Mom's Day

The first mother's day I celebrated was May 2005 and I was pregnant with Braxton. Jeff made me breakfast in bed.....turkey lunch meat and cheese omelet. I couldn't get near it. He told me we were all out of bacon. My sweet husband had really good intentions BUT... I do draw the line. I remember that day really well and the anticipation I felt in becoming a mom....I could have never dreamed it would bring me the sweetest, most pure joy I have ever felt.
Four years later this is my sweet family. I love it love it love it!

These are some of my most loved and cherish co-momers. My mom who I love and I am so thankful for the great example of motherhood she has shown me. My sister, who is a wonderful mom and who I love being a side by side. And both of my grandma's who I also love and have so much admiration for.

My favorite place in the whole world. A beautiful day, beautiful family, beautiful home, beautiful flowers in bloom.....

My other favorites which I got to enjoy today....Homemade Cherry Pie and fresh Lilacs. My awesome husband took it upon himself to create the masterpiece because he knows I love it and bakery's use the pie filling....not the real cherries. It was delicious and I will be eating it for breakfast tomarrow!

The lilaca are from my mom and dad's yard and they make my whole house smell so fresh and spring-ie.

We got to talk to Brent today who is in Spain and Jeff's brother Lane, who is in Japan. It was so great to hear their voices and know that they are doing so well.

The guys did a great dinner....my brother Bryce really stepped it up since my dad has been so sick and it was really nice to be all together as a family.

Thank you for this day.

This evening when we were leaving my mom and dad's and getting the kids into the car this is the conversation Braxton and I had.....

Braxton: "Mom, I really yike (like) this Mother's Day."

Me: "Me too Brax.....what do you like about it?"

Braxton: "It's a really happy day."

Go Green Machines'

Braxton's t-ball team name is "Green Machines." So fun! Yesterday was our little sluggers first game. It was a huge day for him and we had a great time. It was also picture day so that made it extra eventful!

It was a beautiful day and Braxton was all warmed up for the game. He had a huge fan club and lots of people had their eyes on him which he always enjoys.



Here's Lesha Junior! Carson is starting to look so much like my sister I think. He loved watching his big cousin out on the field!

"HI MOM!" I wish that is what he was doing but actually he is waving to my brothers girlfriend, Chelsie. I don't think he noticed any of his other fans. He loves Chelsie....watch out Bryce!

Safe!

Just doin' his thing...

Cheese!

We love t-ball season!

the latest.....

Braxton started t-ball last week and absolutely loves it. The day of his first practice it was 68 degrees. Adelle and I had no problem soakin' up the vitamin D while we watched him and his cute little team. Adelle is really into clapping now so she was the biggest fan!

Here's my awesome t-ball man. He's the one who's first in line. He saw me with the camera but he is mastering ignoring me in this picture. He is pretty cool, just ask him!

Practicing grounders

My mom brought us lunch one sunny afternoon and the strawberries were the hit. We had a nice picnic in the yard. Braxton loves strawberries but he was really good about sharing with sis.

Sis loves strawberries too we discovered! There isn't much this girl will turn down!

"I love it, I love it, I love it....I want the whole thing stem and all. I love all of it..."

"Sis, just one bite...." "Mom, sis is trying to eat the whole thing."

We are loving the spring and all the fun and goodness that comes with it!

Friday + Fifty Bucks + Family =

So some of you know that we have been practicing a "cash money only" budget!

Props to us because this is hard work and takes careful planning but we've been doing an ok job at it so far. It definetly makes you more aware of where the money is going! Friday was crazy. Jeff was supposed to work all day/night because they were paving the Guide but because of weather he got off at 3:00pm. We had cancelled our plans with our friends because we anticipated him working late so what do we do? We hit the bank up for $50 anddecided to go for a drive (hoping the kids would fall asleep in the car, but they didn't) down to Mt. Vernon to the Tulip Festival and Street Fair. This was our family shot...I like how no-one is looking at the camera...the sun was in our eyes really. We decided to buy fresh squeezed lemonade which was a whopping $5! Are you kidding...yes we will just have one and we will share it! It was good though and went well with our $4 small kettle corn. We got the snacks at the fair first to keep Braxton content while we drove around looking for the tulips.

The tulips are late this year because of weather but we did see a few and they are really beautiful. I honestly like the dafodils just as much but you can only drag the kids in and out of the car so many times before it's annoying. So we don't have any dafodile pictures. Plus, we went to the walk through gardens but it cost $5 to get in, per person, and that was so not worth it to us....we wanted to stretch that $50 and if we can see the flowers from the road....why would we pay? If we used a debit card....we probably would have without even thinking...BUT....not with our "cash only" budget!

So after the tulips we were hungry and we had $40 to spare. We also concluded that we NEVER go out to dinner with both of our kids. We rarely go to eat in general and since we have so much family around if we do go out we usually use it as a date night. We decided it would be really fun to take the kids to dinner. We asked Brax where he wanted to go and he said Red Robin. He had never been there but Carson had a balloon from there the other day and ever since then Braxton has wanted to go there. So that is what we did and it was really fun having both our kids with us.

With $10 to spare after dinner we went to the Prime Outlets to Carters and got Adelle some new jammies. The Easter Bunny looked for jammies for her because she has outgrown hers but with no luck so we found some for her there.

Not bad what you can do with $50 on a Friday with your family, huh! I thought it was fabulous:)

Oh and by the way I know we didn't have to spend the whole $50 just because that is what we took out, it just worked really nicely to go to the outlets and get pj's since we were in the neighborhood.

Family Photoshoot

Our little miss Adelle

This is my favorite Easter picture ever....she looks like a little bunny...way cuter than a bunny!

Our little Family

Daddy and sis

The whole gang before Brent left for his mission

Mr. Handsome himself

Back off, he's mine still :)

So our good friend Meredith is starting a photography business and graciously took some pictures of the whole fam for us. They turned out amazing! Here are some favorites. Check out Meredith's site for more info. on her business you can find her on my friends list

Marco & Meredith

Thanks Meredith!

Happiness Is.....

Have you ever just thought, "wow, things are just really good?" I hope you have had those moments. Lately things around here are really good. The spring time helps these feelings I think. We are really happy, not like totally perfect, but really sincerely happy. I'm so thankful for my sweet family and the happiness they bring me. Here are some recent pictures that really capture my feelings.


The other day Braxton and I were making bread and we heard Adelle. My hands were gooey so I asked Brax if he would run in and entertain sis for a minute so I could clean up and come and get her. I heard laughter from her room as I walked down the hall. When I opened her door this is what I found. They were both laughing and having fun. Braxton had hopped up into Adelle's crib and was entertaining them both. It made me happy.

This morning we were outside. Braxton and I were practicing T-ball and Adelle was cheering us on from her swing. I came in to catch a phone call and when I went to go back out I had to stop and capture this moment. Adelle and Braxton having a heart to heart conversation about baseball. They looked so content and it reminded me to stop and smell the roses and to enjoy these little moments.

This weekend Braxton got to spend some time with his great Aunt Angela. Thanks auntie! While he was gone Jeff and I did a bunch of yard work and gardening (not because he was gone, he would have loved helping, but we did it because the weather was nice and we've been wanting to get it done.) Adelle loved every minute of it. She sat on the grass and watched us with glee. She liked her few hours of being an only child but we all missed Braxton!

Adelle is pretty big stuff. She is climbing and pulling herself up on everything. This is one of her favorite spots because Braxton is known to leave his unfinished snacks just sitting on this table for the taking. Adelle is our little ray of sunshine. She is the happiest little thing. We are so in love with her.

Last week in the evening when Jeff came home I got to get out and mow the lawn. We were going to go for a family walk but it was a little chilly outside. I thought Jeff and the kids were inside playing but when I came around the corner with the mower this is what I saw. This made me happy. My cute little family coming to surprise me.

My sweet husband left me and both kids love notes today on the breakfast table for when we woke up. It made me really happy.

This is just a little of the happiness I am feeling....

The best policy...

So Braxton is the most honest person I know and it's so precious. I love it, even when I am the victim of his honest remarks.

Monday was absolutely gorgeous so I go out to mow the lawn. I'm trying to start the lawn mower and my honest 3 year old says to me in a really innocent tone, " Oh, I remember...you're not good at that mom, daddy needs to come home and help you." I guess he remembered this from last summer. Contrary to popular belief, I can infact start the lawn mower all by myself. It just so happened Monday that the lawn mower didn't have any gas!

So I'm totally thinking, "wow Braxton, can you keep your opinions to yourself," when all of a sudden his honesty totally flatters me...We are now sitting on the front lawn having a picnic (I had worked up an appetite trying to start the lawn mower) and Braxton goes and gets his little lawn chair to sit in. "Here mom, you can sit in my chair because you're little too." Thank you 3 year old....you're little honest self has just made my day!

We've enjoyed the sun....here are some of the latest outside shots of our lil' cuties