Independence Day 2009

We had a great 4th of July this year with family and friends. We started the morning out right with the traditional ward breakfast. Our ward does this every year but usually we are out of town for this but this year we were here and we loved it. They had a speaker talk to us about the holiday and he read the entire Declaration of Independence. I had never heard the whole thing. It was pretty cool to listen to and remind us of how blessed we are to live in America! Then the kids put on a bicycle parade. They each decorated their bikes and rode around the parking lot while we listened to patriotic music. It was so much fun! Grandpa Ron came to town for the weekend and the kids had a great time with him. After breakfast we spent the day playing and enjoying the sunny weather. Then in the evening we went over to the Moulton's home with lots of friends and ate, yet again, more delicious food, played games and lit off fireworks. Of course the BIG boys were more into it than the little ones but we all had such a great time and no one was injured! :) Had one close call though. We all know how much hair I have, so I think the sparks are just drawn to it. I had firework shrapnel land on my head so Jeff came running over to pat the sparks off my head. Everyone got a good laugh out of that but I was thinking that I'd like to keep all my hair for now! I don't think bald is really the look for me. Any way, we stayed out super late and enjoyed every minute. I am so grateful for this country we live in and for the freedoms that have been fought for, and are still being fought for, for each of us. We are so blessed!

Here are some pictures from our fun day!

Disneyland 2009

This past spring we took the kids and went to Disneyland. It was the first time the kids had been. I have to say, hands down, that this trip was the best family vacation we've taken yet!!! Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth. The weather was gorgeous for us and the kids were at great ages to really enjoy it. Laine was only a few months old but she was an angel, as usual. Shane was 2 1/2, Wyatt almost 6, and Abigail 8. Jeff and I talked before we went on the trip and decided that we really wanted to make this a trip that the kids would never forget. We new we were going to have to loosen up the purse strings and relax a little. :) So we decided that we were going to try to say yes to everything. So, if the kids wanted 3 Cotton candies in one day, we said yes. If they wanted to go on a ride a few more times that they had already been on lots, we said yes. If they wanted to stay out late we said yes. You get the idea. :) It was so freeing and made the trip so much more fun for Jeff and I to feel like, with in reason, we could say yes to the kids on everything and really keep them smiling the whole time. (Thanks to Laura Mitchell for this great advice!) We had the 3 day park hopper passes so on our first day we went to California Adventure. What a cool place that is. We saw everything we wanted to except the Aladdin show. We heard it was amazing. It didn't happen to be showing the day we were there. Oh, well. We'll catch it next time. After a full day there we went back to the room and fell into bed. Then we spent the next 2 days at Disneyland, riding rides, meeting Disney characters, eating food, and laughing and smiling. Abigail and Wyatt were tall enough to ride all the rides and I was so proud of how brave they were. Even if it looked a little scary and they were nervous, they still took a chance and rode the ride. They always had fun and never regretted getting on. Jeff and I took turns riding with the kids and there were those occasional rides that we could all ride together. Shane and Laine were such amazing sports and didn't mind waiting sometimes for their big brother and sister. We had breakfast at Goofy's kitchen. That was super fun. Then we took some time to walk around Downtown Disney and shop. The lego store there is awesome.

We were truly sad to leave and didn't want our trip to end. It's hard to get back to real life when you've just had that much fun. We feel so lucky to have been able to do this trip and it's one we'll never forget. The kids still talk about it almost a year later and ask, "When can we go back?" I told them that we could go back when Laine is as big as Wyatt is now so we can all ride the rides together. Never underestimate your kids because Abby and Wyatt took that very seriously and immediately started trying to feed Laine more food!! They would say, "Here Laine. Eat and grow big fast so we can go back to Disneyland!" Gotta love it. Can't wait until I can post again some day about our next trip to Disneyland.

Our Favorite rides in 09:
Jeff- Giant Orange Swings
Tracie- Indiana Jones
Abigail- Thunder Mountain Railroad
Wyatt- The Matterhorn/Jedi Training
Shane- Buzz Lightyear
Laine- It's a Small World


Any thing 3D was cool!


Wyatt was chosen to do the Jedi training. He was so serious about! To cool to be able to fight Darth Vader. Something he'll never forget I'm sure. :)



Toon Town

Jeff and Abby waiting in line to go through the Haunted Mansion!

Wyatt's 6th Birthday!

Yesterday Wyatt turned 6 years old! He had a great day of celebrating. Our family traditions for birthdays are:
1. The night before their birthday we sneak into their room after they are asleep and decorate the heck out of it...balloons, streamers, signs, confetti etc., so that they wake up to a party in their room on their special day.
2. For breakfast they get a Birthday Donut with a candle and we sing to them. (this we adopted from a friend, my kids love it!)
3. Then for dinner they get to pick out their favorite meal and I will make it for them. This year Wyatt picked waffles and bacon, so that's what we had. It was delicious!
4. Then this is Jeff's creation because anyone that knows me well knows that I am a stickler about kids not sleeping in my bed. I just can't sleep well with to many people in the bed. But, the kids always ask to sleep with us so Jeff decided that on their birthday they could have a sleep over with mommy and daddy. The kids love it and it makes them feel special!
5. For birthday parties, we have adopted the every other year rule. So this year was an other year. Next year he'll have a friend party. We always have a family party and this year the grandparents came over to celebrate with Wyatt and give him presents. I also let the birthday kid decide on what cake they want for their birthday party and if it's simple enough then I make it my self. This year Wyatt asked for a number 6 cake. As you can see it's pretty amateur but it tasted great!

Wyatt is a happy and funny little six year old. Right now he is into riding bikes and scooters, baseball, legos, star wars, and Indiana Jones. We love him so much and are proud to be his parents. Here are some pictures from his special day!



You can't quite read the sash but it says, "Birthday King!"

Wyatt was also able to celebrate at school with his classmates. He received a birthday crown and sticker, and was able to share some special treats that we made for the class at recess. What a fun day!!

Catch up!

The last few months have been quite hectic! I feel as though I am behind in EVERY aspect of my life right now. I guess that just goes with the time in my life now. But, even though I can't seem to catch up I am so very happy with life and our family. We are so blessed and it is something that I try not to forget. Jeff and I are good and enjoying the amazing weather we've been having. I don't think I can remember a nicer spring and start of summer. It's been gorgeous! The kids are great and really looking forward to school being over. As of today they only have 2 more days of school! WOW, that went by fast. Abigail loved 2nd grade and had a great year of friends and learning. Wyatt loved Kindergarten and he did so well. We are so proud of him. Can't believe he will soon be a first grader. Shane continues to be a very happy little guy who wants to be just like his older brother. He is into everything Wyatt is into. It's pretty cute! He loves basketball, baseball, bikes, bubbles. If it starts with a "b" apparently Shane loves it! Laine is almost 6 months old now. She is following in Shane's footsteps and is just about the happiest baby ever! She loves to talk and coo. She's rolling over, pushing up on her tummy, and loves to grab her feet. She is such a joy to have in our home. We wouldn't have been complete with out her! We also have one more new addition to the family. He is 3 months old and the cutest thing you've ever seen! Oscar is his name and playing is his game.



Oscar is our new little Boxer puppy. The kids have been asking for a dog for years now, and when I say kids I mean Jeff and the kids!! I guess I finally gave in. We are loving him and are glad that we got him. There have been plenty of moments over the last several months where I say to myself...."What have we done!", and I'm sure there will be more of those moments, but he really is great and we love him! The kids are a big help with taking care of him. And as soon as he's old enough he'll be my new running partner! Can't wait. :)

Well, that's pretty much the catch up for the last few missing months of blogging/journaling. I added a bunch of pictures below of the kids and us of the goings on in our family.

Enjoy Grandma, Mom, Dad, and Brandie! We'll see you soon!!

Love to all our family!

Go Green!

I'm not usually this organized with clothes and outfits but this year for Easter I planned ahead and had the whole family match. It was a lot of fun and I think it turned out cute. I know it's not going to be to much longer before the kids grow up and won't let me do these kinds of things! :) After we were all dressed, which is a feet in and of it's self, we knew we had to take pictures before we headed off to church. Because who knows what we'd look like 3 hours from now! So below is some of the silly, funny, and cute pictures we were able to get!













We spent the evening at Jeff's parents home for dinner and a little Easter egg hunt. It was a great day!

Spring Break 2009

Spring break in Seattle was absolutely beautiful this year! The sun was out and the temp. was great. We had a couple of fun day trips early in the week. I took the kids to Seahurst Beach/Park in Burien, with Becky and her kids, to look in the tide pools and play in the sand. Then sun felt so good! The tide was high so we didn't get to look in the tide pools but the kids had a blast climbing on the logs and building in the sand. Can't wait for summer!






We also went to Snoqualmie Falls one afternoon. It was beautiful. We had fun but it was a little hectic. I think that this little trip was probably one of the first times I've taken all 4 of the kids on an outing (besides the store) with out Jeff's help. It was a little stressful but I think the kids had a great time anyway, despite mom being a little crazy!


In the little town of Snoqualmie is a neat Train Museum. We stopped there before the falls and got to get up in this little engine. It was fun to get up close to all the old trains on the lines.



Then unfortunately after these fun days I got pretty sick with a sinus infection. So, I was out of it for the rest of the break but the kids still had fun. They went over to Great Grandma and Grandpa Allen's house for a sleep over which turned into a 2 night sleep over. They always have so much fun! They told of late nights, movies, yummy food like donuts, and just about what ever they wanted. Can't wait until I'm a grandma and can spoil my grand kids too!

This weekend is Easter and so now we are trying to focus our thoughts and hearts to celebrating this special holiday. We are looking forward to remembering the Saviors Resurrection as well as a few special treats from the Easter Bunny.

Portland, Oregon

Our family just took a little weekend trip down to Portland Oregon a few weekends ago. We had a great time. This is what we did while we were there...

We went to see the second largest year round running water fall in the US. It's called Multinomah Falls. It was amazing. What a site to see. The kids loved it. We couldn't believe how loud it was. They have is so beautifully presented with stone walk ways, nice paths to hike up to the top of the falls and a wonderful bridge that you can walk across and get an amazing close up view of the falls. Definitely worth seeing if you are in Portland!

Laine got a good look at the falls and liked it! I don't think she could open her eyes any wider even if she wanted to.

Then we took the kids to the Portland Children's Museum. That was a lot of fun. They had a Bob the Builder exhibit and Shane went nuts over that. Here he is driving the tractor.

Wyatt worked on fixing some pipes! Maybe he'll be a plumber some day.

Or, maybe a dentist! He had a lot of fun playing in this alligators mouth! :)

Abigail and Wyatt had fun in the "garage" making things that they could take home with them.

Our hotel was right across the street from the Portland Temple in the Lake Oswego area. The whole area was gorgeous and the Temple was spectacular. It's such a beautiful design and the stone around the outside is incredible! We really enjoyed walking around the grounds and feeling the spirit that is always at the House of the Lord.


Then, the real reason we went down to Portland...A group of friends and I took our daughters to see the Broadway show Wicked! It's such an amazing show. I saw it for the first time in Chicago. I brought home the music and Abigail and I love listening to it. Abigail knows all the songs and asked all the time when I was going to take her to see it. So when we heard it was coming to Portland we got tickets. It was such a fun night. We got to get all dressed up, go out to dinner and then enjoy the show. As I knew she would be, Abigail was completely taken by the show and loved every minute. Then after when we were walking out we got so lucky as to be walking past the back door where the actors were coming out. So Abigail got her programed signed by Glinda, Fierro, Nessa, and Bock! It was so exciting. They are all truly amazing at what they do. We were bummed not to be able to meet Alfaba but I'm sure she was still inside trying to "de-greenify" herself! If you haven't seen this show yet, go see it!! It's coming to Seattle in September!!!!!


The girls had a fun Birthday Party sleep over in celebration of Brynly, Reanan, and Katie's birthdays in March. They painted toes, played games, ate food, and stayed up late. What fun!

We had a fun time as a family. It was a perfect little get away and I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to go. Our hotel was fun and when we weren't site seeing we had a great time at the pool swimming and splashing! Here's a picture of Laine relaxing on the hotel bed. She had fun too!

We are now looking forward to our next family trip which will be in a few weeks. We are taking the kids to Disneyland!!! Can't wait :)