Easily entertained!!

Good times are had with a little creative energy! These two entertaining themselves for over an hour while wrestling and jumping off the stairs after counting to 3 over and over again. I burned calories just watching them!!

March 26th, 2010!!!

Was the day we fell in love with a perfect baby girl. Yesterday we celebrated our sweet Brynnley's 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe that 2 years has flown by. They have been the best with this angelic little girl. Mom and Dad(mostly Dad) did our tradition Birthday Eve decorating. When she woke up on the big day Eric took her downstairs and she said, "WOW!"

Here are a couple pics of the masterpiece.

Here's our little princess dressed and ready for the festivities to begin. She kept touching her skirt and saying, "pretty."

I went the cupcake route this year as she prefers them over cake. I of course had to create something Dora. She loves Dora. She enjoyed the edible version of her just as much!!!

She stared at the candles for a bit before attempting to blow them out. Thomas had to help her out a little as she didn't want to get too close to them. She knew they were hot and to stay clear from them. She blew one out herself and then was happy Thomas helped out with the 2nd one.

Present time.....

She loved all her presents but I think this little dog purse got the loudest squeal! She ripped a piece of wrapping paper off and was unsure what the furry ear was so she backed off of it for a second but when she realized what it was so was so excited and yelled, "puppy!"

We also got her a little boom box of her own with lot's of familiar kids songs on it and you can download others as well. She LOVES music and loves to dance so she put the music on and entertained us for a good hour. Here are a few pics of her dancing away. She would fall to the ground laughing in between jumping and dancing.

Dancing in her new Dora PJ's.....

Here a few things about Brynnley.......

* Loves applesauce and would eat it all day long if Mom allowed.
* Has an addiction to sugar already. She would be so happy to eat applesauce and sweets all day long! Too bad Mom doesn't give it to her. I have to hold Eric to not letting her have a treat when she doesn't eat her dinner. It breaks his heart he says. Good thing it doesn't break mine! She will search Avery's room(who saves all her candy and rarely eats it) and will often come out with a mouthful of candy. We have since then put a block on Avery's door!
* Has a smile that lights up the room.
* Loves her Mom but as soon as Dad comes home, he is all she wants.....BIG time Daddy's girl and I love it!!
* Loves to color.
* Wants to do everything her siblings are doing.
* Is almost always happy(only the need for sleep or sickness will turn that smile upside down)
* Loves Dora and Bubble Guppies
* Counts to 11.
* Talk a lot!!! She is a chatter box(not sure who she gets that from???)
* Loves to read books.
* Knows how to melt her Dad's heart to get whatever she wants.
* Would live outside if we let her. She could be out there ALL day!
* Loves animals.
* Has the best laugh.
* Dresses herself. She loves to put skirts on.
* Still jumps around in her crib just as she did the first time she could stand up on her own.
* Does not like cute hair clip in her hair and almost always pulls them out.
* Is super loving and sweet!!
* Likes to whisper secrets in your ear....on many occasions she will ask for something and at times Eric and I do the typical, "just a minute," to which she replies, "alrighty," but after minutes go by and we still have not helped her out, she will pull your ear towards her and whisper(loudly) again what she wanted. At that point we always respond. We laugh every time.
* Is very tough and only cries when she is really hurt. Sometimes she will fall pretty hard and it will surprise me how she brushes it off and continues on.
* Loves the water. She especially loves to splash!
* Is curious about the world around her and loves to explore it.
* Loves to wipe things down(esp. with wet wipes).
* You could follow where she has been with her crumb trails throughout the main floor(my fault).
* Likes a good visit to "Taget." When we pass the road to go to Target she will say, "I wanna go taget," as she points in that direction. I teach them young!
* She is very sweet but she also holds her own and will be quick to point her finger at one of the kids to say, "You be nice."

I could go on and on about who Brynnley is and things she loves, but I just wanted to write down some of the those things that stand out in my mind. I think she will have fun reading about how awesome she is someday!

We love this little girl so much! Her siblings adore her as well and always want to protect her. Avery often talks about how fun it will be to play Barbies with Brynnley when she gets bigger. Thomas kept asking me how tall Brynnley would get when she is two and if she will be able to speak like just like he does(a big kid).

What a blessing you have been in our home Brynnley Jean. We are so excited to get to experience so many fun adventures with you in the years to come. It will be so much fun watching you grow. We can't get enough of your fun personality and love for life! We love you very much Brynney!!! You truly add so much happiness to our home.

Adios training wheels!!

Eric and I wanted to teach the kids how to ride their bikes without training wheels this weekend but as we were enjoying our beautiful evening outside together yesterday Thomas decided he wanted to do it right then. It was about 6:30pm so we had some time before putting them to bed so Eric took his training wheels off and the rest is history. He took off like a rocket and didn't look back. Eric and I were amazed. Alls we had to do was take the off!! Avery of course wanted in on the action as we were praising Thomas for his amazing bike riding skills and she too flew like the wind. So they are now big bike riders. No training necessary! It was cute to see how proud Thomas was of himself as he sailed through the neighborhood making sure all the older boys were watching him. Needless to say we were out until 9pm all riding our bikes. It was a fun memory.

The picture is blurry of Thomas but he is posing in his moment of triumph with the bike he loves even more now.

Off he rides into the wind...

Aves following in her little bros. footsteps.

Avery told Thomas he was good and he replied, "No I am cool."

My two oldest are growing up before my eyes. For some reason it hits me more than other times that they are becoming more independent(not complaining). They shower themselves, get their own breakfast and pour their own milk, love to make their own sandwiches, are very good caretakers of their little sister so Mom can take a shower, they are both doing so good in school as we just had their parent teacher conference, are learning to work hard so they can earn their own money, and are kind to others. Those are just a few things that I thought of today. They are such good kids and are such a big help to their Mom. I love them both very much and are proud of the little lady and little man they are becoming.

Happy Spring time!!!

March 20th rang in a beautiful start of Spring for us here in Cincinnati. Avery was so excited it was the first day of spring. The streets are so beautiful with blossomed trees everywhere you turn. I love the tree in front of our house. I can't believe how fast it changed. It was all buds for weeks and then one morning it was full of popcorn:). I love spring time for so many reasons. The kids are more than enjoying the nice weather too. It seems like just yesterday they were playing outside for hours on end and here we are again. Yesterday the snow cone truck drove into our cul de sac blasting music. The kids had stopped the truck and told the lady to wait so that money mommy could buy them a snow cone. Of course I did! I can't think of a better way to bring in spring!!

Avery with our beautiful tree before school on the first day of spring. The tree next to it is slowly coming along too. I wonder what color those blossoms will be?

The kids played for hours outside after school and Thomas kept bringing me "flowers." I think he must of brought me 10 or more. Aren't they pretty!! He was so cute and proud as he kept bringing them to me one by one.

I was pretty tired at the end of the day but not because I have been staying up later than my typical bedtime to read The Hungry Games in less then 2 days(it may have pulled me in a bit....loved it!) Needless to say Dad rescued Mom by doing the dishes, straightening the house, bathing the kids, and doing most of the bedtime routine. Love that man!!

Today I felt more rejuved as I went to bed early and refrained myself from any reading. I woke up this morning and Avery came in and asked me if she could tickle my back. Wow, really? Is it Mother's day I asked? No she is just a sweetheart!

Today it was another beautiful day. We played at a friends house until all the kids faces were red, bought some birthday presents for friends(lot's of spring birthday parties) and busted out a big kid pool(Avery said she was tired of the little one with the sprinkler flower) and the kids played in it for hours. Brynnley was squealing in delight the entire time pouring cups of water over her head. So much fun. So to sum things up..........we are loving spring!!!

Good morning!!!!

This little girl is always cracking me up! She woke up this morning and took off her pajamas and came down with these red shoes on(that she will grow into in about 2 years). She loves these shoes and puts them on just about everyday. She was dancing around and having a great time in them.

Brynnley has an amazing personality and LOVES life. I cant get enough of her. She is such a joy in our home. More to come on this sweet girl in a week......I can't believe she is going to be 2!!!!

Gotta love her morning rats nest in the back of her head! Her little curls can create some serious cotton candy after a long nights sleep!

This picture says it all!! Right before this she was pretending to have a conversation with someone on the phone. I think she was talking to Dora.

Our lesson for FHE this week will be on modesty!! Ha!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

The kids were so excited for this day to come. I have to be honest that I wasn't as pumped about it as they were! They kept telling me over and over again that we needed to find the rainbow Saturday morning so we could get the pot of gold and capture the tricky Leprechaun. They mentioned it for days so I suppose they brought out the excitement at about a 50% level in me. My brain was a churning with ideas on how I could create that scene for them and well I gave up and took the easy road!

The kids woke up this morning searching through all their clothes for the perfect green shirt. Thomas was very particular that it had enough green because he kept telling me that he didn't want to get pinched. Brynnley on the other hand just kept yelling out Avery's name to come and get her in her crib(she does that a lot lately and Eric and I laid in bed laughing) she was not too concerned with anything St. Patrick.

I decided to call the wee green man and told him to make a shamrock trail with stickers.....

That would lead the kids to.....

The little green man's hat(that was his idea)!!!! Can you believe he left it behind filled with "gold." The kids were more than thrilled. They searched all through the house trying so hard to find the tricky Leprechaun. Every mess they found they would run down and tell us that the Leprechaun had been in that room. It was pretty entertaining. Avery later told me she was hoping he would have left the real pot of gold. I told her that the real stuff is his lucky treasure and that he never gives it away and leaves tricks instead. Besides he would only leave that pot for the person that gave life to the lovely little ones!! He fooled them!! What a guy! He also left them a box of Lucky Charms to eat in the morning so they would remember him.

Here are the kiddos loving the tricks left behind...

Next on the agenda.....

DINNER.....I didn't want to use food coloring(kinda didn't sound too tasty) so I made a spinach mixture to make a creamy(green) broccoli cheddar potato soup. It turned out sooooo good and the color was a pretty lime green. I want to share it with my fam and friends and will call to explain the process and/or eventually write it all down!

Now if that aint green I don't know what is...

Phase 1

It turned out super creamy and smooth and you didn't taste the spinach at all so I will pretty much be making it this way every time now thanks to St. Patrick's Day!

The hardest part of the meal was washing the green grapes and cutting the bread to place on a green plate. Whew....I was worn out after that!

You better believe when I saw the bread I told them it was shamrock shaped bread. What luck that I bought a loaf in that form.

And then they were off to play with friends. For dessert we went simple with mint chocolate chip ice cream bars! My kind of dessert for today.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! Hopefully next year you will get a rainbow kids!! Until then I would say we had a day of luck and fun and you can't ask for more than that!!!

San Fransisco at it's finest with the G's!!!!

So I didn't get as many photos in as I would have liked but we created plenty of memories that will be in our noggins forever. We got to stay with Laura, Henry, and Gweg the entire time and loved every second with them. It was the first time we got to meet Henry and we figured it had been 3 years since we had seen each other. Laura and I bonded and chatted a bunch and the bros got some brotherly bonding in as well. Just like the good ole days. Greg and Eric are in their own little world when they are together. It was so much fun!

Eric and I took a walk on the beach. Greg and Laura live right by the beach near the famous Golden Gate Bridge. It was a beautiful day!!

Cheesy pose with the bridge. This one was a little less cheesed up!!

Awwwww....the ocean!!!

Here is my handsome, wonderful, charming, caring, fun, romantic, hunkable husband with an awesome tree. I love the variety of trees in San Fran. They are so green and full of character! I wanted to take some(all of them) home.

Driving over the bridge to the other side so we could walk across it.

Here we go....

Stopped to check out a pirate ship in the distance and the famous Alcatraz Island. Such beautiful views from the bridge and oh so WINDY!

My Dad's parents are buried in San Fransisco so I was so excited to get to go see their resting place, bring them some beautiful bright flowers, and make sure they are choosing the right up in heaven. I never got the privilege of meeting my Grandpa as he passed away when my Dad was 14 but I got to be around my Grandma some and she was a very devote Baptist woman who provided for herself and three boys after my Grandpa died. She was a very strong woman. I can't wait to get to know them better someday. It was a beautiful experience and they are resting in the most beautiful cemetery I have ever been to.

Eric and I had a lunch date to a BBQ place Greg had heard about called Gorilla Barbeque. It lived up to it's name!

A bit hesitant about the trailer but knew it had to be good when we saw that is was one of Guy Fieri's dive of choice!!!

Sorry for the gross pictures of the scraps left behind from the eating fest but I was so amazed by the portions and meat that I didn't think to take a picture until we were done. The meat(pork, beef, and chicken) was super tender and delicious(even though I had a hard time staring at it at first...kinda felt like I was an animal ready to feast on my prey) but the sides were just as delicious. Best potato salad I have ever tasted!

Next on the agenda. Eric wanted to have a crab fest with Greg so off we went to Fisherman's Wharf. The smell was interesting and the preparation of the crawly critters was less then appealing but Eric and Greg were excited. Laura and I took a pit stop to a local sandwich shop which was way more appetizing and edible.

Before picture of the swaddled crab.

Here are the boys.......slowly eating, squirting crab juice, cracking, finding meat, Eric checking out the crab's joints, and well I was trying to stay arms length away. Good times and memories as I said before! And brotherly bonding:) And Laura and I enjoyed our Panini's!!

Post crab massacre picture.

Eric and I went shopping a little the day before we left and found a cute book to bring home for the kids to educate them about the place where we had visited. They loved the book and it had real pictures around San Fransisco.

We had so much fun in between these events too.....

*Ice cream stops to three different famous shops.
*Venturing out with Greg and Laura to have our first sushi experience. Which wasn't bad but Eric and I both agreed it's a fun social event and that's about it. Not much to it. But still was good.
*Going out for pizza in the red light district with my hubby. It was clean(only flashing signs) but apparently that is where a highly recommended pizza place lies that Greg has heard a lot about so Eric and I were off for a wonderful date night. Oh and we were reminded how much we don't miss Chicago downtown parking.
*After eating we strolled down to Ghirardelli to have a massive sundae. It was a beautiful crisp evening.
*Strolling down some street shops with Laura and laughing at the prices we were seeing that were sorta out of our budget. I mean $900 for a shoe that you can barely walk in??
*Finding the most amazing cupcake shop on that walk. In our price range!
*Drives to see some amazing views.
*Long chats with Laura while the boys were away.
*Long chats and lot's of laughs all together when we were all chilling on the couch.
*Being with my husband worry free was the BEST!!!
*Kids having too much fun with Grandma while we were gone was priceless as well. My mom would call to tell me the funny stories once in awhile from the kids. Thanks again Mom for allowing Eric and I to have an amazing get away!!
*Oh and let us not forget being able to sleep on the plane, listen to music, and watch a movie because we were sans kids!!!
*Oh one more thing I forgot to mention I have the BEST husband in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to a family getaway in May to Hilton Head. I didn't think about the kids too much while we were gone as I knew they were in heaven with Grandma but I did think of how much they would have loved running around on the beach. I am excited they will soon be able to do that in May. All day long!!!