Bybee Family

Christmas picture

2012-01-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas Sunday. What a good day:)

I don't know why it's impossible to get a good picture of both of them.
Maybe one day.

Yet more left out pictures

2012-01-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

Our finished gingerbread houses for our party.
Brooke with the kids after their fashion show.
Braxton was there too, playing the computer of course.

Every time we go to Martha's we raffle off prize baskets.

A few people bring them filled with fun goodies.

These are all the people who didn't win this year.

These are the winners!

We had so many baskets this year!

I even made a Louisiana one.

Left out Pictures

2012-01-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

Brady went to the Patriots vs Broncos game in December with some people he works with.

Go Tom Brady!

Watching games during the Christmas Break.

He is never in the mood for pictures.

Madison and Hayden playing around.

Aubree came for a few days and took the kids

on another Donut Day.

Doesn't this look like a "coming out" picture.

Ha ha

Kaitlyn and Maycee came to our house for a day.

Madison was really having fun I promise.

She loves to have a straight face for pictures.

My wreath before the storm ruined it.

You should never chew gum while

getting your picture taken Madison!

Giving the evil look...

with morning hair.

Even evil-er.

The rest of the pictures are from Thanksgiving in California.

Us hanging out at Aunt Martha's.

The "pink cage train" at Disneyland.

This kid could play games all day and night.

Brooke had the kids over for dinner, treats, a fashion show, and sleepover.

Madison talks about it almost daily.

She had so much fun!

Lately

2012-01-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Just a few fun things the kids have said.

Madison:
-every time we get in the car she says, "Daddy put your seat belt on"! You'd think that it would be a habit by now. He gets annoyed, actually it's pretty funny.
-she also makes sure Bubba puts his timer on when he plays the xbox...he is only allowed 30 min a day.
-she finally got her 2 year old molars last month (she is almost 3). One day she had a pretty bad fever and we were "all snugly on the couch" (when we are in our jammies under a blanket) and she looked at me and asked, "Why do my teeth hurt right here?" as she pointed to the back of her mouth. It was so sad! I've never seen a child old enough to ask about pain and know right where it was coming from. Poor girl, that broke my heart.
-she has been doing new things all on her own almost daily. I don't want her to grow up. it's to soon.

Braxton:
-while reading a book about germs one night he looked at me and asked, "When am I gonna get the chicken pox?" Almost pleading. Then he followed up with, "Is it like when you get little chickens all over your body?" I laughed out loud and then explained that they aren't good:) And I hoped he never would get them!
-a young teenage girl spoke in church a few weeks ago and we were sitting on the second row. Right when she got up Braxton looked at me and said, "Way to much eyeshadow, huh?!" I had already noticed that but it was awesome when he did too.
-then the next day we watched Anastasia and he said, "Her eyebrows look kind of waxed don't they?" Hilarious. Maybe my kids know too much about my work, but I'm just trying to give them good taste:)

I've been reading like crazy lately. I've discovered that being in a book club is super fun.
We had a terrible thing happen to us last month. Brady and I tried and failed to transfer our home videos to our computer. Something went wrong with the transfer and we lost all our videos from the past 2 years. I brought it into Best Buy and after 2 hours they said they couldn't fix it. I started bawling right away and continued every now and then for the next couple days. How could this happen? I was so good a capturing different stages and it was really important to us to have those memories. It feels soo terrible I can't even explain. I am just sick over it. The only thing that consoles me is that I am just as good as taking pictures. I hope that never happens to anyone, EVER.

Christmas

2012-01-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

So I put the pictures in the wrong order....I'm not changing them! We stayed in Utah this year for Christmas and had a great time. We did lots of little things at home to celebrate and enjoy with the kids. I did all our Christmas shopping in November basically so we just relaxed and hung out together. Here are our photos:)

Madison tooting her horn in Grandma's shirt. The girl changes her clothes at least 5 times a day now. Mostly from one pair of p.j.'s to another.
Little BFF's the entire time.
Brax and Maycee

Kaitlyn and Teddy.
We're so glad he came up for the visit too.

Lounging around after dinner.

The kids loved giving Grandpa "hot potatoes" every time they saw him.

Shannon and Brynne the little walker.

We had a TERRIBLE wind storm one night.

I often wake up worrying about my wreaths on the door. Is that crazy? I usually try to fight it but end up going downstairs in the middle of the night and taking it down so it doesn't get ruined or blown away. This time I was too late!!!!! So sad too cause I made this wreath just a month ago:( I did vacuum it and it seems OK just not like it used to be.

Nathalie and I took our kids to see Puss in Boots...

at he good old dollar theatre. I love that place!

David and Kayla moved to Ogden so we got together with them.

Madison loves baby Scout!

Madison got twins with a stroller from Santa:)

Braxton got a Samuri castle:)

Oh Santa you always know just what to get!

More fun stuff...

Random cute pic.

Kid's tree and a nativity we made from the Friend magazine.

My first homemade ornament.

Braxton made it for me at school and brought it home wrapped.

I have to admit I cried a little when I opened it.

I helped out at his Polar Express Party at school.

Riding the Polar Express

Some decorations we made.

Mind you Braxton and Madison made. The pink tree is hers. She picked out everything on it, I simply glued. She 's definitely my child.

Their finished gingerbread houses.

Braxton has a snowboarder out front and Santa (the red m&m) on the roof climbing towards the chimney(marshmallow).

What a creative little boy.

Some pictures from a gingerbread house making party I put on at the clubhouse.

It was really, really fun!

This might have to be a tradition.

We were ALL ready to go!

Nathalie helped me assemble all 26 houses the night before.

Santa at our ward party.

Waiting in line to see Santa.

Brax had to wear his new suit coat that he earned at the primary program for memorizing his part and not being scared to say it.

Decorating their own tree.

We really had a great, great Christmas. We shared many memories with family and we were very blessed. My parents gave us all a homemade quilt handmade by his sister and niece. It is really incredible and we will have it forever. As Fancy Nancy says, "It is an heirloom!" OK, I have read that book one to many times! We hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday too.

Disney

2011-11-28T12:49:00.001-08:00

We napped in the car whenever we could.
Hugs with Aunt Aubree.

Bubba holding the "Bubba Gump" menu.

Our first day...

soooo excited!!!

This ride is for babies, according to Brax.

Sword in the stone.

Had to see her favorite princess.

She took a picture by herself at the last minute.

I guess she thought they were ok.

Getting in the spirit!

Trying to give Bryn kisses.

Madi kept wanting to hold her.

Killing time in the lines.

Look at the pleasure in his face!

Showing off their spoils.

The bumper cars were his favorite thing.

Madison was to little to ride them.

Didn't stop her

from having fun.

Maycee and Madi rode like this a lot:)

Our standard "Small World" photo.

Relaxing at Aunt Martha's on Thanksgiving.

Our gift baskets we raffle off.

A couple people brought them from different states.

I won the Cincinnati one!

Two nights before we left Madison was having a really hard time breathing. We almost took her to the e.r. The next day we found out she had croup. Poor thing. We were so glad the doctor gave us her medicine right away cause we left bright and early the next day. We ended up driving straight through to Newport Beach and stayed and Brooke and Aubree's apartment. It was nice to be the first ones there so Madison could have a few days to get better. We went to Disneyland and California Adventure ALL DAY Tues and Wed. Can I say tired??! We both felt like our legs would give any minute for sure. It was well worth it though! We got to ride all our favorite rides plus a few more. Madison thought every ride was scary except Dumbo and the Tea Cups. Things are so real to little kids. She would cover her ears the entire time and then when the ride came to the villian part she would scream,"cover my eyes!" Kind of sad, but cute. Brax braved a few big rides like Madder Horn and Inidiana Jones. His favorites were the bumper cars, Monsters Inc. and Winnie the Pooh. They both absolutely loved Toon Town. Brady was proud of himself for only getting 2 churros, and I loved the Aladdin play we went to. I got so worn out there I got really sick Thurs and Fri and couldn't do much. Good thing Aunt Martha and Pam and Aunt Marilyn definitely pulled their weight with the Thanksgiving dinner. It was AMAZING. Tons of yummy food and decorations and fun. Brooke even had a sleepover at her house with all the kids and gave us a fun date night. We were sad to leave because we don't know when we'll return:( Hopefully we will be able to make more fun memories soon.

Brady's Birthday

2011-11-28T12:39:00.001-08:00

Brady turned 29 this year. Getting close to 30 seems really weird. We had dinner at Tepanyaki as usual. Our meal was interesting...we had a white girl cook our food....what's up with that???

It still tasted good at least. I did have a good pic of Brady but I accidentally deleted it! Sorry babe.

Braxton tried shrimp catching.
Helping Daddy blow out his candles.

Halloween

2011-11-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

We decided to paint our pumpkins this year.
This is at his parade at school.
He looks so grown up.
He decided to wear his Batman costume to school since someone in his class was being a Ninja Turtle too. I was surprised he cared.

I had my mask on before he came into the classroom and he didn't recognize me.
I was calling his name and he just kept looking around.

Grandpa and Grandma always make it fun!

Our traditional shot.

The kids were really into trick-or-treating this year.

After a few houses Brax said that Madi and I were too slow so the boys went on ahead. I thought Madison would be too tired but she was a trooper. We now have enough candy to last us until Valentines Day. Great, just what we need:)

October

2011-11-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

I helped out on Pumpkin Day in Brax's class.
Braxton had wrestling every Tues and Thurs and matches on Sat.
He is not the most aggressive boy but he said he loved it and wants to do it again next year.

This is at his first match.

It was really fun watching him!!

My Parent's Trip

2011-11-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have my parent's make a trip up to Utah and visit us. It was during October conference so we made it to that too. My kids surprisingly warmed up to them pretty quickly. We shopped and went to Cabela's and enjoyed conference together. It was fun to have them with us doing our regular routine. Hopefully we will see them again soon.

We got our dates mixed up and missed our sessin we had tickets to.

We were really bummed but we got to enjoy a Saturday session in the old conference center instead.

Doesn't this look fake?!

It was beautiful there.

Madison and my mom watching a Barbie movie.

Hanging out at my grandma's house with everyone.

My Aunt Mary has an AMAZING voice!

My dad took the kids for a walk every morning.

Braxton enjoyed it and Madison too.

She just got nervous when he would hold her because the first day he pretended to eat her arm and she freaked out.

Braxton picked these for me on their walk and used them as payment for his haircut.

What a sweet boy.

I touched up my mom's lashes before they left.

Yes, I do eyelash extensions now and I love it!

Lately

2011-11-03T13:36:00.000-07:00

We moved Madison into a big girl bed.

Doing great with that.
Helping Daddy with the screws.

Brady won first place in a tennis tournament.

We were glad to be there this time.

Louisiana

2011-11-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

Read this for the first time on the plane.

I finished the next 2 books within 3 days when I got home.

They are awesome!

I don't know why my computer is doing this but it's not letting me put this script at the top. oh well. I went to Louisiana in September to be in my friend's wedding....all. by. myself. The moment I left my family here in Utah and walked into the airport alone I felt so strange. It took me a few days to really start enjoying myself. I was so greatful to go and see my family in Louisiana too. I had so much so much fun.

Braxton made me this heart shaped pipe cleaner.

What a romantic.

I think I'll keep it forever, seriously, it's in my purse right now.

Packing my carry-on bag was even weird. I got out the usually one I bring

and then thought..."What do I put in it?"

This is what I came up with.

I made some brownies the day I left and could not bare

parting with them.

The bride, Maggie, in red, and Dani, the other brides made in purple.
Her sister was also a bridesmaid. This is us at the rehearsal dinner.
We were all friends throughout high school so every minute was fun.
This pic proves you don't always look skinny in black...
What went wrong?

Our beautiful place setting.

Her family is so kind and generous.

It was great to be included.

Maggie and I stayed in a suite the night before. This was our view from one window.

Bourbon Street in all it's glory. There was a Mardi Gras band playing til like 2 in the morning

right outside our window.

She is an esthetician so she brought us some fun products to try.

The trolley on Canal Street.

We rode it to some shops. Can you believe I've never ridden on this before?

Lame. It was fun.

Getting dressed. They all looked beautiful.

Us at the reception.

It sucks saying goodbye.

My dad picked me up.

I must say, we definitely started the dancing at the reception.

Kathryn and I after church. What a great lil' sister!

David took a nap with cutie Scout.

Snapshot from dinner.

My sister Anne and in-law Kayla redecorated my mom's kitchen and dining area recently.

Can't wait to see it.

Justin gets his own picture for dodging the first one.

Dakota, Kenedi, and Rubee. Fun to see my pretty nieces too.

Little Scout. She is really easygoing.

I did hair and eyelashes nonstop while I was there.

I was taking a rare break and David offered to step in and brush Kayla's hair.

I'll never forget that!

Brady attended the BYU game in Austin while I was gone. Sadly, we only have one camera. Pam and Hayden watched the kids for 4 days. That is the longest we have ever left them. I missed them but never worried about them. It is good to be home.

Last Good-Byes

2011-11-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Christy perfecting the mohawk.

My brother, Richard, and his wife, Christy, came to visit us before they moved to Louisiana. We shopped, ate and went to the moves. Were we so glad they stopped by!

Christy and I shopped til we dropped Saturday.
Miss Thang being a stinker for the camera.

Last picture:( Braxton cried when they left and he has never done that.

They were my last family living in Utah so it was hard watching them leave.

My Birthday

2011-11-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

I turned 26 this year...here's a little of my celebration.

Joined some friends for dinner

Ate some yummmy cupcakes with my mother-in-law
and kids at chick-fil-a.

Chilled on our way to the restaurant.

Brady and I decided we wanted to celebrate with our kids this year.

Me and my chick.

We had to get a photo by the big horse

in front of P.F. Changs.

Made myself a chocolate sheet cake, my favorite.

The kids were sooo excited.

I had a good day:)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

Kindergarten

2011-11-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Braxton started kindergarten this year at Mount Mahogany. We were soo excited! Hence the amount of pictures. He goes MWF from 9:00 - 12:15. He has just recently started riding the bus and he loves it. It's really nice for me too. I was nervous when he started because I knew it would be a big change. We have missed him but it has been good seeing him grow too. He loves being at an actual school now (his preschool was in some one's basement). I love being able to volunteer in his class for parties and such. On the downside, it has been way harder for me than I thought it would be. Let me just say that having a child in real school takes up a lot of your time and he only goes half days right now! Enjoy your freedom while your kids are at home!

Donuts for breakfast.
Daddy took the day off to take him to school with us.

Cuties.

My boy.

I was fighting back tears when I dropped him off.

Why was I the only mom crying?!

This is his "All About Me" poster.

School entrance.

I had to snap that.

Madison loves to talk about his teacher and his classmates just like she knows them.

Lining up to go in.

After his first day.

I made his favorite meal...Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Last week

2011-08-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Got these pics off my phone they are obviously small. I will fix that next time. I have far exceeded my computer time for today!

Brady golfed at a work tournament with some co-workers.

Dressed up, for fun.

Brady took Brax paint balling for their date.

The infamous jammies.

A pair of her new earrings.

The pink ones are her fav.

Braxton and Madison

2011-08-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

Braxton
-says his Cars cell phone is his "i-phone"
-loves learning new phrases to use like "You're pulling my leg" and "you're hot!"
-calls devices he makes "JPS's" then I remind him it's "GPS"
-after we walked out of his kindergarten assessment he said, "that wasn't as bad as I thought"
-starts kindergarten this coming Tuesday, weird.

Madison
-"milky" still calms her if she's cranky
-it's too cute when she shakes her booty
-calls her doll "babes" sometimes
-she locked herself in her room twice last month. once was over an hour...grandpa rescued her! I now know how to use the unlocking thing. She didn't cry til the end, just played and said, "save me mom!"
-I forgot to add, at Braxton's first tball game she informed me she had to go potty, well the bathrooms are REAlly far away so I just grabbed another mom and she held up a blanket for me in the corner of the field (it's times like this when having a boy is nice). She then started going and to my surprise, number 2 came out. Wow! After the shock, we got some wipes and took care of it. I just kind of pushed it to the side and covered it with leaves. That was fun.
-always says, "it's gark in here"
-loves to eat "honey and butter" sandwiches
-likes to use her purple "hanitizer" when her hands are dirty

Lately

2011-08-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up our library reading program with a magic show at a park.

Braxton taught some friends how to play Batman.

Madison loves "playing" too.

Went to my cousin Tommy's farewell.

My firstlings from my first garden:)

Shopping

2011-08-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

I took the kids on our annual school/fall winter shopping trip. It was too fun, again:) I took them on different weekends and Brady took the other child on a daddy date.

Braxton LOVES Chinese food. And he is flashing his favorite

purchase, a watch. I love an accessory for my boy,

they are few and far between.

I told him that if he was good while we shopped then I would take him somewhere fun.

Although he didn't try anything on til we got home, he was a trooper.

To my surprise he chose bowling, we haven't been in so long.

It is his favorite past time.

Drying his hands to get them ready.

He was having so much fun!

Racing for his next turn.

Love my boy:)

Next it was Madison's turn.

She was SOO ready. For one, Braxton went the week before and she had to go half a day without me. (Don't worry Daddy got took her to Wal Mart and got her a pink booster seat for our kitchen and some pink Hello Kitty jammies, that she never wants to take off. Basically she was fine with out me:) And two, she loves shopping. Brady called me after we had been out for a while and he was like, "Are you coming home today?" I then noticed we had been gone with 6 hours:) We didn't even care. We stayed out for 2 more hours. Madison was awesome, she loved every minute of it never crying or sleeping. It was soo fun for me too:) We got her her first earrings (I will post pic soon) and some to die for wide leg trouser jeans. She chose to eat at Chick-fil-a. Til next year:)!

We hung out at the tree house before we left.
Love you chick.

Thanksgiving Point

2011-08-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Chelsea and I took advantage of $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point. The dinosaur museum was nice especially since we haven't been there in a while.

Madison and Hadley in the nifty double stroller.

The boys loved the sand box.

This was probably their favorite.

They're not in front of it cause Nelson got hurt while they were

playing on the bars.

Guess that's why you're not supposed to.

David's visit

2011-08-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

My brother and his wife Kayla just had their first baby, a girl, Scout. They came to visit Kayla's family and stopped by our house for a day. We were ecstatic!

David taught Braxton how to play his Cabela's Hunting game.

He is very focused, as usual.
Madison loved Scout, we all did actually:)
She still says she wants to go to her house and play with her.

We had to go to Cabela's too.

Every man in my family that comes to visit HAS to stop there.

Now everyone can see why I love shopping.

Smiths visit

2011-08-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Shannon and her family and Aubree came to visit and Hayden moved home as a bonus! We had so much fun letting the kids hang out and talking and eating oh and eating:)

Madi loves to brush ppl's hair. How sweet.

Braxton and Maycee making their boobie trap.

Splash pad.

RUN!

We are so glad we found this place this summer.

Lunch, of course.

We made s'mores almost every night. MMMm

And yes, it was hot.

We went to our old ward's party.

Good to catch up with friends.

They always do a fun slip-n-slide.

And yummy foood.

Grandma Bybee made these fun bags for the kids.

And they were full of goodies too:)

Braxton calls his a "satchel", you know from Rapunzel.?

The kids played in the water, a lot.

We did fireworks on the 24th of July, we couldn't leave

the fire pit in the back yard, of course.

Madison had to sit by Grandma if we were outside.

In her infamous pink jammies.

She wants to wear them at all times.

Aubree and Hayden played with the kids a lot.

I know they loved it.

We are so glad family came to visit.

Children's Museum

2011-08-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

We bought a pass to a children's museum in the winter and we had to go one more time before it expired. Brady had to work one Sat so we went up and headed to the museum together. It was Brady's first time so that made it extra fun.

Mini house...can u see the mouse hole?

Grocery store.

Brady is always the fun one playing right along with them.

ok, so I think she can do this face on command now.

Being brave.

They had life-size games.

In the Domino line.

He laughed so hard.

They let us push them.

Summer Dinner Party

2011-08-26T14:08:00.001-07:00

My friends and I planned this summer party behind our clubhouse and it was such a success! We all come to girl's nights and we decided we wanted our husbands to be friends, or at least meet eachother. Here are some pictures. We also played games and had a little raffle. We are beginning the planning of our next one and I can't wait.

Photo booth

Our mocktails, done by Liz (and Steve too).

The decor, done by all:)

AWEsome.

The Girls

ok so i uploaded this one twice.

and the Guys.

Summer League

2011-08-26T14:04:00.001-07:00

This pic is out of order, oh well. Brax and Madison spilt their McFlurry. Here is Braxton enjoying the ice cream river.

Brady played in a summer tennis league. We got to go once because they were all in Salt Lake, too bad because it was really fun.

Around Here

2011-07-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Madison got a big girl bike.

She loves riding with Brax.
Having some sibling fun.

They have been playing together so much lately.

Enjoying a Scera Pool snowball, almost as good as Louisana's.

Playing "bedtime".

One of their favorites, along with "church" and "time-out".

Her first piggies.

I could cry.

(See a posting below to know why.)

She loves doing this at the grocery store while I get our produce.

Is that normal?

fUN nIGHT

2011-07-11T13:46:00.001-07:00

Cow appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. Need I say more?

Nails

2011-07-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

My friend, Marilyn sent me a link to a nail website. A-maz-ing. Check it out. I had some fun myself. www.heynicenails.com

4th of July

2011-07-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th!

Covering ears is commonplace around here.
Having fun with sparklers.
Don't those shoes look like ruby slippers right here?

Brax had so much fun helping this year.

Hi favorite firework was a smoke grenade.

Madi and Grandma.

We made yummy s'mores in her new fire pit.

Aunt Hayden was here for the weekend too.

Brax loved her i-phones apps.

Madi enjoys chocolate.

We did lunch at Chili's.

Getting a family picture is hard ok?

So I decided to split it up.

The girl's...

and the boys.

See the difference?

Then we hit up the pool near our house. It was our first time and we loved it!

It wasn't hot enough yet so Madi and I had a photo shoot.

She was into it:)

Yes, we got in the water...this was hrs later.

She wore herself out.

Hard to get pictures of Mr. Independent here.

He is pouting cause we had to leave.

He said it was the best day of his life.

I love when we have weekends with Brady.

DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA

2011-07-11T13:01:00.001-07:00

We had a traumatic situation here last Friday. So this is what happened...My kids were doing some arts-n-crafts on the floor. I called my friend over to learn how to make bows with me, maybe 2 minutes after she was there Braxton comes to me and says, "I cut Madison's hair." Plain and simple just like that, no attitude or naughty face. I didn't believe him because why would my 5 year old who has been using scissors for years now do something so bad like that. Then Madison came over and said, "Bubba cut my hair!" all happy and what not. So then I jumped up, saw the truth and put Brax in time out. He will be glad in the years to come that my friend was there so soften the blow. I found Madison's hair and started crying. My friend, Lisa, poor thing probably felt soo akward. After she left the tears just started flowing. Yes, think what you want but I am a hairdresser and Madison is my first girl whose hair just started growing mind you. I mean we just got her first pig tails in the week before this happened! We love doing her hair together too! I could go on and on. I don't want to hear it will grow back, ya think?! I just can't believe this happened!!!! After I got ahold of myself (a while later:) I had give her a new cut. At least it came out even but it has some very very short layers. I then decided that she needed earrings. So so glad I did it. It was my may of making lemonade. I teared up for the next 3 days every time I looked at her, no joke. Call me dramatic, those are my feelings. Here are some pics. How could you look at this and not cry?

A-line

We came prepared, soft blanket, baby doll, sucker, and
sipppy cup with Diet Coke (for Madison, not me.)
Brax was holding out a toy for her to look at, sweet boy was just as excited as I was.

Right after. She only cried for maybe 2 minutes.
I think her feelings were hurt more than anything.

Looking in the mirror.

Thanks to the ladies who were taking pictures for me.

They told her how pretty she looked and that they loved them. Big help for me too.

June Festivities

2011-07-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

June is such a busy month for us. We have sooooo many parties, anniversaries and b-days we go to. No complaint, because they are fun!

Pony rides.
Rainbow cupcakes.

Happy Birthday Jasmine!

Hello Kitty cake pops.

Hello Kitty cookies.

Happy Birthday Aliyah!

Happy Birthday Nathalie!

She is amazing and throws great parties. Everything is made by her!

We also went to Caylee's Minnie Mouse party but somehow I got no pics:(

She even made some for herself:)

Okay so we also had Rylan and Owen's party, our anniversary, Father's Day, Aubree and my mom's birthday, Royce's birthday...hopefully I didn't miss anyone. Love to all!

Anniversary and Father's Day

2011-07-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to Brady, my Dad, and Royce.

Eating Daddy's favorite ice cream, mint chocolate chip.

We celebrated our 6 year anniversary on June 22. We decided to do something different so I planned the whole day and surprised Brady. We dropped our kids off at our in-laws (who else?) after breakfast, then we went on a hike together. After eating lunch we came back to our house and showered and just rested. Has anyone else every done that? I mean be at your own house with no kids? It is seriously the most relaxing thing I could ever do. So anyway, after we were ready we went shopping (Nordstrom rack baby, love that place) and ate dinner at Pei Wei, also awesome. We were on the latest Harry Potter movie and it was all checked out at the library so we went to Blockbuster. Yes, that place is still open. We had to get a new card, it's weird having a movie card now. We picked up our kids, put them to bed and then watching our movie. Seriously, this was our best ever Anniversary. Brady is in charge next year, top that BABE. LOL

T-Ball

2011-07-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

T-ball finished up last week. Brax loved having Brady help him out in the field. Madison and I had fun cheering his team on even though it was HOT HOT! He got a t-ball necklace and he says "it's better than trophy" . Well alright then.

We celebrated with ice cream.

Good season Brax, can't wait til next year.

Anderson's Visit

2011-07-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

My sister, Anne, and her family came to visit in June. It was really, really fun to see them. My kids love playing with "cousins".

Not sure if he's ready.
Steady goes..

Rubee and Brax watching the older kids

play a skating game.

Red Light, Green Light.

The kids were such good sports!

We were glad that the skating rink was basically empty.

Having some lunch.

The skaters are ready for cake.

Dakota, the birthday girl.

Anne and I hosted our latest GNO at my house.

We made gumbo and prailines for everyone to sample.

It was SUCH a fun night.

Since Anne and I stayed up til 4am talking we were dead tired the next day....

go figure.

We woke up to these little monsters. Peyton was putting mascara on.

So clean.

This is Aunt Julie and Anne is holding my cousin Tessa's baby.

We swam at Ivory Ridge in Alpine one day and I loved the pools

This is in the baby pool only 1 ft deep.

Koda and the other girls were playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie with the babies.

Brax loved the kid's pool for himself.

Anne and I right before she left.

I love having people visit:)

Old Friends

2011-07-11T12:24:00.001-07:00

My friend Andrea from hair school visited Utah and we were glad she stopped by our house. This is the best of about 10 pictures I took of the kids. HaHa. Isn't that how it always goes:) It was really good to see them.

Summer Movies

2011-07-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

We got our summer movie passes again this summer. So fun and I'm glad our theatres provide it every year. I snapped this hilarious picture just as our first movie started. I don't remember what movie it was but Madison seemed to be enthralled:) I think this was her first time remembering being in a theatre.

Girl's Weekend

2011-06-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sadly I have no pictures to commemorate my first girl's weekend:( My friend Gabi and I went up to Salt Lake and stayed overnight and shoppped and ate and watched movies. If you know me at all you know that I get nervous very easily and this was no exception. Who knew that I would be anxious to shop....basically my favorite thing to do. After thinking about that I realized it was because I would be shopping for myself. Something I rarely, rarely do. Now I am SO glad I went. As the weekend went on I realized how much I needed it and we will do it again! Here's to Girl's Weekends!

Update

2011-06-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Brax
-Had his first primary talk last month. He said the entire thing into the microphone only no one could hear him he talked so low.
-He now "explodes" and falls to the ground when he gets excited about something.
-He started spelling his name backwards the other day and now I know I passed my hidden talent down to him.
-He is obsessed with his Mr.Banana. A stuffed Mardi Gras banana that his cousins sent him. I'll have to post a picture.
-He came downstairs the other night in his batman jammies and slippers and asked, "Mom, do I look like Batman?"

Madi
-She loves to talk about people being girls or boys. And don't tell her that she's a boy!
-I had my hair up in a bun the other day and she promptly told me "that's what Cinderella does."
-She used to sleep on this little soft pink pillow but she has gotten so big I put in an actual pillow and the other night when I was laying her down she said she NEEDED her soft pillow to sleep.

T-ball

2011-06-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

We signed Braxton up for his first year of t-ball. His first game is tomorrow night and we can't wait! Here are some pictures from his couple of practices.

Catching grounders.
Practicing "not throwing the bat"

Madi put on my lip gloss one-by-one

the entire time...can you tell it's windy?

She seems to think it goes on her upper lips

and not her actual lips.

Brax's graduation

2011-06-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

Braxton graduated from preschool at the end of May. Here are some pictures from his last field trip and his graduation day. We loved his teacher, Mrs. Sonya, and he had a great time learning and making new friends. I can't believe he is almost a kindergartner...weird!

Playing in the jail.
It was his favorite part.

He touched the llama and was very proud:)

Class picture.

Walking out after his teacher just gave them their hats.

Waiting to say his part.

Showing off his "diploma".

We are proud of him.

Grandma made these super cute

graduation hat cupcakes.

Madi enjoying the icing.

Lately

2011-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with Grandma

I planted our first garden this year:)
Brax was happy to help and we are excited!

Probably our first sunny day.

We hung out at a park with grandma and grandpa.

I broke down and got our child light up shoes.

Usually our rule is we never buy clothes or shoes that

have ppl's faces on them...but he has been talking about

light up shoes for over a year.

I came downstairs the other day and found them

doing this.

I had to get a picture of Madison asleep.

She adores her dolls all day AND all night:)

2 year check up

2011-05-17T13:23:00.001-07:00

Madi just had her 2 year check up. She is finally on the chart for her weight. I lost the paper that had her stats (how great). Here are some pictures and a little about our girl.

She loves getting all dressed up.

She always helps me pick out her Sunday outfits and lay them out Saturday night.
OBSESSED with dolls.
She practically makes out with them when she sees them.
This one is her favorite, Braxton just named her "Flower".
Been waiting half my life to do this!

-She has gone 4 days now with a dry pull-up! It has been a month since she has last wet while napping or sleeping.

-She loves to sing princess songs with me when I put her to sleep.

-When she puts things away she has to do it in the exact spot she found it.

-The other day I told her I needed to give her a ponytail to get her hair out of her face and she said, "That's not my hair, it's my bangs!" Well excuseeee me!

-She loves talking about Cruella de Ville

-She knows all her friends by name and what kind of baby they have at their house.

-We got rid of her binky the day of her birthday and it took the girl 2 1/2 weeks just to sleep through the night soundly!

-After I have a client she sits in the chair and asks, "My turn mom?"

-She loves to make her babies talk to her and she uses this cute, but annoying high pitched voice. It wouldn't be so bad every once in a while, but she does it all day!

-She loves for me to make her babies or princesses say "hooray" for her after she goes potty.

Easter

2011-05-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter Weekend despite the weather. My sister Kathryn and her boyfriend, Jordan, came to visit us. And I'm just noticing I didn't get a picture of them. How rude of me. I was busy making arepas just for them though so I'm sure I'm forgiven. Here is what we did.

My friend, Marilyn, brought us some of these pretty eggs.

Finding out what's inside.

Ok, they are not to eat!

Look at the cute chicks.

Having fun together.

Dying eggs with dad.

Then Brady hid them outside.

And yes they are in their p.j.'s. I was busy making a big meal

and Brady obviously dosen't care, plus it was freezing outside!

Some rice krispies eggs. yum!

These made me smile...

along with this.

Easter baskets.

We woke up to Madison eating Brady's cadbury eggs

and Brax eating my chocolate covered marshmallow bunny.

Didn't they see their baskets?!

Snapped this cute pic before church.

Happy Easter!

Madison's Birthday

2011-05-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

Madison Vella turned 2 on March 18. We did a small get together for her at the Bybee's home.

The last time she ever had that binky in her mouth.

Admiring her cake.

yeah!!

Handing out Princess and the Frog stickers to her friends who came.

Slipping her purse over her shoulder like a PRO:)

Lastly, feeding her baby some applesauce

in her new high chair.

It was fun!

5 yr check up

2011-05-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

Handsome and fun.

Growing up too fast.

Braxton Brady

weight-40 lbs

height-44"

-Braxton has definitely changed since he turned 5. I slowly see him growing up and becoming more independent and brave. I like it and I'm proud of him but at the same time it is hard letting him grow up.

-New words in his vocabulary include, "sweet" and "dude"

-When he plays heroes and villains sometimes he makes Madison the "evil baby"

-He is apparently scared of the movie "Matilda". After he watched it he had his first scary dream.

-He said he wants to live at Mimi and Pops' house because of their buffalo and elk on the wall.

-He said he wants a T.V. in his room and he promises that he'll watch conference on Sundays.

-He completely and totally idolizes his dad.

-He loves to slide down fireman poles at whatever park we go to.

-He loves when I let him stay up and watch a movie with me when Brady works Friday nights. I love it too. He cuddles with me:)

Fun Surpise

2011-05-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

My great friend from hair school, Stephanie, surpised me Friday afternoon and stopped by for a while. I was so glad to hear from her! We love getting our kids together and pretend like they are growing up together and not states apart! It is so hard being far away from people you love! Thanks for coming by Steph even though we were crazy and rushed.

Look at her amazing gorgeous hair!

Our kids.
None of them wanted to take a picture so this is what I got.

Please help!

2011-05-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Ok. I seriously posted sooo much the other day and now only one of them is showing up. Has this ever happened to anyone? How can I get them back. It took me an hour and a half of computer time, that I do not want to do again. Please Help!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

I recently got sent an amazing email that went something like this:
"I've never been pooped on, thrown up on, awake for hours on end during the night.
I've never held a sleeping baby just because I couldn't put her down, I've never known how special it feels to feed someone when they're hungry......until I was a Mom." Motherhood is special and unique and I'm so thankful for my amazing children whom I love with all my heart and more. Braxton's pre-school teacher put on a Mother's Day breakfast at school last week. I had been looking forward to spending time with Braxton there and watching him grow. I woke up with a terrible headache and not feeling well. I said and prayer and I never looked back. I was so thankful to go. It was a great time!

Doing his part in the story.

Singing a "Mom" song.

Making bath salts as my gift.

He wanted to give me stripes of different colors instead of just one.

We also got to play games, eat, and plant a flower together.

It was really special.

Graduation

2011-05-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

We went up to Logan last weekend for Christy's graduation. We had a lot of fun at the barbeque and the kids loved the farm and Christy's nephews.

Playing around on the hill at USU's campus.

Madison went pee-pee outside here for her first time

(there was no potty around...don't judge me haha. when she says she has to go, she has to go!)

I must admit...that is much easier to do with a boy.

Accidentally got hit with a pinecone in the eye.

The graduate and Richard.

Awesome job Christy!

Checking out the chickens.

Madison was scared at first.

The trampoline was inside the fence where the cows and sheep were.

Braxton has surprised me lately with his courage.

He and his new friend are going to check out the livestock while side-stepping the manure.

Braxton's Birthday

2011-05-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

We ended up having a lot of family down the weekend we had Braxton's party. What a blessed boy to have so many people who love him there on his special day.

Hero of the Week at Pre-School.

Why do I have to cry when I see him growing up?!

My brother Richard, his wife Christy and her step brother, Jason.

They made a HUGE breakfast that fed us all day.

The rest of the sleep-over crew waking up.

I'm pretty sure we kept the neighbors up for a while.

We were really loud while playing Catch Phrase.

Braxton got to play Richard's I-pad a little too long.

I told him only because it was his birthday.

Last year at his party we got sunburnt.
This is what we got this year...how fun.

All the kids lined up for the obstacle course.

They started by walking through Poison Ivy's Forest.

Joe was in charge of the water balloon toss.

They had to knock Mr.Freeze's gun out of his hands.

What a pose!

This was the last stop of the course.

Pin Batman's symbol on his suit.

He wanted this cake SOOO badly.

" Blow harder" as Madison says.

Dishing up some cake and ice cream.

I made chocolate bundt cake for the adults. MMmmm

Not sure about this one. He used to be scared of the Operation game when he was little.

We tried this one out and it makes a laser noise instead of a buzz.

It's a keeper!

Excited face!

In heaven with the Joker FunHouse.

Aunt Hayden

My family.

Wintertime

2011-05-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

The following pictures are of some glimpses into our life when we have to stay inside tooo long because of the terrible weather!

Brax goes toy crazy.

Crafting my life away.

Potty training dolls.

Ok. This was actually fun.

We went on a field trip to the Fire Station with Brax's pre school.

Hit up the Children's Museum.

Trying out the helicoptor.

Worth waiting in line for!

Madison's "Tiny Baby" that Braxton

chose for her at school.

Fun picture from when the Smith's were here.

All the cousins on the Bybee side.

Brynne's Blessing and Wintertime

2011-05-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

Looked back and I had to snap a picture.

Some soft snow we got.
I actually thought it was pretty.

It was A LOT.

Painted Brax's room.

I had to do something to escape the winter.

Got his closet organized.

Sorry it's kind of blurry.

This one is obviously Madison's.

I just LOVED doing this and

I LOVE seeing everything organized.

We got to go to Brynne's baby blessing in St.George.

We are so glad the Smith's came here to share the day with us!

Long Time

2011-04-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Ok so Brady and I broke our camera in February so I've been absent almost completely from our computer...... We ordered a new one and should be receiving it this week. Earliest was supposed to be today and I checked our mail twice and front porch once. Hope it's tomorrow...we shall see and then I will have many, many posts to post:)

Us

2011-02-23T13:52:00.001-08:00

-I got released from the Primary last week and I'm still getting over it.
-Brady is doing awesome with everything! 2 jobs, church, Gmat class, us...where does he get his energy.
-We are excited to see Shannon and her family in March. They are blessing their new sweet baby, Brynne.
-Please Utah, don't snow again.

Brax says:

2011-02-23T13:47:00.001-08:00

-We had to have an entire FHE on fire safety because he was scared of the green light on the smoke detector in his room.
-One morning he and I went into Madison's room to watch her sleep. He said he thought she was "dreaming about driving a pink jeep". So creative.
-He is obsessed with batman. He wants to wear his costume EVERYWHERE. I usually don't mind. He is saving up the buy Mr. Freeze.
-I bought a new swimsuit while he was at school one day. When he came home I tried it on for him and asked if he liked it. He said, "I love it!". What an awesome son:)
-I signed him up for kindergarten today and started to cry when I was reading about it. I'm in for in in August. Gosh.

Madi Mads

2011-02-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

-The terrible 2's have begun. Braxton never threw fits so I am really over this already and she's not even 2.
-She will tell you her favorite color is "pink".
-We recently got all of the original princess movies. For days she would hold up a dvd case and say, "Momma buy that for you?!" because she was so happy.
-When I was halfway done painting the kids bathroom I brought her in to show her. All she had to say was, "Clean it up". She was pointing to the rags and paintbrushes on the floor. That's my girl:)
-Is it weird that she holds up clothes at the store and says, "beautiful!". I think it's cute.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

We had a fun and long Valentine's Day here. Our kids got a couple things that morning and then we made some cut out sugar cookies together later that day. We did hearts and bats, of course. Brady and I celebrated the weekend after. We went to Outback and ate all of our food, including appetizzer and that yummy bread. Brax enjoyed his party at preschool and he and Madison got some fun Valentines in the mail from their cousins. Madison keeps hers in her room and looks at them often. Braxton hung them up on his magnet board.

Happy V-DAy

That cute wreath is from my mother-in-law.

Nathalie brought these over....tempting.

HaHa

The Sickness has been around here!

2011-02-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in forever because we were all sick for 2 weeks. I had a TERRIBLE sinus infection and then Brady got it and then the kids got bad colds accompanied by a fever lasting for 3 days. I felt like life just passed us by and there we were in our house. My mother-in-law, Brady, and visiting teachers came to the rescue for me. I couldn't even get out of bed for a few days. It's so hard with toddlers and babies because you never know how sick they are. I'm glad I had it first, I definitely knew what they were going through. Braxton and I put these together for he and Madison's closets.

Does everyone know my obsession with organization?

Anyway...these are AWESOME!

I will post a picture of them in action later.

She loves her dolls.

Brady couldn't get enough of fruit popsicles while he was sick.

Poor little guy.

He fell asleep on the couch randomly a lot.

His bed.

He had to sleep with sooo many tissues every night.

A While Ago

2011-02-23T13:26:00.000-08:00

Enjoying our membership to the Children's Museum.

Madison is learning to undress herself.
She started with buttons...wow.

Braxton got a sign for his bedroom door.

I went to my sister-in-law's baby shower.

She is due in June...

don't worry, she has NO stomach.

AAhh that would be the life.

She and David are having a little baby girl, Scout.

Can't wait to meet her.

Sunday Dinner

2011-01-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

Since we watch The Princess and the Frog at least once a day (it's Madison's favorite movie), Braxton has been asking for Gumbo and beignets. We invited Katie and her family over for dinner last Sunday and that's just what we had! It was fun to have our own company over:)

Katie rolling out the dough.

Braxton loved them!

Yummmy.

Dinner was awesome too!

Last Week

2011-01-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

We broke out Braxton's playdoh factory.

It's almost a daily activity now.

Having fun watching our popcorn pop

before our Friday night movie.

Saying goodbye to Aunt Aubree.
We already miss her!

I came down to this the other day.

Braxton had gotten their new table out

and they each got what they wanted for breakfast...

blue and pink frosted mini wheats.

Update

2011-01-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

Braxton
-Never admits to falling asleep in the car. He will just say, "No I didn't."
-Before Christmas he would always say, "Babies get presents easy huh mom?" Because they don't know right from wrong.
-I caught him and Koy saying, "Grandpa isn't the king, we are!"
-The first thing he said when he woke up Christmas morning was, "I knew Santa wouldn't give me coal in my stocking!" I guess he was worried.
-Always prays for our power not to go. It happens often here.
-Loves to draw "sad eggs" and "the boogy man" on the back of his school papers.

Madison
-Is scared of many, many things. Some of her favorites: "ursula scary", "daddy's costume scary", and "animals (at chuck e. cheese) scary"
-She used her cousins baby carseat while we were in Louisiana, so when we got back home she kept pointing to her carseat and saying, "my carseat momma, my carseat".
-Started saying, "umm" before she answers questions.
-LOVES to get people "bubble gum". She literally unwraps it for you.
-Said she wants her ears pierced for her birthday...come on Dad!

Louisiana

2011-01-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

We were in Louisiana this year for Christmas. I left with the kids on Dec. 14 and Brady joined us on Christmas Eve. We came home together on Jan.1 Here are a bunch of pictures to document our fun trip!
A few things we want to remember:
-Madison threw up on her and me on our first flight. I washed and dried our clothes in the bathroom during our layover.
-Kathryn loved painting everyone's nails...nice!
-We got to go on 2 dates while we were there!
-Kenedi's chicken started laying eggs, which we ate for breakfast.
-Richard changed his first diaper.
-My favorite restraunt in Thibodaux, The Demitasse, burned down:(
-Almost everyone got sick, twice. A new person everyday.
-Braxton wants Brady to get a new job in Louisiana.
-We had a LONG trip home....our stroller got lost, couldn't find our car and then the battery died three times.
-WE HAD LOTS OF FUN!

Bright and early at the airport, where the lady at the ticket counter made us fax in Madison's birth certificate to prove she was under 2....really? I've never had to do that with Braxton.

Thanks to Royce who faxed it for us at 6 a.m.

Enjoying her new book.

Enjoying his new Batman game.

Kids taking off Richard's toe nail polish he let them do.

Madison liked my old ballerina ornament.

Joe and Raz.

Madison was quit fond of Kathryn's "abbit".

She wanted to sleep with it everyday.

The group that enjoyed the Nutcracker.

And no Justin, there is no talking in a ballet.

More gingerbread making at a church activity.

Lots of candy to choose from.

Kathryn enjoyed decorating cookies.

My friend Lauren and I.

She is getting married this month, her fiance is lucky to have her!

Diggin out fences and palm trees around the pool.

Hurricane Katrina started the work and the boys finished it!

They took turns on the tractor.

Kenedi's Chick Chick.

They broke a water line 30 minutes before we were supposed to go caroling.

Blurry, but Braxton and Rubee are holding hands.:)

My friend Whitney and I.

So glad she stopped by on Christmas Eve!

Our night with Travis.

Thanks for the gifts and it was good to see you!

Sarah made special pillowcases for all the kids to sleep on Christmas Eve.

Christmas jammies.

What Santa left.

Braxton had to leave a note for Grumpy Santa-he loves that book.

Stocking stuffer.

Charley loved her bone.

Kathryn as a candy striper.

Excited about something.

Pillow pets from Santa.

Time with Dad.

Madison loved the pink paper.

Koy and Braxton showing off their detective gift.

Louisiana

2011-01-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

Brady and Kable cutting up the meat from our pig roast.

Our nativity play for FHE.

Brax and Koy and Mimi enjoying Richard's legos.

My Dad and I at his hospital's new entrance.

It is beautiful!

Bundled up for the bonfire.

Braxton liked the fire.

Brady too:)

Madison, Rubee, and Peyton dancing on a stage

at the jumping place.

Koy and Braxton racing to the end.

Jungle monkey.

Our fried vegetable appetizer on our triple date.

The boys.

My dinner. Had to get something Cajun.

And Brady got a salad!

All the girls, minus Kayla (she had to work), eating at Olive Garden.

World War II Museum.

Sarah made these pillowcase dresses for the little triplets.

Scarlett was tired.

Enjoying the gift shop.

Good Times.

Before Louisiana Trip

2011-01-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

We did a few Christmas things here in Utah before we went to Louisiana. Since we left so early we opened gifts with the Bybeee's before we left.

Brax constructed this on his own!

Madison ate while she made hers.

Our finished houses.

A few pictures I got of the kids before church.

Notice the cooperation!

Blowing bubbles.

Cheesy.

Opening presents with Grandpa and Grandma.

She is obsessd with the babydoll set we gave her.

It came with a car seat, diaper bag, and everything a baby needs.

Braxton LOVES his legos.

Around Here

2010-12-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

Brady is the only person Braxton would ever say "yes" to taking a nap with.

I love when I come home from meetings on Sunday and everyone is sleeping:)

Train play.

New gloves.
She never wants to take them off, even when eating.

Playing in their boat.

Brax is doing a pirate face.

My house when Brady gets home.

They are all over him.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Bybee's this year. Here are just a few pictures I took. I was bad at that this time around! I took Braxton to see "Tangled" and loved it! We ate a yummy dinner, played Mexican Train, had a gift card drawing and caught up with family.

Hanging out.

Silly Aubs.

Madison running under Brady's legs.

Braxton reading a book to Hayden.

GNO

2010-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

First of all thanks to Nathalie for introducing the meaning of G.N.O. to me. For those of you who don't know, it means Girls Night Out.
We had an AWSOME night last week playing games and eating snacks. If you have never played the game SNORTA you have to get it! I'll have to take a picture next time of all the girls. Thanks to those who came!

Growing Update

2010-11-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

Braxton:
-I discovered he carved to letter "B" in one of our barstools, twice--how nice of him
-says "OH come on mom!" when he's trying to get me to let him do something
-refers to the pool as the "cold tub"
-after saying his part in the primary program last week he blew kisses to the crowd
-wants to wear his Batman suit everywhere and he says he will wear it for next Halloween too
-he is convinced Brady is the real Batman

Madison:
-LOVES eating ham
-says "watch this!" and "did it!"
-thinks the animals at chuck e. cheese are scary
-VERY attached to mommy (which most of the time I don't mind, I love cuddling with her)

Last Week

2010-11-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

My husband is always hard at work studying for the GMAT.

He takes it on Dec. 18

Our Friday nights while Brady is at work:
cookies and...

borrowed movies!

At the doctor we found out our poor girl got a UTI.

SO SAD! I didn't know babies could get them!

Brady took the kids on a train ride at the mall.

It didn't go on tracks so they actually got to ride

around the entire first floor.

Our chain 'til we leave for Louisiana:)

Madison loves lining things up on the stairs.

They looked...

too cute on that day.

I turned around at the store and,

"Mama, did it!"

St. George Weekend

2010-11-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

Brady's Mam Maw, whom he baptized last year, went through the temple last weekend and ulitmately ended up getting sealed too. We stayed at her house for a few days and really enjoyed getting to know her and learn more about her life. We are so glad that she settled in St. George and we get to see her when we visit.

Swimming in the hot tub.

Aunt Shannon left a treasure in mam Maw's garage when she moved.
It was hard to get them out of this jeep!

Mam Maw has GORGEOUS rose bushes following her fenceline in her backyard.
They smelled sooo pretty and were enjoyed by all!

She also has this little kids chair at her home.

Here's Madison laughing because I was telling her to look at the camera.

Stinker.

Mam Maw made a delicous lunch for everyone before we left.

Thanks Mam Maw and we are so happy for you!

Lately

2010-11-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

She ALWAYS wants someone to color with her.

Finding new foods for him to eat.
Strangely enough he loves hard boiled eggs.

Brady's Birthday

2010-11-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

Wow my hubby is 28! As Brax says, "that's a lot!" We celebrated with a DATE. Wooo Hoo! I love going on dates with him. We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then saw a movie. He loves Matt Damon so we saw "Hereafer". Note to mothers of young boys...its sad! I probably wouldn't watch it again because I cried like the entire time. However, it will make you greatful to know the plan of salvation and that families can be together forever.

Us.

Such good food and we can't forget the delicious rolls and honey butter.

I let the kids pick out his balloons...notice the doggy.

Our kids are cuter than yours

2010-11-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

Couldn't pass up this picture opportunity before church.

Petti skirt thanks to Aunt Sarah who always gets us in on awesome buys!

Kathryn's Visit

2010-11-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Kathryn got to visit Halloween weekend. It was busy so these are the only pictures I have of course. The kids warmed up to her great and they both adored her stuffed pink bunny.

Halloween

2010-11-01T14:42:00.002-07:00

We had a fun Halloween. Especially since my sister Kathryn came for a visit.

Checking out the witch's brew together.

Posing.

I obviously need to teach someone how to use our camera.

Getting the hang of it.

Braxton was into it this year and Madison followed his lead.

Anything for candy.

This house scared Braxton to death! Someone stood behind the door and opened it. He thought the skelaton did it. He ran away and wouldn't come back.

I made some applique shirts for my kids with the help of a couple friends.

Here is Madison's witch hat...

and Braxton's haunted house, by request.

It was fun getting together and learning how to make these.

I'm sure I'll do it again.

Our First Snow

2010-11-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

Braxton's Field Trip

2010-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

I went to Pumpkin Land with Braxton's pre-school today. It ws seriously sooo COLD, WINDY, and MUDDY! Good thing I was so happy to take him that none of it really bothered me!

His class

Trying out a ghost.

Fun climbing ramp.

My boy and I!

Pretty peacock.

To show Daddy he went in the Boo House!

For Madison.

He and his friend sitting on their chosen pumpkins.

Happy Birthday Hayden

2010-10-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Glad you chose Tepanyaki!

Fall Leaves

2010-10-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

We went over to Grandma Bybee's to help rake leaves, upon Braxton's request.

A run and jump shot.

Can you see the leaves in the air?

Madison had fun too.

Indoor picnic.

2010-10-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

It was freezing today!

Around here

2010-10-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

Made some binoculars with the kids.

Madi loves her princesses.
She even has conversations with them.

One day she sat on the stairs and said "picture."

You know I took advantage of that!

Brax says

2010-10-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

-Loves eating gun shapes out of his food
-While we were practicing his primary program part, he asked if he had a "cloud over his head" cause he was thinking

Madi Mads

2010-10-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

-She's scared of all types of gloves
-She definitely just learned to walk because she is having falls constantly
-Loves to try and wipe us after we go potty
-Loves to say, "Bubba, Batman!"
-Says, "Excuse me" whenever someone burps or sneezes or you know whats
-Immediately fixes the rug if she turns the edge up

Family Pictures

2010-10-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

We got our family pictures taken a few weeks ago. Here are just a few of them, I want to surprise some of our family when I give them their pictures. :) I absolutely LOVE them.

Joe's Basketball Tournament

2010-10-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

My little brother had a basketball tournament here last weekend. Awesome! Richard and Christy came down too. It was really really great to see them all! We hung out the night before and watched "Prince of Persia" (one of my new favorite movies:).

The kids were mesmerized with Richard's I-Pad, or eye-patch as Braxton called it.

Clap for Joe!

Hanging out in between games.

Madison's new obsession.

She finally passed out on me. Sweet thing.

Brady watched them in a racquetball room during the last game.

It was a lifesaver and he could still see the game!

There's my bro, number 12.

He played great!

Around here

2010-10-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

My view from the kitchen.

Brax took this. He's still learning:)
I trimmed and layered Madison's hair.

Brax sees letters and numbers in everything right now.
This is the letter "L".

Here's number 4.

Playing a little Gator Golf.

Hee Haw Farms

2010-10-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

We went to Hee Haw Farms last night for F.H.E. Good idea! It was really fun. We went through the corn maze and did some courtyard games.

This slide was fast.

Brady took Madison down too and her face was horrified the whole way down.

Bean bag toss.

Braxton was REALLY excited about the corn canon.
After he shot it once he was done. They were really loud.

Some cute horse swings we rode on.

Braxton measuring up.

Madison took her turn too.

Corn maze entrance.

The boys and girls split up.

Not a good idea because I had the stroller and the maze is surprisingly not fun with one person and a baby. Very bumpy too, but Madison liked that part.

I hear the boys had a fun sword fight and Braxton told me not to tell on them but that they went through some of the maze to find short cuts.

Around here

2010-10-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Madison likes to push and ride in her doll stroller.

Here she is flying one of her favorite things...an airplane.

The other day

2010-10-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

They hadn't taken a bubble bath in a while and it was thoroughly enjoyed!

Lately

2010-10-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

Brax:
-When President Monson got up at conference(awesome talk btw) Braxton asked, "What happened to his hair?". Then he answered his own question with, "He must have gotten gum stuck in it or something."
-He thought that the sound Darth Vadar makes was just him snoring.
-We moved him up to a booster seat last week because he got too tall for his other car seat. It's really weird seeing him in it. It makes him look all the more grown up.

Madison:
-She is walking about 95% of the time now.
-Need I say more?

Brady started a GMAT Prep Class this week. He will now be gone every night of the week but Monday. Not to mention his full time day job.

I have actually been coping pretty well but we do of course ALWAYS miss him.

I added pom-pom trim to my lamp.
Love it.

Us

2010-09-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

-Brady is having official "Hell Week" at work. They have to be there from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. at least. He got home today at 6:30. I even had to sign an "I support" document. I have some things planned to keep us busy at home.
-I have been loving vacuuming. Crazy huh?
-We took family pictures last weekend. The ones I've seen are great! More to come.

Braxton

2010-09-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Braxton is 4 1/2.
-He is doing great with pre-school. He has made a new friend, Jayden, whom he talks about everyday.
-He LOVES superheroes.
-When we talk about Halloween he says that he doesn't want his flu shot because he knows they are around the same time of the month.
-I took Madison to her check-up, where she got shots, while he was at school. He proclaimed that he "got the better thing". Yes Brax, you did.

Madison

2010-09-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Madison is 18 months now.
-She was 20.65 pounds at her appointment-the 3%! Woo Hoo! HaHa. Her length is in the 20% and her head the 93% ! Whoa girl what a difference.
-Her favorite new word is "ewww".
-If I'm wrong when I'm trying to guess what she's saying she says, "no,no" and says what she meant again til I get it right. Too cute.
-Her favorite treat is dum-dums.
-She went to nursery by herself a couple weeks but last week she refused and had to come with me to primary.

Projects

2010-09-27T16:16:00.001-07:00

Here are some sewing projects I finished a few weeks ago:

Sink skirt in the downstairs half bath.

It opens for storage.

My curtains.

Everyone morning when I open the blinds I say how much I love them.

Brax then says, "Mom, you say that everyday!"

But I do love them Brax, I do!

Lately

2010-09-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Madison loves playing in everyone's shoes.

Setting up a domino line for Brax.

It fell....a lot!

Re-building.

I decided to make 2 instead of 1 long one.

That worked MUCH better for future reference.

That was fun!

Skype

2010-09-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

We having been loving SKYPE. Talking with family is so fun especially since they all live so far away:( My name is: rbfamily1

Lately

2010-09-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Spent some time with Madison while Braxton was at pre-school. It's amazing the things you can get done while having just one child with you.

Grocery store

Park

She LOVES flowers.

Everytime we go outside she has to pick some.

Here is her collection from one day.

Pushing cars...this time on feet.

Madison has been taking steps!!!

Walking is just around the corner!!!!!!

She has been kicked out of her therapy class:( haha

Having fun with boxes

Fixing things

We made some paper airplanes together.

Love my boy...

one minute he's batman,

the next a cowboy.

He wore these to pre-school today.

And he wanted to take his cell-phone because Batman and Robin were supposed to call.

Fun stuff.

Madison

2010-09-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

Madison's therapist recommended that she start a motor-skills class at the Kids-on -the-Move building. It is a semester long and started today. It was really great and she loved it! She was the most advanced one there....what a weird feeling. She has been standing without support lately, how exciting.No, there is nothing wrong with her, she is just a content princess. However, she will one day need to walk. :)

Musical trampoline.

Wouldn't this be awsome to have at home?

She loves the swing.

Crawling through a tunnel.
There is also a fun ball pit, slides, stairs, and snack time. It's during Braxton's preschool so it's kind of like a playdate for us together.

Labor Day

2010-09-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

We drove up to the canyon for a while. The kids loved throwing rocks.