Catchin' fish!!

A couple of weeks ago we decided we all needed to get out of the house and enjoy the nice weather, so we took the kids fishing! We had a great time! Porter caught 3 and Brylee and Aspen each caught 2. The girls both have princess poles, but we didn't have a pole for Porter, and we didn't think he would have much if an attention span so it wouldn't matter, boy were we wrong!! He fished the whole time by himself, Brian would cast it out and turn around to help the girls and next thing we knew he would have a fish on. The girls loved it to, as long as they didn't have to touch the fish! We had a great time and were there for hours. But, I think we created a monster, Porter asks every morning when he wakes up "we go fishing?" as soon as Brian walks in the door from work "we go fishing?". We were in Wal-mart and we walked by the fishing poles and he ran over and grabbed one and would not let it go. So, now he sleeps with it and carries it all around the house. He has gotten really good at casting and hitting his sisters with it. I think we have a new favorite pasttime.

All that really matters!

Aspen loves writing us little notes. Sometimes we will get multiple ones in one night! She left this one for me the other night in my bathroom. How simple and true! She is such a sweetheart and I am so grateful for the reminders of what really matters. I am so proud of all that she is learning in Kindergarten! She has been a fast learner and will read books to Brylee at night in their room. She sounds the words out on every sign we see or on containers of food. She caught me off guard the other day when I was giving her some Motrin for an ear infection and she said "Did you give me Motrin" I never call it Motrin I just call it medicine, she was reading the bottle, I am amazed at the things she can read. I love my Asperino! She is a wonderful daughter and big sister!! And for right now, SHE LOVES ME---we will see if that changes when she is a teenager!!!

I paint too!!

A couple of weekends ago Brian and I painted our master bathroom and the bathroom off of our kitchen. When we were done we got out all of our other house colors to do some touch ups-fix holes or nics in the walls. I was in the living room fixing some spots, and came into the kitchen to find this!! Porter decided to help!! Luckily I caught him soon enough that the paint was still wet so we just had to scrub it off. After we took a picture of course!! Porter was so proud of himself!!

Ask and you shall receive!

This is what we woke up to this morning! I guess I did ask for it (see my snow day post) I guess next time should be more specific, because if I had my choice right now-I would choose summer! But, I shouldn't complain it is really pretty and my kids can't wait to go play in it!

I almost forgot the best part!!

I almost forgot to post these pics! My kids have got some great aunts, and for Christmas as their gifts to them, Kristin and Melinda took them to Build-a-Bear Workshop! As you can tell from the pictures-the kids LOVED it! Aspen made a ballerina rabbit-complete with ballet shoes and tutu! Brylee had asked (at the last second) for a unicorn from Santa, he wasn't able to get one to her, so Brylee found a pink unicorn, then topped it off with a Cinderella dress with glass slippers and a crown!!! Porter, of course, made a "heehee" (horse-for those of you who don't speak Porternese) he had a Jazz uniform with basketball shoes too! The kids loved their animals, and had a fabulous time making them-stuffing them-adding hearts- and giving them a "bath". They told me evry detail off the whole experience over and over!! While the kids were with my Mom and Sisters, Brian and I caught a movie!! This is a huge treat for us, we love going to the theatre's in Salt Lake (come to Jerome and you will see why) and as a plus we didn't have to pay for a babysitter---SCORE!!! Thanks to my amazing sisters for loving my children so much--they are loved just as much back by my spoiled children!!!

BATH TME!!

SO EXCITED!!!!

Snow Day--or should I say Snow morning!!

We have not got very much snow this year and I hate it! If it is going to be cold we at least should have some snow!! I think my sister-in-law in Philly, with 4 feet of snow in her front yard would disagree with me, but I either want snow or summer!!! A couple of weeks ago we woke up to snow finally!! It was Sunday so we headed to church and then made plans with the Radfords to come home and drag the kids around the yard on the sleds! We literally had to come home and hurry and get out there, because we were already losing what snow we got. Brian and Gary drug everyone around 'till the snow was gone at the Radford's house,then we headed to our house to use our snow. It didn't take too long until it was gone, but I think it was perfect because no one got too cold or wet or whiny. We did have a mishap with a tall sprinkler pipe and Kim's kids, (let's just say-the sprinkler is no longer there!!) but it didn't scare the kids too bad, because they still wanted to ride behind Brian, so they could get thrown off! It wasn't the greatest snow, but we had fun and took full advantage of what we were given!!

Christmas!

I know this is extremely overdue and I have had a couple phone calls from certain people harassing me because I haven't updated (you know who you are!!) So, here is a quick-crazy abbreviated version of our Christmas. All of the pictures are in weird order-I don't have them time to put them all in chronological order--so deal with it :) For Christmas this year we headed to Salt Lake on the 23rd. We stayed at Brian's parents house, along with his sisters and their families, so it was a FULL house. The kids loved it-always someone to play with. On Christmas eve Brian's mom had all of the kids over to make candy trains, it was such a cute idea. I think Porter ate more candy than he put on his train. Then that evening we went with my family for our traditional Christmas eve dinner with my dad's family. We used to have it at my Grandma's house every year but we have grown so much we now have it at the church house. I love it because the kids can run all over and no one cares! (I don't have any pictures of half of the stuff we did because--I forgot my camera!!DUH! Brian's dad let me use his for most stuff, but I missed alot of things too, like Brian in a fireman outfit-seriously SOOO HOT!! :) ) That night the kids opened their jammies. And the next morning Santa came and spoiled everyone. After the kids opened presents and we could get them dressed we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Downward's house for Christmas breakfast and more presents!!! We had a great holiday and had fun seeing everyone! Enjoy all of my random pictures of our wonderful Christmas!!

All worn out!!

One of the many pictures Aspen made us using her art supplies!!

Porter's backpack from my parents--he loves his monkey "packpack"!

Brylee's cute hat from my mom!

Porter got a tool kit from Santa and it came with safety goggles--so cute--gotta love the boogers!!
After taking off the safety glasses!

Aspen's pink binoculars--so she can see the coyotes!!

Porter sharing his Geo Trak with Hayden!

This was a failed attempt to get a picture of all the kids Christmas morning! Porter wouldn't even try!

A new "heehee!!"

Porter's tool kit and a beautiful shot of Brylee!!

I am thinking they should get started on the makeovers NOW!!!

THE MESS!!!

Porter slept in Christmas morning and Steve just couldn't wait for him to wake up on his own so he drug him out of bed half asleep!!

Candy train assembly! (aka eating lots of candy!)

Not our baby--if you couldn't tell :)--we just borrowed him from Holly! borrowed babies are my favorites!!!

Everybody is so intigued by baby Jackson!

Allright so now I updated--yay me!!!

Porter's 2!!

Porter turned 2 on December 14th! We celebrated at home by ourselves. We had a Truck cake made for Porter. He loved it he kept saying, "My truck birtday take!!" He is obsessed with heehee's (horses) so he got a horse that neighed, and his friend Kady gave him a truck with a horse trailer. He loved it all. Brian and I bought him some nerf guns, and unfortunately they were a little to hard for him to cock, so he has to bring it to us to cock, then he would shoot his sisters, the mounted duck on our wall, the ceiling fan and anything he could see! Porter is just getting crazier and crazier. He has tons of energy NEVER slows down, he has even stopped taking naps!! He is such a stinker, when he does something he knows you don't want him to do, he says "haha" like the annoying kid on the Simpsons. He loves tormenting his sisters, I can't tell you how many times a day I have to say "Porter leave them alone" "Porter don't do that!" "Porter stay out of there!" He loves his Daddy and runs to the door EVERYDAY when he hears Brian's truck come home. He always wants to go to Brian's basketball games "Daddy basitball". Anything Daddy is doing he wants to do! And whenever we get in the car he asks "Daddy work??" He loves to go see Brian at work. When the girls are both gone he misses them so much, he asks for them constantly! Porter has won the hearts of many, people in our ward are always coming to us just to talk to Porter and get knuckles! He even has his first crush, one of my wonderful young women , Hali. She babysits quite often for us and the kids all love her, but Porter will stand at the door crying "Hayee, Hayee" when she leaves. He loves to sit with her at church and kisses her incessantly, I think he is in love (and truthfully I think she loves him too). I have my days when I want to duct tape him to the wall so he can't get into any more trouble, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! He has been so much fun, and he finds something to be happy about everyday, especially if it is something that makes me unhappy! We have to try REALLY hard when he does something naughty to not laugh, but dang he is so cute and 100% all boy and it's so fun!!! We love our Porter B, and are so glad he is part of our family!!!!

This is how I found him in bed after a nap!!! YEP he is a boy!!

Just like Daddy!!

TROUBLE!!!!

Brylee's 4!!

Brylee turned four December 1st, but we celebrated early when my family was up for Thanksgiving. She was spoiled with lots of fun "girly" toys. We had the cutest "My Little Pony" cake made for her--and I have no idea what happened to the pictures of it!! Brylee is quite the character lately, she is very much into anything "girly", princessy, little barbies and pink. She tells me all of the time that she wants to ride a horse "like a princess" (side saddle), and everytime I do her hair, she wants it to look like a princess. We have fights everday because she wants to wear a dress EVERYDAY, if I make her wear pants, because its freezing or she has worn the same dress 3 days in a row, she tells me "You never let me wear what I want!!" and I have a flash forward vision of her as a teenager, and I cringe!! She can also be really sweet, she wants to cuddle and be held alot, she loves to kiss Porter-mostly against his will. Brylee has no volume control and never has and she defintely has a very distinct voice, it's just one more thing that adds to Brylee's amazing personality. If I needed to describe her in one word it would be "personality". She is always been my smallest child, but she has enough spunk and kick to fill a child 5 times her size and 5 times her age, she knows who she is and what she wants all the time and most of the time I can appreciate that. She is thriving in preschool and loves her teacher and classmates. Brylee is so much fun to have in our family, she keeps us on our toes and keeps us laughing. No doubt, she is a little girl with BIG dreams!! Keep dreaming big, Brylee Jean- We Love You!!