My awesome friend had me paint her some tools for her little boy who can't get enough of them. It is one of the first big projects I have done since I graduated, and it was fun to get back to painting. I think they turned out well. And I am available for future commisions. ;)

Christmas

I have a few family members: My Mom, SIster Lalani, and sister April who are making handmade gifts for the holidays. I was inspired! While all of them won't be completely made by hand (I can't give too many hints because I dont' want to ruin and surprises) I have been inspired to start a few to make the Holiday last a little bit longer and mean more by putting more effort into it. The biggest one will be a play kitchen for my kiddos. My Mom and Dad made one for me as a little girl and I still have cherrised memmories of playing with it, so I hope to do the same for my little ones. I'll put up pictures as things get moving, and definately after the holiday so everyone can see. Oh I am so excited!

Halloween

I absolutely love Halloween. Not the super scary part, but the fun visit your neighbors, get treats and dress up parts. I always thought I hated dressing up on Halloween. This year I figured out I love it, as long as my clothes aren't uncomfortable. I love to make my kids Halloween costumes. It would be cheaper and easier to go buy them something, but I love to create stuff for them. Lucas requested a Bat, and James loves airplanes, so I whipped up a little sumthin, sumthin for him too. We had a blast. We dressed up a few different times, and things were added to a few of the outfits.

Everyday I take a few minutes and check up on friends. I look forward to seeing what you all have been up to and what you and your families look like as you grow. Well, I looked at my blog and realized that it had been awhile since I gave you something new to look at. We went on a vacation to Colorado to see family and here are some of the photos I got.

We were out there for my Birthday, and I chose to go hiking on the boys first overnight hike. Lucas even carried a pack most of the time. We went to Golden Gate state park and loved it. There were so many wildflowers in bloom. I also got a patio table for my birthday. It is so nice to eat outside.

Lazy summer days

I don't think I can have too many pictures of the messes they get into.

So nothing much is going on around here, but I wanted to put up some new photos of the boys.

They have a habit of getting into some pretty creative predicaments. They have both taken to finding Daddy's basketball shoes and wandering around the house in them. They are also budding a friendship with each other. James is freely giving hugs to his big brother and they love to talk and laugh and make general mischief with each other usually when they are supposed to be sleeping.

I am doing great, enjoying my garden, I'll have to take some photos sometime. I have also been reading for a book club I'm in. I finished Life of Pi, The Five People you Meet in Heaven and The Help. Adam and I have been reading books together after the boys go to bed. It has been really fun to spend the time together. Mistborn is the one we are working on right now. The Help was the best of the three I mentioned above. It was thought provoking and funny and really well written. Life of Pi really made me think and go back to re-read it right away. The Five was kinda a feel-good book, but didn't really leave me wanting a ton more.

Derby Celebrates Derby days every June, so we joined the party. We went to the parade on Friday. Lucas and James loved it. There was way too much candy so the boys were both thrilled. Then we went to the carnival. I need to remember to avoid driving by it if I don't want to hear about it every ten minutes until Lucas gets to ride. He gets really excited and focused on things and then shares his thoughts with everyone. It is cute unless unless I'm exhausted. So his dreams came true, and James was introduced to carnival rides for the first time.

James was stuck in the stroller because I wanted to run out into the street.

Bunk Beds!

James's crib got recalled so we decided to buy bunkbeds instead, boy were they both REALLY happy. I am surprised they slept at all.

I was watering picking my raspberry bushes the other day and heard really loud breathing. At first I thought it was somebody, but I looked around and there wasn't another person. I thought oh no, snake. Nope, there was a mother mallard duck that decided to build a nest underneath my loaded raspberry bush. We were thinking of kicking her out, but she stayed there so much of the time. we waited for her to move to look at the nest, Adam couldn't see any eggs so I was going to move it, but I found two eggs hidden underneath some debris. Luckily we didn't bother her too much and she came back to take care of them. I asked Lucas what we should name her and he came up with Goop. So here is goop the duck, the closest thing my kids will probably ever have to a pet. I don't mind sharing a few raspberries nad strawberries with her, but we won't be feeding her house food, we don't want to make her depend on us. It has been fun for us to check up on her. We are waiting for little ducklings now.

Some of our favorite friend surprised us with a visit from Las Vegas, it was so much fun to have them for 10 days, and it was kinda hard not to pester them every second because we could handle having them around ALL the time. (Hint hint Erin) Lucas and Raegan are close friends, and Lucas really respects Rae, he cried when she left and asks to look at photos and visit them. When they got here he kept asking her if she remembered him. It was cute.

Lucas was so scared of the Peacock, when it opened it's wings he started to shake and tried to get away. I felt kinda badly for him, but it appears he has no permanent emotional scars.

Lucas has a history of being shy. While we were swimming he was tasked with asking Raegan for a snack. He was so nervous about it. He would stand close to me and tell me he was thinking about it and look very serious, then he would turn and walk up to Rae and ask me what he was supposed to say, then get scared and come back to me and tell me he was thinking about it, they got up to Raegan only to chicken out and come back to me to "think about it" eventually the snacks were dwindling and I told him he needed to hurry or he was going to miss out. He was brave and asked for some, but only very quietly. Ahhhhhhhh, it cracks me up when he will and won't be brave.

One day Raegan's dress got dirty and she was really stressing out so I offered her to wear one that I had when I was little, well it wasn't very cute, so I offered to make her one. We sat down and sketched what she wanted it to look like and I went to work. A few hours later she had this. I was happy it ended up fitting.

I miss them already, but am so happy to have had them here for a little while.

This was amazing, I got hooked and finished it quickly. It was tricky not to ignore my children while I read it because I longed to sit and see what happened. It was smart and entertaining the whole way through. I think I'll watch a couple of the movies to see if they were made well, though I expect to be disappointed.

On another note: Adam and I tried to watch where the Wild Things Are, and were resoundingly disappointed. We made it about 30 min in and turned it off so we didn't waist anymore time on the drivel.

A first-six years in the making

I finally had my first girls only weekend since I was married almsot six years ago. Doint things with my little family is so much fun that I try to take them wherever I go, but this time I left them to fend for themselves. And what did we do for fun? We went running of corse! We went for the Bentonville, Arkansas half marathon. Walmart has treated the town well, and the area is quite pretty.

This one is for laughs, because there is a rush before every race for the little blue rooms.Be forwarned, some of the pictures are nerdy, but they are what I've got. In my head I look so much more athletic while I'm running.

After the race Finsihing times

I didn't run the whole thing because I wanted to cheer on the girls, didn't want to pay the entry fee (because I didn't train for the race, and didn't want to just drop the cash), but Kristen wants to run a race in all 50 states, and I wanted to help her reach her goal, and couldn't resist a little fun. We had a blast driving down to Arkansas. Tiffany and Kristen are such funny women that the five hours went by so fast. We had fun hanging out and telling stories. Race day was great for me because I had no reason to get nervous. I took photos and carried their water, and ran with them both for a little (Kristen was cruising too fast for me to keep up for long). Tiffany and I chatted for the last 9 miles or so and she made her time goal, which is always great. We stopped for lunch then headed back to our beloved men. It was a little quieter on the way home because we were all beat. Thanks to my friends for the adventure, the memories are already cherished.

Lucas was talking to us about his likes and dislikes. Here is what he said:

I like all sorts of dangerous animals: Bats. . .spiders. . . snakes. . . lions. . . tigers. . . bears. . . decepticons. . .

I love little boys

Out where the air is clear.

Kansas rocks. I was riding my bike tonight and the air smelled so fresh. I could smell a little bit of summer, Yay for spring.

Channeling my Mom and Sister

My mother and sister are both pretty amazing floral designers. Crystal, my sister does it professionally, and my Mom does it only when begged and bribed enough : ). A young lady in our ward was getting married and her florist ditched her last minute. They called and asked if I would do their flowers? Would I ever! I was so excited to help because usually when it is time to be a florist I am the helper Indian, and I really was stoked to have the chance to be the chief (Please no comments on being PC with Indian stuff.) So here are the results. They did them in silk, which was great because real Gerbers are not within my ability to do a bouquet with. I also was out of town the day before, so it meant still getting to do them. That being said, there is something a tiny bit drab about silks, but alas it was a really fun learning and creative opportunity for me.
I did some other boutonnieres, but they are just a single Gerber with some grass, and really aren't that interesting. I also did some bride's maids bouquets that were just white.

Mother's boutonniere


Toss

Detail of Bride's stems

Bride's Boquet with and without bride.

Card cage

I went to Arkansas for race. for a girls trip. It was my first since becoming a mother. I loved it very much. I would say every minute but did I mention I ran about 10.5 miles, so no I couldn't really love it every second. But for sure the majority. More pictures and fun stories to follow, but it was so much fun I was very eager to post.

The things they learn

Adam was in the car with Lucas.
Lucas: Drive carefully so you won't get in an accident.
Adam:What would we do if we got in an accident?
Lucas: I'd call Brett first
Adam: Why?
Lucas: Because He'll get you every dollar.

He has seen too many commercials for the Accident Lawyers who claim to "get you every dollar you deserve," but you need to call them before you sign anything with the insurance company. I think this is funnier if you know the commercial. It is funny to see just how much they pick up.

We were on a bike ride when I heard the story, and I had to pull over so I could safely laugh. I managed not to start rolling on the ground though.

The things they learn

Funny kid

Lucas did two things yesterday that I though were so funny.
#1)He loves Life savers candies. He calls them Star Wars candy because the name sounds like Light saber.

#2) We were playing hide and seek yesterday and he covered his eyes and instead of counting he said "Dear Heavenly Father." Then he figured he got it wrong and started to count instead.

Gastoenteritis-not for the weak of tummy

Lucas has a knack for collecting things, sometimes I wish he would pick something a little less dramatic than viruses. We spent Monday with a sick big brother. It was unfortunate because I had Lunch plans with a good friend, but what are ya gonna do? The funniest part of the day was the last "Spill". Lucas was heading for his pan, but only made it to the kitchen. I won't complain because everything landed on solid surfaces. I took James to his bed (I learned that lesson last time Lucas got sick.) and headed to help. I had to climb over the counter to get around it. I got towels and Lucas in the shower. But then the doorbell rang, and I wasn't quite ready for company. I had forgotten to call my visiting teachers and let them know Lucas was sick. I felt bad about making them come. They were so kind and we laughed about the situation. Ahhh, mother hood. I wish he could build up an immunity to the bug, but at least I am beyond panicking.

There is no picture to go with this posting, I just didn't think it appropriate. he he he

Fun inside

We had a mighty cold month of January, and it kept us inside where we came up with lots of creative things to do together. Adam got a few weeks off for the break, and Lucas was really sad to have him go back to work. One morning he got up and asked where Dad was and said, "He went to make airplanes huh?" Then he said that he was going to make an airplane too. So he found his trusty dusty tape and we put one together. We had a great time making an engine out of trios, and finding things for the wings, taping it all together, making seat belts our of tape for his stuffed animals that needed to get to school-and seat belts for us, safety first! Lucas worked with James to show him how to fly. We had a great time, and I was a little sad to take it all apart.

Casualty of Play



Have you ever seen hoar frost? I think that's how you spell it, it is beautiful.

We had a busy Christmas season. We got to go to Utah for a wedding, see the poast below, but we also stayed to have Christmas with our family. We managed to attend three family parties, and see all of our grandparents. The children were spoiled beyond their wildest imaginations, but have rebounded quickly adn pretty painlessly on our (the parents) part.

We spent Christmas eve with the Lymans, and we got to do one of my favorite things, recreate the nativity. The script includes Samuel the Lamanite. It was Lucas's favorite part because he got to pelt his Uncle Steven with rolled up socks. I was Mary and James was Jesus. Adam got to be the donkey, but managed to make it to Bethlahem. I can't find my pictures of the event, so Mom and Dad if you have photos, I would love them.

Christmas Morning we spent at the Brailsfords and it was really fun to watch the kids reaction. They were spoiled by their Grandparents who put so much effort into making the season special, I can't seem to say thank you enough. The boys were both woken by us so we could start the festivities together. I think it the future we'll avoid this, but I still get antsy and excited for loot from Santa. Perhaps if I try really hard I'll get as good at baking, decorating, and general Christmas spirit as Grandma and Grandpa Brailsford.

Christmas Eve we went to the Ketchams, we enjoyed some sledding and a nice dinner. Grand Lucas and James are in puppy loave with Tabor. (Please tell me you atleast giggled at that one.) We enjoyed playing visiting. My Aunt Jeanie got to spend the evening with us and it was so nice to have a good visit. Adam and I discovered a version of Monopoly (one of my all time favorites) that won't jepordize our marriage> I can get a little competitive ;) The Monopoly Card game was very entertaining for the evening.

I am so grateful for our family who taught my boys about swirlies, and how many wonderful types of cookies there are. They graciously put up with our crazy schedule of hopping from house to house. Thank you for all the fun and wonderful food. We miss you!

He has no idea what is coming his way


Before

Cuddles from Lizzy

Candy! The boy learns quickly


Stockings


Presents

Lucas and T-dog

By Aunite Jeannie

My Puppy

After we got home we were running errands Lucas told me he was sad Christmas was over wanted it to be Christmas all the time.