The Luckiest of Them All

Birthday's and BSU!:)

2011-09-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some fun pics of Bday for our little man. It was on the same day as a BSU game, and we have started to combine it with Chad's bday (which is the day before). It was great fun day. Mason is such a blessing in our lives. He is such a smiley boy and seems to be laughing or pulling a funny face of some kind. Love you buddy!

Here are some pics I took for Mason's Two Year Pics.... So cute:) Muah!

....and for good measure, one of his cute sister:)

A gaggle of pics to get caught up:)

2011-08-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

How great is this?? Drew has a very good friend from HS that has his own plane. His name is Rob. He is married with a little boy too, so we get to hang out with is little family a bit. He knew how badly Makenzie wanted to fly, so he offered to take her flying a couple of weeks ago! Drew got to take her up. She LOVED it!! Rob even sent her a little Certificate afterwards. Talk about making her YEAR!!:)

Thank heavens Mason didn't really know what he was missing:)

LOL!! LOVE HIM!

Lucky Cinderella always going with her!

One of my MOST favorite shots to date!

Thank heavens they were landing when this awesome storm rolled in!

This was our camping trip last weekend. IT WAS AWFUL!!!! We were eaten ALIVE by mosquitoes! These few pics are literally the only time we ventured outside. All but Mason still had fun, we played games and puzzles and watched movies. Mason was screaming to go outside and get dirty. Poor dude had it the worst outside, his head was COVERED 3 seconds after we stepped out the door. That big old head, how could the mosquitoes refuse?:)

This little man does EVERYTHING his sister does. Most of the time, its nothing but adorable. Drew and I just have to shake our head though when HE is always asking to watch Strawberry Shortcake, and SHE is always asking for HeMan!

My little Makenzie was bored durning quiet time with all her toys, so she decided to "make her own toys" and this is what she built. Wow! I was impressed!

Drew and I have been so blessed to make some awesome new friends who have boats. They have taken us a few times and it has been SO great. We feel very lucky! This was a night we all got sitters and went with no kids! Talk about AWESOME!!!

Firework Time!

2011-08-01T12:46:00.001-07:00

Such a fun 4th. We had some family over for a BBQ. It was relaxing and so great to see all the kids have a great time. No one was permanently damaged. Talmadge and Makenzie picked up their sparkler just after it went out and got burned, but that was the extent of it. Good times had by all:)

It was LOOOONG and HOT day...don't judge me for letting my kid look like this:)

Just messing around with my camera....firework fun:)

Matt was stinkin' hilarious making his "victory lap" up and down the street with sparklers. Victory about what? Not so sure...but it was awesome.

Looking out for the little ones....

2011-07-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Makenzie loves rollie-pollies. One day while I was working outside, I caught her and her brother in the middle of this. I will narrate as best I can:)

"Hey Masey (yes, she calls him that, much to my husbands dismay:)) - come look at this rollie pollie! Its so cute! They don't hurt anyone, don't be scared."
Cue the screaming -
Makenzie "NOOOOO don't step on it!!! Don't kill it!!!" Followed by more sobs...such a drama queen
Here is Mason, totally oblivious to the fact that he broke his sisters heart. Oh my, how boys don't change:)

Makenzie "I'm going to watch it until it finds it's home" (and then it finally disappered into the grass/home. The sulking only continued for a minute longer.
AND, now we are fine and happy and all is right in the world again:)

Memorial Day Pics!

2011-07-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

We got to go out to my Dad's grave again as a family. It's always a nice time, our kids now just think its no big thing to hang out at the cemetery. I think thats pretty great. They always have fun washing off G-pa's grave and singing his favorite Primary song, I am a child of God.

Oh dang....Pear Pear is NOT havin' it!:)

LOVES his cousin Austin:)

I know you aren't suppose to climb on graves, but I guarantee my Dad is loving this:)
Little Mater is ALMOST tall enough.... he's getting there Gpa:)

One strong Momma:)

Yes Dad....these are the men who married into your family. Aren't you proud??:)

More pics....

2011-07-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

It was mine and Andras bday again! My sister was telling me that her and I have a picture like this, with our crowns on our shared bday, since she was one!! I LOVE THAT!! Pretty soon, she won't think I am cool enough to do this with:)

A boy and his dog......
I thought Makenzie had a special bond with Stanley, but NO. Mason and Stanley are a whole different level. It is so cute.

COOKIE DOUGH TIME!!!:)

My little gangster with his sidewalk chalk......

Why I LOATHE sidewalk chalk.....
Girls are SOOOO much cleaner:)

More pics... in VERY late, and VERY random order:)

2011-07-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

I think I have to go to just one blog.... I have a hard enough time keeping up to date with just one. We will see...
So here are some early Summer pics. Easter, friends, etc... Enjoy:)

A boy and his Truck:)

New wagon, and we got some slave labor:) Sucks to be the older kids!

Um..Doesn't this thing go faster? This sucks.

Hair cut time!!! Thanks Aunt Kimberly!
With a neck like his, you have to check:)
Loves Mommy....
Not so much Aunt Kimberly... she took one for the team on this one. He loved her again in about 30 seconds.:)

Her Uncle Dave (who travels ALOT because he is in the Marines) sent her this dress from Vietnam. He told her the princesses wear them there, so she should have one. She LOVEDDDD it! Top notch Uncle!
This is him. A few months later when he came to town, he took Makenzie on a date. He took her to the musical South Pacific at the Morrison Center, out to a fancy dinner and dessert. She had the best time and still talks about it, and her Uncle. He told her to get all dressed up and he put a suit and tie on and this is when they came home that night, about 1130:)

Summer has finally arrived...

2011-06-17T20:51:00.001-07:00

I am SO behind on pics and updates, but I couldn't help but share these two really fast.... oh how I love my babies. And OH how I love, that they love each other:)

Old McDonal Had a......

2011-05-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we had cows and more cows is all.... but it was SO much fun. This was Makenzie's field trip last week to a dairy farm. It was SOOO cold and windy, but the kids loved it.
This one's for the ladies reading this:) Thought you would like to see how it could get worse:)

Here Kenz got to feed some of the new babies. That was of course the best thing ever for her. One really took a liking to her and wanted to like her all day.... Yum!

Thats right! My baby wanted to drive the tractor just like all the boys:) Love it!

Here she is, all dirty, smelling like cow and loving it. She is for sure a girly-girl, BUT can get dirty just like the boys:) We came home cold and smelling SOOOO bad. Three days later her hair still smelled like dairy cows. It was awesome:)

Dancing, Tackles, Boxes - Oh My!

2011-04-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Weird title, but again you are getting a broad spectrum of pics. I just can't seem to stay on top of my life:)
Here are my kiddos, dancing away. They LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to dance to loud fun music with us and run around. Sometimes they hold hands and love each other, other times they chase each other. Either way, it makes for some awesome fun in the Banning house:)
DISCLAIMER - Makenzie picked out this outfit all by herself...and asked for her hair that way:) Nice huh?:)

Not sure what move Mason was doing here:) Must be a guy thing.

Cutest babies ever.... :)

Man do they LOVE to tackle Dad!! He is such a good sport about it.

THE BOX... This dumb box was the best thing my kids have ever played in, or at least they thought so. Goes to show that the saying is true about letting them play with the box:) After 3 days, I made Drew get rid of it...it was SO DANG BIG I couldn't stand it anymore:)

She is just so easy to shoot, always ready for a picture:) I call this her Lock-Jaw look:)

Fun with Friends and Family

2011-03-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to get a day of sunshine a while back:) so we invited some friends over to play. Here are my kiddos on our ghetto slide. They don't know any different, so they love it.

We also got to go watch my neice Andra practice her dance at school. My kids had a great time watching, and playing with Aunt Corinna...Thanks Corinna!!:) You were a lot of help!

Here come some pics in no order...

2011-02-23T13:36:00.001-08:00

I need to get caught up!!! So, here are pics I'm just shoving down your throat to get me caught up:)

Mason and Gma. Yes, all I feed him is butter.

Buddies:) Talmadge and Kenz eating dinner

Mason wasn't allowed to touch the tree, so instead he started to try and blow out the lights:) So funny

Tree time

This is Mak showing me the "proper" way to drink hot chocolate. Pinkie always up:)

Awesome snowman she made... lol, no comment

Mason having a Christmas Story moment in that coat:)

Preschool Christmas Party:)

Santa came to school that day...Makenzie liked him, but was suspicious the whole time:)

Bring on GAME DAY!!!

Makenzie and cousin Talmadge

Brother Todd and family visited too:) Yeah!
My Mom:)

Cousins at Christmas

Christmas morning. Santa left her "blueberry juice" ie, V-8 splash. She LOVES it.

LOL!!! Rough night:)
Better now:)

Yeah for sisters:)

Oh man.....really, how handsome is he:)!?!?!? Love him.

Oh how the Kinect makes you look silly!

Ahhhh....:)

Matching necklaces from Gma

"Little Man", "Big Truck" :)

Nana and Papa Banning....Mason is LOVING this.

LOL, he was SOOO worked this day.

Side Note

2011-01-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

I have a blog that I am going public with. It was initially a place I had just for me so I could write. It was neglected last year, and this year I am determined to revive it. It is a place not so much for pictures of the family, but a place that I can talk about things that inspire me and goals in my life. I feel like if I make it public, I will feel more accountable for taking care of it:)
http://iameverest.blogspot.com/

McCall Fun

2011-01-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

Drew's sister and husbands family (follow that?:) own a cabin in McCall. We were invited up to spend the weekend with them and his side of the family. It was SO beautiful and the cabin was AMAZING and huge. It was so much fun and our kids had the best time. Makenzie even went snowmobiling and loved it. Drew and I got to drive a lot too because his mom was gracious enough to offer to watch our kids a bunch. I forget how beautiful this world is sometimes until I get a weekend like this:)

Drew and his awesome hat... totally hate the hat and I think that is why he wears it:)

All on one sled is the only way to go:)

Snowmobiling fun!!!

Banning Clan:) most anyways
Being Silly

Nana, Papa and the Grandkids

Catch up Time:)

2010-12-08T13:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, here are a bunch of pics to catch you all up. I feel like I need to do this so I can get it all done before Christmas so I don't get TOTALLY behind:) Enjoy! ( I warn you these are in a totally random order:))

This is how Mason does corn at our house:)

A while back Makenzie's dearest friend Elle and her got to get their hair cut and nails done together. I adore her mom, so it was fun to do together. They were so stinkin cute!

Mason got to come too....although, he wasn't sure about it all. Too girly:)

Pumpkin carving time:) It was fun this year. Makenzie was really into it (except touching the inside:) Mason was 50/50, he wasn't so sure, but we all had fun.

Here begins the meltdown. We told her she had to help scoop it out if she wanted to do pumpkins. Witness the scene:)

Halloween

2010-11-03T12:26:00.001-07:00

Drew and I were in charge of our Trunk or Treat for the last time this year. We were released about a month ago. I actually loved having Halloween on a Sunday because the kids were able to go trick or treating on Saturday and then we had Sunday we had our family over for a little Halloween party.
It was so great to play with everyone and have a great dinner. The kids had great costumes on. What a great weekend!

Silly pic my sister took of me....LOL

Here are some yummy treats I made:)

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2010-10-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

So it was Makenzie's first school field trip a week or so ago and it was SO much fun! I was so excited for it all week you would have thought it was MY field trip! Drew was so good to me and took some time off work so that he could keep Mason so I could just go and have a good time with my little girl.

The weather ended up being PERFECT and all the kids had such a great time. Here are some pics from the day!

Her pumpkin she found. I was a mean mom and told her that she had to carry it back, so she got one her size:) All part of the experience I tell her!

Nothing says I love you like a squished uncomfortable face:)

One of her dearest buddies, Allyson (the teachers daughter), was out of school that day, so she got to come along and help.

This is Elle. She is THE dearest buddy:) Lucky for me, her mom is my dearest buddy too. They are so cute together!

Hay bale maze. They went through this like a million times - until a running boy took both Makenzie and Elle out. Dang aggressive boys!:)

Playing in the tires

First 5K!

2010-10-13T20:13:00.001-07:00

So I ran my first 5K with my dear friend Arianne who supported me and got me out of bed in the mornings to run. It was really such a great experience, hard, but fun. Here are some pics of that. FYI - I am under NO illusions that these pics look good...but I am too dang proud of them to not post. I know 5K isn't that long, but it was for me. I think I might be a 5K girl for life.:)
(Also, the headbands were a joke. They said HOT WOMAN. Ari and I wore them to get a good laugh:))

Conference

2010-10-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Makenzie and her new scriptures

This session of Conference was especially amazing for me. For one thing, I was actually looking forward to it. With two young kids that it is pretty hard to be excited about trying to get them to sit still for those long talks.
I am taking a new parenting class that has been an answer to MANY prayers of mine and helped me in so many ways. She gave us some ideas about how to make conference weekend something special and exciting for your kids. She said to go all about and be as excited as we are with Christmas. At first I was like, yeah right! So I tried my best. The few days before I got a conference pack together for Makenzie along with a bunch of treats (some healthy, some not:)), a new CTR ring, a new book of Mormon with a new scripture case (pink of course), a little puzzle and some new crayons. All this cost me less than 10 bucks! All week see kept talking about how excited she was about conference and to hear the prophet talk. It was really awesome to see! It was something I hadn't experienced before. So that morning, ever Drew got into and made us an AMAZING breakfast. Mason took two naps those days... one during each conference:) No, it wasn't perfect, but it was darn close. I was so touched by the spirit through this experience. When our prophet said goodbye to us that last talk on Sunday, I had tears in my eyes because I truly didn't want it to be over. That was a first for me too! I have always loved conference, but it hasn't always been easy for me to sit through 8 hours of it:).
My little family is truly blessed by our Savior and we are very grateful. We move ahead with all the guidance given to us with hopeful hearts.

This is the AMAZING breakfast Drew made..YUMMY!

Fun times in the morning waiting for breakfast

More good times:)

Happy 1 Year Little Man

2010-09-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

So I am going to jump out of order for a minute to celebrate my little man's birthday. He is ONE!! I really can't believe he is already gotten here. He has been such a joy in our lives. He came to us 3 weeks early, and that is when we should have known he is going to be a little boy who just pushes ahead and does what he wants:) He has been our crazy little spirit that keeps us on our toes, but in all the right ways. He is always smiling, Aunt Corinna has nicknamed him "Joe Smiley". He is just that, and we are so thankful for his personality.
He is very much in love with his older sister, who treats him great. She teaches him how to "talk" and helps him to his sign language. She is also very protective and helps him be safe. We love him so much and are very grateful he came to complete our family:) XOXO

Here is the family, pumped to be there:)
Well...... maybe not the guys:) They were great sports though.
Holy PREGO Kim! Corinna's head was tired.

Growing some chest hair...
Look how excited he is about the new walker! Thanks Gma and Arnells!
Didn't do too much for the decor. He's one. Does that make me a bad mom?:)
I also just let go a little and let Makenzie decorate his cake. I figured he wouldn't mind and she really loved it. So, letting go of the control was hard, but totally worth it to see her face:)
Here is the moment.... Makenzie was trying to be really sweet and give Mason a lick from her finger, and then he bit it....HARD. There is no kidding around with this boy, his bites hurt ME really bad. About 5 seconds after this picture, Makenzie let out a scream heard 'round the world. Then, Mason started crying. It was a real treat, ask my family:)
My little man really went for it... no fear.
At the end, he was cake drunk I tell ya:)

Some Random Pics....

2010-09-01T06:28:00.001-07:00

Here is our Mason man...just smiling away like normal. He loves to turn anything upside down and stack things on it. What a boy.

.....or opening doors, really, that is what entertains him. Men:)

Here was truly a "aw-ha" moment my mother will enjoy. These jammies are those horrible polyester ones that you think can't be comfortable to sleep in. And frankly, aren't as cute as those jammies you find at Baby Gap for example. But, I found them and they were crazy cheap (go figure:)) so I got them for her. I NEVER understood why my mother put us in pj's like this, until this day. When I gave them to her, she was JUMPING off the walls! She wanted to wear them ALL the time. It was TOTALLY worth it to see her face:)

Early one morning we saw out the side window on our front door these things that looked like they were falling from our roof. We opened the door, and it turned out to be baby birds! I'm not even sure what kind of birds they are. They didn't fly away, didn't seem to be hurt, but just continued to walk around right in front of us. Makenzie thought it was the coolest thing ever. It was pretty awesome:)

Makenzie and Mason loves their Nana and Papa so, so much:)

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Our first "Meet and Greet"

2010-08-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow. I really can't believe my little one is starting preschool. And so it begins.....
We went the other night to meet her teacher, Miss Nicole. I say meet, but really Makenzie has known her for over and year and LOVES her. Well, we all love her. She is fantastic. To be honest, we are very blessed to have her. Makenzie was suppose to be taking preschool from my dear closest friend, but with distance and money being a factor, we needed to go somewhere closer. I didn't want to pick just anyone. Our prayers were answered when my dear friend Nicole told me she was going to do preschool! She is close enough to walk to, so no gas money even, and she is so incredible with kids. Makenzie also gets to be in class with some of her friends too!
All in all, we are so excited. Makenize was JUMPING out of her skin with excitement this night. It was an ice cream social. She had the best time.
I love my little girl, and this mommy is going to have a hard time letting go:)

Swimming Lessons

2010-08-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

This was the first year we put Makenzie in swimming lessons. She was the youngest in her class, and the shortest. She was the only that couldn't touch the bottom, ANYWHERE. The first 2 days were pretty good. She only cried a little when I walked away. The instructors were awesome, and they really were patient with her. They pushed her to do the things she was afraid to do, which was great - until the 3rd day. On that day, she had had enough, and she was pretty much hysterical about everything. After that, she didn't want to come back. We tried one more day, but it was worse, so we called it a day and we will try again next summer.

Drew took her the following days to our community pool though and made her do bobs and all the other things she didn't want to do. It was one of those things that moms in general just shouldn't be a part of:) He did good though, and now our little girl is a water bug, and loves it.

This is where she spent the whole class, on the stairs, because it is where she could touch, poor girl!

This is a progression from the first time across the pool, until the end...hilarious.

My kids HATE being on there backs. I have no idea why, but there is no such thing as being relaxed floating on your back for them.

End of class "ring-around-the-rosey"

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Some Silly things...

2010-08-25T13:35:00.001-07:00

Here are just some random silly pics of my kiddos -

Here is Makenzie in her swimsuit, ready for the water park!

Here she is after playing out in the rain with me. She was cold, so we made some hot chocolate:)

Poor little brother, his sister likes to dress him up:) He is a good sport about it, as long as he in on his manly truck:)

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Say What????

2010-08-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I turn around the other morning to Makenzie asking, "Mommy, what does this spell?" Refering of course to our fridge magnets. She does this all the time and spells things like dog, cat, dad, etc. This day I was really surprised and what I saw on the fridge! To those wondering, NO, we do not say this around our house, and NO I didn't tell her what it meant:)
I really laughed hard though.
(To those that don't know what this mean, good for you! Seriously. Also, this was first thing in the morning which is why Makenzie looks like she just went through a wind storm, then a rain storm... then played outside all day:))

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Cherry Festival

2010-08-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

This year again, a new tradition we love, we went to the Emmett Cherry Festival with my sister Corinna and her family and my mom. It was SOOOO hot, but SO fun. It was awesome greasy food, and great company.

Why is it that kids could CARE LESS that ice cream is dripping all down there hands/clothes/etc and still LOVE every minute of it!?

Makenzie went on her first carnival ride! (She was FINALLY barely tall enough). She had so much dang fun and wanted to go over and over. Andra, her cousin, was a really good sport and went with her.

I love that they share a ice cream cone every year! And every year I get a picture like this. I am sure when she is 16 she is NOT going to think this is cool:) Until then....

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Meridian Dairy Days

2010-08-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

We took our little family to Dairy Days this year. It was the first time we were all there and Grandma was gracious enough to come too. It was so much fun! I know it seems lame to some, but we truly had such a great time. Makenzie couldn't believe that all she had to do was hold her hands out and she would get FOOD! (The chocolate milk was the best)

Stone-cold Mason:)
Not-so-stone-cold Mason:)

He didn't love the loud cars or horns, the made him cry. He and Grandma got a good thing going, she would snuggle him in and cover his ears. After that, he was good to go:)

We love Grandma!

We were also so excited our dear friends the Pflegers came too! Elle is one of Makenzie's dear friends. The laughed and giggled all night.

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Trip to Idaho City

2010-08-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

**DISCLAIMER**Ok, I have waited long enough. I have just decided to post my pics before I photoshop them, because frankly, it takes me forever and I take pics WAY quicker than I do that:) So, although my mad photo skills are getting pretty awesome, you won't see most of that unless I post them:)

Ok, so I am on a posting kick, I have SO many pics to get through! Bare with me as I throw a bunch at you.
So we drove up to Idaho City for the day with our dear friends The Madison's. It was a great time and the kids really had fun too. We love those guys!

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

One more thing.....

2010-08-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

I had to share this picture... look at my beautiful baby girl:) Almost 4 years old....

And this.... oh my little man, how I love you. Well, maybe not so little:)

Dance, Dance!

2010-08-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

So Makenzie has finished dance for the first time and I tell you what, it was the best experience ever. She TRULY loved it. It was so awesome to watch as a mom and see her just grown and learn (as much as a 3.5 year old can in a dance class). It was such a good experience for her, we will be doing it again!

This little girl is one of her fav's, Aubrey. They had such a cute relationship.

I must say, what a cute little family:)

This is her dearest friend Aliya, who she adores and is her "best friend":) These next few pics are from their recital. It was the cutest thing....EVER.

Proud little parents...and brother:)

Some say Ghetto, I say Genius!

2010-05-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

My little Mak was invited to a Bday party by a great little boy (space)friend of hers named Nathan. It was a Star Wars themed party. So, she dressed up as the Princess of course. She didn't really get it at all, but she was fine with it, because I assured her, she was still a Princess.
So, I am a cheap mom and I didn't want to go BUY an outfit for something she would probably never wear again....so, I grabbed a white pillow case, put a hole in the top and for the arms and put a white Tshirt under it and called it a day. My mom let me borrow a silver belt she had and I must say, after I put her hair in buns, it all came together:) She even had brown strappy sandlas that worked. She had such a great time at the party, which was ALL boys except Nathans sister! How fun!:)

This was after the party, which was in the sun all day, and cupcakes and playing in the dirt. She did get a light saber (sp?) and a metal from the party though which were a big hit:)

Memorial Day....

2010-05-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we did it a little early, but all the same - it was great:) My sisters and I and Mom went to my Dads grave and celebrated a little Dad time:) Some might think this is depressing, but I actually love it. It is nice to just be in a place that we feel close to him here on Earth. It was a nice sunny, pretty hot:) day. Talmadge and Makenzie had a great time playing together. LOVE YOU DAD!

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PICTURE. Priceless.

I got lucky when I turned around and saw her doing this, before she saw me with my camera:)

Oh my little Mason... I adore you:)

My little lady

CUTEST VIDEO EVER

2010-05-19T21:11:00.001-07:00

This goes along with Mothers Day... I LOVE that my kiddos get along, and that Mason thinks Makenzie is the funniest thing ever! This was Mothers Day morning... and I LOVE IT!

Best Mothers Day Ever....

2010-05-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

I know I have been a mom for only 3 years, but this Mothers Day goes down in the books. I was really blessed to have a few things happen that Sunday that meant the world to me. Drew was every bit the man I thought he would be, letting me sleep in, taking care of the kids, breakfast, card. What made this day extra special for me was that Makenzie got to sing in Sacrament meeting for Mothers Day (first time) and she gave her first talk in Primary . Words cannot begin to describe what I was feeling. I have been proud of her many times in the past, but this day was something I hadn't experienced before. This was something she did herself. I wasn't behind her whispering in her ear telling her the right thing to do, it was coming all from her. She was all smiles and she was so proud of herself. When it came to do her talk, she was ecstatic! She memorized most of it! I didn't see a shy bone in her at all. It brought tears to my eyes. I WAS SO PROUD OF HER!! Proud in a way I hadn't felt yet. It was amazing.

I was also very blessed to have my own Mom be a part of this day. She came to church to watch Makenzie, which meant so much to her. In fact, after she was done with her talk, she came running to the back of the room and ran right past me and said "I want to give Grandma a hug!" All smiles, and so proud. After church the rest of the family came over to dinner. Corinna/Chad/Austin/Andra, Matt/Kim/Talmadge. It was so dang great, this day was amazing!
PS.. Mason I love ya buddy, but this Mothers Day, Makenzie might have stolen the show:) Don't worry, next year you will be big enough to give her a run for her money!:)

Birthday's and such....

2010-05-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

So, that time of year came again - where time seems to catch up to you and force you to slap an age on your time hear:) Mine is a proud 32 years. I can't believe it, but in the same breath, don't feel old ENOUGH to have kids the age I do:)
I was blessed to have another year shared with a niece, Andra, who still thinks it's cool to share her birthday with me. It was so much fun. We hung out at Corinna and Chad's house and had dinner, great cake and a pinata! I adore my family and this time of year:) My husband was great and spread out wonderful things all week for me:)

Of course our crowns made another appearance . It's now tradition!
TOTALLY AWESOME... thats all there is to say.

Holy cake! Goooooood job baby!

Mmmmmmmm.......

Gma and my orange-nosed baby:) Yes, he had orange food.
How dang cute is this???

AND SUCH.... so here are some pics I shot. The first few of Makenzie I ADORE. They really show the sweetness behind her eyes that is so amazing. My darling little girl. She wanted to run in the sprinklers the other day, and the wind was blowing and it was REALLY cold... she didn't care:) Obviously from these pics, she really didn't.

This pic is SO funny because his "stone-cold playa" face is SO not him:)

This IS.......

I can't help putting in this pic of Talmadge I "grundged" up. We love our T-man:)

Princesses, friends, and brother!

2010-05-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

So yes, I have more pics of Makenzie than Mason, it's terrible. Makenzie was invited over a one of her best friends Aliya's birthday party the other weekend. It was SO cute. They had Princess Auroa come (for the men, that is Sleeping Beauty) and do all the little girls makeup and hair. It really was the cutest thing to watch them. Here are some shots of the day:

They did non-girly fun stuff too like play outside and jump on the tramp. She is, finally, really good at keeping her balance on this thing. It still gives me a heart attack every time though.

Here she is with another great friend, Elle.

Totally different day... Mason, Makenzie and I took a walk to the park and I snapped some pics. I LOVED this one when I saw it. She was so funny just sitting there kicking it. Love that girl:)
Here is Mason - aka "Mater", just smiling like normal:)

Ahhhh.....Easter!

2010-04-11T14:09:00.001-07:00

(Flowers Drew got Makenzie and I for Easter:))

I have to say, this was the probably the best Easter to date for me. Drew and I were lucky enough to host it at our house and have so many of our loved ones around us. Corinna, Chad, Grandma, Austin, Andra, Shauna, Mike, Kim, Matt, Talmadge and Matt's side of the family... were all there to celebrate with us.
I can't think of much better than celebrating such an amazing day by being with those that we are now capable of being with for the eternities. What an amazing blessing! My little family of four are SO blessed to have these people in our lives!
Here are some outtakes of our day:)

Our little Princess

Our Little Prince

If I ever get these two to look at me at the same time, I will feel pretty dang awesome:) For now, this is what we get. We are so blessed they really do love each other.

We had some very dear friends over to paint eggs with us. We had the girls paint topless, good thing too! It was so fun!

Our little egg hunters:)

After the egg hunt, I noticed that Makenzie just disappeared. Corinna peaked upstairs and saw her, all by herself, counting her loot. I went up there and stole a picture.. but after that, she put her hand softly on my jaw and says "Mommy, can you go back downstairs?" LOL, she takes her Easter egg counting VERY seriously!

Here is little Mak straight out of bed Easter morning, she came down from bed (no pants, which I DID put her to bed in!) and slippers saying she was ready to go find the eggs!

Mason had so much fun with Grandma this day, she just let him play with all the eggs, and he loved it!

Here is Makenzie's partner in crime:) Once the candy was out, the party face was over, he wanted the candy!:)

Kiddos......

2010-03-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pictures of our little ones. It is sad how the second child gets so few pictures compared to the first:) Here are a few from the past few weeks:)

Here is what we now call his "NICU Mark" instead of his birthmark. He got this from them trying get his IV in and almost breaking his foot in the process. It goes up over the top of his foot.

Here are Makenzie and Mason. Yes, I KNOW he is huge!:) All my kids have the biggest heads. He will average out in about 3 years:)

This morning at breakfast Makenzie was making Mason laugh like crazy. It was awesome, even though you can't really see it in the picture.

Mason is usually not this sober:) It must have been his Godfather shirt:)

After a long day (that is why her hair is crazy) and she is munching on pistachio nuts with Daddy.

Makenzie and I got matching aprons. She loves to cook with Daddy and I. So cute:)

Here we are when we entered "the suck" that was RSV month for us (ok, it was only 3 weeks). It was a tough little stint. Makenzie was a trooper when it came to her breathing treatments. Obviously I didn't get to do much with myself other than shower:)

Some pictures of my little man:)
We have just started solid foods with him and he LOVES LOVES it.

Christmas Morning and beyond:)

2010-02-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Here we are Christmas morning. This was the first year Makenzie ever really understood how cool Christmas is. It was really fun to watch her.

Stocking time!

Just chillin....

Here Mason is with Papa George. He is the only Grandpa Mason will ever know. Mason was so comfy and warm, he was almost asleep. I wish we had more pics of Drews side of the family!

Here is a true right of passage for Drew. We were up Christmas Eve and he was putting together Makenzie's first bike. It was so cute. I can't believe we have a child old enough to be doing this:) She LOVES her new bike!

Christmas day, Austin and Andra went out to play T-ball with her new Minnie Mouse Tball set. They are SO good to her and she loves them SO much!

A man's work is never done... here Drew is scooping poop that morning before everyone came over. He hates this as much as I hate ironing:) And that is A LOT!

Corinna didn't get a dolly for Christmas:( (those are scissors in her hands)

Here I am making my pastry wreath for Christmas dinner that was at our house. I LOVED having it here this year. I would do it ever year. It doesn't get any better than having so many people you love under your roof.

Mason smiles SO much. I love it! Funny guy!

Mak loves her little brother. Really, she is always so helpful and never jealous. We are very blessed with how great she has been. I can't wait until he is old enough to play with her.

Here is T Man and Makenzie getting ready to go play in the snow. They are so fun together:)

That's right, I went out too!

Here Grandma is getting him to smile:)

Here we girls are being silly. I had pulled out some of the bows I make for Makenzie and we all put them on and starting being fabulous! Love it:)

Pre-Christmas time!

2010-02-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, way late I know... but better than never:) Christmas was totally awesome, as it always is. We got to spend lots of time with both sides of the family, and it was our first with our little guy. Mason was oblivious, but the up side is that we didn't have to buy him any presents:) Does that make us terrible parents?:)

Our kids get to pick our a new ornament every year. This was her Cinderella one, she loved it so much she couldn't put it down. It didn't spend a lot of time on the tree:)

Anyone that knows me, knows that this makes Crystal one happy girl. One of my favorite things about the holidays, is a lot of hot chocolate!

Now words...love, love, love this girl!

Mason, aka "Mater" just loves his Aunt Corinna!

....and Makenzie loves her cousin Andra!

My man and I...mmmmm:)

WOWSERS!!! Good thing she isn't old enough to hate me for this pic!

Our gingerbread house fiasco this year was one for the books. I really am lame and apparently don't know how to keep my house together. I should have just let Drew build it again like last year. Poor Makenzie, she was pretty sad, but was a good sport:)
Here Drew is with his sweet "Christmas Hat":)
"Mommy it's BREAKING!!!!!!" (Look at the roof)
Daaaaang. Man down:(

Tiny Toes......

2009-12-31T12:15:00.001-08:00

Every Wednesday I take my little girl to her first dance class, and I just can't believe she is old enough for this yet. She brings me such happiness. She loves this class so much. Her friend Aliya is in it with her, and they have the best time. A few weeks ago it was "watch week". They don't really like you to stay every week to watch (understandably, as Makenzie is a totally different girl when she is not showing off to mommy). All the family came to watch, it was so great!

This is called, good foot, naughty foot. When it is pointed, its called a good foot:)

This is called elevator up, elevator down:)

Here is her class going across the floor with their teacher. She was so great!
Here is her great friend Aliya. They laughed so much this day.
They danced to "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" and there was a part in the song they were suppose to stomp their feet and make a naughty face. This was her naughty face, how lucky am I that really that is as bad as it gets:)

I love my little family:)

Lets do some hair!

2009-12-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

After Drew got back from his trip to California, I really felt like I needed some girl time with my little Makenzie. So I invited along some other important girls in my life - my mom, sister and niece Andra, for a little pampering at a place called Monkey Dooz. It is basically a spa for little girls. It was SO dang cute. Makenzie had the best time, and it was made even better because Andra was there. She adores her cousin, or as she calls her "big sister".

Here she is getting a "Sparkle Manicure"

They get to sit in these barbie cars to get their hair cut! How awesome is that?? (And for the boys, they had Hummers:))

Cute little Andra:)

She loves her Aunt Corinna

....and Grandma of course:)

How I love my little girl. I don't know what I would do without her in my life. She keeps me young, always laughing. She reminds me how much love one has to give in life. She gives it so freely to anyone who needs it. I am so glad I have a little girl to do these things with:)

Here she is when her balloon came unwrapped of her wrist and flew up to the ceiling. I just happened to have my camera ready. How funny! She though, did NOT think it was funny:)
PS... To all those wondering if I just spend a fortune on a 3 year old to go to a day spa, the answer is NO. It only cost 15 bucks! What a deal!!

I am so grateful....

2009-11-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

What an amazing day. My little man Mason was blessed today. I am overwhelmed with gratidude for all I have been given in my life. I am incredibly thankful that I have a husband that is worthy to give my children their blessings.
As I sat in church today, literally surrounded by family, my eyes filled up with tears. As Drew got up and scooped up Mason, I looked over to see my two brothers walking up with him. My two brothers who I only get to see once a year, came to my son's blessing. I feel so lucky that they, and their wives and family, cared enough to make that a priority. I couldn't believe today EVERYONE I cared and loved were in that chapel. All of Drews family (minus David) where there and all of mine. What an amazing feeling to have everyone you love that much around you. I knew my Dad was there in spirit, I felt it.
Here are some great pictures of that day. This day kicks off what is for sure going to be an amazing Thanksgiving week. How much I have to be thankful for.....

Here is my little man in his blessing outfit. My mom bought him this, it was so cute, and this is the best pic I got of it:(. It had a little vest and tie. So cute:)

These are all the men (minus Jay:( who we love and wish was in the picture, and our dear friend Kevin) who were in the blessing circle. I look at this picture and am so amazed, proud and thankful to have them in my life. How handsome are they!?

The Banning adults

The Babbitt adults

Our little man:) How we love you. Drew gave the most amazing blessing. The spirit was no doubt a part of everything he said. I love you both so much!

How I love thee....

2009-11-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few cute snapshots I got the other day......
Makenzie... how you bring so much laughter into our lives. You are the kindest, most tender hearted child I have ever met. You love your little brother so much, and are such a good big sister and help to me. You are so much smarter than even I give you credit for. You love your puzzles (even the 1000 piece one you do with Daddy), you love to help us cook, and you love your movie nights with the family. You make me feel so loved and needed. Thank you for being someone I am so proud of, and making the world around you a better place. XOXO

Mason.... What a jolt you made coming into this world. You have really made us work hard to get you here... but it was worth every second of blood, sweat, and lots of tears. I am eternally grateful for the health that you have now. You haven't been with us long, but already, you have filled a place in my heart that was empty before you came along. My own little man. The smiles you are giving us now warms me to my very core. Although you have a temper like nothing this family has ever seen, those eyes are full of kindness. We can't wait to get to know you better. XOXO

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

This Halloween was so fun! Makenzie was a little princess (of course!) and our little Mason was a monkey. His costume was HILARIOUS! He tolerated it pretty well too! He didn't make it long that night, so Dad took him home to sleep. I was lucky and got to take Makenzie around with my sisters and their kids. She held up well for a while... even though she was NOT having anything scary. She didn't like the scary decor up around the doors, or older kids scary costumes... but she got the hang of it. It was such a fun night.

I was a ski bunny:) Hey, it's what I had around the house...except the ears:)

TOTALLY AWESOME TALMADGE!!

Most treasured pics....

2009-11-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have many, but these really top them all for me. The first two are on the way to music class for the Halloween party. I had just put on her earrings, and they pinched her so bad... but she didn't tell me!! I looked over and saw this... quietly tearing up. It was so sad, but I had to grin a little bit... she was so cute!

This was a candid shot I got of Dad and Mason..... no words needed:)

Halloween Party at Music Class....

2009-10-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

This was the party we had a few days ago at Makenzie's music class. I love this class, and I love the teacher (who also happens to be my Visiting Teacher and Mak's Nursery Teacher). All the kids were invited to wear their costumes, and she had a little carnival for them. Mak dressed up as a princess (of course) for the party. Nicole, her teacher, is in the middle as the Statue of Liberty.

This little boy is the CUTEST little boy ever. His name is Nathan and he is Nicole's son. They have the biggest crush on each other... and it is SO adorable. He is SO sweet to her. I love it:)

Pumpkin Carving Time!!

2009-10-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

This year we went to my sister Corinna's house to carve pumpkins. Everyone had so much fun! Corinna and Kimberly bought my little Makenzie this cheer leading outfit (to drive Drew crazy)... it was HILARIOUS!!!

I didn't get a pic of what Drew and Makenzie carved, but he did Minnie Mouse for her. Too cute!

CRAZY MUCH KIMBERLY?!?!?! :) I was a little nervous for the kids:)

Fun at Grandma's.....

2009-10-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

We got to go over to my mom's the other day. Kimberly really did all the work helping, I was spoiled and just got to take pics. Here are some shots of that day.... goodbye fall, we will miss you:(

There are some DANG cute pics of my little nephew Talmadge, but I will let my sister post all of those, but here is one I couldn't resist....

Happy Birthday Makenzie!

2009-10-19T13:02:00.001-07:00

I truly can't believe my little girl turned 3! She is getting so old it scares me to think that before I know it, she will be on her own. I know it sounds cliche, but it really is true. She has been such a blessing to Drew and I. She is our happy little sunshiney girl that keeps us on our toes and always busy.

We were lucky to have our family come over for her small little party.

Makenzie is CRAZY about anything Mickey/Minnie Mouse, so that was our party decor.

Please excuse the lack of luster in the cake, I had a 2 week old at the time, and was so tired it's all I could do. (PS- HUGE thanks to my dear friend Callie who came over to help me with my kids so I could pull all this off!)

This umbrella was a HUGE hit. She had been asking for one forever. Of course it was princess themed, Drew loved that;)

How I love my little girl..... XO

Here are some random video clips of our little girl, for those that aren't around to see her grow up:(

Our first family outting!

2009-10-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

We finally ventured out with our little guy. This was WAY sooner than I ever did with Makenzie (which was seriously like 3 months!). We went with our dear friends the Pflegers. They have a little girl named Elle that is a little younger than Makenzie, and they get along great.
We all went to Linder Farms. It is a pumpkin patch/carnival thing that is so much fun. They road some swings that fly around like at the fair ( I was so shocked Makenzie wanted to go on them, and she LOVED them!). There was a petting zoo and a little train made from barrels that was pulled by a tractor that Mak got to ride. She was so particular about picking out a pumpkin too. We walked and walked, then all of a sudden, she pointed to one and said "Mommy, that one is it" It was a pretty big one too, and a strange color. I tried to talk her into a cooler one, like the white ones or red ones they had there, but she wouldn't hear of it:) She had her mind made up.
The huge sad part about all of this, is that my camera RAN OUT OF BATTERIES half way through the night, so that is why I only have a few pics:( (Kat you would think I would have learned my lesson huh!?!?!:)

Look at these handsome studs toting around our precious cargo. Gotta love it! Our friends here just had a baby about 3 months before we had Mason. We love them!

Mason Update!

2009-10-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... I can't believe either that I haven't posted more pics. It is true what they say, all consecutive children get less and less pics...FOR SURE! Poor guy:)
He is doing pretty awesome. We are starting to get more sleep (I must brag that as of last night, he is only waking up ONCE! He is only 6 weeks old, that is totally awesome!). He is starting to smile for us, and we get to have more face time with him awake, which is so cute. Makenzie is still being amazing, and really does love her little brother. He has gained some awesome weight, from 7.4 when we left the hospital, to 9.6 as of a week ago...yeah!! Our prayers really have been heard.

Puzzle time with Daddy...

2009-09-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Makenzie LOVES puzzles, and I don't mean to brag, but she is dang good at them! She loves doing them with her Daddy. She will sit down and do a 1000 piece puzzle with Drew of New York City, and love every second of it. Here they are doing one of hers though, of a pirate ship!

Baby shower fun....

2009-09-30T18:16:00.001-07:00

I know it's late, but I wanted to post pics of my awesome baby shower my sisters and Mom threw for me. The decor was perfect, the food was perfect, and the company was even better! It was so much fun, here are some cute outtakes of the day. Thanks guys, love you!

Here is little Mater Tater's room (aka - mason:))

How time flies.....

2009-09-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Davina sent me these pics the other day. Makenzie and her little buddy Owen (Davina's little boy) are what we call "Birthday Buddies". They were born on the same day, and Davina and I were in the hospital together in labor. I adore this little guy and with their birthdays approaching, I thought it appropriate to post these pics. They were taken on the same couch just about 3 years apart.... how cute is that? How much they change:(

Mason Joseph Banning Arrives!

2009-09-18T17:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, 3 weeks early, Mason decided it was time to come. His arrival has brought us a wave of emotions that we were lucky enough to avoid with Makenzie. We have had some speed bumps along the last 3 weeks, but seem to come out on top every time so far.

His glucose levels when he was born were low enough to admit him into the NICU. We were there for about 4 days fighting keeping his levels up. They had to put an IV in his head, which was horrible, and the amount of heel pricks he had to endure was awful. After a few nights I will choose to never relive, we were released.

Once home, his bilirubin levels (what causes Jaundice) were too high and weren't coming down. We had to get a Bili-bed and a Bili-blanket brought to our house and give him light treatments. As a new mom, seeing him in this bed crying was so hard. Thankfully my husband in amazing and after the first night, he let me go to the other side of the house and go to bed so I didn't have to hear him. We have finally gotten the levels a little lower, but still have some time ahead of us before he isn't our orange baby:)

Next, we found out that he has what is called a Sacral Dimple. I will spare everyone the details, but what it COULD have been, would have been horrible. It could have effected his growth in a very serious way down the road. We had an ultrasound done of his spine and it seems we are ok and things should grow just as they should.

Heavenly Father has really blessed us with this little guy. With all the drama and tears in the last 3 weeks, it could have been so much worse, I count my blessings. All those little babies in the NICU that were so much worse off than our little one. I will always remember how lucky we are.
He is such a great baby, and so much fun. Makenzie really loves him and is a great big sister. She wants to read him books every night before bed and always worries when he cries. We are so thankful for her and I can't wait until I get this "mom of two" thing down so I can spend more time with her.

Just a few random pics for you... here is one right in the middle of a contraction.. Thanks Kim:)

Drew took over my bed one night:) He is so cute. He really just wanted to use my pump:)

Bear Lake Babbitt Reunion

2009-08-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

We just got home from an amazing trip to Bear Lake with my family. We rented an awesome cabin and spent lots of time at the beach. It was so much fun to see my brothers and "sisters" and their kids. We miss them so much. We got lots of updated family pics, which my family was kind enough to let me shoot. I am NO photographer, (like my friend Hollie), but she has inspired a true love for it for me. So, I just dabble quietly on the side:)

Here is our cabin....;) obviously not, but it was one of the views from our cabin. Sad really, but the younger boys sure did have a great time telling the younger girls that there were ghosts in there at night.

Here is our real cabin, with a killer view. It was awesome.

Here is Makenzie at the Beach. I hate how the colors get all muted out. The lake is so shallow FOREVER, the kids were able to just run around and it was really warm which helped.
I LOVED this pic of my little niece Paige. She was so cute:)
Here is the cute Babbitt Family!

Makenzie was attached to Logan's hip. She really took to her, and Logan was so sweet to take care of her that week. I still get tears from Makenzie about missing her.

Handsome man:).....

My beautiful sisters and sister-in-laws and mom.

LOVE this pic of the original Babbitt clan... Love it Taft:)

Here is a prego pic for all of you...ugh. I don't think there is a women around that loves a picture of her +extra pounds:), but here you go.
Best trip to date..... we miss our family already. Love you!

A family walk.....

2009-07-27T16:16:00.001-07:00

Here are just some random pics from our family walk the other night. There is this gorgeous place by the river just a few minutes from our house. Stanley loves to swim there and Makenzie loves to throw rocks in the water. There is enough shade that I don't swell up too bad:)
I have been catching some flack (sp?) for not posting pregnancy pics, so here you go. These are NOT very good. This was on a Sunday night, so Makenzie and I had had some really great naps earlier and we are wearing our comfies:) (In the above pic you can see Stanley swimming, the little black dot:))

Stanely and his best friend "Floaty"

The Rooooodeo!

2009-07-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Drew and I got to take our little Makenzie to her first rodeo the other day. Our great friends the Madison's came with us. It was fun, she loved seeing all the animals.

She loved her little candy Callie brought for her almost more than the rodeo:)

Our Banning Reunion at the Oregon Coast

2009-07-15T13:17:00.001-07:00

This trip was SO much fun. Drew's mom and George rented a house next to the beach and we all went for about 4 days. Drew and I drove with a newly potty trained Makenzie. We were a little worried about that, but I am so happy and proud to report that she was AMAZING! No accidents or anything. She was so fun and so easily entertained on the long drive. We only had to break out ONE movie on the way there, and one on the way back.
Once we got their, we saw Drews parents (aka Nana and Papa) and Makenzie's cousins Cassie and Sam, and a few days later, Drew's brother David showed up. He is in the Marine's so we rarley get to see him, so that was great. Here are a few shots of us on the beach:

Makenzie LOVED playing in the sand! I was very surprised:)

Makenzie and Daddy flying her kite. She thought that was amazing:)

Makenzie kept having a bit of a wardrobe malfunction:)

This was her little sand castle she was SO proud of, she did it all, flag and everything:)

She was fascinated with her footprints.

How funny (a little creepy:)) is this pic? Her Nana gave her this sleeping bag on this trip, she LOVES IT!

OREGON COAST AQUARIUM---- Makenzie has never been to an aquarium before. She has been to the Zoo a bunch, but this blew her away. She was so excited at every corner and couldn't get enough. It was so fun to watch!

I was really surprised she was into the touch pools. Dad kept her safe:)

There was a under water tunnel we walked through and part of the ground was glass so she could see the fish beneath her. We had to basically drag her out of here. She was in everybody's way walking around her, but she didn't care, she wanted to watch all day:)

If you look at the top of the pic, you can see a shark above her head.
I LOVE this pic. She was looking at the shark swimming above her:)

I love this man:)

Bike Time.....

2009-07-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Here Makenzie is again with the bike Grandma Babbitt got for her. She LOVES it and wants to ride it everyday. It is amazing to look at her and believe she is big enough to ride any bike at all:) She also won't ride without her helmet, she loves it!

POTTY TRAINED!!

2009-07-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

That's right my friends.... Makenzie is potty trained!!! I can't tell you how totally awesome it is to not have any more diapers to change! I know it will be short lived, because little Mason will be here in a few short months... but until then we are LOVING IT!
It was so cute what finally did it for her. She LOVES going to Red Robin, not for the food - but for the big red bird she likes to call "Big Robin". We told her that if she went in the potty from now on, we would take her there to dinner. So, about a week later - there we had it. We had a few accidents, but all at home and none were the really bad kind (if you get my drift, of the brown kind). Anyways, so awesome.

Totally awesome....

2009-06-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

So, apparently Blogger has lost all of my pictures... AWESOME. This has happened to a hand full of people since May, and no solution yet or what is actually causing this. NICE. So, hold on folks and cross your fingers this bug doesn't hit you. I don't know when/if it will be retrieved. I will post more stuff soon, as soon as I know what is up:)

Day out to "feed" the ducks....

2009-06-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Drew and I took Makenzie to the park the other day to feed the ducks. It was such a beautiful day, mostly overcast (of course until I took the camera out to take pictures, then it was blazin sun, but what can ya do?:)).
Anyways, to our dismay, there was a sign that says not to feed the ducks, so we settled on walking after them and Makenzie going after them saying "coming here duckies, come here... I want to hug you!" Needless to say, none obliged - in fact one nasty goose hissed at her and scared her half to death. All in all, it was a fun day with the family:)

She just didn't understand why this little duck friend wouldn't come see her:)

And this was just the cutest Mom and ducklings I had ever seen:). The colors on my camera are SO much better than when I upload to Blogger. If anyone knows why, PLEASE let me know. I hate the washed out colors! :)

It's offical.....

2009-06-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

So, I am offically selling my flower hair clips at a real store! It was very exciting for me the day they asked me to bring some in to sell. We will see how it goes, but as for now, they love them - I love them and it was a nice little extra money. So.... if you have any requests, let me know. I make all sizes, shapes and colors:)

A day out at Nana's and Papa's...

2009-06-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

We LOVE going to Drew's parents house out in Ontario. It really just feels like we are getting away from all the grime the city leaves on you... if you know what I mean. She loves Nana and can't get enough of Papa's "green car" (which is really a buffed out 4 wheeler that she gets to ride on to go see the cows when we go out there).
This time around, Nana planted flowers with her and she thought that was really great.

Nana has a green car too!!

Drew loves it too:)

Drews Mom loves to teach Makenzie about lots of things, today it was plants:)

My new car....

2009-06-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not mine, but I thought it mentionable because our little Makenzie loves it SO much! Who would have thought this little car would have so much joy packed inside it:). I had been looking for a used one forever, but they are impossible to find! I got lucky one day and finally happened upon one. She "drives" it up and down our small patio all day long... love it!

Do I HAVE to share with my cousin???

Ohhhhh.... look at that static!

Memorial Day 09

2009-06-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Most of our family got together this year and went to my Dad's grave to clean and spend some time together. It was really great to see the kids love it so much again.

Here Drew is relaxing on the grass... handsome man:)

Grandma and the grandkids

Drew, Makenzie and I

Grandkids having fun

Grandma let the kids make a cool chain and draped it around my dad's gravestone. I thought it was a really cool picture.

I thought this was the cutest picture I was able to get with Dad and Makenzie looking at the water below:)

Grandma and Austin

Excellent Easter....

2009-04-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I am way behind. Lets just get caught up with Easter and I will hurry up with the rest:)
It was so much fun, as always.. it is every year. Makenzie was SO excited to go see her cousins ALL day.... but first we "had" to go to church:) It was like torture I am sure. She got all dressed up in her Easter outfit and looked so darn cute I could barely stand it. Drew even broke out his pink tie so that he would match me. (how cute is that!)

(This was her in the morning, the Easter Bunny left her a stuffed Minnie dressed with ears and such, she loved it:))

Here they are all waiting for us to say GO! Makenzie, as always, is making a great face.

Austin and Andra were so great with her. Austin helping her find the eggs, and Andra going SO much slower than she would have liked to, so that she could share with her. Thanks you guys!
After the "hunt"... is Makenzie BITING the basket? What?:)

My cute sisters:) I love them! (PS.. do I ever tan?)

LOVE YOU ARNELLS!!!!! (and new addition Butch:))

LOVE YOU STEVENS!

Our little family and my pregnant self.

Soooooo tired:)

Fun at Dad's.....

2009-04-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last week when the boys (my hubby and my sister's hubby) were in Mexico, we got the chance to spend a lot of time together. It was so much fun. We also got to go to my Dad's grave and hang out. We really don't do this as much as we should or want to. It is really great to see the kids embrace "Grandpa" without hesitation. Here are some cute shots we had of our fun day:)

Cancun.....It's not just for Spring Breakers!

2009-03-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the mother of all posts: Our trip to Cancun! We just got back and can I say temperature shock!!! We had the best time ever, and to me, it was perfect weather (about 80-85 with a light breeze). Here are some highlights of the trip-

The view from our Hotel room

The water was SOOO blue and it was the most amazing thing to fall alseep to it's sound every night. (here are a few random pics of the hotel. The inside was AWESOME. All the foliage you see hanging is real and was blooming when we left. All the ponds were stalked with Koi fish.)

This was our beach at our hotel. The sand was so soft and yummy. Those are my little toes sticking out in the pic. We just laid out and read books and had lovely drinks brought to us. The waves were pretty crazy the whole time because of the wind, but it didn't bother me, as I am not an ocean swimming fan. It didn't stop Drew though:) (DISCLAIMER: For those who don't know, YES, I am pregnant in this picture, about 3 months. I know, I pop out like a whale right from the beginning:))

Our first night in Cancun

We were so lucky to go with some very dear friends of ours, the Madisons. Here we are at a local Mexican resturant eating dinner with them out on the balcony over the ocean. I mean really, how lucky are we?:)

Where we ate lunch many a day
This is where we ate a few lunches. What an AMAZING view! It was so relaxing and romantic!

My dear friend Callie and I.

Dinner with the Pirates....

So one night we got to have dinner aboard a Pirate Ship. Here in this pic you see 3. They were authentic ships, and hard to capture how cool in a photo at night. It was so much fun, and very much like "Knights of the Roundtable" for all who have done that dinner and show - but with pirates. We sailed into the open sea and had dinner and a show and then another pirate ship showed up and then had cannon wars, sword fights and a dance. It was SO much fun. I don't have some of the GREATEST pics, Callie does - of the Mini Me Pirate totally hitting on Drew during a dance. NOT KIDDING, he was licking his fingers and rubbing his nipples and winking at him... it was HILARIOUS!!!

This was our captain on the left, and mini me (aka- Drews new boyfriend on right)

How much do I love him:)......

Xcaret.... an Ecopark

This was an awesome ecopark that was an all day adventure for us. It had underground tunnels that we snorkeled through (in FREEZING cold water) but was totally awesome. A zoo of sorts and aquarium. It also had lots of beaches and dolphins that you could swim with. We had amazing food and got to walk around a truly beautiful place.

This building was so beautiful to look at. The cut outs on the bottom are the showers. Then you walk up and circle the building to one of the door cut outs to find a place to change. I just really loved it.

No really, what you lookin at?

These guys were AMAZING. They would climb to the top of this pole (EASILY 5 stories hight) and one would sit in the middle and play this flute thing, and then all of a sudden, they just feel off backwards !! It was insane, you have to watch the video. I would vomit:)

That night the people here put on a show about the Mayan people. It was really awesome to watch and the costumes would have blown your mind!

Its hard to see in the pic, but above that girl is a man in an eagle costume. It was something to behold, truly amazing.

Our last night in Paradise.....

The last night we were there Drew took me to a romantic Italian resturant right on the ocean. (Italian is my favorite!) It was such a magical trip and I am so thankful for a husband that wants to do things like this with me. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and splurged on dessert, a $20 half pint of Dreyers ice cream! Can you believe it? It was worth every penny though! Cancun was amazing, and so far my favorite place in Mexico. Thanks to my awesome sister (and family) who helped make it possible by watching our little one.

Disney - LIVE!

2009-02-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

So Drew and I took our little girl to Disney LIVE with our good friend Callie and her little one. Aliya and Makenzie have become fast friends. She was SO excited. We got her this lighted wand thing that cost WAY too much:), and she nearly knocked a few people out, but she loved it. I think she liked Disney on Ice better because it had more Mickey Mouse in it. It was such a great thing to be able to give her and experience with her. She still asks if Mickey can come over and have a sleepover:)
This pic is hard to see the background, but I thought it was a cute family pic:)
This pic doesn't do her justice, it was so much funnier than this. She would get up in the isle and spin in circles with her wand until she would fall over from being so "bizzy". So funny:)

Family Movie Night...

2009-02-09T17:30:00.001-08:00

So we stole this tradition from my sister:) It was so fun to get pizza and hang out as a family and watch movies. Makenzie thought it was great we got to eat upstairs AND watch movies at the same time:)

Our first painting experience....

2009-01-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... you all can't believe that I haven't let Makenzie play with finger paints yet. It's not so much that I didn't want her too, I just didn't want to have to deal with the mess either.:) But, the other day we did it together. At first all she wanted to do was paint with the Popsicle stick, no way with the fingers. That is where I jumped in and found my inner toddler. When she saw me playing with the paint, she jumped in. After that, she was sold and it's all she wants to do now. I love seeing her find such pure joy in little things.

G.G....

2009-01-21T15:38:00.000-08:00

We went out to visit GG (we are calling her that because Great Grandma Givens was just too much for a two year old to say:)) I am sad that we haven't been out there more, it was so great to see her. She is the only Grandparent that Drew has or I am close to on my side, so the only Great Grandparent that Makenzie will ever know. We are so glad her have her as a part of our lives. She is a great blessing and we love her to pieces.
Everything else in our lives are pretty great. I think I just got over the 48 hour flu. How do people do that with kids and NO help? It would have really been awful if Drew wasn't able to help out as much as he did. I just hope his job thinks so too! I can't wait for this dang inversion to lift, it really drains our spirits. I just need some sun!! Love to you all!

Her new Tu-Tu

2009-01-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

So this is the cutest thing ever. My dear friend Callie made this for Makenzie, and she LOVES IT!! She always asks to put it on so she can dance, and wouldn't dare dance without it! I can't wait to put her in ballet! So I might be pushing the dance thing on her a bit, but I swear the day she says she doesn't like it, that will stop:)

No nuts????

2009-01-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

This was so funny, more funny than the video portrays - but she was trying to say Donut and keep saying "No Nuts". Drew and I were laughing really hard. Enjoy:)

No way.....

2009-01-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

My little girl was on her way to a sleepover and wanted to pack her backpack that she got for Christmas with some toys to bring. Drew helped her and came walking around the corner and when I saw her my heart just burst. It burst out of love for her, and it ached so much looking at her realizing how old she is getting. She isn't my baby anymore and it kills me that I am already 2 years into her life and only have 16 more left of her in my arms. What a mom's heart goes through for each child, one would never guess.

I cry the day I take the tree down:(.....

2009-01-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Do you hear Michael McClean singing in your head? I hear that song every time the dreaded day comes I have to take all my Christmas stuff down. It really makes my heart sad. I love being a part of the world around that time of year, when everyone seems less quick to anger, and more eager to help or share a smile. I guess it starts with me to carry that feeling on. It helped to have Drew and Makenzie there that morning.:)

This little video is SO cute. This really made the whole day so bright and wonderful. Makenzie is so full of optimism it is contagious. We love having her bright spirit around.

How we brought in the New Year....

2009-01-12T12:51:00.001-08:00

We were lucky enough to have our neice and nephew (Austin and Andra) and Grandma over for a sleepover . All us girls painted each others nails and toes which was so fun. Makenzie loved it! While we did that, they boys went upstairs to play the Wii.

Grandma even got in a hair cut that night:)

Later on when the "older" fold watched Eagle Eye, the girls crawled in our bed and watched Tinkerbell. It was so cute.

Makenzie couldn't wait for the sleeping bags to come out. She wouldn't hear of her sleeping in her bed while Andra was on the floor! So we pulled her sleeping bag down and they both slept together:)

Christmas morning at our house.....

2009-01-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Our little girl was so tired, we actually had to wake HER up at almost 9:30! I wasn't too upset because I know those days are GONE! I viewed it as my Christmas blessing;). She was a little confused at first why Santa wasn't STILL there, but we worked around that. Other than that, I'm not sure she really got the whole concept, but we had fun!

How HANDSOME is this man I get to call mine??!

Of course the $3.99 Care Bear bouncy ball was the BEST gift of them all!:)

The Little People Castle was a close runner up though:)

Pajama Party!!!

2009-01-01T20:36:00.001-08:00

This year my mom (Grandma) hosted a PJ party at her house. She got jammies for all the kiddo's and we got to hang out and be together. Kimberly made some yummy soup with soup bowls and we ate that all up and laughed and played that night. All the adults wore there jammies too which was a lot of fun! Thanks Grandma!

Dude...HOW FUNNY IS THIS PICTURE OF TALMADGE???:)

Oh man these kids were wasted, but I wanted a pic of what the jammies said. So cute!