Love summer, lazy Sunday afternoons to spend together as a family, love the trampoline, and love my kiddos who always make me laugh.

Happy Birthday daddy!

A quick little post about celebrating Ryan's 32nd birthday. The whole first of the morning, he was with Ryder at his golf lessons, so we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him before he had to leave to work. But we decorated all of our windows so the whole neighborhood had no choice but to know it was his birthday, took him a Sonic drink to work and to say hi! (and to taste the delicious fruit pizza that his secretary and PT aide made for him. They had the whole place decked out with birthday stuff...such sweet girls.) Then because my awesome mom, who once again watched the kiddos, came I surprised Ryan with a QUIET dinner date and then we went back home to celebrate with the cake that Ryder picked out all on his own! (and he was SO BUGGED that it had glasses on the man because his daddy doesn't have glasses! He's got a bit of his mommy's OCD in him.)

Happy Birthday Ryan...we love you!

Happy *NINE* Years!!

And then there is Ryan and I...we just passed our nine year anniversary mark! I can't believe that it's been 9 years already-it seems a lot shorter. And it's been amazing-lots of school, moves, kids :) but we've been through it all together and I love him more each day. So incredibly blessed to have my best friend with me for eternity!



WE'RE BUYING A HOME!!!!!! It may be weird to put that in all caps, but unless you have moved as much as we have and NEVER owned a home before it's INCREDIBLY exciting. We picked out a lot but are still going back and forth as to what type of floor plan we want. I'm just too picky :) We'll probably be bunking with Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas because I can't make up my mind and we have to be out of our home by the first of December! Thank goodness for awesome parents who will let us move in for a month or so!!! It takes a lot of stress off of the whole process.



"Inga" and "PaPo" (what Reece calls grandma and grandpa) were so sweet and watched our kiddos so we could go on a date to the movies!

I can't believe that in a few weeks, that I am going to have a SECOND GRADER!! How I LOVE my Ashlynn....but because we are sooo much alike, we have defintely butted heads this summer! We have kept incredibly busy with her cheer, which she loves. It's so funny to watch her in soccer and basketball and how we had to literally drag her to practice/games but now that she truly loves what she is doing, she is more than willing to get ready and go to practice for over 4 hours a week!

She takes after her mother..what's more fun than trying on super fun hats?!

Here we are playing school. I was the teacher and gained a whole new level of respect for actual teachers. I was only trying to keep three kids busy and failed miserably...of course teacher's don't have a Reece in their class either :). She was making everyone squeal. Ash has been hooked on the American Girl series and all I can say is thank goodness for the library! Ash will go through a book in a day or two, so I have to keep a steady supply of books in her room. I can't even begin to say how grateful I am that she loves to read!

Getting her turn to ride on the combine with Grandpa.

Ashlynn loves to have dress-up dance parties with Reece and Ryder. I love to watch them all dressed up and having fun together!!

This girl is such a GREAT big sister and helper!!! I love love this picture.

My twin sister and her family came down to Southern Idaho to bless their sweet little baby, Blake. I have no idea where the picture went because I remember putting it on the computer, but I have a picture of Reece holding Blake. She ADORED him. She would keep asking Ann, "Baby? Baby?" And he was such a sweet...I was so thankful that we were able to meet him and that I got to snuggle him! I don't know if it's the extreme similarities between Ann and I, but my kids just LOVED Aunt Annie! I had to take this picture of Ryder as he sat on the couch and just chatted away with Ann! The best part was when I was changing kids who were riding with Grandpa on the combine, and I picked up her little guy to bring home. He came to me with no problem and when we got home, I was walking to the door and suddenly felt him attach himself to my leg. I looked up to see Ann (his MOM) coming to give him a hug and he thought that she was ME and I was HER! It took a good 30-40 minutes to truly convince him that I was his aunt! So fun!

The kiddos have loved the dirt next to our house....and I honestly love them getting out and getting DIRTY!

We got this little pool at the beginning of summer, and it has provided endless hours of fun! I guess Ryder was trying to do a car wash?



Ryder has spent hours with Papa on the combine. He was so cute and had to get his John Deere shirt, John Deere hat, and bring his book about John Deere tractors. We let him have lots of rides because the next week he was getting his tonsils out.



Then the day came where we FINALLY got his tonsils out! I wasn't excited for him to have to go through surgery or for the loooong weeks of recovery ahead, but I was excited for it to clear him up, let him breathe better, eat better, sleep better, and help his speech!!! My mom was so sweet to come and sit with me and then after when he came out. It's heartbreaking to have them cry and beg for it to stop...there was nothing that I could do except hold him. They finally gave him some Demerol to see if it would calm him down, which I was so thankful for..and it worked! He was in and out of sleep for a bit until he could fully wake up from the anesthesia.



He loved that they kept bringing him popsicles and warm blankets! After Ashlynn's tonsil experience, I had mentally prepared myself for a long few weeks but Ryder has done amazing!



It has been almost impossible to keep him down. The first three days he was out and about, and sneaking bites of pizza and hamburger and got so bored of ice cream and pudding. I was starting to wonder if it was an amazing recovery until the 3rd night hit. Poor guy woke up often just crying, so we watched a lot of movies and ate popsicles for the next three nighs. But since then, it's been wonderful! It's been less than two weeks now and he's back to normal!

And having fun in the pool!



A little catch-up

Lately I have found absolutely no time nor desire to blog. BUT regardless if I am the only person reading this blog, I have to keep it up..it's my journal! I've been keeping our blog for over 7 years now and I love looking back and watching my little family grow! Needless to say, my good attitude about blogging quickly disappears when I've posted tons of pictures and almost finished my post and it gets erased.....ugh. So instead of a huge long post I'm doing short ones-so here's go as to what we've been up to!

My sweet little Beecey keeps me unbelievably busy. She is truly a kid where if there is silence, she is in trouble!!



This is how I found her one day...going through all of my coupons and receipts and deciding that I didn't need them anymore, so she then ripped them and threw them out.



It's funny to watch how with your first kid they are always dolled up with matching accesories, the second not as much and then there's the third who more often than not goes out the door looking like an orphan child. Reece is a happy girl in her diaper and crocs....but who wouldn't be???!

Remember how I mentioned the whole silence=trouble? The kiddos were painting rocks and I forgot to put the paint away after they were done.

This girl is such a food stealer when it comes to Grandma and Grandpa. She is ALWAYS taking their food! Ashlynn and Ryder weren't gum chewers until they were almost 3, but Reece has a major obsession with it. She knows where Grandma keeps her gum and as soon as we get to their house, she disappears and comes out with a mouthful of gum. If I'm chewing gum and she sees, she will claw, pinch, or whatever it takes to get my mouth open and takes the gum out to chew. Kind of gross and funny at the same time.

Little Miss Independent thought she would help herself to some chocolate chips for a snack. You can see Ryder's arm next to her and he was all too excited to help himself too.

This girl is a CLIMBER. If she's not on the table, she's on the train table, or the couch, or the counter, toilet...whatever. I'm going to start a "Reece broken bone saving's account."

These past few weeks have been TOUGH...and nothing is better than something that will make me SMILE!! And this picture does just that!

I had to show this so when Reece is 14 we will have proof of how AWFUL it is to ride anywhere with here. She screams and cries so much that Ash, Ryder, and I feel like screaming and crying too :). We drove to Idaho Falls for my nephews blessing and it was 2 1/2 hours of tears! Thank goodness for an AWESOME Grandma and Grandpa who took all of the kiddos home in their car (and wouldn't you know that Reece didn't PEEP the whole way home!!!)