Funny Kid Quotes

I've been storing up a few cute quotes for you.....

- Lauren blessing the food: "Please bless this food that it will healthen and strengthen our bodies"

- Braiden's prayer: "Please bless Dad to have a good day at work, also that we can have a good day at school, and bless Mom....(pause)....with whatever she does at home"

- Ethan's New Lagoon-A-Beach lingo: "Put on my sunscream so I can take my tuba on the crazy river"

- New lyrics to the song "Secrets": Instead of "I'm gonna give all my secrets away", it is now, according to Ethan, "I'm gonna give all my sisters away!"

- Ethan in the car: "I'm going to put my drink in the drink folder"

Hilarious!!! I love my kiddos!

Da Boyz

We bought hats for the boys at SeaWorld and I took this cute pic of them. So funny!!

Yo, whazup!

Does It Sing Or Sew?

My Singer sewing machine was out on the table today when Braiden became very interested in the name.

"Why is it a 'Singer' and not a 'Sewer'?"

A Few Of My Greatest Joys

These pictures were taken at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando.  I was walking past those beautiful doors and I knew I had to get some pictures.  These are some of the greatest joys in my life.  I honestly don't know what I would do without these wonderful people around me. 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

I Am The Savings Queen!!

Braiden asked me why we don't keep Dr. Pepper constantly stocked at our house. I told him because it isn't always on sale at the store.

After rolling his eyes, he said, "everything has to be on sale in your world."

That's right, Sweetie, and don't forget it!!

My, Aren't You Mature?

Today, we went to lunch at McDonalds (Ry, Katie, and I have higher standards and went through the In-And-Out drive through beforehand). Once the boys were finished with their meal, we told them they could go play on the playground for a bit.

"No," Braiden casually said, "I'm too old for that."

Well, allrightythen...

And Low-Fat Too!!

We had a winter storm come through tonight, so the family hunkered down and watched the movie Elf to start off the holidays. As the closing credits were scrolling up the screen, Braiden proudly announced,

"That movie was gluten-free!!"

We were all pretty much speechless until an uncontrollable fit of laughter overtook us....

Where did this kid come from??

Braiden is Eight

This is my oldest son.

I can't believe he just turned eight years old.

It makes me want to smile and cry all at the same time.

He had a great birthday.  The weather was beautiful.  We celebrated in style by eating at The Cracker Barrel (Hey, I gave him the choice of any restaurant in Layton and that's what he wanted!).  After dinner, we opened presents and enjoyed cake and ice cream (I'm getting so lazy in my old age with that pathetic football cake, but he loved it.)

He loved getting this microscope set from us.  He has been playing with it for hours and hours.  He's now asking for a telescope for Christmas. Who knew he would like science so much?

But he was most excited to get a motorized scooter.  Just look at that happy face! Perfect!

Happy Eighth Birthday, Braiden!!!  We love you so much!!

Well, turning eight also means making the choice to be baptized a member of our church.  We talked a lot about this with Braiden and he decided to become a member.  We are proud of the young man he is becoming.  We went to Temple Square and had his baptism pictures taken with his dad.  They turned out so great!!

This one makes me tear up every time I look at it.  I love these two guys more than anything...

Love this little suit that Grandma Janis got for him!! I couldn't ask for better pictures of him!

The big baptism day arrived and Ryan and I took Braiden to a special lunch, just the three of us before the big event.  We were so excited that so many family members came to support us on Braiden's big day, including Grandma Nancy (we were so sad when Grandpa Blair became ill and had to leave....he and Grandma were greatly missed!).  Braiden and I performed a musical number before the baptism (well, in the end only Braiden sang because I blubbered through the whole song!  I'm such a boob!).  I'm so grateful that Ryan holds God's priesthood and was able to perform the ordinance.  We are so proud of you, Braiden and we know that your Heavenly Father is too!!

After the baptism, we went back to our house for dinner.  As usual, it's always a party when you get that many people in our house.  Somehow, the Nerf guns came out and war ensued.  Amanda suffered the most because of her velcro-like sweater. It was hilarious!

I caught this cute moment with Uncle Dave, Cora, and Ethan playing on the tramp.  Ethan is loving the amount of air he's getting!



I love getting family together and the older I get, the more I realize that its one of the only thing that matters.  I love making memories with my family!

As a continuing tradition, I want to include a snapshot of Braiden at age eight.  My, how he's changed from a year ago!

-- Braiden is a good student.  At the first of the year, he informed me that he hates school and the only thing he liked about it was PE.  But, he has since changed his mind.  He LOVES his teacher, Ms. Carmony, and he gets really excited for Thursdays when I come and help in the classroom.  He now actually enjoys doing his homework instead of complaining about it.  He is in the top reading and math groups at school and has discovered a love for science.  It is fun to see him bloom!

-- Braiden is thrilled to be in scouts.  He became a Cub Scout when he turned eight.  He absolutely loves it and can't wait to go every week!  He has already made a bird feeder and learned about Native Americans.

-- Braiden LOVES soccer.  Until now, he hasn't been extremely enthusiastic.  He's enjoyed it, yes, but has never excelled and thrived.  But this year, he's been on fire!! Running up and down the field like a wild child!  Blocking, passing, and even scoring!!!  We have been telling him how proud we are of him for TRYING, because that's what really matters.  It is so fun to watch him enjoy it so much!!

-- Braiden is so tender-hearted.  If something happens that he doesn't like, I have two choices: get frustrated with him and escalate the situation to where no one is happy, or give him a hug and feel his little body melt in my arms.  He loves affection and craves it daily.  If I remember to be patient and loving towards him, I never have any problems with him.  What a sweet boy he is....I hope he always stays that way!

--Braiden refuses to eat school lunch.  He doesn't like anything they serve, even pizza and chicken nuggets.  He faithfully makes his own lunch every morning...the same lunch...peanut butter sandwich (just peanut butter), Cheez-It crackers, fruit cup, and granola bar. every. single. day.

--Braiden's favorite Primary song is "I Love To See The Temple" and we have to sing it every time it's his turn to pick the song before family prayer.

--Braiden's favorite radio song is "I've Got A Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas.  It replaced "Vida la Vida" by Coldplay.  It is so cute to listen to him sing these two songs very loudly!

--Braiden is obsessed with Tony Hawk apparel.  All of his jeans and most of his shirts have to be Tony Hawk, even though I highly doubt he even knows who the guy is!!

I love my little Braiden!!

Uh, To Clean Pipes, Maybe?

This morning I was in the kitchen doing the dishes when I heard Braiden proudly say,

"Hey Mom, I know why they call these things 'Pipe Cleaners'"

"Oh really? Why?" I asked him.

(Short pause)

"Ummm, actually I don't have any idea"

It was very hard to keep a straight face!  I love that kid!

We Like To Party!

This post is about parties. Birthday parties, to be specific. A lot of birthday parties. Too many birthday parties. Let me explain.

First, we held Lauren's birthday party with her friends. Since she's growing up and is a whopping 11 years old, she wanted to have a "late night" with her girlfriends (we don't do sleepovers at our house). She didn't want party games and cake and ice cream....she wanted to have dinner and a chocolate fountain! So I made pasta and two kinds of sauce, garlic bread and a salad and bought a bunch of goodies for the fountain. It was a blast. The girls then went to the basement for some big kid games like Curses. Lauren has some darling friends and I hope they always stay close.

Well, then we came to Braiden's birthday party....for those you know my family well, you are probably thinking, "huh?" Yes, I know his birthday is in September, so why are we having a birthday party for him in February? Well, it's a funny story, really. We were back in Wisconsin for Braiden's birthday, had a blast driving half-way across the country, and when we got back, well, I just got so consumed with laundry, school and a half a dozen other things and forgot completely about have a party with his friends. He did too, until Lauren had hers. He was determined to have a party because all of the other kids got one and he didn't. I could NOT talk him out of just waiting until his next birthday and having a super-sized party....no way! So, I finally gave up and sent out invitations. I was so embarrassed to be asking his friends to a party so long after his real birthday, but everyone was great with it and we had a great time. Lauren was invaluable to me during the party. She helped with the games because I hadn't even finished decorating his cake when all of the kids arrived. Thanks, Lauren!

So, those two were over, now we just needed to get Ethan's done. We chose a sports theme for his and invited his playgroup buddies over. They are hilarious together, and even though it was exhausting, we had a good time. I can't believe my baby is FIVE!!!

This is the darling cake my mom made for Ethan. I was so busy with school the day before, that I just didn't have time, so she volunteered. The problem was that she didn't really have time to do it either. I felt so bad imposing on her, but am so grateful that she took the time to do it. Ethan and all of his friends loved the clowns and Ethan loved that it was a huge cupcake. Thanks, Mom, you are a lifesaver!

Well, there you have it...three parties in three weeks! Whew! I am glad they are over and that the kids had fun. Now, hopefully I can rest for a little bit...at least until April!

Different Tastes In Music?

Tonight, we went to dinner as a family at Cracker Barrel. It is one of the few reasonably priced restaurants that all of the kids can agree on. While walking out, there was a very twangy, hoe-down song blaring loudly. Ryan and I discussed whether or not it sounded like the Oakridge Boys. That discussion prompted a rousing rendition of "Elvira".

"High-O Silver, Away!!"

From the back of the car, there came a firm, "I think that's about enough of that" from Braiden.

We all laughed and laughed. I guess we all have different tastes in music.

Rhyming Is Great

Happy New Year, Everyone!! We are taking it easy today...just chillin' and playing video games, and this is what I overheard:

Ethan--"Dad, you're the good guy, right?"

Braiden--"Ethan, but 'Dad' rhymes with 'bad'!"

Soooo, I guess Dad is not a good guy, but fortunately only while playing Star Wars.

Does that mean I'm "Tom"???

My Little Braiden

My little Braiden just had a birthday. He is now seven years old.

Seven.

Years.

That's old.

Where did the time go? How did this happen? Am I in some sort of time warp? I remember when I found out that we were pregnant with him, and inside, I was secretly scared about having a boy. I already had two little girly girls....I wasn't sure how to be a mom to a boy! But all fears completely and immediately disappeared when I saw him for the first time. Now, I can't imagine life without my sweet little boy.

So, since this is his birthday post, I wanted to take a "snapshot" of Braiden the way he is right now. This is my little man at age seven:

--He absolutely adores his dad. I love this about him. It is so funny, because he has to wear whatever Dad is wearing. If Dad takes off his baseball hat, Braiden does too. If Dad changes into shorts, Braiden disappears for a while and then comes back in shorts! It is the cutest thing. He really cares what his Dad thinks about things and I hope that continues forever.

--He is not a morning person. Poor kid, he inherited this from me. For the first few weeks of school, I didn't think we would make it. Twelve years of getting up early and being to school on time? I don't think so! We had a very rough start until he received a Mater (from the movie CARS) alarm clock for his birthday. Now, Mater yells at him in his southern drawl every morning to get out of bed. It has worked like a charm and he doesn't have to be told a second time to get moving!

--He loves Kaden. Kaden is his best buddy in the whole world and I hope it will always be that way. They have a great time together, usually riding bikes or playing the Wii.



--He loves babies. Ever since I can remember, he as been obsessed with them. When Ethan came along, he was constantly begging me to let him hold him and have me take his picture. His latest obsession is with his cousin, Cora. He loves to hold her little hands and kiss them. It is so sweet.



--He likes his ears. I know this one sounds really weird, but he likes playing with his ear. He is always bending it and folding it over on itself. It's the funniest thing, and I know if I don't write it down, I will forget this cute little quirk of his.
 

--He loves to joke around. He has quite the funny personality. He is always cracking jokes, quoting movies at just the right time, and being plain silly. Here he is getting ready for the July 4th rodeo being silly...

And here he is again at Disneyland practicing his air guitar skills. Funny kid...



--He is very affectionate. He is my cuddler. He will offer free hugs out of the blue at random times of the day. I can always count on him if I need a little squeeze.

--He likes sports. I wouldn't say that he is athletic, but he does enjoy playing sports. His favorite is basketball (probably because it's Dad's favorite). He also plays soccer and T-Ball.

--He is a very picky eater. I have to say that most of the trouble we get from Braiden is over food. I don't know if it stems from his Reflux when he was a baby, or if he just takes after me when I was a kid (I'm much better now), but he will turn up his nose at most things. After some arguing, he is usually the last one still at the dinner table and when he finally decides to eat, he realizes that it isn't as bad as he feared. The problem is, he always forgets that when I cook it again and we have to repeat the entire process.

--Favorites. Favorite show--Phineas and Ferb. Favorite toy--his bike or Legos. Favorite cereal--Rice Chex. Favorite lunch--Mac and Cheese. Favorite sandwich--Peanut Butter and Honey. Favorite ride at Lagoon--Wicked.

These are a few things that I always want to remember about Braiden at age seven. I already know all too well how fast time flies. There are so many things in the past twelve years of being a mom that I have forgotten and it makes me sad inside. I am now using blogging as my "journal" and trying to preserve these "snapshots" of time. I know it won't be too long before I look back on this time and remember with fondness my little man.

Here are the rest of his birthday pictures. They turned out really cute. He doesn't like to smile with his teeth showing because he think he looks goofy. I think he's cute either way, but maybe I'm a little biased.

Happy Birthday, Braiden! I love you!

Simple Joys of the Day

Mega post coming tomorrow...but I wanted to share a few tidbits tonight. First, here is my most recent attempt at being crafty:

I made these harvest wreaths out of scrapbook paper. They were pretty easy and not too expensive to create. I like how they hang on my french doors in my bay. I think they turned out pretty cute and it felt good to get creative and crafty. It's been awhile since I had the desire, but I think it's coming back with a vengeance! We'll see what happens when my brain juices get flowing again. Now if I only had a real craft room and more time...

Also, here is the cutest thing ever...Braiden finally lost one of his top front teeth (this is his third over all). He's a little late, I think, but that's OK. It took a while getting it out--like two days. Dad finally had to use the pliers (it brought back memories of my dad), but Braiden was thrilled when it was over and he was excited to get a visit from the TF (although I think he expected a larger cash payment for his tooth!).

This picture is a little fuzzy, but I love his toothless grin! Hey, I don't call this blog "Sweet Joys" for nothing!