Hair Resolution

My new look; more of a reddish brown!


You know your hair is looking bad when your husband who is a computer guy, who cares nothing about hair, is not detail oriented, and is color blind, says it is time to go back to the salon. This was his comment to me a couple days ago. He has never, ever in our marriage given me that much feedback on my hair, never mind give me a suggestion! So, yes, the sirens were blaring, and it was time to take a listen! So, I went today, and they darkened some of the super light spots (in back mainly) and put highlights throughout to lighten it all up a little. The results: 100% better! Brandon agreed! Even better, I was only at the salon for 2 hours! My hair has a lot more red in it, and I am loving it; I must say! It was time for a change, and I think this is a color I can get used to for a while! The color from a couple weeks ago made me feel like I was going gothic (not the cutest look for a 35 year old Mom of five children!)

Toilet Fascination!

Maddie before her toilet fascination phase! Will we survive?
Maddie is in a REALLY fun stage right now. (Since you can't hear the sarcasm in my voice, know I am being sarcastic.) She is really enjoying toilets right now. Lucky for me (more sarcasm), the girl is not shy. She will just thrust those two hands deep into that toilet water, splash around, and throw in whatever she can find. She also finds it so fun, every couple hours, to get naked and climb up on it and sit on it and try to use the bathroom. It would probably be great, if she was actually going to the bathroom, but it is usually right after she has gone in her diaper. So, she strips off the diaper and proceeds to go to the bathroom after the fact. If we could just switch the order, we would be loving life! All my kids have shown interest in toilets at some point, what's not to like for a kid---lot's of contained water! A toilet is a treasure trove of fun! However, Maddie is by far the most fascinated! So, is this a girl thing? Since she is my only girl, or is this just her personality? It has already led to the locking of 2 bathrooms; in our basement and the bathroom off her room, as I don't want her to drown or die or flood the house! Too bad I can't lock up the other three. She finds ways, despite all my preventive measures to get in those bathrooms. Perhaps it is because I am also chasing after another 2 year old (luckily, he will soon be 3), and a 1 year old baby who is trying to get into everything! So, for the time being, just be grateful your family is not in the "toilet fascination" stage. This is one of those stages I will not be missing!

Your family history; for minutes a day!

My Blog 2006
The inside of the book

My blog book without the cover;nice hardcover!

I could not be more thrilled! The whole purpose of my blog has been to journal for our family so that memories will survive the test of time. At this point, I am very upset at myself for not having kept up with journaling in the early years of Brandon and Ethan's life. There are just so many things that happen that you are sure you will never forget----but then you do! Many memories; both good and bad, are lost forever.

My parents encouraged me to start journaling at a young age, and thanks to them, from the time I could write, I journaled nearly every day of my life. Very unfortunately, I quit this tradition when I got married, until I began blogging again. So, I have lost about 9 very critical years of my life from journaling, which I find sad. I still cannot stand to read these journals from my early years as it embarasses me! I am hoping one day I can organize them and have them put together in some organized fashion rather than having 20 or more journals that are falling apart, out of order, etc.

Anyway, the whole point of this blog entry, is Brandon was able to have my blog for the year 2006 (I started blogging in the summer of 2006, so it is not a complete year!) bound into a book. It is a little over 200 pages, with all the written entries and pictures, bound into a hardcover book! So, all those memories for our family, are in written form. It only cost Brandon about $45 for this book. After the year 2007 ends, he will have that printed into a book also. What a fabulous idea! All our family memories in a hardcover book, with all the written memories too, written at the time they happened! Scrapbooking can be fun, but it is SOOOO time consuming, expensive, and often doesn't stand the test of time. Also, there is so much concern with each page being "cute", that many of the memories are not discussed---which I think are so priceless.

Anyway, for all you bloggers out there, and for all the non-bloggers, I am telling you, this is such a great way to have a family history; for minutes a day. I would definately encourage you to get it printed into a book on a yearly basis. You can't beat the price. I don't even want to think how much money I have invested in scrapbooking, when you can have your own hardbound books made at such a fraction of the cost. (And I must say, it is SOOOO awesome to see it in print!) $45 or even $100 a year for a book of your own family history is pretty inexpensive! The only problem with my book, is since the recent blog entries are first, the book is backwards! Next time that will be fixed, but it sure is fun to look at 2006! How nice to have the pictures and blog entries together, and not have to worry about a picture, or cute embellishment falling off the page; as often happens with scrapbooking. Seriously, this is the only way to go!!!!!

The other great thing for a Mom, is you don't have to make a scrapbook for each child, you can just print off a copy for each child!!! Dreamy!

Blurb.com was the website we used to print the blog into a book! Happy blog and book making! Talk about an incredible Christmas gift for the family!!! It does not get better than this in my opinion!

The Holy Ghost and Benjamin

If you are looking for a great gift for boys; look into Scripture Scouts. It is a CD series where these characters go on scripture adventures with Bible and Book of Mormon characters. Our boys listen to it every night before they go to bed. So, tonight, little Benjamin (almost 3) comes in after being tucked into bed. He had been listening to scripture scouts. He starts talking about the Holy Ghost. He starts repeating things about the Holy Ghost he had heard on the CD. I can tell he is confused about ghosts which are scary, from Halloween, and this Holy Ghost. He did seem to understand this Holy Ghost was a "good" ghost. Our little Benjamin has always been so spiritually insightful for a little child. He also amazes everyone with his outstanding ability to speak so clearly in full sentences at his young age. He can also recite his ABC's and count to 10. He is a brilliant little child. We expect a lot from our little Benjamin. So, if you haven't already, invest in "scripture scouts" which can be found at Deseret Book or other religious book stores. Our sons Brandon (7), Ethan (5), and Benjamin (almost 3) all love them. I thank Angie for suggesting these to me last year. We have loved them. The kids really understand the stories of the scriptures better!

Daddy Love!

Maybe I shoud've named him Roger?
All the kids just love their Daddy! I went to pick up Brandon from his church class yesterday, and a girl in his class (must be new) asked what his name was, as he wouldn't tell her. I told her his name was Brandon. Little B then began saying to me and his classmates that his name wasn't Brandon. In the car, little B informed me that his name is Roger. I told him that his name is Brandon. Then he said he was mad at me for not naming him Roger. He said he wanted to be named after his Dad. My husband goes by his middle name Brandon, but his first name is Roger. So, now I am getting grief for not naming him directly after his Dad. (Funny thing is I did name him after his Dad; who goes by Brandon!) I love that they love their Dad, and hopefully they will also learn to love their names. Ethan was upset a couple years ago that we didn't name Benjamin or Dylan, Ethan. He thought if there were two Brandon's in the family, there ought to be two Ethan's also. Gotta' love the thoughts of children!

A Cute Ethanism

So, we were at Costco today, and we bought Daddy a Christmas present. I was sure to tell little Ethan and Benjamin: "Don't tell Daddy about this---it's a surprise." Ethan replies, "Well, I have to tell him about it, he's my best friend." It touched my heart! I am glad that my boys consider their Dad their best friend. I hope it stays this way forever! Once again, my husband probably will not recieve any surprises for Christmas! I will just have to find a moment to sneak out without any children around to find a special gift for him!

Random Nightmare!

I rarely remember dreams or nightmares, but in my nightmare last night, I got jumped by two scary women at a truckstop. They wanted my purse. They actually came into the stall. Luckily, I was fully dressed and not in the middle of any business, if you know what I mean. So, I told them to let me come out and then they could have what they wanted (I mean, the stall was pretty full with three women who were "bigger" girls!) So, they moved on out to give me some room, and I ran. I got away temporarily, but my "ride" was not where it had been prior to going to the restroom, so I spent a couple hours searching for "my ride". In the process, these two theives found me again, and this time they got my purse. Dreams are often supposed to be helping you find solutions to fears that you have. I don't recall having a fear of someone jumping me in a restroom, but perhaps I subconsciously do. Now I know one way to handle the situation, I just need to make sure my "ride" is waiting for me. Hmmmmmmmmm! So random! So beware of those women's bathrooms! Maybe that's why women always go in pairs to the restroom.

I've been "tagged" again!

My friend Rachelle tagged me a little while ago, and I am supposed to tell you six things about me that you might not know. It has taken me a while to do this, as I am an open book, and it was hard for me to come up with things people wouldn't know about me. I came up with these six items:

1-I am EXTREMELY squeamish! I could never disect anything in high school biology classes. Luckily, my "disecting" partner Becky did it all, as I couldn't even watch her do it, never mind actually participate myself. Once at a Social Work conference on abuse, they showed some pictures of injuries some children had from being abused. All of a sudden, the room began to spin and my hearing was giving way. I almost fainted. Thank goodness none of my kids have had a serious injury as I don't know what I would do. (How come I feel that a serious injury is now more likely since I disclosed this? Am I jinxed?)

2-I am not a breakfast person. I KNOW it is the most important meal of the day; but it just isn't for me most mornings.

3-I just got a new church calling that I love; I teach the 13 year old youth Sunday School! I love it!

4-If you ever need a refreshing drink, try a Route 44 Strawberry Limeade at Sonic! (Route 44 is the huge size!) It is a great treat once in a while!

5-On one of my first dates with Brandon, I threw up on him. We were riding a carnival ride where we were enclosed! I had no choice but to throw up on myself and some got on him. You know you have met a great guy when he asks you on another date after throwing up on him. He even gave me his sweatshirt to change into since there was puke all over me, and walked me home since I was so nauseous. Now, that is dedication and love!

6-I can't wait to serve a mission with my husband. I know this is many, many, many, moons away, but we are both excited for that adventure together!

So, now I get to tag some people. I choose Amy in Texas, my sister in law Jen, and my sister in law Krista, Angie, and cousins Carli, Emily and Zina! I will be eagerly awaiting your list of 6 surprising things about you! You have been tagged!

The stuff that dreams are made of (Jammies, Thanksgiving leftovers, board games, and sleep!)

Well, after returning from Black Friday, (Brandon was home by 8am, I was home by noon), we got all the kids in their new jammies (most of them were the $5 Walmart jammies that were shockingly cute for the price!), ate Thanksgiving leftovers, including oranges (from Costco once again!) and the older boys played board games. Ethan indulged in his Spiderman obsession! We were able to have a much needed relaxing afternoon and evening. We were in bed by about 6:30 last night. DREAMY! This is the stuff that dreams are made of! I even was able to read a couple chapters from "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert! Such a great book. But after two 3am mornings in a row, my best intentions slid away as I basked in a deep sleep!

How to do Black Friday! (Only for the super-conscientous)

How to do Black Friday (my manual for newbies!)

1-You must get the paper at least a week in advance so that you can be collecting and perusing the ads for Black Friday.

2-Get a notebook. Each store gets a page---you list any items looking fabulous for Black Friday! At the top of each "store" page you write what time this place opens. On each line for each possible wanted item, write the price in one column. Then you can easily compare prices of different stores!

3-Keep all the ads together! Walmart is one of the few left that price-match on Black-Friday (most stores now tell you in the fine print they will not price match on Black Friday!) So, if one store runs out of the item, Walmart is great for plan B! You can usually find it there, and if you show them the ad they will match the price!

4-You must be at a store by at least an hour and a half before it opens if you expect to get the "doorbuster"---maybe even more time. This usually means you must be up by at least 3am, and out the door soon after!

5-You have got to double-team or triple-team this event. Many people are needed to get the various doorbusters. Sometimes bribes and incentives must be used. For teenagers, (as I learned this year) taking them out for breakfast is a great bribe!

6-You will be waiting in the cold outside for at least an hour, maybe longer. It is cold. So bring your jacket, earmuffs, and I always bring some drinks as you often get so thirsty! During that hour, you can be talking with your crew about who is going to get what, where to run first, and making short-term friends in the line! Does it get better than this? Well, yes, much better, but this is the price of the harvest!

7-If you have small children, you must plan the babysitting for this event WAY in advance, as not many people are willing to come babysit at 3am. Having parents sleep over is a great way to handle this one. (Thanks Mom & Dad!!!!!)

8-The rules of the "playground" are not in effect at 3am, 4am, and 5am. Playground rules are not in effect until at least 8am, so don't expect the "Christmas spirit" to abound on Black Friday. They are nowhere to be found. So, you must have your defenses up, riot gear in place, and be ready for anything.

9-If possible, forget the cart! Carts will be a block between you and the item you desire. If possible, run to what you want and get it. However, for people like me, you have to have a cart. This is why it is great to bring a teen or two with you---they are great with their speed and agility to get your "doorbuster". If you have someone with a cart off to the side, and several people as "runners", you will do fabulously well!

10-Watch your cart and items in it at all times. As I said, the "christmas spirit" does not abound and people will be so brazen as to grab stuff out of your cart. Kourtni, who I was with this year, had this happen to her! After all that work, you definately don't want people to take it out of your cart! You can ask my brother in law about this one. Just don't ask him if he was the "taker" or the "loser" of the item.

11-Watch your purse and wallet and beware of random questions or people. Theives abound! People are so concerned with "doorbusters" that they forget about their purses, and leave them in the cart as they shop. Last year, my mother-in-law and I were at Target, in the late afternoon, and we had already made our purchases. As we were leaving the store after checking out, but still in the store, this lady kept "engaging" me about my cute baby. It seemed so odd and unnatural how she kept talking to me, so close to me. Turns out, I think, she had a friend grabbing the camera out of my bag as she was "engaging" me with her nonsense! So, do beware, people can be evil!

12-Keep your cellphone on vibrate and in your pocket. I promise you will not be able to hear a thing! You also need to check with your crew about what they have gotten, so you can make sure you are not double-shopping!

13-If the early hours scare you, just remember it is just once a year, you go "Doorbusters" crazy and hopefully you are done with all your Christmas shopping for the season!

14-More and more stores are open on Thanksgiving, so you have got to figure out the mini-plan of shopping for Thanksgiving Day. (this year it was KMART and SHOPKO) Brandon wanted to go, so he fit that in after putting the turkey in the oven.)

15-Becoming a "Black Friday" nut is HIGHLY addictive. Once you have done it succesfully, your life will never be the same. You will never go on vacation Thanksgiving weekend, so be prepared for what you might be starting for your life!

16-If you leave out any of these items, and you are UNSUCCESSFUL, you will hate black friday and be resentful of the item you missed out on, especially since you got up early. So, don't forget any of the steps, be succesful, and have NO regrets!

See you at 5am next year, waiting at Target!

Black Friday Payoffs!

Warning: This blog entry is highly random and you will only get what I am saying if you are a serious Black Friday shopper! If not, this will sound like mania at it's best; which just might be the case!


Well, every black friday deserves hard work and effort. It involves gettting up at 3am, having babysitters on hand (thanks Mom & Dad), involves a plan, list-making, and then you have to bring all the ads with you so you can price match (thanks Walmart!) Thank goodness for a fabulous partner Brandon, who now enjoys this game as much as I do (like I said, it is addictive). Let's just say with his height and extra long arms, he is perfect for reaching over everyone and everything to get the wanted items! He is also strong and more capable of handling the crazy Walmart crowds!

Target is more my speed! Still crazy, but more of a fun, girl crazy! Let's just say, we got everything on the list (except a Christmas tree!) If you want to do Walmart right, you have to get there at about 3:30 and start scouting out what you want (since they are open 24/7), as they have covered piles of the loot. So you have to figure out where your desired items are and then impromptu lines are formed starting at crazy hours for the very limited quantities of these items. We are having issues with motorized vehicles this year; we are a little obsessed with them! Let's just say Brandon was able to get both the Jeep and Barbie vehicles that were $69 or $79. I was so proud of him. (pretty impressive cosidering they have 10 or less of each vehicle). I still don't know how he was able to fit them in a cart and get them out of the store. Then he couldn't fit them in his little car (we had this conversation prior, and he assured me with his strong masculinity, he would be able to work it all out.) Oops, it didn't work out that way! So, Kourtni, who was double-teaming with her Mom, helped us to get the Jeep out! (Thanks Kourtni, to you and your Mom) Then, Brandon went back in and got the $20 guitar and every other item on his list. He just missed out on the $5 pajamas and $9 jeans for the boys. Don't worry people, I was able to go back later and get these items!

Since I was up and out by 3:30, I decided to stop in at the JCPenney which opened at 4am. It is right by the Target, which didn't open till 6am, so it was worth a try. That ended up being a waste of time. I waited in line for a Christmas tree which looked great at the time, bought it, and then promptly returned it. (It was one of those times when either you could be one of the ten to get the tree, or if you ran back to see what the tree "really" looked like on display, you would lose your opportunity to get the tree.) So, I got the tree, found out it sucked and returned it's butt! So, I was at the Target by 5am. (Although, later on I did find out they had all this BYU gear 60% off; XXL sweatshirts (the official logo) for $17! I may have picked up some of that!)

Target was fabulous! I just love our babysitter Kourtni. She said she was pulling an all-nighter, going to the Mall, etc. So, we decided to meet up at Target at 5am-ish. Since I was there first, I saved us all a spot. She brought her brother and his friend, and it was SOOOOO hysterical. She began quizzing them on the items to grab and look for, how many, etc. She's like "How many do we want of this item? You are a champion! We know you can do it. No breakfast unless you deliver!(She had bribed them with a free breakfast!)" She would be a great trainer and motivational speaker! I felt so pumped by the time we got in there! We also had quick bonding with the other psycho shoppers that were there! Kourtni has such a great technique. No carts, just running and grabbing. I can't do that. I have too much stuff, but am definately slowed down by the cart. So, they also totally helped me by getting things for me. These items included the IPOD docks, many other electronics (which will remain nameless as they are gifts), the Karaoke machine that hooks up to the IPOD $49, the fax, copier, printer for $39, and some toys. Talk about a rush.

We had one major surprise this year; involving Radio Shack! Who would've thought? It turns out, that after Walmart, Brandon just happened to stop at Radio Shack! Thank goodness! Radio Shack had most of the electronics I found at Target, and they were either higher quality or cheaper at Radio Shack, so after much of my hard work, I ended up putting most of my electronics back. That's why communication is so critical on Black Friday!

Anyway, I then stopped off at a variety of stores. Got a few things here and there, but nothing to write home about! I am still in search of a Christmas tree! The only worthy one I have found is at Roberts for $429 or so, and I just can't do it, even for the 40% off. So, hopefully, I can find one for a much better price. The problem is I like a high number of tips (over 2000) which puts it in an expensive category. So, we may do a live tree this year! I just don't need the cleanup hassle! I am sure I will keep you posted on our Christmas tree situation!

So, now that Thanksgiving is over, can we start decorating for Christmas?

Thanksgiving with our sweethearts!
My first Christmas decoration of the season! (Gotta' love Costco!)
Sorry, I will stop trying to advertise for Costco, they really don't need my endorsement!

Maddie

Howdy folks!

BLESSINGS A-Z

Some of the blessings listed!
BEFORE

So, I am a copycat! My sister in law Jen showed us this cute idea in her blog. Mine is the white trash version. She painted the letters on hers and it was beautiful! I just loved the idea; as did the kids. So, we spent some time today filling it out. Here is the before and after! It was cute to see everyone (all the kids and the grandparents trying to figure out blessings that started with every letter of the alphabet! Little Brandon did a great job, Ethan struggled, but tried (I had to laugh when Ethan put postopia for P as he loves Postopia.com (the cereal company Post does all these computer games he loves!) Benjamin enjoyed scribbling as we were writing. Maddie and Dylan didn't get to participate as they were taking naps. Dang, I should have added "naps" for my N blessing! It was cute seeing what everyone came up with! Yes, Benjamin did get some marker on my walls! What did my cousin Mary say? Some old lady told her one day she would be grateful for all those marks! I have to agree with her! I think not! That is not one of the blessings I would be grateful for! (Another part of the fine print in the mother contract which I didn't completely read prior to motherhood---that I would have to clean up sooooo many messes!) Really, I wouldn't change motherhood for anything, but yes, some of these messes I could do without!

More Thanks to Brandon!

What a stud I have for a husband! Our little daughter Maddie vomited at 3am this morning, so I was up cleaning up, giving her a bath, all that fun stuff that was clearly in the fine print on the contract when we all signed up for motherhood! There were a lot of things I hadn't read in that contract of motherhood: being on call 24 hours a day, cleaning up vomit, etc. At least I wish kids could schedule their throwing up events; especially not for Thanksgiving day! Anyway, I never got back to bed. This made for a Laura-is-very-tired Thanksgiving. Thank goodness for my stud of a husband. He cooked the turkey and mashed potatoes, and made his Mom's recipe for Hot Beef Dip! Can I say, the turkey was so delicious as were the mashed potatoes? Honestly, Brandon is a better cook than I am! So, I did the hard task of taking all the store-bought items out of the fridge for our dinner! (Thanks Costco! They have the best veggie trays, shrimp trays, ham, cheese trays, and produce!--- Honestly, Costco does feel like a religion, and boy do I have some customer loyalty when it comes to Costco. If you are part of Sam's Club, we will have to talk and debate regarding who is part of the better religion. Well, we all know Costco is better so we can just forget the debate!) Yes, I am still very tired which explains my really random blog today! Sorry! So, I disclosed to my parents about Maddie's throwing up and they still chose to come. They brought rolls from the Lion House! INCREDIBLE! They also brought Brandon's favorite chocolate mousse pie from Brick Oven! They also brought some other deserts. My poor Dad is also feeling under the weather. This is not the day for people to be sick. Tomorrow is the funnest day of the year; which I look forward to all year long: BLACK FRIDAY! Which means I will be getting up at 3am tomorrow, also. I think I will be really crashing out on Saturday. Anyway, I am very excited to make my route for tomorrow morning. Since my parents are staying overnight, both Brandon and I get to go out. He will hit Walmart and I will hit Target! What fun. It really doesn't get better than this; unless your daughter does not throw up the night before! Again, exhaustion is my excuse for a most random blog entry! I am thankful for friends who read my random musings on life!

I am thankful for my husband!

OK, I have got to brag on my husband! I don't know what I would do without him. I have to brag on him. I so appreciate all the projects he does for our family! He and a couple of his "computer geek" friends from work all got together last Friday to build this arcade game. You can install a system that has 1000 games. He is building the same system that costs $1999. at Costco; for SOOOOO much cheaper. I thought it was so cool that they could do this awesome project! I love how handy Brandon is! He was so excited to build this! He still has to paint it, install the monitor and put on the stickers to make it look like a real arcade, but can you see the vision coming together? I just had to show off his project!

Bye-bye formula, I can't say I will miss you!

Thank goodness. This is our last container of formula. After three babies in a row, and all of my babies needing formula, I feel most satisfied that I won't be spending so much money on formula!!! I truly need to have a "We are done with formula" party! This is a landmark moment in our lives!

Come, Thou fount of every blessing!

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
By: Robert Robinson, 1735-90

Feel free to play the video from Youtube (in the post below this) and sing along with it or say the words along as they sing. You will feel a great love in your heart! I know it sounds random, but trust me on this. Consider it a gift of gratitude to our Heavenly Father! What a great spiritual feeling comes from this song!


Come, Thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory
Fills my heart with joy and love,
Teach me ever to adore Thee;
May I still Thy goodness prove.

Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be;
Let that grace now like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Oh, that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in the blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy wondrous grace!
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send Thine angels soon to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

This is my favorite song that reminds me of Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Like I have said multiple times, our family never tires of costumes. I was thrilled with these costumes the children made at their school. I loved the designs Brandon made on his costume! Anyway, we wish all our friends and family members a happy and prosperous Thanksgiving!!!
My little Native American
My little Pilgrim
My little Native American Princess!

Princess Bride

Maddie the Princess Bride!





What's a princess without the shoes!

Getting lost in the veil!

Here are some pics of my little princess bride; Maddie Sue! Is there anything cuter than kids dressing up? I think not! We fully indulge in costume wearing around this house! Well, the kids that is! Maddie is starting to want to dress up and absolutely loves the princess shoes. Gotta' love these kid moments!

I LOVE CAKE!

Demolishing his birthday cake! A family tradition for the first birthday!
Help! I can't move my hands; they are disabled by all the frosting!

Dylan's Birthday Celebration!

The Many Sides of Dylan!!!

Laughing!
A Half Smile!
Serious!
Opening a present from The Beals!
I love my puzzle!
I love Elmo!
Benjamin enjoying Dylan's birthday present!

Celebrating Dylan's First Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Dylan!!!

Little Dylan James turns one year old today! We are so grateful for our little Dylan who brings us such love and joy! He is definately a laid back little man; which we needed as our fifth child! He is relaxed, happy, cuddly, loving and sweet! He has just learned how to climb the stairs, so every day he is seeking a way to get to those stairs and climb. He thinks it is a game as Mommy always comes chasing after him as he does not know how to descend the stairs yet! He loves to say "mommy", "daddy" and "go"! He is just the sweetest little guy! I can't beleive how fast this year has flown by! Some of the highlights of this year with him were his adoption (6 months after his birth) and his sealing in the temple! We also enjoyed having him blessed! He has the sweetest smile and those precious brown, expressive brown eyes that speak volumes and touch my heart!!! We are in love with our little Dylan! He should enjoy our tradition of letting him have his own cake to massacre for his 1st birthday!

Our Weekend with Nana & Papa

Sunday Best with Nana & Papa!


Nana and Papa came for the weekend and what fun we all had! It began on Thursday night; Nana and Papa, Brandon, little B, and Ethan all went to the BYU game! On Saturday we went to the dinosaur museum, and then Nana and I went to Taipan (such a fun girl's outing) and then went on an adult excursion to "The Roof" restaurant! Nana and Papa were able to come to the Primary Program at church today; where little B sang in a trio! It was nice to be able to see the kids perform! Then Maddie got to open up some gifts from her Aunts and Uncles and from Nana and Papa for her birthday! She sure loved that! Here are some pics of our weekend adventures!

DINOSAUR MUSEUM

Ethan, Brandon, and Benjamin making dams with sand and water!!!
Maddie
Benjamin and Brandon digging for dinosaur bones!
Maddie hoarding the paintbrushes!
Benj making a stretched penny with Papa!

Family Fun!
Maddie
Benj
Papa and Brandon
Opening up presents with Nana & Papa (Papa is cropped out as he was not all the way dressed yet!)
Nana & Benj
Another birthday celebration for Maddie
Opening up gifts from Nana & Papa, Krista & Ted, and Todd & Jen! She sure had fun as you can tell!
Getting help from Ethan!




At "The Roof" overlooking the Salt Lake City Temple!

Mom and Dad
The four of us at "The Roof"