2 Year Old Playgroup

Today I hosted the first playgroup for Braden. Since Braden is a only child for most of the day I really wanted to give him some interaction with other little boys his age. I figured it was a good way to get him to understand the concept of sharing and that hitting is not a appropriate way of communication with other children. Yes, we struggle in this department....testosterone what else can I say. Anyway...... after a few e-mail's to some friends we formed a playgroup!!! I was a little hesitant to do a 2 year old playgroup.... I've always had 2 kids at home to entertain each other so I never really felt the need to form one until they were 3 or 4 but, this time around it's different. Let me tell you....they were really good, they played well for the most part and the 3 hours flew by...I loved it. We had story and singing time, colored, had lunch and played A Lot!!! I'm sure I'll love it as much when I'm the one dropping Braden off and getting some time to myself :) Yes there were some selfish reason for forming this group as well :)

Here's to 13 years of wedded bliss and the kids going back to school!!

Me and Ray have been married 13 year today! WOW! I must say they have been happy, growth promoting, challenging, and joyful years that have brought us a lot of happiness and 4 beautiful children. I can't think of anyone else I would want to spend my life with .I look forward to many, many more happy years together.

On another note..........The kids went back to school today. They were up early and ready to go. You know all the anxiousness and excitement of a new year. I'm sad to see them go though. We've had a good time together this summer, I will miss their company.

Our Baby Braden is 2!!!!

Braden turned 2 on Saturday! I can't believe it......where has the time gone. He is such a busy and fun spirited little guy. He has been such a blessing in our lives. He brings smiles to our faces everyday. We spent the early afternoon at a fun play place called "Makutu's Island" he had a blast there and, it kept him well entertained and utilize all of his energy.



The wild and a bit dangerous "Banana Slide"



One of Braden's favorite things to do is to climb.

Pictures of Summer

I thought I'd post some pictures of summer so.... when I go to publish my blog into a book to have a hard copy of our memories I'll have a few pictures there of Summer 2008, so bear with me :)

We spent the first half of our summer at the pool pretty much everyday! Loving the
Sun!


Brett Received his Bobcat award at Pack Meeting on June 18th. They also initiated him into the Troop by making him bob for a apple, get it Bobcat...Bob for a apple :) Silly.....but fun.



We headed North to California for 2 weeks in July. We were able to have lots of fun FAMILY TIME!!




We had lots of Water and "Beach Fun" as well......we love Santa Cruz and Monterey.

Summertime Fun!!

We just returned from a fun family vacation in California. We did so many things and loved our time with the family. I came home with over 400 pictures!!! I put some of them into a slide show..... hope you all will enjoy them. Thanks family for a great trip we miss you all and can't wait to do it all over again :) Click on the Picture of crazy Braden to view the slideshow!! Much Love and Happiness to you all.


My Montage 7/28/08

Back from Girls Camp

A few months ago I was put into the Stake YW's Presidency so........I got to go to Girls Camp this past weekend. It was SOOOOOO much fun. It reminded me of my youth and how awesome it is to be a member of the LDS church. What a great program for Young Women. It's was so fun to go and hang out with my friends and the young girls and let our hair down and be CRAZY!!!

In Memory of Brett

It's been 14 years today that my brother Brett passed away. He and I were very close as we were only 2 years and 4 days apart. The day he passed was the hardest day of my life, with must grief and sorrow, the memories of that day bring heartache and tears. I think of him often and can't help but wonder what life would be like if he were still here. I think it is human nature to wonder about what might have been. I know that he is in Heaven with beloved relatives and our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, which gives me much comfort and peace. Because of my Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ I know I will be with him again and I rejoice in knowing that and feel very thankful for a beloved Savior who has provided us with the gift of Eternal Families. I loved my brother dearly and treasure the sad, happy, funny(and there were many with him, he was a jokester) and spiritual memories I have of him. I miss hearing him, sing, laugh, watch and play baseball, recruiting Brad to be his slave :), talk about the baseball stats of all the baseball players (he was a die hard fan, with a passion for the game), OOOOH the list could go on and on. He was one of a kind and I feel it was a great privileged to be his older sister. I love you Brett.