Our Adventures

Sept. - Midway, UT

2011-11-06T22:35:00.000-06:00

While in Utah visiting Ryan's parents, we were able to see my sister Leah and her family and they were nice enough to let us stay in their condo in Midway. It is a nice little town that has Swiss Days every year. It is basically the biggest and most packed crafty street fair you can imagine. It was fun to walk around and see everything. We spent some time in the pool at their place also and were able to have Ryan's brother, sister in law and their baby come visit too. Thanks again for letting us stay!

Heber Valley Girls' Camp, Utah; September

2011-11-06T22:24:00.000-06:00

We went to Heber, Utah in September to visit Ryan's parents. They were serving a mission at the Heber Valley Girls Camp. We met up with most of Ryan's siblings and were all able to "camp" there at the cabins and spend some time on the obstacle courses (the zip line and swing). They were not my cup of tea as I am afraid of heights. However, I did do them both and survived. So did everyone else! We saw some deer while we were there, took a long hike and of course just had fun hanging out with family.

No, this picture is not sideways. I was sideways!!!

Dad G. in his element. Loving his four wheeler and the outdoors!

The kids

2011-11-06T22:04:00.000-06:00

Here's just a couple of pics of the kids that I wanted to have in a post of things to remember...
I was able to put Brooke's hair in pigtails this summer! She has the most hair of all of our kids at this age, and it is still dark! We thought she would have changed to blonde by now, but that brunette in her is hanging on!

Brooke loves to make "talk" into cups, lids, or anything that gives her an echo.

Ma still loves her babies. She told me the other day after she had wrapped them up in blankets that they always ask her to take naps in my room. Silly girl. She loves to "mother" them and pretend they are real. So cute. She loves to "mother" her little sis too and it is helpful sometimes. Other times, she is a little too helpful :)

Pres was given a blue dog when he was a baby by one of our good friends. He still keeps it with him all the time. It is so cute, but kind of wondering when he will grow out of it?!

August catch up

2011-11-06T21:55:00.000-06:00

In August, we had fun playing outside. We went to a parade and got a couple of beach balls, which Brooke discovered she really liked playing with. We grew a garden full of raspberries, zucchini, beans, jalapenos, Anaheim Chili Peppers, Italian Tomatoes, green bell peppers, and cantaloupe. We also had a surprise of a pumpkin plant growing in our compost pile that grew VERY well and produced about 6 sugar pie pumpkins. Preston started kindergarten! He is one of the youngest in his class, but loves school and is doing well. He is in a public magnet school (they specialize in music and art) that is around the corner from us and goes in the morning every day. He is on "track break" right now for 3 weeks, so we are wondering what to do to keep him busy! Ma started preschool and is loving it and having a bit of time for herself. She goes two days a week for a couple of hours, which leave me home with Brooke who usually naps at that time! It is nice to have a little bit of time to myself before the kids get home.

More cousins... July

2011-11-06T21:06:00.000-06:00

We were lucky enough to have lots of cousins visit in July. Two of my sisters braved the long hours of driving with 5 kids and 2 adults in a van from Texas to Utah (we all met up in Utah at our other sister's house for her baby's blessing), then to Idaho. I am sure it was a time they and us will never forget, and I am sure they lost some sanity with the trip. :) It was so fun to let the kids play and get reaquainted. We even got babysitters one day and us sisters went to the mall to walk around and out for lunch to Cafe Rio. YUM! We are soooo greatful that they took the time to come visit us. LOVE YOU GUYS!! On our way to Utah, we stopped and saw Ryan's sister and her family and we made a stop at Shoshone Falls in twin Falls, ID. It is a beautiful place!

Cousins/ 4th of July

2011-09-17T01:21:00.001-05:00

We had a busy July. We went to see fireworks with friends, and had some family come visit. It was fun to meet our new nephew and niece and let the kids play. We had plans to go do things while they were all in town, but between 6 kids under 5, 3 of them being babies, we didn't get many places :) Thanks for coming to visit!

Don't you just love Ma's hair??

This little one didn't talk much but has so much PERSONALITY!

Sprinkler fun

2011-09-17T00:35:00.000-05:00

June - McCall

2011-09-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

Ryan went to tape the athletes at a race in McCall in June so we decided to tag along for a quick getaway for a night. While Ryan was working, the kids and I headed to the beach for some sun and fun in the water. It was COLD water, but they didn't seem to mind. They had fun and were all tuckered out on the way home. :)

Catch Up

2011-09-17T00:15:00.000-05:00

So I realized I am WAY behind in posting. It has been 3 months and a lot has happened. We have been busy, as always, with our little bugs and life. In June, I took some pics of the kids for Fathers Day. Couldn't really get a great pic of just B., but these are what I did get. I tried the whole summer/mango/fruit theme. Thanks to Mom for B.'s quilt that was a nice prop!

I love these bugs. And check out the sunlight on those pig tails, or "pink tails" as Ma. calls them!

B. is 6 months old!

2011-06-08T14:36:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby girl is 6 months old today! Can't believe time has flown by so quickly. She has 2 teeth now, and is working on more, as evidenced by her chewing on her finger in the picture below! She is a little stubborn, smarty pants already. She has figured out that a loud, piercing shriek will get attention from everyone in the room! She is eating more and more solid foods all the time, smiles and laughs at her siblings, sleeps through the night and has figured out how to move herself around in circles and scoots herself around on her tummy. She will be crawling before we know it!

Growing kids

2011-06-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

My kids are growing so fast. Some days Ryan and I just look at them and think, what happened to the time? Ma still loves the mud and dirt and could play outside by herself for a long time. It is so nice to have a child that can play by herself! She keeps us on our toes all the time too with her sassy personality. Pres is our one that likes us to be by him, and he is our very sensitive and sweet one too. Although, he is very much boy and loves to wrestle with his dad and tease his sisters! B. is growing up quickly and outgrows more outfits every day and gives us more smiles all the time.

Mother's Day

2011-06-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

At Preschool, Pres made me a gift for Mother's Day. He was so excited to give it to me and was so proud of himself for making it and for writing on the bag by himself. Preston tells me, "Mom, you're my best Mom." That just makes me smile. All the times that he argues with me or drives me crazy, that makes up for it. I love my kids so much. They mean the world to me and I don't know what I would do without them. They drive me nuts some days and test my patience, but I have to remember they are sent here from above and each one was sent here for a reason at a specific time. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for them in the future!

Sunday Afternoon

2011-05-02T23:25:00.000-05:00

Our weather has been funny lately and has not wanted to stay consistent with getting warm. So, when it is warm, we take advantage of it and are outside. Sunday afternoon was one of those days so the kids had fun playing in dirt and grass ( as always!), Mikayla was pretending she was a caterpillar or something and sliding across the lawn, and Pres made some of his funny faces for me while I tried out my new camera (an early birthday present! Thanks again!!!). So sorry for so many pics, but I am getting used to this new camera and am getting in all the practice I can!

Cinco Mile-O

2011-05-02T23:10:00.000-05:00

Ryan ran in a race this last weekend. It was the first one that they did in hopes of doing it annually. It was the Cinco de Mayo Cinco Mile-O race. It was a fun race to be at because they had a Mariachi band, some great authentic Mexican food, and a Pinata for the kids. And all of it was right next to a park so the kids could play while we waited for Ryan to run the race. We didn't have to wait long though... he was the first one to cross the finish line! Running is definitely one of his many talents and something he loves to do. So glad he was able to do this race to be able to put that talent into action and to have some fun. (I need to practice a lot on action shots from the looks of Preston's soccer pics and this pic of the race!)

Soccer time

2011-05-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

Preston started soccer and is trying to get used to being pushed and kicked around. It is a good experience for him and us. He has a lot to learn and we are trying to teach him the rules of soccer and teamwork. We are having fun in the mean time!

Baby B.

2011-05-02T22:54:00.000-05:00

Our sweet baby is growing up. She is almost 5 months old now and is eating rice cereal and wanting lots more food. She is our biggest baby, but those rolls are so fun! She loves to laugh at her siblings and play with us. Here are some shots of her having some fun daddy time.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

Here's the kids all dressed up in their Easter outfits from Grammy and Boppa. They looked so cute! We had a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt Sat. morning, then had early church Sunday and then headed to the park for the afternoon. It was a nice and relaxing Easter. Hope you had a great one too!

No idea what he was doing here, but he had fun with the camera!

Happy Easter!!

Park time

2011-04-25T20:53:00.001-05:00

It was decent weather yesterday so we took the kids to the park. Some of their true colors are showing here!

Ma's tongue trick!

The flowers and trees think it is getting warmer. Wish it would stay that way!

Pres loves this game...

And he loves covering Ryan's eyes and telling him where to go.
Ryan is a good sport about it.

This is what we find Ma doing if we turn around for a minute.

This is the view from inside the stroller. I can't get mad at this.

Our littlest bug is growing! We started her on rice cereal this week. Time has flown by.

Lately...

2011-04-03T22:38:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted in a little while (due to trying to work on my photo blog, and keeping up with life!) and decided to post a few pics so family and friends far away can see our growing family.

Our SASSY girls

Here are our growing bugs. B. is wearing a dress that used to be mine and that Ma wore also. Thought I should document that. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa G. for Ma's cute new dress you brought! Pres, as any boy, quickly changed out of his Sunday clothes into his beloved sweat pants (Thank you Aunt J. for sending those in that batch of clothes! They are his favorite!), so I wasn't able to get them all in their Sunday best. But 2 out of 3 is pretty good! (Sorry for the really bright pics. I had to get the kids where and when I could :)

This is what B. would rather chew on instead of a bink.

We are all SO READY for Spring around here. We have decided to grow some herbs this year and are starting most of them with seeds, except for this fast growing basil plant that we got at the store. There is something about a plant in your house. I do not have a green thumb, so I don't keep many plants, actually none, until this one! But, having this by my kitchen window just brings hope of spring and makes me smile a little inside. Weirdo, I know. :)

B. is as Sassy and stubborn and wiggly as her big sis. But, she, just like her sis. can give great smiles and makes it contagious!

My photo blog!

2011-03-14T19:06:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

I have been debating on posting my photo blog that I have slowly been working on a little bit. But, I decided it was time, so check it out: Photos by K.G.
Hope you like it! Oh, and I just posted some cute shots of Brooklyn, so go look :)

Kristin

Family Pictures

2011-02-27T23:05:00.003-06:00

While in Idaho Falls this last weekend, we "attempted" family pictures. It was my first time to use a tripod, and to do our own family pictures. It was interesting to say the least. It was so cold, and started snowing as soon as we got the kids out of the car to do a whole family picture. Brooklyn was screaming, so I snapped 2 family pictures, and this is the best one. Thanks Grandpa G. for lending us your hats so we could have some props. As I was setting up, I had some fun taking some candid shots of Ryan with his hat! I love this cowboy!

Brooklyn's 6 wk. pics

2011-02-04T21:05:00.000-06:00

Our friend Erin took some great pictures for us of Brooklyn. B. was her oldest newborn she had done pictures for and she said it was a learning experience. B. didn't sleep at all except for when we were holding her, she peed a lot and did not want to smile either! But the pics turned out great! I especially love the one of her on the black background because it shows her nice chunky belly! She is my chunkiest baby by far and I love it! Here are some of the pics.

Life with Baby B.

2011-01-06T22:22:00.002-06:00

Life with our new little bug brings lots of cuddles,

And some sneaking into B's blanket to give her some loves when Mom isn't looking,

And then it just becomes a party (excuse Ma's lack of a shirt... she had just spilled smoothie all over herself!)

Then after a few happy moments....

Then we end up with a lot of this...

But we still love her.

Baby B's blessing

2011-01-06T17:47:00.000-06:00

We blessed Baby B on Sunday at church and were able to have family and friends come. We are happy to have B. in our family! She is a bit more tricky than our other kids, and we are trying to adjust to having a baby in the house again. Thanks again to everyone who came ( and thanks to Aunt J. for the cute accessories; the bracelet was too big)!

Happy Holidays!

2011-01-06T12:14:00.000-06:00

We spent our first Christmas with just our little family. It was different to not be with extended family, but was nice to just relax and hang out at home all day (especially with a new baby). Ryan's parents were with us Christmas Eve before they flew out to visit family in Seattle, so we were able to have Christmas Eve dinner with them. It was our first time to make Brisket and it turned out great! Boy I miss that good southern BBQ, so this gave me a little taste of home. After Christmas, my parents and brother made a trip up and saw us and Idaho for the first time since we have been here. It was so nice to have them here. They helped with getting the house decorated (something I don't know how to do!), playing with the kids, and Dad and Scott were introduced to snowmobiling. Hope you can come again soon! My sis. and her family came up from Utah and hung out with all of us for New Year's and came for Baby B.'s blessing. We all hung out and ate too much, played games, watched the cousins have fun together, and drank some sparkling cider. Yum! Gad you guys were able to come!!
It has been a tough year, and we have had our struggles, just like everyone else, but we have been blessed with great family and friends that make things easier. Thanks for everything!
Hope everyone had happy holidays!!

Our Newest Addition - Brooklyn Marie!

2010-12-14T10:21:00.000-06:00

Here are some very late pictures. Sorry! Posting has not been on the top of my priority list obviously. But right now I have a sleeping baby and 2 kids to preschool so I have about an hour to myself! Now, sleep or shower.....? Here is our Brooklyn Marie. She was born on 12/8 at 5:45 PM. 8 lbs 14 oz. and 22 1/4 in. Our biggest baby! She is being loved more than she can handle sometimes by her big brother and sister. We are working on the sleep thing and getting used to having a baby around and how long it takes to get anything done, but love having her here.

38 weeks and counting!

2010-11-20T11:04:00.001-06:00

I have been dragging my feet on posting a picture of me prego. I am not a fan of prego pics, but my sis. was bugging me to post one the other day. So, here you go Amy! Hopefully I won't look like this much longer. Mom is hoping I have the baby on her birthday and Ryan's cousin's birthday is today and said I could have the baby today too. Should we start making bets of when she will come?

Halloween - pumpkin carving

2010-11-17T16:02:00.000-06:00

We had our good friends over to cut and decorate pumpkins for Halloween. We had lots of fun watching the kids squirm when they touched the pumpkin "guts"!

Catch up - Ryan's Birthday

2010-11-17T15:05:00.000-06:00

Ryan had his birthday at the end of October. We went to a Halloween party with some friends that night, which was a lot of fun. And I attempted my second 3 layer cake. Needless to say, looking at the picture, I can bake other things like cinnamon rolls by scratch, but obviously not do 3 layer cakes. I told him this was the last year I am attempting anything like this. It tasted great, yummy german chocolate cake, but it was pretty pathetic looking. Sorry! Happy Birthday Ryan. We love you!

"M" Family pictures

2010-11-17T15:01:00.000-06:00

I was able to take some pictures of some of my great friends a while ago. We had great weather and beautiful scenery. Thanks again for letting me take these!

Hawaii!!

2010-10-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

Leah and I took a last minute sisters' trip to Hawaii end of Sept. We stayed in Waikiki, and visited North Shore and saw the LDS Hawaii Temple, BYU Hawaii, The Polynesian Cultural Center, the Dole Pineapple Plantation, got snow cones twice at Matsumoto's (they have these big, very flavorful snow cones with sweet and condensed milk on top or vanilla ice cream in the bottom; the ice cream is a better addition!), saw some pretty cool waves, hung out and caught some Hawaiian rays at the beach, slept when we wanted, ate when we wanted and just got to hang out and relax. Thanks again for taking me!! It was a lot of fun!

Happy 3rd!

2010-10-18T21:41:00.000-05:00

I am late, again, in posting. Ma had her 3rd birthday at the end of September. Grammy M. made her an adorable dress (which I wish I could fit into!! and sorry I didn't get a better pic. of her in it. I will work on that!) that she wore to church that week. Can you tell she loves her baby dolls? I think we might be in trouble with this next baby! She will be a good little mother/sister. Happy Birthday Ma! We love you and all of your craziness.

Thousand Springs

2010-10-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

We took a little trip with Ryan's parents a while ago to Thousand Springs. We saw some cool waterfalls, and went to a cool car show. And of course, our little princess had to wear her tutu.

Portland/Hood to Coast Relay

2010-09-26T20:01:00.000-05:00

Ryan was invited to do the Hood to Coast Relay at the last minute last month. We picked up and headed out of town to the beautiful state of Oregon. We were able to visit with some friends that we hadn't seen in 4 years (thanks again Jim and Mel!!), see the sites of Portland, the kids tasted (and didn't like) cotton candy, and Ryan enjoyed running and meeting and getting to know other runners. This relay is one where there are 12 members to a team that each take different "legs" to run and then take turns between the runners with each leg. Your team runs for at least 24 hours with little sleep, but apparently this is fun! Ryan had a lot of fun doing it and would love to do something like it again. On our way home, we stopped at Multnomah Falls. It was beautiful! We tried to get to the top of the falls, but after walking up the mountain for a mile, the kids were done. Maybe some day we will finish the hike! Portland is beautiful though and Ryan and I would love to visit it again.

Catch up - Griffeth family reunion- August

2010-09-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

I am slacking on blogging lately. So, I am going backwards. We went to Donnely (near McCall, Idaho) for a family reunion with the Griffeth side of the family. We enjoyed time with the cousins, played in the water and enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and found out our baby will not be the only one born soon! At this reunion, Dani and Troy announced they are having their first and Becky and Greg announced they are due in Feb.. Yeah! I was afraid our baby was going to be a loner! Oh yes, and excuse my large prego belly. I will try to get a better picture eventually.

Baby K's 1yr old pics

2010-09-16T16:46:00.000-05:00

My friend asked me to take some pics of her baby girl that turned 1 today! Happy Birthday Baby K! She was a busy little girl and was hard to get to hold still. She also did not want to smile and pose for us and kept telling us no and that she was all done. Think we got a few cute ones though! Thanks again Heidi for asking me to do these and hope you like them. She was great practice! Here are a few for a preview....

Our big 4 year old!

2010-09-06T21:28:00.000-05:00

Preston's birthday was the beginning of August (I am a little late huh!?) and he is a big 4 year old now! Can't believe how time flies. We had some friends over for ice cream cookie sandwiches to help us celebrate. He is such a fun kid. He is so thoughtful and always leaves a car, toy, or stuffed dog on our nightstand for us to sleep with, loves to sing (especially songs from the movie Cars), play games, read books and of course, tease his sister. Can't wait to see what next year will bring for him!

Family Reunion in Utah!

2010-09-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

My family met up at a retreat in Utah for a few days. It rained and hailed while we were there, but it was fun to see family I hadn't seen in over 10 years, see my brother who is now taller than me, climb some old stairs, play in the water and paddle boat under a really short bridge and just hang out. Thanks again for everyone who planned it and made it happen!

My tomgirl

2010-09-06T19:51:00.001-05:00

Ma loves the mud. Can't keep her out of it half the time. And this time, she was in a dress! Thank goodness for Oxi Clean!

Flying

2010-09-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

Don't you wish you could fly sometimes?

More Hayspur camping pics

2010-07-18T22:43:00.001-05:00

Here are more pictures from camping at the fish hatchery. And what is a fish hatchery without catching fish?! Ma was all for looking at the fish and touching it until Grandpa started cleaning it. The picture above is of her thinking that what Grandpa was doing was pretty gross. It was pretty funny to see.

Hayspur fish hatchery/camping

2010-07-11T22:58:00.000-05:00

We went camping and fishing with Grandma and Grandpa for the 4th of July. We stayed at a fish hatchery thinking the kids would have fun fishing, but Pres was scared of the fish and wouldn't touch them when Grandpa caught them. We had fun though cooking tinfoil dinners, making smores and hanging out but didn't enjoy the mosquitoes! I did of course had fun taking pictures!

Our new house

2010-07-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

This is really late, but here is our new house! Excuse the yellow blanket hanging in the window. We are still working on getting blinds.

Sunday walks

2010-07-11T22:34:00.000-05:00

Pres' first lost tooth

2010-07-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

Preston lost his first tooth! His tooth had been loose for a while and so we didn't think that anything would happen anytime soon. I took the kids to a store and gave them a sucker to keep them quiet for a bit and Pres kept telling me that his tooth was loose. I kept telling him that I knew it was loose and it was okay. Next thing I know, he says, "Mom, look at my tooth!" and he is holding his tooth in his hand! He pulled it out himself and didn't even cry. What a big boy he is now. And of course, He is finding tricks to do with his hole in his mouth.

Sleepy Ma

2010-07-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

One day when I was making dinner and we were waiting for Ryan to come home, Ma was sitting on the stool watching me cook. One minute she was complaining she wanted Daddy to come home and the next minute she was quiet and she was sound asleep. If she doesn't take a nap in the afternoon, and if we are sitting still around 5:00, this is about what I get. I hated to wake her up because she looked so peaceful!

Walks

2010-07-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

One thing we love about where we live is that there are plenty of places to take walks and explore. Here is a place we went one evening. The kids and Ryan had fun climbing up and down this hill. I am sure we will find plenty more places like this.

My birthday

2010-07-11T22:10:00.000-05:00

For my birthday (back in May... I am a little late in posting!), I decided to not make a cake for myself so we went to Albertsons and found a big slice of chocolate cake to eat after dinner. Dinner was great because Ryan was sneaky and had some of our good friends surprise me and come over for dinner. Then Ryan told me he was going out to get a movie for us to watch and came back with a babysitter, blindfolded me and took me to a friends' house and had a delicious cake (thank you Charise!!) and played games with a bunch of our friends. It was a night to remember. Especially since the next morning brought food poisoning for Ryan and I and our friends who ate dinner with us! Thinking it was the meat we got for hamburgers, but who knows. I will definitely remember my 27th birthday! Thanks again for a memorable birthday everyone!

Preschool ending/ Zoo fieldtrip

2010-07-11T21:35:00.000-05:00

Preston was in a kind of coop preschool this past year. A bunch of Mom's got together and took turns taking the kids every week for a couple hours Tues. and Thurs. We had an end of the year field trip to the zoo. It ended up pouring rain on us by the end and we were all soaked, but we were able to see most of the exhibits without too much rain in the beginning! The kids thought the monkeys stunk and all plugged their noses. I agreed! This tiger kept standing on it's back paws and pawing at the glass where all the kids were standing. Apparently it does it quite often (or so we were told) and is it's way of saying hi. The kids were all scared at first but loved it and thought it was hilarious after the initial shock of a big lion scratching at them was over.

Catch up... Ma's cute outfit

2010-07-11T21:27:00.001-05:00

Grandma G. and I found a pattern for this cute outfit and she decided to make it for our cute Ma. Lately if you ask her to say cheese, she actually gives you a cheesy smile. Our silly girl. Love the outfit! Thanks again for making it!

Nope, just 1!

2010-06-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

I finally went in for a checkup the other day and to all of my friends who were teasing me I was having twins... sorry to upset you, but there is only 1 baby in there! Things checked out just fine, gained 5 pounds in 16 weeks (thanks to my love-hate relationship with our stairs!), baby's heartbeat was 162 and we have our ultrasound July 20th. No word yet from my better half if he is going to give in to me and let me find out what the baby is. He is sticking to our plan of not finding out. Kind of wish I hadn't agreed to that :) Will let you know the verdict!

More train depot...

2010-06-21T00:04:00.000-05:00

Like my shaved head little boy? This was right after the kids decided to cut each other's hair. So, easiest solution to a boy with a bad haircut... buzz it!

Announcing....

2010-06-19T23:07:00.000-05:00

So I am really late in posting this and posted a pregnancy ticker last night, but didn't post the actual announcement..... We are expecting our third beginning of December! I am 15 1/2 weeks along and thanks to stairs in our new house (oh yeah, we bought a house too!) and getting food poisoning, I have only gained about 6 pounds! No, I have no motherly intuition to tell me what this baby is. I don't normally have that feeling, but with this one, I really have no idea. It has been a COMPLETELY different pregnancy than the other two, so no clues here. Ryan and I had an agreement that we wouldn't find out on our third since we already have one of each. I am trying to argue otherwise and get him to change his mind. :)

Boise Train Depot

2010-05-30T23:55:00.000-05:00

When the kids and I were downtown for Ryan's race, we ended up visiting the Boise Train Depot. It had been about a year since we had been there and it is such a nice place. I love the architecture and the landscaping. Maybe one day I will be able to capture it in pictures, but for now, this is what I could get with the two kids. More to come.

Robie Creek Race

2010-05-30T22:34:00.000-05:00

I am REALLY behind in posting lately. The 17th of April was The Race to Robie Creek. This is considered, "The Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest". Ryan ran it in 1 hour 40 min and was 55 out of about 2300 people! That's my runner! (glad he was doing it and not me!) And of course, by the time I got to the race and packed the kids in the stroller and got to the starting line, this is the only picture I could get. Maybe next year. Great job Ryan!!

Preston's Karate class

2010-05-30T22:24:00.001-05:00

A while ago, Boise sent out a catalog of community classes. I signed Preston up for 5 classes of Karate for $20! I thought it was a steal and a great way to introduce him into something new. It took him a little while to get into it, and he enjoyed it in the end. I asked him if he liked karate after his last class and he said yes. I then asked him if he wanted to do it again next year and he matter of factly said no. Well, I guess we will try something else.

Happy Spring!

2010-04-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

The flowers are blooming around here and it is gorgeous! Preston keeps telling me that there is popcorn popping on the trees. From far away, it looks like it and according to the song, it is on Apricot trees, which, some of the pictures below are from an apricot tree. Never really understood that silly song until now. Anyway... HAPPY SPRING!

Easter in Idaho Falls

2010-04-10T22:29:00.000-05:00

We went to I.F. for Easter and had fun, as always, visiting family. The kids had a blast with their cousins on their Easter Egg hunt and eating way too much candy. Happy Easter everyone!

Four wheeling at the sand dunes

2010-04-10T22:23:00.000-05:00

We went to visit family for Easter in Idaho Falls. We took the kids out for, what we thought would be a fun ride for them on the sand dunes, but by the time we got them all bundled up and on the four wheelers, they only lasted for about 5 minutes (partly due to a few things: it was very windy and cold, Mom doesn't know how to drive a four wheeler up a hill in the sand, and the kids were wearing helmets twice their size!). The rest of the time, the kids and Grandpa hung out in the truck while Ryan and I went to roam the sand dunes. I learned a lot from this trip. Maybe I will eventually become used to and comfortable with these toys that I did not grow up with! I am learning it takes a lot of time and practice :)

Ma's obsession

2010-04-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

Ma has been into babies and dolls for a while now, but her obsession with them has increased lately. She will now get a burp cloth or bib for each of her dolls and animals and cover them all up. Then she "puts them to sleep" on the couch or in her bed and covers them with blankets. If they are in her bed, she will close the door and gets mad at me when I open it and tells me "Mom, don't wake my babies. They are sleeping!" What an imagination!

Grandpa time

2010-04-10T22:03:00.001-05:00

One of the kids' favorite things to do with their grandparents is read books. It doesn't matter if it is online on Skype or in person. Grandma and Grandpa G. came for a visit a couple weeks ago and the kids had fun reading with them, tickling, and giving slobbery kisses! Thanks again for coming to visit!

Park Fun with friends

2010-04-10T21:49:00.002-05:00

The weather is getting somewhat decent around here and so we have been spending as many afternoons as we can at parks with friends. Fun times!

Random

2010-03-13T23:59:00.001-06:00

Family picture practice

2010-03-11T18:25:00.001-06:00

My sister and her family were kind enough to take the time to drive up and visit us for the weekend. While they were here, they let me practice taking family pictures. I learn more about my camera every time I take pictures and more about being a photographer (Which I am not yet, but trying to be! I know I am nowhere near as good as my sis., Jenna, but someday maybe!).
Things I learned:
1. Do NOT take pictures at 12:00 (unless taking pictures in the shadows). The sun is too bright.
2. Check your locations the day of pictures. One of the places we were going to use decided to close their gate and so we used a second location (one in which I had never been, but had always wanted to). It worked out but I wish I knew what was there before we got there.
3. Bring suckers or something for kids. They, like husbands, get bored of taking pictures really quickly :)

While my sis and her family were here, we also got to take a nice tour of Nampa while we searched for an inflatable bounce house (not to be found!), went to the park, out to eat, and had some adult time and went to the movies (thanks to some great friends for that treat!!!). Thanks again for coming to visit!!
Hope some of the pictures will work for you.

A few more to come later!

Sunday Afternoons

2010-03-11T17:56:00.001-06:00

Gotta love Sunday afternoons when you are able to go take a walk or go to the park. I had fun taking pics. of course, and loved the cool bridge. Looking forward to even warmer days to come soon hopefully!

The Amazing Race - Valentine's

2010-02-28T21:43:00.000-06:00

A big group of us got together and did a group date of The Amazing Race - Valentines. It was a week or so after Valentines, but it was still fun. All of us girls got together and made clues, and places for the guys to go and we all had matching T shirts. We spied on the guys while they did their assigned tasks, and then we all met up at one of the girls' parents' house for dinner, dessert, and watching the videos of the guys as they went throughout the night. It was a lot of fun! Thanks everyone for making it a memorable night!

Cousin visit

2010-02-28T20:57:00.000-06:00

Ryan's brother and sis. in law stopped by on their way through to and back from Idaho Falls. The kids had a lot of fun hanging out and Ma especially had fun with baby A.

Catch - up

2010-02-17T22:36:00.001-06:00

Sorry I have not posted much lately. To sum it up, since New Years, we have been hanging out (literally) with friends, playing at the park, playing with cars, coloring with sidewalk chalk (Pres. drew himself!), working on Pres.' ABC's, having Ma potty train herself in about 2 weeks, and enjoying Valentine's Day. There's your quick recap. Hope your last month has been full of fun too!

Food Blog Makeover!!

2010-02-17T13:42:00.002-06:00

My talented sister, Jenna (I swear she stole the creative, craftiness that was in the genes!), gave my food blog a makeover! Check it out here... (or click on the button in the top left corner of the blog). I am trying to put up pictures too for the recipes I didn't take pictures of before. I watched Julie and Julia with my husband a little while ago, and while it wasn't the best movie ever, it did inspire me to be better about blogging and cooking. So, I am going to try. That is all I am going to do. No promises, but my word that I will try to be a better blogger. :) Check out Jenna on her craft blog here.

2010-01-19T21:24:00.001-06:00

Mikayla's new haircut

2010-01-10T00:04:00.002-06:00

Mikayla got a haircut to chop off her thin and uneven hair. We are hoping this will help it grow faster and thicker. I had fun playing around with it and spiked it. It was a pretty cool lookin' hairdo for a 2 year old! Thanks again Teresa for cutting it!

New Years in McCall, Idaho

2010-01-09T23:29:00.003-06:00

We took a little trip up to McCall and spent some time with friends. We ate lots, played Rock Band, and went sledding a couple times (we got at least 8 inches of snow one day). We had a lot of fun as usual in McCall. Great company, food and fun! Thanks again!

Christmas Present from G & G M.

2010-01-09T23:24:00.002-06:00

This was a Christmas present my parents sent for the kids. It has a place for sand and water. The kids had been dying to get it out but it is too cold outside to take it out. So, we decided to put it in the kitchen and so enough, they were soaked and we stripped them down. They played for atleast 2 1/2 hours with this! Thanks Mom and Dad! It was a hit!

Another Preston Photography special

2010-01-09T23:20:00.002-06:00

Preston collects airsoft pellets which he calls BBs. My brother had an airsoft gun in Texas and so Pres was always finding the BBs around the house there. Now he is hooked on them. He keeps them in a glass jar and decided to take a picture of them a while ago. So instead of just taking a regular picture, he put the glass jar on the carpet, grabbed the camera and set it on top of the jar so the lens was inside the jar and just started shooting away. The things kids think up? I should think more out of the box like him when it comes to my photography. I thought it turned out pretty cool.

To Nap, or Not to Nap?

2010-01-09T23:15:00.003-06:00

Gotta love this little snuggle bug even if she is a stinker and doesn't like to sleep at night. I am trying the no nap thing although I really don't like the idea. I love my 2 hours of quiet time when both my kids nap. However, I also love to have my nights start at 7:30 instead of 9:30 when Ma finally gives in to sleep. I am finding though that my 3 year old needs naps and requires more sleep than my 2 year old. Who would have thought?!

Merry Christmas

2010-01-09T23:05:00.004-06:00

I know, this is really late, but here it is! We went to Idaho Falls for Christmas. It was a nice and relaxing time. It was just Ryan's parents and our little family for Christmas morning so it was nice to have that one on one time with them. The kids slept in until about 8:30 (due to late nights before Christmas), we got up and opened a few presents, called my parents on the webcam so they could watch us open their presents, ate some breakfast, and finished up opening more presents. Ma was super happy with her barbie band-aids from her stocking, her blue horse rainboots from G & G Malmberg, and her tutu I made her. I loved her outfit when she had it all on! Pres was super excited about his cars and his race track. It was a great Christmas.

FHE Graham Cracker Houses

2009-12-13T00:05:00.001-06:00

We had some friends over for FHE and we made Graham Cracker houses with the kids. Yes, we did just make some in Idaho Falls, but it was so much fun, we decided to make more! The kids all had fun, ate a little more candy than they put on their houses, and it was nice to talk to the grown ups too!! Thanks again for coming!!

Go BSU!!

2009-12-13T00:02:00.003-06:00

Some friends let us use their Boise State tickets a couple weeks ago. It was fun to be there and be in the excitement of everything. But, it was SOOO cold. Needless to say, we only stayed until halftime. Also, BSU was killing the other team, so we weren't too worried that we would miss anything the second half. Thanks again Billy & Megan!!

Beautiful Idaho Sunsets

2009-12-13T00:01:00.000-06:00

Ma's Eyes

2009-12-12T10:27:00.002-06:00

Mikayla is my child that does not like to sleep. She doesn't like to sleep for naps or night. She does anything she can to keep moving so she won't fall asleep. Often times we have to hold her tight so she can't move and then she gives in. The past couple nights she has told me, while blinking her eyes, "My eyes no work". Meaning, she can't close them so she can't fall asleep. What a silly girl. The things they come up with.

Family Pictures

2009-12-09T00:49:00.006-06:00

While in Idaho Falls, we also attempted family pictures. Here is what we ended up with. I decided pictures of Ma either have her eating or frowning. Well, our family pictures have her frowning. We also tried to get some pictures of Ryan and I but they kind of turned out cheesy. Better luck next time right?

Thanksgiving in I.F.

2009-12-09T00:45:00.003-06:00

We had a great time in Idaho Falls for Thanksgiving. We rode 4 wheelers, made graham cracker houses, played with cousins, and ate lots!

Love my silly bugs

2009-12-09T00:39:00.003-06:00

Pres the Photographer

2009-12-09T00:37:00.004-06:00

Apparently I take a lot of pictures. So much that my 3 year old is infatuated with the camera. Every time he sees it, he grabs it and takes pictures. He takes them of the floor, his toys, our family, etc. Some of them turn out pretty good. Here are a couple.

Really behind/ stamps, silly kids

2009-12-09T00:30:00.003-06:00

I haven't been very good at posting lately, so excuse me while I play catch up and boggle your eyes with many pictures!

When Grandma and Grandpa were here a while ago, Pres and Grandpa had fun putting together a footstool for Pres. Thanks again!

Ma and Pres had fun playing with some stamps. This is what they did when I walked out of the room. (Don't know if you can see the one on Pres' nose. Apparently Ma thinks it is makeup!

Ma and the snow hat

2009-11-16T16:38:00.003-06:00

Ma loves a snow hat that a friend passed down to her. She asks to put it on all the time. Yesterday she had on a short sleeve shirt, leggings, and her snow hat inside the house while she played with playdough. What a silly girl. Can you tell she was concentrating on her playdough (she sticks out her tongue when she is thinking).

Snow!

2009-11-16T16:15:00.004-06:00

We woke up to snow the other morning and the kids were so excited. We still had a little left on our back lawn where the shadows hit it. Pres said today, "that's the best snow I ever seen!". They went outside and played in it for a little while until they got bored. There wasn't enough to make a snowman or snowballs, so they didn't last long outside. Before they came in though, Pres decided to throw some at me, hence the white spots of light on one of the pictures. Fun times, and more to come.

Hmmm, what to be for Halloween??

2009-10-30T15:01:00.001-05:00

preschool halloween fun

2009-10-30T14:57:00.002-05:00

Preston's preschool had a Halloween day and everyone dressed up and did a little parade for the moms. Here is Pres with his classmates and friend Cannon.

Pumpkin fun

2009-10-30T14:48:00.004-05:00

We go together with some friends and carved pumpkins. The kids all had fun painting their pumpkins, and paper, and everything else.

Barber to Boise 5K

2009-10-17T22:21:00.003-05:00

Well, I can now cross off "run a 5K" from my list of things to do. A bunch of ladies from church all decided to do it, so we had a pretty good group. It was at Boise State and was a beautiful day, a little sunny as you can tell, but thankfully pretty warm. Ryan and the kids came out to watch and we ate some not so yummy pancakes afterwards to fill our hungry, empty stomachs. Will I do it again? Not so sure....

Girls Night Out

2009-10-17T22:17:00.002-05:00

Last weekend a couple friends and I got out for a girls night. It was very much needed. We chowed on some delicious Mexican food and caught a movie. I had a great time! Thanks girls!

Idaho Falls Visit

2009-10-13T16:37:00.004-05:00

We were able to visit family in Idaho Falls the beginning of this month. I was able to get together with some of my old roommates from College. So glad we got together! We were also able to hang out at Uncle Mel's and ride his horses (We had some fun laughing with Kristy while she was attempting to saddle the horse!). We also got to see one of Uncle Mel's granddaughter's Roman Ride (one foot on each horse) and watch Uncle Mel train his cattle for steer roping . Uncle Mel has a horse group called The Americanas. He owns twenty something horses and all of their names start with Ch. He has about 28 Ch names he goes through and just reuses the names. All of his horses are black too and so it is hard to tell them apart. One of my friend's asked him how he tells them apart and funny Uncle Mel's response was, "Well, all of your kids are white but you can tell them apart can't you?!" Thanks for the fun time!!

Ann Morrison Park/Train Depot

2009-10-13T16:13:00.003-05:00

We went to a park a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed the beautiful water fountain. We also went to the Train Depot and got to overlook downtown Boise, see goldfish in a pond and some really beautiful lillypads and flowers.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

2009-10-13T15:50:00.005-05:00

I am really slacking on posting lately. The kids and I went to Texas for a visit the end of September. We had a blast hanging out with old friends (the little girl w/Pres calls him "her prince". Hope it can stay that way when you move to Houston Kenzie!!), had some much needed family time with Grammy, Bapa, Uncle Scott, and my sisters and their kiddos ( I got to love on my cute nephews, and obviously, Ma loved them too!) Pres explored Scott's treehouse, we watched Scott play football, and had fun at the park. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for the letting us come visit Mom and Dad!!! (Sorry so many pictures, I know. But, I take lots of pictures of the things I love!)

Happy 2nd Birthday Ma!

2009-09-29T22:53:00.003-05:00

It was Mikayla's birthday today. Our little girl is 2! And it shows! The terrible twos are evident lately, but she is still a sweetheart. She is talking so much more now and is also learning to fight and wrestle her brother! We had fun, ate cake and ice cream with friends and enjoyed her new toys. Thanks for helping us celebrate everyone!

Water love

2009-09-17T15:01:00.004-05:00

We found a "stream" and let the kids play the other night. The kids had fun playing in the sand, looking for little fish, Pres had fun trying to skip stones with Dad and Ry had fun throwing rocks at me while I was trying to take a picture of him!

REALLY FRUSTRATED!!!

2009-09-10T22:52:00.002-05:00

Anyone know and can teach me how to add a stupid banner to this thing? It is not working so well as evidence shown above. Can't figure out how to edit it in photoshop when I add the pictures, and how to make it big on the blog. Call me photoshop illiterate. I am still struggling with it. Slowly but surely I am making progress, but this is not some of that progress. HELP!

Catching some naked rays

2009-09-10T22:04:00.003-05:00

It was in the 90's today and the kids were outside when Ry turned on the sprinklers. So, kids + sprinklers = take off clothes and get wet!! The kids got to spend a little time soaking up the last little bits of summer sun. I didn't hear them for a little while and went out to check on them. They were by the side of the house and I found Pres wearing a bowl hat and talking to and imagining with the sprinklers. Funny, parents buy toys, but a bowl as a hat, sprinklers and a backyard makes them more happy and keeps them more entertained. Oh, to be a kid again! These are the fun times I love being a mom. And the times I am reminded that half the time I get mad at them for things, they don't understand and just are so carefree. I need to be more like that. I love my little bugs!

1st Day of Preschool!!

2009-09-10T21:46:00.002-05:00

Tuesday was Pres.' first day of preschool. He was sooo excited! He has been asking to go to school for a long time now. Actually, since he saw that his Uncle Scott got to ride on the big yellow school bus, he has been wanting to go. As soon as I opened his door and unbuckled him he said "BYE!" and took off, went inside and didn't say bye or look back. Just recently his vocabulary is increasing, he is asking more questions (I didn't think a kid could ask anymore questions!), and he is really starting to just understand things. I can't believe he is 3 and in preschool. Time sure does fly!