Parrish Perfection

Two of my favorite things ...

2012-01-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Never in a million years did I think that I could possibly love two little trouble makers as much as I love these two sweet faces. Every moment I get to experience as part of their lives is truly the best moment of my life.

A Child's Paradise

2012-01-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Lazy summer days at the cabin, walks on the dusty road, fighting off "wild bears", playing in the stream, catching snakes, dirty, tired children at the end of the day. That is what I call heaven on earth.

Just like Daddy

2012-01-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

Cole got to pick what he wanted to do for a father son adventure and all he wanted to do was go out and take pictures with his own camera, just like his daddy. So we gave him one of our old digital cameras and off they went.

Random Pictures from the Park

2012-01-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

Summer Fun at the Gateway

2012-01-18T19:11:00.000-08:00

During the summer we decided to go on a family adventure day. And boy, it sure was. We rode the frontrunner, for the first time, down to the Gateway Mall in SLC. The kids were besides them selves with the fact they got to ride and actual "choo, choo". We arrived at the Gateway and started to walk around until we found that they had an actual ground fountain that you play it! We had so much fun getting wet. Aly was funny because she kept trying to figure out where the water was coming from and got nailed between the eyes a couple of times. Coulson just jumped right in and was socking wet in a few shorts seconds. Afterward several hours of fun, we headed back to the train just in time to miss it by 1 minutes. :) So we hung out for an hour. The ride home included a detour onto a greyhound bus for the rest of the trip home. Apparently, the train we were suppose to be on but missed (thankfully) had a pedestrian jump out in front of it. Yuck. Instead we looked like the best parents ever because we "planned" for the kids to ride a train, trax, and a greyhound bus all in the same day!!

Bret sporting his sexy "hair do" for the summer

Testing the water with her toes - karate style.

Aly trying to dry out on the hot cement.

It's all fun and games...

2012-01-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Until someone gets hurt. Amazingly enough, this did not require stitches and healed up pretty fast. Within 10 minutes of this happening, that tough little girl was back to tackling her older brother.

Van Vleet Family Reunion

2011-08-28T16:12:00.001-07:00

In July we headed to Aztec, CO for the 2nd Van Vleet Family Reunion. It was a blast. The drive their was very long for us - it was suppose to be an 8 hour drive an ended up a 11 hour drive but we arrived Thursday night and got the kids settled into the best room ever. There was enough room for all of us and Bret and I got spoiled with a king sized bed the first time ever in our life. Heaven. We stayed at a good friend's cabin and the scenery was gorgeous. Each morning we woke up around 6 with the sun and sat out on the deck watching the hummingbirds feed and battle for territories. Two of the days we got to go tubing and that was so much fun. My mom and sisters were awesome enough to take the kids to a cove to play while the rest of the adults playing on the tubes. The kids also got to ride the tubes once and they had so much fun! We also hiked the chimney rock ruins, learned some awesome stuff, and spent a day in beautiful Durango. One of the days Papa had a blast by starting a water fight that went for an hour or more and ended with everyone soaked to the bone. We laughed so hard. At night after the kids were in bed we would play games especially the last night - we laughed so hard playing taboo. It was a wonderful reunion and the first time in years that my whole family was together.

The way mornings should be spent - laying on the
deck watching hummingbirds, and just talkingTia and Cole

Double Trouble

hanging out in Durango

Tia with Aly

Papa with Aly

On the deck in the morning again

water fight

the three boy cousins

Lyle grilling us some yummy food

The initiator of the water fight - Papa

Aunt LuLu with Cole

Playing in the rocks looking for "dinosaur bones"

Swing Batter Batter

My hilarious niece Audrey - what a hoot

Papa and Aly

Drew taking me hostage during the water fight

Drew and the boys on the hike to chimney rock ruins

Chimney Rock and one other - every 17 years the moon
rises directly between these two stone pillars

Me on the tube with Keri

Katy and Keri on the tubes

Stick 'em up

Van Vleet Family Pictures

2011-08-28T15:58:00.001-07:00

All my beautiful sisters
My whole amazing family

Papa and Nana with all of their current grandchildren

The three boys - Micah 4, Noah 6, Coulson 4

My gorgeous little sister with her hubby Lyle,
and my sweet niece Audrey 14 months

Nana with her girls - Alyson Jo 20 months, Audrey 14 months

All the brothers - Lyle, Andy, Bret

All of my siblings - left Jill, Katy, Andy, Erin, Keri

The whole family again

Papa with all his boys - Eli, Noah, Coulson, and Micah

Dinosaur Park with Grams and Cousins

2011-08-28T15:40:00.001-07:00

In the month of June we had a special visit from Grams, Aunt Brooke, Uncle Mat, Riley and Austin. We all headed to the dinosaur park for a day of fun and roars. It was so much fun to walk around and see the different reactions of the 4 kids to the dinosaurs all over the park. Coulson would squeal with delight and then tell anyone who would listen what the name of that particular dinosaurs was, and Aly would run around roaring. We also spent time playing on the playground. Riley was so sweet and allowed Aly to pal around with him on the toys and the slides. She just adores him. It is so cute. They played so hard and then crashed on our way home. Thanks Grams for such a fun day!

Happy 4th of July

2011-08-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

***Pictures to come***

Our fourth of July was AMAZING this year. We headed to Cherry Days in North Ogden and walked around the different booths. Both kids got to have their faces painted and just loved it. Later that night we got together with Bret's cousin Julie and her hubby Bryan for some all out celebrating. We had a BBQ, talked, laughed, and enjoyed surround sound fireworks - standing in their front yard after we had set off our own fireworks there were 8-9 different BIG firework shows go on at the same time. It was pretty awesome. The kids had a blast with their second cousins and we actually had to drag them to the car because they both wanted to stay the night. The only down part was that Aly fell off one of the toys and gave herself quite the little fat lip. It was a great way to celebrate such an amazing day.

My broken wrist...

2011-08-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

So at the beginning of July I was invited to play on a good friends indoor soccer team. I was so excited and a little nervous - I had been looking for a team for a while, but I also knew that even though I was "in shape" I was not in soccer shape. Any of you who have played soccer know what I mean. That and the first game started at 11:30pm. But, I agreed and headed out. Well, I subbed in within the first 5 minutes of the game and found my self dizzy and winded so I stopped for a second to catch my breath. So I was just STANDING THERE, and my team mate kicked the ball and it hit my hand just right and broke my wrist. The rest of the night included a trip to the ER (thanks again to my sweet friend Sarah for the ride and staying with me all night), a VERY late night call to my sleeping husband to break the bad news to him (poor thing thought it was all a cruel joke, remember it was probably 2am when I called him), and arriving home with a HUGE splint from the middle of my fingers to just below my shoulder. Oh and the best part - it was my right wrist, I am right handed. Great. After that the fun began. I headed to the orthopedic surgeons to see if I needed surgery (thankfully no) and then I got my cast. Coulson picked out the colors (ahead of time before the appointment) and he picked red and blue. Seeing that it was the month of July I thought , why not? So I came home sporting a red cast with a blue candy cane style stripe. Cole was thrilled! So much so that that same night when he cut his foot he has to have it wrapped in red and blue stretch gauze just like moms! So cute. I managed to somehow sleepwalk into the wall the next night and that kinda hurt maybe just a little, but I also got to go tubing with it - I have a cool Dr. He cleared me to go water skiing with my cast on. Awesome. My sweet and amazing husband also did my hair for me for the ENTIRE 4 weeks because I couldn't reach my hair with the cast on. The rest is pretty much history.

2011-07-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

Now that I have just a brace on I can slowly start to update my blog. Just so I don't forget some important things this is what is coming:

breaking my wrist
Van Vleet family reunion
trip to SLC / train adventures
4th of July/Cherry Days
Harrisville Heritage Days
random pictures
Aly's poor head

and just because it was cute:
Aly is potty training and went to the bathroom. I could hear her in the bathroom so I had Bret go check on her. She had sat on our stool and had gone potty, then grabbed the washcloth from the tub, dipped it into the toilet, and started "cleaning up" her mess. I just had to laugh.

Sorry for the delay...

2011-07-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

It will just be a little bit longer without posts - I broke my right wrist a couple weeks ago and typing is quite the adventure... Stay with me. We have so much fun to post once my cast comes off!!

Maui - Part 3 Pictures

2011-06-10T19:38:00.001-07:00

In the rainforest part of Maui. The Ioa Valley.

Pin Cushion Flower

The first church building in Maui. The first missionaries were George Q Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith.

These are coffee beans before anything is done to them.

I can't even tell you how yummy this panini was.
From the wonderful people at Who Cut the Cheese.

Wild Chickens. Everywhere. Need I say more?

Maui - Part 2 Pictures

2011-06-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Handsome

Kapalua Golf Course - PGA

Bret, myself, and my FIL snorkeled here and around the tip with tide going out. Imagine huge crashing waves, which means a MEAN undertow for us snorkelers. But the little inlet pool we found made all the bruises and exhaustion WELL worth it.

Maui, Hawaii - Round 1

2011-06-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

My amazing in laws treated all of the kids and their spouses to a trip to Maui in remembrance of Bret's grandparents. No grand kids were allowed (no complaints here) so my amazing parents offered to watch my kids at my place for the week we were gone. We left on Tuesday at 4am and pretty much flew all day (3 hour lay over in Phoenix). We arrived in beautiful Maui that afternoon and the women were quickly presented with our first fresh flower lei's. They were gorgeous. We then ran some errands, ate some pretty yummy BBQ, and hit the pool for a crash course on how to snorkel. The next morning we headed to Big Beach and snorkeled for several hours. It was AMAZING! I say all kinds of ocean life including an up close and personal with several sea turtles. Careful no touching or you will end up paying $10,000. Pricey I know. After playing in the waves, a much needed shower to de-sand my body, we had some yummy fish tacos and off to Hilo Hatties where I got to open an oyster and chose a setting for my new pearl. It was a true highlight. That night we at Buzz's Wharf. Yummy. The rest of the days followed suit with 3-4 hours of snorkeling, lunch, and tourist sites, and then dinner. One night we went to a high class, open air restaurant called Mama's Fish House. It was a dream. We started off down the beach watching the wind surfers, then went to Mama's, which is right on the beach. Not only was the food OUT OF THE WORLD, but I got to see the sun setting from our table. It was wonderful. We also went to Paia, a true hippy town, and Lahaina for some great shopping. The trip all went too fast and was just amazing.

A normal avocado (itty bitty) and a Hawaii grown avocado (ginormous)

Sunset from Mama's Fish House

Wind surfing. One day I will learn...

The Black Pearl. Yes, it is all edible, and Bret ate it all...

Moray Eel

Humuhumunukunukuapau'u
Cole's favorite fish. Yes, he can say the name.
It is also the Hawaiian State Fish

Practicing in the pool

Sea Turtle. Amazing.

Coulson's 4th Birthday and Graduation

2011-06-09T06:09:00.001-07:00

I can't belive that 4 years have already flown by from the day that this sweet little boy made me a mother. I can't even start to say how much I love this mischievous face. He has become a little man over the past year and it really has been fun (and challenging) to watch. Coulson is the living definition of living life to the fullest. He is still in a constant "go" motion. He loves to learn. And the kid has the most amazing memory EVER! Some of his favorite topics are dinosaurs, bugs, the ocean - especially sharks, and pretty much anything science. He also loves to play with friends of all shapes and sizes age is no matter. We spend all day outside playing with all the neighbor kids. He is just full of happiness. Happy Birthday little buddy!

Coulson also graduated from preschool in May. Sadly, I was not there for it but my parents had the honor of taking him and in my dad's words "He was the model citizen." He stood on the stage and sang all the songs, and smiled and gave thumb ups to my parents and was just great. We are so thankful to his teachers for all the time and effort they put into not only graduation but the entire school year. Coulson loves school.Congratulation's Coulson. We are so proud of you!!

Aly Jo - 18 month stats

2011-06-09T05:46:00.001-07:00

Height- 70%
Weight- 23lbs 15%

AlyJo has been a joyous adventure from the day she entered our life. She is happy, creative, and adventurous, and always moving. She loves to dance, read, sharks, catch bugs, climb, wrestle with Coulson, play with all of his boy friends. She also loves her dollies. She is such a daddy's girl and as soon as she hears Dad walk through the door she is running at full pace to get to him. Just in the last couple of weeks she here speech has bloomed and she has become a good little talker. She thankfully also loves to spend time snuggling with mom. I can't believe that my baby has suddenly become a little girl. We love you so much Aly and can't imagine life without you in it.

I can do hard things

2011-05-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

painting by Liz Lemon Swindle

Tonight I sat at the computer and cried. I was reading the blog of an amazing family I have never met, who lost their sweet daughter at the tender age of 18 months. As I read her words a reality hit me - there are so many things in my life that I take for granted. I have an amazing life because of three things 1. a temple marriage to my amazing husband 2. my two wonderful blessing I call children 3. an eternal family. And then I realized I have this amazing life for one reason - I have the gospe l in my life. I have the knowledge that no matter what happens during this life that if I live each day as my Savior has asked I can forever have my family. This makes me want to live each day of my life NEVER forgetting the amazing gift that was given to me - my Savior died that I, through His atonement, might live with Him again and with my wonderful family forever. There are many days that I feel I lose sight, those days that seem so hard as a Mom and wife and you wonder why you struggle so much with trials but, then I remember that through those struggles I become a better person. I become a better mother, more capable of raising the righteous, strong children that the Lord has trusted me with and help them to reach their true potential as righteous sons and daughters of God. There are also days that it seems overwhelming the task that I have been given as their mother but, on those days I feel His arms around me, helping me to feel the trust that He has in me. I am so thankful for the gospel in my life, for the tender mercies He grants me each day through answered prayers, giggles and hugs from my children, and tender quiet moments with my husband. I know that the Savior lives and I know that one day I will be with my family after this life and for eternity. This is but a small moment, and no matter what happens I know that with His help I can do hard things.

Twin Falls Weekend

2011-04-25T21:09:00.001-07:00

We went to Twin Falls for a quick weekend trip and it was a wonderful visit full of fun. We arrived Friday night and just pretty much crashed. On Saturday we had the wonderful opportunity for all the adults (minus Sean and Em) to go to the Temple to do a session for some dutch names on my MIL's side of the family. It was AMAZING!! There were times in the time that I truly felt my heart was going to burst from shear happiness. What a treat. We then went out for lunch together for some very yummy food. We then went home and reclaimed our children from the wonderful sitter Vickie, whom the kids just love. The men then headed to do some hard labor in the pasture while the girls helped the kids dye eggs and then do an easter egg hunt. It was so much fun for the boys and a flashback for my sweet MIL of her boys when they were that age. We also got to go and see Shoshone Falls running at full which was just gorgeous. I have never seen it running at full. Bret took some gorgeous pictures that I hope to post more of later. We ended up staying one extra day because our car ended up in the shop but we were blessed after many prayers and nothing was wrong so we drove home Monday afternoon. We really had a great time!

Coulson "hid" his Easter eggs so that I could find them. So sweet.

Underwear Everywhere !!!!

2011-04-25T21:03:00.001-07:00

Lots of Smiles

2011-04-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Warning: Picture Overload!!!

Cupcake Love

2011-04-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Conversation with a fish

2011-04-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

C: When I was a fish, people ate me.
E:When you were a fish?
C: Yup. When I was a fish I swirled in the water and the shark bit off my foot.
E: The shark bit off your foot? But you look like you have two feet?
C: I do. But I had four and the shark bit them off. Now I have two.

All About Alyson

2011-03-01T14:06:00.001-08:00

Age: 16 months
Alyson changed our lives when she arrived. Never have I know a little girl that can be so girlie and yet so tomboy. She loves shoes, dressing up, having her hair done, lotion, and necklaces, but equally loves GI Joe, sword fighting, playing in the mud, climbing EVERYTHING, wrestling, and paling around with her brother. She is almost always full of smiles but when she is not, watch out world. She is very active and busy, and keeps up with her brother and his mischief without blinking an eye. She is also a huge bookworm and loves to get mom or dad out of bed at the wee hours of the morning just to read to her. We love this little girl that came into our lives and turned our world upside down!

All About Coulson

2011-03-01T13:57:00.001-08:00

Age: 3 3/4 years old

Coulson is such a joy in our lives. He is always keeping us on our toes and continues to be very busy and active. He is attending preschool and is constantly learning new things. He is always amazing me at what he picks up from everywhere. He also has an amazing memory and can repeat songs, full books, and just about anything else. He has a heart of gold and loves to help people, he is truly my little helper with his sister and around the house. He loves reading, singing, and playing all kinds of games, and wrestling with his dad. He also loves dinosaurs and playing with his swords. One of the things he is best at is being daddy's little helper around the house with fixing things, taking out the garbage, and entertaining his little sister. I can honestly say that this little boy LOVES life and lives it to the very fullest. I never realized how much he would change my life but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world - the good days and the bad days I'll take them all just to continue to have this blessing named Coulson in my life.

For Your Veiwing Pleasure

2011-03-01T13:54:00.001-08:00

Wild Child

2011-03-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Uncle Scott gave the kids tickets to a bouncing place called Wild Child. They had so much fun, especially since Uncle Scott came too!

Christmas and New Years Eve

2011-03-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

The month of December was one full of everything fun! We started it off by spending a Saturday with Bret's family. We all (excluding Sean and Emily who were missed) met at Gardner's Village for several hours of shopping, walking around, and getting to see all the wonderful little elves who live there during the Christmas season. All of the cousins had so much fun running around with each other, and Grams and Opa spoiled them rotten all day. After we left the village we headed to the Chuck O'Rama in Salt Lake for some yummy dinner. When the caught trax and headed up to see the beautiful lights the decorated Temple Square. It was beautiful. As we stood by the reflection pond we also got to witness about 20 engagements in a matter of 20 minutes. What a busy night at the temple for love birds! After seeing the lights we ended with some yummy hot cocoa and a whole bunch of good byes.

The kids didn't' get naps so they grabbed a quick one on the drive to Salt Lake

All the cousins on the Parrish side

Some beautful pictures taken by my amazing husband, Bret

A couple of days later Coulson had his preschool field trip to go and meet with Mrs. Clause. It was an incredibly cold day but he had a great time and patiently waited in line for his turn to tell Mrs. Clause what he wanted for Christmas ; His request was a T-Rex for him and his friend Porter. He was so excited for her to tell Santa! I love this age!

Deep in contemplation as to what he wants for Christmas

Aly wanted nothing to do with Mrs. Clause no matter what she offered!

For Christmas this year we spent it here with our very own little family. We had so much fun with old traditions from both families and making our own new ones. Bret and I took the kids to the store on Christmas Eve day and allowed them to pick out whatever cereal they both wanted to eat whenever and however they wanted. I used to do this as a little girl and it was the only time we ever got sugary cereal so it was a BIG deal. We then got the kids dressed in their Christmas pj's, read our Christmas stories, including the ones poppa read to them on skype, did some other fun stuff and put them to bed. The next morning the kids each made haul, but sadly I can't seem to find any of the pictures. Cole got a variety of things including books, a laptop, a dinosaur, cowboys and indians, a monster puppet that you make yourself, and some other items. Alyson got a new chair like her brothers, and lots and lots of dolls and accessories for them, books, and some other items. Bret and myself also got some great gifts that included Wicked tickets for me, and a watch for Bret. It was such a wonderful day for us. We are so thankful for family and loved ones that help us to share the true meaning of Christmas.

Alyson LOVES fruit and recently received the name Aly Appleton because she ate a whole apple uncut by herself. The funny thing is that she only has her two front and bottom teeth and neither set is all the way in!!

All dressed up for church.

How can you not just love those little faces!

My own sweet dolly with her dollies.

My handsome little man playing with his toys from Tia

The loot on Christmas morning

I also got a suprise from my mom and sister - tickets for my and the kids to fly out and spend new years eve with them! Keri's foster kids were being prepped to go back to their mom and her little boy, Evan, wanted more than anything to see Coulson again. They had become VERY good friends over the past year of visits. So off we went, sadly leaving Bret behind because he had to work. No worries he was able to go to his families house for the New Year holiday. We had so much fun with my family and Keri's kids. We went to the zoo and just spent time with family and playing lots of games. I can't post any pictures because they all have Evan and Alex in them and I can't post pictures of them on the internet but just know that we had so much fun the week we were there. It was also nice to see my little niece again. Aly was quite the bully to little Audrey and was found sitting on her and pinning her many times but before too long Audrey with be the same size as Aly and I'm sure they will be the best of friends.

Thanksgiving with Parrish's

2011-01-10T12:59:00.001-08:00

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving up at the family cabin. It was bitterly cold! The first day we got there it got down to -24 degrees. Yikes. We had a great time hanging out with the whole family, letting the kids play together, and just relaxing and having fun. Thanksgiving dinner turned out delicious as usual we all the favorites. We even pulled a huge prank on Mat by telling him the Alyson (who was sick) had thrown up in the stuffing and that there wasn't any left for him. He believed it and we all got a good laugh out of the situation. Family pictures were also in order and we chose to do BSU themed attire. It was a fun time. We stayed up Wed, Thurs, Friday and then came home Saturday morning after a wonderful breakfast. We have so much to be thankful for! Family, friends, and some many blessings that the Lord has poured out on our small little family this year. We are also so very thankful to have the gospel in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. May you all have more blessings and things to be thankful for than you can count.

A Day in Our House

2011-01-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

Here are just some fun shots taken over several days. There are lots of pictures because I think my kids are SO DARN CUTE!

Here are just some fun shot taken over several days. There are lots of pictures because I think my kids are SO DARN CUTE!

The Pumpkin Man

2011-01-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

For Coulson's field trip in October we got to go to a place called the Pumpkin Patch.Daddy even joined us for this one. I think I was more excited than Cole because I had never been to a pumpkin patch before to pick out my very own pumpkin. When we arrived the kids all gathered together around some pumpkin headed scarecrows laying on the some hay bales and then all of a sudden, one of the started to talk to us, and then STOOD UP! The owner had dressed up as a pumpkin scarecrow, with a real pumpkin on his head, for the kids enjoyment. It was awesome. We then were given a tour of the place, and the kids got to pick out their own little pumpkins and take pictures with the pumpkin man. It was such a fun experience.

Halloween 2010

2011-01-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Not much happened for Halloween this year except that my whole family (minus myself) had the stomach flu. Cole felt well enough to go do some quick trunk or treating with Aly but that took 30 minutes and we were all back at the house snuggled up and handing out candy. Aly went as Roo from Winnie the Pooh, Cole was Leonardo the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and I was a last minute witch. Hope everyone else had a great Halloween.

Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque

2011-01-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

The first week in October I got the amazing opportunity to take my little family to the balloon fiesta in Albuquerque for the very first time. We spent an entire week with my family and had so much fun. My sister Katy also came with her cute family and it was the first time I got to meet my adorable niece Audrey! We had fun going to the aquarium, the natural history museum, and a very early morning at the balloon fiesta (Bret went nuts with his camera and got some great shots). We had a big birthday celebration for Alyson, me and Bret. My parents were also sweet enough to keep our kids while Bret and I headed to Old Town for a couple of hours. We just had to much fun playing everyday and were sad to make the long drive home.

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Still to Come...

2010-12-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

I know I have been really bad a blogging lately and I really do have a good excuse. My whole family has been sick/ailed since the beginning of October, with everything! Flu, Stomach flu, strep, colds, migraines, burned, teething, acid diarrhea, and the list goes on and on. But I will update my blog; Here is what you have to look forward to

Balloon Fiesta
Halloween
Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
A Day In Our House
Thanksgiving
and so much more.

Don't give up on us yet!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-12-04T07:26:00.000-08:00

On October 20 I celebrated my birthday - kinda. Well not really. Sadly, my entire family had been sick since the first of October (and continued to be sick), so when my birthday came around we were tired and crabby from so many nights of walking the floors with flu, colds, teething, and all that kind of fun. Bret made me breakfast that morning and that was yummy. The real celebration came a week or so later when Bret took me out to dinner with some great friends of ours and then to Lazarus's maze. It is an old mental institute that is actually haunted but they also turn it into a haunted house during the Halloween season. It was a blast! I love haunted houses but haven't been to one in 5 years. Tragic, I know. It was the best gift he could have given me. I loved it. Thanks to everyone that remember my day and helped to make it special. I heard from so many friends and family that it made my head spin. You are all wonderful!

Alyson turns ONE!!

2010-12-04T06:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe where that time has gone. My baby turned on on October 14th and is now a sweet toddler running around the house. She is such a joy in our house. She started walking at 11 months and loves to chase after her brother and his friends. She LOVES purses, dressing up, and wearing shoes. She is always happy and on the go - even when she is sick. She loves playing with her brother and flying his super hero's, and car around the house and playing hide and go seek. Wrestling is also something she loves to join in on. She has a large vocabulary (as I am finding out) but for the most part chooses to let her brother do the talking for her. Some of the words she can say are eat, mo (more), this, that, Mama, Dad, light, what (with attitude), red, blue, yellow, ABCD, mooo, roar, voom (vroom), and so many more. She is quite the picky eater but loves most fruit, yogurt, and SUGAR. She has the biggest sweet tooth and can literally smell when sugar is in the house! Reading is something she does quite often and loves it especially when Cole reads to her. She is also quite the climber and can get on the couch, chairs and table, scale the closet in the toy room using toys, and is addicted to stairs. When she wants to be picked up she wraps her arms around your legs, looks up and start saying "ME, ME, Me, ME!" Until you finally relent and pick her up. We sure love that little girl! For her birthday she had three parties! What a loved little girl. We were lucky enough to have both sets of parents visit during first part of October and get to share in on Aly 1st birthday. She loved the cakes! Except she loved playing in them, I think she took a total of one bite of both! What a silly little girl. Happy Birthday Alyson!

One Year Stats:
Weight: 16.5 lbs - 3-5%
Height: 26 inches - 30%
Head: 75%

Bret turns the big 3-0

2010-12-04T06:27:00.002-08:00

On Sept 22 Bret turned 30!! He had a wonderful birthday with lots and lots of spoiling. We went out to dinner at McGraths *yummy* and walked around the mall for a little bit. For his birthday present he received a new barbecue grill! Let me tell you - the next several weeks we enjoyed great food every night as he "tested" out his new gift. We are so greatful to have such an amazing man in our lives! Happy Birthday Bret!

Firetruck Fun

2010-10-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

The other day we were out and about and saw that Lowe's had a firetruck and was letting kids check it out. So we decided to take Cole to see his first up close and personal firetruck. He had so much fun getting it and trying on all the gear. My favorite part was when he sat down in the seat, buckled himself in and waved good bye to me. When the fireman saw him he asked Cole if he was going to spend the day with them. Cole immediate respose was "Yes!" and again waved goodbye to me. The firemen just laughed when they heard him. What a silly boy. He was ready to go with them and have me pick him up later. Gotta love that kid!

PS if you look closely on the fireman on the right he actually has a handlebar mustache!!! So cool!

Off to the Zoo with friends

2010-10-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

We headed to the zoo with some friends for a morning and had a blast! There was no body there so we got to see pretty much everything including the nightmares tent without any lines. With went with some friends - Alexis, Porter 3, and Claire 10 months. The funny thing is that Coulson and Porter were wearing the exact same shirt! They had fun playing on the statues together and we even got to see baby Zuri, the elephant, and some fruit bats among other things. When I asked Cole what he wanted to see on the way there, he thought about and replied "Tigers, Hippos, and crocodiles" It was a great day for the zoo!

Cole's First Day of Preschool

2010-10-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Cole officially started preschool this year. He was so excited and just couldn't wait to go to school and see friends and his teacher. When I dropped him off he looked at me, and said "Bye Mom, I'll see you soon." When I picked him up he had had such a wonderful time. I am so excited for him this year. Congrats, Coulson! You are growing up so fast!

He insisted on take a picture with Alyson Jo. So cute!

Cole and Aly's first horseback ride

2010-10-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

On Sunday of fair weekend we decided to take the boys out to see the horses, saddle them up and walk them around the pasture. Cole loved it! He kept yelling "Faster Mom! Run faster!" so that I would make Blaze and Cutter go faster for him. Aly also got to get on with her big brother for a couple minutes (long enough to take the pictures). It was a great afternoon.

Twin Falls County Fair

2010-10-13T12:02:00.002-07:00

The first weekend in September we headed up to Idaho for the Twin Falls County Fair. Yee Haw! It was a great weekend. We arrived on Friday and just chilled with the family for the night. Saturday morning dawned early (Cole woke up at 5:00 am) and Bret headed off with the gyus to play a round of golf. When they arrived home we headed to the county fair. What a fun day. This was the first time that Opa spoiled the boys and took them to do the kiddie rides and they just had a blast. Thanks Opa! After the rides we ate some delicious food, walked around to see all the different animals and feed the goats, and pet the bunnies. Aly loved seeing all the animals and even helped in feeding the goats. We arrived home that night with some very tired boys and let them have their very first sleep over together as cousins. Sunday we went to church and then came home for some yummy home cooked food as a whole family, took the kids for their very first horseback ride (see next post for pictures), and played games. Monday morning Bret and the guys headed off for another round off golf and then we headed home when Bret got home. It was a great weekend. Thanks so everyone who helped make it so - especially to Grams and Opa!

A little Bit of this and That

2010-09-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

I told him to look at his hair and this is what he did instead. What a ham.

What devious thing should I plot next? Yes, I love every curl of that mop on his head.

She loves to be in or on top of everything.

She was so proud of being able to play in her drawer.

We were looking for cool shots for a bridal photo shoot
that Bret was suppose to do the next day. This is the front of a train.

Cole and a Colby playing on the patio.

Every time she gives someone this scowl
I just crack up. I think it is adorable.

Cole passed out in my laundry pile

Aly riding her brothers bike while he is napping.

For Mom and Dad - new glasses

2010-09-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

This one is especially for my wonderful mom and dad. After 10 years of the same old glasses I finally got new ones thanks to the love of my parents. So here they are. I like them.

Frick and Frack

2010-08-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

We had some new neighbors move in next door and from the very beginning it has been nothing but fun and double trouble. Why you ask? Because those neighbors have a female version of Cole right down to the age and activity levels, including the attitude and strong will. Not even joking and the two of them have become inseparable to the point that when they walk past each others door they HAVE to knock to see if the other is home. So each night Cole and Alleo are at one or the other parents house. Levi (Alleo's mom) has nicknamed them Frick and Frack. Twins separated at birth. And trust me when I tell you that you don't want to know the mischief these two get into - it would give you gray hairs just reading about it. I know.

Sheer Bliss

2010-08-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

Nothing but Fun - PICTURE OVER LOAD

2010-08-20T12:45:00.002-07:00

So much has been going on the past month and we have had so much fun. Right after my parents left I drove with the kids to Twin Falls to spend some time making jam with my wonderful MIL. Talk about yummy. After Twin we headed home and just enjoyed time to ourselves as a family. We went swimming, played outside on our little park and basically just goofed off. We also went to the Weber County Fair and during an animal show they brought out a big bird. Everyone in the audience was saying "Oh wow look at that parrot" and Cole at the top of his lungs scream "No, it is a Macaw!" and sure enough he was right. Love that kid. Here are some pictures of our fun.

So much has been going on the past month and we have had so much fun. Right after my parents left I drove with the kids to Twin Falls to spend some time making jam with my wonderful MIL. Talk about yummy. After Twin we headed home and just enjoyed time to ourselves as a family. We went swimming, played outside on our little park and basically just goofed off. We also went to the Weber County Fair and during an animal show they brought out a big bird. Everyone in the audience was saying "Oh wow look at that parrot" and Cole at the top of his lungs scream "No, it is a Macaw!" and sure enough he was right. Love that kid. Here are some pictures of our fun.

Parent Visit

2010-08-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

At the end of July my parents came up to visit while Bret was gone on his 50 miles hike. It was so much fun to get to see them and sadly I didn't take the camera out to document our fun. We went swimming, drove to Rexburg, played outside, went shopping, and just loved being together. The time went way to fast but it was sure fun.

9 months - Alyson Jo

2010-08-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some tidbits about Alyson at 9 months old:

Weight: 16.4 - 10%
Height: 27 inches - 30%
Head Cir: 44cm - 50%

She is developing the cutest personality! She continues to smile all the time and laugh
She loves emptying my cupboards and playing with her brothers toy kitchen
She can't help but crawl through holes, under things, and over things. She has gotten herself stuck many times. She continues to also be a climber
She is by far my pickiest eater - very texture based. Even being picky you will still find her begging from anyone that has food
When she wakes up before Cole she will sit outside his door and wait for him to wake up too
She loves to sit is boxes, totes, and laundry baskets - anything she can crawl into
She is an adrenaline junky and loves to be thrown in the air and pretend dropped
She LOVES the water. When we are swimming she will put her whole face under water and blow bubbles. At home anytime the water starts in the bathtub or shower you can guarantee she will be begging at the side to get in.
She loves to clap and play games like "Peek-a-boo", "So Big", and "Chase" where we chase her up and down the hallway by crawling after her
She always follows where her brother goes
She can stand up and cruise along couches, chairs, and walls.
She loves to give kisses - especially to her daddy
She has quite the little attitude when she gets upset and will make noise at you like she is scolding you.
She truly is the sweetest little girl that I know and we sure love her.

Potty Talk

2010-07-12T13:41:00.001-07:00

We were out playing mini golf when Cole announced that he needed to go potty, again. This time Bret willingly took him into the men's room. While in there a young man walked into the room. Cole immediately struck up a conversation.
Cole:"Hah! Are you here to go potty? Me too! I'm going to go pee."
A few minutes later after hearing the man use the restroom..
Cole:"Hooray! You went pee! Good job!"

Bret said he was surprised the young man was able to keep a straight face as he walked out of the bathroom.

Talk about Handsome!!!

2010-07-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

And he is ALL MINE!!!!

8 Months - Alyson Jo

2010-07-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Aly Jo turned 8 months in June. I can't believe how big she is getting! Here are some facts about her:

She can now pull herself up on all furniture, walls, and pretty much anything and is starting to cruise along them.
She loves to play "So Big" and put her hands above her head with her hands clasped
She will then clap for herself - or anytime she thinks the deserves it
She has become a huge momma's girl
She LOVES food and is notorious for stealing any food from her brother when he is not watching
She loves dogs - big and little
Whenever I am talking on the phone she will come over and start to loudly talk herself
She is our little banshee and it constantly screeching at the top of her lungs just to hear herself and boy is she LOUD
She is pretty good at getting into everything
She is as happy as they come and just loves to play with her brother or his toys
She will sit on the bathroom floor and watch me get ready

We just can't get enough of that adorable face!!!

I'm Gonna Pump You Up!

2010-07-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

This was all his own doing. I got ready to go workout at the gym and he went into my workout clothes and pulled out the wife beater and then grabbed our two pound weights and went to town.

Fourth of July Fun

2010-07-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

For the Fourth of July we headed up to Twin Falls for a packed fun full weekend. It started Saturday morning - I went horseback riding for four hours with my FIL and that was amazing. We saw some deer, a coyote, and had a female sage grousse charge us in an attempt to keep us from finding her babies. When we got home we ate a quick lunch and headed to see Toy Story 3 (so good). We arrived home and the boys went golfing while the women folk stayed home and played with the kids. It was a great day! Sunday we went to church, a walk to the park, and set off fireworks. Monday was more golfing for the boys, and some random fun stuff for the kids. It was a great weekend. We are so thankful for our country's independence!

Sniffing Spiders

2010-07-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

The other morning Cole came into my bedroom to snuggle with me(I was still in bed) and he found his Iron Man toy. He quickly picked it up and this was how the conversation went:

C:Iron Man! What are you doing in here? You are not suppose to be in here with out me. You need to go out of here right now. I can't believe you are hiding in here. You go out right now and stay out.
(throws him into the hallway and closes the door)
It's okay Mom, I took care of the problem. Now lets snuggle.

A couple minutes later...
C: Mom, we need to go sniff out spiders.
E: We need to do what?
C: Sniff spiders and find out what rooms they are in
E:Okay, show me how.

We then proceeded to walk through all the rooms "smelling" each one to see if a imaginary spider was hiding in there. We found one and vanquished it with our imaginary swords.

Super Hero Vans

2010-07-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

For work Bret was asked to decorate the two vans for Nutraceutical's Ragnar Team. They wanted it "super hero" themed - right down Bret's alley. He took the pictures that they gave him of people dressed in super hero costumes and HAND DREW them into comic book characters and turned them into van safe stickers. This is how the vans turned out in the end...

Rub a Dub Dub

2010-07-09T06:35:00.001-07:00

Sunday Walk

2010-07-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

A couple Sunday's ago the kids were just bursting with pent up energy so we decided to take them on a Sunday walk in the mountains. We had lots of fun and Cole just loved running around looking at everything. It was a great time.

Father's Day

2010-07-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

I know this is late but we had a great Father's Day. Bret had a ym/yw activity on Saturday morning but after he got back we went and bought him new hiking boots for his gift. That night the kids and I went to a friends house and decorated sugar cookies for Bret, allowing him some time to just himself which he gets very rarely these days with how busy he is. When we got home we had a delicious dinner (that Bret cooked because he wanted to) of swordfish steaks. Yummy. The next morning we let Bret sleep in 8am (we have 9am church) and fixed him breakfast in bed and headed to church. After church I cooked a yummy salmon dinner for him and we opened gifts. It was a wonderful day.
We sure love Bret so very much. He is an amazing father and the kids just love him so much. Both of them just wait for him to walk through the door before they maul him. We have been so blessed to have an amazing example. He goes above and beyond in everything that he does. His is loving, creative, and loves his family. Happy Father's Day.

Huggable Kritters - For Sale

2010-06-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

These adorable little blanket pals are a great gift to give to your own child, grandchild or to give as a gift to a friend. They are made from extremely soft Minky material and a beanie baby stuffed animal. You just can't help but love them!
Hand sewn with lots of love and care.
$25 plus S&H

Huggable Hippo
Back Material - Raised Dot Mint Green Minky
Front Material - Baby Pink Satin

Best Bunny
Back Material - Raised Dot Dark Purple Minky
Front Material - Checkered Light/Dark Purple Minky

Super Bear Friend
Back Material - Red Raised Dot Minky
Front Material - Daffodil Yellow Satin

Love-able Lizzy
Back Material - Grass Green Minky
Front Material - Hot Pink Minky

Comforting Cow
Back Material - Raised Dot Chocolate Brown Minky
Front Material - Lined Sage Green Minky

All about Alyson - 7 months

2010-06-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

My baby is almost 8 months but here are some facts for when she was 6-7 months

she started crawling at 6 months. She could actually crawl and did sometimes but when she wants to get some place fast she stays on her knees but drops to her arms and man can she book it across a room.
Discovered her love of cheerios
loves to boing the door stoppers
will crawl up and down the hallway how ever many times it requires if it means Cole will continue to play with her
her favorite toys are her brothers cars and dinosaurs
is a great sleeper
loves to be outside in the grass
continues to be a very happy baby
can pull herself up on the couch, kitchen tables, and pretty much anything she feels like
has already started trying "cruise" along the couch
loves to pull all the DVD's off our shelf
it a complete chatty cathy and if anyone new walks up to her she will smile and just talk talk talk.
Has the cutest personality and it quite the spit fire
Has a HUGE shoe fetish!

Memorial Day in Twin Falls, ID

2010-06-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend we headed to Idaho for some family fun and boy was it ever. We went to see Shrek Forever After, played outside, went on lots of walks including a walk on the canyon ridge (see pictures), we feed the horses, I got spoiled and got to go horseback riding with my FIL (the brown horse in the photos was mine - Cutter, Blaze in the white one), Cole got to feed them carrots, lots of sword fights, golfing, and so much more. It was a great weekend. Aly also got caught feeding her cheerios to Kaiser and just giggled as he ate them out of her hand. We always love our weekends in Twin.

Aly actually wanted to be carried like this.

Union Station Train Park

2010-06-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I took Cole to the train park here in Ogden. He really enjoyed climbing up on all the trains and seeing how big they were. We even got to go inside one of them that was open to the public. Sadly, I didn't think to get any of Aly but she was there too. It was a great day to go.

Working Out

2010-06-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

The other morning Cole brought me my sports bra and told me to put it on him - he needed to go work out. I just about died laughing but I did as he asked. He then walked out to the front room, did some running around the room and some "push-ups". Bret snapped a picture of him flexing his muscles after his "workout".

Cole's B-day and Preschool Graduation

2010-06-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from our small family birthday party (on his actual B-Day) and then preschool graduation. Sadly I didn't take the camera to graduation but I did have Bret take a picture of him afterward.

Pictures from Cole's B-day weekend

2010-06-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

I forgot these were on the camera and thought they were fun. The first one is of Grams and Opa with the kids at church and the second was when we went out to dinner for Opa's birthday. It was a very enjoyable night and nice to leave the kids with a babysitter.

if you look closely Grams and Aly have the same facial expression
and then Cole and Opa have the same. To funny!

Maybe too much

2010-05-23T18:46:00.001-07:00

You know that your son has watched Transformers one to many times when he can recite the opening speech word for word before the actual movie even starts...

The Gift

2010-05-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

For Cole's birthday he got lots of wonderful gifts. He amazingly plays with all of them but his all time favorite is his bumblebee tranformer. The thing is probably a foot tall and talks and his eyes light up blue among other cool things. Well, on the way home from his party at the zoo (the day he got the toy) it had been a long day and neither kids had gotten a nap. About 25 minutes from home, Aly announced she had had enough by screaming at the top of her lungs and crying nonstop. Cole tried several different ways to make her stop crying and none of them work. Then about 5 minutes from home she suddenly stopped crying. I assumed she had just finally given up from exhaustion, but when I opened her door to get her out I found the happiest baby with the biggest smile - holding her big brothers brand new bumblebee. When I asked why he had given it to her his response was, "I didn't want her to cry anymore".

Happy 3rd Birthday Coulson

2010-05-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, my little boy turned 3. I can't believe 3 years have already flown by. It seems like it has gone so fast and yet I have a hard time remembering a time in my life when Coulson was not a part of it. He is the best thing that ever could have happened to me - he made me a mom. As a woman you could never image loving anyone more than your husband until they put that little bundle into your arms and you truly feel love like you have never know. These last 3 years have been the best and most challenging. But what an adventure it has been. Never before I have met someone who makes me literally want to scream and rip my hair out, and the next has done the sweetest thing you can think of. My sweetest challenge.Coulson LOVES life. He is constantly trying to make everyone laugh. He is sweet, thoughtful and loves to be around people. His little imagination is amazing. Watching him grow up has been such a joy. He is also very active and very curious. He just loves to figure things out, take things apart, and pushing everything to the limit. Everyone is an instant friend in his book and he calls everyone little buddy.

He likes Transformers, playing outside, wrestling with Dad, playing with Aly, swimming, chicken nuggets, laughing, making everything a game (including our attempts to discipline him), playing with friends, dinosaurs, He-Man, snuggling with Mom, running, singing and the list truly goes on. He lives life out loud.

His dislikes include sitting still, being sent to his room, when Aly cries (or anybody for that matter, he tries to make them feel better), and potty training.

Bret and I love this little boy so much. We are so thankful that the Lord sent him to our home and because of that we have become better people.

Party and the Zoo

2010-05-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend Joanie and Ray came down to celebrate Ray and Cole's birthdays. They stopped by Friday night to see Spencer and Mary some of Bret's cousins that were staying the night with us before they ran the Ogden Marathon the next morning. It was so fun to sit and visit with everyone. The next morning Bret woke up way early and was out the door at 6am for 18 holes of golf with the boys. I woke with the kids and went out to talk with Mary before she headed out to run the last leg of the marathon with Spence. It was so fun to talk with her and get to know her better. The kids just loved having her there. Then I quickly got the kids ready and grabbed a quick shower before we went to pick up Grams (Joanie). When then headed to Walmart to pick up some last minute items and had quite the adventure there. It involved Cole (go figure) and a bottle of spray on sunscreen that some how managed to explode all over the items we were buying (including a lot of clothes). After cleaning that up we headed to McDonald in SLC where we met up with the boys and Brook and her two boys. We ate some lunch and then sang Happy Birthday, ate yummy cake, and opened presents.

We then headed for the zoo.
After the zoo Bret and I met up with Joanie, Ray, Joyce and Scott at Olive Garden for a small dinner to celebrate Ray's birthday.
It was a very busy but very fun day! It was a great way to celebrate two birthdays. Thanks to everyone that came and helped make the day special for Cole.

Mother's Day

2010-05-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

I know this is late but life happens sometimes. My Mother's Day was wonderful. All I asked for was a morning to sleep in and breakfast in bed. So Saturday we celebrated because we have 9am church on Sunday so that doesn't make for any sleeping in. My sweet husband and son woke me at 8am on Saturday (I had already slept in 2-3 hours past when I usually get up with my early rising kids) with an amazingly delicious breakfast - a breakfast burrito and biscuits and gravy. My two absolute favorites. Cole was so excited to watch me eat breakfast. It was just so cute. What a wonderful gift. The rest of the day we did as we wanted and just enjoyed a relaxing day. In the afternoon Bret took me with some friends to see Ironman 2. I enjoyed the time with him and it has been a long time since we went to a movie. It was a great day for me. Sunday started off rough with unhappy kids and poor Bret waking up very sick. I remember at one point Bret apologizing for the way the day was going and the thought that occurred to me was "What a better way to celebrate being a mother than doing exactly what made me a mom - taking care of my amazing little family."
I love being a mom. I am also very thankful for this amazing women in my life
I would not be the mom I am today without her amazing influence and example. My Mom taught me so much - sacrifice, endless love for her children, selflessness - we as her children always came first in her life as we still do now. I love being a mom and I know that her example of loving being a mom helps me through all my difficult days. If I were to ask he to come up tomorrow because I needed her, she would drop everything and be here. I can't even express in words what that means to me. She is also the most amazing grandmother EVER. My kids just love her so much and she plays and does so much with them. She just dotes on them. The name of Nana is a daily word in our household. Every night my son blesses her to be safe in his prayers because he too recognizes a very special woman. Thank you Mom for everything you have done and continue to do. We love you more than words can say.

And I can't forget the other amazing Mother in my life -
My sweet second mother. I have learned so much from her. As many know my husband was not an easy child and my son Coulson is basically his Dad's clone. Joanie has helped to teach me how to find more patience when I feel like I am all out, and to endure the many "adventures" I have with Cole. She has helped me to see that he is my joyful challenge. It has been nice to have the support over the phone and know that she survived through Bret so I will survive with Cole. She has also taught so many knew things like making chocolates and the joy of cooking. Every time I go visit she has a new cooking tip to teach me. I am still not as good as she is at cooking(she is amazing) but I have grown to love it more thanks to her. She too loves her grand kids. She loves to see them happy and laughing and they love her back.

I have truly been blessed with two wonderful examples of how mothers should be.

Just in Case...

2010-05-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there that would love to make this
for me just in case I don't win it here from the amazing Ms. Melanie?

Sugar Sugar - Yum

2010-05-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

This morning for breakfast my son decided that he needed sugar on his cereal. I thought he was playing pretend because I knew the sugar was put away is a "Cole Safe" place. So I continued to nurse Aly on the couch and listen to him talk and eat. Then he stated that he needed "just a little bit more". I started to get suspicous especially when I saw his little arm shake like he was actually putting something on his cereal. So I got up to check it out. My sweet son had put "sugar" on his cereal except it wasn't sugar - it was garlic powder. My new bottle of garlic powder sat on the table next to him now half empty. Yum!

I am Optimusprime

2010-05-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last night Coulson disappeared - and this took his place.

Coulson is in love with transformers (the movie). He asks to watch it 3 times a day (he usually gets it once if he completes his chores.) Last night as I was trying get him ready for bed he was jumping off the back of the couch and shooting everything with his "guns" aka fingers and just having a blast. Not abnormal. But when I asked Coulson to please settle down for bed his response was "No Mommy, I am Optimusprime!" (said in a low gravely voice) I responded that that was pretty cool and then again asked Coulson to settle down for bed. He responded again that he was not Coulson but Optimusprime (again in a low gravely voice). At that point I got smart and ask Optimus to settle down for bed. It worked.

Then this morning Bret wanted him to go the bathroom and told he that if he didn't Megatron was gonna come and get him. Coulson asked who Megatron was and Bret's response was "I am Megatron".

Instead of having the effect Bret was looking for (Cole going to the bathroom so Megatron wouldn't get him) Cole started beaming and smiling and happily proclaimed "You are Megatron? I am Opitmusprime!!!". I just love his little imagination. I'm thinking that in a week for his birthday we will be having a transformers party!

Fun with Friends and Volcanos

2010-05-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

On Saturday two of my favorite old roommates,Krystal and Valerie, met up with me in Salt Lake City, Utah for breakfast. We had so much fun talking over our meals of choice (all of us of the breakfast buffet yum). We talked from 9:30am till 12:30 when Val had to leave to catch a plane back to California. She was down just for a couple day to attend Women's Conference at BYU. We talked about just about everything and it felt just like when we used to live with each other. I just loved it and love the influence both of these women have had in my lives. Thanks girls for such a great time and for being such great friends!!!

starting left:Valerie, Krystal, Erin

When I came home to see if my house was still standing after Bret watching the kids I found this
a home made volcano that Bret had built together with Cole. They even showed me how it erupted. Can I say awesome? And Cole just loved it. Wow, so nice to come back home and find nothing but an amazing daddy and happy kids! Maybe I should take time off more often...

Roaring with Adventure

2010-05-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 30th was Coulson's very first preschool field trip! We went to the Dinosaur Park for the first time. When we first arrived and met up with is class he was so excited to see his teachers Ms. Shelly and Ms. Amy. Then we went inside and every turn and at every dinosaur I heard "Look, look Mom a dinosaur." Or, " LOOK! A T-Rex, that's so cool!". He just LOVED it. We saw all the dinosaurs, made triceratops paper bag puppets, and played on all the dinosaur play toys. His absolute favorite was the one called "Death Match" were you seen a Allosaurus fighting a Brontosaurus to the death and you can hear them growling at each other. We went to the one more than 7 times to see it. When I finally told him we needed to go see other things he begged me to take a picture of it. It was a pretty fun experience and Cole just loved it. After the class parted we went inside to see the dinosaur robots that they have upstairs. Cole wasn't to sure about getting too close but I literally had to drag him away from it to go see other things.

you pass under this as you walk out to the outside park of the Dinosaur Park.
Cole insisted I take a picture for him
This is the T-Rex robot inside
The lake outside where the dinosaurs were able to catch fish
This one is the "Death Match" that Cole LOVED!!
Another robot from inside
Cole being made into Barbecue
Walking with his class

May I have this dance?

2010-05-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Cole LOVES to dance. Mama Mia is his favorite soundtrack to dance to. He could dance all day, being silly and Aly usually just lays on the floor and watches. Well, last week Cole decided to change that. He came over to me and said "Aly needs to dance too, with me." So, I helped him pick her up and hold her and he proceeded to dance with her in his arms for a couple seconds. It was so cute to watch and just melted my heart.

Sunday Craziness

2010-05-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was stake conference which means 2 hours of Coulson trying to sit still, no nursery to get his energy out, 2 ,missed naps, and the rest of the day to fix it. So we decided to have a little bit of fun with the kids. Beware- lots of pictures ahead.

Tasha and Adam come to visit

2010-05-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

one of my old roommates from college came to Utah for a short visit. It was the first time in several years that we had seen each other. It was so nice to talk and catch up with each others lives while Cole and Adam (Tasha's son that is 2 1/2) played together. Coulson was a little much for Adam at first, who was not use to wrestling with other kids very much but they had a grand old time dancing to Mama Mia together. What a fun visit. To bad it rained the ENTIRE time Tash was here. Oh well. Thanks for coming!

Siblings? Who would have guessed?

2010-04-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Craisin Trouble

2010-04-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

I left Cole alone for no joke 3 minutes and when I came back he had helped himself to his favorite snack of the week. For those who can't see the picture very well, that is a brand new Costco sized bag of craisin- empty on the couch. He dumped them all on the couch and was stuffing them in his mouth by the handful when I walked back into the room. At least it was a semi healthy snack!

Alyson's 6 month stats

2010-04-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Alyson Parrish
Height - 25 1/2 in ~ 25%
Weight - 13lb 9oz ~ 3%
Head - 42 1/2 cm ~ 25%

Overall ~ 10%

We are finally on the chart for weight! Hooray! The Doctor says she look great and is doing well. Although she cracked me up. Because her ears are so small he had to dig all the earwax out of her ear to be able to check her ears. She was incredibly angry and after that doctor was done, I picked her up and she snuggle down on my chest and for the rest of the time the doctor was in the room she whined at him in the cutest little voice. Almost like she was scolding him for being mean. She didn't stop until he walked out the door. I couldn't help but laugh at her expressing herself like that at such a young age. I am in big trouble as she get older!!!

Just to Cute

2010-04-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Uncle Scott came for a visit and HAD to teach Cole that underwear can be worn on more than just your bottom. Thanks Uncle Scott. What would we ever do without you?

Cole came out of his room one morning with his cowboy hat on, claiming that he needed to go see Opa and the horses. He was pretty adamant. So we made sure to drive by some horses that day for him to see.

2010-04-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

Eating Real Food - 5 months

2010-04-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

Aly liked squash so much more than rice cereal. She was able to keep it in her mouth without gagging. She has also had carrots, a bagel (thanks to her brother), and chased Cole's pizza all over the floor. Needless to say the girl loves her (and everyone else's) food.

Easter Fun

2010-04-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Easter was very fun and relaxing this year. On Saturday we did two Easter egg hunts, one put on by the city and one put on by our apartment complex. Cole had a blast running and grabbing eggs and candy to put into his basket. At the city hunt we met up with two of his friends, Ethan and Keelee and enjoyed running around together. After the hunts he came home to open his treasures of candy. On Sunday morning we got up and dyed Easter eggs and then watch conference. It was an enjoyable Easter holiday.

Sibling Love

2010-04-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Fun at the Cabin

2010-04-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of March we headed up to Bret's family cabin for a quick weekend trip. It was so fun to get to see some of the family and we always love the cabin. There is just something about being up in the mountains with a roaring fire that is so peaceful and serene. We spent Friday night and then Saturday all the girls headed to Kim's baby shower. That was so fun and she got some really cute things for her little girl. We then headed back to the cabin for a night full of family, fun and laughter.

All of the cousins
from left: Austin(2 1/2), Riley (5), Coulson (almost 3), Alyson (5 months)
A fox that kept coming back in hopes of food.

Goofing Off

2010-04-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

I just love that little man! He spent 20 minutes playing in his laundry basket
just running around like a goof ball. He would run up and down the hallway in it and then dive onto the couch to "hide" from me.

So Cute

2010-04-16T14:07:00.000-07:00