Mom on the Go

D.A.R.E.

2012-01-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

The D.A.R.E. program wasn't around when I was in school, but Sara loved it and even completed the soda challenge. From what I learned at the graduation it is an amazing program and the police do a great job of teaching the kids about drugs and alcohol in a fun way. They get to see what smoking does to the lungs and what the effects of drug and alcohol use are. The kids make the decision now (usually before they have been exposed) not to use drugs or alcohol or smoke. They also learn what to do if offered any of these harmful substances.

While I am a huge fan of this program does the graduation really need to last 1 1/2 hours? I mean it was long enough listening to three kids read their essays and reading all the kids names while they went up front to get their certificate; then we had to watch the video of the kids participating in the program and the officers performed some songs in a band. I mean seriously? It was a school night and after getting ice cream it was 9:00pm.

We have learned our lesson and when Brandon graduates we will send him with a friend or just one of us will take him instead of going as a family.

Sara with her friend Trinitee in their D.A.R.E. shirts before graduation.

Little People

2012-01-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

After the craziness of November and December we have been staying home and not doing much. It has been nice getting back into our routine, even though no one has adjusted well to getting up early again. I have been doing a lot of cleaning, organizing and purging. For some reason I don't get the spring cleaning bug, I get the after Christmas/New Year's organizing bug. I think it's when I am helping the kids put away all their new things I just want to clean and organize to make room for it all.

Sophia loves playing with her Little People toys and since we have been hanging out at home she has played with them a lot! I set up her Little People house on one side of the room and the zoo on the other side- with all the animals. Then I showed her how to load the people in the bus at the house and drive them to the zoo to see the animals.

Taking a break to pick her toes.

And the other one.

Okay, back to the Little People. Once I gave her some ideas she played for a long time by herself and was more than happy to clean them all up when it was time for lunch. Love her!

Random December fun 2011

2012-01-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

Sophie with Santa at the Festival of Trees. I don't think she liked him very much :)

Sophia won't sit on our lap anymore when we read her bedtime story. She only wants to sit in the chair next to us. It's kind of hard to fit, but she loves it!

Sara had lots of performances this month at different schools and she did such a great job! She really enjoys performing with this group and has made lots of friends.

Sophie playing quietly with her Zoobles. She loves the baby Zoobles and has already lost one- they are so stinkin' small!

Snow fun with Sophia

2012-01-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

We finally got a enough snow that it needed to be shoveled. I made a deal with Ben that if he took Brandon to pack meeting I would shovel the driveway. I got Sophie all bundled up and we went outside. Sophie had lots of fun playing and walking in the snow while I shoveled. She really liked laying down in the snow and singing Jingle Bells over and over.

She also had fun throwing snow at me. Sophia loves being outside and she doesn't care if it's warm or snowing.

Elf on the Shelf

2012-01-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

My mom got us Elf on the Shelf this year for my birthday. After much debate and a vote we chose to name him Scoot. He was only around for a couple of days before Christmas, but the kids loved it! The first night he was hiding in our tree.

The second night he got a bowl of popcorn and decided to watch a movie. He has a cute story and I love the fact that he watches the kids all day and reports to Santa each night. What a fun new tradition for our family!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T00:50:00.000-08:00

We went to Utah December 17-20 for Christmas and it was great to spend time with family! The kids loved being with Grandma and playing with cousins and I had fun shopping and visiting.

Santa stopped in for a visit and Sophie sat on his lap just long enough to get her present.

I love having Christmas at home! Since it was on a Sunday this year we let the kids wake us up early, so we could get presents done before we went to church. Sophia didn't want anything to do with her oranges this year- she went straight for the chocolate.

Ben is trying to get his mints back from Sophia by trading her for an orange. She didn't fall for it.

Brandon was excited to get a remote control beyblade.

Sara got the i-pod nano she has been wanting.

Brandon's new digital camera.

Not a day goes by around here without Sophie sitting in time out.

We got a kinect and everyone likes playing it.

Here are some funny videos of Ben and I playing Fruit Ninja on the kinect. We had to try it out after the kids went to bed. We were both sore for a few days after.

Decorating the christmas tree

2011-12-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

We set up the Christmas tree when we got back from Utah after Thanksgiving. It took a couple of days to set it up, put the lights on and then put the ornaments on.

Here's Ben untangling the lights.

Sophia is fixing her purple tree in her room.

For the first few days Sophia would constantly take the candy canes off the big tree and put them on her tree, then put them back on the big tree. Now she leaves it all alone which is so nice! I love all my Christmas decorations, but they create a lot of clutter. I really like when we can take them down and pack them away until next year.

Orange belt

2011-12-22T21:19:00.000-08:00

Brandon tested for and got his orange belt. It was kind of hard to get a good picture of him because he was always moving! He did great and I am so proud of him.

15 Year Anniversary

2011-12-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

For our 15 year anniversary we stayed in Park City. Unfortunately there wasn't any snow, so we couldn't do the snowmobile tour I had planned. Instead we went to the Olympic museum and learned all about the famous Utah snow and the Salt Lake City olympics.

We got to see some skiers practicing their jumps.

We went ice skating, walked up and down Main street, and shopped at the outlets.

We stayed at the Newpark Resort & Hotel and it was AMAZING! We had our own private hot tub, that we enjoyed every night.

The living room with t.v. and fireplace. To the left of the couch is a full-size fridge, sink, stove and dishes. I loved the exposed wood beams.

The bedroom was small, but I didn't mind at all.

The bathroom was so nice! There was a separate shower and jetted tub and we got our own robes to use while we stayed there. We had such a fun weekend without the kids! I am grateful everyday to be married to such a wonderful man. I love you honey! Here's to many more years together!

Nativity set

2011-11-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting a Nativity set for a few years, but never found one that I love. My friends mom makes them, but she only fires them in the Spring and I always forget to call her. I mean who is thinking of buying a nativity set in May? Anyway, I saw my friend and her mom at a craft fair recently and mentioned again that I really wanted one. She called me a few days later and she had found a set that was almost done- it only needed a couple more times in the kiln. Of course I bought it and I was so excited when she dropped it off a few days ago, so I had to set it up and take pictures.

The three wise men.

The holy family.

All the animals. Three camels, a donkey and a cow.

Two shepherds.

I'm in love and it makes me so happy every time I look at it!

Back from China

2011-11-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

Three weeks was a long time, but I made it and Ben got home safely. Sophie was kind of amazed that Daddy could hold her and kiss her again.

Brandon got a Buddha that he really wanted.

Sophie in her cute dress.

Sara and Brandon in their outfits.

Brandon trying a chicken foot. Gross!

Daddy brought Sophie a tea set.

Cute pictures from October

2011-11-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

Sophia gets to do chores on Saturday morning with Sara and Brandon. Her chores are bringing her dirty clothes to the laundry room and putting the shoes away. As you can see she LOVES it!

Snuggling with Sophie before Daddy leaves on his trip to China.

Sophie "watching baby' videos on Daddy's phone.

Typical morning around here. Sophie eating a pop-tart, drinking milk and watching Dora.

My new smart phone! I got this while Ben was in China and I was so scared that he would be mad. He wasn't after I told him I got two years of free data :)

Halloween part 3

2011-11-01T21:30:00.001-07:00

I finally got pictures of Sara and Brandon in their costumes on Halloween right before they left to go trick-or-treating. Ben was still working in China, so Sara and Brandon went trick-or-treating with friends and I took Sophie out around our house quickly before getting back to hand out candy.

Brandon was a Gryffindor student.

Sophia loved knocking on the door, saying trick-or-treat and thank you. She was really into it this year and even though the weather was horrible she would have stayed out longer.

Sara was an 80's chick

Everyone came home with lots of candy!

I'm so happy Halloween is over and I can't wait to have all the decorations down and the candy gone! Bring on Thanksgiving and Christmas my two favorite holidays!

Halloween part 2

2011-11-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

The friday before Halloween was a busy night for us! We started off at the kids school for their annual Halloween carnival. Sophia loved playing the games this year and getting more candy.

Sophia getting her face painted

Brandon getting his face painted

Sophia loves dumping out her candy and then putting it back in.

We stayed at the carnival for an hour then went over to our ward dinner/party/trunk-or-treat. Sara had her first middle school social that night too, so after we ate dinner I left Brandon and Sophia at the church and took Sara back to the school. When our ward party was over I got Brandon and Sophia in bed then went and got Sara from school when the social was over. I was so happy when that day was done, but unfortunately Halloween was not over.

Halloween part 1

2011-11-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

This year I thought Sophia would look so cute as an M&M, so we borrowed the costume from a friend. She would not put it on. Everyone in the family tried talking her into it, but she would have none of it. Next I borrowed a tiger costume from a different friend. She let me put it on her, but then when I took her in front of the mirror to see herself she said, "Really all done. Take it off" and wouldn't put it back on. Next I tried a Care Bear costume that I had. It was a little big for her, but I just rolled up the sleeves. She hated it! I finally decided to choose something for her and not try it on before. I chose a ladybug. I bought the headband and wings, black shirt and black pants. I made the cute red and black tutu.

She did not like it much at first,

but warmed up after a bit.

Ben was still working in China, so I took Sophia to Melaleuca before her nap and the older kids went after school with a friend. As Sophia started getting candy she forgot all about her costume and had so much fun following the footprints.

Some areas were a little scary for her, but she liked Scooby.

The IT department did Plants vs. Zombies and Angry Birds. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Utah in October

2011-11-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

The kids didn't have school Monday and Tuesday October 23rd and 24th because of parent-teacher conference, so we went down to Utah for a couple of days. On Sunday we drove up in the mountains to see the pretty colors and find some leaves.

My sister Rachel and her adorable little girl Emma came with us.

Grandma and Olivia

My brother Aaron and his wife Nicole came up with their kids and my other brother Owen came up with his wife Crissy and their kids.

Raking the leaves into a big pile so they could jump in and throw them.

Brandon may have started a war with my brother Aaron by shoving leaves down his shirt. My brother got him back by shoving leaves down Brandon's shirt and up his pant legs. The kids had so much fun!

Sara

2011-10-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

What can I say about my Sara? I have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows with her. I really do love her and the beautiful young woman she is growing up to be. She is going to be 12 next year and in Young Women's. I can't believe it! I took some pictures in our backyard and they turned out great! All of the poses are her own ideas. Enjoy.

Corn maze

2011-10-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

This is something I never would have done without Ben because I am so bad with directions. We were doing our best to fit a lot of family time in with Ben leaving.

Deciding which maze to go in. Of course Sophia had to be part of it.

Walking in the maze. Sophia loved it! She is very easy going and just liked walking or jumping along and being with everyone.

We got started a little late, so it got dark while we were still in the maze having fun. I brought two flashlights which was really only one because Sophie had to have one at all times and she didn't exactly keep in pointed at the ground so we could see where we were going. We had fun finding the check points and punching our maps.

Ben got us out of the maze and then we had fun doing all the other activities.

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-30T22:05:00.000-07:00

Since we didn't carve pumpkins last year I promised the kids we would do it this year. With Ben leaving for China on October 18th we had to do it a little early so he could participate. Sophia had a lot of fun scooping out her little pumpkin and choosing the shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth.

Brandon and Sara were old enough to do their own, and it was so nice! I helped taping the pictures on and that's about it.

Sara and Brandon took a couple of days to finish theirs, but the got them done without any help from me or Ben.

Too bad I didn't get a picture of them all finished, but they turned out great!

September happenings

2011-10-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sophia loves playing shapes, letters, animals and fruit ninja on the ipod touch.

Potty training............didn't happen. We'll try again in a few months.

Someone spent too much time playing in her bed. If she can reach it, she will find a way to get it in her crib to play with it until someone comes to rescue her. Thankfully she hasn't figured out how to climb out yet.

Sophia "helping" daddy fix the fridge.

Ben has been working late A LOT the past few weeks, so when he came home one night and Sophie was still awake he took the time to play with her.

We went to a local orchard and picked apples. We had so much fun and the weather was perfect!

I love the routine of school, but I am so busy running kids all over and working on homework and projects. Life is so good right now, but I will be playing single mom for three weeks when Ben goes to China for work. I hope we all survive!

Brandon is 9!

2011-09-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Somehow Brandon grew up and turned 9 years old today. He is such a great kid and helpful in every way. He loves scouts and is becoming quite a gentleman. He just started martial arts and loves it! He is very smart and loves math (if only he would remember his homework!) He loves having fun, playing video games and being with his friends.

This is the cake he wanted this year. Thanks for taking it easy on me bud!

He wanted his party on his actual birthday this year, so he invited some friends over after school. We ate cake and ice cream, then opened presents. I have a hard time with birthday parties at my house and trying to entertain lots of kids, so we went to the movie theatre and saw Zookeeper.

Brandon got a Beyblade stadium and a new tornado Beyblade from Sara and Sophia.

Ben and I got him a Swiss Army pocket knife.

Brandon and Ben battling with Sophia cheering them on!

Brandon is such a fun, easy-going kid and an absolute joy to have in our family! Love you buddy!

Rigby Lake

2011-09-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day we had some fun at Rigby Lake. I don't know why I didn't take the kids sooner, because it is such a fun place! It's only 15-20 minutes from our house with plenty of grass, sand for the kids to play in, a playground and water with a slide!

We dug out this inflatable boat for the kids to play with and found out it has a hole somewhere because we pumped it up multiple times.

Ben even went down the slide.

We tried to get Sophie to take a nap, but it never worked. She was grumpy that night, so she went to bed early. Now that we know how great it is at Rigby Lake we will be there a lot next summer!

Idaho State Fair

2011-09-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

I love going to the fair! It is the beginning of Fall, so the weather is usually perfect. I love seeing all the animals, watching the kids play, shopping and eating fair food.

Sara performed at the fair this year and did such a good job!

The kids each get to pick out one treat and Brandon always gets a tiger ear. He is pretty proud of himself because he can eat the whole thing by himself.

This one's for you Aaron. I had to get a picture just for you (go ahead and sing the song now- I know you want to).

Sara chose a caramel apple and I had ice cream. We also got cotton candy for the kids to share. We had a great time, but I was ready to go after a few hours. I can only handle that many people for so long!

Random August Fun 2011

2011-09-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

One night Sara and Brandon got some socks on and were sliding on the floor. Sophia had to join in, but couldn't do it by herself. Daddy got to run back and forth with her so she could slide like the big kids.

At night when Sara and Brandon were supposed to be brushing their teeth they would wander around the house, so we told them that they could not cross the line at the end of the bannister. Sophie now stands in her spot every night to brush her teeth.

Brandon got to help me make dinner one night to pass off something for Scouts. He wasn't too excited when I told him he would be making meatballs.

Sara learned how to mow the lawn.

Ben's sister Misty and her family from Michigan stayed with us for a couple of days.

Cute curls I did on Sophie one day when I had some extra time.

Ben taught Brandon how to solve a Rubix Cube.

Sophie playing her Leapster while the big kids are in school.

We got a juicer and have been drinking lots of fresh juice. YUM!!

Brandon earned his Wolf!

Sophie playing dress-up with Sara. We had such a fun summer, but I am ready for the routine that school days bring.

First day of school

2011-08-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Brandon is in 3rd grade this year with Mr. Graham.

Sara is in middle school this year (6th grade). She got a locker and gets to go to lots of fun classes.

Camping at Lava Hot Springs 2011

2011-08-27T17:02:00.000-07:00

We went camping at Lava Hot Springs again this year with our good friends Matt and Windy Anderson and their boys Matthew, Jeffrey, Christopher and Eddie. Sara was in Las Vegas with her performing group, so Ben and I just had Brandon and Sophia.

Sophia loved being in the water and cried whenever she had to get out.

Brandon had fun playing with the boys, going on the slides, and jumping off all three platforms. Good luck finding him in this picture- he kind of blends in with his blue swim shirt. Unfortunately Matthew got hurt going off the tallest platform and got to ride in an ambulance to the hospital in Pocatello to get checked out. He was okay, but had to take it easy for the rest of the weekend.

Watching Rio in the Anderson's camper.

Sophie loved this car, but wasn't such a good driver. Good thing Christopher was there to be her chauffeur.

This year we decided to float the river and the boys had to much fun. I just might try it next year.

While the boys were floating the river we found an ice cream shop and stopped in for a treat.

The boys got to play miniature golf. Sophie played too in her own special way that only took 2 minutes.

Windy and Eddie

Sophia made friends with this nice dog at the tube rental place and they had a nice long conversation. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Bear Lake 2011

2011-08-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Bear Lake this year! We stayed at the KOA again which I love because there is shade and grass and lots of fun things to do there. We got to borrow our awesome neighbor's pop-up trailer and when we were done setting it up Ben and Sophie spent some time relaxing.

It's always hard camping with little kids who are crawling, but not yet walking. This is my adorable niece Olivia playing while her mommy and daddy were setting up their tent.

The kids loved playing in the trailer and one of Sophia's favorite things to do now is have a tea party. This is Sara, Sophia, Jessica and Mitchell having a tea party with juice and pickles.

Olivia eating sand. Love it!

My nephew Chandler got to stay with us and Brandon really liked having someone closer to his age to play with. It was an overcast day, so we all put sunscreen on in the morning and didn't have to worry about it again. These boys only got out of the water to eat, so their faces were a little red at the end of the day. Oops!

Grandma Esau, Sophia, my brother Aaron, Tristan and Sara playing in the sand and building sand castles.

Here is what the parents do- sit under the shade and watch the kids play. From left to right: my brother Owen, Ben, my brother Dennis and my brother-in-law Matt.

Ben and Matt holding their babies. We usually stay at the beach all day, so when the kids get too cranky we try and get them to take a nap.

The mommies visiting and watching the kids play. From left to right: my sister-in-law Nicole, my sister-in-law Crissy and my sister Rachel.

My younger brother Owen showing off his arrow while drinking a capri sun. So manly!

We always rent banana bikes for the kids. They love riding around the campsite!

Brandon and Chandler in the pool. If they couldn't be in the lake they were in the pool.

More fun at the KOA.

Ben and Aaron playing horse shoes.

Sophia loved the playground.

I don't know why, but she thought this little house belonged to Benny the Bull from Dora the Explorer. We had to look for him in his house, but unfortunately he was never there.

We have to get our yummy snow cones on the last day.

This year after we left the KOA on Sunday we drove around to the East side of the lake to have lunch and play in the water again. I couldn't believe how high the water was this year. It hasn't been that high since I was a teenager.

We are all very tired by the end of our little vacation and I envy the kids because they can just crash anywhere. Sophie slept like this for about 30 minutes while we let the kids play in the water and stayed asleep for 2 hours after we put her in the van.

Until next year Bear Lake!

Random July fun

2011-08-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

Sophia's typical breakfast is a pop tart and milk.

Sophia loves having her nails painted.

We finally got a new bike for Ben and installed a seat on the back for Sophie. Despite her expression in this picture she loves going on bike rides and asks constantly.

Watching Stargate with Daddy.

Sometimes we have a hard time getting her to take off the helmet.

Curling Sophie's hair Sunday morning. She sits so still for me and enjoys making faces at herself in the mirror, or playing her Leapster.

Watching Dora on t.v. downstairs.

Sophie loves playing outside and if water is involved it's even better. We got this pool for her last year, but it had a small leak in it and we had to throw it out.

I finally found a hard plastic pool and she loves it! She doesn't care how cold the water is- she will sit down or swim in it for a long time. The only problem is no one wants to stay outside with her, so she comes in and out of the house dripping wet. My floors are then wet and the next time she comes inside she usually slips and falls on the wet floor :( Not fun!

Rexburg splash park

2011-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

For some reason we had never been here before and it was so much fun! It is a free splash park in Rexburg with slides and water shooting up from the ground for the kids to run through.

Sophia was a little scared at first, but after she warmed up she loved running through the water.

It was kind of overcast and windy, so it wasn't very busy.

There is also an antique wooden carousel that costs $1 per ride.

When the kids were done getting wet we played at the playground for a little bit.

We had so much fun and will be going back for sure! Maybe on a nicer day so the kids aren't so cold.

New garbage disposal

2011-08-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Besides fixing the sprinkler system and the automatic sliding door on the van Ben got to replace the garbage disposal. It had been leaking slowly for awhile, and for some reason we never noticed it. Sunday afternoon I found it and there was much grossness under the sink! It took a couple of days, but Ben figured it out and it now works great!

I'm so glad Ben is willing to try fixing these things by himself first. I am constantly amazed at the things he takes on and fixes perfectly!

Melaleuca Picnic 2011

2011-08-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

After a three year break we were finally able to go to the Melaleuca picnic.

Sara and Brandon take off with friends and I don't usually see them at all unless it's time to eat, so this is the only picture I got of them. They had so much fun playing all the games, getting prizes, eating popcorn, snow cones and cotton candy, and going on the rides.

This was the only ride Sophie could go on, so she was on it a lot!

Sophie loved getting wet until she got sprayed by the fire truck hose. Then she started crying and said "really all done".

Ben got to hang out with friends and play a little hackey sack.

Sophie loved the snow cones and ice cream. Good thing we had lots of wipes!

Cute hairstyle

2011-08-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

Sophia is very good about letting me do her hair. Usually I don't have much time, so I just do something simple. This day we had nothing going on, so I took my time and came up with something fun.

Scoop Jam 2011

2011-08-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

We went to scoop jam this year and it was so fun! All you can eat ice cream from noon-4pm for $7.

The kids could go in the bounce houses for free.

We met some friends and ate LOTS of yummy ice cream from places like Orange Leaf, Reed's Dairy and Cold Stone. There were 7 ice cream vendors total, so we had a lot to choose from. The lines were kind of long, but moved pretty fast.

This is a tradition we will continue doing!

Helping

2011-07-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

As I've said before Sophia loves her popsicles! One day Brandon and Sophia were playing outside and Brandon came in to see if he could give Sophia a popsicle. I said yes, but as soon as she was done she needed to go down for her nap. He came in a little while later to let me know she was done and I told him to take a washrag outside and clean her up. I walked out to bring her in for her nap and this is what I found. Sophia was laughing and they were both having fun. Love it!

One of my favorite things

2011-07-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

I love it when my kids are quietly reading. Of course I have to force them to every day, and they grumble while they get their book and find a place to read, but after that..........Ahhhhhhhhh. Bliss.

4th of July

2011-07-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Over the long 4th of July weekend we did some of our own fireworks and Sophia especially loved the pop-its. She would throw them down and if the didn't pop (which they usually didn't) she would step on them. She is not afraid of the fireworks at all and says loud, or boom boom.

I think it's necessary for every kid to play in the hose naked. OK, so she's not completely naked, but she doesn't have a diaper on, so it counts. I just didn't want to cover her entire body in sunscreen.

On the 4th we always go to our friends house for a barbecue and fireworks extravaganza! This year they rented a bounce house for the kids and they had so much fun!

After lunch Ben had some time to relax and talk with his girls.

Everyone who comes brings some fireworks and they all get set up and fused together. This little city is complete with army men and small containers of gasoline to keep things going. It is really loud, but the kids LOVE it!

The aftermath. The soldiers get collected to use again next year as veterans, and the whole thing gets hosed down and put in the garbage. Their driveway recovers remarkably well each year.

After this we head over to the soccer fields on the other side of town to watch the fireworks display by Melaleuca. We are pretty far away from the river where they are set off, but we get home quickly, it is a lot less crowded, and the kids get to run around before the fireworks get started. Next year Sara said she wants to be closer, so I will probably be with the older kids by the river and Ben will go with Sophia out to the soccer fields. We made sure Sophia got a nice long nap, so she was fine staying up late. Sophia of course loved the "big boom booms" and would call out every color she saw in the sky. We had such a fun weekend and it's reasons like this why I love living in Idaho Falls!

Utah in June (again) continued.....

2011-07-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

While Ben was back in Idaho working the kids and I had a great time and had a lot of fun adventures. On Tuesday Grandma Esau took Sara and Brandon for the day and went to the movies among other fun things. Sophia and I met up with them for dinner at this fun park.

The kids and I went to The Living Planet Aquarium one day. Sophia was scared of this frog at first, but ended up giving him a kiss. She liked seeing all the fish and the penguins.

Brandon really liked the stingrays and he wanted to feed them instead of getting a souvenir.

Another day we went to Hogle Zoo with my sister-in-law Nicole and her two kids, my other sister-in-law Kim and her five kids and Grandma Esau.

Sara and Olivia

Olivia splashing in the water

Grandma Esau with her grandkids at the end of the day

Sara and I went to a bridal shower for my soon to be sister-in-law Crissy and got glitter toes! Love it!

Finally the day of my brother Owen's wedding was here! Here is my sister Rachel watching Owen's kids Jessica and Mitchell before the wedding.

The wedding started about an hour late, so we had to entertain the kids by taking walks, jumping, playing games, and looking at all the plants.

Of course snacks and treats worked too.

Crissy asked Sara to hold the train of her dress while she walked down the aisle and Sara was so excited to be part of the wedding.

The happy couple......

I mean the happy couple with the best man and maid-of-honor.

After the wedding at the luncheon Eugene the happy clown made an appearance to give the couple some marriage advice. Wow, he looks a lot like my brother- what a coincidence :)

Here is the cake I created. Of course the heat/air conditioning messed with the icing a bit, but I think it turned out beautiful!

Ben had to drive home that night, since he had a training in Boise, so Nicole and I left the reception early and took the kids to see Cars 2. Such a cute movie!

We had such a great time, but we were worn out! It took me a couple of days to recover from the "vacation" to Utah and catch up on all the laundry and housework.

Utah in June (again)

2011-07-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

We drove back to Utah June 17th so we could be at our friend's wedding the next day. Ben's high school friend Matt Barker married his sweetheart Marcela in the Salt Lake Temple and it was so beautiful!

Sophia eating a chocolate covered strawberry

Later that night we went to a reception for Matt and Marcela. Sara and Brandon didn't want to come, so they stayed with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Nicole. Sophia came with us and we had a great time visiting with old friends.

Sophia had a great time playing in the dirt and dancing with Dad.

I always take pictures of wedding cakes, and this one was very pretty.

Sunday was Father's day, so I made sure to bring Ben's presents with us to Utah. He got a Bocce ball set, a new case for his phone and pictures of the kids. The picture is horrible I know, but I am still learning to use my new camera. Ben drove back to Idaho Sunday afternoon because he had to work the next week, while we got to stay in Utah and play!

June 4-5

2011-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

We drove to Utah the first weekend in June and we had a lot to do! The first thing was a bridal shower for Chrissy who is going to marry my brother Owen. My niece Emma is so cute and easy-going and Sara loves holding her!

Brandon even took a break from running around to hold Emma.

After the bridal shower I got to meet up with the girls on Ben's side of the family for dinner/baby shower for my sister-in-law Noel who had a baby boy a few weeks ago.

Sunday morning my entire extended family got together at Murray park for pictures. I haven't seen them yet, but I heard they turned out awesome! After pictures we went to the playground so the little kids could run around and the big kids could try and break something.

After pictures Ben went to the baby blessing for Jared and Noel's cute baby boy and I took the kids to a different park to play for the afternoon. My cousin's little girl Paytin is about 8 months older than Sophie, and they are so cute together!

Ben called when he was done with the blessing, so we picked him up and went to Monte and Kim's house for Craig's birthday party. It was nice to finally relax after running around all weekend!

Pitching machine 2011

2011-07-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

Baseball season starts in June around here, so it's still pretty cold. Most of the time Brandon had to wear his coat and long pants. He was on a really great team this year and had 2 amazing coaches!

He really likes playing and is getting better every year.

Running for home!

June

2011-07-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

I will start with some random fun pictures from June. Sophia loves popsicles and will eat 2-3 every day. I bought the slow melt ones and they are fabulous!

She really likes reading the books Grandma Esau sent her.

I have been trying to get Sophie involved in doing some chores around the house. She seems to like folding towels.

Here is my pile of "folded" kitchen towels. Gee thanks Sophie.

Her new favorite show is Dora the Explorer. Sara is usually watching Netflix on the t.v. and Brandon is playing on the other computer, so Sophie gets set up on Dad's computer with his headphones.

Sara and Brandon are getting much better at playing with Sophia. This night Brandon played with her for a long time building with her blocks and riding the horse.

I taught Brandon how to mow the lawn and he really likes doing it! I think it helps that I pay him.

June was very busy for us, so stay tuned for more of our adventures!

Working on it!

2011-07-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

I am working on editing my pictures so I can update everybody on what we have been doing. I should be done soon, so check back!

May

2011-06-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

Sophia eating her cheese roll-up

So May was totally busy and completely got away from me. The end of the school year is always hectic, but at least I remembered to take pictures.

Playing the Leapster

Sophia is getting better at actually playing the Leapster. She knows where the games are and where she can go to draw.

Whenever Daddy wears his Disney shirt Sophie has to point out Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto.

One morning while I was getting ready Sophie brought me the entire jar of pickles and wanted some for breakfast. I did give her one, but also made her something to eat.

Brandon helped me out by making dinner for Sophie one night.

We did have a couple of warm, sunny days in May and Sophie loves playing outside on Sara's old scooter.

Picnic lunch in the backyard. Hot dog, chips and an Icee.

Usually when Sophie gets up in the morning she has to get as many friends as she can hold. She has her "efelant", 2 Minnie's and 2 Bears. Sometimes she even gets Alvin and Brittney.

Sara had a lot of performances in May. This one was at the Farmer's Market and the weather was actually nice that morning!

Sophia eating dinner with Sara's sunglasses on.

Sophia is also learning to use the Leap pad. Her favorite book is Finding Nemo. She doesn't always remember to touch the green circle when she turns the page, but she loves hearing all the noises when she touches the pictures. I don't know if I will be much better at updating the blog this summer, but hopefully I can do something once a month :)

April misc.

2011-05-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sara and Sophia playing the "game"

We found Brandon's old Leapster for her so she can play her own "game" anytime she wants. She mostly just turns in on and off.

Sophia and I went to McDonald's one day and the first thing she does is dump out all the fries. Then she puts her hand over them and says "mine".

Sophia watching the storm.

Sophia loves reading books!

Pinewood Derby

2011-05-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Our first time making a Pinewood Derby car was a complete disaster! Ben and I are not competitive people, so Brandon had complete control and painted and did the whole thing by himself. The only thing I did was buy the kit and start the screws.

He did an x-box 360 car.

It weighed in at exactly 5 ounces, but there must have been something wrong with the wheels because the car couldn't even cross the finish line. So sad! Maybe next year Brandon can work with someone else and make a car that can actually compete.

Sara's haircut

2011-05-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sara has been asking me for about a month now if she can get her hair cut. One day after school I took both her and Brandon (two birds- one stone). She told me she wanted to cut it short and I never thought she would actually do it. It looks so cute on her and she LOVES it!

Shatter

2011-04-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Sara got the coolest new nail polish in her easter basket called Shatter by OPI. It just came out and is really hard to find, but the lady that does my nails held a bottle for me because I knew Sara would love it. Here is the before......

and here is the after. I love it and Sara said it was her favorite thing in her easter basket this year. Hopefully soon they will come out with other colors besides black.

Tea Party

2011-04-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

One Sunday after church Sara wanted to have a tea party with Brandon. Brandon on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it. Sara promised him that he could sit in "her seat" in the van for two weeks, that he could use the t.v. downstairs whenever he wanted to for two weeks and a bunch of other things like that. The negotiations went on throughout sacrament meeting until they both signed a paper agreeing to the final stipulations (I have no clue what those are).

As soon as we got home from church Sara set up the whole thing in her room while Brandon waited on the couch in the front room. He was not happy about doing the tea party and even less happy when I came in to take a picture, but he did it and I think he enjoyed whatever he got for two weeks. I think Sara will be overjoyed when Sophie gets a little older and wants to do things like this. Hopefully by that time Sara hasn't outgrown it.

Yellowstone Bear World

2011-04-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

We finally went to Yellowstone Bear World after living here for over 6 years! We never went before because it is expensive, but the weekend we went we got in for half price and we can go back anytime this season for half price.

The kids loved the rides and Sara really liked going on them with Sophie. It was overcast and kind of rainy, but it wasn't very crowded which I loved!

Brandon found some friends from school and from Scouts, so they hung out and went on rides the whole time. I don't think he even saw the new baby bear cubs.

The babies were so cute, but very wild! Sara and Sophie got to pet them and watch while they drank a bottle.

We did the drive-thru wildlife park last and it must have been nap time because most of the animals were sleeping.

We did see a few bears that were awake and one even came over to check out the van. We had to leave the windows rolled up the whole time, so I was happy that the windows were pretty clean. When we left everyone was STARVING, so we ate at Big Jud's for dinner. Sophie didn't get much of a nap, so she was totally cranky, but overall it was really fun!

Easter fun

2011-04-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have nice weather this year for Easter! I wanted to do all the fun worldly Easter things on Saturday and then on Sunday remember the real reason we celebrate Easter. We started out with lunch and playing at the park. Sophia's favorite part is the slide.

Sara and Brandon even had fun playing.

I love this picture of Sophia playing with the bark at the playground. She would grab lots of the bark then jump up and throw it- when she was done she had it all over in her hair and on her clothes.

When we got home from the park the Easter Bunny had come and hidden the kids baskets and some eggs in the yard. Sophia got lots of fun toys, but of course she liked the jelly beans the most.

Sophia had fun finding all her eggs hidden in the grass even though I had to walk around with her to point them all out.

Sophie got really excited when she found out there was candy inside. She opened all her eggs and dumped the candy in her bucket- then ate a lot of it!

Sara and Brandon had fun too, but they were moving so fast I couldn't get very many pictures of them. They each had one magic egg with $2 inside! We all had such a fun day!

Yummy ice cream

2011-04-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Sara was doing something with her friends one night, so I decided to take Brandon and Sophia to Cold Stone. Sophia loves ice cream!

When Brandon leaves for a minute Sophia decides she needs to try some of his ice cream.

Brandon takes his ice cream back, but is nice enough to share with his sister.

Brandon moves his ice cream farther away hoping that Sophia will leave it alone and eat her own ice cream. Nope, she just reaches farther and still gets what she wants.

In the end Sophia decides she is done with her ice cream and only wants Brandon's. He is nice enough to indulge her. Ahhhhhhhhh, the life of the youngest most spoiled child.

Park

2011-04-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but when I upload photos I just see the code and not the photo. Kind of weird! Anyways, we have had a couple of nice days here in Eastern Idaho and Ben took Sophia to the park to run around. She loves being outside and going on the slide and cries whenever they come home and she has to be inside again. I cannot wait for summer when she can play outside all day every day!

Sara update

2011-04-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

While I was waiting for our appointment at Primary Children's I wondered if we could get an earlier appointment in Boise at St. Luke's Children's Hospital. I called the pediatrician back and asked him to refer us to St. Luke's. We got an appointment 2 weeks later! I was a little nervous because I have never driven to Boise before, and I had no idea where anything was.

The doctor was not planning on doing the scope, but after talking to Sara he decided it would be a good thing to do. Luckily for us he was able to fit us in that afternoon.

The pictures from the scope looked normal, but we would have to wait 5-7 days for results to come back from the blood work and biopsies. Turns out there was some damage in her esophagus either from acid reflux or an allergy, but all tests done for celiac disease came back negative. The tests for food allergies all came back negative, so we are pretty sure we are dealing with severe acid reflux. The doctor called in a prescription and Sara has been taking it for a couple of weeks now. It will take about a month to see any results and we are driving back to Boise in May for a follow up.

I am so happy that nothing is seriously wrong, and that we finally have some answers! All the doctors and nurses at St. Luke's were amazing and I will happily drive to Boise again.

New Computer!!

2011-04-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ben finally got a new computer. He ordered all the parts online and built it himself. He is so happy! Our old computer was only about 10 years old, so it was definitely time for a new one.

Ben can't do anything around here without "help" from at least one child.

Sophia liked playing in the big, empty box.

Headlamps aren't just for camping!

Brandon likes learning new things and spending time with Dad. Ben got some new water cooler thing for the processor. He says it's amazing!

Ben says this little part that the red arrows are pointing at is the best and most amazing part of the computer. I can't remember what it's called, but it was around $300 so it must be AWESOME! I don't remember any specific information about what size or how much of whatever is in the new computer, so if you want to know ask Ben.

The new computer is finished and Ben is busy installing everything and moving files and stuff over from the old computer. Now the kids will have a nice computer all to themselves and hopefully will stay off my laptop.

New toy

2011-04-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

So I bought this tent for Sophia for Christmas and never gave it to her. One night she was cranky and bored, so I sent Brandon down to the storage room to get it. I love having older kids who can do things without my help- Brandon got the tent out and only needed a little help securing the poles.

Sophia likes throwing all her toys in it, then throwing them all out again. She tolerates Sara and Brandon playing in it, but just barely. Most of the time she screams until they get out.

Bowling

2011-04-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

For Sophia's birthday Grandma Esau got her this Mickey Mouse bowling set and a new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse dvd. Sophia loves both of them!

Lucky for me Sophia doesn't care how the bowling pins are set up. She just stands them all up and then throws the balls at them to knock them all down.

We have a Picasso

2011-04-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Sophia loves to draw and color! We all have to watch her closely because if we leave her alone too long she will find things to draw on besides paper. We also have to make sure that all the writing utensils are put up, or she will find them. So far she has drawn on her little table,

the kitchen table,

the wall,

and the couch. Luckily I can easily clean what she has drawn on, or I don't have to look at it because it's downstairs :)

The time Sara was grounded

2011-03-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

I finally got fed up with Sara's bad attitude. Most days she walks around with a nasty look on her face and is mean to everyone. It really made me mad that she thinks she has such a hard life, so I decided to show her just how hard her life could be. She was only allowed to go to school and was grounded from all electronics, birthday parties and practices for 1 week. Everyday after she finished her homework I had a list of chores for her to do. I loved it because my house has never been cleaner and I didn't have to do any of the work. She had a lot of time for reading and even read a whole book from start to finish.

One day she had a tea party for her stuffed animal friends. It looks like they had doritos, cheez-its and water. In the end I think it worked because she has been a lot happier and nicer to the whole family.

Ketchup and helicopters

2011-03-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

The best part of any meal for Sophia is the ketchup. Sometimes she dips food in the ketchup, but lately she has just been using her finger.............

or her paci. She has even picked up the little container and tried to drink it.

Daddy loves flying his helicopter over Sophie's head and now instead of just ducking, she covers her head and runs away. When Daddy ~~crashes~~ lands the helicopter she has to be the one to pick it up and put it on the coffee table or she throws a fit.

Tag

2011-03-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

The kids love playing tag with Dad. They ask at least once a week. When Sophia was younger she would cry because she didn't get that it was a game and the kids were screaming because they were having so much fun. Now she joins in the fun and loves running after everyone.

Tag is so much fun to watch!

Finger painting

2011-03-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

I recently bought new finger paints because all of mine were very old and I thought Sophia would like using them. Sara saw them and wanted to finger paint, so I got everything out while Sara covered the table with newspaper. I took Sophia's clothes off and showed her what to do. She had a great time making a mess and not getting in trouble.

Sara changed into a paint shirt and had fun with Sophia.

After painting on lots and lots of papers the girls got bored and started painting on themselves.

Here is Sophie right before she got in the bathtub for a bubble bath.

Sophie loves playing with her letters and Nemo toys in the bathtub. She is usually in the bathtub for a good 30 minutes before she gets bored.

Sophia's birthday

2011-03-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

So I bought more room on this blog and figured out how to resize my pictures- I am back in business! Sophia's birthday was on March 13th and while she was taking her nap Sara went and got her balloons. She was so excited when she woke up!

We went to Leo's Place for pizza.

Sophia loved the parmesan cheese.

She got to open all her presents.

Sophia got some new toys and Sara gave her some of her Littlest Pet Shop animals that she doesn't play with anymore.

Sophia loved her cupcakes.

She also liked the play area and going down the big slide with Brandon and Sara.

When we got home Sara and Sophia had a little time before bed to play with the new toys. It was a fun day, but my life with a 2 year old has not been easy.

No more room

2011-03-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

So because I didn't resize my pictures I am out of room on this blog :( Never fear though, I am learning how to resize them on my mac and getting more storage space for this blog. I should be able to post all my cute pictures soon!

Random happenings

2011-03-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind, so here's what we've been up to the last couple of weeks. Ben and Brandon love flying their helicopters and Sophia loves "helping".

Since the new Maverick opened down the street I have been going there almost every day for a soda and Sophia usually gets an Icee. She knows when we pull up and as soon as we get inside she runs to the cups and gets one out for me to fill for her. One night after FHE we went to Maverick for frozen yogurt and now all Sophia wants is "ice cream" from Maverick and if I ask if she wants an Icee she says no and gets a bowl by the frozen yogurt. I wouldn't mind if she has some it's just the mess I don't like. I mean cleaning this up once in a while isn't a big deal, but everyday? No thanks!

Sophia loves sitting on her couch reading books or the flyers out of movie cases.

The fan went out in our fridge again, so while we waited for the part to arrive we had to pull the fridge out far enough to put a fan back there to keep it cool so we could keep it running. Brandon got to help Dad put the new part in and then put the fan in the back of the fridge. He loves helping and learning new things.

Sophia is so funny when she sits on her couch and zones out watching her movies.

Here's Sophia's lunch one day- peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pretzels and a "sun". YUMMY! She made a nice sticky mess with the sandwich :)

Sophia's reach

2011-02-28T13:22:00.000-08:00

Sophia has figured out how to get just about anything she wants. She drags her stool, or a chair over to the counter and climbs up. She knows which drawer her movies are in and she will get the one she wants to watch and bring it to you- the problem is when you say "no more movies". She will throw a massive fit! The only safe place now is the top of the fridge!

Ben cooking?

2011-02-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

One of Ben's high school friends came up to Idaho and stayed with us for a couple of days. While he was here he wanted to make dinner and he talked Ben into helping. Ben actually did a lot of the cooking under the close supervision of his friend.

They made prosciutto wrapped asparagus, mushroom and artichoke chicken, and an amazing french silk pie! It was awesome and I loved sitting and watching instead of cooking! Thanks again guys!

Valentine's Banner

2011-02-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

I found this cute banner online from My Computer is My Canvas. I love how it turned out and hopefully there will be a lot more love around here!

Carrots and Oreos

2011-02-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

Sara had been sick for a couple of days and when she feels good enough to eat she feels like carrots. I guess I didn't have any little ones, so she got a big one, peeled it and ate the whole thing. For some reason Brandon gets in on the action and pretty soon all my carrots are gone. When I went to the store on Tuesday I bought a bag of the snack size carrots and they were gone that day!

After Family Home Evening one night we had Oreo cookies for our treat. Ben got Sophie a container of milk just her size so she can "dip, dip" just like the big kids.

Big bite!

When she was done with her cookies she had to drink the milk. So cute!

Yummy frosting and a new cake

2011-02-03T18:41:00.000-08:00

I recently found this new recipe for buttercream frosting that I am in love with! I seriously had to convince myself that there was no way I could possibly fit inside the bowl and eat my way out. Go here for the recipe: www.wilton.com/recipe/Chocolate-Buttercream-Icing.

I made this cake for our friends birthday. I got the call Thursday night and the party was on Saturday, so I didn't have a lot of time to do anything fancy. I just bought real poker chips and stuck them on. It might have been fun to make them out of fondant if I had more time. I really enjoy making cakes- especially small ones so I can practice my writing and borders. I am getting better with each cake I do and I am still surprised when people pay me!

Hair Twirling

2011-02-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

Sophia loves twirling her hair, so I have to make sure she can or she will pull some out and ruin a cute hairstyle. She usually does it when she's going to sleep or when she's zoning out.

I'm such a good driver right?

And the diaper comes off!

2011-02-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

One morning I changed Sophia's diaper then went to get her some clothes for the day. When I came back out she had taken off her diaper and was watching her show naked. While I was taking cute pictures that I can't post on the internet she made a "messy, messy" on the floor, so I had to put the camera away and get the diaper back on. It hasn't happened again, so I think as long as she has clothes on she will leave her diaper on. Here's hoping!

Sara's sandwich

2011-02-03T18:05:00.000-08:00

Here is what Sara made for lunch the other day. She put a piece of bread with cheese on it into the microwave to melt the cheese. Then she put cheese and sour cream chips on it with lettuce.

Of course she had to add a garnish to the top to make it look pretty. Looks disgusting to me, but Sara ate the whole thing!

Playing in the bathroom

2011-02-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

Sara was doing a great job the other day playing with Sophia. They were putting the bath toys in a line, messing them up and doing it again.

Of course the entire bucket got dumped out and then Sophia had fun cleaning them all up. I love it when the kids play nicely together!

Pickle

2011-02-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

We discovered that Sophia ~~likes~~ loves dill pickles!

Stomachache

2011-01-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

I really hate it when my kids have an upset stomach- especially Sara. Ever since she was little she has been telling us her stomach hurts. Sometimes worse than other times, but it usually always hurts. When she was little we tried taking her off dairy and she even had her "special" milk for years, but nothing changed. I have taken her to the doctor countless times and they pretty much tell me there is nothing they can do.

We have tried prevacid for reflux- no change.

We had blood tests done for celiac disease about a year ago- negative.

A few months ago she had an x-ray and nothing was out of the ordinary.

Finally today I took her in yet again because her stomach has been hurting really bad over the weekend. Of course there is nothing the doctor can do for her, but he did send a referral down to Primary Children's in Salt Lake to the G.I. department. The soonest we can get an appointment is Tuesday March 15th. If she needs a scope or colonoscopy we have to schedule another appointment. I'm done with this and I'm pretty sure she is too. While I'm not happy about having to drive all the way to Salt Lake (probably twice) I am very excited to hopefully find out once and for all if there is anything wrong. Good times!

Zoning out

2011-01-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here is Sophie zoning out watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, holding Minnie and sitting on her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse couch. Every morning she does this after breakfast.

My beautiful wall

2011-01-15T18:32:00.000-08:00

One of my early Christmas presents to myself was the vinyl for my wall. Ben helped me apply the vinyl and he re-hung the pictures after. I love how it turned out! LOVE! Now I just need updated pictures of the kids- good thing we have appointments this weekend :-)

(Click on the picture to see it bigger)

Pretties

2011-01-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes Sophia will go play in her room all by herself. One night after her bath she stayed in her room to play and when she came out she had lots of pretties on, so I had to get a picture.

Coloring, puzzles and flat ball

2011-01-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

Sophia has recently discovered her love of coloring and drawing. All pencils, pens, markers and crayons are now under lock and key. If you look closely she colored on my table before I got a coloring book for her. I'm sure it won't be long before I have an original Sophia on my wall.

When Sophia started going to nursery one of her favorite activities was puzzles, so I got her a couple for Christmas. She loves putting all the pieces in and dumping them out so she can do it again. I love it when she dumps the pieces out on the couch or the carpet, but when she dumps them out on the coffee table...........while we are trying to read scriptures..............IT'S SUPER LOUD!

Flat ball is so much fun for her right now. She pushes it flat and it surprises her and makes her laugh every time it pops open. So fun to watch!

Making dinner

2011-01-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

Making dinner is hard for me most nights because Sophia usually wakes up from her nap between 4:30 and 5:00pm. When I get her up she does really well if I have time to snuggle with her for a few minutes. Most of the time I am trying to make dinner so I send Sara or Brandon in to get her up. As soon as she sees me she wants me to hold her and if I can't she throws a fit.

One night she happily got some toys out of her diaper bag and started playing on the floor by me. It was so cute that I had to stop and get some pictures. If I'm not distracted by her being upset I'm distracted by her being good.

Sophia playing the DS

2011-01-11T19:02:00.001-08:00

When Sara or Brandon leaves their DS laying around Sophia will usually find it and want to play. We usually just let her scribble and she LOVES it!

Playing with Daddy

2011-01-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

Daddy will do anything to be with Sophie. One of the games they like to play is where's Sophie? Ben turns very quickly from side to side saying "Where's Sophie?" and Sophie laughs and laughs.

Sophie also LOVES it when Daddy flips her.

Baby stroller

2011-01-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Sophia loves being pushed in her baby stroller. She is getting so big now that she barely fits! I love how she holds up her feet and arms like she's going really fast.

Daddy's cereal bowl

2011-01-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

If Sophia is up early enough in the morning Ben gives her his cereal bowl when he is done with it, so she can drink the last little bit of milk from it. She sits by him in anticipation and he loves it!

Cars, Helicopters and Fun- Oh my!

2011-01-07T13:43:00.000-08:00

Sophia loves playing with her cars. She takes them out of the container one at a time, says their name and lines them up.

After the cars are all lined up she puts them back in the container and starts over again.

Sometimes she's nice enough to let Sara play with her.

Sara and Sophia watching Brandon fly his helicopter

Brandon really likes flying his helicopter he got for Christmas from Grandma Esau.

Ben likes flying his helicopter too, but mostly he likes bugging us with it by seeing how close he can get to our heads.

Sophia ducking daddy's helicopter.

Sara and Brandon were throwing their rice bags back and forth and Sophia wanted to play too, but the kids just ignored her.

When Sophie finally got a rice bag she would put it on her head and then shake it off.

Cinnamon, chocolate chip pancakes

2011-01-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Older kids may have bigger problems and be more of a headache sometimes, but there are big benefits! I woke up one morning and Sara was making pancakes all on her own. She followed the directions on the back of the bag and made cinnamon, chocolate chip pancakes. They were so good! When she was done she cleaned everything up like I taught her and it looked like she had never been there. Perfection!
She LOVES being in the kitchen and can make a lot of things on her own. She is so talented!

Snow fun

2011-01-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

The kids were still home from school on Christmas break and we got a bit of snow. I had to get out and shovel it, so I had all the kids come out with me and play. Sara and Brandon each took a turn pulling Sophie on the sled. She loved it of course.

Sara and Sophie sledding down the "hill" in our front yard.

Sophia going down the "hill" on her own

Brandon sledding down the "hill".

Sophia "helping" me shovel the driveway

Sophia really likes being outside and she stayed out with me the whole time I was shoveling. In fact she threw a fit when we went inside.

Shoveling the driveway

Sophia's red face right before we went inside to get some hot cocoa.

Sophia loves my laptop

2011-01-07T07:24:00.000-08:00

Whenever I sit down with my computer Sophia runs over and want to see "baby". She loves looking at all the pictures and watching videos of herself. I taught her which button to push to change pictures and she always has to do it herself.

Sophia's new baby

2011-01-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

Aunt Tonya sent Sophia this baby for Christmas and she totally loves it! She carries it around and always brings her to me so I can wrap her up in her blanket. It came with this potty seat, but Sophie thinks it's for her.

Kisses.

Hugs.

She puts her to sleep and covers her with blankets. Lots of blankets.

She even put one of her bracelets on her baby.

New bedtime routine

2010-12-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

We do something special thinking it will be just one time and it becomes routine. Sophia drinks her bottle while laying with Sara in her bed every night. Sara LOVES it! I don't think Sophia really cares as long as she gets her bottle.

Both girls twirling their hair.

Bracelets

2010-12-31T10:27:00.000-08:00

Sophia loves these silly bands! She calls them bracelets and loves to put them on. She will usually wear them until I take them off for her bath. She swiped both Sara and Brandon's bracelets until she finally got some of her very own for Christmas. Of course she has to wear them ALL at the same time, so it is difficult getting her coat on and off.

Christmas at home part deux

2010-12-30T20:58:00.000-08:00

When we finished with all the presents under the tree it was time to open the package from Grandma Esau. First we had to convince Sophia to move her cars............

Sara is very excited about this new toy. Around here we call it a "sing" for Sophia. She likes to sing along with it.

Of course both of the girls got one, so they can be annoying together.

Brandon got two hex bugs.

I am pretty excited to get my own I-tunes card.

Sophia would not let go of this Sprite for anything. She almost drank the whole thing!

Grandma sent Sophie Mater and Philmore aka "more more". She had to watch her movie with all her new cars friends.

When Ben woke up from his nap he got to look at his stocking and was totally excited to get this single candy cane (and another Cafe Rio gift card). DATE NIGHT!! We seriously LOVE Cafe Rio! I took over 200 pictures, so be thankful I was able to narrow it down to these few. I have decided to have Christmas at home every year!

Christmas at home

2010-12-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

For the first time since we've lived here we got to spend Christmas at home with just our family. On Christmas Eve we made reindeer food, then sprinkled it on our lawn.

Brandon and Sara helped me make Oreo cookies for Santa.

Christmas morning before the kids got to dig into the presents.

Sophia has been using Sara's old princess couch, but it smells like pee, so she got her own.

Sophia was so excited to get "Achow" and "King" in her stocking.

We always look in our stockings first. Brandon was very excited to get some beef jerky.

Sophie with a fist full of Jelly Belly's. The only thing she ate that morning was Jelly Belly's and a few pieces of an orange.

Santa brought Mac for Sophia.

Santa brought XBOX 360 games for Dad and Brandon to play.

Dad got the windshield washer he has been wanting for a long time.

Brandon got a magic trick set.

Sara didn't think she was going to get any of these necklaces, so she was very excited when she opened this present from me.

Sophia loves to jump, so I thought this would be perfect for her. Turns out it was not made very well, so I took it back. She will just have to wait until it gets warm again so she can jump outside on the trampoline.

Ben has to get me at least one present that I don't know about, and this year he got me a cute picture frame- I love it!

Ben and I were exhausted after the kids got done opening all the presents. The good news is we both got to take a nap.

Sophia would have been happy with just one present. She had no interest in opening her last few presents, so we just waited and she opened them later.

The week before Christmas.........

2010-12-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

Pretzels with candy cane Hershey's kisses

and the house was not clean- everything from our trip piled high- what a mess! I had baking to do for our great friends and neighbors and cleaning and wrapping will I ever get done?

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

Three kids all at home needing something to do, finally one being cute with her pop-tart in her room.

Wearing sunglasses from sister and the phone from her cousin Sophie kept us all laughing while we worked, worked, worked, worked!

Finally Dad to the rescue with his patience and time to entertain kids while Mom toed the line.

The helicopters got stuck only once, maybe twice, in the streamers still hanging down- what a fright.

Sadly Sophia loves mommy the most and when Daddy comes near she screams like she's just seen a ghost. One day she decided that Daddy's okay and sat by him nicely, while watching her show. All the cleaning got done and the baking and wrapping we did so much work now it's time for relaxing!

Early Christmas in Utah

2010-12-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to be able to spend time with family for Christmas without having to pack all our presents with us. We drove to Utah on the 16th after Sara's performance, so we got there pretty late. Sara loves spending time with her cousins that she doesn't get to see very often.

We met Grandma Esau at the mall the next morning to do some shopping. One of Sara's presents from Grandma was a new Build-A-Bear with an outfit. After lunch at Charley's Steakery Sophie was ready for her nap, so Ben and I went back to Aaron and Nicole's place while the bigger kids stayed to ride the carousel.

Later that night was our family party at Great Grandma Walker's. The cousins had fun visiting and Grandma now has a whole new generation for her games.

All the kids got new pajamas.

Sophia and Paytin had fun playing together and of course Ben joined in the fun.

Saturday was Grandma Esau's party and she had a nice, short program for the kids. They liked hearing the story, but couldn't wait to open all the presents.

Sophia loved unwrapping her presents this year!

All the grandkids got Pillow Pets. My kids have been bugging me for one of those for a long time!

I'm pretty sure Owen liked the hooded towel I made for him and I hope to see it at Bear Lake next year!

Ben and I got great presents from Rachel and Matt. Thanks again!

Some of Brandon's presents from Grandma.

The blocks I worked so hard on turned out very cute and Grandma loved them!

After dinner we all went to see Legend of the Guardians. Sophie did not want to sit still at all, but Grandma spent time with her in the lobby until she fell asleep.

Sophia and Tristan watching Simon's cat on the computer.

After church on Sunday we packed up the van and went to Monte and Kim's house for the rest of the day so we could drop off some presents and let the kids play. Kim made two skirts for each of the girls, so we ended up staying pretty late. The kids were tired and fell asleep before we got to I-15. Before everyone fell asleep we sang some fun songs for Sophie. We had so much fun and hope to have an early Christmas in Utah every year!

Sugar

2010-12-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know where Brandon learned about sugar content- Scouts maybe? One morning when I asked him which cereal he wanted he decided to base his decision on which one has the least amount of sugar. I thought this was hilarious! Which sugary cereal has the least amount of sugar...........

In the end he went with Life until I reminded him about the Cheerios. After looking at the Cheerios that's the one he picked. I then asked him if he wanted sugar on them like he usually does. He said yes, but just a little bit. ROFLOL!

Randomness

2010-12-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Reading together on the couch.

Sophia drinking the milk out of her cereal bowl just like Daddy.

Brandon decided to try sledding on the driveway.

My wonderful birthday cake Ben made and Sara frosted and decorated.

Sophia hanging out in her bed.

Sophia watching her movie.

Sophia wearing Sara's shoes and sunglasses.

More Sophia

2010-12-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

After Sophia got her ears pierced I had to drop Sara and Brandon off at a birthday party, so she got to play for a few minutes. I wanted to take a picture of her cute hair and the cute Christmas bows I finished the night before.

She loves playing on slides!

I saw these white cheddar cheetos at the store and thought the kids would like them. Little did I know they are much messier than regular cheetos, but Sophia LOVED them!

I have no idea why she does this, but sometimes when she chews her food she closes her eyes.

She loves blackberries!

"Berries"

Santa Baby

2010-12-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be a fun family outing to go to the mall and see Santa. Sophia was not excited to see him and would not let Ben leave. Notice the death grip she has on his coat.

I was lucky enough to get a picture with all the kids and Sophia let Sara hold her for all of 20 seconds before she wanted to get down and run to Dad.

After seeing Santa we went to Claire's. I have been wanting to get Sophia's ears pierced for a while, so this was the Saturday to do it. We had to sing lots of songs to keep her happy while I filled out all the paperwork, and the girls got everything ready.

1......2......3 and cry!

She was sad for awhile, but Ben was more than willing to hold her and about an hour later she was totally fine. She likes looking at her pretties in the mirror and if you ask where her pretties are she will touch her ear. They look so cute!

Brownie batter

2010-12-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

I made brownies for Ben's birthday and since Sophie is the only kid home during the day she got to lick the spoon. She loved it and made a big mess! Of course she cried when I finally took it away and washed her off.