Conrad Turns ONE!!

WHAT, you may ask, did you do for such a special occasion? 

Well...

We started the day off by GOING TO THE ZOO!

My kids poor attempt at a "cheese!" Like the beard my man is sporting these days??? :) I do... :D:D

THE PETTING ZOO!! 

Ever feel like what you want is JUST out of reach?? I know, frustrating, right? Poor goat...

Mommy and the BIRTHDAY BOY!! He couldn't take his eyes off the goats!

This smile is deceiving...he really was having a good time

Conrad LOVED it! 

ICE, yum!!

Awwwwww...SO CUTE!

My Angel Baby

Lunchtime. Can you tell we were all gettin' a little tired at this point? 

I JUST WANT TO SQUEEZE HIM

AND SMOOCH HIM

And him too! 

Alls I gots to say is, THANK GOODNESS FOR GRANDMA!!!  How would I ever do this without her??

After the zoo...the kids ALL slept for like TWO HOURS!! (Thats a rare and cherished occasion in my house...) HEAVEN! Wish I could say I got to rest too, but, alas, I had to get ready for the....

                       
                                                               BIRTHDAY PARTY!!

Blowing up party balloons! 

He loves our doggies!

PRESENT TIME!!! Of course brother and sister had to help...

AUNT ANGIE knows what he likes! Thanks Angie! 

HE LOVES IT! 

CAKE TIME....HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONRAD!! 

He didn't eat much of the cake, but he sure had fun smearing it all over his high chair! 

And this ones just CUTE!!!


Happy Birthday my sweet angel baby. You are a gift straight from heaven. I can't imagine our little family without your sparkling eyes and bubbling laugh and happy smile and hugs and snuggles and kisses.
I LOVE YOU!!

At The Firehouse

Braxton's preschool class took a trip to a fire station a couple months ago. I think I was almost as excited as the kiddos to go! It was so cool! 

First we all gathered round the fireman and listened to him explain how it all worked and what exactly they do

After a tour of the house we got to come check out the firetruck! Wahoo!!
Bella of course had to buckle herself in and then got stuck and had to have help getting out. Love that girl.

She is LOVING it! 

My handsome boy

Checking out the gear

The Kiddos

It was a wonderful trip and the kids (and adults!) loved it! Can't wait til next time! 

Horses, cows, and goats...oh my!

My dear friend (and RS Pres) owns horses and offered to let Brax and Bella come ride a little. Never have two children been more excited and bubbly. They were all smiles and thought they were the luckiest kids in the world! 

They look pretty good up there, too! Maybe riding lessons are in order? 

They don't come much prettier than this lil' lady!

All pumped and gettin ready to ride

He loved every second of this and we had to bribe him when it came time to get off. He kept petting the horse and saying "Good boy!" while he was riding. :) Love this kid. 

Priceless

So one beautifully cool and breezy day last week Braxton proclaimed he wanted to go swimming. I explained how cold the water was and how cold HE would be, but he informed me he would NOT be cold and thinking I would just let him learn the hard way, I said he could get the little pool and give it a try. 

It was definitely ME who was surprised as he filled the pool right up and took the plunge without a seconds hesitation! He played in it for about an hour and had a ball! 

This kid constantly amazes me. 

And then there is this little guy, my main squeeze! 

How can you not help but wanna squeeze him? And kiss and hug and snuggle and love all day long!!
PRECIOUS 

Braxton's preschool class went on a field trip last week to a dairy farm. They got to pet, feed, and hold some animals, then we took a tour and saw the HUNDREDS of cows they milk TWICE a day, then they got free samples of flavored milk and yummy ice cream! It was a wonferfully fabulous time! 

Feeding the goats

Bella LOVED the whole experience, probably more than Braxton. She soaks life in like a sponge! Her spirit is contagious.  

HA! Trying to get a better view of the funny lookin' two leggers? 

Chasing the chickens - probably her favorite part of the farm!

Jack, Braxton's best buddy came with us as his momma just had a baby. He was a good boy and LOVED the ice cream!

Braxton was so surprised at how SOFT the bunny was. He kept saying over and over "He's so soft!" and rubbing his face on its fur. So cute! 

Cheeeeeeeese!

MOO

Random picture, but I couldn't help snap it! This is Conrad's favorite thing to do whilst I grind wheat to bake bread. 

Hey, at least he eats his grains for the day! YUM! :) 

Conrad, my sparkly-eyed boy

Moments of My Life

Braxton is at a stage where his little emotions are everywhere and he is trying to figure out how to deal with them, and sometimes its quite funny! We left his soccer game the other day and he was kind of upset cause we didn't have time to play on the toys afterwards, and as we were driving home, suddenly he just started BAWLING! His eyes were squished shut and his mouth was down in this adorable pout and he was wailing, "I miss Daddy SOOOO much! I miss Daddy! Mom, I really miss him!" Uh.....where did THAT come from? I tried consoling him by telling him we would be seeing him soon and its ok, we can call him and tell him you love/miss him, but it didn't ease his little heart's pain. Then when we got home, he walked inside and went straight to the back door and let the dogs in, then threw his arms around their necks and as they slobbered him with wet kisses he wailed, "I missed you too Marley! I missed you too Loui!" Wow...this coming from a kid whose idea of "playing" with the dogs is using them as a punching bag or footrest? Ya, SO not like him. It was quite adorable though and I loved seeing his tender little heart being so raw and open for a few minutes.

I had a dream the other night where I was tearing up the dance floor with swing dancing with an AWESOME dance partner (don't know who). I awoke with my feet twitching and heart pounding, ready to jump up and start where my dream left off. UGH I miss dancing! I certainly was no pro, but boy did I love it!! The music flowing through ya, body moving in rhythm to the beat. Its the most fun (and best exercise) I've ever had!!  Someday, I WILL do Ballroom dancing again. I promise myself this.

I pulled out the kids' summer clothes. Its only February, and I'm already pulling out summer clothes! Kind of depressing, huh? Of course, as soon as I did we had a cold front pass through and had to get the jackets back out for a few days, but I have a feeling any more winter weather is going to be few and far between. Farewell, winter. Our time together was short but oh so sweet.

Braxton was going potty at my parents house and I was sitting in the living room with some family members chatting away when suddenly he popped his head out and said, "Hey guys, I need it quiet in here! I'm trying to GO!!" HA!

We were at the doctors office and a rather large and rotund man walked in with a long white beard. Bella's eyes became as wide as saucers and her mouth dropped to the floor. I was trying to figure out what in the world she was so shocked about when she very purposefully walked right over to him, looked straight up into his twinkling eyes and asked,  "Are you santa claus?" I about died!! (Both from trying to hide my laughter and from embarrassment) He was a good sport about it and said "No I'm not,  but we go fishing together sometimes. I'll tell him you said hi!" Bless his heart.

We had a fun Valentine's Day this year. The Friday before, we met at Becca's house with some other little cousins and friends to make YUMMY Valentine's cookies and cupcakes. The kids had so much fun and walked away with WAY too much sugar in their bellies. We spent all day Monday making Valentine's for Daddy, and I decorated his car V-day morning with chocolate and hearts to let him know he was MY Valentine! The weekend before he asked me what I wanted for V-day, and I said "I want to go on a date!" not thinking that it would really happen since he works so late on Tues/Thurs nights. Well Sunday after church we are getting in the car and he says "I have a babysitter for Tuesday night!" I ask "For what??!" "For our date!" he says. Bless his beautiful heart! REALLY? We haven't been out for so long and never been out for Valentine's Day itself! I was as giddy as a love bug. He took me to a really nice restaurant in Scottsdale, and even though I could barely taste the food cause I had a stuffy nose from a cold, (gggggrrrrrr) I loved every minute of it. It was even cold and windy/rainy, which just made it all the more fun and enjoyable for me. Thank you Baby for making me feel loved and cherished for our special night. It know it probably wasn't that big of a deal for you, but it meant the world to me and I love you all the more for it. You're my Forever Valentine!

This and That

Bella's kitchen she got from Nona for Christmas is one of her favorite toys. I can usually always find her in her room, dressing herself up with makeup and shoes, or playing with her little kitchen. 

Conrad and Braxton love it almost just as much! 

 And then there is the walker Nona gave Conrad...her toys are always a hit! (Thanks Mom! :) ) 

Santa brought me a bike this year, and a trailer along with it to pull the kiddos so we can go on family bike rides. The weather has been SPECTACULAR so we have taken many a bike rides already this year! 

 Justin with C-Rad on his back. Conrad won't sit in the trailer...he just cries the whole time for some reason, so thankfully we have this awesome backpack (also from Nona!) to carry him in. HE LOVES IT! 

 Brax and Bella in the trailer. Bella being stubborn, of course. We love bike rides! 

And here is our Beautiful Bella Rose in her gorgeous dress from Aunt Patti! Bella looks just like a princess in it and it is definitely her favorite dress to wear right now. (Sorry Patti, I can't get the boys to pose in their suits, but I haven't given up yet! Hopefully I will have one for you soon.) 

 So how do YOU transport the laundry from the wash room to the kids room when your chillins' won't let you out of their site without screaming?? 

Here's how we like to do it! (There is a rope attached to the basket so I can pull them in it.)

Wahoo! 

Conrad was being really cranky for a couple days, which is totally out of character for him, especially since I knew he wasn't teething or anything. Then early one morning he had a NASTY diaper and I opened it to start changing it and what did I find??? 

A TINY BELL! 

Poor kid. No wonder he was cranky. I wouldn't be happy passing that through my system either. SO grateful he was able to swallow it though without choking on it.