[in training] julie borchert

Halloween @ Preschool

2011-10-28T22:29:00.002-06:00

[best buddy James as a Drecko Glider, Braylon the Ninja]

[I may have suggested the costume idea to James the night before so my friend Jess had to stay up that night making the costume for him, but he sure looked cute! Sorry Jess!]

Halloween @ Bear Lake [2 weeks early]

2011-10-16T22:28:00.000-06:00

overview...

2011-09-25T11:35:00.000-06:00

[I sold our couches so we went without for a week or so while searching for the perfect sectional. It really upset Braylon at first, because he was apparently attached to the couches (?) but he enjoyed the space and playing with Aiden with lots of blankets and floor pillows]

[Aiden trying to work like Bray]

[Aiden loves getting tucked into Braylon's bed each night for books and prayer]

today...

2011-09-13T12:54:00.001-06:00

[cape cod, ma. june 2011]

today, I just really wish that this is what I was looking at. A nice, long, sandy boardwalk out towards a warm ocean and blue blue skies.

we have been moved back into our slc house for just over a month now and most of the projects we origionally wanted to do have been done. the problem is my home is not set up yet so it feel like an overstuffed house. our new closets are finished, but the racks and dresser drawers are empty meanwhile there are piles, bags and boxes or clothes all around the bedroom. 1/2 of my kitchen cabinets are empty, while packed boxes of kitchen stuff sit on my kitchen floor, counters and fill my garage. theres more, but I already feel overwhelmed thinking about those two rooms, right now they are my major roadblocks. ick. I need someone with awesome origazational skills to come over and just tell me what to do, what goes where etc. wouldn't that be nice? Y

fall t ball orientation

2011-09-12T23:23:00.019-06:00

orientation was just meeting the coach, being handed a shirt, hat and schedule. at least bray's best buddy James is on his team so they spent some time running around the indoor field getting some energy out. when we came home bray wanted to practice for t ball so we all got to it. aiden loved it! and we know we will have a lot of work ahead of us keeping him off of the field on game days. Y

[post t ball sonic slushie, a new tradition is born]
[even though there was no game today Y]

cousin kendra's wedding

2011-09-10T23:29:00.013-06:00

we spent this evening at my cousin kendra's sweet, perfectly styled wedding / reception. every detail was done perfectly and i loved every part of it. i took a few pictures of some of the things i loved but i wasn't able to get pictures of everything because i was having too much fun catching up with some Gille family that i haven't seen in a way too long.

{ice cold root beer was provided following the ceremony}
{aiden was given free reign to his Grandma's bottle}
{he was in heaven}

{braylon was in love with this double sided set of stairs / mini gate that went over the fence between yards}
{he seriously wants one of his own}

{YYY the cake table!}

peach days 2011

2011-09-10T23:22:00.001-06:00

Kyle had his annual Peach Days softball Tournament in Brigham City so after an early morning call to my parents the little guys and I decided to take a day trip to Crystal Hot Springs and then go catch some of the games. The hot springs were very fun, we all loved them and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon soaking in the sun and natural heated pools. We dried off and headed towards the festival and found out Kyle's team was finished and he was already back in Salt Lake. Boo! We missed it!

Ahh well, we enjoyed lunch at the many fair booths and delighted in hot peach cobbler with ice cream... mmm... and lounged in the grass together. Grandma taught Bray how to break up clouds, but they might have started with one that was a little too big. Y

sweet time...

oh so good peaches, and another great end of summer day!

labor day weekend in Heber City

2011-09-05T23:20:00.011-06:00

Swiss Days weekend in Heber

2011-09-05T11:34:00.005-06:00

[we LOVE this valley!]

[view from our lot]

braylon: or bumblebee?

2011-08-23T16:15:00.001-06:00

He seems to think the only way to tell is because you can see his eyes. He is now working on a way to fix that.

braylon: Robot: How To

2011-08-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

yay! saturday!

2011-08-13T11:19:00.000-06:00

if you are going too be sure to check out the booth of my very talented friend and buy lots!

{invited} a superhero turns 5

2011-08-11T22:10:00.004-06:00

{batman + robin} do breakfast

2011-08-10T22:07:00.001-06:00

{two doors to none}

2011-08-02T22:18:00.003-06:00

2011-07-31T12:25:00.000-06:00

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

gathering boxes = fruitty smelling car

2011-07-26T08:20:00.013-06:00

this will be the second week that Kyle will be working in SLC and I will be working in McCall with our little guys. We are also going to see if its possible to get everything packed enough that we can load the uhaul this weekend and bring 99% of our things down to our house. i don't know if we will be able to make it happen but we are sure going to try. i miss my husband and the boys miss their dad! here's wishing for boundless energy all day and restful sleep at night!

working on west temple

2011-07-25T23:24:00.000-06:00

braylon very proud to show off his first wall painting of the day.

my mom and dad spent their weekend taking care of the boys so mari and I could get a lot done at the house. park trips, show shopping, the pool and many many meals. they had a fantastic time.

braylon's painting on my bedroom wall that he was SO sad that was covered up. we have a plan to mount a frame on his bedroom wall and let him paint inside that.

when the carpet was removed from our main floor the hardwood beneath was in really really nice condition. we tried cancelling our carpet order so we could restore the floors but they said they put a rush on the order so we were stuck. Ah, well. it would have been pretty.

removed some quality cabinet space in the kitchen to make room for a full size fridge. we will be installing open shelving above and to the side of the fridge and hopefully the change will be worth it. Y

455 miles of road construction, each way, x 4 in 10 days:

2011-07-25T19:37:00.001-06:00

okay, not every miles, but WAY too much of it; equals too much time in the car!

at least the boys have been champs through it all!

braylon: subway

2011-07-21T19:13:00.001-06:00

kids sub, on cheese bread, turkey, pepperoni, shredded cheese, lettuce {he always asks if we can hold the lettuce next time}, honey mustard_apples_strawberry milk. every time, without fail. and we have to eat it there, not to go.

that's how he rolls.

this:

is how aiden rolls in subway.

design.build.

2011-07-15T22:04:00.008-06:00

Kyle was asked to design a custom home for a couple here in McCall and I was able to help out a lot on with the floor plan. The house is currently under construction and has progressed a lot since these pictures were taken but we haven't been able to make it out there to see lately. The lot is idyllic and we are so excited to see this beauty built.

amazing view

"pool and amphitheater" as the home owner calls it at this stage.

kyle checking out the foundation walls Y

can you imagine digging through this? this lot is the rockiest i have seen.

happy apprentice.

2011-07-14T23:48:00.003-06:00

mccall: summer heaven

2011-07-14T21:48:00.001-06:00

braylon and I took a nice walk down to the lake to take advantage of this beautiful place and soak in some sun.

i loved making sand tunnels down to the water when i was little too.

these cute guys joined us after Aiden's nap:

safe in daddy's arms.

i love sandy baby toes.

it was a perfect evening.

2011-07-13T23:50:00.002-06:00

2011-07-13T20:14:00.001-06:00

headed home: post wedding

2011-07-11T23:52:00.018-06:00

highway 55 is under construction so Kyle suggested I take an different route that I had never taken before. it was longer {and unfortunatly also under construction} and the only direction I was given was that I didn't want to go too far and go into Oregon. The above picture is the thank you for visiting Oregon sign. Oops. it made for a very long day, after a very long weekend.

we finally got home around 7 pm and was immediately called over for a spur of the moment softball game. he had to go because... it was the first game of the summer in McCall so of course Kyle he had to go play. it allowed me and the boys time to hang out with our great friends the leonardsY

braylon: cousin time

2011-07-10T12:05:00.000-06:00

aunt moe's wedding weekend.

a couple of days early

2011-07-02T12:56:00.000-06:00

[image source]

McCall is celebrating the 4th with all sorts of holiday festivities and cars have been rolling into town in a steady stream since yesterday morning. Town finally feels alive for the summer... it took until JULY this year, craziness! but at least it's here at last.

Aiden and I are soon to be off joining in, hopefully playing down at the lake's beach and soaking in all the goodness that this time of year has to offer.

Kyle won rock-paper-scissors and was able to take Bray to Nana's lake house in Minnesota for the week - which included a trip to the Twin's new ballpark for a game [rained out =( ] and the big flotilla parade around the lake tomorrow. Noah's Arc theme this year. Aiden and I miss them terribly and wish they would hurry home already... but also want them fully enjoy their trip like we would if we were there.

Hope your weekend is filled with fun, family, celebrations and gratitude for this wonderful country we are blessed with!

ca.na.di.a

2011-07-01T14:43:00.002-06:00

[image source]

I have a very special place in my heart for all of my relatives in Canada. My love, and a tinge of jealousy after we received the list of common Canadian sayings at our family reunion in Cardston in 2003, goes out to you all on your National holiday. Y

boston by foot - day one

2011-06-19T23:47:00.006-06:00

[george washington, public gardens]

[giant cosmos]

[oneman band equiptment, boston commons]

[Sundrud boys on part of the Freedom Trail tour]

[holocaust memorial]

[pasta in the very Italian north-end]

[cobblestones....]

[happy father's day gelato]

[line to get into the doors of this pastry shop in the north-end]

[Italian style thin crust pizza with the Sundruds]

big mike's wedding day

2011-06-18T23:54:00.003-06:00

[we were so excited to be driving in a place where we passed an exit for New York]

[side venture in to Rhode Island]

[beautiful chapel for the wedding ceremony]

[seeing kyle putting on his tie in the parking lot two men asked him to tie theirs for them and another was offering $20 to anyone who would do his too]

[smores sundae at a very well known ice cream shop on the coast - best graham cracker ice cream ever]

[amazingly fun cake topper of the bride and groom]

[mike's excited about his surprise groom's cake]

[wedding photobooth - bride and groom]

MA day two Cape and Curcurus

2011-06-17T23:12:00.000-06:00

arriving in Boston

2011-06-16T23:35:00.000-06:00

brief layover between coasts

2011-06-15T23:07:00.000-06:00

washington for Rufus - heading home

2011-06-14T23:48:00.000-06:00

washington for Rufus day three

2011-06-13T23:39:00.001-06:00

washington for Rufus day two - Sherwoods Home

2011-06-12T23:33:00.001-06:00

washington for Rufus day two

2011-06-12T23:11:00.003-06:00

washington for Rufus day one

2011-06-11T22:59:00.007-06:00

oh, what a day...

2011-06-06T22:20:00.001-06:00

aiden: turning 1

2011-05-11T22:58:00.000-06:00

Aiden

We celebrated with some of our favorite families up here in McCall and had a great bbq dinner and let the kids run free and wild for awhile afterwards. It was noisy, chaotic and I loved every minute of it.

We were expecting Aiden to really tear into his cupcake and kept reminiscing about Braylon's first birthday experience but when it came time for it it seemed like Aiden could really care less. He seemed bemused by everyone singing at him, and when he was handed the cupcake he stared, poked at it, looked around like we were all crazy and then poked at it again.

Kyle helped him eat a few bites but he mostly smeared some on his highchair tray and got some frosting on his sleeves and then he was over it.

Aiden received a few birthday cards from family but the one that will get tucked away into his box of treasures is his special 1st Birthday card from his Great-Great-Grandparents, Rufus and Hazel Sherwood, complete with his first $2 bill. My Great-Grandma is amazing; you can count on receiving a birthday card from her the day of your birthday, or the day before without exception, and there is always a sweet message and a note of love sent to the family along with that special birthday currency.

Friends that came to celebrate with us were:
Travis + Candice Leonard w/ Riley, TJ + Fallynne
Joe + Amy Napier w/ Spencer, McKenna, Blake + Grace
Russ + Dana Jones w/ Rachel, Brett, Josh + baby Lydia

What a blessing it has been to have Aiden. He is an incredible soul that fills each of our lives with so much joy. Today was a great day.

recipe: banana cupcakes

2011-05-11T19:33:00.003-06:00

For Aiden's birthday party we had a slight monkey theme so I wanted to find a recipe for banana cupcakes [gotta carry the theme through you know, =)] I did some random internet searches and then remembered my favorite site, Brown Eyed Baker, and hoped she had one. I was not disappointed and her recipe looked better than the others I had found.

The batter is the best I have tasted; I failed at making these for the party though. The first 12 I over-filled and the second 12 I forgot in the oven so they kind of exploded from the inside. The cake was amazing but I couldn't serve those so I made up some box mix for the cupcakes just before the party. The banana cupcakes were so good though that one of my friends asked if she could take some of those home for later and I froze the rest and had them for snacks for me and the boys. ©

I will try these again soon and figure out the best way to bake them, but here is the recipe for you. Seriously, SO good. In fact, they do not even need frosting, but I guess that might be an added bonus.

Banana Cupcakes:

2¾ cups all-purpose flour

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature

1¾ cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)

½ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl and set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add the eggs, and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl again and add the bananas. Beat until just combined. Turn the mixer to low. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.

4. Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and place them on the rack to cool completely.

b's going under...

2011-04-26T06:00:00.006-06:00

source

We check in at 7:45 this morning to have Braylon's tonsils removed. I am very nervous to have him go through this, but we really feel like it will help him so much day and night. He's excited that his life will consist of jello, ice cream, popsicles, applesauce and yogurt. He loves to talk about that.

Please think good thoughts about him and his safety/comfort!

3 egg hunts, one amazing little man

2011-04-25T23:46:00.001-06:00

Source: sweetandlovelythings.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I felt warm this weekend. It was the first time I have felt warm in Idaho since sometime in October.

Saturday morning I drove down what we call the "little canyon" to New Meadows for a town Easter Egg hunt with Braylon. We found our way to the high school, it was where every other car on the road was headed, and were both experiencing a combination of nervousness at what to expect and excitement for the fun we had heard so much about. The school yard was divided into different areas by age group and we found the 2-4 lot and waited as patiently as possible to hear, "on your mark, get set, go!" The call finally came and my sweet Braylon took off running. I watched him run to the far end of the yard where we had talked about him picking up his first special orange egg (his favorite color). He ran to it, looked at the egg, and kept going. He circled the large pine tree in the center of the yard once, and was about to lap it again when I went over to stop him and ask him to actually pick up something, anything. He obeyed, and took off running again. As the kids slowed down and gathered together with their parents with overflowing baskets I wondered what I would find in Braylon's. 6 eggs, 3 candy filled, 3 hard boiled. We sat in the grass and I asked him why he didn't get more eggs. At first he said I don't know, and then said he didn't want the other kids to be sad if they didn't get as many eggs. We watched kids walking past us with heaps and heaps of eggs, I said, "whoa! do you see how many those kids found? that's awesome!" and my amazing little man's face lit up and he said, "yes! it makes me feel proud!" Braylon, you are an incredible human.

We picked up some lunch on our way back to McCall and chatted and [attempted to] tell jokes all the way home. We ate with Kyle and then packed up the car, buckled Bray, Aiden and myself in and took off down the "big canyon" to Boise. We left at 3 which is the time Aiden goes down for his 2nd nap which usually means he will sleep for the whole drive into Boise. I heard Aiden wake up after about 40 minutes and Braylon told me that he accidentally woke Aiden because he was trying to put his pillow under Aiden's head to make him more comfortable. I asked him to be quiet for a bit to see if we could get Aiden to fall back asleep and then I couldn't help but smile when I heard Braylon whispering, "are you so happy to see me ad?" I looked in my rear view mirror and watched my eldest son leaning over his brother, smiling, whispering and holding his hand. Pure a happiness for my heart.

During the drive we saw four river rafting trips, two men playing on jet skis, the train rolling along the tracks with its outdoor cars full of passengers and a high school boys playing baseball with fans cheering in the stands. I finally felt spring!

Easter Sunday I came downstairs and Braylon had already been through his basket with Grammy but I was able to be with my boys when Aiden went through his first Easter basket. Kyle noticed in the paper that Mountain Home had an Egg hunt in the afternoon so we walked down to the park with Grammy, Grampy and Grandpa Borch. 0-4 age group eggs were in a field separate from older kids and even though there were a ton of kids there I figured that Braylon would pick up from eggs this go round. I waited about half way down the field so I could take some pictures while everyone else waited at the "starting line" for the go ahead. When the man in charge flagged the kids to start the entire line charged down the field, all of the parents included! It startled me and Kyle was surprised too because we figured that just the kids would go out, not so! These people were intense! The strategy Kyle had worked out with Braylon was that he would run as fast as he could to where I was and then start collecting eggs. He ran to me but I couldn't see him in the mass of large adult bodies and when I finally spotted him he was at the far end of the field looked around the backstop for any eggs. By the time he got around it and was heading back towards me all of the eggs had been collected and his bag was completely empty. He may have said, "oh man" but that's about it. We took a couple of pictures and headed back to Grammy's house for an egg hunt there.

Kyle and I hid eggs in the backyead and Braylon had a fun time finding all of those eggs, leaving 3 for Aiden. He had a fantastic time going through them on the kitchen floor and I've had a lot to think about because of this sweet 4 year old that I have the privilege of calling my own.

Today we spent a lot of time over at Grandpa and Grandma Borch's house and were able to spend some time outside in the grass playing baseball and teaching Braylon how to run in a pickle. Again, it felt so good to be outside and not be cold. This evening we drove into Boise and met up with Grammy to go watch Rio at the "the-A-ter" as Braylon calls it and loved watching Aiden in his first movie going experience (I think it blew his mind) and watching both of my boys dancing in their seats to the catchy songs.

Easter

2011-04-24T16:43:00.007-06:00

I love Easter. Contrary to my husband's belief that my love is solely based on my competitive egg-hunting tendencies, I love it because it is a special day dedicated to remembrance of our Savior and why his life, death and Resurrection matters so dearly to each of us.

"He lives, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind, whose Atonement came as an act of grace for the entire world... He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has brought meaning to our mortal existence. He has given us the gift of eternal life... God be thanked for the gift of His Son, the Redeemer of the world, the Savior of mankind, the Prince of Life and Peace, the Holy One."

- Gordon B. Hinckley

I cherish the artwork of Liz Lemon Swindle and would love to share that with you on this Easter Sabbath.

aiden

2011-04-05T07:06:00.009-06:00

round cheeks
pouty lips
tiny nose
long lashes

i can't believe my baby is almost a year old

sa-weet! sweet shredded chicken

2011-04-04T16:32:00.003-06:00

Sweet Chicken Soft Tacos, Burritos, or Salad

[recipe by Amy of my name is Snickerdoodle]

Chicken

4-5 Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup salsa (your favorite)

1 TBSP Cumin

2 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 (4oz) can diced green chilies

1 1/2 cups Sprite

Place your chicken into a slow cooker. In a medium bowl combine salsa, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, green chilies and Sprite. Pour over chicken and cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot. If your chicken is not completely cooked through at this point, cook for another hour. Serve with flour tortillas.

Toppings

canned black beans, drained and rinsed

canned corn

2 diced tomatoes

Shredded lettuce

sour cream

shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese

guacamole (not pictured)

Spanish rice (homemade version coming soon)

Or our favorite application:

perfect for spring and summer... come on seasons, change!

spring Conference. Sunday sessions

2011-04-04T16:17:00.003-06:00

[Pres. Eyring conducting in the Conference Center in Salt Lake into our home via PBS / Pres. Eyring conducting in our living room via awesome paper first presidency and pulpit printouts]

[Pres. Uchtdorf's sweet ride at the conclusion of his talk. Bray proudly showing his full chain of present day apostles. both boys @ one of their favorite activities / superhero magnets. close up of the First Presidency]

[b's new back scratcher / large bag of broccoli / so random. sweet a.d. a.d. attacking stuffed animals with his 4 teeth. seriously sweet Sabbath sounds via k.b.]

today was a pure battle of wills between winter and spring. It was exciting each time it seemed like the sun broke through in full force but it couldn't last. This morning winter flaunted victory by coating the roads and frosting the windows again. we ended our awesome Sabbath day by having the local missionaries join us for dinner which allowed Bray to get some of his pent up energy out while he ran circles around both of them playing superheros. It was a wonderful conference weekend.

2011-04-02T22:25:00.001-06:00

It is conference weekend and we have loved it so far!

A new friend of mine up here is starting a Zumba class so I've borrowed her intro to Zumba dvd because I figured that I'm going to need to give myself as much practice as possible to have some of the moves look even remotely natural. I popped the dvd in first thing this morning and had Braylon do it with me. He gave it a good go for about 6 minutes and then declared that he had done enough and now it was time for a kids movie.

We had a wonderful day watching both sessions of conference and coloring on these awesome conference activity pages that are online. Honestly, I have so much gratitude for whoever took the time to put these together and decided to share them. Braylon's favorites are pages that tell a short story about each of the members of the first presidency when they were young boys and coloring page depicting the story -and- there are hidden pictures that you need to find. He also loves the mazes and trying to remember each of the speakers names.

[typical scene playing with B - note the t-rex claws]

Afterwards Braylon and I had a very relaxing evening while Kyle was at the Priesthood session and Aiden took an extra long nap. We had a fun video chat with my parents where the boys took turns talking into the camera, sharing "bites" of poptarts through the screen and turning on our favorite music channel to show the Grandparents the boys best dance moves.

[ninja dance moves]

When Kyle came home it was time for the boys baths and I ran to the store to pick up a few ingredients for Sunday's dinner because we are having the missionaries join us again.

It was a pretty simple day, conference talks, coloring, family chats, cleaning and trying to decide how best to make some small changes in the house to give it a fresh spring feeling, cuddling my three boys, but it was perfect.

2011-03-31T08:39:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm over it. After another not so great night of sleep the stress is gone. Repairs just need to be made.

Braylon came into our room just as I was finally unwinding enough to go to sleep; it was 1 am. He came in because he missed me. After an hour of chats and carrying him back to his bed 3 times he was finally out. I was back laying in bed trying to fall asleep and Aiden woke up and did not fall back asleep on his own. It was 2:30 am and I was so tired but I got back up and went to him. He had a dirty diaper [which he never does overnight] and was in pain. I changed him by the light of the fire and then spent 30 minutes sitting on the floor holding him, loving his soft baby skin and his sweetness.

3 am. Everyone is in bed, all of my boys sleeping soundly and this keeps running through my head.

I don't want my focus to be on being a better woman tomorrow than today but on being a better woman today than I was yesterday. The prior gives an out - an excuse to be less than you should be in the present. The later, motivation to be more.

oh man...at least i have them...

2011-03-30T22:40:00.002-06:00

[eye candy]

[story]

So, I've been thinking about this blog a lot lately; you probably couldn't tell since I have been severely lacking with posts, but I have. I started this for me, for a journal of our new family, a way to keep updated with family and friends spread around the country and as an outlet for my thoughts/feelings. I was turned away from writing too much each time I heard my sweet husband giving our blog address out to co-workers and old school buddies. Sure I knew that I chose to keep my blog open to the public where anyone could find and read it, but I was a little leery about people that I kind of knew knowing too much about me. Sometimes I ramble, am onery, silly, make an absolute statement about something that if you ask me 5 minutes later [more likely the next day] I'm totally open to whatever about. So I changed my approach here. I wrote less. Which lead to posting less. I grew to love other peoples blog but was bored by my own and felt a little sad [I get if you think that's silly] that my blog seemed to be totally void of the real me. So, yes, this is a place to see updates about my incredible family, especially our absolutely incredible two little boys, but I hope that it will come back to being something that I own and take pride in having as a record of our lives and of who I am as I grow through this life.

Here's me today. This morning I was as happy as can be. I finally signed up for a membership at a local sports club up here last week and have loved going by myself in the evenings and feeling my body move. I feel stronger and more fluid from running than I have since the beginning of this long winter we have had. Yesterday was a great day and last night we had two big events to celebrate with Aiden. 1. his top 2 front teeth finally broke through the gums! [they've been this close for weeks!] and 2. he took his first steps! He has been standing on his own for over a month now, but he went back and forth between Kyle and I getting 3 steps in each time before he would sit down. He did the best walking when Braylon would come and sit on the lap of the parent a.d was headed towards. He loves Braylon.

Braylon came into our bed around 3 am and made it so that neither Kyle or I got much quality sleep because he always seems to end up horizontal between us; at least I always get his head resting on me while Kyle has to put up with feet constantly pushing against him. But that was even okay. When I asked B why he came into our room he said he woke up and had to protect us. Who can argue that.

Work went well today and the boys were great. At the end of the day, while Aiden was still taking his afternoon nap I went to the gym. I had a good workout. My cardio endurance is improving every day and it felt really good. Quick stop at home to grab the debit card for the grocery store and I was off to run a couple of errands. And that's where the pendulum swung.

While I was checking out I received a phone call from Kyle to hurry home because we had a major leak in the boys room! Seriously?... Seriously. We had a good rain this afternoon/evening and the leak was so bad that it drenched the attic floor and came through enough to make two water bubbles in the ceiling which broke through and were soaking the carpet. This house! All feel-goods went out the window. I grabbed a package of peanut butter cookies and mind numbingly ate 4 and immediately felt like crap. Who does that?!?! I honestly thought I had only eaten 2, but the number on the label didn't match up with what was missing so I must have. This place has had SO many issues in the almost year we have been in here. So, I undid all of the good from my great workout today and let my moral plummet. -sigh- Good news is I didn't get smacked in the face with water like Kyle did... he initially noticed the leak because when he opened the door to get Aiden he got pelted with the water that was pouring in and hitting the circulating fan blades, throwing water everywhere. Fortunately we have a friend here who is a roofer and dropped everything as soon as Kyle called him and came over and help patch things up -even repairing the exterior in the dark with the icy rain.

I know it's not a huge deal, but its just one more thing gone wrong...

Tomorrow's another day.

We love McCall but man....

[while Kyle and Brian were rushing in and out getting the roof patched aiden stood up and walked 7 steps before sitting down!]

2011-03-30T14:45:00.001-06:00

to a.d. from braylon~

I love you because you're cute. I think you're awesome! I like to give you hugs. Whenever you're sad I show you tricks with my black and red racecar. When you're in the crib and you're sad I climb in and play with you. If you cry at night, when you stop, I give you a stuffed animal as a reward for being such a good little brother.

3:29:2011 favorites

2011-03-29T09:40:00.004-06:00

Braylon - 4 + 1/2

Playing baseball
pretending to be superheros
playing with stuffed animals in bed
going on dates with mommy

spagetti
macaroni and cheese
soup
gummy snacks/"gorilla" bars {granola bars}

rocketships
baseballs
baseball bats

Aiden - 10 months

bath time with Braylon
dancing
putting things in his mouth
being upside down

bananas
saltine crackers
grapes

Kyle

hanging out with my family
going on dates with mommy
golfing - with mommy, braylon and grammy or being in a white sandy beach with a surf board or baseball/basketball/coaching basketball

lasagna
buttermilk pancakes or waffles
pulled pork salad

Julie

time with my little boys
watching Aiden dance and dance parties with the family
stress free time to craft
www.mike-tompkins.com/ - seriously some of my favorite song covers; always his versions stuck in my head

bagels with cream cheese
perfectly ripe fruit in season
sweet pork salads with tomitillo dressing rice and beans

best cole slaw!

2011-03-23T08:30:00.000-06:00

recipe by my Dad

green cabbage

red cabbage

[cut in half, cut out core and thinly slice]

shredded carrots

[add desired amounts of each to a large bowl + set aside]

in separate bowl combine:

1/4 C red wine vinegar

1 C mayo

2/3 tsp celery seed

large dollop dijon mustard

2 T sugar

[mix together until blended + smooth]

pour over cabbage/carrots and cover completely

cover and refrigerate for 3+ hours

Serve as a side or our preferred method on top of shredded chicken or pork [bbq sauce optional] on a toasted keiser roll. So stinking good.

the best homemade brownies + topping

2011-03-22T22:54:00.003-06:00

A couple of years ago I was searching online for page ideas for a felt quiet book I wanted to make for Braylon. I found a bog that I immediately loved. She posts recipes every Friday and they are awesome. I often use her site as a go-to when we have people over for dinner; I'm using two of her recipes tonight! I'm reposting her recipe here because I want to make sure it's included in my blogbook [when I get started on those!]. Check out Amy @ My Name is Snickerdoodle [if you don't already] and read the story she posted along with this recipe - honestly, men! These are the first brownies I made from scratch, yeah, I know, but they are awesome and I've made them a few times for people already.

Braylon:
"I wish my mouth was a sink so I could get this whole thing totally clean!" + "WOW! My tongue can even get in the tiniest holes!"

Betrayal Brownies
3 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
1 TBSP vanilla
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
24 peppermint patties/Andes Mints (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan. In large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat eggs. Add in and mix well. Mix in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Reserve two cups of batter and set aside. Spread remaining batter in prepared pan. Arrange patties in a single layer over batter. Spread reserved batter over patties and cover evenly. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until center comes out clean.

**I only added 2 1/2 cups of sugar and they were just fine. I felt too guilty to add 3 cups. I also did not make them with the peppermint patties.

These may or may not be getting covered with Amy's recipe for this delicious topping:

Cream Cheese and Peanut Butter Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 TBSP milk
Cream together cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla. Add in powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add in milk a little at a time until you get the desired consistancy.

time for a vacation

2011-03-21T23:30:00.005-06:00

Today I found my box of cling wrap on the bottom shelf of the fridge.

I knew I put it away... And after re-searching the same drawer that is should be in 4 times yesterday I gave up.

So.. good news, I found it.

Bad news, I lost it in the fridge in the first place.

yum yum

2011-03-16T17:48:00.001-06:00

braylon: first surgery

2011-03-10T23:12:00.021-07:00

I drove down to Boise with Braylon today to meet with a children's Ear Nose and Throat Specialist. Ever since Bray was a baby we heard from his pediatricians that his tonsils were abnormally large. Over the years its been a little bit a joke among friends and family that he would snore while awake anytime he was totally focused on something, like a movie or story. The "awake snoring" wouldn't be reason enough to have his tonsils removed but he has also struggled with staying asleep - he constantly wakes up to clear his throat because the tonsils block his throat, and constant congestion from the same reasons. It has been strongly suggested to us that we have them removed before he is 5 because the recovery is easier so we went to check it out.

As soon as Braylon opened his mouth, Dr. Beck said "Oh my goodness! These have to be a 5+!" On a scale of 1 - 5 so... yeah. She said she would be taking pictures of them to use in her next paper, nice. So his tonsils may be published. Bray is scheduled for outpatient surgery at the end of April and now he is convinced that he will be sick until his tonsils are out. I really, really hope that it all goes perfectly and that he has the easiest recovery possible!

aiden: 10 months

2011-03-10T17:35:00.001-07:00

braylon: best buddies

2011-02-28T22:32:00.001-07:00

You know you've got a true friend when you can go months without seeing each other and when you finally get to play again you don't miss a beat. These two are hilarious together and what was even more fun than watching them play was listening to their conversations in the back seat while we were driving around town. This is one of the [main] reasons why Braylon still asks us to move back to Utah almost daily and the main reason [along with the rest of his amazing family] why each of us in our family can't help but tear up every time we have to drive away from a visit. Miss you b family!

Today was also the day I introduced these boys to the amazement that is a Zorse. Braylon wanted to ride a zebra and Jamie wanted to be riding a horse when they rode off on an adventure to catch some for of bad guy. Intro, Zorse. Kyle didn't believe me at first, or he just wanted to see me get feisty in defending my random animal trivia, so I had to immediately pull up pictures online for proof. I'm excited to see how long these guys retain the knowledge of the Zorse.

UT roadtrip Highlights [so far]

2011-02-25T23:58:00.002-07:00

Made it down the canyon without Braylon getting carsick and throwing up!
Getting all the way to Horseshoe Bend [where there are facilities] before Braylon announced he needed to go to the bathroom
Being told by Braylon not to worry because his pe[nis] and his po[oness] wouldn't go because they know he is a big boy so they will wait until he is near a toilet - nice!

([ ]s because I don't need those words pulling my blog for people searching them)

Bray replaying and quoting 3 Ninjas II [loudly due to headphones] "You're supposed to catch the ball, not the weenie!" [ohh, tum tum]

Braylon feeding Aiden two of those new squeeze tubes of baby food while we were on the road because I-84 was at a standstill for a while and then traffic only went 20-40 mphs because the roads were so ice/snow covered and Aiden laughing + loving it
Almost sliding through 2 intersections trying to make very slow turns - decided to just go straight instead and booked a room at a motel in Burly, ID for the night
Braylon's crazy excitement about our little motel room - "There are 2 of everything!!! 2 beds! 2 lamps! 2 chairs!!!" and being SO excited that they had cleared a path way in the room so we could exercise!
Gold Rush, Alaska marathon
Braylon yelling out from the, very deep, bath every 60 seconds, "I'm not getting out of here because it's too much fun!"
11:30 pm - both boys gave in to sleep! Finally!
My turn for a nice hotel water pressure shower

quotes to ponder...

2011-02-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

"Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in the world."

- Frank Warren

"Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid."

- Albert Einstein

"What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do."

- John Ruskin

braylon: love

2011-02-21T13:40:00.001-07:00

today my Braylon handed me a piece of construction paper and a blue crayon and told me it was for me to write him a love letter; he would forget about it so it would be a surprise.

10 minutes later when I handed him his love letter, folder and addressed he looked it over thoroughly and said, "ohh, that's so nice mom. Thanks."

i so love him.

2011-02-20T23:54:00.002-07:00

I've spent this evening trying to plan out design/decorations for our upcoming RS birthday party and I came across a link that had a post about wordle.com. I had forgotten about this fun site because although I've seen it a lot on different blogs this past year I had never used it myself. I played around for awhile making images using the first names of all of the sisters in my ward and think I will use those are part of the table centerpieces - if I can finalize a theme!

There is an option of putting in a website and it will pull words from that to create an image so I thought I'd see what our blog would create. So... I'm not exactly sure how it chooses what it does... but this was the result.

I'm glad that love seemed to be the most typed since it comes across as the largest... but I'm pretty sure I wrote a lot of others words with much more repetition that I would have typed tattooed and for the life of me I can't think of any time I have written anything about a Joshua.

happy valentine's day

2011-02-14T06:20:00.002-07:00

[no babies were actually tattooed in the taking of these photos]

Kyle and Braylon will be getting back from Boise late tonight so its just me and my little[est] guy celebrating this day of love. I'm pretty sure this thought is from a Hallmark commercial but I really like it, so KB:

"Valentine's day is not for saying "I love you" its for saying, "I love us" I love who we are together, how we've grown. From our nervous conversations to the One, we two, have become."

I do love you, very much, and I really love us and who we have become together.

[and our amazing two boys that we have been blessed to join us in our family!]

2011-02-12T21:46:00.002-07:00

Not too long ago I was secretly/not-so-secretly desiring something more in my life. I was overwhelmed trying to figure out how to stay on top of everything, so, in true to my nature form, I was hoping for something else to take on. Crazy huh. Well... that's me.

Well, the universe listened. I've been SO busy this past month. This week was no different.

Monday we worked more finishing out the attic. In Bray's room I finished touch up paint, applied a poly-finish on his dresser and started moving his things back into the room.
Tuesday we had the missionaries over for dinner so after work I made a quick meal and a new cake for dessert. [recipe here. I made it with a milk chocolate base and it was yummy!]
Wednesday I had my RS presidency meeting and then stayed for lunch with my friend while our boys ate lunch.
Thursday we hosted Kyle's basketball team for an end of season dinner.
Friday all of the coaches and their wives came over for a post game dinner and chat.
Today I cooked for and set up a funeral luncheon for an estimated 100 family and friends of an elderly lady that was in our ward. The last function like that I've been too was when I was 19, but it turned out great, hours doing everything one handed while carrying a sick little aiden and all!

I was also rendered unnecessary this week by my office in Salt Lake. I loved working with them and was grateful that they allowed me to work remotely for so long, and with such inconsistency [as I was trying to figure out that elusive balance]. It was the only job that I've stayed at for over a year and I made it almost three! That is huge for me for a number of reasons and I will really miss it.

I'm looking forward to taking a.d.'s 9 month pictures, pictures of braylon's finished Superhero room, my parent's visit and of our Winter Carnival fun and more updates because somehow when I get more busy I seem to be able to stay ontop of things better. For now I'll just keep snuggling aiden who seems to have a bad cold and watching Housewives re-runs since Kyle and Braylon are down in Boise for the weekend.

additional artwork

2011-01-28T17:50:00.001-07:00

My parents come up to visit and play with us in McCall for the Winter Carnival. We've been out and about enjoying some of the festivities today, craft fair, free hot coco, giant snow sculptures and gearing up for the major events starting tonight and all day/night tomorrow.

A special delivery arrived in the mail today ... a surprise addition for Braylon's new room. [so close to being finished!]

A photographer was able to capture Braylon's grandparents in their alter-egos... as real superheros!

Grandma is Wonder Woman and Grandpa is Super Grandpa!

Braylon stood staring at them in awe for a few minutes, then said he wanted his to be Batman, of course.

super hero room in progress

2011-01-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

room before - light green walls/ceiling - adorable monkeys, giraffe + joshua tree
[animals + tree painted by Kyle's mom when we moved in]

room paint process

finished wall and addt'l super hero murals sneak peak

2011-01-23T23:45:00.002-07:00

have I mentioned lately how everything seems to be happening all at once [and has been for awhile now]. Bray's room is coming along so well. Most of the painting is done, trim and small touch ups in the room, dresser redo to come asap.

Mari drove up today with Bray and brought with them her masterpieces. We were able to get all the superhero paintings mounted on the walls. So... they were going to be 2' x 2' originally but evolved over their production and now b has 4, 4' x 4' and 2, 2' x 4' masterpieces surrounding him. Anyone with boys, can you just imagine the energy flowing through his tiny body right now? He's running around like crazy!

Tonight we were also able to take on the task of designing a custom piece of furniture. {one of my} Fathers-in-law, Jim, offered to use his final project for this semester's woodworking class to create a cool piece for us. He and Kyle's mom had some ideas and we ran with them and created a cool coffee table/art table/storage... unit of awesomeness. We needed to have final design and sketches to him by tonight so as soon as I stopped painting tonight and thought I would relax in a bath, Kyle came in with his computer and notebook and we got to work getting this thing knocked out.

Pretty cool huh? Hopefully it works out, we had a lot of fun designing.

B's room picture updates tomorrow when there's better light!

life for the next 10 hours

2011-01-22T14:22:00.003-07:00

Pelican
Simply Gray
Porcelain Shale

frog tape
rollers + paint brushes

So much has been going on! and it seems like its all been overlapping like crazy. Last night Kyle had an away game a couple hours south of here so he took Braylon with him {on the bus with the teams, little boys heaven!} so Bray could spend the weekened with his Grammy. They went to the movies and saw Green Hornet then joined back up with Kyle to watch the varsity boys play. Mari will be bringing B back home Sunday along with the amazing artwork she has been creating for Braylon's new SuperHero room. I'll be spending the rest of the day/night clearing his room out and painting; base coat and then some skylines in two contrasting colors. If I get super ambitious I might get his dresser started too, but we'll have to see how well Aiden is cooperating since Kyle has another away game a couple of hours north of here today and has already left for that so its just us two for the night. Kyle should be home around midnight, just in time for me to crash. I am SO excited to get started!

bedding set ordered - duvet cover choice as he gets older - sneak peak of the super heros

winter, baby

2011-01-18T01:06:00.000-07:00

letter from B

2011-01-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning up my desk today and found this letter that Bray dictated to me earlier this past summer.

So, I want to write a letter for everybody. Mom, umm, I love my friends and I'm gonna never ever X out my Mom. [where he draws something and then covers it with a big X to show its not included] My Mom is who I love to the sky and I want everybody to be my friend forever and I'll be friends for ever.

So friends, know you are loved and thank goodness he won't be X-ing me out anytime soon!

2011-01-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

So, I have to admit, I am kind of loving the almost 4 year age difference between my two boys. I was always a little sad that things turned out this way and was afraid that the gap would be too big between them - and it may be as they get older, but I hope not - but I have to say that it was been wonderful! Braylon is an amazing brother! He adores Aiden and is such a huge help! When Kyle has basketball practice I watch the store with both boys and pretty much hope for the best each afternoon. If Aiden has a good nap, he's usually asleep for the entire time Kyle's gone, if not, I can ask Bray to go up and entertain him for me. I have the monitor so I can see and hear how things are going for the boys, but really at that point it just turns in to entertainment for me. Braylon climbs into the crib and they play with toys together, Bray will tell stories into the camera and move it around to show me Aiden or the room or some part of the adventures they are having, and some of my favorite moments are when Bray brings books into the crib and "reads" them to Aiden. He explains the pictures, the story, small details in the pictures. They both love that time, and I love them!

aiden: 8 months

2011-01-10T23:09:00.101-07:00

oh a.d. baby... you are amazing and we adore you!

you used to be content to sit in place for awhile and play with toys or watch Braylon running around like a mad man or rolling every which way to get where he wanted to go...
Over the week of Christmas you decided enough was enough and wanted more. One day you were up on your hands and knees, rocking back and forth, the next you were moving your hands forward and scooting/hopping your knees, the next day it was full speed ahead.
You've been wearing 12m clothes for the past 2 months, 18m from Old Navy; your long.
You sleeps until around 4 am when you wake up wanting to come into our bed, which we do because we like our sleep too, but you stays asleep until just after 7 am when your ready to play but will usually be happy to lay in one of our arms until around 8 when you've had enough and want to eat.
You love food and want to eat anything/everything you see me, dad or Braylon eating: sandwiches, cereal, steak and on and on and on.
You have no teeth yet but "chew" or gum food like you does. It seems like you've been on the verge of having some teeth break through for months but so far its a no go.
You give full face kisses - suck on our chin or cheek - pull back to smile and then attack with another full slobber kiss - and you give high-5s.
You are hilarious and know it. You attack toys like a tiger cub or shake your head back and forth really fast or bounce around in your seat and then laugh and laugh and laugh. You always check to make sure you're getting a good response from your audience, and you do.
You love baths and showers. If Braylon is ever taking one without you but you're is in the room, you do everything you can to get in the tub. Braylon loves taking baths with you too and loves sharing all of his bath toys with you and teaching you how to use his squirt gun {I think it will be awhile yet buddy}.
Basically, you are an amazing baby... your mommy, daddy and older brother couldn't have ever hoped for anything more.

reason 101 to invest in a video monitor:

2011-01-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

All was quite while Aiden was down for a nap... I just glanced at the little monitor so see his sweet face as I walked by and was shocked to see that the whole screen was blocked. What on EaRtH?!?!

I ran in and Aiden was standing up hanging over the side of his crib...

as proud as can be!

The first time Braylon crawled out of his crib, he was 18 months old, and he broke his arm.

2011-01-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

sweet

ferocious

some combination of the two

I have no idea what his eye color is. People assume they are brown since they are so dark, but I'm pretty sure they aren't... When people ask me, I have to say I don't know, which seems pretty lame coming from his Mom.

sorry for the absense...

2010-12-20T08:49:00.001-07:00

I shoudn't have posted about that nasty item I found online last time [I've removed the picture now but you can still follow the link if that sort of thing interests you]. Anything snot related grosses me out so badly I would almost gag anytime I looked at the blog so, sorry if thats your bodies natural reaction too.

moving on right, that is, if you forgive me. =)

Thanks again picnik.com for allowing me to give my little guys Santa beards.

2010-12-07T16:03:00.001-07:00

I made it back home to our winter wonderland with my boys last night and am this close to being unpacked, laundry done and settled back into a good routine here. The trip was great and it was wonderful to be back in Utah with family and friends, attending the Litchfield Family Chocolate Factory at my Aunt Terri and Uncle Bill's house, shopping and decorating a new spa space for my Mom and getting some Christmas decorations up at my parent's "Big House" in Heber.

So... I was just taking a peak at Amazon.com and found this little... item:

Introducing the Nosefrida The Snotsucker Nasal Aspirator. I can't imagine anything more disgusting.

In Utah!

2010-11-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

yay!

carless in SLC!

boo!

quick: hello friend

2010-11-21T01:16:00.001-07:00

any suggestions on how to get little snowmen to stand out against the snow??? i'm pretty sure we will be making many, many more of these little guys and I can capture them well when i'm more close up, but would like to be able to see them from a little distance too.

made me laugh, made me cry a little

2010-11-20T09:15:00.001-07:00

So, I'm not sure if I'm still carrying over some nasty emotional mess from pregnancy but I still find myself tearing up over more songs, commercials, stories, shows, etc. then ever before in my life. I'm not pregnant again, I checked, but man, I'm going to be in trouble in this next week or so when all of the sappy Christmas shows [that I love] start playing on tv. Bring on the tissues and confused looks from the hubby!

Anyway, I just saw this video on Faith, Trust and a Little Pixie Dust blog and loved it so I thought you might too. Whoever you are. =) Like the blogger mentioned, its even better if you've seen Taylor Swifts music video for Love Story, but it's really good on its own.

P.S. It's a quarter after 9 am and both of my little guys are just starting to stir, I was awake and up by 8! Aiden didn't wake up one time last night! This must be some magical day!

quick: sweet munchkin

2010-11-18T20:32:00.002-07:00

a.d., little guy, tater tot, tater, funny joke-sicle, funny

- names Bray claims he calls Aiden. Really, just a.d. + little guy these days

our boys have such big eyes!

2010-11-18T15:49:00.002-07:00

This morning it was bight and the sun was shining! and I thought we might squeak out one amazing weather day before the snow started falling again and we had the landscape of last week. [pics above are from last week] I might get to repaint my frames from the white I finished a month ago to a beautiful, peaceful gray before its too cold outside for spray paint to work. Oh well.

It appears that this mornings sun was just a teaser since it has been dark and moody for the rest of the day. Snow began falling in tiny flakes but now they are becoming thick and fluffy and coating everything.

Two weeks ago Kyle and Braylon met up with Kyle's Dad in Boise at the ski swap and they bought a good used set of skis, boot, gloves and a very padded helmet for B. Last week when we had a couple days of good snow I dressed Braylon in all his gear and let him give it a try. We have a huge empty lot across from the house that I carried him to - skis on - where he scooted around and held onto my hand as I ran and pulled him across the snow. He loved it! He's looking forward to having a good base layer of snow again so that he can put those new skis back on and get out there to play and then un-click and make snow angles.

Oh, and Bray's pose there? His time spent playing ski jumping on the Wii balance board taught him that. He is prepping for his jump, he then jumped and got about 2 inches of air, and landed posed like a true ski jumper would be.

quick: life's about to change

2010-11-15T23:08:00.003-07:00

Kyle accepted a position with the local high school coaching the JV B basketball team and tonight was his first day on the job.

It looks like it will be mostly freshmen and a few sophmore and juniors and it is Kyle's first big step into coaching - which means I will be a coaches wife with all the good and bad that comes along with it.

how did I not know this store existed?

2010-11-12T07:38:00.001-07:00

My cousin recently posted a photoshoot of a client and I loved the little boys sweater. I asked her if she knew where his mom had picked it up and she wrote that it was from Crazy8. I hadn't heard of it before so I googled it and found the site, fell in love, and realized there is even a store at the mall in Boise. There are so many clothes/shoes that are so Braylon and they are having a huge 60% off sale right now! These pictures are just some of the things I think he would love / look so studly in but their site has great clothing options for little boys! which any mom of boys knows the selections is way limited compared to cute little girl's clothes options. If you dress a little guy I'd check them out! Crazy8.com.

Other fun things I came across lately -

These are all Skechers Shape Up shoe options. Crazy huh??? Cool? I've been thinking about these and wondering if it was worth trying them out to see if they really add anything to your normal walking around aside from a potential odd gait. Have any of you checked them out? In any version? I'm SO curious. JcPenney carries all of these and they are on sale from $80 for $59.99. Love the winter option.

quick:

2010-11-11T20:23:00.007-07:00

Thank you to all of those who serve and have served who allow us the freedom to enjoy lazy afternoons like this - among other things. =)

aiden: 6 months

2010-11-10T23:27:00.004-07:00

my love, @ six months old you:

are getting more interested in toys
but would still rather be inches away from someone's face smiling and laughing
got away from being the worlds best sleeper
but are slowly working your schedule back out and figuring out daily naps as well - thank goodness!
you prefer to sleep snuggled up with someone - which is wonderful - unless there are other things that need to get done during the day, which is hard because there are
you are very serious a lot of the time, taking in everything around you
but you smile quickly and that smile makes everyone around you smile too
you, love, love, love watching Braylon play, and desperately want in on the action
roll over tummy to back and back to tummy now
but you have way more interest in sitting up than in laying down
you fell over from sitting right into Braylon's plate on the floor because you wanted to eat his pizza - really - you fell over and grabbed a slice and tried to get it in your mouth before as fast as can be
love eating baby food, want to eat all food, would go to a buffet right now if I let you
are beautiful and fun and everyone that meets you loves you
you melt my heart every day and your dad and brother can't get enough of you either

quick: first snowball + snowball fight: fall 2010

2010-11-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

2010-11-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

Still taking my pictures every day... still not ready to take the time to post them.

We decided to completely swap a couple of rooms in the house and I'm trying to get things back under control at this point so... hopefully my house will be in order soon, I can get some necessary grocery shopping done and then I can update this blog!

me loving on Aiden
just edited this picture from our family session last week

sneak peak

2010-11-05T10:13:00.000-06:00

Please excuse this interruption to my lack of blogging this past week for a sneak peak I received from our photographers from last nights session...

brotherly love

love it! I can't wait to see more as they come - even though, I gotta tell you, my hair was awesome! an hour before, and got all sorts of funky by the time it was actually time for the pictures - oh well, this sneak peak has me all sorts of excited!

sweet! November!

2010-11-04T13:46:00.000-06:00

I can not believe it is November!

I will be back posting soon about life in general + my photo a day pics. I have kept up with taking them, I just haven't had the time to sit down and post.

One project I did late last night [while waiting to make sure Aiden was really asleep in his crib so I could go crash in my bed without needing to pull myself back up 30 seconds after laying down] is this print:

The dates are our wedding anniversary and our boy's birthdays. I had a lot of fun playing around with different ideas and I think I will make one to print that has a combo of family birthdays, and maybe one of big events: date kb and I met, wedding anniversary, date we bought our first house, etc.

Something else I've been thinking about is going to involve a logo like this:

aiden taylor

but will not necessarily deal with my second born. I just think his name is pretty and fits the purpose well. =)

We're going to try to get family pictures taken this evening so I need to go make sure everything is ready... I so do not feel like its a good day for me to have my picture taken... just one of those days/weeks... but the time needs to be now before we lose fall... I hope we get at least one okay one of the whole family so that we can print it for our wall, but I'm looking forward to all of the cute ones I know we will be able to get of the boys and KB with the boys.

[my] perspective: our bowl of goodies for little goblins this year

2010-10-30T23:28:00.000-06:00

quick: a soldier on leave, my hero

2010-10-29T23:11:00.000-06:00

Today was the Halloween Party at Braylon's preschool. Aiden and I joined the other parents to set up the food and get costumes on our kiddos. When I showed up a couple of the parents were in costume and I initially assumed this daddy was too. - blame it on sleep deprivation. A little into the "party" I learned that he is the father of a little girl in the class and he is home on leave for 11 days. He was off to the side much of the time, but you could tell he adored his little girl and took a ton of pictures of her in her cute Alice in Wonderland costume playing and smiling back up at him on his phone so that he could "take them with him".

I ended up talking to him and his wife, his wife was holding Aiden for me, while I took some pictures of the group. She handed him off to her husband when her arms got tired and he held/rocked Aiden for about 45 minutes and let him sleep in his arms. I'm very glad that I was able to meet him today, and that he gave up so much of his precious little time home, to hold my little guy and allowed him to feel so secure that he slept soundly through a party of loud/excited 4 year olds.

braylon: the things you say

2010-10-29T22:24:00.033-06:00

"Mom, say, "Oh Wow! I've never seen a box that talks before."

"now say, "I've never seen a box with arms and hands before.""

"now, say, "I've never seen a box with arms and legs.""

Oh, man. This goes on and on and on. Standing behind... "Mom! Say, I've never seen a chair that talks before!" - peaking his eyes above the rim - "Mom! Say, "I've never seen a chair with eyes before!""

This "directed play" began recently and bray could play director all day long. I guess I should have seen it coming when he would stop a friend from playing and try to completely redirect the flow of play... but now he's taken to creating the entire script too. From oh my! animated objects to SuperHeros. I love his smart brain.

quick: finally - he's getting some rest

2010-10-28T19:36:00.000-06:00

I know today's "theme" for Lacey's link-ups was recommended to be jack-O-lanterns, but for me, there wasn't a sweeter moment of my day than finally getting Aiden into a nice, longer sleep! We had another very long, restless night last night... and he probably only had about an hour of sleep all day today.

Thank you to those of you who gave me some advice for how to help him. I'll try saline more, he fights it! and hopefully that will help draw more out, I just need something to help it stop!

So, the moment of bliss was short lived to be about 30 minutes, but it was a much needed 30 minutes for both of us. Here's hoping for a better night!

quick: 2010 trunk or treat

2010-10-27T23:10:00.002-06:00

hair explained: Since this was held at our church they request that no full face masks are worn, for safety reasons. Braylon's batman costume has a full face mask/attached cape so we had to improvise. I made up this mask from a tutorial I found here and Braylon decided that I needed to do his hair so that it resembled the bat ears on the "real" mask. Seriously. So, here's what we came up with... we should have gone with a Wolverine costume with hair like his.

Shooting cans: one of the games provided for the little ones

prize earned: he ripped the wrapper off, stuck it in his mouth and excitedly proclaimed "this tastes like sugar!" and then handed it back to me to hold for him.

Halloween Bingo with Riley: loved this game! he wanted to play over and over

close up to show remaining bruises: looks like he bruises more green/yellow like I do. Its sad to know that he still has swelling and bruises from his waterslide fall; forehead and his left eye.

requesting mommy advise

2010-10-27T16:28:00.002-06:00

I almost dedicated a post yesterday solely to praise the joy that was baby A sleeping through the night again! It felt so good to have a night of uninterrupted sleep. I actually woke up on my own and was thankful we have a video monitor so I could make sure that he was truly just sleeping soundly and didn't have a blanket on his face or had somehow learned to walk and was out enjoying some morning adventure, curled back up in my blanket and rested a little longer.

I felt great, Aiden seemed so rested, we were so productive - yesterday.

Last night A woke up just before midnight and I couldn't get him back to sleep until just after 2 am. I strapped him in to his bouncer chair propped up against a laundry basket to keep his head elevated in an attempt to help him "drain" out crud so he would sleep more comfortably. He woke up again just before 4 am extremely congested and unable to breath well. I tried sucking out his nose -again- but it seemed like everything was draining right into his throat. I tried to feed him but he couldn't eat. Just as I decided to see if a steam shower would help, Braylon woke up crying from a bad dream. I tried to console him but it didn't work. He was really sad that in his dream he had broken my computer and I was really mad at him. Okay, off to my room, tucked Braylon in my bed and went to see if the shower would help.

So there I sat at the bottom of the tub at 5 am with hot water raining down on my feet, holding my little baby thinking about how great that sleep from 2-4 am had felt. After about 15 minutes he was breathing effortlessly. So I sat there, breathing in steam, looking down at my baby as he ate and ate and ate, there in the shower. When we got out, Kyle helped me get Aiden re-diapered snuggled in our bed. I almost thought I could get some sleep when Braylon rolled over and said he needed something to eat because he was so hungry.

I stumbled into the kitchen, grabbed a grahm cracker, broke it into bite size pieces and brought it back to Braylon. We were all snuggled in blankets, Kyle, A, me and Bray. In the pitch black, Aiden was grabbing at my hair to my left, Braylon was crunching away on my right the clock says sometime in the 6 or 7 o'clock hour and I burst our laughing.

I was going to scoop Aiden back up and take him out to the couch to let Kyle and Braylon sleep but Kyle got up to do some final prep before attending an all day conference and giving a presentation this afternoon. The boys and I finally fell asleep! and slept until 9:30 then had to get up so that I could open the store. So, we're all a little extra tired today. I've done okay watching the store and both boys but its been hard because Aiden is so sick. At 5 I will close the store and get Braylon ready for our church Fall Festival/Trunk or Treat this evening.

The help I need is in knowing what the best options are for babies that have bad colds? I know you can't really give them anything but he is so tired and needs to be able to sleep but can't. I tried propping him up to sleep but it doesn't seem to help for long. He is extremely congested but not much is coming out when I use the suction bulb, his eyes are weeping and he has a fever. Any remedies to sooth your little ones?

quick: caught wet foot-ed

2010-10-26T22:21:00.002-06:00

I has been cold here... cold and wet! The highs are in the mid/low 30s and the lows... are too low. The snow has been flying almost all day long, but very little has been sticking or staying around which is good for now. The problem this has created is that Braylon wants so badly to build a snowman. He has been caught sneaking out to "check if there's enough snow" a few times and even seems to be doing it sans socks and shoes! Seems to be because when I went out to my car I noticed this little wet footprint coming back into the house.

quick: today is the day: first snow

2010-10-25T22:47:00.001-06:00

Weather.com reported our snow would start at midnight last night and snow all night/day/night with a projected accumulation upwards of 12 inches. Well, this was about it for the day; it was cold though. Snow is beautiful, but we have a ton to get finished outside before snow is here to stay so please please go away. Even a week of nice-enough weather would be nice.

Thanks!

Oh! and we had to postpone our family pictures due to weather... but good news, it gives me a little more time to get serious about getting serious about losing weight again, and I already picked out options for what we'll be wearing and had the boys make their final selections so we are set whenever its time to shoot.

quick:

2010-10-24T22:51:00.004-06:00

taking the stairs with style

I had to use a picture from yesterday because, well, I got no sleep last night. My baby was finally sleeping through the night but my little man had an accident, and I had to take care of cleaning it all up, redressing and warming him. Aiden woke up from it and didn't want to be comforted by Kyle, as I was trying to wrap and cuddle Braylon on my right, Aiden was grabbing for my hair on my left. When I rolled over to sooth Aiden and get him to sleep again, Braylon said he didn't want to holding Aiden, he need me.

We woke up early this morning to get all spiffy for church and make sure we would be on time since Braylon had his program. He stole the show. It was really funny for Kyle and I to have the child that was the youngest and that one cute kid on the very front making people laugh. It was fun afterwards having so many people tell us how much they loved Braylon's "participation" - he tried to fit the mic in his mouth after this 2nd speaking part! - and one couple just really wanted to take him home with them. =)

When we got home Braylon told me he didn't like the voice he heard when he was speaking in the microphone. He goes, "When I talk it sounds like this, but thats not the sound I heard..." He was confused but it was so cute. We are very proud of him for staying focused and for saying his parts without any coaxing and for the thumbs up he would give to us after he got back to his spot and between songs. Love him!

Sunday naps and pouring rain made for a very lazy end of day.