Growing right up!

Our baby is growing right up! I love it and hate it. Its fun to see him grow and develop, but its so fun to have a baby and wish they would stay small forever. Hes rolling around like crazy now and sitting super good. Its weird...he just started doing it. I didn't have to work on it with him or put pillows behind him. He just did it. He is all done with his physical therapy for his neck muscles and does good holding his head straight. We love this kid so much!

The BIG 30!!!!!!

On Friday Dave turned the big 30!! We didnt do too much.. When told him I could throw him a big party he said "yea, and I can just keep on driving past the house after work!" so I think that was a hint that he didnt want to make it a big deal. So we just kept it low key. The kids decorated the house, made signs and cards and blew up balloons and put signs on the door outside. They liked that, then we just had a good dinner and hung out together. He wanted bread pudding for his cake so I found a recipe and tried it, but it didnt turn out very good and I was bumbed! It was like soup in the middle. But I did still taste good... minus the wax that had melted by the time we got all 30 candles lit. O-well its the thought that counts, right!! We love you so much Dave and wish you the best- you deserve it!!!

Everyone blowing out the candles... he needed all the help he could get with all those candles!

Everybody saying "Cheese"

And... his new love!!! I've been replaced by a chain saw!


So of course we had to go try it out the next day. It was a great day we decided to take the kids snowmobiling, have a little picnic, and cut some wood for my dads hunting club that was getting low.

It dropped this tree like it was nothing! Dave calls it the "Wood Eater"

The kids finishing lunch and relaxing where we had our picnic. Aspens going in for a big smoocheroo on Briggs.. Lips puckered and all!

Briggs was such a champ! He loved being outside all day. I smashed down the snow and then built up the back and made him a little seat in the snow and he would just chill watching Dave cut down the trees then just wait for somebody to look at him so he could smile at them. As soon as we would start driving the snowmobile he would fall right asleep. What a trooper. I love this kid!!

Aspen fell in the snow and got stuck and me being the great mom I am told her to hold on while I got my camera to take a picture before I helped her up!

Caden with his little seat we made in the snow savoring the Cinnamon Roll my mom made

Caden and Kaylee on her little John Deere Snowmobile. This girl can ride!! I have to say that she could put me to shame the way she handles the snowmobile. She knows how to handle it so good and when she gets stuck she hops off and pulls the skies with all her might and a lot of the time gets it unstuck all by herself! She has so much of her dads blood in her.

She had to pull the sled with all our gear back to the truck and she was pretty excited. She did great!

This is how we got the wood back to the truck. We would bundle the wood together then tie them to the back of the sleds and drag them. We would have to go pretty fast to keep momentum and to not get stuck. It worked pretty good though.

It was such a super fun day and the kids really enjoyed it. We didnt get a lot of wood but it was still worth it. We love Dave so much- hes the best dad and husband ever and is always doing fun things for us as a family. The kids truly adore him, and so do I!

Happy Birthday Sweety!

He likes it.... He likes it not!!

We tried to give Briggs his first taste of big boy food the other night. We went with applesauce and I dont think he liked it a whole lot. These are the faces we kept getting along with shaking. The girls thought it was the funniest thing ever and keep asking to do it again. We will give it a bit then try it again. :)

2010 recap- for my scrapbook

Sorry for so many catch up posts lately, but I am trying to get all my posts from 2010 done for my scrapbook since this is the only form of scrapbooking I do. When I was looking thru my pictures from last year there were a few more I wanted for my records, so here they are...

Dave started school again and as you can tell it really intrests him! He is going for a bachelors in Environmental Studies. Its all on line thru Ashford University. He is about 1/2 way thru his second class and is doing super good. Our schedule now is come home from work, eat dinner,spend a little time with the kids, put them to bed around 7, then on the computer doing homework until 11-12 every night-except fridays were trying to leave open for date night. In this picture I came downstairs and he was supposed to be reading but fell asleep with his finger on the down button.

I love this picture. Caden doesnt hold still for very long but here we casted his pole and then he just sat there and watched, waiting for the fish to bite on to his hook :)

One of Briggs first big smiles

Dave helping the girls make flour balloons.

Dave went on a hike with the young men and came upon this baby deer.

Halloween Briggs wasnt too happy for the picture!!

Kaylee the purple unicorn, Aspen the sweet little witch, Caden the handy man, and briggs a little bear

Dave taking his motorcycle off a little jump with Aspen. Dont worry I got after him for this.. had to remind him to not jump the bike when you have kids on with you. I thought some things didnt have to be said... I guess not!!! jk.. he is safe and we love him to pieces!

How Briggs loves his dad!! All the kids adore their dad!

Especially when hes making salsa! :-)

Evening rides during the summer in the sunset. Doesnt get much better!

Kaylee and Caden in the jeep pulling Aspen down the road with a rope tied to the wagon.

We love to relax and have fun outdoors. I hope the kids will grow up appreciating and loving the outdoors.

This was a daily sight in the summer. Caden would go out and scope out all the raspberry and strawberry plants looking for any fruit. He would eat them just as they were starting to turn red so the rest of us didnt get very much. He would try to reach the fruit on the tree and he would pick him carrots and tomatoes out of the garden.

Yep.. That is the duct tape fashion that Caden has forced us to use on him. After cleaning up so so so many nasty messes we had no choice but to tape his diapers on! He has since learned to weasel out of the tape, but it worked for quite some time. This kid can pretty much figure anything out that he puts his mind to.

I love that Dave has the patience to let the kids help him with things! Caden is especially a great helper working on the wheeler.

Hopefully all the working and manly stuff with dad will ware on him more than the time with mom... He will make a great dad one day!! :-)

(thad is a doll by the way.)

Sorry again for the long post, but I can say I think I am caught up now and I can start and hopefully stay caught up in 2011

Appendicitis

Last weekend was a little rough around these parts. It started Friday night Dave was having super bad stomach pain. I felt bad because I left him home while Kaylee and I went on a date. (in my defense I took Briggs and I didnt know he was hurting.) But when I got home he said his stomach was hurting. We went to bed and the next morning he curled up in front of the fireplace on the floor and didnt hardly move. When he woke up and started poking around on his stomach It sounded a lot like his appendix. So I drug him to intacare and they just sent us right to the ER and sure enough that night they cut him open and removed it. ( well with 3 little incisions and a laser.) Technology today amazes me. He went in for surgery around 5:30 that night, we got home around mid night, he slept all day sunday then back to work on Monday. I am gratefull for the doctors and the priesthood for sure!! I am so gratefull to live in an area and have great friends and family and strangers who have the same morals and beliefs as us that we can call on when in need and they are there to give blessings, help with kids, bring food to me, ect... the list goes on and on!! THANK YOU!! ... you know who you are!!

Ringing in the new year with some sledding

For New Years we took the snowmobiles and sleds in the field behind our house and did some sledding and snowmobiling. I feel bad I didnt get any pictures of Aspen but she was sick and so she didnt really go out, and it was too cold for Briggs. It was a fun day, but I wish Aspen wouldnt have been sick :(

Kaylee trying out some snowboarding. She did pretty good. Better than Me!! But non of us can touch her dad. Hes good at it!

Kaylee being pulled behind the snowmobile. It was a cold day and she was out there for probably 3 hrs. She loved it. We couldnt get her off the sleds.

Caden on the sled. He had a great time too.


Kaylee jumping her little John Deere snowmobile. Shes got her dad blood in her and is a crazy lady on that thing!

Thanks to all who came and played with us. It was super fun... We look forwasrd to many more fun times in 2011!!

There are definetly some advantages of living by the farm...

A few weeks ago it snowed a ton here. It took Dave an hour to just clear the driveway before going to work. It snowed about 18 inches. We were in heaven. The kids loved it. So my brother Jeff brought the steiger up from the farm to clear my parent driveway and road and since they live across the street he did ours too. Caden is obsessed with trucks and tractors.. but from a far. He has always panicked when we get close to them and you cant get him in one. Until this day. He looked out the window and saw the steiger and gathered up all his snow clothes to go ride in it. I took him out and he climbed right in with jeff and loved it! He didnt want to get out!!

This picture cracked me up. Its not very often you see a tractor this size driving in a subdivision. It almost took up the whole road.


Then of course the kids had to play in it. My brother stick came over and the girls started attacking him with snowballs. If you look close there is one in the air Kaylee just threw headed to Stick!

Kaylee, Aspen, Caden playing on the trampoline.

We love the snow and could take a storm like this one about every other week!!!

Christmas 2010

All the kidos infront of the tree on christmas morning. The anticipation was killing them but we got them to pose for a picture before all chaos broke loose. They were actually very patient. Kaylee woke up at 6:30 but we made her stay upstairs while we hurried and got showered.. we knew it was now or never. By then all the kids were up and it was time to go downstairs to see if they had been good enough for Santa to leave them anything.

Kaylee was so excited for her pink gun. She was a little bumbed that it as a BB gun though and not a .22

Aspen with her makeup. She could have stopped there and been completely satisfied.

The girls got a little sewing machine and they have loved sewing things on it. Dave has since bought a real one for them to use.. this one isnt very good but its fun for Aspen because she can do it all by herself.

Briggs got a chew toy. He was set!

The kids with some of their gifts. Aspen loves that microphone. That is the one other thing she wanted besides makeup. Kaylee got Aspen and Caden these silly headbands and Caden had to wear them for the picture.
(yep.. its sideways ) :-)

After opening presents at our house we made the long jounery over to my parents house. (HEHE.. its across the street) and had a delicious huge breakfast that my amazing parents cooked. After breakfast the kids opened gifts from the cousins then the adults. The kids had so much fun running and playing with all the cousins. Thanks mom and dad for all you do for us, and for the gifts, and the yummy breakfast!!

Caden with his big tonka toy Emilys kids gave him. He loved it!

Grandma & Grandpa gave the girls pillow pets which they completely love.

Kaylee with her Bee

Aspen with her Dog

Briggs chillin with Greg. And my dad totally passed out. :)

Briggs with his Grandpa

Cadens Tonka truck was the hit of the party. The kids wanted Dave to put it together right then and there were like 10 kids gathered around to play with it.

Briggs was grandpas little helper with opening presents.

Then we were off to Grandma Snyders..

Caden was super excited to get lots of truck stuff. He loves his truck book.

Aspen with her little ponies

Kaylee with her new play doh set which we were in dire need of.

Briggs with his new toys

Then Grandma playing Kaylees new card game with the girls.

Thanks Grandma Snyder!!

We had such a great Christmas. The kids were good. The company was good. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way or had any part in our holidays!! Thank you to all our awesome family!!