Craft Day

I had a craft day today at my house with some of my friends. I wanted to make bow boards since I desperately need a place to hang all of our bows! So that's what we did, and they turned out so stinkin' CUTE!!!! And now I'm not so sure that I want to stop making them. They are so much fun. I made three today and have most of the materials to make six more. I just need more ribbon.

It was a super fun day. Well, that is until Brooks rolled down the stairs. He's okay, it just scared him. That was a bummer deal. But the boards were FUN!!!

This one I'm giving away

These ones are mine

Like I said, I'm going to be making more. Anybody want one?!

Sweet

Aubree has her moments where she's super sweet and adorable. She had one of those as we were driving home from the grocery story yesterday afternoon. She sits next to Brooks in the Tahoe. All of a sudden, she leans over him in his seat and starts talking to him in her high-pitched, sing-songy voice saying, "Oh, Brooks, I love you. Oh, yes I do! Yes, that's right. I love you. Were you with Jesus before you were born? Oh, yes you were. Yeeeeesss you were! You got to talk to him, didn't you? Yeeeeesssss! He's your friend, huh, Brooks? Yes he is. Oh, yes he is."

It was one of those moments that makes it worth being a mom. I love my kids, so fresh from Heaven.

Chunky Monkey

Brooks had his six month check up yesterday, even though he'll be seven months old next week. Oops! Oh well, he's still in his sixth month. And I didn't want him to be miserable just before Christmas recovering from shots. So we waited. And it's a good thing; he's been a bear since his shots!

He's been growing nicely. He weighs 18.8 lbs, which puts him in the 60th percentile and is 27.5 inches long - the 72nd percentile. There's nothing little about this guy! He's definitely our chunky monkey!!

Right now, he's rolling ALL over the place. We really have to keep an eye on him. He sits up now on his how for almost a minute! And he LOVES his baby food (if you couldn't tell)! Ooh, except for green beans, I've just found out. He's a good eater, good sleeper, and such a happy baby, aside from getting shots and teeth. I'm so lucky to have such a good baby, finally!! We all love our Brooks boy!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Here she is - the little MONSTER!!!

Brynnlee's been driving me CRAZY lately!! Let me tell you about my day on Tuesday. Aubree was running late for pre-school so we were rushing around trying to get her ready before her ride came to get her. Just as they arrived, Aubree had run into the bathroom to use it. She finished as fast as she could and ran out the door. Once Aubree was gone, Brynnlee and I sat down for some lunch. She made a mess as usual, so I cleaned her up and put her down to play while I cleaned up the table, chair, and floor.

When I finished, I noticed that Brynn was very quiet and decided I'd better go check on her. She was in the bathroom, playing in the toilet - the toilet that Aubree was in too much of a hurry to flush. Yep, she was elbow deep in pee-water. And not only that, but she had grabbed the toilet brush and was using that to fling pee-water all over the bathroom. Everything was drenched - the walls were dripping, the towels hanging on the walls were wet, the floor was soaked, and the rugs were sopping. I just about threw up.

I grabbed Brynnlee, put her in the empty bathtub, took off her soaked shirt, and made her stay in the tub while I got everything cleaned up. I washed the walls and floor and toilet with Pine Sol. Scrubbed the toilet again with Lysol toilet cleaner. I started the washer with the towels and rugs.

When everything was finally clean. I opened the shower curtain to bathe Brynn. And what did I find? Brynnlee covered in shampoo, head to toe, and let me remind you that she still had pants and a diaper on and her hair done for the day. She still lathered herself right up. So I bathed her and threw her clothes in the wash too.

Once she was cleaned and dressed - again, I put her down to play, shutting the bathroom doors, and started on the vacuuming. After only a few minutes, I noticed that the entire contents of the diaper bag (and that's a lot of stuff for both Brynnlee and Brooks) were strewn all over the floor in my bedroom. I sent her out and cleaned it up.

I started to vacuum again and came into the family room to find that Brynnlee had emptied two bags of cereal onto the carpet. That was it. I had had it!!!! I made her help clean it up then sent her to her room for a nap. And I went to my room too.

2009 In Review

My sister-in-law, Shannon, had this on her blog and I thought it was a good way to summarize the past year. So here's my rendition:

Where did you begin 2009? Driving home from the cabin
What was your status by Valentine's Day? Married with three kids
Were you in school? Nope, thank goodness!!
Did you have to go to the hospital? I did to have a baby and to visit Brett when he smashed his toes under a trailer jack.
Did you have any encounters with the police? Yes, one awful day when I left Aubree in the house watching cartoons as I got my hair done right next door. And Brett did too - twice in one week and both times he was let off with a warning.
Where did you go on vacation? We went to Mesquite, NV and had sooooooo much fun!
What did you purchase that was over $500? A house and a sectional. It literally makes me sick to spend money like that!
Did you know anyone who got married? Yep, my little brother, Andrew.
Did you move anywhere? Yes. We moved across the driveway from our mobile home to the house.
What sporting events did you attend? Lots of T-ball last summer
What concerts/shows did you attend? My mother-in-law took us to see Wicked. How lucky are we?!
Where do you live now? In Salem, Idaho
Describe your birthday. It was kind of crappy. I won't go into it, but Brett took me out for dinner and that was nice.
What's the one thing you thought you would never do, but did in 2009? Did the make-up on my sister's body after she passed away.
Any new additions to the family? Baby Brooks and our puppy girl, Angel
What was your best month? August, when I read the whole Twilight series
What music will you remember 2009 by? "I Know You Want Me" from our exercise class
What would you have changed about 2009? So many things
What did you like most about 2009? Learning how important my friends are to me
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? At the church
Change your hair style? Yes, I went from a light brown to a deep, dark brown
How old did you turn in 2009? 28
Any new years resolutions for 2010? Oh yeah! Check my previous post.
What was your favorite purchase this year? Decorations for the house and an IUD
Did you get sick this year? Yes, the day of my sister-in-law's baby shower that I was hosting at my house. Needless to say, we had to make some last minute changes on the location.
Start a new hobby? Making cheesecakes
What are you wishing for in 2010? Just an all around better year!

2010 Resolutions

I know I'm really slacking in this post and the previous one, but hey, at least I'm getting them on here.

I am so excited for the new year!!! I've got high hopes for this year being a better one than last and I'm going to work really hard to make it so.

I LOVE making new year resolutions every year. It's a chance for me to find ways to become better than I am, write them down, and really work on them.

Here are my resolutions for 2010:

1. Organize the house
2. Make a menu calendar every month again
3. Keep excersizing
4. Get to a size 4
5. Eat less sugar
6. Potty train Brynnlee
7. Read more with the kids
8. FHE EVERY week
9. Scripture study with the kids
10. Attend the temple once a month
11. Entertain more
12. Do more service (I'm shooting for at least once a week)
13. Take more day trips as a family

So we'll see how it goes, but so far, I've been doing really well and I hope to keep it up!

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve, Brett's cousin invited us up to the cabin that they were staying in. We had such a nice time eating dinner, playing games, watching movies, and visiting with family. Thanks B.J. and Maja!!

Here are some pictures of our evening...

Brynn and Jaren fixing a trailer

Brynn and Owen, B.J. and Maja's little one


Me and my Brooks boy

Brynnlee found a fun place to play cars

The big game table

Some of the kids watched a movie downstairs

It was such a gorgeous cabin! And we all had a great time. Until our drive home, that is, when Brett got pulled over by a police officer for not signaling before he turned. I tried to bribe the officer with some banana bars and he let us off with a warning. PHEW!!! So goodbye 2009 and hello 2010! I'm so happy to see you. We'll hope for a better year this year!!