Friday, October 31, 2014

Riley turns seven!

    How do I have a seven year old?! I still remember the day she was born and SO many details about her first year like they were yesterday. 
    Riley is a creative, artistic girl who is FUNNY. She is pretty sensative and quick to cry if she had disappointed anyone and she always aims to please. She has developed some attitude, not anything different than you would expect from a 7 year old though. We love love love our Riley!
    Earlier this summer I came across a mermaid tail on line...it's a mono fin and a sequence filled tail you wear that covers the fin and goes to your belly. It is gorgeous and every little girls dream...they cost a pretty penny too. So josh and I talked to Riley about it and said we would buy it for her to have all summer BUT if we did she would need to pay is half ($50) and she wouldn't have a party for her bday in October, or treats for her class etc. He thought about it a few minutes and decided on the tail! So glad she did. She used it alll summer. Long story-geesh. Back to her birthday. She paid off her tail by her bday but like we discussed I didn't send treats to her class. She didn't whine. She got to pick what she wanted for dinner and Oma and Opa came over. I made brownies for dessert and they never baked for some reason. So we had left over ice cream and we FORGOT to sing happy birthday!!!!! Josh got her one gift and I got her a pack of new earrings. I feel like we jipped her. Josh made me feel bad for not sending anything to her class since she have us $50 of her own money toward the tail. So we decided to do a little slumber party with madylin, Morgan, Ava and anabelle! They had so much fun-we sang happy birthday and they stayed up giggling until midnight!!
 
So glad she has such great friends!
Oh and they are goooffffyy!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

October


We took the kids miniature golfing this month. It was their first time and the older two had fun playing while the younger two had fun running around! Max and Lynne were nice to go with us and help out!

This month Reese started this cute smile. She looks up and smiles so "hard". I don't know how else to describe it! We started calling it "super smile!"   Whenever we tell her "super smile!" She will throw up head up and give the biggest smile! So funny!
Max has been our first child to be so obsessive about toys. It's not always the same toys. He might have a few favorites for a couple days and then switch to others. But he has to have them with him always. Hiding in his pockets, tucked in nooks and crannies around his room or in a back pack or purse. He likes his "stuff" and since it has yet to cause a problem I think it's adorable. You can see here how he lines up all that kitchen food and utensils on his bed, complete with a drum and his choice of "guy" (action figure) for the week. A pirates him we got at the dollar tree a long time ago and is missing an arm. The boys LOVE that one for some reason. 
He really got into back packs, bags, purses this month. He loves to put toys in, go to a different room, take them out-reorganize-stick them back and and zip back up. Repeat! It's really cute to see. It drives josh a little crazy that one of his favorite bags is a pink hello kitty purse. I think it's funny that Max and Reese fight over it! She has gotten into purses his month too!
Max's also has a few "musts" this month. As in he MUST watch one of the toy story movies at least once a day. He also asks EVERYDAY multiple times for chips and candy (he does not get that everyday but he sure asks!)
His brekfast of choice is 2 eggo waffles. 
   Reese tries to jump she can't get off the ground yet but she thinks it's funny to squat down real low and thrust up. Her poor feet never leave the ground. 
     National walk to school day was this month. The kids walked from the community center to school with the procipal, teachers, the mayor and people from the school board. It was a long walk and I heard Braden was last...they had fun though!

     Braden went on his first field trip.  They went to the pumpkin latch and got to take a school bus there. He was sooooo excited!!!!! He thought riding on a bus was the best thing ever! Oma met them there and took some pictures for us!
     Reese is mimicking our actions more and more and can sign "more", "please" and is learning "water" and some other handy signs. 
   Monte took his son and josh on a deep sea fishing trip. They had a blast and josh caught a dorado! 

   If Reese happens to burp/fart she thinks it's so funny and tries to do it again which just results in some grunting. 
   She can go down stairs and by tht I mean she can fly down on her belly!
 She has also developed quite a sassy attitude and like to screech/scream if she doesn't get her way!
 The day of Reese's party she realized how much fun dress up shoes and purses can be!
  She got her her first sucker after some shots at her one year check up!

  Max's speech is still behind (I think) he is pretty hard to understand. But it is getting better-josh and I try to have him repeat words that he says incorrectly with the right sounds. He is putting more and more words together now too to make more complete sentences. 
He adds an "s" on the end of every word, for example "bye Lydia's" or "bye daddy's" 
Max's first time with water colors
   A couple months back Max was having nightmares every night. He would be in bed with us several times a night and sometimes we would wake up in the morning not realizing he came in our bed!
   Because he can't talk too well we don't know exactly what was so upsetting. We felt awful for him. He would continue to say "bad guys!"we would reassure him there are no bad guys and ask him where they are since he insisted. He would say they were in his room. His dreams seemed very real and very scary to him. He even had a dream that a bad guy was going to Riley's room and Max grabbed his legs and he must've pulled his pants down on accident because he kept saying "bad guy butt!" Hahah we did our best to assure him that bad guys are just in movies and when that didn't work that we locked all the doors and windows, checked and shut his closet door, and that daddy would surely beat them up. 
   About about 3-6mths of that and it stopped all of a sudden and Max even WANTED to turn to hallway light off. We got about a month of no bad dreams before they were back. He even stored "weapons" (Harry potter wand to poke their belly) and a other things on his bed. Poor guy!
   My mom threw a bday party for all the kids she missed out on this year due to being sick. 
It was really fun-they all liked their guys and being with grancy!
   I made Reese a healthy version of a cupcake to save her first real bites for her first bday
Uncle knuckle head helping Reese on the slide

   The kids are both doing great in school. We ended the month with Halloween :)

Friday, October 3, 2014

Oak Glen

We have so many beautiful places near where we live. 
  Wednesday is "early release day" so i decided to take the kids hiking at Oak Glen. There is a fun trail with things to look at along the way, fun bridges, lakes etc. 
   Here we are learning that sequoias are the largest living thing in the world!
Finding our way down a trail
Stopping along the way to catch water from the stream in a bucket to water the trees, so fun!
Beautiful scenery! They have sighted some moutain lions recently so it was a little creepy!
My baby!

The kids loved it and wished we styled much longer, We will definitely be coming back lots this fall to see the leaves changing colors!

New Love

    Bogart park is a camp ground about a 5minute drive from my front door. I've been once or twice but have never spent the night. 
   Well my friends Shelley, Audrey and I decided that on Saturdays instead of running or lifting we should hike to get some exercise in but to shake things up too. We became close with Kendra Moberg a sister missionary serving in our ward and her and her companion would come along with us too. 
   We have been going each Saturday, meet at 5:50am and hike for about 2 hours. 
   I'm kicking myself for not going every other Saturday that I have lived here. The hike we have been doing up a fire road is steep, long and fun!!! It is beautiful to see the sun rise and watch the mountain light up. We try to get further and deeper on the trail each time, beating our last time and hope to start some trail running. 
   As the sun was rising...moon still out, the quiet is wonderful and eery at the same time. 
The classic "why not jump?" Photos at a pretty overlook. 
My best friend Shelley, I have become so close with her this last year and am so grateful for our friendship. 
You kind of had to be here to get this picture but it makes me laugh out loud every time I see it! Audrey, another friend I've been getting to know really well as of late and I trying to do a cool picture of a shadow but as you can see didn't work and turned into something way better!!
Is this not an incredible view??
Audrey, Shelley, sister moberg and I
This is what makes me excited to wake up extra early every Saturday and the knowledge that I'm about to get in a good workout!
On our last hike before sister moberg left for home, done serving an 18mth mission I surprised her and hiked up with a bottle of sparkling cider and Audrey made a great toast!
I brought Reese this Saturday so josh could sleep in and Katie was able to come too! We are trying to get her to come every Saturday but as she has a newborn to nurse it's kind of hard. 

    So grateful for the friends I have around me. I really am blessed.
   For the past couple months Audrey, Shelley, sister missionaries and I work out mon-sat at 6am. Running or lifting weights depending on the day. It's a good release to work out, starts my day off right and I LOVE hanging out with these girls. 

Braden's 5th birthday


I wasn't planning on throwing Braden a party but he reallllyyy wanted one so I met him half way. 
He invited 4 boy cousins and one good friend to come swim and BBQ at Lynne and Max's.
    I drove most of the boys there and they were so funny to listen to in the car. Talking about Legos and power rangers

Once we got there a couple of the boys jumped in and then the party fizzled out before it started. It was a hot sunny day but no one wanted to swim (are you kidding me?! That's why we drove all this way!)
   They finally settled in splashing some and using squirt guns. 
  They had fun eating lunch together with promises of a piñata soon!
Piñata as I found out, are crazy expensive sooo I made one! My first one, I think I did ok...I know what to tweak if i ever do another though. 
The boys finished off the day jumping on the trampoline and eating cupcakes and piñata candy. As I drove them home I asked who had fun and they all shouted super loud that they did so although I thought it was kind of lame I guess they didn't!

   I can't believe "my boy" is 5. Time just goes so fast. Braden's personality has changed so much in just the past couple years, it's fun to watch the boy he is becoming and the characteristics that come and go and to guess which ones will stick. I'm so on love with him,  he definitely is a sweet emotional boy who still likes to cuddle with me and finds very sweet and thoughtful ways to show me love. (I get to write about his naughty side on another post-not allowed on his bday post!)

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

September

September was a good month-definitely settled into our daily routine...and a few fun things along the way. 

Our ward does a retreat for the women 18+ once a year up in Running Springs. 
         This was the 2nd annual Relief Society Retreat. The theme was a perfect brightness Of hope. It was really nice yet again. Friday night dinner was catered by a Mexican place here in Beaumont and we spent the rest of the night mingling, playing games and eventually moved into our cabins and stayed up until past 3 dancing talking laughing. So so fun to spend time away from husband and kids, just us girls recharging. 
The next day we had two guest speakers and some music. It was all centeted around hope and it was very enlightening but I didn't leave with the same feelings as I did the year before. Last year I left feeling motivated, uplifted inspired-quite energized. Someone mentioned this year felt "heavy". And I can't think of a better word. It left me with a lot to think about-in a good way but also I left feeling the messages put out there were meant for someone else in the group who really needed I hear them. I am super excited for next year and offered to take on planning it, hoping to have tons of help from my friends!
    NOT a flattering picture of me. I was SICK with some bad sinus stuff and my face was swollen when i woke up but I had to document me and Reese on this beautiful Saturday morning! 

After we got home a group of us went to another demolition derby "night of destruction" definitely wasn't as fun as the first one but had fun hanging out with friends. 
Max is BORED with Braden gone at school so we try to find things to do other then watch Tv. We went on a "pine cone" walk this day. 

Riley wrote a "secret recipe" and I let her try it. Not too bad!
Reese's first cookie-Oreo-before she is a year-gasp! I know. I know. How can I tell her no?!
What else do you do when Max and some bubble wrap are in the same room?!
Reese loves to help me "do the dishes"
Hailey pushed Reese around the track for a good long time 
Just playing 
Max's first trip to the dentist!
He did great!!! Until we had a problem with insurance and they couldn't do the actual cleaning until it was figured out. He did fabulous during X-rays though. The staff at this pediatric office are SO nice and friendly. They have each of the rooms painted or with vinyl in all different kid friendly themes. Video games and toys in the waiting room, flat screens on the ceiling for during your cleaning!
When we went back to get his cleaning done they put on the movie Rio for him to watch as he laid on his back, he got a certificate for having no cavities, entered into a drawing for free movie tickets for zero cavities, got to pick a toy from the treasure box AND then the dentist herself made this huge balloon for him!  She was so sweet and named each of his teeth as she checked them "this is jack and Molly and Jane and joe, oh! Joe said he likes to eat pizza" etc she was so nice! 

Reese and Riley sure look alike!
We love us some baby Reese!
Josh took Riley to the padres game and walked all over the stadium and found this!
Braden got an award at his school. Each month, each kinder class picks four students to receive an award. 
Braden's teacher wrote, and the principal read "Braden is a super citizen! He is patient and polite. He is neat and organized and stays on task. He takes initiative to complete tasks and is a great role model for his peers" and recieved a free meal for Denny's.  I'm so proud of how much he is liking school when he thought he would hate it. 
Reese learned to fold her arms for prayer!
Not a great shot but this is her first time with bubbles. She wasn't quite sure what to think and was slow to get them!

Max and I finally made the play-doh recipe our library uses. And it turned out GREAT! I should've done it years ago. 
Some other notes from this month:
-Reese perfected walking, she walks ALL over the place. She still falls but hardly crawls and chooses to walk most of the time.  
-Shakes her head no really fast, she knows she is funny and does it or attention. She gets so dizzy!
-Nods yes or no at the correct time. Josh and I already are amazed how much she understands and how well she Is communicating with us already!
-learning to sign milk and cracker. One day at lunch I was just messing around showing her and she copied! I should keep it up and she would probably learn fast. 
-Super smiley all the time!
-Max was watching Tarzan and I showed Reese how to bang her hands on her chest and yell and she did it haha
-Likes to wrestle with josh and the kids
-"Yells" at josh. Some times she will just look at him with a serious face and say "BAP!" And kind of nod her head. She does it over and over and it's hilarious. 
-Riley got a good report card this month!