The Cole Family

Baloons, Prayers and Lessons Learned

2010-03-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

Check out my mom's blog for a cute story about the kids. So sweet. . .

Going Private

2010-02-25T10:54:00.001-08:00

Please put your e-mail adress in a comment below so I can add you to my "private blog reader club". Stay tuned...

Treadmill fight

2010-02-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

Brandon got in a fight with the treadmill. . . . and lost. Poor little guy! I was afraid to send him to school today- I hope they don't take him away :)

I've been horrible about updating my blog lately. I have TONS of pictures and things to write but I'm not sure where to start. Stay tuned for updates. . .

Brandon- the mighty hunter

2009-12-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

Brandon and Eric went for a "drive" and came back with a little surprise. Boy was Brandon excited about the pheasant they shot. He was talking as fast (and as loud) as he could when he telling me about it.

Brandon: "Mom, it was so cool. I was lookin out the window when we were going around a corner and I saw this bird by Granny's. I told daddy to shoot it. We followed the bird's foot prints and then we shot it in the neck. We just shot it with a shotgun. I carried it to the car by it's feet."

Mom: "Oh, poor little bird. What about it's kids? You shot their dad!"

Brandon: "You're silly mom, birds don't have kids. Let's eat it. First we have to take it's guts out. Then we can eat it. "

Hmmm. . . 3 years old. Is he to young for this kind of stuff?

So proud!

I do NOT like to eat wild birds. . . or wild anything for that matter. I think I'll have cereal for dinner. Eric and the kids can eat the "chicken".

Preschool Christmas Program

2009-12-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

Brandon's preschool Christmas program was a few days ago. He knew all the songs and did such a good job!

What a handsome little guy, huh?

(Ignore the horrible quality of the video. I was out of tape for my video camera so I had to use my digital camera. )

Gingerbread fun. . .

2009-12-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

Both the kids stayed home sick from school today. Brandon has impetigo (a weird skin infection that's super contagious) and Lexi has a nasty cold. Oh, and I'm getting over strep throat (day 3 of the z-pak and I'm FINALLY feeling better). Any way. . . the kids were bored so we got out the ginger bread house kit I bought a few days ago. They had lots of fun making their own little ginger bread village and eating lots of frosting and candy, which is the best part right? Any way, it was a peaceful day (except for waking up with no water because of frozen pipes and ending the day with a trip to the ER for staples in Brandon's head.) :)

Working hard. . . .

It's snowing!

All done. . .

Brandon thought it would be fun to use his train table as a bike ramp. He set the table against his bed and rode his little four wheeler down it. Not sure what happened but I heard a big crash and he came running out with blood all over his face. As soon as I got the bleeding to slow down a little bit I took a look. I could see his skull. . . so I knew he'd need staples. My mom braved the weather (9 below zero. . . YUCK) and hung out with Lexi while I took Brandon to the ER. He was so proud of him self for not crying when the Dr. put the staples in. Poor little guy.

My brave litte guy. Cute with impetigo and all :)

Well, every one is settled for the night. It's final's week. . . I should study, but my bed is calling my name. I better go see what it wants. Good night!

We did it. . .

2009-11-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

After lots of debate, we decided to get the H1N1 vaccination. I was on the fence about getting the kids vaccinated. We get the seasonal flu vaccination every year. . . but with the H1N1 it was hard to get real information. There are SO many misconceptions about the shot that I have to admit, even I was a little nervous. (We got the nasal mist- do a little research before getting to freaked out by a "live virus").

I have to do community service for school so I signed up to help with the H1N1 vaccine clinic at the Public Health Department today. After talking with the public health nurse and reading lots of information I decided we'd better get it. So. . . it's done. Lexi, Brandon and I are all vaccinated. Eric doesn't qualify (he's not in any of the high risk categories) so hopefully he stays healthy. It's nice to know that my kids won't end up looking like this:

Another movie night. . .

2009-11-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

That's right. . . another movie night. Once again, homework is piled high and I've been procrastinating my major research paper. So, I bought the movie "Up" and the kids are bathed and ready for bed with popcorn in hand. The only trouble is, I want to see the movie too! :( Any way, back to the books I go!

Nature Walk

2009-11-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

I took the kids for a nature walk the other day. . . it was lots of fun. I printed a list of things they needed to find and each had a pen to mark it off once they found it. We're trying to enjoy being outside while the weather is still tolerable! I'm DREADING winter!

Looking for a spider. . .

Ahh- aren't they sweet!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

I know- I'm behind. But here are a few pictures of Hulk and Princess trick or treating!

Eric LOVES to trick or treat and was really excited to take the kids. I wanted to go to the community Harvest Party where they have fun games and the kids win a little candy. Eric insisted we trick or treat "for real" so we went from house to house for almost 2 hours. The kids had a blast! At one point, Brandon started refusing candy saying that he had enough. We ended the night by stopping at Granny and Pappy's for some home made marshmallow popcorn balls. Yummy!!

Poor little guy- he was SO tired!

Carving time!

2009-11-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

Of course the kids picked out the BIGGEST pumpkins they could find. It was lots of fun watching them scoop out the pumpkin guts. Surprisingly, Lexi really loved it and Brandon wanted nothing to do with it. I thought it would be the other way around. Since when does Brandon worry about getting messy!?!

I love Lexi's face. . .

Brandon "trying to be a man"- that's what Eric kept telling him :)

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ok- It's catch up time!

We headed out to the pumpkin patch Halloween Day. Eric was working 3pm-11pm and Lexi is in school from 8am-3pm. Obviously those schedules don't mix and we had no time to go to the pumpkin patch or carve pumpkins together. We were really sad to see that there were no good pumpkins left at the pumpkin patch. The most important thing is that we got some cute pictures right? We have taken the kids to the same patch for 3 years now. It's kind of a fun tradition. (We ended up getting pumpkins at the grocery store)

Look at how they've grown!!

October 2007

October 2008

October 2009

Rub-a-dub-dub 5 kids in the tub!!

2009-10-06T22:59:00.001-07:00

I'm watching my sister's kids for a few days. . . this is what bath time looked like tonight! Aren't they cute?!

Seth (5) Lexi (5) Ashlyn (3) Brandon (3) Brenna (2)

5 kids under 5 years old. . . . the house looks like a bomb went off but we had fun! Needless to say I'm exhausted! Bed time wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. There are 2 kids in my bed and one in the playpen in my room. . . maybe I'll sleep on the couch. We need a bigger house!

Parent Teacher Conference

2009-10-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

I went to Lexi's parent teacher conference this morning. Her teacher had nothing but good things to say about her. *Phewf* I'm happy that she's doing so well, I really worried about sending her this year. She's one of the youngest in her class. I worried about her behavior too. She can get pretty ornery and bossy sometimes. . . but her teacher didn't mention any behavior/social issues. She can name 26/26 letters in upper and lower case, knows all their sounds and is beginning to read. She can count to 38, has good fine motor skills, and is exactly where she should be with math. Any way, it's okay to brag sometimes right?

Smarty Pants

2009-10-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Lexi's starting to read! It's so cute to hear her sound out the words. The concept that letters make sounds. . . and sounds make words. . . has finally clicked! Here she is reading her first book. . . .

Brandon was begging me to video him doing something. I asked him what he wanted to do and he said "I can sing the alphabet". . . what?! I've never heard him say the ABC's before. He's tried a few times but has never gotten past "E"- he's just never been that in to learning it. He's been in preschool for about a month now and is finally starting to like it. He calls it "Day care school"-kinds funny. Any way, here he is. . . singing the alphabet with hardly any help. (Notice the Hulk gloves. . . once he was done singing, he got a mad face and was ready to go beat something up. . . he's such a boy)

The end is my favorite part. . . "next time don't sing with me. . . ." :)

Ahh! Aren't the cute?

Pocket treasures

2009-09-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out Brandon's pant pockets tonight and this is what I found. . . .

2 army men, a motorcycle, a rock, caps, a crayon, 2 plastic bullets, a target, an indian, caps, a dinosaur, a golf tee, a key and .47 cents. (at least I didn't find a frog right?)

I'm not sure how he fit all that into one pocket. No wonder his pants were falling down all day :)

Brandon's bedtime prayer. . .

2009-09-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

Brandon's bedtime prayer. . . what a cute boy :)

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please help mommy not to get a ticket
Help her car not to be a race car
Bless daddy that he will not get burned welding
Bless daddy that he will not shoot his foot when hunting
Help me be nice and not hit
Bless sissy not to hit me
Bless the food to help me get strong muscles like Hulk
Amen.

I haven't gotten a ticket lately, Eric hasn't been burned or shot in the foot (thank goodness). Not sure where he comes up with some of this stuff. Now the hitting. . . this is something we're working on. They've been particularly bad about hitting each other lately, not sure what to do about it. Nothing seems to be working. Any ideas?!

Something I Swore I'd NEVER do. . .

2009-09-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

You know how it is. . . you have a mental list of things you'd NEVER do when you had kids. For example: my kid will NEVER cry during church, my kids will NEVER have a nasty runny nose, my kids will NEVER eat hot dogs (do you have any idea what those things are made of? me either). Any way, you get the point. Well, one of the things I'd swore I'd never do is feed my kids T.V. dinners and let them eat it. . . that's right, in front of the T.V. I'm all about eating real food at the dinner table as a family. But. . . .

Today was not a good day. I'm piled high in home work, we have no groceries, Eric's working until 11pm and I'm tired. So I took a quick trip to get the kids dinner and a movie. They were SUPER excited to have their first T.V. dinner ever.

We got home, I heated up the Kids Cuisines. . .turned on the movie and dug into my homework. They are in bed now, fast asleep with garbage for food in their tummies. (I was sure to put some fresh veggies in Lexi's lunch for tomorrow) . Perhaps it's not normal to feel so guilty. . . at least I fed them dinner right? :)

Excited to watch "Honey I shrunk the kids" (a 1990's classic)

Yum! Yum!

I'm Back!!

2009-09-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

We did it!!! we went 30 days Internet/cable free. (we turned it back on quite a while ago, but I've been too busy to blog) It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It was a fun way to end the summer- lots of family time.

Any way. . . life is crazy as ever around here. Lexi turned 5, Grandma Cole came to visit, Brandon started pre-school, I started my LAST year of nursing school and Lexi started kindergarten. I have a lot to catch up on and tons of pictures to share. . . but not tonight. I have lots of homework, a load of laundry to fold and clinicals early, early, early in the morning.

Stay tuned. . .

It's time for a vacation. . .

2009-08-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

It's time for a vacation- from internet and cable, that is :) That's right, we're going internet and cable free for 30 days. It's so easy to waste hours of precious time wandering around on the internet. It's even easier to waste time watching TV. We want to enjoy these last few weeks of summer with nothing to distract us. We'll be turning the internet back on in September, but only because I HAVE to have it for school- cable will be left off.

We've gone four days so far. (I'm at my parent's house borrowing their computer at the moment) At first I thought the kids would go crazy with out morning cartoons- the whining is getting less and less and they are actually beginning to play with their toys and use their imaginations :)

And as for my self. . . I get SO much more done during the day. I have to admit it was hard for me at first too. I've been making breakfast, playing outside, folding laundry, reading. . . . and when the kids go to bed, I do too! There's nothing else to do. Any way. . . call me crazy, most people could never survive, but I really think it's what's best for us- at least for now :)

In other words. . . blog post from the Cole Family will be few and far between for a while.

File Folder Fun

2009-07-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have the file folder bug! I made 15 games over the weekend- my hand is still cramping from all the coloring and cutting!

Lexi LOVES file folder games :)

Brandon playing the animal alphabet game

Lexi using Brandon as a calculator

Subtraction Fish- My sister made this one

Matching Frogs

Wishing Well Alphabet

Vegetables vs. Fruit

Sunflower Reading

Shape City

Both kids have surprised me with how fast they pick up on new concepts. Lexi figured out subtraction in no time and Brandon knew fruits vs. vegetables the first time he tried. Any way. . . I just ordered a new book to make more. Fun Fun Fun!

Fun in the Sun

2009-07-27T21:19:00.001-07:00

I got to work this morning. . . and was reminded I had the day off. :) I was more than happy to come home and play with the kids instead of work! We were out side almost all day. We played in the sprinkler and played with water balloons and bubbles. It was a perfect summer day and the kids had tons of fun.Filling balloons with a syringe- it worked great :)

I know- I know- I shouldn't let them bite the balloons but the picture I snapped was priceless!

Brandon running over his water balloon with his bike. . . he thought it was pretty funny

Mischievous little boy :)

Playing in the beach ball sprinkler. . . .

Camping 2009

2009-07-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the mountains! We went to Medicine Wheel Lake over the weekend and had a fun time. We spent a few hours in the tent waiting out the rain and thunder storm but eventually got to eat some good food, spend quality time by the camp fire and fish.

Lexi and Brandon watching a movie in the tent waiting out the rain storm- seems wrong doesn't it?

I'm not sure what's so fascinating about poking sticks in a camp fire- but the kids love it.

Enjoying some good ole' fashion Hobo dinner- a camping classic :)

And of course- some fishing :) We didn't catch any fish but at least we got some cute pictures :)

And who is this, might you ask? Our new guard dog. . . he will be introduced in another post. Eric brought him home as a "surprise". . . . *sigh*

Things to remember next time we go camping:

1.lighter fluid- there is nothing worse than not being able to get a fire started because everything is water logged

2.warmer sleeping bags- I thought we might freeze to death. We ended up unzipping all the sleeping bags and making one big bed- Eric was in the middle to keep us all warm :)

3. A coat for Lexi- what was I thinking? Every one else had something warm but her. . . she ended up wearing one of Brandon's long sleeve shirts under her t-shirt.

4. An air mattress- I'm getting to old to sleep on the hard ground :)

5. Mugs- hot cocoa and nothing to drink it out of? we ended up making it in a water bottle- the kids thought it was pretty cool :)

6. Leave the puppy home- he was cold, whiney and into everything :)

Picnic in the Mountains

2009-06-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

We had a picnic in the mountains yesterday. . . it was so nice to relax and hang out together. Our schedules have been pretty hectic lately and we really haven't had much time to spend as a family. Eric was working 3-11 pm last week and I was working 8am-5pm. . . by the time he got home from work I was in bed, and when I woke up in the morning he was still asleep. It was miserable! Any way, I'm only working 2 (maybe 3) days a week from now on. It's hard on the kids (and my house) to be gone so much. They are what's most important.

Any way. . . back to our picnic. We drove in to the mountains and found a fun camping spot by the river. We started a fire, roasted hot dogs and had S'mores. The kids wandered around, threw rocks in the water and picked wild flowers for 3 hours and enjoyed every second of it. What a fun day!

Daddy insisted they roast marshmallows before hot dogs :)

Yes- we cheated on starting the fire :) A bag of charcoal and lighter fluid- it had been raining for days and I knew everything would be water logged- my dad would be so disappointed in me!

Yum- the perfect S'more!

While Lexi picked wild flowers Brandon jumped off rocks. . . he's such a boy!

A fields of flowers. . . Lexi was in heaven!

I GOT IN!!!

2009-05-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

I got my acceptance letter to the RN program yesterday. I'm still in shock, I really didn't think I'd get in. Any way, classes start this fall. By this time next year, I'll be stressing about taking another state certification test and hopefully be an RN not much longer after that. I can't wait :)

I went to an IV Certification class in Cheyenne for 3 days, and got back early Saturday morning. It's a 7 hour drive. . . we didn't leave until after work on Wednesday and drove home when the class ended at 7pm on Friday. *sigh* Needless to say I'm running on empty :) I feel like I could crawl into my bed and sleep for days. Any way, I'm officially IV Certified and super excited about it. I have lots of pictures to post of the kids, but I should really be getting ready for church!

A Visit From the In-Laws :)

2009-05-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Eric's grandma and Aunt Willi came to visit for the weekend. The kids were really excited to see them. Eric and I saw them in January (we all went on a cruise together) but the kid's haven't seen them since last Thanksgiving. We had lots of fun visiting, playing games and watching movies. Lexi was really sad to see them leave -we're going to have to make a trip to visit them in Utah this summer.

Alphabet Pizza

2009-05-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

We made alphabet pizza today. The kids had lots of fun punching out letters and pasting them on to the "pepperoni". At least my scrapbook stuff is getting some use!

Bouquet for Mommy

2009-05-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Lexi was playing outside this morning and came in with some flowers for me. Like most parents, I get handfuls of dandelion bouquets almost every day. But today's was different, it was a combination of lilacs and dandelions that she had arranged in a glass cup all by herself. She's such a sweet girl!

Silly Hat Day

2009-05-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Lexi has only 2 days of preschool left. This year has FLOWN by! They've been doing lots of fun stuff to celebrate the end of the year, and today was "Silly Hat Day". This is the best we could come up with. She had fun decorating it. Tomorrow is pajama day and she's super excited.

Spring Time Fun

2009-05-15T11:56:00.001-07:00

The weather is FINALLY getting warm and the kids are so happy to be able to play outide again! They both got new bikes, side walk chalk, a huge sand box, and a new swing set, they are in heaven! Brandon's first "big boy" bike.

Eric built them a sand box in the corner of the yard. It's 6 feet wide and 8 feet long. There is lots of room to dig a play. They love it!!

Helping daddy shovel the sand into the box

FUN! FUN! FUN!

Easter

2009-05-15T11:41:00.001-07:00

I know it's a little late. . . but I have lots of pictures from Easter. I'm planning on printing my blog in to a book soon and I can't leave out Easter!!

Brandon's HULK egg. . . he's turning into the hulk too!

The easter bunny came!! She even brought Eric and Grandma a basket!

Lexi showing off her new Web-kinz "Cotton Candy"

It was fun to have Eric's mom here for a week. She folded my laundry, cleaned my house, let me sleep in, raked the yard, watched the kids while we worked. . . and the list goes on. Mother in laws don't get much better than her. She's truly is amazing! While she was here we gave her a Grandma's ring. It had the birthstones of her 4 grand kids. She loved it!

A New Swing Set!!

2009-05-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have lots of things to write about, and lots of pictures from the past month that I haven't had time to post. Life has been quite crazy around here. I took my last final yesterday, so I'm done with school for the summer. I should find out with in the next week or two if I got into the RN program. Any way. . .

Eric's mom came for Easter. It was so much fun to have her here. While she was here we got a swing set. . . she helped Eric put it together while I kept the kids out of the way. It was a MUCH bigger project than any of us expected. None of the pieces were labeled or pre-drilled. It took them almost 16 hours to put it together. The kids absolutely LOVE it! They never want to come inside. Any way. . . here are a few pictures.

It took them 4 hours just to label and organize the pieces

16 hours later. . . .

Lexi feeding her baby in the play house

Enjoying a picnic

Jail Nurse and First I.V.

2009-04-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

I worked at the hospital yesterday, there were no admitted patients and no ER visits (until right before my shift ended. . . why does that always happen?). It was a really LONG 12 hours. In the morning the administrator came and asked if I'd like to train as a jail nurse. I was a little hesitant at first but decided I'd like the experience. There is a jail that houses up to 80 (?) prisoners about 8 miles from the hospital. I felt a little claustrophobic when every door I went through slammed shut and locked. It is the nurse's responsibility to set up the medications and do basic procedures on the inmate's if needed. I felt very safe the entire time. Each inmate is shackled and chained and accompanied by a guard while we irrigate their ear, or whatever they want done. Any way, it was interesting, but I definitely won't be doing it on a regular basis. I did agree to be the fill in nurse if they need me.

Once I got back, I went into the lab and asked the tech if she'd give me some tips on starting I.Vs and doing basic lab draws. She was more than willing to give me some advice. I was really excited to go home and practice what I'd been taught. Believe it or not, Eric was more than willing to be my pin cushion! I set everything up, and got the needle into a vein both times I tried. I was so proud of myself!! Any way. . . I had Lexi take a picture of my first IV. *Beware. . . if you're squeamish don't scroll down to see the picture. . . . (Anneke :) )

Looks pretty good huh?

Talent Show

2009-04-16T23:15:00.001-07:00

Lexi sang at the church talent show tonight. She did a great job. She only hesitated for a second when she got up on the stage and realized how many people would be watching her! As soon as I started playing the music she relaxed and did great. It was so sweet to hear her sing and I was trying not to cry as I played. Here's the video. . .

Brandon and Lexi sang a song together with Granny playing the harmonica in the background. Only the last few seconds of the song got recorded :( Next time Granny comes over I'll record it again and post it. It's pretty cute.

The Perfect Day. . .

2009-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

We've officially been kidless for 4 days! My brother Nate and his wife Amber took the kids to their house for a week! How awesome is that?! The first 3 days they were gone I worked and had class, but today was the PERFECT DAY!!!

6:30 AM- Eric leaves for work. . . I stay in bed :)
11:30 AM- Wake up time
11:45 AM- Shower, put on clean PJ's go back to bed
1:00 PM- Read (it was so great to read a novel. . . and forget about text books for a day)
3:00PM- Lunch
3:30 PM- watch TV
6:00 PM- Eric gets home, showers and leaves for Scouts
6:30 PM- Another nap for me :)
8:00 PM- Eric gets home, we watch TV together. . .

Now does this sound like the PERFECT DAY or what? It was great to lay around and worry about nothing. I can't remember the last time I had absolutely NOTHING to do. It was great. THANK YOU NATE AND AMBER!!!!! (And HOJ AND ANNEKE)

Ps. I talked to the kids tonight. . . they are having a blast. They made cookies, went to Chuck E. Cheese, lit fire works, sat in the hot tub, went to the park, did arts and crafts. . . . the list goes on and on. I think they are enjoying the break from us as much as we are enjoying the break from them.

The Best Aunt Ever. . .

2009-03-20T21:31:00.000-07:00

My sister's little girl, Brenna turned 2 a couple of weeks ago. While I was visiting I took her out for a full day of fun. It was so much fun to take just her! She's talking like crazy and super cute. First we started out with a bag of Cheetos. . . she was in heaven!

Then we headed to Target for a new outfit. She helped pick it out. . . it was cute she had a really hard time picking between the pink and yellow shirt.

Next was a quick stop to Kiddie Kandids. She hasn't had her picture professionally taken since she was 6 weeks old. . . yes, 6 weeks old! Isn't my sister naughty? Any way, she looked so cute and the pictures turned out adorable!

After the pictures we spent a couple of dollars on 25cent rides

Of course we had to make a pit stop for some candy.

After we left the mall, we headed to the dollar store and I gave her $5 to spend. She picked out chap stick (Aunt's can buy chap stick for 2 year olds right?) and jewelry to go in her purse. I forgot to take a picture of her with her new purse. I didn't get any pictures of us together either!! :( Any way. . . it was a super fun day! Happy Birthday BRENNA!!!

Play-doh Fun!

2009-03-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

The kids had lots of fun with the play-doh this morning. They haven't played with it for a while, it entertained them long enough for me to clean the kitchen! Hooray!

Brandon making an ice cream cone

Lexi's making "dinner"

Brandon drilling on some teeth :)

Lexi's elephant

Giving the poor puppy a shot!

I PASSED THE NCLEX!

2009-03-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

I found out with in 24 hours that I passed. . . which is rare. It usually takes several days or maybe even weeks. I've never been so relieved. . . the stress of the test is over! It's official: I'm a nurse :)

Test Results. . .

2009-03-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well I took the GAP test yesterday. . . it was quite nerve racking. I ended up doing MUCH better than I ever imagined! Hooray! My score was an 82, the national average is 55 and our school's average is 62. I'm so relieved! Now the waiting begins. . . the acceptance letters will be sent out in April.

Cosmic Bowling

2009-03-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

We took the kids cosmic bowling tonight. They loved the strobe lights and music. They danced and laughed the entire time. Every time Lexi would bowl she'd do a little jig waiting for the ball to hit the pins. I'm not sure where she learned to dance, but she's got some pretty good moves! It was pretty cute.

Brandon would get a running start and throw the bowling ball has hard as he could. It was a little scary, but luckily he didn't hurt any one :) He would jump up and down and say "strike" every time he knocked over a pin. Anyway, we had a great time. Of course I brought the camera!

Only knocked down 2 pins. . . but he's sure happy!

YAY!

My score was 145. . . . not too bad:) The bumpers really help :)

Eric has nice form :) I still beat the pants off of him though. . .

Brandon bowling. . . singing "I got a strike, I got a strike"

Lexi concentrating on her dance routine rather than bowling :)

Study Time

2009-03-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

I've procrastinated it long enough. It's time to take the NCLEX (National Council License Exam) for my nursing license. I paid the $200 and set the date for March 12th. I've been super busy, and studying for the test hasn't been at the top of my "to do" list. I'm still taking classes, which include Microbiology and Pharmacology (both of which are quite intense). I'm working 2 days a week at the hospital, watching handicapped kids 3 days a week, home health care for an elderly couple 3 days a week and trying to be a good wife, mother and housekeeper all at the same time!

On top of it all, I am studying for the GAP (Generalized Achievement Profile), which is a test for advanced placement into the RN program. LPN's can enter in as sophomores, if I get in I'll have less than 15 credits left for my RN. Anyway, the test is on Saturday (the 7th). There are 10 people taking it, 3 students with the highest score on the test will get into the program. Needless to say. . . my stress level is through the roof. I'm headed to the Dr. tomarrow. . . I think I might have an ulcer :)

Any way, I'm setting everything aside this weekend, and studying for the NCLEX. I've already made over a 150 flash cards so I guess I have a little bit of a start. This is the stack of books they give you in the nursing program to help you study for the test. I guess I have a lot of reading to do.

Ok. . . I'm done whining:)

New books. . .

2009-03-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

My kids were getting tired of their books so we decided to add a few to our collection. I took Brandon to the used book store (Lexi was at school) and he got 20 new books for $2.00! What a steal! They are all in great shape, and lots of them are favorites from when I was little. Including this one:

A childhood classic!

We brought them home and wiped them down with Clorox wipes (my best friend) and added them to the book shelf. Fun Fun!

Brandon super excited about all the new books :)

Lexi singing. . .

2009-03-02T19:23:00.001-08:00

Lexi's been learning new primary songs at church. This is one of her favorites:

(Sorry the video is so dark!)

Lyrics:

Our Father has a family. It’s me!

It’s you, all others too: we are His children.

He sent each one of us to earth, through birth,

To live and learn here in fam’lies.

God gave us families to help us become what He wants us to be—

This is how He shares His love, for the fam’ly is of God.

She's got such a pretty voice. I love to hear her sing. Isn't she sweet?!

Roller Skating. . .

2009-03-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

We took the kids roller skating on Saturday. At first they fell down quite a bit but it didn't take them long to figure it out. I was suprised how good they did. They had fun games and prizes. We had a great time.

Art's and Crafts

2009-03-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

While Lexi's at school, I try to do some type of craft with Brandon. Of course he loves every second of it. Here are pictures from the last few days. . . .

Shape dinosaur. . .

Scratch art. . .

P is for Penny!!

Robot. . .

Sorting pom poms on a caterpillar. . . .

Pipe cleaner fun. . .

2009-02-16T11:23:00.000-08:00

We got out the art box this morning. My sister gave it to Lexi for her birthday a couple of years ago. It has beads, pipe cleaners, paper, string, crayons, scissors, glue, glitter, confetti, markers. . . etc. The kids LOVE it. Any way, they started playing with the pipe cleaners, bending and twisting them into all sorts of shapes. I started playing around with them too. . . Lexi was thrilled with her "princess" decked out in pink high heels and matching purse. I even made a little tiger with a leash. I made Brandon a Ninja Turtle. . . what fun!

Questionnaire for a 4 Year Old

2009-02-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Ok- So I couldn't leave out Lexi. It's interesting to hear what they say. Here we go. . .

What's your name? "Lexi, want me to spell it? L-E-X-I"

What is your favorite color? the whole rainbow and blue and green

What is your favorite breakfast? smashed potatoes and cinnamon roll (???)

What is your favorite lunch? cinnamon rolls and peaches

What is your favorite dinner? pizza

What is your favorite kind of juice? milk and water

What is your favorite snack? pixie sticks and fishy crackers

What is your favorite movie? Sleeping Beauty

What is your favorite book? Brown Bear Brown Bear

What is your favorite song? ABC and wish you well

What food do you NOT like? bones

How many people love you? 123456

What is your favorite toy? doll house and princess barbies

What is your favorite #? 49

What do you like to take to bed with you? Princess bean bag and doll

What do you want to do tomorrow? go to the park and go to play house Disney then go to church and then to Seth's house

How old is daddy? 30

How old is mommy? 25

What do you want to do when you grow up? be a nurse

What's your favorite game with daddy? play doh and art and wrestle

When you can drive, where will you drive first? Grandma in Idaho

Are you going to get married? Yes!

Who will you marry? Seth

What is your favorite animal? giraffe, zebra and fish

Who do you think is SO cute? Sophie (the kitten)

What are your favorite clothes? purple dress

Who do you like to play with? Seth

What are you thankful for? Jesus

Why? because he can bless us

What is your favorite TV Show? Dora

What is your favorite ice cream? chocolate with cookies in it

Who is daddy's wife? Mommy

How much does mommy love you? 30

What do we do on Sundays? go to church, play

Who do you want to go see? Sponge Bob

Who does mommy love? Daddy

Where do your cousin's live? Billings and Utah

Not sure why, but this interview with Lexi took MUCH longer than it did with Brandon. She had to think about every answer and changed her mind a lot. What a cute girl.

Questionnaire for a 3 year old. . . .

2009-02-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, I NEVER EVER do tags, but this one is actually kind of cute. Instead of a personal interview for me, it's one for Brandon. Here we go. . .

What's your name? um. . . three

What is your favorite color? gween

What is your favorite breakfast? fish

What is your favorite lunch? hot dog

What is your favorite dinner? hot dog

What is your favorite kind of juice? orange duce

What is your favorite snack? animal crackers

What is your favorite movie? Ninja Turtles

What is your favorite book? My new book (Disney Seek and Find)

What is your favorite song? Hulk Song (not sure how that one goes :) )

What food do you NOT like? pinecones

How many people love you? 50 50

What is your favorite toy? Hulk glubs

What is your favorite #? three

What do you like to take to bed with you? Hulk blankie

What do you want to do tomorrow? wrestle

How old is daddy? 25... him 25

How old is mommy? 25

What do you want to do when you grow up? Work with Daddy

What's your favorite game with daddy? wrestle

When you can drive, where will you drive first? to work

Are you going to get married? "no, I a boy, I a weirdo" (I about died when he said this)

What is your favorite animal? elephant

Who do you think is SO cute? Baby Josie

What are your favorite clothes? Hulk shirt

Who do you like to play with? Aiden

What are you thankful for? the food

Why? Make me really strong, like Hulk

What is your favorite TV Show? Hulk and Diego

What is your favorite ice cream? "banilla"

Who is daddy's wife? Uncle Nate (ha ha)

How much does mommy love you? lots and lots

What do we do on Sundays? go to church, wear a tie, play, wrestle

Who do you want to go see? Mickey Mouse

Who does mommy love? Handy Manny

Where do your cousin's live? in Billings

Ahh- the mind of a three year old. What a cute boy!

Class Valentine's

2009-02-11T08:30:00.001-08:00

Lexi's preschool Valentine's Day party is tomorrow. She worked hard on her Valentine cards for over an hour last night. She had to write her name 20 times! She really concentrated, and tried to write in her best handwriting.

Playhouse Disney Live!

2009-02-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to Playhouse Disney Live in Billings on Saturday. It was fun to see their faces light up when they saw all of the Disney characters in real life. Brandon was especially excited to see Handy Manny. . . his favorite. It was hard to get pictures, but I did take a few.

Little Einsteins

"blast off!" Lexi helping Little Einstein's take off in the rocket ship :)

This picture cracks me up. Obviously they had WAY too much sugar and missed naps. I wanted to get at least one picture of them together. This is the best one I could get.

Easy Bake Oven

2009-02-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Lexi got an Easy Bake Oven for her 4th birthday. We used it once, and put it away. We completely forgot about it until today. Lexi was so excited. She did everything by herself, mixed, poured and "read" the recipe. My little girl is getting too big!

Mixing up the chocolate cookie dough. . .

Licking the bowl is the best part

Waiting. . .

All done!

Chocolate frosting on chocolate cookies! Yum!

So sweet. . .sharing the cookies with her little brother

Diaper Cake. . .

2009-02-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

I made this diaper cake for a friend's baby shower today. Rolling up 75 diapers took a little longer than I thought it would! Any way, I think it turned out super cute. Take a look. . . .

Dress up for boys?

2009-02-06T20:29:00.001-08:00

Brandon got lots of costumes and dress up stuff for Christmas from Grandma Cole and Granny Zito. He favors his Hulk gloves, Spiderman costume and "Super Brandon" cape, but loves to be a fireman, policeman, Super man, knight and pirate too. Here are a few pictures I took of him dressed up in his different outfits. . .

Super Brandon! (My mom made this cape)

Policeman. . .

Fire man. . . this one's from Grandma Cole

He's about worn this costume out. . . he wears it almost every day

Argh! A pirate hat from the cruise. Thanks Grandma Cole!

A knight. . .

One of his favorites. . . this little boy LOVES the Incredible Hulk!

I'm glad he's out of this stage. . . . . he he :)

Craft time. . .

2009-02-06T20:08:00.000-08:00

The kids had lots of fun making Valentine's Day wreaths for Grandma and Grandpa Cole today. I even let them use the glitter. (This is a big step for me, I HATE cleaning up glitter!) It was cute to see how meticulous they both were with placing the hearts in just the right spot. Any way, I think they turned out pretty cute. . . .

The dreaded glitter! They loved it of course :)

Caribbean Cruise. . .

2009-01-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

Eric's parents bought us cruise tickets for Christmas this year!! We just got back from a 7 day trip to Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel, Mexico. It was so much fun. There was a total of 10 of us that went. Eric's mom and step-dad, Aaron and Dave, his brother Charlie and his wife Mary, Grandma Moore, Aunt Willi, Jerry, and Grandma Joy.

The kids stayed with my mom and dad. They had lots of fun sewing with Granny and riding in Pappy's new truck. I missed them like crazy but it was so nice to have a vacation!I've never been away from them that long before (11 days total). Any way. . .

Jan 10th- We flew out of the Cody, Wyoming airport at 5am. It was a SCARY flight with heavy winds and a tiny airplane. We made it to Salt Lake and had a 3 hour layover. I slept and Eric did crossword puzzles :) We flew to Atlanta Georgia, and had another 4 hour layover. Even though long layovers aren't much fun, it was nice to catch up on some sleep in the airport. Any way, after a long day of flying we finally made it to FortLauderdale Florida.

Jan 11th- Brandon's 3rd Birthday! We were on a bus on our way to the ship in Miami when I called to sing him Happy Birthday. When we started singing, the entire bus chimed in. It was kind of funny. Any way, we made it to the ship. Stood in line, showed pass ports and birth certificates and FINALLY got to our cabin. The travel agency had a bottle of whine (which we gave away) and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us. Yum! Every night, our steward with make a cute little animal out of a towel. Of course I had to take pictures!

Eric feeding the walrus some ice cream

I think this one is a pig :)

Jan 12th- A full day at Sea. We played miniature golf, layed in the sun and ate and ate. Did I mention that we ate? Wow, there was so much good food we just couldn't stop eating! All-you can-eat soft serve ice cream available 24 hours a day. Yum!

Enjoying delicious lobster tail!

Playing a little miniature golf :) Doesn't get much better than this does it?

January 13th- We Port in Jamaica for the day. Eric served his mission in Jamaica, and was excited to get to go back again. We met our cab driver "Sunny". He was a great tour guide and showed us around Ocho Rios. He took us on a tour through "Fern Gully". It was beautiful! There were little shops on the side of the road, with people yelling at the bus trying to get us to stop. They even dressed up in crazy costumes and jumped out of the bushes to try and get us to shop at their little stand.

Fern Gully- Beautiful!

Pretty costume! I felt bad we didnt stop!

After Fern Gully we headed to Dunns River Falls. It's a beautiful water fall that cascades down 600 feet of smooth rock and empties into the ocean. We climbed up it in about an hour. The water was deeper in some spots so we'd stop and soak a little. Other than swimming with the stingrays, this was the highlight of the trip.

Dunn's River Falls

Getting ready for the climb!!

Eric, Me, Mary (Sister-in-law) and Charlie (Eric's brother)

Taking a break :)

We made it out alive!

After the falls, we did a little shopping. Eric really wanted to buy a Citizen watch while were were in Jamaica. He wanted to buy one on his mission but obviously didn't have a lot of spending money. He found just the one he wanted for only $200 while we were there. Man, he was super excited! In the U.S. it would cost nearly triple what he paid.

Eric's new watch. . . I think he's in love :)

Jan 14th- Another full day at sea. We relaxed, enjoyed the sun and ate some more! There are shows on board every night. The men weren't always thrilled with the dancing shows but there were a few comedians and they liked that.

Waiting for the show to start. . .

Jan 15th- We Port in Grand Cayman. We took a smaller boat from the ship to the island. Once we got onto the island we got on a bus and headed to a boat on the other side of the island. It only took about 20 minutes. I had no idea the island was so small! Any way, we were on our way out to Stingray City! They take you way out into the ocean near a coral reef. We swam with stingrays and fed them squid. It was amazing! We even gave them a little smooch :) After the sting rays, they took us out a little further to do some snorkeling. We swam over top of the coral and saw some beautiful fish. I could of stayed in the water all day! Boat ride to the island. . .

Here I am. . . giving the stingray a little kiss. (notice my lips aren't touching :) )

Ewww. . . Eric's licking it!

I could have snorkeled all day!

Pretty fish. . .

January 16th- We Port in Cozumel, Mexico. We had a full day of shopping and exploring. I bought a few pieces of jewelry and some souvenirs for the kids. We had fun trying to barter with the store owners- they weren't as flexible with their price as the people in Jamaica were but we all got some pretty good deals. Over all, it was a great day.

Mary and I getting ready to get back on the ship

At first we thought this was a statue . . . until it pulled out it's gun! :)

Me, Aaron (mother in law) and Mary (sister in law) after a full day of shopping!

Feb 17th- Another full day at sea. We all worn and and took naps most of the day. Unfortunatly, I had an online nursing class that was scheduled during our cruise. Luckily Dave brought his laptop so I worked on my assignments when I could. I wasn't too happy about paying 75 cents a minute for the internet though! My total bill was well over $100. Gotta do what ya gotta do I guess!

Any way, the seas were pretty rough, with 6-8 foot swells the last few days of the trip. The ship was really rocking. Luckily no one got sick, but we were ready to get back to dry land.

Feb 18th. We got off the boat in Miami. Caught a bus to FortLauderdale. Stayed in a hotel and flew home the next morning.

Whew! What a long post! We had a great time! It was fun spending time with Eric's side of the family. I don't think we can say thank you enough! I'm so lucky to have such great in-laws!

Looks like Dave is already planning our next trip. We can't wait! :)

Sledding Fun. . .

2009-01-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

We took the kids sledding today. They loved it! We slid down my parent's drive way. . . yes it's steep enough to go sledding on. Crazy huh? The kids got some serious speed and laughed the entire time. What fun!

(not sure what happened to the color on the video. . . )

Racing down the hill!

Brandon thinks it's a roller coaster!

Nothing like ending a day of sledding with a hot cup of cocoa!

2008-12-27T14:59:00.001-08:00

Elf yourself!

2008-12-20T11:05:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Early Christmas Present. . .

2008-12-19T20:10:00.001-08:00

We decided to get a kitten for the kids! We have one cat already, but she never comes inside. Every once in a while she comes around for food then leaves again. We got rid of our dog a few months ago too. She was a fence jumper and always running away. We ended up giving her to my parents. The kids still get to see her when we go down to visit. It's perfect! Any way, it was strange not having any animals around here so we decided to get a cat. A little less maintenance than a dog! She's super cute and the kids LOVE her (a little too much some times).

Sophie

Oh! Christmas Tree. . .

2008-12-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

We were a little slow getting our Christmas tree up this year. We planned on going into the mountains and getting a fresh tree, but it didn't work out. Not enough time and WAY to cold. It's been below zero around here for over a week. Yuck. Any way, we pulled our fake tree out of the garage and let the kids decorate. It was cute to see how excited they got when we plugged the lights in. Here are a few pictures. . .

Silly Boy

2008-11-22T22:49:00.000-08:00

I was doing Lexi's hair the other night and Brandon begged me to do his too. This is what he ended up with. I think it's pretty cute! He kept looking in the mirror saying "I a pretty boy!" He wasn't so happy when I took them out, those little rubber bands can really be a pain.

Movie Night. . .

2008-11-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

We had a movie night tonight! The kids had their own miniature bags of popcorn and sippy cups with juice and we watched Wall-E. It wasn't my favorite movie ever made, but it was cute. It's great to have Eric home so we can be a family again.

(My mom made their blankets. Cute huh?)

School girls. . .

2008-11-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

We had a clinical simulation day at school on Thursday. It was a day full of labor and delivery fun! We assessed a manikin in labor. . . she was amazing! The instructor could adjust her contractions, the fetal heart tones, cervical dilation etc. We even "delivered" the baby. Over all it was a great day. Afterwards we had our graduation pictures taken. It made me sad to know we're almost done. We've all become great friends. I'm going to miss these girls! Here are a few pictures from our day. . .

Laid-Off. . .

2008-11-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

Ugh. What a horrible day! Eric got laid off from the mine tonight. They supply GM and Chrysler with palladium. . . we all know the auto industry is in big trouble financially. Metal prices are so low that the mine had no choice but to cut back on production, which means less workers. Any way, today was his last day. Seems crazy that they don't have to give people any notice! He's on his way home now. . . it's a little scary. I was scheduled to start working December 1st, but I guess I'll be calling tomorrow to see if I can start sooner. We hear about unemployment and lay offs on the news- but it's not supposed to happen to MY husband. Not sure what we're going to do. . . hopefully everything will work out. I have to look on the bright side though, it's been hard having him gone so much. We'll be glad to have him home, just not under these circumstances.

Imaginations. . .

2008-11-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

After baths tonight, the kids used their towels as a store front. Lexi got all of her baby dolls and play food out for her store. Brandon picked his guns and swords. Imagine that! They thought of it all on their own and it was pretty cute to watch. At first they tried to trade items, but it didn't work out so well. Lexi wanted to trade a fake hot dog for Brandon's super cool shotgun. Funny. So, I gave them each a handful of change and they bought things from each other's store. Pretty cute.

Childhood Flashback

2008-11-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

When we were little, my mom would always give us a piece of dough to shape and bake when she made bread. It always tasted better if it was shaped in my initials :) After naps today, the kids helped me make bread. (I have an amazing buttermilk dough recipe that is to die for.) Any way, I gave both of the kids a piece of the dough. They were in heaven! Lexi made little bird's nest with "robin eggs" and Brandon made a snake. I helped both of them make the first letter of the name and then we baked them. What fun! Here are a few pictures. . .

"The bird's nest"

Brandon's snake

Patiently waiting. . . .

What's better than having home made bread and ramen noodles for dinner?!

Haunted Gingerbread House

2008-11-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

I know it's a little late to still be posting Halloween pictures but the kids had a blast decorating this haunted gingerbread house! Thank you Grandma Aaron!

Busy Busy Busy. . .

2008-11-08T21:29:00.000-08:00

Wow- It's been two weeks since I posted last. Things have been pretty crazy around here. I just made it through mid-terms! Exactly 4 weeks of school left. I am ready to start working and put some of my skills into action :) I had a job interview at our local hospital last week. They hired me on the spot! Yay! I'll mostly be working in the ER and filling in in the clinic or LTC when they need me. I'm pretty excited! I'll only be working two 12 hour shifts a week and I'll be on call 2 days a week. They are willing to work around my crazy schedule, which is amazing! I'll mainly work when Eric is home, so the kids won't have to be in daycare. Any way. . . . enough about me, let's get on with the fun stuff.

We had a great Halloween. Lexi was a princess and Brandon was spider man (imagine that!) We went to Billings, where my sister-in-law Amber threw a smashing party :) The kids bobbed for apples, played bean bag games, hit the pinata and had tons of fun trick-or-treating with all the cousins.

True Love's Kiss. . .

2008-10-17T22:16:00.001-07:00

I snapped this picture while the kids were watching 'Enchanted'. They both love this movie, they'd watch it all day if I'd let them. Any way, right after I took the first picture Lexi layed down on the floor and pretended she was sleeping. Brandon bent over and gave her a kiss with out her telling him too. I still had the camera out and snapped the picture. Lexi jumped up and said "Brandon just gave me my true love's kiss". They were re-enacting their favorite part of the movie. Aren't they sweet?

Grandma's visit. . .

2008-10-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

Eric's mom and Grandma came to celebrate Eric's 28th birthday. He's so old!! Any way, it's always fun when they come. The kids LOVE their grandma. She spoils them like crazy every time she comes. That's what Grandma's are all about though right?

Punkin' Patch

2008-10-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to pick out pumpkins last week. They got to go out into the field and pick out the pumpkin they wanted. Of course they both picked the biggest one they could find. It was kind of strange paying $10.00 for a pumpkin. I grew up on a farm and my grandpa always grew enough for all of the grand kids. Any way, it was fun to spend time as a family! It's not fun being separated for 4 days at a time. (Eric works 4 days, then comes home for 4) His schedule is great, but it's expensive to drive home so much. Hopefully it's all temporary. We lowered the price $15,000 on the house today. Hopefully we'll get a few more offers and it'll sell quickly. We've been thinking about renting it out if it still hasn't sold when I graduate in December. I'm not sure I'm ready for the headache of trying to deal with renters. I guess we'll see what happens. . . .

Girly Do's

2008-09-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

I've been having lots of fun doing Lexi's hair. Some of the styles take a little longer than she would like, but as long as I turn on a movie she does pretty good. Here are a few of her latest do's. . .

Simple braid around a pony tail

Criss Cross French Braids

Twisty Braids- this one takes too long. I wouldn't recommend it!

This one is my favorite. I can do it in about 20 minutes and

I leave it in for a few days.

Having a girl is so much fun!

Two Students. . .

2008-09-27T22:29:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to put these pictures up for a while. Lexi and I both started school the same day. . . preschool and nursing school, that is. I'm actually going year round, but I had 2 weeks off in between summer and fall semester. Any way, my fall classes started the same day she started preschool. Of course we took pictures :)

I was looking at the calendar today and realized I graduate in less than 3 months! This is my 8th semester in a row (I've been going year round) and I'm tired of school! I can't wait to be done!

Boxes

2008-09-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Brandon played in this cardboard box all day today. It was fun to watch him play in it. He's got such a good imagination (for a 2 year old :) ) Any way, after I took these pictures I remembered that my mom wrote a poem (one of her many hidden talents) about boxes. She wrote one for each of her kids, added pictures and put them in a book for us. I'll have to scan in some of the pages some time. The boxes page has pictures of Johnathan (my brother) in a CLOTH diaper crawling in and out of a big box. Pretty cute. Any way, here's the poem. . .

Boxes

My grandma got a brand new toy,
I think it is a dryer.
I got the BOX,
oh what a joy.
I quickly climbed insider her.

First it was an army tank, next a rocket to the moon.
Then it was a pirate ship in a blue lagoon.
A big jet plane, a submarine crusin' in the deep.
A fire engine and a train, or a cave in which to sleep.

When mama came to take me home,
I hid just like a fox.
Oh what a joy for a little boy
is a great big cardboard box.

By: Laura Lee 1998

I gave him construction paper and glue to decorate his "rocket ship"

He loved it!

All boy. . .

2008-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

While Lexi was at school this morning, I snapped a few pictures of Brandon playing in his room. Eric used to worry that his boy was going to be a little too girly (he loves to dress up and play with dolls). He is now realizing that guns, swords, bow and arrows, four wheelers, fire fighters and dump trucks are better than princesses any day.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-09-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

We made cookies this afternoon. We have new neighbors and I've been meaning to take something to them. The kids love to help me bake. Today was Lexi's first try at cracking the eggs- she did a pretty good job. They are both always so eager to help, the mixing is their favorite. Any way, I will have to make this entry short- we're showing the house again tonight, and the kitchen is a mess. I love baking, but I hate cleaning up after wards!

Brandon's First Fish. . .

2008-09-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the video of Brandon catching his first fish. I'm not sure who was more excited, the kids or Eric! At first Brandon wasn't so sure, but Lexi assured him they don't bite. With a little help from daddy he caught 3 more. . . boy was he a happy kid. Ahh, what a cutie.

Fishing Trip

2008-09-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Eric was home for 4 days! He's started his new schedule (4 on 4 off) and it's working out great. We see him more now, than we ever did when he worked here in Wyoming! While he was home we went fishing. We've gone several times but never caught anything. We were prepared with marshmallows and worms, and that did the trick. Even with a spider man and barbie princess fishing pole we caught some fish! The kids were in heaven! Here are some of the pictures from our day at the lake.

First Day of Preschool. . . .

2008-09-10T07:15:00.001-07:00

Lexi's first day of preschool was last week. . . but I haven't had any time to post pictures. She goes Monday thru Thursday, and every other Friday for 4 hours. At first I was worried about how she would handle being gone so long. So far, she's doing really well. She was really excited to ride the bus. I asked her if she wanted me to ride with her the first day and she said "no way, you're too old to ride my bus". So, I stood on the side walk and she got on all by herself. After she got on the bus, Brandon had speech therapy, and then we went to the library for story time. It was fun spending the morning with just him.

Waiting for the bus

Birthday Party!!

2008-08-31T23:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Lexi's birthday this weekend! She invited 10 of her little friends and cousins, what a fun party we had! Once every one arrived, they all played with play-doh. I thought about playing games, but I was just too tired to try and organize 10 kids under the age of 4! So play doh it was! My kids have a HUGE tub of fun accessories and they all loved it.

Once they got tired of play-doh Lexi opened her presents. She got WAY too many, but she was sure excited. She got dress up stuff, an easy bake oven w/ extra accessories, a scooter, a car, Dora back pack full of fun games, princess magnet book, clothes, money, Leap Frog Click Start computer, Webkinz. . . and the list goes on. I almost felt a little guilty that she got so many presents. She really doesn't need so much, and I want her to appreciate the things she has! Any way, over all it was a great day and she had lots of fun. She is so excited to tell every one that she is now 4!

A quick side note. . . she was still wearing pull ups at night until her birthday last Thursday. I was getting her dressed for bed and started to put a pull up on her. She said "I don't wear those any more. . . I'm 4!" I told her she had to wear it because I didn't want her to get her bed all wet. She promised she'd get up and go if she had too, I reluctantly agreed and put panties on her. (we've tried several times, and I ended up changing her bed 3 or 4 times during the night). Any way, it's now been 4 days. . . and she hasn't had an accident yet! Yay!!!!

Let's Reminisce!!

2008-08-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Exactly 4 years ago. . .

2008-08-31T21:45:00.001-07:00

I took this picture of Lexi the moment she officially turned four years old (7:50 pm August 28th, 2008) Time has flown by, and it's hard to believe she's grown so fast.

4 year old Lexi

New born Lexi

The Zoo

2008-08-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

I mentioned earlier that we went to the zoo for Eric's company picnic. We had a great time. They had 5 or 6 of the big blow up bouncy slides/toys, train rides, cotton candy, bingo, prizes and great food. We wandered around the zoo a little, but it was over 100 degrees so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. We took the kids over to the petting zoo and they loved it. It was kind of sad to see them getting so excited over goats, rabbits, horses and chickens. These were animals that I grew up with! We paid 25 cents to feed them and the kids thought it was great!

Brandon, checking out the chickens

If you look close you can see that the pigeon had laid an egg, Lexi was fascinated!

These horses were HUGE! Lexi was excited to see a "horse with a giraffe neck" funny.

Brandon petting the horses- this kid has no fear!

Paying to feed a goat? Crazy, but the kids loved it! $2 later it was time to move on to the next animal!

Brandon hitching a ride from daddy. We forgot the stroller!

The tiger. . . Brandon kept saying "here kitty kitty, here kitty kitty."

I think he could of climbed this a million times! He was in heaven.

Lexi loved the slide too! She was really sad when it was time to go!

What a fun time!

Birthday Invitations

2008-08-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Lexi's birthday is on Thursday! I can't believe my baby is turning 4! Any way, another thing I got done this weekend was the invitations to her party. They turned out pretty cute. I made mini versions of my accordion scrapbooks (see previous post) and put all the information about her party on the inside. (I put a piece of paper over our address when I took the picture. . .just in case I have any blog stalkers. . . hee hee) It took me 2 hours to make 8, but it was fun.

A Weekend ALONE!!

2008-08-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

I must announce that my sister is the greatest! She offered to take my kids for the entire weekend so Eric and I could have some alone time. It was great! Not that I didn't miss my kids, but it sure was nice to sleep in on Saturday! Eric got home on Friday night, we watched movies 'til midnight. We didn't get up until 11 AM on Saturday. It was amazing! I fixed breakfast, then we layed out the couch and watched another movie. I don't think we got dressed until almost 4 in the afternoon. Any way, it was a great weekend, and it was so nice spending some time with just my hubby. We both went up to Billings on Sunday, picked up the kids and went to Eric's company picnic at the zoo. The kids had lots of fun, and were so happy to see their Daddy!

All packed and ready to spend the weekend at Aunt April's house

5 Car seats, I wouldn't wish this 2 hour drive on any one!

It's a Jungle out there!

2008-08-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

We had a wind storm the other night and a huge limb from our tree snapped and fell into the yard. The next morning we went out side to play, and boy were the kids excited! Lexi kept saying "It's a jungle in here, it's a jungle in here!" Here are a few pictures of the cheap and easy fun they had!

Scrapbook Project

2008-08-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law showed me how to make these cute accordion scrapbooks. They look more complicated than they are! They're so fun to make. I volunteered to do this as an "Enrichment" craft at church last night. The turn out was great. I made up more than 35 kits and every one of them was used! (In our ward it's rare to have more than 8-10 people at an Enrichment night).

I plan on making one of these for all of my nursing school class mates and giving it to them at graduation in December. I'll add cute nursing stickers and pictures of us together. What an easy and cheap gift eh?

Any way. . . here are a few pictures of my latest obsession!

It's Official

2008-08-14T11:21:00.001-07:00

Our house is officially on the market. We signed the last of the papers today, and the agent put the sign in the yard. Pray it sells quickly so we can be a family again!! Here are a few of the pictures from the listing. . . .

Weekend with Daddy

2008-08-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Billings to spend the week-end with daddy! The kids were so excited to see him. He had a little toy for both of them and had a dozen roses waiting for me. How sweet :)

On Friday we went to my niece Dominique's 7th birthday party and swam in their pool. Lexi loves "Uncle Hoj" (My brother Johnathan) and had lots of fun in the pool with him. Eric was still working when we got there on Friday so we had to swim with out him. :(

Johnathan and Josie. Isn't she ADORABLE?!

Skinny little Brandon gets cold really fast! Here is his trying to warm up.

On Saturday we went to the "spray grounds" and the kids had a blast. They loved playing in the water. I can't believe I forgot my camera! I was so sad. Eric took a few with his cell phone, but we all know how well those turn out.

After the spray grounds we went to Chuck E. Cheese, I didn't have my camera for that either. My kids love it there. Brandon loves to ride the rides, and Lexi is obsessed with getting as many tickets as she can get. She won't ride any of the rides unless she gets tickets from it. On our way out they both got a bag of cotton candy. What a fun day!

We stayed at my brother Nate's house. The kids love playing there. He's got a HUGE sand box, a trampoline and lots and lots of toys. It's much more fun than our boring old house!

Playing in Uncle Nate's fun sand box

First time on the trampoline

We went to another fun swimming pool on Monday. The kids loved it. It was perfect for little kids. They had a 1 foot pool and a 2 foot pool. The kids finally realized that going under water isn't as terrifying as they thought, and started dunking themselves over and over. I got a few pictures of them under water.

Any way, we were sad to leave Eric, but I was ready to come home and get things done around here. Here are a few more pictures from our fun weekend!

Painting. . .

2008-08-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

We're still working on the house, trying to get ready to officially list it with our real estate agent. We'll be signing the contract on Thursday, and the "For Sale" sign will officially be placed in the yard!

I didn't realize how much my husband helped around this house. . . until he moved out! I have to mow the lawn, weed wack, water, fill my car with gas. . . you know, all the things husbands are supposed to do!

Today, I had the kids help me prime Brandon's room. It was fun for them, but nerve racking for me. I was worried they were going to get paint all over the carpet. Over all, they did pretty good and it gave them something to do while I painted the other walls. Here are a few pictures of the fun they had. . .

Brandon LOVED painting his room

Look at that pony tail! Her hair is getting so long!

Prayers

2008-07-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

Lexi loves to help Brandon say bedtime prayers. Not sure if I should video it or not, but I did any way. It's so precious.

Summer Time!

2008-07-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

I love summer time! The kids love to be outside, even if it's hot hot hot. Today we bought a little swimming pool. I thought about getting a bigger one, but my kids hate deep water. We don't even go to the public swimming pool any more. They cling and cry the entire time. Any way. . . here are a few pictures of the fun we had! warming up on the hot cement!

Summer Feet!

Brandon playing Dinosaurs. . .

2008-07-28T19:43:00.000-07:00

Wow. . . I'm on a roll! 3 posts in 1 day!

Since I posted a bunch of vidoes of Lexi, I decided to post one of Brandon too. He LOVES playing with his dinosaurs. Here is a video I took today. Notice his speech is FINALLY improving. Details on that is for another blog, another day!

Lexi Singing. . .

2008-07-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

Lexi is always singing! I finally got some of her favorite's recorded. The first one is "I've been working on the rail road." She can never remember all the verses so she combines them all into one. We call it "Lexi's Railroad Remix". Funny. Any way. . . here they are.

County Fair

2008-07-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

We've had quite the week end.

We took the kids to the County Fair on Thursday. They are finally old enough go on the some of the rides by themselves. We had so much fun! Check out the pictures . . . .

Riding the Berry Twirl with daddy!

(They were spinning fast, I couldn't get a very good picture)

The best part of the whole day! Their own
bag of cotton candy!

Once we got home from the fair, Eric packed up and headed for Billings. He had orientation and MSAW Training on Friday. It was weird to see him go, it made everything feel a little more real. We really are moving!!

The kids and I went to Billings on Saturday. One of my good friends got baptized. YAY!! Before the baptism we took the kids to the lake and went swimming. I forgot my camera, so no pictures :( It was really fun though. It's perfect for little kids. It's only about 2 feet deep for the first 20 or 30 yards. They loved it!

Any way, we're finally home and every one is exhausted. What a fun weekend!

Yellowstone Trip!

2008-07-25T21:59:00.001-07:00

I finally have a little time to catch up on a few things!

We took a mini vacation to Yellowstone a few weeks ago. We were supposed to go to Idaho Falls and visit Eric's family for the 4th of July, but we all got the flu and we decided to stay home! Once every one was feeling better we drove to West Yellowstone and spent a few nights in a cabin. The first night we got there, we were super tired. It's a 6 hour drive! We checked in to our cabin and then took the kids swimming. After wards, we started a fire and roasted hot dogs and had smores.

Hanging out in the cabin

We went to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center the next day. As soon as Brandon saw the Grizzly bears he kept saying "shoot em daddy, shoot em". We definitely got some funny looks from the other tourists, it was pretty funny. He absolutely hates bears. (Most kids are afraid of monsters, but when he has night mares, or thinks he hears something in his closet, he insists it's a bear coming to eat him. He isn't afraid to get his shot gun and pretend to shoot them though.)

Feeling the Grizzly Bear hair

Once we went through the museum we headed into the park. We wanted to see Old Faithful, but it had just gone off. We had an hour to waste, so we had ice cream at the Yellowstone Hotel. I can't believe how much they charge for a stinkin' cone! It cost $15 for 4 small ice cream cones. I guess it was worth it, my kids are ice cream eating machines!

Yum Yum. . . What a mess!

Any way, the kids thought Old Faithful was awesome. Once it had gone off, and we were headed to the car Lexi said "Mommy, did Jesus get wet?" She insisted that the water had sprayed into the clouds and got Jesus wet. She comes up with the strangest stuff, I wasn't sure what to say to that one. . . .

Any way, it was a long drive (12 hours total) but it was worth it. The cabin was fun, but I'm looking forward to do some REAL camping (in a tent) next weekend.

We're MOVING!!!

2008-07-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

It's all kind of happened suddenly, but it's official! Eric's last day at WyoBen was Thursday. He's so happy! It's almost like a weight has been lifted from him, he was so miserable. Any way, he is now working for Still Water Platinum Mine in Montana. The pay will be a lot better, and Eric will be much happier to get out of Wyoming. The timing isn't the best, but I know it's the best move for our family. I'm right smack in the middle of nursing school. I looked into transferring to MSU-Billings, but a lot of my credits won't transfer. I will be traveling down to NWC until I graduate in December. It won't be much fun, but it's worth it.

Eric is living with my brother Nathan in Billings for now. We are working like crazy, trying to get our house ready to sell. Cleaning out closets, painting, tile, yard work. . . all the fun stuff that comes with moving. We will be officially listing it with the realtor next week. I plan on staying here with the kids until it sells and then we'll find a place to rent for a while in Billings. I dread going back to apartment living, but we will start looking to buy another house as soon as possible. The housing market here is pretty hot, the realtor doesn't seem to think it will take long to sell this house. We were pretty excited to hear that we can list it for more than double what we paid for it. We've only lived here 3 years.

Any way, I should be studying. I have finals next week, and then we have 3 weeks off until the next semester starts. I think I made it through another semester with a 4.0! I'm ready for a break, I'm tired!!

Princess Tea Party

2008-07-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

We had a princess tea party with a few of Lexi's friends a couple of days ago. They made little cupcakes and dressed up in high heels and princess dresses. They were so cute. Afterwards, we did some "princess crafts". It was fun listening to the conversations of three year olds. One of the little girls kept saying "We're having a tea potty" and the other girls would laugh and laugh. They are at the age where any potty talk is funny funny funny. Here are a few of the pictures. What a fun day!

New to the Blogging World

2008-03-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

As a teenager I stuffed my journals full of all kinds of unimportant personal garble, I look back at them now and can't believe how silly some of the things are that I wrote. Over the years, instead of becoming better at journaling, writing and recording more important things, I have just about quit altogether. I do have a journal that gets the occasional entry--important events like my wedding and the birth stories of my children, etc., but I don't record my thoughts very much anymore. So starting a blog here is an attempt to get inside my own head and figure out what exactly is going on up there. There will be nothing important enough to revolutionize humanity or change the world, but maybe in some ways, it will change my own little world.