit the observation: "Wow! Look, that horse (pointing at the goat) has two penises!" and as she started to milk into the bucket he continued: "And now it is peeing in the bucket." Needless to say, I couldn't stop laughing when I heard what happened and I had to have a little heart to heart chat to clear things up.

2009-05-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

We went on a little hike at Camel Back Park that overlooks the Boise Valley. The boys did awesome with it being the hottest part of the day. Ty enjoyed the ride and surprisingly kept the glasses on most of the time, but the hat did not last long.

We spent a day at Aunt Suzanne's house, and the kids loved seeing all the animals she has collected. They fed horses, sheep, goats, dogs, and cats. It made me realize that I'm raising city boys, yikes. It looks like we'll be taking more trips to visit our cousins. After our visit, I left Ty there and took the other boys to Aunt Andrea's. A big thanks to my two of my sister-in-laws who were sweet enough to take my children for a couple of days, so Luke and I could celebrate our 6th Anniversary. It was a well needed break.

Ben's new favorite thing to do is swing. He can now pump himself and get really high on his own. He loves it, but unfortunately he also loves jumping off in full swing. It makes me nervous every time, and one of these days he is really going to get hurt. Until then, what is a mother to do?? Watch, smile, say, "Wow, good job, but PLEASE be careful.

We are really taking advantage of the warm weather and parks this month. Alec loves the playground, and is our little monkey on the jungle gym.

We have used our little pool already a lot so far this year. It is so nice to have a yard this year for the kids to play in. Ty has a blast in the water!! He is even a pretty good sport when his brother dump water over his head. He is our happy little boy. The only time he really cries is when meal time is over and I make him stop eating. The kid would eat all day if I let him. He knows where the snacks our kept, and he is frequently pointing and whining for food. He interacts so cutely with his big brothers, and he has learned to be quite the little tease. We love our little Tiger.

Aunt Kara and Uncle Chris came to visit, which was the highlight of our month. We wore them out after hiking, fishing, and playing. It's exhausting being around a family of boys, and I'm pretty sure Uncle Chris got his feel of wrestling for some time.

Ben graduated from Preschool yesterday!! It was fun to watch him perform their little program and to hear the good things his teacher had to say. He can hardly wait to go to Kindergarten, and I'm hoping the summer goes by slow.

Poor Ty!

2009-04-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

You know your a good mother, and watching your kids closely when your one year old burns both palms of his hands. Or should I say you know you have too many kids when something like this happens. Poor Ty touched our charcoal grill when we were cooking at the park. It didn't even cross my mind when I set him down to play. He now gets both hands wrapped daily and we started covering his hand with socks when he eats so we can keep things clean.

Poor baby!!

Easter

2009-04-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Luke's brother and family came to visit for the Easter weekend. We enjoyed their tradition of following a string that led to your easter basket. Easter morning the house was covered in string, and the the kids enjoyed the maze of fun with a fun basket at the end.

Ty was instantly a fan of Easter when he tasted the yummy treats!!

We had a family Easter egg hunt at the park, which the kids enjoyed. Of course it was windy enough, and we got to fly kites as well. We had a great picnic party. It so fun to have family close enough to visit.

Alec at the Easter Egg Hunt!!

Easter Sunday!!

Can you believe we got a picture with all eyes looking at the camera. Ya, neither can we.

Ben's Birthday

2009-04-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ben had a fun Birthday Party with his friends. It was a wild, crazy bunch, but they had a really fun time. Of course Ben is still really into cars, so we had a hot wheel party with a race track cake. I can't believe he is already five and that he will soon be going to Kindergarten. He has grown up a lot the past year, and is really a good little boy and a great big brother.
We were glad when Ben's birthday finally arrived so we could stop counting down everyday. (We've been counting since 43 days left). He was truly so excited!! Just a quick story: the Leapster was purchased on a great morning buster the day after Thanksgiving, since Ben already had planned out what he wanted for Christmas and his Birthday. I have stored it away not thinking much about it. When we opened it on Ben's birthday, it didn't work--Yikes. We had the receipt, but it had been over 90 days. Walmart no long carries the Leapster, only Leapster 2. Luckily the manager was available and pretended like she hadn't seen the receipt and made the exchange. Next time I'll open my purchases and make sure they work before I store them for months.

Fix It Crew!!

2009-03-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

These are my sweet boys all working together. A true kodak moment!! It's amazing how fixing things that aren't broken is really fun to do.

Birthday Week

2009-02-13T15:24:00.001-08:00

Ty loves presents and enjoyed the wrapping paper more then it's contents.

My baby is officially 1 years old!! I can hardly believe it. He is suppose to stay baby just a little bit longer, but we are enjoying every second. He is such a sweet baby. He is getting really good at making animal noises, and thanks to Alec he is especially good at dinosaur sounds. He is walking from person to person, but refuses to make any long distances. He is my little shadow and is always trying to be where I am, which is good and bad. He has

Alec is now the big 3 years old going on 6, or so he thinks. He is constantly trying to keep up with the older boys, and for the most part does a pretty good job of it. His big thing this year is dinosaurs and the color green (yes that is suppose to be a green dinosaur cake). Alec is a smart, energetic little boy that attempts to talk his way out of anything. He is always keeping me on my toes, and makes things interesting. We love his fun personality and enjoy being around him.

Christmas!!

2008-12-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Christmas this year with Luke's family. It was so fun to have his parents back from their mission, and to see so many of his family that we haven't seen for awhile.

Here is Ty and 3 of his cousins on Christmas morning--we are missing the other 4 cousins born this past year (8 new grand-babies in 2008).

Here is Ben and Alec with their cousins from Virginia reading Christmas stories with Grandpa before bed on Christmas Eve.

My sweet little shepherds in the Christmas Nativity.

The wind in Idaho Falls left some fun snow drifts, and Luke helped the boys build a snow cave to play in. It was nice to have a white Christmas.

HOLIDAY FUN!!

2008-12-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

We had a fun month full of holiday fun. Here are a few of the fun things we did this Christmas. Seeing the Christmas Lights was a hit for the kids, even Ty didn't mind the cold. Decorating the tree was especially fun for the older boys, and Ty was our good little helper as you can see. He is getting so big these days and can blow kisses and clap now, which has been a lot of fun. We attempted to make a Gingerbread House this year that failed miserably, but the boys were okay settling for Gingerbread men. We got to see Santa a lot this year, and it was always interesting to hear what Alec wanted since in changed daily. What a fun time a year, and we have been especially grateful this year to be in our own home for the holidays.

Fall Fun

2008-11-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun Halloween season!!! My boys loved trick-or-treating around our little neighbor, and we had a good time watching their excitement. Alec became quite the talker at each house, making sure he introduced everyone.

Alec-"Froggie", Ty-Spider, & Ben-Spiderman

We had a fun time carving pumpkins this year. Ben will still have nothing to do with the insides of a pumpkin, but Alec, on the other hand, loved playing side the pumpkin goo. We lined the pumpkins up when we were finished and had Ty crawl towards them as the judge--Alec was the winner.

Our two trees in the front yard gave us a lot of leaves to play in this fall. We played in them almost everyday last week, and one day we had our fun cousins over to join the fun.

Even Ty loved playing in the leaves!! Surprisingly enough he didn't mind when the boys surrounded him with leaves. Our only problem was keeping the leaves on the ground and out of his mouth. He is such a happy little guy!!

Swings

2008-10-21T12:40:00.001-07:00

There is a fun park just a quarter of a mile from our house that we walked to yesterday. Ben rode his bike while I pushed the other two boys, and we had a fun picnic. Swings seemed to be the hit this visit to the park, and Ty was laughing most of the time.

Notice the drool--Yes, Ty is teething and is constantly sharing his drool with everything.

Alec is always trying to make every picture of himself unique.

Ben is learning to pump on the swings, but for some reason he still can't keep going.

Pumpkin Picking

2008-10-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ben's preschool took a little field trip to Linder Farms, and I came along with Alec and Ty. We got to go on a hayride, pick pumpkins, go on a straw and corn maze, and color. The kids loved it, and now we will have some fun pumpkins to carve. Ben loves his little preschool class he goes to 2 times a week. He is getting so big too fast, I can hardly believe it.

Finally Settled

2008-10-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Old Rental

We moved into this rental planning to live there for 3 months--we ended up there for 6 months instead. We were very happy to leave the weed patch that lined a busy road, but we were grateful to have it while we did. It served it's purpose and it helped us wait for the house we wanted. We are also really enjoying our new house since the rental was less than ideal.

New House

This is the home we closed on the end of September, and we love it. It was a miracle that we were able to get in a home with the market the way it is. Lets just say there was a lot of road blocks along the way, but with the Lord's help we were able to get into the perfect place. It is so nice to live in a place that actually looks clean after you've cleaned it. The boys have a fenced in yard that we love with grass!! We've done a little painting since the boys couldn't sleep in a purple room, but other than that it is in really good condition. It is nice to be home, and have all our stuff in one location.

Fun Times in Idaho

2008-09-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

My Buckeye Boys!!

Yes, football season has officially started. As you can see you don't have to live in Ohio to get excited about the buckeyes. We hope the official season is more impressive then the last 2 games. Either way, I'm sure we'll be keeping tabs.

My sister Kara came to play for the weekend. The boys love it when she comes to visit, and as you can see she is up for doing fun things with them. I love it when she comes the most though!! I am lucky to have so many great sisters. She got me addicted to a train game, and we had to play until I won.

Johnny and Ty

This last weekend Luke's sister Bekah and her husband Matt came to visit with their little baby Johnny. He is so cute!! Him and Ty will eventually be good buddies, but for now sitting by each other is about as exciting as it gets. Ty is already 7 months old. He is a chunk!! We were excited to find that he was in the 25% for his weight, which is good for my boys. Unfortunately like the rest of the boys he is only 10% for his height. He is such a good little guy.

This is my advertisement for Boise!! We took the boys on a little hike overlooking Boise, and I was amazed that the desert could be so beautiful. So here is my plug to everyone-move to Boise, it is a great place to live. Plus you'll live by me!!

Twin Falls Temple Open House

2008-08-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

We met my parents and my sister with her family in Twin Falls to go through the new temple. It was beautiful!! We loved feeling the spirit of the Lord's house, and it was nice to share it with our families. Everything was immaculate, clean, and amazing. There was a fun display in the gym in the church next door that followed the open house. It was fun to see the things set up to help teach to plan of happiness. What a blessing to be apart of something so eternal!! There were so many volunteers that helped everyone through, everywhere you turned there was a happy face leading you in the right direction. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love the blessings that come from the temples, and it gives me great peace to know that my marriage goes beyond death. I can be with my family forever!!

This is me with my mom, my sister Polly (we look so much a like), and her daughter Megan. We decided to take advantage of the day and went to the Shoshone Falls. It was incredible!! I had no idea that Twin Falls had so much to offer. We had a fun day, and I'm glad my parents and sister made the effort to join us.

Good Old Home Fun!!

2008-08-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

We finally found a use for our tub that we don't have enough hot water to fill for its real purpose, it's the reading zone. The kids love to fill it with books, pillows, and blankets. We had to stop using it as a race track, because there were too many injuries to the tub and the boys.

Ty is already 6 months!! He is starting to sit up and we love making him smile and laugh. Here is a picture of his lizard tongue, yes we think he'll have a long tongue like is brother Ben.

Here is Ben and his new bike. He worked hard for it, earning money back from his whining cup that he had lost for whining. He loves it and tries to ride it around our little cement block between the house and garage. Alec has taken over his trike, and he thinks petaling with one foot is more effective than using both.

The fun new ride at our house!! I started putting Ty in the laundry basket while I do laundry to help him sit up. The boys picked up on that idea fast, and figured Ty shouldn't be the only one having fun.

Julia Davis Park

2008-07-31T15:51:00.000-07:00

I found a piece of home today when we went to a park in downtown Boise. It reminded me of Ohio, and helped relieve some of my homesickness. It had a beautiful rose garden in full bloom, and I wish I could have brought the smell home (my house could definitely use it). There was a fun trail along the river, I believe it's called the "Green Belt", that we really enjoyed. The big trees were awesome!! We'll be going there again soon.

The 4th of July

2008-07-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

We had fun with our cousins getting our faces painted.

The boys loved the parade!!.
We spent the rest of the day swimming with the cousins and sliding on the slip-n-slide. We roasted hot dogs and smores, and Luke made the favorite Peppermint Ice Cream. The home fireworks were really fun!! The biggest firework was created by the neighbors who started the hillside on fire. The boys enjoyed watching fire trucks in action, and luckily no real damage was done.

Rolling TY!!

2008-07-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Ty starting rolling over today. He is getting so big in more ways than one. We are really enjoying him, especially since he has slept through the night the last couple of nights-Hooray! He is really easy to make smile and his brothers are the best at making him laugh.

Ty always has lots of good help with everything!!

We're Back!!

2008-06-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

We're are finally back to the internet world! We have had a busy last couple of months, but the most fun times were the three weeks after Luke was done with school. We went to St. George for a little family vacation, went back to Ohio for Graduation, and got to see most of our families at reunions. We had a great time, but we are glad to be home. Here are a few pictures we took on our a little adventures. The most rewarding time was graduation. Hooray!! Luke is now an official optometrist. It was so fun going back for graduation--I am so proud of him!!

Relocating Again!!

2008-03-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

We have moved once again, but are finally settled. Thanks to our friends, Drostan and Jen, we have a large home to rent that is affordable for a three month lease (yes we will be relocating again in 3 months). You are all going to want to rent it after we leave. It is a double wide manufactured home, and we like to call it the swimming pool house. Not to many homes have green/blue carpet with swirls and is over 2,000 sqare feet. The wall paper is gorgeous, let me know if any of you want it when we are through. After all, how many rentals can your kids have room to ride their bikes indoors. Luke's internship is going great, and he is learning a lot. He is a little stressed trying to find a job and get ready for boards, but there is an end it site which makes it tolerable.
We are going back in time however, and will have no internet for the next three months. Here is our quick update. Feel free to call anytime.

Our Sweet Baby!!

2008-02-23T09:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pictures of our precious new addition!!

Baby Ty Has Arrived!!

2008-02-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

Ty Charles was born on Feb. 12th at 10:09 am. He weighed 6# 10 oz. and was 20 inches long. We had a c-section scheduled for 7:30 that morning but thankfully she was able to start into labor after the Dr. broke her water at 4:30 am. Both Jill and the baby are doing great and we were actually able to bring them home just a few hours ago. As you can see from the pictures he has blonde hair like his brother Alec and so far he has been a very pleasant baby. Yesterday I had the chance to spend some one on one time with Ty while his mom was sleeping and as I looked down on that little miracle all the cares and troubles of this world seemed to melt away. His sweet little spirit talked with mine and we had a nice daddy to son chat. Jill and I feel so blessed to have this new baby in our home and we thank all of you that have shown so much love and support.

Happy Birthday Alec

2008-02-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Alec is our 2 year old now going on 4 years. When you ask him how old he is, you get all 5 fingers up and says, "I'm 4!" He has been preparing for his birthday for the past month with his brothers help, and just wanted balloons and a monkey cake. He already has too much of an opinion for a 2 year old.

After some coaxing with Luke, Alec got a new kitchen for his birthday. It of course had to be green and blue, but he loves it. He got lots of food, and is constantly making me food. We love having Alec in our family. He is constantly making us laugh and is doing a good job keeping up with his big brother Ben. He is always singing songs. His new favorite is the ABCs. He really is a fun boy!!

SNOWMAN FAMILY

2008-01-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

We have been getting so much snow in Utah this year, and as you can see the boys are loving it. Here is our fun little snow family, I'm the gorgeous one in the middle that Luke has his arms around.

We are getting excited to have the baby soon--2 weeks left in counting!! The boys have been so helpful getting everything ready. They try everything out to make sure in will work for the baby, included the changing pads that they use to practice changing each others diapers. Luckily the clothing stays on for pretending. They assure me that they will be good helpers--we'll see!!

Christmas

2008-01-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

The boys were so much fun at Christmas. As you can see everything seemed to revolve around cars!! We shared Christmas morning with my parents, my sister Kara, and Polly's family. It was fun to be home for Christmas.

This is Alec and my sister Kara that we are living with. She is really easy to live with and a sweetheart for sharing her home. The boys already ask where she is when she isn't around. I hope she doesn't get sick of us too fast.

Snow and Mountains!!

2007-12-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

We are finally settled and have a home!! Someone elses home that is, but at least it is for 3 months and the boys finally have a bed and a place to call their own. Luke's internship is going well so far. He already hates Utah traffic, but is otherwise satisfied for the time being. We have loved being back in the mountains, and the boys have had a great time playing in the snow with there own snow clothes. We took a visit to my sister Nancy's home in the mountains on Christmas Eve for a yummy brunch. The boys had fun tubing with their cousin on her little hill.

Ben making the moves!!

2007-11-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

I just had to laugh when I saw these pictures Luke took!! Ben found his little she-lion on Halloween. I guess he is learning a thing or two by hanging out mostly with girls.

Happy Halloween

2007-11-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

We had a great time this year with lots of fun Halloween parties, decorating pumpkins and trick or treating. Watching the boys trick-or-treat was hillarious. They were true boys (or just like their mom) all they could focus on was getting more candy. Alec would not let his pumpkin full of candy out of his grasp and was also saying "next house mom" "more candy mom" They were adorable and had a great time with their friends.

Pumpkin Farm

2007-10-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

We just went to my favorite place in the fall time for family night this week. It is a cute country farm that makes me feel like home, where you pick pumpkins, play in the straw barn, pet animals, take a hayride, and eat yummy doughnuts. The boys loved searching for their pumpkins!!

Our boys think their so big, that's why we thought it would be fun to throw a 3rd boy in the mix. Yes, we just found out our third will be another little boy--we are really excited!!

My Family Visitors

2007-10-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

My parents and my sister Polly and her family came to visit us recently. We had a great time!!

The kids loved having cousins to play with, and I felt like I was on vacation to. We enjoyed the Church sites in Kirtland, we fed the Rhinos at the zoo, the guys hit the Buckeye Football Game, and we played at lots of parks. It is getting me excited to live closer to family!!

Washington DC

2007-08-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

We visited Luke's Sister in her new home near DC, and had a great time. Ben and Cole were inserparable. They had blast playing together-it would be fun to live closer. The boys enjoyed riding the metro, we saw the museum of Natural History, the Zoo, and we played hard in the water whenever possible. The Washington DC Temp was my personal favorite, Wow!! We also sold our house while we were visiting. What a relief!! We have to be out by Thanksgiving which gives us a week to fend for ourselved in Ohio-fun.

Touch a Truck Day

2007-08-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

My boys love trucks!! The city put together a fun activity where the children got to play in a variety of different trucks. They had tow trucks, buses, fire trucks, etc... The real race care was definitely the hightlight.

Ohio State Fair

2007-08-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

Alec loved the animals the most. He can say every animal sound now, and acts like a little monkey most of the time.

Ben loved the Race Car Ride the most-suprise, surprise!!. I have a huge race care fan on my hands!

Salt Fork Camping

2007-08-06T05:47:00.001-07:00

We just had a wonderful time camping at Salt Fork State Park. The boys had a blast!! We play put-put, we played on the beach and in the lake, and best of all we had a campfire with smores. The boys did better than we expected sleeping in a tent. We just had to go on a drive every night before bedtime, which ended up being a deer viewing. I have never seen so many deer in one place before. Ben especailly loved all the baby deer, and it was the first time I have seen a buck in the wild. Ben keeps asking everyday if we can go camping tomorrow. We are getting excited to camp with family next summer.

Baby on the Way!!

2007-07-25T19:16:00.000-07:00

We are excited to be expecting number three, and so are the boys (if they really knew what was going on). We are due February 10th. So far everything looks good! We heard the heart beat today, and here is the picture (I think it looks just like Luke already). We are happy this baby will have lots of cousins.

Indian Caverns

2007-07-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

We visited the Olentangy Indian Caverns with the boys and had a great time. It is basically a huge rock cave underground where Indians used to hang out when it was too cold or too hot. It remains 54 degrees all year round. It was pretty amazing. We had a great time. I think the boys thought the Indian Souvenir Shop and the roaming goats and donkeys were more interesting than the cave.

Fourth of July

2007-07-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fourth of July this year. The boys went crazy at the parade. Ben espcially loved the fire trucks and Alec didn't know quite what to think of it all. We later joined some friends for a fantastic BBQ with lots of fun company and good food. Luke made the traditional Peppermint Ice Cream--it was delicious!! Thanks to his family for starting that wonderful tradition. The Dublin Fireworks afterwards were a blast. We had a great view from our church lawn and enjoyed playing bubbles, glow sticks and ball. Alec and Ben kept saying "WOW" throughout the fireworks so needless to say they were a hit!!