While the boys are away...

THE GIRLS WILL PLAY!

We had so much fun just being girls while the boys were gone. Don't get me wrong, we missed them, but things are different when it's just the girls. We went to Target and looked around, no one even cared how long we were there. Then we came home and painted finger and toe nails and watched Cheetah Girls, One World. Kenley was in heaven, Embry's still a little young to realize how FUN girls nights really are. But she even was loving that she got her toenails AND fingernails painted. We had a ton of fun but the favorite part of the night was when we got to talk to the boys!

We really did miss you guys!

Man I love these boys!

My boys went on a hunting trip last weekend and they had a blast! They were so cute when they came home, they all ran to give me hugs. Brock and Brody laid on the bed beside me and crashed. Brock was really proud of building his own fire and catching a horney toad. Brody kept up with the big boys, Dustin said he hiked to the top of a huge mountain only asking for help a few times. Today Brody said to me "Man am I glad to be here, I really liked camping, but I'm glad to be home with you." Gotta love it! They are getting so big, before I know it they will go on hunting trips for more than just a couple days. What will I do?

Just because

I got sick of looking at my one word answers and don't have much to blog about so I thought I would just add some dang cute pictures of my kiddos!

This kid reminds me so much of his dad, it's not even funny! Just looking at this picture I can't help but think of Dustin. I think he's itching his ear and in a few of the other ones he was scratching his forehead, rubbing his nose...you get the picture, he can't sit still for a picture! He's got the sweet concern that his dad has, the love for babies (Embry adores him), the silly faces, funny jokes, love for hunting and being outdoors, he's an awesome BBall player, great at soccer, and even though he tries not to show it, I know he loves his mom. I love this Kid!Girls just wanna have fun...that is Kenley to a tee! The other day she got so mad at me because we were going to have dinner soon and I wouldn't let her have a friend over. She is all about friends, fun and frillies. She's a mix of both Dustin and I, she loves to help cook, cleans a bathroom as good as I can (if she's not in a hurry to play with friends), is a great artist (that's her dad), has a great fashion sense that's all her own, and loves to keep everything (sucker wrappers?!?) I love this Kid!
Oh, my little Broder Doo, what would I do without you? What a sweet boy Brod is, he always tells me I look pretty, quickly helps clean up, he's a good listener, likes to play Power Rangers, has lots of friends, is a very good friend and loves, loves, loves the color RED. You will rarely see a frown on his face, he is such a happy guy and has such a wit about him. A couple years ago when he was about 2 was the first time we really understood that he was so witty. My cousin's wife's name is Mary and one day we were somewhere with them and Brody asked me who she was. I told him her name was Mary. He looked at me and said, "She had a little lamb" and started laughing. Of course I couldn't control my laughter and in the midst of me laughing he said to me, "mom, I just said Mary had a little lamb" and cracked up laughing at himself. I love this Kid!Sweet little petite Em. What an addition to our family she has been! We really needed her, she makes life fun, interesting, busy, joyful, sweet, silly, scary (she has fallen and I've seen blood more than any of the others kiddos), loving, cuddly, and noisy. We all just can't stand how cute she is. I catch the the older ones squeezing her quite often, they just can't get enough. But by the time they are done, she's had enough, that's where the noise comes in. She knows how to get her way. I love this Kid!
it just keeps gettin' better

My thoughts in a nutshell

This is for you Niko:

The Rules: Answer the questions using the first word that comes to your mind, ONLY ONE WORD. Then tag four others.

1. Where is your cell phone? bathroom
2. Your significant other? couch
3. Your hair? straight
4. Your mother? thoughtful
5. Your father? sincere
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? business
10. The room you’re in? hobbyroom
11. Your hobby? organizing
12. Your fear? loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
14. What you’re not? patient
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? trainer
17. Where you grew up? Yuma
18. The last thing you did? laundry
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Favorite gadget? camera
21. Your pets? Tatum
22. Your computer? dieing
23. Your mood? mediocre
24. Missing someone? Dad
25. Your car? dirty
26. Something you’re not wearing? nailpolish
27. Favorite store? Target
28. Like someone? Dustin
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When is the last time you laughed? 8:30
31. Last time you cried? today

Okay lets see it, whoever wants to.

Thought this was fun...

Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible

Fun, funky, and a little bit euro. You love your summers to be full of style and sun!

What's Your Summer Ride?

Brody's Day

Today was Brody's first day of preschool. He was so excited to go and be like the big kids (Brock and Kenley). He was up, dress and ready when I got home from the gym at 7am, school doesn't start until 9am. He asked me about every 15 minutes if it was time to go yet. He gets to go to school with his good friend Nixon and his cousin Dani. He also started his new music class today, Let's Play Music, he has two girls from his preschool in his music class also. I think he's going to make some really great friendships this year.

When I picked him up from school I asked "So Brod how was it?" He said, "Mom, it was awesome, we got to eat pupcakes and jump on a trampoline". We have a tradition at dinner where we ask the kids what their favorite part of the day was and what their worst part of the day was. When I asked Brody he said his favorite part was going to preschool and Let's Play Music and his worst part was that he had to leave preschool. And I was worried about him wanting to stay, what was I thinking?

Let's not forget about miss Embry! She had to have her first day of school picture taken also. When we were driving away from preschool after dropping of Brody she said (in a tearful voice) "Mama where Brody?" What is she going to do with Mama all to herself and without her Brody for the whole morning?

I just love this picture so I had to add it to the mix!

MY little GIRL IS GROWING UP

This Sunday night when I put little Embry to bed she didn't ask for her NaNa (pacifier) so I didn't give it to her. I've been struggling with the idea of taking it away, cause I don't want her to grow up, but I also don't want her to be 4 and still have a pacifier. Well she did just fine, went to bed without a peep, slept through the night just fine, didn't wake up in the morning asking for it, nothing. I thought this is great, no guilt for me, this is going to be easy! The next day I was putting her down for a nap and she said to me "Mama, where NaNa?", my heart just about broke in two, hearing her sweet little voice asking for the comfort item she had since she was born. Again I have an inner struggle, do I stick to my guns and not give it to her or do I give in and let her have it for a few more months, 2 is not too old, right? Well, I stuck to my guns and told her "NaNa all gone" and she lifted her hands in the air and said "NaNa all gone".

She really has been doing so good. Now when I take her to bed she says to me "Mama NaNa all gone?" and I say "Yep, NaNa all gone". She seems to be okay with it, she gets a little sad when I put her to bed and cries a little but she falls right to sleep. She's getting to be such a big girl, I can hardly believe it, it happens way to fast!

Guys Night

Dustin ordered yet another UFC fight on PPV this Saturday. He managed to squeeze 12 people in our theater to watch it! As I was working on the computer upstairs I could hear the eruption of cheers from the basement, I smiled every time. I love that he has a place that he can hangout with the guys. I don't love what it does to my bank account! ;)

What am I gonna do with him?

This is the third time since Dustin and I have known each other that he has broken something in his hand. The first time he was playing basketball and broke/fractured (I'm not sure which) his pointer finger on his right hand, we were dating. The second time he was playing basketball and shattered his pinky finger on his right hand, we had only been married 1 1/2 years and I was pregnant with Brock. This last time he was...

PLAYING BASKETBALL

are you seeing the trend, and he punched a wall (that was padded?) and gave himself a spiral fracture to the pinky bone in his right hand (the part in the hand not the finger), we have been married 10 years. What am I going to do with him? I didn't mention the times he broke something in his right hand before I knew him, that's another story!

Happy Birthday KiKi

Kenley loves to... draw, color, write notes, make up songs for her rock band, dance, watch Hannah Montana, hold babies, get new clothes (what girl doesn't), do her hair, pick her own clothes, look at the gap from her two missing teeth, make art projects, help with dishes, read, play with her little sister, have friends over and have snacks!

What we love about Kenley... her smile, that she's so helpful, her laugh, that she's so thoughtful, her dancing, that she's responsible, her energy, her love for life, her very own pigtails, her notes, her songs, that she likes to just sit on the couch and cuddle, her creativity and her fun loving personality!

Our little girl is getting so big! Kenley was counting down the days til her birthday! When it finally got here she new exactly what she was going to wear, how SHE was going to do her hair, what treat she was going to take to share with her class and what she was going to do on her date with Mom and Dad! (more about the date later in the post)

The day started out with her favorite breakfast, peanut butter and syrup on toast and presents from the family! Then off to school it was to celebrate with her teacher and classmates.

While she was gone my sister and I decorated her room. Tamra had the great idea to put confetti all over her floor! She loved it, but quickly told me that it was my mess to clean up not hers.


When Dad got home Kenley got her last surprise, a new bike! This is the one she WAS riding...

Isn't this much better! You think maybe we don't want her to grow up?

A quick ride around on her bike and we were off on our date. The agenda was pedicures and shopping, what girls do best, poor Daddy had to tag along.


She picked out a new ensemble to wear out to dinner with the family. My parents and Clay were in town so our almost missionary could go through the temple and Tamra's birthday was the next day so we all went out to eat and celebrate. What a lucky girl to be the only kiddo with all the adults! I think Carrabba's is her new favorite place.

Birthday Girls

About the date: On our kids even birthdays (4, 6, 8, 10, 12...) we let them have a party that they can invite their friends to come celebrate with them, but we didn't want every year to be a big huge bash. So on the odd years we let them pick what they want to do and we take them, JUST THEM, on a date with Mom and Dad. We started when Brock turned 6 and it has worked really well for us. It allows us to have one on one time with the kids and make them feel special and allows them to really celebrate the big birthdays which for some reason land on the even years.

Thanks for a great date Kenley, we had a blast!

A date with Dad

Dustin called me this afternoon to tell me he had tickets to the Cardinal game tonight and was wondering if I wanted to go. I had a mandatory Let's Play Music meeting for Kenley and was not able to go so I suggested he take Kenley since her birthday is tomorrow. The game started at 5pm so he rushed home so he could be here when she got home from school. He went out to meet her and told her they were going on a date. She came inside grinning and ready to go. Then she asked where they were going...

Dustin: "A football game!"

Kenley: "A FOOTBALL GAME? I don't want to go!"

Dustin: "You don't want to go, why not?"

Kenley: "I don't like football."

Dustin: "But you get to go with just me and we get to have snacks and go to dinner after."

Kenley: "I'm not going!"

This went on for a good 5 minutes until I said, why don't you take someone else. Kenley was completely happy with that. We then decided that Brody had never been to a game with Dad so he would be the one to go! He was so excited and ran so fast to get his shoes on! They got to go to a pre-season game in the new stadium. Brody had a blast having daddy all to himself. I really think Kenley missed out. She only wants to do girly things, where did she get that from? NOT ME! Maybe she will see how much fun Brody had and want to take a turn next time! (We won't talk about the crazy traffic that they had to sit in and that it took them two hours to get there and two hours to get home.)

All she wants...

All she wants for her birthday are her...

TWO FRONT TEETH!

Kenley lost her second front tooth tonight and is so excited to be the first person in her new class to be put on the tooth chart! She let her daddy pull it with dental floss and it went flying. We spent 20 minutes looking for that teeny tiny tooth. I finally had to get the broom out and start sweeping. We found it halfway across the room! One more visit from the Tooth Fairy for little miss Kenley, that makes 4!

Back in the Swing of Things

Routines, Schedules, Bedtimes, Homework, Mom time, Organizing, the list could go on and on of all the things that I love about back to school time.

Now all the things I don't love about back to school, Routines, Schedules, Bedtimes, Homework, Organizing and there are many more (did you notice I left out Mom time? I really do like that one).

I have had such mixed emotions about sending my kiddos back to school, I have really enjoyed having them around. They make life so fun, interesting, spontaneous, energetic, silly, and enjoyable. I've been watching the clock all day, because I can't wait to hear how their first day went but also because I'm afraid I'll forget to pick them up! I love that summer allows us to go when we want, stay when we want, go to bed early or late, get up early or late and just be with each other. Well, I'm sure I'll get used to having them gone again and this will be normal but until then here's some sweet first-day-of-school pictures of my kiddos (I've been looking at them all day)...

Brody starts preschool next week so I have to miss another kid three days a week. Embry's gonna love having Mama all to herself!