Our Family

Busy......

2013-10-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

OSo, the weekend flew by.

Here are the girls all ready for church!

Monday was the start of our first week back in school. Avery didn't let me get much done during the day.

This is how we spent the morning. This girl does not like keeping things in her hair! She loves Mickey Mouse right now, so we watched a little bit together.

I trimmed the bushes in the front yard when Brad got home from work. He is still gimpy and I couldn't take it anymore! The bushes were overtaking our yard! The only downside is that I did it in the dark, so it was hard to see what I was doing! After the girls went to bed, Brad and I caught up on shows and then I got called into work. I didn't get home until 6 am. I was tired! I managed to get about 2 hrs before I had to get the kids ready for school! Kenzie went on a field trip to the dairy farm today and she got to see a calf be born. Apparently a calf is born at least once a day, if not more! They got to have flavored milk ( she chose grape) and have ice cream. I really wanted to be a chaperone, but her teacher had to draw names and I didn't get picked! Oh well. Hayley had her class auction today where they could spend their fake money that they had been earning all year. I died laughing when I saw what one of things she bought was.

A sock purse!

Here is a better close up

I have no words...........! She spent 20 of her 60 bucks on this!

Tonight Brad got to snuggle with the girls

I'm off to bed!

I'm on a Roll!

2013-10-18T20:19:00.001-07:00

Today I did not want to get out of bed! Avery was a stinker this morning and she bought herself a ticket for a morning nap. It worked out well though cuz I needed to run errands after dropping the girls off at school and I didn't want her to fall asleep in the car. We headed into town and went to San tan village mall. Avery loved the kids area, but she also loved running away from me. I should have brought the monkey leash! One of my best friends from elementary school met me there and we caught up!

I took a nap today after we got home and it was glorious! We picked the girls up from school and went to Target to get birthday party presents. Then we hung out and relaxed. Avery got new pj's and they have a heart on the bum. It's so cute!

Breakfast. Avery the mooch as usual!

Brad the crippled snuggling with Kenzie

The heart bum!

2013-10-17T21:42:00.001-07:00

This is what it looks like picking up the girls from school

There are four lanes for cars and it gets crazy. The aides and teachers are strict about making sure you pull up. Last year I got into it with one of the teachers cuz I was stopped waiting for Hayley and then there was a big gap and they wanted me to move up. Hayley was literally next to our car and the teacher was going to make her walk up like 30 yards so I could pull up. I told the teacher, no, and told Hayley to get in. The teacher did not like that and so we argued a little back and forth. I was irritated to say the least.

Avery snacking in the car....

After school, we went with our cousins to Schnepf Farms. We went on rides, saw the pig races, ate yummy food, played mini golf and had a lot of fun. I even paid 8 bucks for a pumpkin cinnamon roll. Highway robbery if you ask me, but I'm a sucker for pumpkin......anyway, luckily there was no homework for each of the girls, so we got to stay out past bedtime! Lucky ducks!

Miracles do happen

2013-10-16T20:31:00.002-07:00

Day 1 of my seven day challenge. Let's see how this goes........
After spending 5 glorious days in the Pacific Northwest , it was time to get back to our daily routine.
Kim inspired me to make actual breakfasts, so I made banana muffins and they were gobbled up before I could show the evidence! Then I tackled the fun job of unpacking and laundry. It was a little overwhelming, but I survived.

After getting the girls off to school at 10:45, Avery and I played. I love hearing her try to communicate! She makes me happy! During nap time, I caught up on some shows and attempted to start this:

I have Two days to finish this before book club. I don't know if it will happen.............

After school, we played outside. Kenzie was whining because both training wheels on her bike weren't touching the ground and she has no interest in learning how to ride her bike without them. Avery liked being pulled in the wagon and Hayley fell a few times on her scooter, so she was done and read instead.

Our neighbors little dog got out and was running down the street and Kenzie ran screaming as fast as she could into the house and locked her into the bathroom. She hates dogs. Our neighbor took that dog back home and got her little puppy and kitten and brought them back to see if she could change her mind. No such luck. Kenzie would not come out of the bathroom. We played with them instead. Avery loved them! She kept squealing and making dog noises. I'm glad our neighbors have animals we can play with and not have to take care of!

We played until 7 and dinner was cereal, but oh well! We had fun!

Top Ten

2010-05-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

These pictures have nothing to do with my ramblings, I just thought I would put them on cuz they are cute! As we are getting ready to head back to Oregon, I have been thinking, and I have come up with a top ten list of what I have learned these past 6 months.

10. Moving stinks. Especially every 3 months. You get everything unpacked and then a month later, you pack it up again!
9. We couldn't have done this without family who loves us. My Dad and Mom both let us live with them and invade their space and make messes! And Brad's parents helped us move multiple times!
8. The church is the same everywhere (well, maybe not Utah County! :)--) and it is nice to have that network!
7. Kids are troopers. Even when they are bored out of their mind and there is no cable, and no friends to play with.
6. Utah is colder in the spring than in the winter. It snowed April 30.
5. Queen size beds are way to small. Oh how we miss our California King!
4. Just when you are feeling like you know what's going on in your life, things change.
3. Oregon needs more restaurants! There are so many yummy places to eat in AZ and UT!
2. I do have willpower.
1. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The past few weeks..................

2010-02-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Hayley turned 5! She was so excited for her birthday. We celebrated it at Chuck E. Cheese's and she had her cousins and 2 friends come. She had so much fun except for whenever Chuck E Cheese would come out. I don't blame her, he is kind of scary looking!

She wanted a "Barbie" party, so here is the table that was decorated by Danyel! Thank you!
I asked her what kind of cake she wanted and she wanted a rainbow cake with all of these random things on it. So this is the best I could come up with. It turned out better than I thought it would!
For Christmas, I had given Brad a hot air balloon ride, so after 3 rescheduled attempts due to weather, we finally were able to go!

They lay it out. It looks so big on the ground!

Then they blow it up with fans and then start heating the air.

Then we all got in (Brad and I and 6 other strangers).

The view was awesome! It didn't even feel like we were moving. It was a lot of fun!
Here is one of the reasons I love the Arizonan desert. The sunset. The picture doesn't do it justice.

When it came time to land, we were going to land on these big rocks. We hit the ground with a thud, came off the ground, hit again and then our pilot says, "Ok, everybody in landing position". Brad and I were like, "What is landing position" The next thing I hear the pilot say is that we are going to tip over and a second later we were like this:

Needless to say it was quite the adventure! After we climbed out, they served us some mini appetizers and Brad and I, Sparkling cider (everyone else had wine). We got to enjoy the beauty of the desert and then go home!

We are busy now getting ready to move to Utah in a few days! Hopefully I'll post more soon!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

So we have been in Arizona for a little over a month and the time has flown by! We are enjoying the nice, beautiful weather here! Brad really likes his rotation at Luke AFB, but he despises his 100 mile commute everyday! The girls and I have been busy with holiday stuff going on so it hasn't really hit much that we are here. It feels like we are on vacation still! We have been decorating for Christmas, watching Christmas movies, looking at Christmas lights, eating Christmas goodies and we can't wait for Christmas next week! We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am slacking again this year on the Christmas Cards, so consider this your card! Maybe next year, when we aren't living out of suitcases, I'll get around to it!

Good Bye, Oregon

2009-11-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

Well, the time's come for us to leave our rainy home. Yes, I say home, because that's what it has become for us. In the past 3 and a half years we've lived in OR, we've had a lot of experiences. Some good, some bad, most of them good. I've now been away for only 2 days, and yes, I already miss it up there. There are things I won't miss, like the soaking 6 month-long rain, Oregon drivers (please, just drive the speed limit, you won't die), the astronomically high property taxes, and the fact that I can't just put my own gas in my own car. But, there are things that I will miss, like Tilamook ice cream, the beautiful trees, actual seasons, the many things for my kids to do, the strength of the Church, our wonderful ward, and most of all, our friends. To all of you who extended the hand of fellowship when we first moved in, thank you. To the friends we've made over the past few years, thank you. I never could have hoped for better friends, I will miss you all terribly.

Sorry for being so mushy, but I felt I needed to say good-bye and thank you, to all of you, for your support and your friendship. I hope it won't end.

Brad

It's worth the drive

2009-09-26T22:05:00.001-07:00

Yes, we really drove an hour and a half, one way, just for the pumpkin ice cream! I was thinking of you Chelsie as I was savoring the pumpkin yumminess! Maybe someday they will start selling it in the store!

What's been going on.........

2009-09-14T22:00:00.001-07:00

So back in August, we went camping with our ward and we had a great time! This is 1 of 3 pictures I took the whole time we were there! Oops! The tent was awesome! It was huge! Much better then our 2 man tent we got after we were first married that only fit our air mattress inside!

After the campout I made chili sauce out of 50 pounds of tomatoes. Brad's family LOVES chili sauce. They eat it on Roast Beef and Meatloaf. I've tried it and it tastes yummy, but so does eating them with ketchup, which to Brad is a sin! I thought since I got a good price on tomatoes, I would try making the man I love his beloved chili sauce. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Luckily, Brad's mom walked me through the process and and after many phone calls throughout the day, I did it!

Here is the finished product! And if that wasn't enough, after all day in the kitchen making chili sauce, I spent all night making apricot jam. NEVER AGAIN! :)

A few weeks later, I was running with my friend, Kim, and apparently I can't talk and run at the same time because one minute I am running and the next minute I am on the ground turned 180 degrees holding my ankle. Isn't it pretty?

After having an X-ray done at Urgent care, it came back with a questionable break, so they had to have a radiologist read it. They couldn't let me leave with it possibly broken, so they outfitted me with a lovely soft cast! Luckily, it wasn't broken and I only had to wear that for a couple of days!

I just had to show off Kenzie's teeth!

And for Jayna, these are my Love Bugs:

THE END!

Kenzie is walking!

2009-08-29T12:56:00.001-07:00

So she isn't a pro yet, but she has been walking around so much the past few days! She'll take like 20-30 steps and then fall down and walk on her knees. Her knees are still her preferred method of travel! So here is a quick video!

By the way, now that I am a private blog, I can freely use my kids names, so in case you didn't know, Hayley is peanut and Kenzie is monkey!

Going Private...............

2009-08-20T23:21:00.001-07:00

Sorry for all of you out there that hate checking private blogs, but we are going private in 1 week. Leave a comment or send me an Email me if you would like an invite to: brangbywater@msn.com

For those that have Google Reader (like me and can't live without it), I have created another blog that you can put on your google reader to see if we have updated the private blog. That address is: navybywater.blogspot.com

Best Friends

2009-08-05T08:21:00.000-07:00

What to do on your FIRST Birthday by Monkey

2009-07-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

1. Have your mommy make a cute monkey cake 2. Get all excited when you see it and wonder why people are singing to you

3. Take little nibbles of the unknown substance

4. Realize what yummy goodness it is, and rather than nibble, pick it up for bigger bites

5. Smile at your mommy with your messy face!

I can't believe you are 1! Where did this past year go? You have grown so much and we love having you part of our family! Some things about you that we adore are:

your cute gummy, toothless smile (that's right, still NO teeth!)
your kissable cheeks
your cute laugh
how you play with your sister
how you like to stand and climb on things
how your hair grows really fast on top and slow everywhere else!
when you wave
when you say "Hi Da da" (Brad claims this, however, I have yet to hear it!)
when you give us kisses on our cheek
when you cuddle
you dance when music is on
you love yogurt and cheese just like your sister

We Love You Monkey!

Peanut and her "Ballet-tard"

2009-06-10T18:37:00.001-07:00

Peanut has been taking ballet for the past 9 months and LOVES it! Everytime I tell her it's time to get ready for class, she says, "Where is my ballet-tard?" I tell her it's leotard, but she isn't convinced! Anyway, she had her dance recital a few weeks ago and here are some pictures from it! I was worried she would get stage fright, but she did so great! She was especially excited to wear makeup! Daddy came and surprised her with some pink roses and she was so excited to have her own flowers! What a great Daddy!

Adventures in Newport

2009-05-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

Brad had 2 1/2 weeks off before the start of his 4th year, so we had some fun adventures! We had never been down to Newport, so we decided to go check it out. We stayed at South Beach State Park and camped! When we got there, we headed to the beach! It was awesome because there was only one other family there, so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves!
It was a little chilly, but that didn't stop us from building sand castles and playing in the sand!It started to get really overcast and we weren't sure if it was going to start raining, so we headed back to set up camp. Setting up camp was EASY, cuz we got to stay in a YURT! What is a yurt you may be wondering? A yurt is the best way to camp in Oregon! The last time we went camping, I froze the whole night. This time, it was awesome because we had a space heater in our yurt and I was even a little warm during the night!

Here is our Yurt. It is like a big teepee!

Inside the yurt had bunk beds and a futon that folded down into a bed. And there was plenty of room for the pack and play! It was also nice to stay in the yurt because it started raining pretty much after we ate dinner and continued all night long. Brad made us a nice campfire and we used some of his crappy Perception notes (the worst class he has ever taken) as kindling! It was a great celebration to burn them! The next day, we went to the Aquarium and saw some cool things! Peanut really wanted to see the sharks and she loved petting the starfish. She tried to pet the sting rays, but she would get scared cause they move!

We had a lot of great memories and hopefully we can do it again!

Boards Celebration Trip

2009-04-29T00:19:00.000-07:00

Well, as a celebration for passing Boards, my buddies and I took a little day trip down to Chambers Bay Golf Course near Tacoma, WA. Actually, we were planning on going all along, we just happened to find out about our boards results on the car ride up! Made for an even better day to find out we all passed! Chambers Bay was amazing, it's a PGA Tour course that will be hosting the US Open in 2015. It's a links style course on the Puget Sound, so it was really challenging, but such a blast to play. We all did decent, too. Here's some pics:

You had to take a shuttle down to the actual course

It was a beautiful day

This is a view from the tee box on a par 3, Dave birdied this hole (big surprise)

I'm not sure if Dave is making that face because of the sign or because he needed to find a bathroom to 'lose 4 pounds!'

Nobody's perfect dude

Ben had an advantage over us, a perfect view of the green from above

Another gorgeous par 3

Congratulations to all my boys, and to all my other classmates for passing boards! Now we just need to get past perception, and we're home free!

Board Results are in..................

2009-04-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Brad PASSED!!!!!!!!!

What to do when it's 80 degrees outside................

2009-04-26T21:26:00.001-07:00

Go to the BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brad had the afternoon off of school, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to Indian Beach! It is so cool to drive thru a forest and then all of the sudden be at the beach. I love it. The beach is one of my favorite places to be! I love to sit and watch the ocean! Peanut loves playing in the sand and flying her Strawberry Shortcake kite! This was Monkey's first time at the beach and all she wanted to do was eat the sand and make messes in her diaper! :) Unfortunately for me, as I was changing her diaper, she pooped on me TWICE! That was our cue to leave the beach!

Long overdue.........

2009-04-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Where have we been? Busy having fun! :) Brad took boards, but we won't know for another month how he did. But we are sure glad to have them over! Monkey is 9 months old! She is so close to crawling. She gets up on her knees and rocks and then falls down as she is reaching for something! Peanut loves reading books and singing songs and telling jokes that make no sense! Life is good!

Happy Birthday Peanut

2009-02-05T09:24:00.001-08:00

My little "peanut" is 4 years old! I can't believe it! She is such a little girl! She wanted to have a party, so we had a few of her friends over for a Prince/Princess party! She had such a fun time.
We had another little party with some friends from school the day before her birthday and had pizza and cupcakes! She had so much fun!

I had to be seen in public with this:

2009-01-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

Yeah for Christmas!

2008-12-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I figure someone has to update this blog, so I guess I'd better go ahead and do it! :) Well, let's see... Thanksgiving was fun, we had it up here in Oregon with some of our school friends. I cooked a turkey and it was a big hit. I 'brined' it, which was my first attempt at doing something like that. Turned out really good. We had a blast, and we're grateful for our friends up here and enjoy spending time with them. I don't really have any Thanksgiving pics to post, since we didn't really take any. After that, we decorated the house and went to a Christmas tree farm and cut down our Christmas tree. That was a blast. I'll really miss doing that once we leave Oregon.

As you can see, we had only a couple of trees to choose from! :) Angela also decided to play photographer and set up our own mini 'studio' to take Christmas pics of the girls. I think she did a great job:

Well, I guess that's all the news for now. We're just busy listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, making goodie plates, and studying for finals! (Well, one of us is, anyways) Merry Christmas to all our friends and family out there, and this year especially may we all remember why we celebrate this holiday! We love you all!

Halloween Fun

2008-11-05T19:54:00.000-08:00

My cute little cupcakes! Peanut wanted to take a picture with Monkey holding their elephants.
Monkey dressed up as a.......MONKEY! She was adorable. Although, she only wore the costume for a few minutes because it was too hot!
Peanut was PRINCESS PRESTO (from Super Why) and she got her face painted with flowers on it. She was so excited to go trick or treating! She kept singing, "I want candy!"
So, on Halloween, we were lucky enough to go to DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had so much fun! Peanut LOVED Thunder Mtn, Splash Mtn, and Matterhorn! She was more scared going on the Pinocchio ride then the roller coasters!
The girls and their matching hats!
We went trick-or-treating at California Adventure. It was crowded that night, but it was still fun! Peanut was exhausted and fell asleep sitting in the stroller on the way to go trick or treating. They had candy stations throughout the park that you could go get candy at. We hit up a few and then went on a ride and then went back to the hotel and went to bed! We made up for our early night by getting up the next morning and hitting the park at 7 am! It was worth it cause we got to go on a lot of rides without waiting in line!

2008-10-26T21:23:00.000-07:00